Simon Ekrelius A/W 2014 by Slowly The Eggs aka Maria Papadimitriou.
Last week Simon Ekrelius showcased a preview selection of garments from his pared down A/W 2014 collection, titled Monochrome. Inspired by iconic model Lee Miller, this season the Swedish designer has focused on a sleek and eminently wearable silhouette, which features innovative fabric treatments and his razor sharp signature tailoring.
When did you first discover the muse for your latest collection, Lee Miller?
Many years ago when I read into Man Ray‘s life and realised that Lee was very involved with his work and the solarisation technique.
How did this translate into elements of the Monochrome collection?
Indirectly I wanted to translate the feeling I had for her relationship with photography, perhaps a longshot for some but my idea was to describe her in the time now if she would be alive. So I cut lines all over the body, which were then sprayed and painted. Many of the constructions retain a certain mood, as does the palette and the structure of the fabrics. She created something very subdued through photography; very beautiful and simple. She was stuck in my mind for a long period and now was the right time to bring it all up.
What are the key materials and processes used in these garments?
There is wool, cotton, silk, poly blends and nylon. The crème coloured cotton canvas and the black cotton satin has been painted and then sprayed with acrylic.
What are your favourite pieces in the collection?
The wool coat with pleats, the spray painted pieces, the black silk organza blouse and dress, the grey pieces, the black shiny and matt jersey dress and the jumpsuit with lighter vertical lines.
Who do you hope will wear these garments and why? Kate Moss, Tilda Swinton, Lily Cole, and Cate Blanchett: because I know they would carry my pieces perfectly.
You can read our previous interview with Simon Ekreliushere.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday February 11th, 2014 12:55 pm
Xiao Li A/W 2014 by Slowly The Eggs aka Maria Papadimitriou.
We covered Xiao Li when she took part in the graduate showcase at Fashion Scout last season, and this year she returned to the catwalk with a stunning new collection as a winner of the much coveted Fashion Scout Merit Award. Chinese born Xiao Li is yet another example of the great education we provide in the arts, gaining an BA in womenswear from LCF and then an MA in knitwear from the RCA. She sent her clothing down the catwalk to one of my current favourite tunes: a cover of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky by Daughter. It was the perfect accompaniment to her collection, sweet as sugar but totally fresh and modern.
Girls wore a simple pink wash in their hair, minimal make up and clumpy platform sandals to accompany billowy mesh, latex and silicon separates covered in geometric 3D decorative details. There were gigantic puffy sleeves, feature pockets, frou frou pencil skirts, wide legged trousers, a cape and even a pair of dungarees.
Xiao Li’s strength is in her deft combination of unexpected material, technique and shape to create an extraordinary and often breathtaking silhouette. The predominantly baby blue and cream palette was offset by the use of intense royal blue, with the last outfit spectacularly fading into dark so that the integral LED lights glowed in an otherworldly manner.
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday February 27th, 2014 4:17 pm
The extravagant layering of texture and colour that worked so well in the winter collection were translated with less success into a more summery vibe: plenty of frills, pearls and embroidery splashed across loose little girl bib dresses and used to vamp up cute girly blouses (the best garments in this show), all worn by models with long shimmery limbs. Pleats, bobbly spots and scattered leaves were echoes of last season too, this time accessorised with pie crust paper hats and simple nude coloured heels.
This was a resolutely whimsical collection that erred a little too much towards the saccharine for my taste. I look forward to seeing how Yeashin develops as the seasons go forward.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday September 16th, 2013 10:12 pm
Wan’s talent lies in the creation of super desirable clothing which nevertheless bears a unique twist – this season boxy jackets, simple flip skirts and elegant tapered trousers in wool and mohair were variously cut with patch pockets, pleats, wide collars and dangling lengths of fabric.
Asymmetric shapes, apron layers and a detachable collar feature gave yet another element of interest to this wonderful collection. Yifang Wan calls this ‘simplistic workwear’ and indeed it is – the perfect way to dress for modern working life at the desk and dashing between meetings. I think she will soon amass countless fawning fans, eager to adopt the Yifang Wan way of dressing for work.
