Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Catwalk Review: JW Anderson

sara anderson by laura callaghan
Sara Anderson by Laura Callaghan.

Every now and again fashion week throws up something truly astonishing that I didn’t know about before… and on this occasion that honour must surely go to the unexpectedly fabulous graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, view showing for the first time at LFW. I sat with my old intern Sarah Barnes of Uplift Magazine, information pills so we had a good chance to catch up on the gossip before the show started to a very under capacity audience.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of course, buy more about it is to be expected that the crowd might be a little sparse for the first year that someone shows at LFW, but it is nevertheless somewhat bemusing to be provided with so little information about the contributing graduates; nothing beyond the flimsiest of explanations on our seats. Not even a list of designers! It baffles me that an institution would go to all the cost of sending their graduates over to the UK and then neglect the most basic of PR opportunities. To keep up I had to take photos of the projection of the back wall between collections, and then squint through them to label each designer correctly. About the individual students I know nothing more.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

I had absolutely no expectations bar a pretty good gut feeling that as a former textile designer myself I was going to like what I saw. I could not have been more on the mark.

Swedish Textiles 2010 students photo by Amelia Gregory
Students rollcall.

The opening collection, Prepositions by Sara Anderson, was a pretty good indicator of things to come. Models strode down the catwalk in what looked like the lime and carrot angular offcuts of some 60s furniture factory mishap – great angular bulks attached to head, waist and shoulder. Glistening metallic fabrics and foiled polka dots completed the look. And instantly my interior art director gremlin was hopping up and down with excitement just thinking about what our illustrators could do once they sunk their teeth into this.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Sara Anderson.

Next up was a fabulous menswear collection from Johanna Milvert. Just the right side of barking, it featured massively oversized sleeves and bulbous mismatched proportions that cocooned the models in deep orange deck chair stripes and ribbed knits. A lopsided leather man bag was a particularly individual touch.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
johanna milvert by laura callaghan
Johanna Milvert by Laura Callaghan.

This was followed by a relatively calm collection, Efterklang by Elin Klevmar, in which the lopsided theme continued apace as the models strode down the catwalk in softly draped pebble and cream coloured loungewear.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory

Stina Randstad’s Breed hit the catwalk in an outrageous large shouldered ruffled denim affair that Leigh Bowery would have been proud to wear. Mixing African fabrics, Scottish tartan and 80s pop art club kid inspired prints shouldn’t work but it somehow did – we need more of this kind of inspired madness at the shows. Tartan rara skirts, veil like head necklaces, knitted cockerel crests, crazy facepaint and huge superhero shaped tailoring: this collection really did have it all… and I say that in a good way.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad.

Structure is Everything by Emelie Johansson appeared to have been influenced by coloured pencil shavings. Taking oversized accessories to the next level some of the headdresses resembled alienesque head tumours that would surely not look out of place on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. Peeking out from beneath the styling madness were some really wonderfully constructed primary coloured garments.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

Another menswear collection from Jennie Siljedahl – Control Me As I Control You – showcased autumnal themed pieces in quilted golds, reds and burnt orange, all accessorised with big recycled necklaces and arm jewellery. I particularly liked the overgrown eyebrow glasses.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Jennie Siljedahl

Elin Sundling’s monochrome collection I Paint Myself Into A Corner featured models who looked as if they had been dragged through the cobwebs of an attic – gauzy face netting gave a sinister feel to (another) lovingly cut lopsided collection that featured some fabulous dusty and oily prints.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Elin Sundling.

For sheer styling nuttiness though the prize had to go to Ellinor Nilsen with Nobodies – who sent models down the catwalk in strange eyeless masks, fake hair protruding from all the wrong places in all the wrong colours. One can only presume the models practiced beforehand by counting their steps, for it all went off seamlessly. Beneath the amazing masks knitwear and tailoring took inspiration from the hairy fuzzy scratchy parts of bodies. Particularly odd was a hair print dress. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Ellinor Nilsen.

Charlotta Mattson’s dark collection was perhaps most instantly notable for her angular neck adornments that echoed the theme on many other catwalks this season, but I also particularly liked the use of swirling linear black on white prints that encased legs, head and fabulous shoes. Oh and did I mention the fabulous shoes? Fabulous they were.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Charlotta Mattson.

Hommage featured bulky pants, cowled hoods and bleached floral prints on menswear from David Soderland, all accessorised with giant resin scorpion jewellery. An open shirt over bleached print jean shorts held up with red braces was a particularly strong look.

Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
David Soderland.

Finally Helena Quist showed a kimono and kaftan inspired collection in which the colouring was particularly strong. Stripes, overgrown pompoms, metallics, tassels and block prints jostled together in a stunning combination that closed the show.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Helena Quist.

I hope the Swedish School of Textiles will be back next year. Somehow I don’t think they will have any trouble packing out their second show…

sara anderson by laura callaghan
Sara Anderson by Laura Callaghan.

Every now and again fashion week throws up something truly astonishing that I didn’t know about before… and on this occasion that honour must surely go to the unexpectedly fabulous graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, sickness showing for the first time at LFW. I sat with my old intern Sarah Barnes of Uplift Magazine, generic so we had a good chance to catch up on the gossip before the show started to a very under capacity audience.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of course, pharmacy it is to be expected that the crowd might be a little sparse for the first year that someone shows at LFW, but it is nevertheless somewhat bemusing to be provided with so little information about the contributing graduates; nothing beyond the flimsiest of explanations on our seats. Not even a list of designers! It baffles me that an institution would go to all the cost of sending their graduates over to the UK and then neglect the most basic of PR opportunities. To keep up I had to take photos of the projection of the back wall between collections, and then squint through them to label each designer correctly. About the individual students I know nothing more.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

I had absolutely no expectations bar a pretty good gut feeling that as a former textile designer myself I was going to like what I saw. I could not have been more on the mark.

Swedish-Textiles-2-by-Lisa-Stannard
Sara Anderson and Emelie Johansson by Lisa Stannard.

Swedish Textiles 2010 students photo by Amelia Gregory
Students rollcall.

The opening collection, Prepositions by Sara Anderson, was a pretty good indicator of things to come. Models strode down the catwalk in what looked like the lime and carrot angular offcuts of some 60s furniture factory mishap – great angular bulks attached to head, waist and shoulder. Glistening metallic fabrics and foiled polka dots completed the look. And instantly my interior art director gremlin was hopping up and down with excitement just thinking about what our illustrators could do once they sunk their teeth into this.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Sara Anderson.

