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Amelia’s Magazine | Graduate Fashion Week 2010: Northampton

It may have been the first ever International Show at Graduate Fashion Week, erectile but the designers did all they could to leave a lasting impression on London; collections came courtesy of universities spanning Europe with one show from students as far as Singapore.

The show launched with a strong start with Wolfgang Jarnach from the Akademie Mode & Design in Munich, ambulance his dark collection was made up of voluminous skirts and shoulders teamed with striking tailored jackets, cost topped off with a dramatic Count Dracula style cape.

In an equally theatrical fashion came Vicole Lang’s collection, which racked up the most air miles for GFW, coming in from the Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. The show kicked off with a distinctly fetishism theme opening with a PVC bandage body suit, but seemed to become more gradually demure with each outfit, until the stunning Balenciaga-esque spiked and padded dress closed her a collection in show-stopping fashion.

After Vicole’s electrifying garments, a much needed cool off came courtesy of Lidya Chrisfen’s collection which swished down the runway to the calming sounds of an ebbing tide. The neutral palette, twisted rope detailing and seashell embellishments brought to mind shipwrecks and desert islands, whilst the daringly cut, printed maxi dresses injected a touch of red-carpet glamour to the collection.

Wearability was an apparently unimportant factor for a number of the international designers, as spectators at Earl’s Court witnessed recurring ‘head coverings’ as opposed to headwear from several collections. This theme was kicked off by Linda, hailing from Singapore’s LaSalle College of the Arts, who sent a seemingly ‘blind’ model down the runway in a denim hooded thigh-skimming mini dress, which zipped up balaclava style to the top of her head.

Linda, illustrated by Lisa Billvik

The concept continued in Anna Sergnova’s collection, whose medieval-inspired garments were dreamt up in the halls of Saint Petersburg’s State University of Technology & Design. Four of her six garments completely covered the model’s faces with knight style armour, metal visors and chain-mail helmets, teamed with gauntlets and protective Balmain style padded hips and shoulders. Unfortunately the safety of the models was somewhat blighted by the towering heel-less wedges in which they were precariously balancing on as they walked the runway.

Anna Sergunova, illustrated by Aniela Murphy

Things only got stranger when Amsterdam Fashion Institute student, Floor Kolen’s creations took to the stage, she too showed a penchant for covering the eyes, this time through the medium of masks, rather scary looking plastic bird masks to be precise. She also took the acrylic route for a selection of her garments and accessories including a moulded bust style T-shirt, plastic feet shoes and demi-gloves which only covered the front part of the hand, but would nethertheless render the wearer helpless.

It is often the English that are often regarded as the most eccentric people in the world; but maybe it is time to rethink this stereotype, because actually stranger things can and certainly do happen – just ask the international designers at GFW.

Images courtesy of catwalking.com

Garry Butterfield, viagra photographed by Matt Bramford

We are almost at the end of Graduate Fashion Week for another year, viagra but there’s still plenty of talent left to see.

After hearing that one of the Northampton students, see Garry James Butterfield, had been snapped for Vogue by no other than Rankin I was intrigued to see how the show would pan out.

And it was a right old mix between the neutral pallets and technical draping (grey and navy was everywhere this year) and the ever so slightly eccentric. Perfect!

Hayley Powell: Powell erred on the neutral side sticking to a delicious mix of chocolates, khaki and creamy silks. Even more enticing was the oversized proportions of the high waisted trousers shown with a tucked in top and tied up with a battered leather belt. Definitely a contender to take Chloé’s throne and a winner in my eyes, if only for featuring a beautiful pair of printed culottes.

Hayley Powell, illustrated by Abi Daker

Lauren Dewer: Now the first look in this grouping didn’t have such an appeal but as the models waltzed out the bigger picture became clear. Using piping detail to create frills on skirts and structure on dresses, Dewer pulled off the bumblebee pallet and brought each individual piece together. To top it off, models sported yellow socks over their black tights, still a big look for autumn following on from London Fashion Week in February.

