Posts Tagged ‘Autumn/Winter 2010’

Bernard Chandran Autumn/Winter 2010

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

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These are the dresses that make a girl very happy. The gold sequin shift number(as seen in last image) is just begging to be worn to the next big cocktail party. The depth of the low back is perfect.

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Bernard Chandran showed an elegant but youthful Autumn/Winter 2010-2011 collection.

The silhouettes were architectural as is Chandrans signature. I loved all the little dresses, the placements of the zips, his use of masculine fabrics such as wool in conjunction with softer fabrics such as organza and silk.

Chandran’s line up was ‘playful glamour’ in mood; dresses and jackets with feathears along the shoulder and down the line of the sleeves, braids and knot features in dresses and separates,metallic gold sequins/feathers and geometric print pieces etc.

For more on the sleek collection and Bernard’s inspiration for it, read my interview with the designer here.

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Mary Katrantzou Autumn/Winter 2010-2011

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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Mary Katrantzou is a fashion designer after my heart! In past collections, she has given us garments with prints of jaw dropping oversize jewellery and even perfume bottles etc.

Mary is known for employing these prints into shift shaped dresses. For her Autumn/Winter 2010-11 show yesterday, the designer showed a line of dresses, pants and jackets. The dresses this time were both shift and textured. A standout was an elegant pink print dress with a ruffled cocoon shaped skirt(seen in image two).

The pieces are like individual works of art as the prints were inspired by 18th century portraits. I like that each dress looks like a luxurious collage of varying parts of different paintings.

Her colour palette was beautiful; the soft pinks, rich purples, emerald green, burnt orange and midnight blue really worked with the rich pompadour feel of the print collection.

I wanted to yank the jewellery(epic brass pieces, the piece in image one is a showstopper) off the models as they strutted past on the catwalk! The press release stated that they were made from pieces of old furniture in Katrantzou’s mothers Athens based factory.

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Mark Fast Autumn/Winter 2010 – 2011

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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I bunny hopped over to Topshop’s show space on Russell Street for talented Canadian knitwear designer, Mark Fast’s autumn/winter 2010-2011 show.

There was a huge queue outside, soon enough I was inside the huge show space sponsored by Topshop’s New Generation scheme. I made my way to my seat as stated on the invite (the invite was a beautiful one with a sparkly knit illustration) only to find it filled.

Never the less, soon the show started. The press release stated that for the collection Fast had explored art deco statues and the work of bronze sculptor, Dimitri Chiparus.

Fast always excels with his couture like knit techniques. The handmade designs are apparently sculpted on the body as he knits. Each piece wafting past on the model line up including ‘plus-size’ was like a bespoke intricate piece of knitted art.

I was really drawn to the colour palette of pinks, vibrant reds, nude, grey, ochre, fawn, ecru and midnight blue. Fast said was inspired by the ‘Indian Summers’ in his native Canada.

The collection featured thin wraps, ruffled knit separates and his signature remarkably pieced body con dresses (with rivets, knit like lattices and caging, cut outs, halter neck and off the shoulder cuts etc). Every individual design that came past looked like a wonder knit maze that I would like to encase myself in.

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Iris van herpen Autumn/Winter 2010-2011

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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Iris van Herpen exploration and innovation in form always results in the wonderful. van Herpen’s autumn/winter 2010-2011 show was a sublime sensory experience called ‘Synesthesia‘.

In the collection notes and in a back stage interview the designer said she was “inspired by the cross -sensational phenomenon of feeling sound, smelling motion, and hearing colour.”

van Herpen pushed the boundaries with her three dimensional structured garments; featuring twisted cords, bursts of nude flesh, knots, incredible innovative leather work and clever placement of reflective metallics(the gold has been employed to punctuate the black based leather strips).

In the backstage interview the designer cited male model and stylist Jean Pierre Goude(who walked in the show, as seen on left in image one) as an inspiration due to his ability to carry anything off.

This collection maintains that Iris van Herpen has an impeccable eye for detail. Each design is intricate, each almost as it were, a delicate living body.

