LFW AW12 Day Two: The highlights

Hi guys,
It could just be me, but I think there are more people than ever at Fashion Week this year! The courtyard at Somerset House is full most of the day, and buzzing with creative fashionable people who want to be seen: some of the outfits are as outrageous as ever!

Also at Somerset House were Topshop, selling the 'New Gen 10' T shirt collection from the back of a van. Topshop are always ahead of the curve when it comes to utilizing the buzz from LFW to market their products: the season the Christopher Kane collaboration launched I missed my first show to get my hands on that gorrilla tee. And the Mary Katrantzou collection which launched on Friday has sold out already. Nevermind showcasing trends and collections for next winter: fashion week is fast becoming the place to go to pick up key pieces right now!

My schedule for the day involved four shows: Spijkers en Spijkers, Bernard Chandran, Shao Yen and Ashley Isham. The day wear at Bernard Chandran didn't leave me particularly inspired, but this was more than made up for by the outstanding eveningwear. The rich blue lace gown (above) was the stand out piece from the collection. The collars on each frock was high; the design feature that held the collection together. Colour-wise, monochromatic black, white and grey was the order of the day The only highlight of colour was the electric blue, and those pieces really popped! Overall the collection had all of the sculptural simplicity I love most about Chandran's work.

My photos from Spjikers en Spjikers just aren't good enough to share, but the collection is definitely worth looking up. The colour palette was rich and bold (perfect for long cold winter days) and the collection was inspired by eccentric society girl Edie Bovier Beale. I especially loved the utilitarian 1920s-style hair.

If I didn't already have a slight obsession with knitwear, the Shao Yen presentation would have made me want to start my love affair all over again! The room was packed for the presentation, but it was definitely worth the pushing and shoving to see the collection up close. It was inspired by a quintessentially British style, and I liked it alot. That white dress is definitely on my "when I win the lottery" list....

Finally, I always love Ashley Isham: the dresses are just begging to be worn on the red carpet, and this year was no exception. The collection was inspired by "the city girl with a passion for clean lines, contemporary statement dresses and tailoring". I loved the colour scheme, which was the perfect mix of cool and rich tones. Think patriot blue, emerald, fig, black iris, smoked pearl and antique gold.

Spotted on the front row were Jameela Jamil, Jodie Harsh, and Michelle Keegan of Coronation Street fame, looking surprisingly fantastic in a graphic printed Andrew Majtenyi frock. I do admit I'm the world's worst celebrity spotter though, so I could have seen lots more celebs and just not noticed....

Love Tor xx

LFW AW10: Ashley Isham show review

Flash!!! Aaa-aahh!! Saviour of the universe!

Yes, it was to the roar of Flash Gordon that the Ashley Isham show began. And what a show! It seems lame' is making a come back and regal purple will (yet again) be the 'in' evening wear colour for next winter. Gowns were mostly floor length and the trend for sharp shoulders and shoulder detailing doesn't seem to be going anywhere. The incredible jewels and jewelled shoulder pieces were provided by Erickson Beamon. They were breathtakingly beautiful and really complimented the dresses, although I think they would compliment any dress!

Apologies for the poor picture quality; I didn't have the best picture-taking spot, and the official images aren't available yet. I always enjoy Isham's shows though, and the glamorous take on form fitting evening wear.

Whether with one shoulder detailing, layered straps or curved bodices, I think arms and shoulders will be the feature in evening wear next season, as apposed to the leg fixation we have experienced for the past twelve months.

The collection encompassed so many things; it was glitzy, space age, and warrior-like. The models looked strong and empowered and this was represented by their strong and determined walks. Most of the dresses came in plain block colours but I absolutely adored the two printed dresses: the graphic pastel print is beautiful and the fabric moved incredibly. In fact all the dresses moved beautifully with layer upon layer of gorgeous silk.

This collection was one of my favourites of the day so far, although of course, I never have anywhere to go where I would wear such fancy dresses! Still, a girl can dream, and if Prince Charming invites Cinderella to the ball I can promise you she will be going in an Ashley Isham dress!

Love, Tor xx

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VFS Ones to Watch: Keep Watching!!

I dont think i've ever hated my camera more than I did at the VFS Ones to Watch show yesterday, when it refused to take photos of the moving models, or did take the photos, but they came out like a formula one racer blur. It was hands down the best show of my day in terms of design, innovation, and pure spectacle.

There were four designers: Dean Quinn, Ada Zanditon, Hermione de Paula, Marko Mitanovski and they were all fabulous, but the one that made me stand out of my seat determined to get some photos now, dammit, was Marko Mitanovski.

Earier in the day I was explaining to a friend skeptical about the fashion industry and the "pointlessness of the catwalk shows due to the unwearability of the clothes" that they aren't all built to be wearable; that the best catwalk shows are those that seem like a great theatrical preformance art piece. That make you gasp at what can be achieved with fabric and creativity. This was that show, as the models paraded down the runway to gothic string versions of Nirvana hits.

My photos are terrible, but at least if gives you an idea of what it was all about:

The models hair had been fashioned to look like antlers, their faces were deathly white apart from the additional of sculptural plastic (?) eyebrows and crazy-long false eyelashes. And the clothes? The clothes were amazing! Oversized collars and shoulders and ruffs, leather everywhere, manipulated into shapes I didn't know it could make. The whole collection was almost entirely black but it still had a richness and texture that you wouldnt believe could come from one colour. And it was eerie: each model was wearing claw like leather gloves and the haunting music got louder and louder.
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It was perfect: everything a good fashion show should be. You can read more about Markus and the other ones to watch winner (particularly check out Ada Zinderman whose geometric shapes you have to see to believe!) on the vauxhall fashion scout website.

Love Tor xx
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NB - There were lots of block colours (blues, purples, apple greens) at Ashley Isham in the morning in drapey floor length gowns with beading detail. Perfect for evening wear. But the fact that the collection didn't inspire me very much coupled with the absolutely appalling pictures I took of the show means that I wont be writing a full post about it.