Next up was a fabulous menswear collection from Johanna Milvert. Just the right side of barking, it featured massively oversized sleeves and bulbous mismatched proportions that cocooned the models in deep orange deck chair stripes and ribbed knits. A lopsided leather man bag was a particularly individual touch.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
johanna milvert by laura callaghan
Johanna Milvert by Laura Callaghan.

This was followed by a relatively calm collection, Efterklang by Elin Klevmar, in which the lopsided theme continued apace as the models strode down the catwalk in softly draped pebble and cream coloured loungewear.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
elin klevmar by laura callaghan
Elin Klevmar by Laura Callaghan.

Stina Randstad’s Breed hit the catwalk in an outrageous large shouldered ruffled denim affair that Leigh Bowery would have been proud to wear. Mixing African fabrics, Scottish tartan and 80s pop art club kid inspired prints shouldn’t work but it somehow did – we need more of this kind of inspired madness at the shows. Tartan rara skirts, veil like head necklaces, knitted cockerel crests, crazy facepaint and huge superhero shaped tailoring: this collection really did have it all… and I say that in a good way.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad.

Structure is Everything by Emelie Johansson appeared to have been influenced by coloured pencil shavings. Taking oversized accessories to the next level some of the headdresses resembled alienesque head tumours that would surely not look out of place on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. Peeking out from beneath the styling madness were some really wonderfully constructed primary coloured garments.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Emelie Johansson KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Emelie Johansson by Kayleigh Bluck.

Another menswear collection from Jennie Siljedahl – Control Me As I Control You – showcased autumnal themed pieces in quilted golds, reds and burnt orange, all accessorised with big recycled necklaces and arm jewellery. I particularly liked the overgrown eyebrow glasses.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Jennie Siljedahl  KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Jennie Siljedahl by Kayleigh Bluck.

Swedish-Textiles-Jennie Siljedahl-by-Lisa-Stannard
Jennie Siljedahl by Lisa Stannard.

Elin Sundling’s monochrome collection I Paint Myself Into A Corner featured models who looked as if they had been dragged through the cobwebs of an attic – gauzy face netting gave a sinister feel to (another) lovingly cut lopsided collection that featured some fabulous dusty and oily prints.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Elin Sundling.

For sheer styling nuttiness though the prize had to go to Ellinor Nilsen with Nobodies – who sent models down the catwalk in strange eyeless masks, fake hair protruding from all the wrong places in all the wrong colours. One can only presume the models practiced beforehand by counting their steps, for it all went off seamlessly. Beneath the amazing masks knitwear and tailoring took inspiration from the hairy fuzzy scratchy parts of bodies. Particularly odd was a hair print dress. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Ellinor Nilsen.

Charlotta Mattson’s dark collection was perhaps most instantly notable for her angular neck adornments that echoed the theme on many other catwalks this season, but I also particularly liked the use of swirling linear black on white prints that encased legs, head and fabulous shoes. Oh and did I mention the fabulous shoes? Fabulous they were.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Charlotta Mattson.

Hommage featured bulky pants, cowled hoods and bleached floral prints on menswear from David Soderland, all accessorised with giant resin scorpion jewellery. An open shirt over bleached print jean shorts held up with red braces was a particularly strong look.

Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
David Soderland.

Finally Helena Quist showed a kimono and kaftan inspired collection in which the colouring was particularly strong. Stripes, overgrown pompoms, metallics, tassels and block prints jostled together in a stunning combination that closed the show.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Helena Quist KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Helena Quist by Kayleigh Bluck.

I hope the Swedish School of Textiles will be back next year. Somehow I don’t think they will have any trouble packing out their second show…


Weird glasses rabbit girl, ambulance illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

The international fashion press often remark that fashion journalists come to London to see what the people on the street are wearing rather than what the models on the catwalks are wearing – and so with tremedous pleasure I present to you a (small) selection of peeps who I’ve spotted out and about so far. Some weird, prescription some wonderful. Some go for understated chic. I like. Some appear to have got dressed in the dark and warrant the NHS installing mirrors in all bedrooms. I like even more. I’ve also thrown a few celebs in for good measure.

Here you go! (Plays trumpet)

Love it:

Elle’s Alistair Guy:

LOVE this guy’s look. Oh, visit this site hang on a minute…

The rough one from the Sugababes (who actually looked gorge):

I like this guy’s scarf, a lot:

My pal, Hilary Alexander:

LOVE Brix: (but my love is conditional and if that fur is real, good riddance.)


Weird pirate boy, last seen at the opening of 123 Bethnal Green Road, illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

This gal makes her own hats. Evidently:

Brix today:

These are both men.

Love this trousers:

A vision in blue:


Super chic girl, illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

LOVE this:

Oh pal. It looked so much better as a scarf. You wally.

SO chic:

What better way to finish than with a pic of Suzy Menkes, OBE? I LOVE her and her trademark pompadour do. I would do anything to give her a little squeeze.


Weird glasses rabbit girl, website like this illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

The international fashion press often remark that fashion journalists come to London to see what the people on the street are wearing rather than what the models on the catwalks are wearing – and so with tremedous pleasure I present to you a (small) selection of peeps who I’ve spotted out and about so far. Some weird, cost some wonderful. Some go for understated chic. I like. Some appear to have got dressed in the dark and warrant the NHS installing mirrors in all bedrooms. I like even more. I’ve also thrown a few celebs in for good measure.

Here you go! (Plays trumpet)

Love it:

Elle’s Alistair Guy:

LOVE this guy’s look. Oh, information pills hang on a minute…

The rough one from the Sugababes (who actually looked gorge):

I like this guy’s scarf, a lot:

My pal, Hilary Alexander:

LOVE Brix: (but my love is conditional and if that fur is real, good riddance)


Weird pirate boy, last seen at the opening of 123 Bethnal Green Road, illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

This gal makes her own hats. Evidently:

Brix today:

These are both men.

Love this trousers:

A vision in blue:


Super chic girl, illustrated by Maria del Carmen Smith

LOVE this:

Oh pal. It looked so much better as a scarf. You wally.

SO chic:

What better way to finish than with a pic of Suzy Menkes, OBE? I LOVE her and her trademark pompadour do. I would do anything to give her a little squeeze.