James Cottle: This was the first menswear collection I’ve seen in a while designed by a man. I digress. Cottle pulls together a simplistic uniform of peg leg trousers worn rolled up with romantically bibbed shirts and easy grey marl tops. Finished off with desert boots, the look was so laid back and perfect, the only thing I want to know is what did the badges on the jackets say? A mystery.

Eleanor Burton: A flashback to Dynasty and Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” video aren’t uncommon musings to conjure when watching Burton’s pieces stomp down the catwalk. It was red. It was Black. It was all about shoulders and bodysuits. Simple, yes; but totally wearable all the same. And it shows you don’t need the glitz and glamour to make a statement in fashion.

Eleanor Burton, illustrated by Krister Sellin

Amy Robinson: Nirvana. One simple word that pretty much sums up Robinson’s nod to the 90s. It was grungy lace intertwined with silky vest tops and….cycling shorts? Ok so maybe that’s a piece best left on the catwalk but I’m ready to get me a pair of net curtains and start sewing… (Sorry Gran)!

Amy Robinson, illustrated by Naomi Law

What was nice about the Northampton shows was that they had clearly planned the manoeuvres down to a T. Each designers end pose related to the theme and their collection, and the hair was swept cleanly on top of the head and finished intertwined with ribbon. Beautiful show, well done guys.

Images courtesy of catwalking.com

Written by Jemma Crow on Thursday June 10th, 2010 10:44 am

Categories ,1980s, ,1990s, ,Addicted to Love, ,Amy Robinson, ,Chloe, ,Dynasty, ,Earls Court, ,Eleanor Burton, ,Garry James Butterfield, ,Graduate Fashion Week 2010, ,Hayley Powell, ,James Cottle, ,Lauren Dewer, ,london, ,menswear, ,nirvana, ,Rankin, ,Robert Palmer, ,vogue, ,Womenswear

Amelia’s Magazine | Graduate Fashion Week 2010: Northampton

Linda, illustrated by Lisa Billvik

Anna Sergunova, illustrated by Aniela Murphy

Images courtesy of catwalking.com

Garry Butterfield, viagra photographed by Matt Bramford

We are almost at the end of Graduate Fashion Week for another year, viagra but there’s still plenty of talent left to see.

After hearing that one of the Northampton students, see Garry James Butterfield, had been snapped for Vogue by no other than Rankin I was intrigued to see how the show would pan out.

And it was a right old mix between the neutral pallets and technical draping (grey and navy was everywhere this year) and the ever so slightly eccentric. Perfect!

Hayley Powell, illustrated by Abi Daker

Eleanor Burton, illustrated by Krister Sellin

Amy Robinson, illustrated by Naomi Law

Images courtesy of catwalking.com

Written by Jemma Crow on Thursday June 10th, 2010 10:44 am

Amelia’s Magazine | A review of Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s latest venture, “Dear Diary”

Dan Eldon’s visual diaries; courtesy of Kathy Eldon

At some point in your life, cost you may have kept a diary, capsule pouring into it all of your deepest and darkest thoughts; the ones that you felt were too embarrassing or inappropriate to say aloud. My experience of reading old diaries is always toe-curling, but amusing as I struggle to make sense of why I cared so much about some things to write about them (for example, “loaf of bread head guy” who I adored from afar featured regularly in my diaries for a while – don’t ask!). As much as I would like to say that my diary entries were highly interesting, intelligent, deep and profound, most of them are sleep-inducing and consist of a type of written diarrhea. Thankfully, this is not the case at Cltr.Alt.Shift’s new exhibition, “Dear Diary”.

“Dear Diary” is a new project launched by the youth anti-poverty charity to explore the art of diary keeping, taking participants on an inspirational and reflective journey, through the private pages of young individuals across the globe. The exhibition is housed under a funky t-shirt shop in Covent Garden in an intimate space, bringing together several diary collections ranging from Nirvana frontman and lyricist Kurt Cobain, to the stunning visual diaries of Dan Eldon, a young and promising photojournalist who was killed on the front line by an angry mob in Mogadishu, aged only 22.