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday February 26th, 2014 10:03 am
Asger Juel Larsen versus t.lipop – not the first time to appear together – showed at Vauxhall Fashion Scout on the last day of London Fashion Week and gave me my most interesting queueing experience during this season. Upon arriving there was a multitude of cool young things waiting to go in – to my delight a lot of them were boys wearing big chunky jewellery! – while a little later the marvellously coiffured Prince Cassius joined the queue behind me, nurse quickly to be noticed and taken inside by the Blow PR girls. While I felt a little saddened that my co-queueing with Prince Cassius was so brief, approved I overheard a girl saying ‘oh, there is Kate Moss!’, which quickly distracted me from my loss. Immediately the whole queue, as if choreographed, leaned to the right to take a peak and of course a few cameras pointed towards her and husband Jamie Hince.
After being seated in the packed space inside, Asger Juel Larsen‘s models started coming out fast and aggressively. I really enjoyed elements such as the slightly twisted animal prints or the spiked prosthetic beards – reminding me of Bearded Dragons under threat – both of which impressively spelt out ‘wildness’. One of those spiked beards worn by a girl as well as a glorious chain mail army style headpiece with bull horns added the notion of the ‘beast’ to the collection. I am all for a little bit of bearded ladies and mythological creatures such as the Minotaur!
I thought the themes of wilderness, fighting and survival suggested by the symbolism described above were brilliantly complimented by a number of woolly hats with different metal letters stitched onto them spelling out the phrase ‘we live’. Further allusions to survival through sexual expression were added by a round stitched logo at the back of a jacket reading ‘happiness is a warm pussy’ and the brothel creepers some models wore – shoes originally worn by ex-soldiers visiting nightspots in London.
The contrast between Asger Juel Larsen and the designer that followed, t.lipop, was seemingly like war and peace. t.lipop favoured a palette of pale blues, camel, white and stone, with a splash of bright orange. It was an array of generally relaxed and flowing pieces that calmed us a little after what came earlier. We saw tailored smart jackets and trousers, minimal tops and long untucked shirts that were far less aggressive, even with feminine touches such as fringed adornments and embroidery.
Looking closer, however, I thought there were similarities in the underlying themes of the two collections. T.lipop’s gentlemanly clothes reminded me of movies starring wealthy imperialists in warm exotic countries – suggesting aggression and war – while the long hair and full beards on the models evoked images of castaways striving for survival. Some of the monochrome outfits with their collarless round necklines looked similar to uniforms seen in hospitals’ operating theatres or emergency units, whilst wide brimmed hats alluded perhaps to field workers, both adding to the – admittedly subtle this time – undertones of struggle and self-preservation.
With so many interesting references and inspirations in both collections, when Prince Cassius tweeted me to say he really enjoyed the show I could only tweet back in agreement!
I was hugely excited that during this London Fashion Week I had the opportunity not only to go and see but also exhibit at the EcoLuxe London exhibition that took place in a beautiful space on the ground floor of the Kingsway Hall Hotel almost next to the Vauxhall Fashion Scout’sFreemasons’ Hall. Ecoluxe London takes place twice a year during London Fashion Week and is a non-profit platform that promotes fashion related ecoluxury brands and aims to raise awareness of ecological issues with the public. Its organisers, information pillsStamo and Elena Garcia, who are sustainable womenswear designers themselves, featured over 40 brands this year and EcoLuxe London is growing every year – here’s only a few examples that took my fancy!
Upon entering the exhibition visitors were greeted by superbly talented stylist Lucy Harvey and her assistant Charlie Divall, who offered to upstyle them with various pieces from the exhibitors’ tables and then photograph them and tweet about it. I thought in this way Lucy offered a really fun, interactive introduction to the exhibition and a great way of promoting both the designers’ and the visitors’ work.
Walking further into the exhibition the first thing to catch my eye was a series of gloriously colourful raincoats by Maria Ampatielou’s new brand Supported by Rain – seen above. Made of recycled umbrellas and end-of-roll waterproof fabrics, these raincoats are not only beautiful but also cleverly fold into their own pockets or hoods, whose insides have remained dry, so that you can put them back into your bag without any soaked diary dramas!
By Stamo, which featured in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, is another brand I enjoyed especially because of the theatricality in the designs and the extensive use of found and recycled materials whose original form is often retained – as seen in this bullet belt.