Illustration by Katie Harnett

This post is being written nine days after Kinder Aggugini’s ‘Africa’ inspired show. This season, more about lazy naming of the sources of inspiration bandied around aplenty – it appears designers and their copy writers, rx forget Africa is not simply ‘Africa’ but a complex continent subdivided via colonial rule and 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

Illustration by Katie Harnett

This post is being written nine days after Kinder Aggugini’s ‘Africa’ inspired show – it appears designers and their copy writers, dosage forget Africa is not simply ‘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
sara anderson by laura callaghan
Sara Anderson by Laura Callaghan.

Every now and again fashion week throws up something truly astonishing that I didn’t know about before… and on this occasion that honour must surely go to the unexpectedly fabulous graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, decease showing for the first time at LFW. I sat with my old intern Sarah Barnes of Uplift Magazine, so we had a good chance to catch up on the gossip before the show started to a very under capacity audience.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of course, it is to be expected that the crowd might be a little sparse for the first year that someone shows at LFW, but it is nevertheless somewhat bemusing to be provided with so little information about the contributing graduates; nothing beyond the flimsiest of explanations on our seats. Not even a list of designers! It baffles me that an institution would go to all the cost of sending their graduates over to the UK and then neglect the most basic of PR opportunities. To keep up I had to take photos of the projection of the back wall between collections, and then squint through them to label each designer correctly. About the individual students I know nothing more: I can’t even find their blooming website.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

I had absolutely no expectations bar a pretty good gut feeling that as a former textile designer myself I was going to like what I saw. I could not have been more on the mark.

Swedish-Textiles-2-by-Lisa-Stannard
Sara Anderson and Emelie Johansson by Lisa Stannard.

Swedish Textiles 2010 students photo by Amelia Gregory
Students rollcall.

The opening collection, Prepositions by Sara Anderson, was a pretty good indicator of things to come. Models strode down the catwalk in what looked like the lime and carrot angular offcuts of some 60s furniture factory mishap – great angular bulks attached to head, waist and shoulder. Glistening metallic fabrics and foiled polka dots completed the look. And instantly my interior art director gremlin was hopping up and down with excitement just thinking about what our illustrators could do once they sunk their teeth into this.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Sara Anderson.

Next up was a fabulous menswear collection from Johanna Milvert. Just the right side of barking, it featured massively oversized sleeves and bulbous mismatched proportions that cocooned the models in deep orange deck chair stripes and ribbed knits. A lopsided leather man bag was a particularly individual touch.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
johanna milvert by laura callaghan
Johanna Milvert by Laura Callaghan.

This was followed by a relatively calm collection, Efterklang by Elin Klevmar, in which the lopsided theme continued apace as the models strode down the catwalk in softly draped pebble and cream coloured loungewear.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
elin klevmar by laura callaghan
Elin Klevmar by Laura Callaghan.

Stina Randstad’s Breed hit the catwalk in an outrageous large shouldered ruffled denim affair that Leigh Bowery would have been proud to wear. Mixing African fabrics, Scottish tartan and 80s pop art club kid inspired prints shouldn’t work but it somehow did – we need more of this kind of inspired madness at the shows. Tartan rara skirts, veil like head necklaces, knitted cockerel crests, crazy facepaint and huge superhero shaped tailoring: this collection really did have it all… and I say that in a good way.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad.

Structure is Everything by Emelie Johansson appeared to have been influenced by coloured pencil shavings. Taking oversized accessories to the next level some of the headdresses resembled alienesque head tumours that would surely not look out of place on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. Peeking out from beneath the styling madness were some really wonderfully constructed primary coloured garments.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Emelie Johansson KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Emelie Johansson by Kayleigh Bluck.

Another menswear collection from Jennie Siljedahl – Control Me As I Control You – showcased autumnal themed pieces in quilted golds, reds and burnt orange, all accessorised with big recycled necklaces and arm jewellery. I particularly liked the overgrown eyebrow glasses.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Jennie Siljedahl  KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Jennie Siljedahl by Kayleigh Bluck.

Swedish-Textiles-Jennie Siljedahl-by-Lisa-Stannard
Jennie Siljedahl by Lisa Stannard.

Elin Sundling’s monochrome collection I Paint Myself Into A Corner featured models who looked as if they had been dragged through the cobwebs of an attic – gauzy face netting gave a sinister feel to (another) lovingly cut lopsided collection that featured some fabulous dusty and oily prints.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Elin Sundling.

For sheer styling nuttiness though the prize had to go to Ellinor Nilsen with Nobodies – who sent models down the catwalk in strange eyeless masks, fake hair protruding from all the wrong places in all the wrong colours. One can only presume the models practiced beforehand by counting their steps, for it all went off seamlessly. Beneath the amazing masks knitwear and tailoring took inspiration from the hairy fuzzy scratchy parts of bodies. Particularly odd was a hair print dress. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Ellinor Nilsen.

Charlotta Mattson’s dark collection was perhaps most instantly notable for her angular neck adornments that echoed the theme on many other catwalks this season, but I also particularly liked the use of swirling linear black on white prints that encased legs, head and fabulous shoes. Oh and did I mention the fabulous shoes? Fabulous they were.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Charlotta Mattson.

Hommage featured bulky pants, cowled hoods and bleached floral prints on menswear from David Soderland, all accessorised with giant resin scorpion jewellery. An open shirt over bleached print jean shorts held up with red braces was a particularly strong look.

Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
David Soderland.

Finally Helena Quist showed a kimono and kaftan inspired collection in which the colouring was particularly strong. Stripes, overgrown pompoms, metallics, tassels and block prints jostled together in a stunning combination that closed the show.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Helena Quist KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Helena Quist by Kayleigh Bluck.

I hope the Swedish School of Textiles will be back next year. Somehow I don’t think they will have any trouble packing out their second show…

sara anderson by laura callaghan
Sara Anderson by Laura Callaghan.

Every now and again fashion week throws up something truly astonishing that I didn’t know about before… and on this occasion that honour must surely go to the unexpectedly fabulous graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, unhealthy showing for the first time at LFW. I sat with my old intern Sarah Barnes of Uplift Magazine, information pills so we had a good chance to catch up on the gossip before the show started to a very under capacity audience.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of course, it is to be expected that the crowd might be a little sparse for the first year that someone shows at LFW, but it is nevertheless somewhat bemusing to be provided with so little information about the contributing graduates; nothing beyond the flimsiest of explanations on our seats. Not even a list of designers! It baffles me that an institution would go to all the cost of sending their graduates over to the UK and then neglect the most basic of PR opportunities. To keep up I had to take photos of the projection of the back wall between collections, and then squint through them to label each designer correctly. About the individual students I know nothing more: I can’t even find their blooming website.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

I had absolutely no expectations bar a pretty good gut feeling that as a former textile designer myself I was going to like what I saw. I could not have been more on the mark.