Dan Eldon’s visual diaries; courtesy of Kathy Eldon

The room is divided into seven exhibits where on entry, you are confronted by four portraits of Eldon’s work, each infused with vivid, bold colours; a stark contrast to the bare white walls. The first image I encountered was the profile of a young, elegant looking tribeswoman wearing an intricate-looking traditional headdress, set against a backdrop of vibrant oranges and pinks. What I found most intriguing about this visual is that it had been signed with “Love and kisses, Angela” and “Love Maria”, and I was curious to know who these woman were. Had they been part of Eldon’s life at some stage and if so, how would their own diaries have read after his death?

Another one of Eldon’s portraits which had a gripping effect on me was that of four faded pictures in what appears to be a group of friends on a camping trip, smiling and chatting happily amongst each other, mounted on a map of Tanzania’s national parks. On closer viewing, the outlines of what appears to be three people – sketched with thick graphite pencil onto grainy beige/orange-coloured paper – are superimposed onto each of the original photos, as if they are joining the group but are separated through their apparent difference in physicality. A sentence is scrawled across the bottom of the map reading: “Dedicated to all 3 who lost their lives during the dramatic escape from Mikumi Nat Park”, providing us with a glimpse of the harsh reality of civil warfare, to which Eldon perished.

Kenya to the UK: Secrets and Struggles Diary Wall (photography by George Ramsay)

I was deeply moved by some of the diary excerpts displayed on the diary wall, written by teenage Kenyans living in extreme poverty and political instability. Although many of the entries were simplistic and occasionally poorly structured, the diarists’ basic descriptions painted a vivid and poignant image of the future that they longed for: “It’s also my hope in future this kind of thing will never happen again coz it also took death to many of my friends and also the separation of my beau and since then we have never communicated which made me so lonely”. Other diary entries detail the violence around elections and the hardship that economic deprivation brings: “…Our family made up of 11, it was hard to grow up due to poverty. It was hard and difficult to study”.

Audio diaries with images above audio decks by Kenyan conservationalist and playboy diarist, Peter Beard (photography by George Ramsay)

Aware that I am painting quite a grim and depressing picture of the exhibition, I assure you that this exhibition is not just a collection of doom and gloom. The audio diaries present a more eclectic mix of personal accounts, ranging from the inspirational to hilarious. Of these, the most compelling piece was of a courageous 19 year old South African girl called Thembi who broke the silence about living with AIDS at a time when it was still a taboo subject in South Africa; she eventually went on to share her story with more than 50 million people. A highly amusing reading from comedian Richard Herring about his painful years as a chubby brainiac, who at the time believed he would be a virgin forever, also makes for an entertaining listen.

Diary library with comfy sofa chair (photography by George Ramsay)

In a far corner of the show room, there is an area for quiet reflection with an extremely comfortable chair which I made my home for a good part of the evening, taking advantage of the diary library, which included entries belonging to Samuel Pepys, Frida Kahlo, Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love and several volumes of Anaïs Nin’s journals. On the top shelf (no, not what you are thinking), there were two books available for documenting your own thoughts, which people had written in throughout the course of the evening, with one refined gentleman expressing that he was looking forward to going home and banging his wife! Nice.

Irving Finkel’s collection of diaries (photography by George Ramsay)

Other exhibition highlights include the unpublished diaries of ordinary people from the 19th century displayed in a glass case, collected by the British Library’s Irving Finkel over the years. Finkel would often search for these items at secondhand shops and house clearances, believing that they hold the key to our histories through the casual documentation of one’s environment at the time. The child in me gravitated towards the Children’s Pocket Annual and Birthday Book of an eight year old girl and scouts’ diaries with stained pages and frayed edges, detailing the mundane routines of school work, bath days and playing with wolf cubs (well maybe playing with wolf cubs wouldn’t have been so mundane).

Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s “Dear Diary” is an intelligent and thought-provoking initiative, which takes a concept that we are all familiar with to help us understand and relate with others. Through encountering a range of diaries, including that of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, a boy living with Tourette’s in the US and teenagers living in the slums in Kenya, our attention converges on the fact that whatever our language and ethnicity, the expression of thought transcends cultural boundaries. Although we may be divided geographically and by our heritage, fundamentally the feelings that we experience are the same.

Limited edition diary with cover illustrated by Alexa Chung

As part of the project, Ctrl.Alt.Shift have also launched a limited edition diary, with a cover illustrated by Alexa Chung featuring extracts from Courtney Love, Daniel Johnson and Anaïs Nin, which you can buy here. All proceeds raised from the ‘Dear Diary’ project go towards Maji Na Ufanisi, working with young people from the slums of Nairobi.

For more information about location and opening times, check out our listings here.

Excerpt from Courtney Love’s diaries; courtesy of Courtney Love

Written by Kat Phan on Friday May 14th, 2010 8:58 pm

Categories ,Anais Nin, ,British Library, ,Cltr.Alt.Shift, ,Courtney Love, ,Covent Garden, ,Dan Eldon, ,Daniel Johnston, ,Dear Diary, ,Frida Kahlo, ,Gallery Seven, ,Irving Finkel, ,Kat Phan, ,Kenya, ,Kurt Cobain, ,Maji Na Ufanisi, ,Mikumi National Park, ,Mogadishu, ,Nairobi, ,nirvana, ,Richard Herring, ,Samuel Pepys, ,Scouts, ,South Africa, ,Super Superficial, ,Thembi, ,Tourettes

Amelia’s Magazine | Loverman – A Live Review – Prom Night of the Living Dead

From out of the late 80s/early 90s shadows, healing Loverman launch their ‘Human Nature’ EP amongst the Shoreditch elite at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen with all the swagger befitting an underground goth-rock outfit of the noughties.

More often than not, visit web I prefer listening to music in the confines of my kitchen, case or soothing my earholes whilst I’m grimacing on public transport, than in a live setting. A bizarre opinion in a music journalist, but it’s the opportunity to form a personal relationship with the music without the many variables that diminish one’s appreciation. No drunks spilling their plastic pints of lager over you, no frustratingly poor sound system, no nightmare journey across town and back (although at least during which I can get intimately acquainted with an as yet untapped album).

With Loverman’s music however, the live experience propagates my enjoyment of it. It’s not necessarily that I like the musicality of it any more, but seeing something amongst its own fans alerts me to its merits. Like the way you get swept up in singing the chants and blaspheming the ref at a football match even though you have no previous interest in the sport yourself. The messianic allure of front man Gabriel Bruce, as he captures his front row disciples in his visceral sermon, is enough to elevate the music to more than just a death-metal Horrors rip-off. Amongst his followers is model-come-DJ Alice Dellal who takes a moment out of her intoxicated stupor to manically toss her famous locks in time to the band’s knell. As the debonair front man flicks his bleach dyed hair, the girls around him almost physically edge forward in the hope of catching a droplet of perspiration.

It is not just the band’s name and singer’s voice that nod to dark father Nick Cave. Before this band, the London four-piece have experienced their fair share of the scene respectively and have now found their peace with a deathlier sound. It does strike me though that even though the audience may be on trend in their 90s throw-back Goth-grunge attire, they look about as satanic as my nan and far more likely to stroke a kitten than bite its head off like a true Goth should… no?

Tonight, the tracks from their EP swill around the room, lapping up the ominous noise and repugnant imagery, like Beetlejuice sipping a straw through Kurt Cobain’s name. Getting the death theme enough? Expect the cult of Loverman to gain a momentum of deathly proportions throughout 2010.