My neighbour exhibitor Alani Gibbon of INALA London showed some designs which were a natural hit with me becuase of their bright colours, but they further impressed me with their cleverness and versatility. For example a hooded short dress could be turned around and worn as an all-in-one playsuit! Not to mention the use of pulped eucalyptus fabric which felt amazing to touch.
Outsider Fashion S/S 2012 by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
I was thrilled to see the brand Outsider winning the JP Selects womenwear award at the end of the show as they stongly promote the notion that ‘ethical’ fashion should just look like very good fashion with their range of classic but very stylish designs.
Hemycais a multi award winning brand and I was most attracted by this beautifully tailored matching dress and coat.
Agnes Valentine S/S 2012 by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Along with Hemyca above, whom I was not aware of, it was great to discover my dream swimsuit designer Agnes Valentine! The brand sources fine italian eco fabrics and their designs are minimal and classic but with bold colours and very feminine indeed.
It was an honour to meet another ACOFI designer Hetty Rose whose fun bespoke shoes are made using vintage Japanese kimono fabrics, Alice Wilby from Futurefrock modelled this pair and did not want to take them off!
Next to Hetty Rose I found the friendly couple behind the Golden Grass Company who design jewellery and accessories for native artisans in Brazil to make out of a naturally golden, light and durable fibre, which is grown without chemicals or pesticides, under fair trade standards – LOVED this clutch!
Sharing a table with me was Monique Luttin who makes intriguing headpieces using offcuts or vintage fabrics and found objects – I particularly liked this bird scull one which has a tribal, ritualistic element to it.
And finally a piece from the Plastic Seconds recycled jewellery collection I exhibited made out of the plastic, colourful bits one finds when unpacking a new printer…
As Hannah Bullivant pointed out in a previous post on EcoLuxe London, hopefully sustainable practices in fashion design will become mainstream and the brands that are still termed ‘ethical’ will no longer have to exhibit in separate showrooms and sections such as EcoLuxe or Estethica. Hopefully soon.
Min Wu is yet another of the super talented Chinese designers who are training in London and going on to showcase their collections at London Fashion Week. Min Wu gained an MA at London College of Fashion last year, and her Atmosphere and Automation presentation built on the clean lines and sculptural embellishments of her final MA collection. It also used the same eye catching ombre shading, this time on wool separates and mesh fabric crafted into both boxy and blouson shapes. The models wore their hair in intricate plaits, offset by huge swinging bead earrings.
How did you decide what to make for Supermarket Sarah?
It is absolutely great that Supermarket Sarah often feature one-off items with a lot of personality, which one would perhaps wear to be different or keep as a special fashion object – a few of the gorgeous items they sell come from prop styling and photo shoots. So I wanted most of the Plastic Seconds items for the Supermarket Sarah website to be both unique and larger or more extreme in a fashion sense.
Can you describe what some of the Plastic Seconds pieces are made from and how you source the materials?
I use a lot of lids – from plastic bottles, glass jars, and other containers. I also love to use one-off finds like the cloakroom tags or the large jigsaw puzzle pieces and other bits from objects that we usually throw away, but their shape and colour is so lovely and fun, especially when used in an unexpected context – examples of this are the pen lids and the sushi soy sauce containers. I have slowly been collecting materials for a few years now from the recycling boxes of the flats I have been living in – and still do. At the moment one of my other main sources is my part-time job where they let me have a Plastic Seconds collection box in the kitchen and where colleagues bring me bags of their collected finds quite regularly – also it is a public space with a lot of visitors and I often do table rounds collecting bottle neck rings from abandoned bottles. Another source is my family in Greece who keep all sorts of bits they can’t recycle in my old desk drawers for me – and I do love sushi…
What piece was the most fun to make and why?
They were all quite fun, but as I said above I really enjoyed making the bigger pieces for Supermarket Sarah – like the headpieces – because I really admire people who have a strong sense of personal style or are playful with dressing up and secretly constantly hope people wore colourful big things on all occasions! Also I find it very satisfying that simple, geometric, striking pieces can be made from readily available forms. Other items that were really fun were the ones which were created by combining two different lids by snapping them into each other without using other means to keep them together – I can spend quite a lot of time trying different combinations to see which ones will fit perfectly! And finally pieces that are very satisfying to make are the ones like the big multicharm necklace made out of a thick found chain, discarded key rings collected over some time and ring pulls from soy milk cartons, because every single element – even the clasp – is a found object and so they are very special.
