Amelia’s Magazine | Phoebe English: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Catwalk Review

Phoebe-English-by-Gaarte-LFW-AW2012

Phoebe English by Gaarte

For S/S 2012, Phoebe English’s MA collection was a range of subtle body-con dresses in a neutral palette of white, cream and black. There was a lot of comment on the level of talent and craftsmanship that Phoebe obviously held – guess work went into how many hours she had spent hand-smocking the lengths of calico fabric used for her designs.

Phoebe English AW 2012 -photo amelia gregory
Phoebe English AW 2012 -photo amelia gregory
Amelia’s Magazine contributor Georgia Takacs wasn’t impressed with the collection – she acknowledged the high level of skill involved, but thought that the designs were too boxy, and unflattering. However, I really liked the show, and it was one of the first tickets I applied for this year. Phoebe English’s take on modern dressing, the unfinished hems done just right, so as not to get that high street distressed finish, and the fact that this was an MA show, I personally felt, was something to get quite excited about.

Phoebe-English-by-Amelia-Gregory-AW2012
I arrived at the Freemasons Hall a little early, feeling a little confused about what I actually thought of the PPQ show that had been on 20 minutes before, and took my place in the eager queue that was forming. A trio of candy-colour dressed Norwegians came to stand behind me, and I noticed that designer Fam Irvoll was one of the group. She had shown her new collection as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout earlier that day, and was being interviewed by Dr Lida Hujic from The First To Know. She very modestly played down how the show had gone, telling Lida that she thought it had gone OK.

Phoebe English AW 2012 -photo amelia gregory
The hall became full very quickly, with not too much flocking around Kate Nash and stylist Rebekah Roy who were on the front row. The music, a perfect choice – was a haunting track called Sleep Paralysis from musician Gabriel Bruce, apparently a childhood friend of Phoebe’s.

Phoebe-English-by-Victoria-Haynes-LFW-AW2012.jpg

Phoebe English A/W 2012 by Victoria Haynes

The first three looks of Phoebe English’s collection pleased me a lot. Sticking to the concept of body con dress shapes that she had championed in S/S 2012, black viscose was matched against black and grey latex as trimmings for skirts and sleeves. The best of these was a one sleeved short dress, that was constructed from a latex skirt, heavy viscose top, and a quarter of the long sleeve made from the black latex. It was modern and cool.

Phoebe-English-AW2012-by-Amelia-Gregory

The next two looks showed a sportswear influence, with two short dresses with prominent thick elasticated waistbands, that had been separated along the stomach, producing a cut out effect. The waistbands were dropped, but not too slouchy looking – these were still dresses for dressing up in. Phoebe English had cleverly shielded flesh with a layer of fabric behind this. The first of the dresses also had a latex underskirt, and cut outs on the arm, and I really admired Phoebe for not choosing to show any extra skin – it gave the looks a refined finished.

Phoebe-English-by-Jo-Ley-LFW-SS12

Phoebe English by Jo Ley

This went hand in hand with the make up and hair that had been used for the models – the hair was scraped back into buns or loose ponytails, with no polished finish. Their faces appeared make up free, with a sheen of dew on their cheeks, and simple lightly pink stained lips.

Phoebe-English-by-Claire-Kearns-LFW-AW12

Phoebe English by Claire Kearns

The next two looks were my firm favourites. These were longer styles, that just skimmed the knee, and that were simply stunning. The first, was a column body con dress, made from a black felted top with cut off sleeves, and a body which was made from translucent latex. Underneath, the model wore a pair of high waisted black pants, which again added a refined feel, as did the cropped felt top, that just skimmed the models chest, but showed no skin. The latex was darted twice down the front, and it fitted perfectly to the model’s form, but stretched and allowed movement.

Phoebe-English-by-Amelia-Gregory-AW2012

The second of these looks was a two piece. Made from a cropped top with latex arms and a felt and latex body, and worn with a high waisted felt and latex skirt. I loved the contrast of the heavy felt body pieces to the see-through latex, which pared sexy with refined, and again, not having the need to show off flesh, because the design was already doing enough to make it desirable. Conversely, they were also very lady like – because of the midi length, and with the high waisted cut of the paints and skirt.