Swedish-Textiles-2-by-Lisa-Stannard
Sara Anderson and Emelie Johansson by Lisa Stannard.

Swedish Textiles 2010 students photo by Amelia Gregory
Students rollcall.

The opening collection, Prepositions by Sara Anderson, was a pretty good indicator of things to come. Models strode down the catwalk in what looked like the lime and carrot angular offcuts of some 60s furniture factory mishap – great angular bulks attached to head, waist and shoulder. Glistening metallic fabrics and foiled polka dots completed the look. And instantly my interior art director gremlin was hopping up and down with excitement just thinking about what our illustrators could do once they sunk their teeth into this.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Sara Anderson.

Next up was a fabulous menswear collection from Johanna Milvert. Just the right side of barking, it featured massively oversized sleeves and bulbous mismatched proportions that cocooned the models in deep orange deck chair stripes and ribbed knits. A lopsided leather man bag was a particularly individual touch.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
johanna milvert by laura callaghan
Johanna Milvert by Laura Callaghan.

This was followed by a relatively calm collection, Efterklang by Elin Klevmar, in which the lopsided theme continued apace as the models strode down the catwalk in softly draped pebble and cream coloured loungewear.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
elin klevmar by laura callaghan
Elin Klevmar by Laura Callaghan.

Stina Randstad’s Breed hit the catwalk in an outrageous large shouldered ruffled denim affair that Leigh Bowery would have been proud to wear. Mixing African fabrics, Scottish tartan and 80s pop art club kid inspired prints shouldn’t work but it somehow did – we need more of this kind of inspired madness at the shows. Tartan rara skirts, veil like head necklaces, knitted cockerel crests, crazy facepaint and huge superhero shaped tailoring: this collection really did have it all… and I say that in a good way.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad.

Structure is Everything by Emelie Johansson appeared to have been influenced by coloured pencil shavings. Taking oversized accessories to the next level some of the headdresses resembled alienesque head tumours that would surely not look out of place on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. Peeking out from beneath the styling madness were some really wonderfully constructed primary coloured garments.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Emelie Johansson KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Emelie Johansson by Kayleigh Bluck.

Another menswear collection from Jennie Siljedahl – Control Me As I Control You – showcased autumnal themed pieces in quilted golds, reds and burnt orange, all accessorised with big recycled necklaces and arm jewellery. I particularly liked the overgrown eyebrow glasses.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Jennie Siljedahl  KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Jennie Siljedahl by Kayleigh Bluck.

Swedish-Textiles-Jennie Siljedahl-by-Lisa-Stannard
Jennie Siljedahl by Lisa Stannard.

Elin Sundling‘s monochrome collection I Paint Myself Into A Corner featured models who looked as if they had been dragged through the cobwebs of an attic – gauzy face netting gave a sinister feel to (another) lovingly cut lopsided collection that featured some fabulous dusty and oily prints.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Elin Sundling.

For sheer styling nuttiness though the prize had to go to Ellinor Nilsen with Nobodies – who sent models down the catwalk in strange eyeless masks, fake hair protruding from all the wrong places in all the wrong colours. One can only presume the models practiced beforehand by counting their steps, for it all went off seamlessly. Beneath the amazing masks knitwear and tailoring took inspiration from the hairy fuzzy scratchy parts of bodies. Particularly odd was a hair print dress. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Ellinor Nilsen.

Charlotta Mattson’s dark collection was perhaps most instantly notable for her angular neck adornments that echoed the theme on many other catwalks this season, but I also particularly liked the use of swirling linear black on white prints that encased legs, head and fabulous shoes. Oh and did I mention the fabulous shoes? Fabulous they were.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Charlotta Mattson.

Hommage featured bulky pants, cowled hoods and bleached floral prints on menswear from David Soderlund, all accessorised with giant resin scorpion jewellery. An open shirt over bleached print jean shorts held up with red braces was a particularly strong look.

Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
David Soderlund.

Finally Helena Quist showed a kimono and kaftan inspired collection in which the colouring was particularly strong. Stripes, overgrown pompoms, metallics, tassels and block prints jostled together in a stunning combination that closed the show.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Helena Quist KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Helena Quist by Kayleigh Bluck.

I hope the Swedish School of Textiles will be back next year. Somehow I don’t think they will have any trouble packing out their second show… but please please sort out your promotion. NONE of these students has a proper internet presence. Not one functioning website that I could find. Shocking in this day and age.

Illustration by Katie Harnett

This post is being written nine days after Kinder Aggugini’s ‘Africa’ inspired show – it appears designers and their copy writers, more about forget Africa is not simply ‘Africa’ but a complex continent subdivided via colonial rule. consisting of multiple languages and cultures. But for the purposes of fashion, ask 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

Illustration by Katie Harnett

Ten days is a long time to reflect on a catwalk show, adiposity 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

sara anderson by laura callaghan
Sara Anderson by Laura Callaghan.

Every now and again fashion week throws up something truly astonishing that I didn’t know about before… and on this occasion that honour must surely go to the unexpectedly fabulous graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, troche showing for the first time at LFW. I sat with my old intern Sarah Barnes of Uplift Magazine, pharm so we had a good chance to catch up on the gossip before the show started to a very under capacity audience.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of course, it is to be expected that the crowd might be a little sparse for the first year that someone shows at LFW, but it is nevertheless somewhat bemusing to be provided with so little information about the contributing graduates; nothing beyond the flimsiest of explanations on our seats. Not even a list of designers! It baffles me that an institution would go to all the cost of sending their graduates over to the UK and then neglect the most basic of PR opportunities. To keep up I had to take photos of the projection of the back wall between collections, and then squint through them to label each designer correctly. About the individual students I know nothing more: I can’t even find their blooming website.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

I had absolutely no expectations bar a pretty good gut feeling that as a former textile designer myself I was going to like what I saw. I could not have been more on the mark.