What next?
I would like to make some even bigger, more complex pieces and perhaps find a way to source materials in a more organised way and a way that might have a wider positive impact. In terms of little things coming up, next week I am taking part in the filming of a new pilot show called Green Screen that introduces environmental thinking in a different light at the National Film and Television School, I am hopefully opening within June my ASOS marketplace boutique in the ethical boutiques section – next to 123 and Goodone! – and in July 29-31st I will be in the Upcycled Market section, curated by the Eco Design Fair, which is part of the Vintage Weekend at the Southbank Centre!
Maria caught me marvelling at one of her recycled lid pendants at my ACOFI Book Tour evening at Tatty Devine a few weeks ago and has kindly offered to make me a pendant out of my old lids, so I’m busy collecting the most exciting ones. Turning *rubbish* into desirable jewellery, it doesn’t get much better than this!
Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday June 2nd, 2011 11:02 am
Last week, salve the best young design talents in the UK topped off London Fashion Week at the Fashion Awareness Direct awards, shop held at Freemason’s Hall. Packed full of family and friends, the atmosphere (as well as being stifling hot – sort it out!) was as relaxed as it was enjoyable – an emotional end to the long journey that the 25 finalists had been on, there were tears!
Gemma Halliwell: winner of Commercial Awareness category
For a bit more background information, read the reviews from Amelia and Matt that they wrote after the 2010 awards last year, with both commenting on the heartwarming nature of the show. Less fraught with the usual Fashion Week pushing and shoving, the FAD show is really about the emerging talents of the upcoming design generation. Just like Matt, I was almost reduced into a blubbering mess by the sheer skills and inspiration of all who were taking part – I defy anyone to go to this show and not feel a bit weepy!
I should explain: basically FAD is a charitable endeavour that aims to give young people the confidence to succeed in fashion – if the enthusiasm and energy of last years winner Karmen Marie Parker is anything to go by, they have definitely suceeded. Over a series of intensive workshops held by the University of East London for 16-19 year old budding designers, the 25 showcasing on the catwalk on the evening were selected from an initial 100 entrants. Out of this final 25, the judges select and agree on an overall winner and several runner ups.
Without further ado…to the winners! 17 year old Sabine Bindere, from Barking and Dagenham College was awarded the top prize of a placement at George at Asda. Her design was one of my clear favourites during the show, as despite being put together from start to finish in just five days, showed originality and technical skill. Her double hooded dress featured a gorgeous graffiti print in red and black that Sabine created herself and would not look out of place on the high street today.
Among the designs that walked the catwalk, there were many that showed clear talent and promise that I really admired. One of these was Yasemin Cakli from City and Islington College. Her so-bright-you-need-sunglasses orange jumpsuit paired with a flared see through plastic cape was absolutely stunning. Worn by one of the best models in the show, the show-stopper of a look was a rip roaring success with the crowd as it strutted past us towards the photographers. Unsurprisingly, Calkli was awarded the runner up prize of a placement with River Island.
The beginning and end of the night was started and finished with some words from last year’s winner, Karmen Marie Parker, who gave giddy but very mature and honest advice to everyone who had taken part – the whole night I had to keep pinching myself to remind me just how young these designers were – and so there you have it. I for one, cannot wait for next year.
All photography by Florence Massey
Written by Florence Massey on Thursday September 29th, 2011 1:10 pm
I know that folk music isn’t all organic, ambulance whole foods, pill and love – or indeed deep lust – buried in a haystack. Happy all day, before campfires and passions at night. No, folk musicians don’t spend their days wearing slightly grubby lumberjacks or floaty, ethereal frocks. See evidence: Grizzly Bear aren’t happy all the time and Bon Iver is a delightfully melancholy chap. And then just listen to Nick Drake and young Laura Marling. To be honest I’m not really sure where I got the skippy, clappy, dancing in the hazy afternoon sunshine vision from. Perhaps it’s because folk artists tend to sing about the earth, nature and love in one breath. There is no chat of ‘honeys’ or ‘bling’. Gah, And of course, folkers may be generally creative and appreciative of the natural world, but it in no means leaves them exempt of sadness, hurt and darkness. I wonder, does it in actual fact make them more open and adept to describing their feelings than the blingers? Regardless, folk is often as rhythmic and warming as the grandfather clock that my 40s’ Grandpa chopped the bottom of, to fit in his house. Tick, tock. Folk is cosy and true, which is why it feels so pure – which is why it makes me want to reside in a yurt.