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Belle Sauvage Autumn/Winter 2010-2011

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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The design duo, Belle Sauvage (Virginia Ferreira at helm for silhouette and Christian Neuman on print) showed a collection inspired by 1920’s German film. In a backstage interview they cited that their muse was Virginia. The print palette, of the mainly body conscious line-up, was ochre, purple, green and black.

The collection featured leather dresses, body con print dresses, dresses and leg wear with cut outs, jutting hips and leggings, etc. Garments had an elongated torso.

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Romina Karamanea

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

The collection notes on the seats stated the line up had been inspired by shadow and duality. The designer also took inspiration from aerial photography. It also quotes the designer as saying “Our lady is definitely not a yes-yes person.”

The all black collection worked supple leathers, tweed, and suede into panelled and geometric pieced together designs with focal vinyl piping. The mood was dark romance, with encasing body armour like structure.

Leather, tweed and silk georgette fluid gowns and structural garments were encased in plaited leather tassel fringing and harnesses.

Featured were floor sweeping length gowns with caging, garments with a focal back, wool coats, flowing high waist pants, varied short structural black dresses, leg wear and etc.

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Gone but forever in our hearts

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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Photo Credit: womentimesonline.co.uk

At London Fashion Week is a board, I stood at that board for what seemed like forever moments. It is the Lee Alexander McQueen tribute board. I have gone to that board thrice; partly to read the moving tributes/messages left by varying folk and partly in hope, that I will find the right words to express my thoughts into a tribute, that makes some sort of sense.

It has been three visits to that board, I still have not been able to put those words together.

He was a true original, still cannot believe he is gone…

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Bryce Aime Autumn/Winter 2010 – 2011

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

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The designer known for his explorations into structure, showed an autumn/winter 2010-2011 show that was a further foray into structure play. His garments(dresses and jumpsuits)had sculpted body wrapping details which felt armour like.

This structural armour in a colour palette primarily of grey, purple, wine, black wrapped around garments in graphic prints.

In a backstage interview with Bryce Aime, the designer cited Egyptology, and mummification as his inspiration for his collection. Everything from the structure of the garments to the hems of the designs was inspired by the bandaging of mummy’s and Egypt in his eyes.

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With Bryce Aime.

Can you not totally see Lady Gaga or Rihanna(she wore spiked pieces designer in her ‘Hard’ music video) in that first piece?

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Aminaka Wilmont Autumn/Winter 2010-2011

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

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Photo Credit: By Getty Images from Zimbio.com

As soon as I saw the first two pieces of the collection I thought it was seemingly pared back.

The line up was almost minimalistic in comparision to past collections by the label. It was however no less memorable.

The design duo(Maki Aminaka Löfvander & Marcus Wilmont), known for their digital print, showed a line up of haunting print dresses, streamlined black and navy pieces with sparing embellishment, stark leather pieces(one standout piece was a patchwork leather jacket), organic silk jersey pieces. The colour palette was muted with touches of grey feathers in models hair.

I was honoured to have a mini interview with Marcus of Aminaka Wilmont, backstage after the show.

Marian - Congrats on the collection. I thought it was minimalistic compared to your last collection.

Marcus - It is funny you say that, as the whole essence of the collection was to try and focus on what is left after everything has been stripped away. We were inspired by Cormac McCarthy’s novel ‘The Road’. I don’t know if you know the book?

Marian – I do indeed.

Marcus – That’s really the inspiration.

Marian – I can see how that inspiration came through into the collection.

Marian – How do you find inspiration for your digital prints season after season?

Marcus – You know what? It’s so easy, you just have to look around, from what you see in nature. A lot of the prints were taken from nature.

Marian – What can we expect from you in seasons to come ahead?

Marcus – I think we are just going to keep on building on the collections and make it stronger than before.

Kind thanks you to Aminaka Wilmont for the interview.

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Ramon Gurillo Autumn/ Winter 2010-2011

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Gurillo’s Autumn/Winter 2010 line up was an array of knits. From the spindly thin cobweb, the ruffled, fringed knits and more.
The collection of jumpers, backless fringed knit dresses, eyelet knit leggings, over size scarves was in a colour palette of metallic’s, red, grey, black.

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