Swedish-Textiles-2-by-Lisa-Stannard
Sara Anderson and Emelie Johansson by Lisa Stannard.

Swedish Textiles 2010 students photo by Amelia Gregory
Students rollcall.

The opening collection, Prepositions by Sara Anderson, was a pretty good indicator of things to come. Models strode down the catwalk in what looked like the lime and carrot angular offcuts of some 60s furniture factory mishap – great angular bulks attached to head, waist and shoulder. Glistening metallic fabrics and foiled polka dots completed the look. And instantly my interior art director gremlin was hopping up and down with excitement just thinking about what our illustrators could do once they sunk their teeth into this.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Sara Anderson.

Next up was a fabulous menswear collection from Johanna Milvert. Just the right side of barking, it featured massively oversized sleeves and bulbous mismatched proportions that cocooned the models in deep orange deck chair stripes and ribbed knits. A lopsided leather man bag was a particularly individual touch.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
johanna milvert by laura callaghan
Johanna Milvert by Laura Callaghan.

This was followed by a relatively calm collection, Efterklang by Elin Klevmar, in which the lopsided theme continued apace as the models strode down the catwalk in softly draped pebble and cream coloured loungewear.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
elin klevmar by laura callaghan
Elin Klevmar by Laura Callaghan.

Stina Randstad’s Breed hit the catwalk in an outrageous large shouldered ruffled denim affair that Leigh Bowery would have been proud to wear. Mixing African fabrics, Scottish tartan and 80s pop art club kid inspired prints shouldn’t work but it somehow did – we need more of this kind of inspired madness at the shows. Tartan rara skirts, veil like head necklaces, knitted cockerel crests, crazy facepaint and huge superhero shaped tailoring: this collection really did have it all… and I say that in a good way.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad.

Structure is Everything by Emelie Johansson appeared to have been influenced by coloured pencil shavings. Taking oversized accessories to the next level some of the headdresses resembled alienesque head tumours that would surely not look out of place on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. Peeking out from beneath the styling madness were some really wonderfully constructed primary coloured garments.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Emelie Johansson KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Emelie Johansson by Kayleigh Bluck.

Another menswear collection from Jennie Siljedahl – Control Me As I Control You – showcased autumnal themed pieces in quilted golds, reds and burnt orange, all accessorised with big recycled necklaces and arm jewellery. I particularly liked the overgrown eyebrow glasses.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Jennie Siljedahl  KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Jennie Siljedahl by Kayleigh Bluck.

Swedish-Textiles-Jennie Siljedahl-by-Lisa-Stannard
Jennie Siljedahl by Lisa Stannard.

Elin Sundling‘s monochrome collection I Paint Myself Into A Corner featured models who looked as if they had been dragged through the cobwebs of an attic – gauzy face netting gave a sinister feel to (another) lovingly cut lopsided collection that featured some fabulous dusty and oily prints.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Elin Sundling.

For sheer styling nuttiness though the prize had to go to Ellinor Nilsen with Nobodies – who sent models down the catwalk in strange eyeless masks, fake hair protruding from all the wrong places in all the wrong colours. One can only presume the models practiced beforehand by counting their steps, for it all went off seamlessly. Beneath the amazing masks knitwear and tailoring took inspiration from the hairy fuzzy scratchy parts of bodies. Particularly odd was a hair print dress. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Ellinor Nilsen.

Charlotta Mattson’s dark collection was perhaps most instantly notable for her angular neck adornments that echoed the theme on many other catwalks this season, but I also particularly liked the use of swirling linear black on white prints that encased legs, head and fabulous shoes. Oh and did I mention the fabulous shoes? Fabulous they were.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Charlotta Mattson.

Hommage featured bulky pants, cowled hoods and bleached floral prints on menswear from David Soderlund, all accessorised with giant resin scorpion jewellery. An open shirt over bleached print jean shorts held up with red braces was a particularly strong look.

Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
David Soderlund.

Finally Helena Quist showed a kimono and kaftan inspired collection in which the colouring was particularly strong. Stripes, overgrown pompoms, metallics, tassels and block prints jostled together in a stunning combination that closed the show.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Helena Quist KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Helena Quist by Kayleigh Bluck.

I hope the Swedish School of Textiles will be back next year. Somehow I don’t think they will have any trouble packing out their second show… but please please sort out your promotion. NONE of these students has a proper internet presence; not one functioning website that I could find. Shocking in this day and age.

sara anderson by laura callaghan
Sara Anderson by Laura Callaghan.

Every now and again fashion week throws up something truly astonishing that I didn’t know about before… and on this occasion that honour must surely go to the unexpectedly fabulous graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, approved showing for the first time at LFW. I sat with my old intern Sarah Barnes of Uplift Magazine, click so we had a good chance to catch up on the gossip before the show started to a very under capacity audience.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Of course, recipe it is to be expected that the crowd might be a little sparse for the first year that someone shows at LFW, but it is nevertheless somewhat bemusing to be provided with so little information about the contributing graduates; nothing beyond the flimsiest of explanations on our seats. Not even a list of designers! It baffles me that an institution would go to all the cost of sending their graduates over to the UK and then neglect the most basic of PR opportunities. To keep up I had to take photos of the projection of the back wall between collections, and then squint through them to label each designer correctly. About the individual students I know nothing more: I can’t even find a website for the college.

Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles SS2011 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Emelie Johansson.

I had absolutely no expectations bar a pretty good gut feeling that as a former textile designer myself I was going to like what I saw. I could not have been more on the mark.

Swedish-Textiles-2-by-Lisa-Stannard
Sara Anderson and Emelie Johansson by Lisa Stannard.

Swedish Textiles 2010 students photo by Amelia Gregory
Students rollcall.

The opening collection, Prepositions by Sara Anderson, was a pretty good indicator of things to come. Models strode down the catwalk in what looked like the lime and carrot angular offcuts of some 60s furniture factory mishap – great angular bulks attached to head, waist and shoulder. Glistening metallic fabrics and foiled polka dots completed the look. And instantly my interior art director gremlin was hopping up and down with excitement just thinking about what our illustrators could do once they sunk their teeth into this.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Sara Anderson photo by Amelia Gregory
Sara Anderson.

Next up was a fabulous menswear collection from Johanna Milvert. Just the right side of barking, it featured massively oversized sleeves and bulbous mismatched proportions that cocooned the models in deep orange deck chair stripes and ribbed knits. A lopsided leather man bag was a particularly individual touch.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Johanna Milvert photo by Amelia Gregory
johanna milvert by laura callaghan
Johanna Milvert by Laura Callaghan.