Let me introduce you to Emily Jane White. The PR sheet in-front of me says that her album is: ‘a collection of ten opulent, uncluttered and captivating ballads.’ A friend asked me other day, “If you had to only use one adjective for the rest of your life, what would it be?” If I was a news writer, I would say: “Peh, what even are adjectives?”. As a PR I would pass out. Whilst as a writer of my own devices, I would say – ‘blissful’. Then I could put ‘anti’ in-front of a word perhaps. Awkward. Anyway, off on a tangent again: Emily Jane White’s music is BLISSFUL.
See:
She is melancholy. But in the way that makes you feel perhaps strangely, very contented. Maybe it is because in a sense Emily is making peace with herself and her thoughts through the act of writing her music. She said that she found writing her latest album, Ode To Sentience, out now on Talitres Records, cathartic to write: “They speak to the emotional simplicity and complexity of human relationship. I chose to call the record Ode To Sentience because it is the capacity to feel that creates a share human experience of music. We all share the potency of music by having the capacity to feel, and I found the simplicity of this fact very beautiful.”
Her album is about leaving home, her’s was California – I Lay To Rest (California) – the drawn out strings longing to leave. The sharper notes; the sadness of leaving it. Clipped Wings is ghostly and full of yearning, reflections of love’s passed. The Cliff holds classic American twangs, whilst Oh Katherine, is a string filled heaven of a song. Her voice is as soft and delicate as a peach, whilst her fearless approach to singing from the darker depths of her consciousness matches the strings perfectly.
She is much like a Californian Kate Bush, but less obviously ethereal and screaming. Or she could be a gentler Alela Diane or singular Mountain Man. Black Silk has to be my personal favourite. The Law is guitar based, slow and… actually quite a lot like my Grandpa’s Grandfather clock. It wraps you up. Says it’s all ok. For a little bit of this, here we have ‘The Law’, for you to download for free: here. Download it now.
I know that folk music isn’t all organic, price whole foods, advice and love – or indeed deep lust – buried in a haystack. Happy all day, before campfires and passions at night. No, folk musicians don’t spend their days wearing slightly grubby lumberjacks or floaty, ethereal frocks. See evidence: Grizzly Bear aren’t happy all the time and Bon Iver is a delightfully melancholy chap. And then just listen to Nick Drake and young Laura Marling. To be honest I’m not really sure where I got the skippy, clappy, dancing in the hazy afternoon sunshine vision from. Perhaps it’s because folk artists tend to sing about the earth, nature and love in one breath. There is no chat of ‘honeys’ or ‘bling’. Gah, And of course, folkers may be generally creative and appreciative of the natural world, but it in no means leaves them exempt of sadness, hurt and darkness. I wonder, does it in actual fact make them more open and adept to describing their feelings than the blingers? Regardless, folk is often as rhythmic and warming as the grandfather clock that my 40s’ Grandpa chopped the bottom of, to fit in his house. Tick, tock. Folk is cosy and true, which is why it feels so pure – which is why it makes me want to reside in a yurt.
Let me introduce you to Emily Jane White. The PR sheet in-front of me says that her album is: ‘a collection of ten opulent, uncluttered and captivating ballads.’ A friend asked me other day, “If you had to only use one adjective for the rest of your life, what would it be?” If I was a news writer, I would say: “Peh, what even are adjectives?”. As a PR I would pass out. Whilst as a writer of my own devices, I would say – ‘blissful’. Then I could put ‘anti’ in-front of a word perhaps. Awkward. Anyway, off on a tangent again: Emily Jane White’s music is BLISSFUL.