Phoebe-English-by-Catherine-Meadows-LFW-AW12

Phoebe English A/W 2012 by Catherine Meadows

I read recently that Phoebe English relocated her work studios to a warehouse in Hackney – and the influence of East London, and it’s residents penchant for black, sheer and sexy definitely came through in these opening looks. They also exemplified what I really like about Phoebe’s work – her ability to combine materials, that are unsuspecting and non-precious, cutting and crafting them together into something that works and looks luxurious. These were also a step away from the boxier shapes that she had shown for S/S 2012. The influence of Phoebe English’s time spent as Gareth Pugh’s intern was also clear.

Phoebe-English-by-Amelia-Gregory-AW2012

The middle set of looks presented a new material – loosely woven rubber strips that adorned heads, and poked out from sleeves and hems of dresses. Making up 5 looks, this was a furthering of the unfinished element of Phoebe’s work that she is known for. It was also quite playful – the strips were woven into lattice work across the bodies of the outfits, but often hung long and loose, which meant a lot of movement as the models walked across the cat walk. I liked the lattice work skirt, the rubber layered on top of the translucent latex, and paired with a industrial knitted rolled hem top. The last look, a latex shift dress was completely covered with the rubber strips, but with longer ends on the lower half of the dress, which gave the dress an ‘unwoven’ finish.

Phoebe-English-by-Cristian-Grossi-LFW-AW2012.jpg

Phoebe English A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi

As an unexpected but welcome finish to the show, the last 3 looks were an explosion of bubblegum and hot pink. Instantly this added a girlish, feminine feel to the collection, and a great move for Phoebe English, away from her usual subtle palette. There was a heavy knitted jumper, and in the first look, the thick waistbands were back, on both a cropped top and super short skirt.

Phoebe English AW 2012 - amelia gregory
Phoebe English AW 2012 - amelia gregory
Phoebe English AW 2012 - amelia gregory
Phoebe-English-by-Amelia-Gregory-AW2012

It was the last of these berry shade looks that was the winner for me, an asymmetric knit jumper, pink felt skirt, pink latex waistband and a experimental play on her usual smocking. Half of the felt skirt was layered with a bubblegum hued plastic, but it was longer in length, and loosely bound together. It added beautiful movement.

Phoebe-English-by-Emily-Reader-LFW-SS12

Phoebe English by Emily Reader

This collection showed exciting growth in Phoebe’s work – it was a mature but fun collection which showed off her talents for the paring of shapes and textures, and understanding of materials and the ways that they can be utilised to their best effect. The feminine inclusion at the end also showed how Phoebe English will undoubtedly continue to experiment, grow in confidence to produce work that is refined, yet modern and thoroughly deserving of the recognition she has received in her short-career so far.


Phoebe English AW 2012 - amelia gregory
All photography by Amelia Gregory

Categories ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Gareth Pugh, ,knitwear, ,Latex, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week A/W 2012, ,ma, ,Merit Winner, ,Modern, ,Phoebe English, ,pink, ,Rubber, ,S/S 2012, ,sportswear, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Ones To Watch

Phoebe English 2 by Joana Faria Ones To Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2011
Phoebe English S/S 2012 by
Joana Faria

The runways rows at Fashion Scout were packed to their peak for Ones To Watch this season. And after a sneaky trip backstage (to use their loo!) and a run-in with a very dismissive blonde girl, thumb I managed to squeeze myself into the front row. Ones To Watch has become an important platform for rising designers to make their way to the international fashion stage. Four new faces – Phoebe English, check Alice Lee, this Shao Yen and Malene Oddershede Bach – were showcasing their talent in the form of a mini-collection and there was a certain buzz in the air about what these new talents had produced.

Phoebe English by Joana Faria Ones To Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2011
Phoebe English S/S 2012 by Joana Faria

First up was Phoebe English. Whatever the opinion on her chosen style, the garments had to have taken eons to produce. Immensely dense, tightly-packed folds of fabric in either cream or black. There was certainly a high level of textile skill involved, yes. But to me, with boxy and unflattering garments that bore no real dress-making credibility, the concept itself seemed lazy. It would be interesting to know what inspired and went into the collection. On face value alone, however, I wasn’t blown away.