This was followed by a relatively calm collection, Efterklang by Elin Klevmar, in which the lopsided theme continued apace as the models strode down the catwalk in softly draped pebble and cream coloured loungewear.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Klevmar photo by Amelia Gregory
elin klevmar by laura callaghan
Elin Klevmar by Laura Callaghan.

Stina Randstad’s Breed hit the catwalk in an outrageous large shouldered ruffled denim affair that Leigh Bowery would have been proud to wear. Mixing African fabrics, Scottish tartan and 80s pop art club kid inspired prints shouldn’t work but it somehow did – we need more of this kind of inspired madness at the shows. Tartan rara skirts, veil like head necklaces, knitted cockerel crests, crazy facepaint and huge superhero shaped tailoring: this collection really did have it all… and I say that in a good way.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Stina Randstad photo by Amelia Gregory
Stina Randstad.

Structure is Everything by Emelie Johansson appeared to have been influenced by coloured pencil shavings. Taking oversized accessories to the next level some of the headdresses resembled alienesque head tumours that would surely not look out of place on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. Peeking out from beneath the styling madness were some really wonderfully constructed primary coloured garments.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Emelie Johansson photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Emelie Johansson KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Emelie Johansson by Kayleigh Bluck.

Another menswear collection from Jennie Siljedahl – Control Me As I Control You – showcased autumnal themed pieces in quilted golds, reds and burnt orange, all accessorised with big recycled necklaces and arm jewellery. I particularly liked the overgrown eyebrow glasses.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Jennie Siljedahl photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Jennie Siljedahl  KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Jennie Siljedahl by Kayleigh Bluck.

Swedish-Textiles-Jennie Siljedahl-by-Lisa-Stannard
Jennie Siljedahl by Lisa Stannard.

Elin Sundling‘s monochrome collection I Paint Myself Into A Corner featured models who looked as if they had been dragged through the cobwebs of an attic – gauzy face netting gave a sinister feel to (another) lovingly cut lopsided collection that featured some fabulous dusty and oily prints.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Elin Sundling photo by Amelia Gregory
Elin Sundling.

For sheer styling nuttiness though the prize had to go to Ellinor Nilsen with Nobodies – she sent models down the catwalk in strange eyeless masks, fake hair protruding from all the wrong places in all the wrong colours. One can only presume the models practiced beforehand by counting their steps, for it all went off seamlessly. Beneath the amazing masks knitwear and tailoring took inspiration from the hairy fuzzy scratchy parts of bodies. Particularly odd was a hair print dress. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Ellinor Nilsen photo by Amelia Gregory
Ellinor Nilsen.

Charlotta Mattson’s dark collection was perhaps most instantly notable for her angular neck adornments that echoed the theme on many other catwalks this season, but I also particularly liked the use of swirling linear black on white prints that encased legs, head and fabulous shoes. Oh and did I mention the fabulous shoes? Fabulous they were.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Charlotta Mattson photo by Amelia Gregory
Charlotta Mattson.

Hommage featured bulky pants, cowled hoods and bleached floral prints on menswear from David Soderlund, all accessorised with giant resin scorpion jewellery. An open shirt over bleached print jean shorts held up with red braces was a particularly strong look.

Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 David Soderland photo by Amelia Gregory
David Soderlund.

Finally Helena Quist showed a kimono and kaftan inspired collection in which the colouring was particularly strong. Stripes, overgrown pompoms, metallics, tassels and block prints jostled together in a stunning combination that closed the show.

Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
Swedish Textiles 2010 Helena Quist photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Swedish Textiles Helena Quist KAYLEIGH BLUCK
Helena Quist by Kayleigh Bluck.

I hope the Swedish School of Textiles will be back next year. Somehow I don’t think they will have any trouble packing out their second show… but please please sort out your promotion. NONE of these students has a proper internet presence; not one functioning website that I could find. Shocking in this day and age.

Illustration by Katie Harnett

Ten days is a long time to reflect on a catwalk show, price by this point in time, more about London has finished, health 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

Illustration by Rob Wallace

JW Anderson’s Autumn Winter 2010 collection was a celebration of the understated. Opening the rather quiet menswear day at the BFC on September 23rd, erectile the designer’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection unleashed models dressed as Liberty sponsored waif and strays.

All Photography by Matt Bramford

The collection was luxe hippie, a perennially popular look that rarely translate into the everyday, unless you happen to be a rock star from years’ past. Nevertheless, it is wonderfully pretty, especially when the boys came highly reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s flowery rock attire crossed with the early portraiture of Walker Evans.

Following his video presentation earlier during the week. JW Anderson choose to unleash his recent expansion into faery-esque womenswear onto the menswear catwalk, drawing a few raised eyebrows from a front row settling in for a day of uninterrupted menswear.


Inspired by the photography of William Gedney the collection captured a sense of youthful naive freedom last seen in the work of Sally Mann at The Photographers Gallery.

Illustration by Rob Wallace

A nod to American Youth subcultures, (everything is a nod these day, a rehash, a reminiscence) the clothes arrived as bleached out dreamy tie dyes combined with floral print trousers for the boys and long sheer skirts fitted underneath fisherman knits for the girls.

The collection, a homage to youthful runaways on the Great American Road trip was heavy in the literary romanticism in which JW Anderson excels.

For the finale, the models (beautifully styled by Robbie Spencer) sauntered to the youthful dissatisfaction of Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp, underneath the eery green light provided by lasers more commonly seen at Fabric.

Categories ,JW Anderson, ,London Fashion Week, ,Matt Bramford, ,menswear, ,Rob Wallace, ,Sally Mann, ,The Photographers Gallery, ,Walker Evans

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Amelia’s Magazine | EXPOSED: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera at Tate Modern: A Review

Tate Modern Exposed Philip-Lorca diCorcia Head
Detail from the Head series, doctor 2001, see by Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

Exposed: Voyeurism, cost Surveillance and the Camera at the Tate Modern claims to be the first major exhibition to try and document our complex relationship with voyeurism and covert photography. It’s a fascinating subject and Exposed attempts to unravel this relationship via a series of themed rooms rather than a systematic historical walk through. So in the first room we are immediately confronted with the giant flash lit photos of people caught unawares in the street by Philip-Lorca diCorcia alongside tiny ancient photographs in sepia from Horace Engle, who captured his subjects sitting on the trams in small town America during the late 1800s at a time when unposed scenes were far from the norm. The contrast could not be more stark in terms of the garments worn or the technical prowess, but the unselfconscious expressions of those who don’t know they are being preserved for posterity just at that precise moment remain the same. The curation of this fabulous exhibition brings about a fascinating realisation that the carefully cultured veneer that humans present in public situations (where we know we are being watched) has not changed a jot over the years.