Check out a clip of Bruce crooning the audience like it were Prom Night:

Written by Katie Weatherall on Wednesday October 7th, 2009 5:24 pm

Categories ,gig, ,goth, ,grunge, ,live, ,loverman, ,Nick Cave, ,nirvana, ,the horrors

Amelia’s Magazine | Shonen Knife at the Scala: Live Review

Shonen Knife by Sally Jane Thompson
Shonen Knife by Sally Jane Thompson

After a month long tour around Europe which kicked off in, information pills of all places, more about Brixton’s Windmill, viagra Shonen Knife arrived at the Scala for their 30th birthday bash. Originally formed in Osaka by sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano, along with their friend Michie Nakatani, and influenced as much by 1960’s girl groups as by punk bands (especially the Ramones), Shonen Knife created an energetic, upbeat, irresistibly catchy yet still underground sound (packaged in colourful, often homemade outfits). Their music made its way to the US alt-rock scene and they eventually found unlikely champions in such luminaries as Sonic Youth and, especially, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain (who invited Shonen Knife on a tour of the UK in the early 90’s). Now on their (at the last count) eighteenth studio album (a set of classic Ramones covers), Shonen Knife were back in town and ready to rock Kings Cross.

Shonen Knife by Fi Blog

I’d first caught Shonen Knife at their Windmill gig in August (I think only their second or third in London in around 15 years) when they were in the guise of the Osaka Ramones, and it was an exhilarating run through of the Ramones’ finest. The Windmill was pretty rammed that night and, filing into the auditorium of this old cinema with our special Shonen Knife wristbands, I could see that the Scala was going to be pretty busy too.

The trio cheerily took to the stage holding bright orange scarves aloft, and then we were underway. On lead vocals and guitar, Naoko is the only remaining founder member, but she is more than capably supported by the ever smiling Ritsuko Taneda on bass, and the band’s newest member, Emi Morimoto, is certainly no slouch on drums.

Shonen Knife by Claire Kearns
Shonen Knife by Claire Kearns

Kicking off with Konnichiwa and Twist Barbie, Shonen Knife started as they meant to continue – fast and frenetic. Their songs may be uncomplicated, they may be about such everyday things as candy or furry animals, but they’re played with such energy and delivered with such enthusiasm that even the biggest grump would find it hard not to enjoy them. Shonen Knife are all about fun!

As well as assorted gems from their back catalogue, there were a couple of tracks from their more recent albums, such as Super Group, the reggae-ish and intensely catchy Capybara (about, yes, a furry animal) and Perfect Freedom (both from last year’s Free Time LP). Ritsuko took time between thrashing her bass for lead vocals on Devil House, whilst Emi was also on vocal duty for the very 1960’s sounding I Am A Cat. Naoko was not to be outdone by the youngsters as Shonen Knife properly rocked out at the end of the set with Economic Crisis (see, they don’t just sing about furry animals!), which had just a hint of Motörhead about it, and Cobra Vs Mongoose.

Shonen Knife by Louise Wright
Shonen Knife by Louise Wright

To the particular delight of the mosh pit that had formed in front of Naoko, the band returned as their alter egos, the Osaka Ramones, and, with Ritsuko once again on lead vocals, launched into Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. Emi took over for The KKK Took My Baby Away before we headed, inevitably (and with the help of a stage diver), towards Blitzkrieg Bop. I’m pretty sure the whole of the Scala was shouting “hey ho, let’s go!” There was no rest for Shonen Knife, though, as they straight away headed to the foyer to sign autographs for the throng of ecstatic (and exhausted) fans afterwards.

Shonen Knife by Gabriel Ayala
Shonen Knife by Gabriel Ayala

As Shonen Knife return home to Japan for some more shows, and with the prospect of a US tour on the horizon, it certainly looks like the party isn’t over just yet!

Written by Richard Pearmain on Tuesday September 20th, 2011 10:34 am

Categories ,alt-rock, ,Brixton, ,Claire Kearns, ,Fi Blog, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Girl-Groups, ,japan, ,Kings Cross, ,Kurt Cobain, ,Louise Wright, ,Motörhead, ,nirvana, ,Osaka, ,Osaka Ramones, ,punk, ,Ramones, ,Sally Jane Thompson, ,Scala, ,Shonen Knife, ,Sonic Youth, ,underground, ,Windmill

Amelia’s Magazine | Graduate Fashion Week 2010: Northampton

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