LONDON FASHION WEEK AW12: MEET THE MODELS OF THE WEEK

Posted by Bethan Holt. Fashion Junior at Large

Fashion week isn't just about the clothes. If it was, we'd spend the whole week looking at outfits on hangers in a show room. But we're also spoilt with the whole show production- the location, the music.... the models. We've been keeping our beady eye out for our favourite model each day of the week.

SATURDAY
She might be best known for her starring role in the weird and wonderful Prada AW11 advertising  but Antonia Wesseloh is still a firm catwalk fixture. Her first London appearance was bright and early on Saturday at Clements Ribeiro, but she also popped up at Aquascutum, Giles and many more.

Antonia Wesseloh at Clements Ribeiro

And at Giles on Monday

SUNDAY
Patricia van der Vliet swapped her long blonde hair for a blunt, dark bob over New York Fashion Week (Vogue documented the big chop). The right decision; now Patricia VDV as everyone calls her, looks startlingly beautiful and edgy. She looked amazing on the J.W Anderson runway.

Patricia BEFORE (Image from Vogue.com)

Patricia van der Vliet for J.W Anderson

And at Antonio Berardi on Monday

MONDAY
For it's first ever catwalk show, McQ Alexander McQueen chose Kristen McMenamy to provide the haunting and dramatic finale. This lady is basically in a league of her own.

Kristen McMenamy at McQ Alexander McQueen

TUESDAY
Asian models are becoming a regular sight on the catwalks these days. We love Wang Xiao's bowl hair cut. Here she is at yesterday's Roksanda Ilincic show.

Wang Xiao in Roksanda Ilincic AW12

And at Vivienne Westwood Red Label on Sunday-wish they hadn't pinned back her fringe!

MODEL OF THE WEEK
Meghan Collison is our model of the week. Why? Every time she emerges, she just looks so cool- more like she might be on her way to a party than stomping down a catwalk with hundreds of eyes on her. And those cheekbones are unreal.

At Christopher Kane

And at Topshop Unique

All images are from www.catwalking.com

TRENDING: ANY DRESS AS LONG AS IT'S RED

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large.

London Fashion Week is just about over for another season- it's Menswear day tomorrow. The FashEd and I are back at our desks, drinking our first decent cup of tea for days AND chatting about what we need to tell you about AW12. We've got lots up our sleeves, but one of my personal fashion week obsessions has been The Red Dress.

I'm not going to say anything stupid like 'the LRD is the new LBD' but I definitely feel like a red dress might be an important part of our wardrobe next Autumn. These are my stand out red dresses from LFW AW12... from the brightest scarlett through to the most sumptuous dark blood.

Overblown peonies at Jonathan Saunders

Sheer with leather trim at Christopher Kane 

Typewriters, flowers... and more at Mary Katrantzou

Embossed velvet at McQ Alexander McQueen

BEHIND THE SCENES AT MASC STUDIOS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Not many designers score their very own display in the window of a world famous department store in their first season, but that is exactly what happened to MASC duo Duncan Shaw and Billy Yick. After being approached at September’s Vauxhall Fashion Scout exhibition , the designers were given just three weeks to turn around the pieces which ended up being seen by hundreds of thousands of people passing the Oxford Street store.  They also saw their collection sold through the Bright Young Things pop-up shop which accompanied the windows. In fact, their pieces are still available to buy online from Selfridges, as well as at Young British Designers

MASC designers Duncan Shaw and Billy Yick

One of the wing-pleat dresses from  MASC SS12

How do you follow that? For MASC, the answer is a luxurious AW12 collection entitled ‘Shadow Box’. The colours and shapes of this collection have been informed by the film ‘In the Mood for Love’  which Duncan says has a ‘60s mandarin aesthetic- it’s dark and poetic’. Where the SS12 collection used wings to create the silhouette (dresses with fitted bodices jutting into angular pleats), this time it is the rectangle  which forms the basis of each piece.

The MASC AW12 collection on a rail

One of the mood boards featuring Japanese pattern cutting and other references from the East

 Duncan and Billie both studied at Nottingham Trent, graduating in 2007. After they’d finished, Duncan took up an offer to study at the Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris- he was the only British graduate in the intake. Billie followed him there. ‘Our time in Paris still has a huge influence on our work’ Duncan says, pointing out a Halston style 70s shot on the mood board with the caption ‘Nuits de Paris’.  These two seem so calm and are so clearly completely in sync- they describe how they work on the same mannequin, taking one half each and eventually blending their two creations into a MASC piece.

Another mood board- textured mandarin collared dresses, glamorous night time shots and mysterious corners.

 Where the first collection comprised just two colours and was made up mostly of dresses, the AW12 has a more comprehensive palette (maroon, navy, bright red, cream…) and a foray into different textures with ribbed wool, suede and an innovative material which is printed, glazed and laser cut to create a feather-like effect.