Ones to Watch Phoebe English SS 2011 review-010
Ones to Watch Phoebe English SS 2011 review-016
Ones to Watch Phoebe English SS 2011 review-025
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Strangely enough, the dismissive blonde girl I had dealt with in the backstage loos turned out to be Phoebe English. Yes. I only discovered this when she took to the catwalk to take her bow at the end of her section. Awkward. (Note: There is no link between this and my indifference towards the clothes!)

Ones to Watch Phoebe English SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Phoebe English SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Phoebe English SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Next was Shao Yen. This Central Saint Martins graduate had gone for a colour choice of gold and black, inspired by ‘the photos of prostitutes that an American photographer took in the 1980s and 90s’ as he told the Central News Agency. Hence the amount of boob flashing, I guess.


Ones to Watch Shao Yen SS 2011 review-photo Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Shao Yen SS 2011 review-photo Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Shao Yen SS 2011 review-photo Amelia Gregory
Most looks were slim, elongated blends of different textures – both sheer (for extra boob-revealing action) and covering satin. Different body-parts were sexily revealed in each look – a leg or an arm and shoulder – giving an interesting aesthetic appeal. Some models wore strange big black spindly hats, almost witch-like, and one poor girl struggled to keep hers on as she paced the catwalk.






There was imagination and a certain greatness in Shao Yen‘s conceptualising, showing room for more in years to come. One thing I couldn’t get my head around, however, was the purposeful unfinished look. A layer of gold netting, seemingly gluegunned onto an un-hemmed gold dress? Nuh uh. Not for me.

Alice Lee by Joana Faria Ones To Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2011
Alice Lee by Joana Faria 1 London Fashion Week LFW S/S 2012
Alice Lee S/S 2012 by Joana Faria

My complaints die down for the last two Ones to Watch designers – Alice Lee and Malene Oddershede Bach (what a mouthful) – who both shone in terms of innovation, skill and wearability.

Ones to Watch Alice Lee SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia gregory
Ones to Watch Alice Lee SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia gregory
Ones to Watch Alice Lee SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia gregory
Ones to Watch Alice Lee SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia gregory
Ones to Watch Alice Lee SS 2011 review-photo by Amelia gregory

Alice Lee‘s knits were tight-fitting with sexy v-neck cuts and integrated patent chains (which I loved) hence they’re womanly wearibility. Sitting on the front-row, I was close enough to see the garment detail and the quality of the dress-making was undisputed. Models wore circular headpieces that I couldn’t help but match to Princess LeiaStar Wars inspiration? Quite possibly!




Alice Lee by Claire Kearns Ones To Watch London Fashion Week LFW S/S 2012
Alice Lee S/S 2012 by Claire Kearns

In Malene Oddershede Bach‘s colour-popping collection stood my favourite outfit of the whole of Day 1. For a designer just starting out, she’d produced a very impressive balance of thematics, individuality and bang-on trends. In her collaboration of intense turquoise and fluoro yello, something very addictive was created. Classic ladylike dresses blended from the yellow to turquoise, top to bottom, delicate snakeskin to full-on circular python print. Outstandingly beautiful. In my opinion, it stood out miles amongst the other desginers, although I stand firm in feeling Alice Lee perhaps looked the more accomplished designer in the group.

Malene Oddershede Bach by Claire Kearns LFW Ones to Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2012
Malene Oddershede Bach S/S 2012 by Claire Kearns

Malene Oddershede Bach 2 by Phoebe Kirk Ones To Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2012
Malene Oddershede Bach S/S 2012 by Phoebe Kirk.



Ones to Watch Malene Oddershede Bach SS 2011 review-photo Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch Malene Oddershede Bach SS 2011 review-photo Amelia Gregory
Malene Oddershede Bach 1 by Phoebe Kirk Ones To Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2012
Malene Oddershede Bach S/S 2012 by Phoebe Kirk.