See:
She is melancholy. But in the way that makes you feel perhaps strangely, very contented. Maybe it is because in a sense Emily is making peace with herself and her thoughts through the act of writing her music. She said that she found writing her latest album, Ode To Sentience, out now on Talitres Records, cathartic to write: “They speak to the emotional simplicity and complexity of human relationship. I chose to call the record Ode To Sentience because it is the capacity to feel that creates a share human experience of music. We all share the potency of music by having the capacity to feel, and I found the simplicity of this fact very beautiful.”
Her album is about leaving home, her’s was California – I Lay To Rest (California) – the drawn out strings longing to leave. The sharper notes; the sadness of leaving it. Clipped Wings is ghostly and full of yearning, reflections of love’s passed. The Cliff holds classic American twangs, whilst Oh Katherine, is a string filled heaven of a song. Her voice is as soft and delicate as a peach, whilst her fearless approach to singing from the darker depths of her consciousness matches the strings perfectly.
She is much like a Californian Kate Bush, but less obviously ethereal and screaming. Or she could be a gentler Alela Diane or singular Mountain Man. Black Silk has to be my personal favourite. The Law is guitar based, slow and… actually quite a lot like my Grandpa’s Grandfather clock. It wraps you up. Says it’s all ok. For a little bit of this, here we have ‘The Law’, for you to download for free: here. Download it now.
I know that folk music isn’t all organic, doctor whole foods, and love – or indeed deep lust – buried in a haystack. Happy all day, before campfires and passions at night. No, folk musicians don’t spend their days wearing slightly grubby lumberjacks or floaty, ethereal frocks. See evidence: Grizzly Bear aren’t happy all the time and Bon Iver is a delightfully melancholy chap. And then just listen to Nick Drake and young Laura Marling. To be honest I’m not really sure where I got the skippy, clappy, dancing in the hazy afternoon sunshine vision from. Perhaps it’s because folk artists tend to sing about the earth, nature and love in one breath. There is no chat of ‘honeys’ or ‘bling’. Gah, And of course, folkers may be generally creative and appreciative of the natural world, but it in no means leaves them exempt of sadness, hurt and darkness. I wonder, does it in actual fact make them more open and adept to describing their feelings than the blingers? Regardless, folk is often as rhythmic and warming as the grandfather clock that my 40s’ Grandpa chopped the bottom of, to fit in his house. Tick, tock. Folk is cosy and true, which is why it feels so pure – which is why it makes me want to reside in a yurt.
Let me introduce you to Emily Jane White. The PR sheet in-front of me says that her album is: ‘a collection of ten opulent, uncluttered and captivating ballads.’ A friend asked me other day, “If you had to only use one adjective for the rest of your life, what would it be?” If I was a news writer, I would say: “Peh, what even are adjectives?”. As a PR I would pass out. Whilst as a writer of my own devices, I would say – ‘blissful’. Then I could put ‘anti’ in-front of a word perhaps. Awkward. Anyway, off on a tangent again: Emily Jane White’s music is BLISSFUL.
See:
She is melancholy. But in the way that makes you feel perhaps strangely, very contented. Maybe it is because in a sense Emily is making peace with herself and her thoughts through the act of writing her music. She said that she found writing her latest album, Ode To Sentience, out now on Talitres Records, cathartic to write: “They speak to the emotional simplicity and complexity of human relationship. I chose to call the record Ode To Sentience because it is the capacity to feel that creates a share human experience of music. We all share the potency of music by having the capacity to feel, and I found the simplicity of this fact very beautiful.”
Her album is about leaving home, her’s was California – I Lay To Rest (California) – the drawn out strings longing to leave. The sharper notes; the sadness of leaving it. Clipped Wings is ghostly and full of yearning, reflections of love’s passed. The Cliff holds classic American twangs, whilst Oh Katherine, is a string filled heaven of a song. Her voice is as soft and delicate as a peach, whilst her fearless approach to singing from the darker depths of her consciousness matches the strings perfectly.
She is much like a Californian Kate Bush, but less obviously ethereal and screaming. Or she could be a gentler Alela Diane or singular Mountain Man. Black Silk has to be my personal favourite. The Law is guitar based, slow and… actually quite a lot like my Grandpa’s Grandfather clock. It wraps you up. Says it’s all ok. For a little bit of this, here we have ‘The Law’, for you to download for free: here. Download it now.