 And it doesn’t stop there; the structured scarves are super cool, with their trailing tails and upturned collars. Alongside these, there are leather belts with folded back ends so the smooth and  rough sides of the leather are next to one another- Duncan makes these himself. The pair are very proud that each item is made in London, with materials sourced from English mills and specialist factories here and in Italy. 

The structured scarf

The double mandarin collar dress (image by Phill Taylor)

Belts made by Duncan

MASC have also expanded their horizons for AW12 by including trousers (one slim leg, one wide leg style) and coats in the collection. They are passionate about getting the cut exactly right. They have a dedicated pattern cutter, Alice, working with them to perfect the process.  The outerwear is a key  part of the  ‘armoured elegance’ philosophy which underpins everything Duncan and Billie do.  There are a couple of short- length shrug on jackets as well as more substantial pieces in amazingly soft mohair- Duncan calls it ‘plush’ and I couldn’t find a better word myself!  Zip makers YKK have been  collaborating with the pair so there are chunky zipped pockets on the coats and also running down the back of dresses . 

Alice the pattern cutter altering pieces in the run up to the VFS exhibition

Split details on one of the coats

My favourite piece from the collection- the coat dress

Different colours and fabric trims have been used on opposing pockets- ‘We knew the collection was very symmetrical’ say Duncan ‘so we decided to break that up a bit by not matching each side on the pockets’. Thus, on the sleeveless coat dress (above and below), one pocket is red while the other is navy.

The coat dress contrasted against the dark wood walls at The Town Hall Hotel (image by Phill Taylor- www.philltaylor.com)

The look book, shot by Phill Taylor, brings the collection back to its initial starting point, that dark Chinese film ‘In the Mood For Love’. ‘We chose The Town Hall Hotel (in East London) because it reminded us of the hotel in the film- all the dark walls. It was the perfect setting for showing off everything we’ve created’ Duncan told me.  

If the shots tickle your fancy then you should pop along to see MASC’s collection up close.

 You can visit them at The Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue, on until Wednesday, at Freemasons’ Hall, 60, Great Queen Street, WC2B  5AZ. Alternatively, they’ll be at the VFS Paris showrooms from Thursday March 1^st to Tuesday March 6^th at 18, Rue de 4 Fils, 75003. 

FROM EDITD: GEEK OUT ON LFW STATS

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Burberry was top designer for creating online buzz for their show

Editd came to our attention yesterday when FashEd discovered that she was among the Top 10 Fashion Week Tweeters according to their analysis of more than 300,000 tweets per day over the week. That led to some serious geeking out over fashion week details which we really wanted to share with you all.

Julia from EditD told us:

 'Based on the amount of online buzz generated, our interactive charts give an instant guide to who and what is hot. Our charts are built by connecting a specific fashion taxonomy with what people are talking about online before and during fashion week.

We love making this kind of data public, because it gives everyone an insight into the trends they can look forward to seeing in stores and they’re informative for industry insiders who use this kind of data (though in real-time) to ensure their buying and product decisions are right for the season and their customers'

EditD have also created full buzz reports from London and New York . Geek your hearts out fashion lovers!

LFW AW11: DONE! THANKS MERCEDES!

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

So, that's over with for another season. Over the past five days, the Fashion Editor at Large and I have been to 40 different shows and presentations scattered all over London town, whilst also finding time to blog, network, and in the case of the Fash Ed, carry out a live Q&A session in Topshop with the brilliant David Koma.

None of this would have been possible (or at least, it would have been a darn sight more difficult!) if it wasn't for the wonderful people at Mercedes-Benz, who supplied our transport for the week, along with our lovely driver Nick (he rules!)

He got us to every show, and didn't offer a word of complaint as highly strung fashion girls piled in and out of the backseat, which steadily filled up with press releases, goody bags and hastily-eaten lunches!

Having this magical form of transportation allowed us to do so much more...

Here's the Fash Ed doing her thing:

Tweeting all the latest news on the move:

And even being interviewed in the back of our car:



So that's another fashion week officially in the bag: Mercedes, we couldn't have done it without you!

Images: Copyright FEAL

LFW TREND SPOT #1: WITCHCRAFT IS IN THE AIR!

 Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

 As the shows of London Fashion Week get well under way, I have noticed something decidedly spooky in the air. It seems that in their quest for inspiration, designers have thrown away their sketchbooks and turned to spellbooks instead!

The devil is definitely in the detail with this trend, as Maria Grachvogel sent models out in swathes of draped black silk, with decidely deathly makeup (black lipstick, pallid skin with an ethereal glow) and chunky, talisman-style silver jewellery. A ruff of jet back feathers appeared to have been plucked straight from a raven's back.

Maria Grachvogel AW11

This mysterious theme continued at Bora Aksu,where sheer black chiffon was gathered around heavy stitching which gave the impression of voodoo dolls, accompanied by bandages as hair accessories. This intriguing, severe look has distinct echoes of images of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, USA in 1692.

Bora Aksu AW11

 Detail of “Salem Witch Trial Courtroom Scene”
© Bettmann/CORBI

The Puritanical fashions of 1692 are obviously having an effect on designers in London today...