Malene Oddershede Bach 3 by Phoebe Kirk Ones To Watch London Fashion Week S/S 2012
Malene Oddershede Bach S/S 2012 by Phoebe Kirk

Ones to Watch Malene Oddershede Bach SS 2011 review-photo Amelia Gregory



With Lee and Oddershede Bach, I feel Ones To Watch was very appropriately named. I won’t be forgetting their names any time soon and I’ll be keeping a firm eye on them for the future. And Malene, I would gladly purchase that strong-shouldered cape and top combination any day. So do contact me if it’s up for sale; I can tell you’re gonna go far!

Categories ,Alice Lee, ,Boobs, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Claire Kearns, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Joana Faria, ,knitwear, ,London Fashion Week, ,London Fashion Week S/S 2012, ,Malene Oddershede Bach, ,Nudity, ,Ones To Watch, ,Phoebe English, ,Phoebe Kirk, ,Princess Leia, ,Prostitutes, ,Shao Yen Chen, ,Sheer, ,Star Wars, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week AW15 Fashion Illustrations

Vivienne Westwood Red Label LFW by Sara Netherway
Vivienne Westwood Red Label AW15 by Sara Netherway.

This year, instead of accompanying individual show reviews with fashion illustrations I decided to do something a bit different and open up the brief: inviting illustrators to send me their interpretation of any look from any of the London Fashion Week shows that took place, whether on or off schedule. Here are the results, all in one place. I hope you enjoy them!

Temperley-by-Emma-Farrarons
Temperley AW15 by Emma Farrarons.

SophiaWebster AW15 by_KatSquire_03
Sophia Webster AW15 by Kat Squire.

Minnan Hui AW15 Karolina Burdon
Minnan Hui AW15 by Karolina Burdon.

BURBERRY by EUGENIA_TSIMIKLIS_LO
Burberry AW15 by Eugenia Tsimiklis.

Sophia Webster AW15 by Kat Squire
Sophia Webster AW15 by Kat Squire.

Burberry AW15 by Eugenia Tsimiklis
Burberry AW15 by Eugenia Tsimiklis.

Antonio Berardi by Jordana Globerman
Antonio Berardi AW15 by Jordana Globerman.

Sophia Webster AW15 by Kat Squire
Sophia Webster AW15 by Kat Squire.

MATTHEW_WILLIAMSON AW15 by EUGENIA_TSIMIKLIS_LO
Matthew Williamson AW15 by Eugenia Tsimiklis.

Burberry Prorsum by Jordana Globerman
Burberry Prorsum AW15 by Jordana Globerman.

AW15 London Fashion Week Alice Temperley 480pix by Kasia Dudziuk
Alice Temperley AW15 by Kasia Dudziuk.

Orla Kiely AW15 by Lydia Coventry
Orla Kiely AW15 by Lydia Coventry.

Minnan Hui AW15 by Isabelle Mattern2
Minnan Hui AW15 by Isabelle Mattern2
Minnan Hui AW15 by Isabelle Mattern.

Vivienne Westwood Red Label by Sara Netherway
Vivienne Westwood Red Label AW15 by Sara Netherway.

Phoebe English by Laura Wilson
Phoebe English AW15 by Laura Wilson.

Daisy Steele Holly Fulton AW15
Holly Fulton AW15 by Daisy Steele.

Mary Katrantzou AW15 by  Iris van Gelder LFW
Mary Katrantzou AW15 by Iris van Gelder.

Categories ,A/W 2015, ,Antonio Berardi, ,AW15, ,Burberry, ,Daisy Steele, ,Emma Farrarons, ,Eugenia Tsimiklis, ,Fashion Illustrations, ,Iris van Gelder, ,Isabelle Mattern, ,Jordana Globerman, ,Karolina Burdon, ,Kasia Dudziuk, ,Kat Squire, ,Laura Wilson, ,London Fashion Week, ,Lydia Coventry, ,Mary Katrantzou, ,Matthew Williamson, ,Minnan Hui, ,Phoebe English, ,Sara Netherway, ,Sophia Webster, ,Temperley, ,Vivienne Westwood Red Label

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