Tate Modern Exposed Philip-Lorca diCorcia Head
Detail from the Head series, 2001, by Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

Tate Modern Exposed Walker Evans
Detail from Subway Passengers, New York, 1938 by Walker Evans.

Tube Couple May 2010
Oh woops, this isn’t in the exhibition, but it’s an example of covert photography on the tube in May 2010.

At a time when photographers had become more sneaky about their trade Walker Evans spent three years during the 1940s surreptitiously photographing passengers on the New York subway, and an accompanying case displays examples of the cunning implements that were used by him and others, including a walking stick, a shoe and a flattened disc worn beneath a shirt – lens peaking out through a buttonhole. Deception could have its downsides though as HR Voth discovered whilst documenting the Hopi Indians in Arizona over a period of 9 years at the turn of the 19th century – when they found out what he was up to he was summarily blamed for all their ills and ejected from their tribe.

All sorts of sneaky tricks were used to capture an unaware public; Yale Joel set up a trick mirror in the Broadway movie theatre to capture women and men making subtle adjustments to their best clothes. By the 60s photographers were quite literally stalking their prey – the photographs of Lee Friedlander include his shadow, eerily close to the backs of his subjects.

Tate Modern Exposed Lee Friedlander
Salinas, CA, 1972 by Lee Friedlander.

We are then given the opportunity to examine the crossover between covert photography of the masses and the classic paparazzi shot. Alair Gomes shot strangely homoerotic pictures of young men pumping iron on the beach in Rio using a telephoto lens whilst John Gossage went one better, picking out people on a Mexican beach from his location several miles away in California, safely across the famously dangerous border. Alison Jackson became well known for her carefully staged set ups of famous people seemingly at ease and Exposed features a famous shot of the Queen playing with her corgis.

Perhaps one of the most interesting series in the exhibition belongs to an early fan of self promotion. Over a period of forty years from the mid to late 1800s Pierre-Louis Pierson was hired by the French Countess of Castiglione to present her in some extraordinary fantasy poses drawn from ideas in fashion magazines and theatre. Just think of all the celebrities who have taken her ideas to heart in the years since – all those staged marriages in the pages of Hello! magazine have their genesis in the Countess’s photo albums.

Tate Modern Exposed Game of Madness by Pierre-Louis Pierson
Detail from Game of Madness, 1863-66 by Pierre-Louis Pierson

Of course, as soon as the use of cameras become sly what should photographers turn their attention to but erotica? We are treated to a whole room of voyeuristic shots of prostitutes and their punters, mostly taken by secretive means. Amongst the more familiar images of the great Henri Cartier-Bresson and Helmut Newton we are treated to some fabulous shots taken by the likes of Weegee, who used infrared flash to take pictures of lovers on the beach at Coney Island or snogging each other’s faces off at the movie theatre.

Tate Modern Exposed Weegee Palace Theatre 1940
Tate Modern Exposed Weegee Palace Theatre 1940
Details from Lovers at the Movies and Palace Theatre, both c.1940 by Weegee.

Infrared flash is a technique that has been revisited by voyeuristic photographers the world over, and a whole run of wall is devoted to a series taken by Kohei Yoshiyuki during the 1970s, when he infiltrated groups of men who liked to stalk and attempt to touch lovers making out in the park. Although he regarded himself as one step removed from the men he joined he admitted that the act of photography was one of voyeurism too.

Tate Modern Exposed Kohei Yoshiyuki
Photo from the series The Park, 1971 by Kohei Yoshiyuki.

And therein lies an interesting conundrum. What is the difference between a voyeur with or without a lens to separate them from an event? At the end of the day is there any division at all? Or does wielding a camera merely legitimise an act of voyeurism, allowing us to partake in an event without feeling too closely attached to it? As someone widely practiced in the more voyeuristic end of photography I can confirm that I use the camera as a form of safety blanket in high stress situations like climate activism, allowing me to get closer to subjects than I would otherwise feel less confident about engaging with (very large Danish riot police with huge steel boots, batons and pepper spray). Taking photos satisfies my need to be in the thick of an event whilst retaining an element of separation. I’m there, but not there. The reason I enjoy taking photos in other situations – such as on the tube – is less clearcut. I simply enjoy capturing a visually interesting scene that hasn’t been staged for my benefit.

All this brings me to the last rooms of Exposed, which are devoted to surveillance, CCTV and the use of documentary photography to capture acts of aggression. I didn’t have as much time to peruse these sections, but they necessarily featured lots of photos from more recent times, as cameras have become a more and more ubiquitous part of our existence.

Tate Modern Exposed Mitch Epstein 1997
Detail from a photo in the series The City, 1997 by Mitch Epstein.

This is a thought provoking exhibition and a must see not just for photographers but for anyone intrigued in how the documenting eye has become ingrained in our lives over the space of less than two centuries.

You can find out more about Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera here. The exhibition opens today and runs until 3rd October 2010 before travelling on to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where it will be open from 20th October 2010 – 17th April 2011.

Categories ,Alair Gomes, ,Alison Jackson, ,Camera, ,CCTV, ,Coney Island, ,Countess of Castiglione, ,exhibition, ,Hello! magazine, ,Helmut Newton, ,Henri Cartier-Bresson, ,Horace Engle, ,HR Voth, ,John Gossage, ,Kohei Yoshiyuki, ,Lee Friedlander, ,Mitch Epstein, ,new york, ,Philip-Lorca diCorcia, ,photography, ,Pierre-Louis Pierson, ,review, ,Surveillance, ,Tate, ,Tate Modern, ,Voyeurism, ,Walker Evans, ,Weegee, ,Yale Joel

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Amelia’s Magazine | EXPOSED: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera at Tate Modern: A Review

Tate Modern Exposed Philip-Lorca diCorcia Head
Detail from the Head series, 2001, by Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera at the Tate Modern claims to be the first major exhibition to try and document our complex relationship with voyeurism and covert photography. It’s a fascinating subject and Exposed attempts to unravel this relationship via a series of themed rooms rather than a systematic historical walk through. So in the first room we are immediately confronted with the giant flash lit photos of people caught unawares in the street by Philip-Lorca diCorcia alongside tiny ancient photographs in sepia from Horace Engle, who captured his subjects sitting on the trams in small town America during the late 1800s at a time when unposed scenes were far from the norm. The contrast could not be more stark in terms of the garments worn or the technical prowess, but the unselfconscious expressions of those who don’t know they are being preserved for posterity just at that precise moment remain the same. The curation of this fabulous exhibition brings about a fascinating realisation that the carefully cultured veneer that humans present in public situations (where we know we are being watched) has not changed a jot over the years.