So Saturday morning – day two of London Fashion Week – started off brilliantly. It was p*ssing it down, medicine the tyre on my bike had deflated itself twice and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Gallantly, search if I do say so myself, I hot-stepped it to work to put some articles together, and then when it was time made my way to The Show Space on Northumberland Avenue (where I had been the previous day to view Jean Pierre Braganza’s collection) armed with an umbrella.
Unfortunately, the rest of London’s fashion population were also armed with umbrellas (despite wearing some outfits best saved for hot Summer evenings – gah) and queuing was a bit of a nightmare. Luckily I bumped into my pal Sabrina from The Science of Style, and we huddled together in the queue and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually a call was made for orange stickers and we were ushered inside, and while we waited even more for the show to start, Sabrina filled me in on the gossip with some of the front row-ers.
I’ve always liked Bernard’s aesthetic – always vibrant with an exotic feel. This time around didn’t disappoint, and his signature architectural pieces were on form along with some other softer, flattering designs. Blinding hues of magenta and bursts of orange lit up the catwalk (and our cold, damp hearts) which appeared on hooded dresses and were welcomed on on shift dresses with flamboyantly embroidered patterns that looked like heart-monitor graphs, cutting muted grey dresses in half.
This being autumn/winter, there was a unsurprising amount of black in the collection (a bugger to photograph alongside acid brights), with one of my favourite pieces in the collection being an enormous cocoon-like knee-length jacket with exaggerated shoulders and geometric details – confirming Chandran’s status as a showman. Other black jackets were sexed up with neon tights and accessories.
Strutured dresses focussed on waists with details with dresses meeting there and extending away from the body – Chandran creates silhouettes that flatter the fashion-forward woman.
The collection progressed with feathered showpieces in rich reds and bright orange – a pure delight – and a red expertly-embellished onesie. But it was back to black to close the show – an all-in-one covered in delicate feathers and jewels – reminding us of Bernard’s exotic heritage and innate attention to detail.
As anyone who attends the shows will know, ask guessing who has priority tickets is always an amusing game. Is it the gold star? Surely double gold star is better? Or maybe this season purple or neon yellow signifies top cat for a certain PR? Jasper Garvida tickets certainly had us guessing – we were sent quite a handful, purchase some with green dots on and all with the exciting words VIP. I made an educated guess that VIP with green dot was the most prestigious bet and I got it wrong – green dot was lesser.
So it was that I found myself twiddling my thumbs as a bunch of friendly bloggers were whisked ahead of me, viagra approved all gabbling excitedly about the “washing machine cocktail party” that they had just attended courtesy of Miele, who had then popped them straight in a taxi to the Freemasons Hall where they were ushered onto the front row. At the end of the day the best sticker to have wasn’t VIP at all, it simply had the immortal word Miele stamped on it.
Jasper Garvida‘s A/W 2011 collection was titled Le Baiser, meaning The Kiss, and was inspired by a confluence of East and West. It featured feminine tailoring with a distinctly vintage feel that was emphasised by the glamourous neatly swept up hairstyles and crystal drop earrings by Lucas Jack.
The strong opening outfit was a gorgeous black cylindrical backless dress, followed by a series of elegant grey numbers that featured cutouts to reveal the hips, thighs and back. Shoulders were draped, dropped and covered in armour-like sliced plastic embellishments that swung lazily as the models walked. Colour broke through in the form of a stunning chartreuse one shouldered dress followed by silky Fornasetti inspired circular prints and a bold giant keyhole placement print on rusty silk. Gigantic ruffles provided a key focus, counter-balancing the precise and beautiful tailoring.
Jasper Garvida A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Eventually russet gave way to a searing orangey red, quite definitely the colour of the season, but also in this instance noticeably the colour of the large Miele goodie bags under the front row seats. Without so much as a glance at my press release it was obvious to me that these were sponsored garments. Perfect for this season’s trends, but what happens next time round?
Jasper Garvida A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
I left slightly bemused by the tenuous connection between domestic appliances and high fashion, but this was nevertheless a collection to remember. Anyway, as I know only too well, you’ve got to get your sponsorship where you can.
Jasper Garvida A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
You can read Katie Antoniou’s blog about the same show right here.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Tuesday March 1st, 2011 2:43 pm