My suspicions were further confirmed at PPQ's brilliant show, closing day one of LFW. The Salem inspirations continued, with crisp puffed sleeves, fabric combinations of starched cotton and gothic black velvet, Quaker style high collars and gold buttons, not to mention the spooky cat hats (everyone knows a witch isn't worth her salt unless she has a black Familiar)

 PPQ AW11

It was impossible to miss the style icon that provided the reference for the hair in their show; none other than my childhood heroine, Mildred Hubble, of the Worst Witch books by Jil Murphy. I'd recognise those plaits anywhere.

Mildred Hubble, off for a day at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches. What a style icon.

We had a feeling something witchy was going on ever since Meadham Kirchoff's show invite dropped through our letterbox. No doubt their Tuesday show will have more spookiness to add to the (cauldron) mix.

Meadham Kirchoff show invite

After day one of the shows, it is clear that this Autumn is going to be the Season of the Witch*.

*No relation to the utterly rubbish Nicolas Cage movie of the same name.

ORLA KIELY ATTRACTS A FLOCK OF BIRDS TO FASHION WEEK!

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

If you go down to Somerset House today, you are in for a big surprise...the very lovely Orla Kiely, along with her friends at Relative MO, have set up a breathtaking installation in the Portico Rooms. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Exhibition and street-style photographers snapping everyone, they have created an adorable woodland setting, complete with garden sheds and a host of feathery friends hidden in the branches of the trees. The purpose of this oasis of calm? To present Orla Kiely's AW11 collection, which was inspired by The Birds, perhaps Alfred Hitchcock's most iconic film.

If you venture in to one of the sheds, there are vintage benches and stools for you to 'perch' upon while you watch a short film shot by Mercedes Helnwein, an incredible fine artist and director who is a close friend of the designer. The film features sweet 60's chicks dancing and playing in a room, wearing the collection, set against a backdrop of Kiely's prints and accompanied by an original soundtrack composed by the director's brother, Ali Helnwein. The sudden closeups and choppy editing all add to the Hitchcock-inspired spooky atmosphere.

I managed to find the designer herself between the trees, so we had a chat about the collection. Apparently she has always adored The Birds, although as a child, found it pretty terrifying! She wanted the AW11 looks to capture the essence of the movie; the girlish silhouettes of the early 60s and the elegance of Tippi Hendren.

All of the prints she designed for this collection either feature birds or were inspired by them, such as a peacock shape that evolves into a more graphic wave shape. The little suits and high waisted skirts are all entirely covetable, and the magic touch of Leith Clark, who styled the collection, is clear to see.

The triple collar blouses and bird printed bodices were particularly pretty details, along with a colour palette of cream, green, navy and orange. My tip for LFW: take a moment today to take a break from the madness and relax in the Orla Kiely woodland, as well as admiring the gorgeous photos of the AW collection. It's worth it, if only to giggle at the seagull perched atop one of the sheds; not quite your usual fashionable 'bird'!

Images: FJAL

LFW 'ONES TO WATCH'

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

The Ones To Watch show held by the Vauxhall fashion Scout supports and nurtures young talent, and helps get them ready for the official schedule. Designers who have passed through to success include
Dean Quinn, Hermione de Paula and Eudon Choi. I headed down to check out the possible next big things and to chat to them backstage...

CHARLOTTE TAYLOR

 

The cute playful shapes of Charlotte's first ever catwalk show were complimented by the muted primary colour scheme and 'vintage robot' print motif, which she says was inspired by a robot pencil sharpener she bought for her boyfriend! Strips of applique velvet and denim were a recurring theme, as were the industrial T necklaces with large eyelet holes, based on the sails of boats in her Isle of Wight hometown. As a designer she is unconcerned with trends and prefers to design simply with a 'young, sporty, girl' in mind.

 

  Charlotte Taylor walks with her final designs

GEORGIA HARDINGE

Or should I say, 'Queen of the Ruffles'. Georgia's angelic, raw-edged, ruffle creations were inspired by Jean Cocteau, La Belle et La Bete, and French Baroque craftmanship. Others featured collaged photo prints based on sculptural stone forms, and there were some statement caged pieces reminiscent of bustles. The ultra feminine collection is very wearable and it doesn't suprise me that she is meeting with Harrods later this week (as well as working with Charlotte Stockdale to create four bespoke pieces for Victoria's Secret!)

 

 Georgia Hardinge amd her models

LILEE

Lilee's work was extremely elegant, a pure white collection with touches of deepest navy blue. Many of the pieces were hand-pleated, and all featured her signature clean lines. She is obsessed with 'luxurious, high energy, energetic women' who play ladylike sports and walk their dogs while wearing immaculately pressed clothes. I had spotted an interesting print on two items from the collection, which upon closer inspection, turned out to be Lilee's geometric interpretation of a dog! Very sweet indeed - it's no wonder ASOS have snapped her up for a collaboration based on her MA collection, available from October.

 

Lilee showing off her handiwork backstage!

 Photos: Fashion Junior at Large