Tate Modern Exposed Philip-Lorca diCorcia Head
Detail from the Head series, 2001, by Philip-Lorca diCorcia.

Tate Modern Exposed Walker Evans
Detail from Subway Passengers, New York, 1938 by Walker Evans.

Tube Couple May 2010
Oh woops, this isn’t in the exhibition, but it’s an example of covert photography on the tube in May 2010.

At a time when photographers had become more sneaky about their trade Walker Evans spent three years during the 1940s surreptitiously photographing passengers on the New York subway, and an accompanying case displays examples of the cunning implements that were used by him and others, including a walking stick, a shoe and a flattened disc worn beneath a shirt – lens peaking out through a buttonhole. Deception could have its downsides though as HR Voth discovered whilst documenting the Hopi Indians in Arizona over a period of 9 years at the turn of the 19th century – when they found out what he was up to he was summarily blamed for all their ills and ejected from their tribe.

All sorts of sneaky tricks were used to capture an unaware public; Yale Joel set up a trick mirror in the Broadway movie theatre to capture women and men making subtle adjustments to their best clothes. By the 60s photographers were quite literally stalking their prey – the photographs of Lee Friedlander include his shadow, eerily close to the backs of his subjects.

Tate Modern Exposed Lee Friedlander
Salinas, CA, 1972 by Lee Friedlander.

We are then given the opportunity to examine the crossover between covert photography of the masses and the classic paparazzi shot. Alair Gomes shot strangely homoerotic pictures of young men pumping iron on the beach in Rio using a telephoto lens whilst John Gossage went one better, picking out people on a Mexican beach from his location several miles away in California, safely across the famously dangerous border. Alison Jackson became well known for her carefully staged set ups of famous people seemingly at ease and Exposed features a famous shot of the Queen playing with her corgis.

Perhaps one of the most interesting series in the exhibition belongs to an early fan of self promotion. Over a period of forty years from the mid to late 1800s Pierre-Louis Pierson was hired by the French Countess of Castiglione to present her in some extraordinary fantasy poses drawn from ideas in fashion magazines and theatre. Just think of all the celebrities who have taken her ideas to heart in the years since – all those staged marriages in the pages of Hello! magazine have their genesis in the Countess’s photo albums.

Tate Modern Exposed Game of Madness by Pierre-Louis Pierson
Detail from Game of Madness, 1863-66 by Pierre-Louis Pierson

Of course, as soon as the use of cameras become sly what should photographers turn their attention to but erotica? We are treated to a whole room of voyeuristic shots of prostitutes and their punters, mostly taken by secretive means. Amongst the more familiar images of the great Henri Cartier-Bresson and Helmut Newton we are treated to some fabulous shots taken by the likes of Weegee, who used infrared flash to take pictures of lovers on the beach at Coney Island or snogging each other’s faces off at the movie theatre.

Tate Modern Exposed Weegee Palace Theatre 1940
Tate Modern Exposed Weegee Palace Theatre 1940
Details from Lovers at the Movies and Palace Theatre, both c.1940 by Weegee.

Infrared flash is a technique that has been revisited by voyeuristic photographers the world over, and a whole run of wall is devoted to a series taken by Kohei Yoshiyuki during the 1970s, when he infiltrated groups of men who liked to stalk and attempt to touch lovers making out in the park. Although he regarded himself as one step removed from the men he joined he admitted that the act of photography was one of voyeurism too.

Tate Modern Exposed Kohei Yoshiyuki
Photo from the series The Park, 1971 by Kohei Yoshiyuki.

And therein lies an interesting conundrum. What is the difference between a voyeur with or without a lens to separate them from an event? At the end of the day is there any division at all? Or does wielding a camera merely legitimise an act of voyeurism, allowing us to partake in an event without feeling too closely attached to it? As someone widely practiced in the more voyeuristic end of photography I can confirm that I use the camera as a form of safety blanket in high stress situations like climate activism, allowing me to get closer to subjects than I would otherwise feel less confident about engaging with (very large Danish riot police with huge steel boots, batons and pepper spray). Taking photos satisfies my need to be in the thick of an event whilst retaining an element of separation. I’m there, but not there. The reason I enjoy taking photos in other situations – such as on the tube – is less clearcut. I simply enjoy capturing a visually interesting scene that hasn’t been staged for my benefit.

All this brings me to the last rooms of Exposed, which are devoted to surveillance, CCTV and the use of documentary photography to capture acts of aggression. I didn’t have as much time to peruse these sections, but they necessarily featured lots of photos from more recent times, as cameras have become a more and more ubiquitous part of our existence.

Tate Modern Exposed Mitch Epstein 1997
Detail from a photo in the series The City, 1997 by Mitch Epstein.

This is a thought provoking exhibition and a must see not just for photographers but for anyone intrigued in how the documenting eye has become ingrained in our lives over the space of less than two centuries.

You can find out more about Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera here. The exhibition opens today and runs until 3rd October 2010 before travelling on to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where it will be open from 20th October 2010 – 17th April 2011.

Categories ,Alair Gomes, ,Alison Jackson, ,Camera, ,CCTV, ,Coney Island, ,Countess of Castiglione, ,exhibition, ,Hello! magazine, ,Helmut Newton, ,Henri Cartier-Bresson, ,Horace Engle, ,HR Voth, ,John Gossage, ,Kohei Yoshiyuki, ,Lee Friedlander, ,Mitch Epstein, ,new york, ,Philip-Lorca diCorcia, ,photography, ,Pierre-Louis Pierson, ,review, ,Surveillance, ,Tate, ,Tate Modern, ,Voyeurism, ,Walker Evans, ,Weegee, ,Yale Joel

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