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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Erdem

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Illustration by Erica Sharp

So Designers Remix is the project of Charlotte Eskildsen who has designed for the woman with an “avant garde angle on sophistication” whatever that means. But her collection wasn’t shown in the archetypical fashion show setting that everyone has – no, website like this look this was a living presentation. Now without being snobbish these ‘presentations’ can sometimes be frankly boring, but this was just a bit different. Generally these designers displays their wares on some pretty coat hangers and expects you to coo over it whilst placing a few press releases on windowsills.

But Designers Remix was done a little differently with real life models. Walking into the Portico Rooms in Somerset House you’re struck by two of the aforementioned posing together in front of a painted pillar with the highest fully coiffed beehives I’ve seen in a long time. Sporting a ruffled dress in a satin material maybe best saved for the high street it’s wasn’t the key piece I was expecting to see, but the frilled coat she was standing next to (on a model don’t worry) was very Celine-chic: minimlist and camel.


Live illustrations by Jenny Robins

The inspiration for her pieces was the Palais Royal in Paris; she looked at mixing the look of the elaborate architecture with the striped columns in the courtyard. And the ruffles on the above dress and coat were inspired by the Tuleries Garden and, ironically, French Poodles? Ok so this is very avant-garde. As you walked around the live exhibition, the pieces appealed to my taste more and more. A navy blue column coat with dainty silver buttons was stunning (collarless and mid-length is what you need for A/W 2011) whilst a silky draped tangerine dress stood out from the otherwise minimal colour palette. Strangely though, it was the clothes on the hangers that appealed to me more than the pieces shown on the models.

A rack of butter-soft leather and suede mix jackets (known as the Bilbao) and grey ribbed jumpers (known as the Kissher) with point detailing on the sleeves was so perfect I wanted to throw it on right that minute. As seen at Daks, the look du jour for A/W 2011 will be thick jumpers over silky skirts so Eskilden is right on-trend with her thinking. The pieces seemed quite disjointed as if they weren’t part of the same collection, though – as lovely as they were.


Illustration by Erica Sharp

There was definitely lots of beautiful pieces from the designer, and as my first time seeing her collection, I’m impressed if not a little bit confused. Eskilden works with the feminine shape to tailor the pieces and has an imperative knack for getting drapes falling beautifully down the body. I think it’s the concept that confuses me; sometimes fashion is just too clever for its own good.

All photography by Jemma Crow


Illustrations by Joe Turvey

Oh-how-well we know Erdem for those bold florals of his, no rx shining through to the forefront of every London Fashion Week – regardless of whether they’re ‘on trend’ or not. Luckily for him, website like this a couple of years ago his Spring/Summer floral collection ticked all the trend boxes and seduced many eyes in his direction, website including my own. And now? Well, one really had to be there, in the overflowing frenzy that was his A/W show at University of Westminster on Monday, to understand just how important Erdem Moralioglu has become.

Anna Wintour. Hilary Alexander. Sarah Mower. Rebecca Lowthorpe. It was a congregation of the some of the world’s most powerful fashion figures. The bigwigs passed me whilst I stood at the front of the Standing Tickets queue for a mere HOUR. Hence why you wear comfy shoes to London Fashion Week, people. It is, of course, extremely hard to get hundreds into a venue within a small period of time, but all-in-all entrance to the show was a bit of a nightmare. As celebs such as Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo and Sam Cam swanned-on through to comfy seats at the front row, countless numbers of us were stood in the cold. Unfortunately, this is the way of fashion, but it would prove worth it.

Standing at the front of the queue, I was expecting a spectacular view, be-it standing up! However, most of us with standing tickets, including me, were placed on a balcony high above the catwalk with only a few being able to see anything! The clothes that graced the catwalk as the lights dimmed made-up for the disappointment.

Classical music with a heavy base boomed across the space, with a catwalk that zig-zagged around the large room. Every inch of every garment was either saturated in bold print or soaked in bright, block colour, with blue, pink and purple dominating the palette. Every model was elevated by killer high-heel red footwear courstesy of Nicholas Kirkwood. The look was girly, but powerfully imposing.

The dresses were so jaw-droppingly elegant it was as if they were made solely for the red carpet. It was all floor-skimming shimmering fabric with classy high-necks and sexy low-backs. And not forgetting the long gloves in matching print to complete. The style was ever-so ladylike with many shorter dresses baring a pencil-skirt finish.

Erdem, once again, took his trademark florals in a new direction with a more blended print design that looked almost as if it had come straight-off a Monet masterpiece. After the final stretch of models had sauntered off the runway, the designer himself peeked out from the curtain with a smile and disappeared, just-in time to recieve the huge cheers and applaud from the star-studded crowd. A well-deserved appreciation for one of London Fashion Week’s most-loved designers.

Written by Georgia Takacs on Friday February 25th, 2011 5:00 pm

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Alexa Chung, ,Anna Wintour, ,Catwalk review, ,Erdem, ,fashion, ,floral, ,Hilary Alexander, ,London Fashion Week, ,Monet, ,Nicholas Kirkwood, ,Olivia Palermo, ,Rebecca Lowthorpe, ,samantha cameron, ,Sarah Mower

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