Illustration by Andrea Peterson
As part of Designers Remix, physician designer Charlotte Eskildsen, who is creative director of the enterprise published their signature collection last week. After winning the prestigious Danish Design Guldknappen award she has become a force to be reckoned with in international fashion since starting the line in 2002. Her S/S 2011 collection ‘Liquid Sky’ is inspired by cloud formations.
Draped fabrics. Origami folds. A flash orange dress. Scraped back hair tied in tight knots. The show, more about held in the Portico rooms was one of my favourites of the week. Like many others, it stuck strongly to a muted colour range, beginning with pieces in greys, creams and blacks. Small details like the delicate lace insets and just-seen underskirts pulled the collection together extremely well.
Charlotte’s skill lies in how well she collects the fabric together and makes it hang. Ruffles on the shoulders of her cream dresses are restrained and kept from looking fussy, the great bright orange dress (which I desperately want) is understated in all other ways bar the colour and the waterfall collars on the jackets carried the theme of softness through even on heavier fabrics.
Illustration by Andrea Peterson
The collection ranged from smart black dresses, to sand toned wafty jackets and ruffled party frocks in various shades of cream. This is a collection that is just good, I can’t put my finger on an exact feature or piece that puts it into a higher category for me and I think that’s why I like it. More than just a wearable summer collection, it mars together a floaty casual look with added details of specialness without being over the top.
Illustration by Andrea Peterson
As part of Designers Remix, viagra 100mg designer Charlotte Eskildsen, who is creative director of the enterprise published their signature collection last week. After winning the prestigious Danish Design Guldknappen award she has become a force to be reckoned with in international fashion since starting the line in 2002. Her S/S 2011 collection ‘Liquid Sky’ is inspired by cloud formations.
Draped fabrics. Origami folds. A flash orange dress. Scraped back hair tied in tight knots. The show, held in the Portico rooms was one of my favourites of the week. Like many others, it stuck strongly to a muted colour range, beginning with pieces in greys, creams and blacks. Small details like the delicate lace insets and just-seen underskirts pulled the collection together extremely well.
Charlotte’s skill lies in how well she collects the fabric together and makes it hang. Ruffles on the shoulders of her cream dresses are restrained and kept from looking fussy, the great bright orange dress (which I desperately want) is understated in all other ways bar the colour and the waterfall collars on the jackets carried the theme of softness through even on heavier fabrics.
Illustration by Andrea Peterson
The clothes ranged from smart black dresses, to sand toned wafty jackets and ruffled party frocks in various shades of cream. This is a collection that is just good. I can’t put my finger on an exact feature or piece that puts it into a higher category for me and I think that’s why I like it. More than just a wearable summer collection, it mars together a floaty casual look with added details of specialness without being over the top. If I wanted to sound very fashiony I would call it perfect ‘understated chic’, but hopefully I’ve described it better than that!
Illustration by Katie Harnett
Ten days is a long time to reflect on a catwalk show, purchase by this point in time, London has finished, Milan has finished and Paris started last night, which means this post is a bit late, coming a long time after the BFC tent has been removed from the courtyard of Somerset House. In the interim I have been struggling for the words to describe Kinder Aggugini’s ‘Africa’ inspired show as at the moment, it appears designers and their copy writers, forget Africa is not simply a place somewhere called ‘Africa,’ but a complex continent subdivided via colonial rule. consisting of multiple languages and cultures. But for the purposes of fashion, Africa has been relegated to Tiger skins and “super fantastic” Safari outfits. For a supposedly fashion forward industry; fashion is (un)surprisingly chained to peculiarly conservative ideas of wealth and escapism.
Illustration by Gemma Randall
It was not ‘Africa’ which inspired Kinder but a European idea of Africa, an idea which often fills the pages of Vogue’s distasteful summer fashion shoots of caucasian models in ‘Colonial Explorer’ inspired outfits striding the Safari. In a twist for a Spring Summer collection inspired by Africa, the catwalk featured Linen Jackets with trousers to match alongside simple shift dresses. The most exciting thing that appeared on the catwalk were the cardboard hats made by the fantastic Stephen Jones.
Fashion survives and feeds on escapist desires, Dior encapsulated a sense of jubilance with his “New Look” after years of rationing. Whether you want to or not we buy into the idea that what we wear is a projection of our opinions. As a result an entire industry (the High Street,the Ateliers and the Fashion Press) has developed to transform ideas created on the catwalk into the trends currently seen dominating shop window displays. Suddenly have an urge to feel like a pre-Second World War pilot? Then why not buy the Burberry inspired aviator jacket?
Illustration by Gemma Randall
Since Kinder’s show, London has finished, Milan began and ended and Paris is in the process of starting. The month of Spring Summer is drawing to a close. Trend spotters who have been waiting eagle eyed for clues to what we will be wearing next season, will have produced trend forecasts. The main problem, lies not with the designers such as (Sorry to keep using you as an example!) Kinder Aggugini who are transcribing their inspiration into garments, but with the increasing dislocation between clothes and the wearer. Fast Fashion means you can be one look tomorrow and another tomorrow, resulting in the constant plundering of the 70′s,60′s,50′s etc aesthetic. Catwalk shows can be absolutely beautiful and there were moments in Aggugini’s show of breathtaking draping alongside playfully deconstructed jacket hems and the aforementioned collaboration with Stephen Jones was exquisite.
Illustration by Katie Harnett
Categories ,africa, ,BFC, ,catwalk, ,kinder aggugini, ,Leopard Print, ,Linen, ,London Fashion Week, ,Safari, ,Stephen Jones
Similar Posts:
- Kinder Aggugini: London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review
- LFW 09 – Kinder Aggugini – S/S 2010
- Tony Cox
- An Interview with Ruth Babajide: African Heritage Exhibition Curator
- Edun: the ethical fashion company founded by Ali Hewson & rock star Bono