London Fashion Week

The reason I haven't been blogging is the ridiculous hours I worked at London Fashion Week...

Backstage -

Zhiad Ghanem show at VFS

MARC JACOBS SPRING/SUMMER 2011 CATWALK REPORT

MARC JACOBS’ Spring/Summer collection was a love letter to 70’s New York; big hair, tiny shorts and lashings of hedonism.

  

   The models glided around a giant wall of curved burnt gold, whilst Vivaldi’s “Summer” in G minor floated on the air, a surprising and provocative choice of music, given the collection. The Lexington Armory was alive with the spirit of the liberated Seventies.  Newcomer Luisa Bianchin, was the first model to emerge from the cylindrical structure, with a mass of red frizz resting on her shoulders. Wearing an Eastern-inflected coat in a terracotta orange print, with belled sleeves and bow belt over a calf length violet skirt and a corsage in her hair, she set the tone for the vibrant show.

   Think Saturday Night Fever, Jerry Hall and Bianca Jagger.  Jacobs’ captures the spirit of the decade of disco. Heavily influenced by Yves Saint Laurent, he cited the New York Dolls and Antonio Lopez as inspirations. Essentially, this collection is a celebration of everything that made him fall in love with the industry.

  Jacobs’ put the fun back into fashion with a handful of key larger-than-life pieces, overgrown corsages appeared in the hair, on the shoulder, at the waist and at the throat. Touches such as the enormous straw hats with the rims turned back, a la Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, made the collection playful yet glamorous.   

  In homage to YSL, the catwalk was awash with suits. From a cropped butterscotch satin jacket and matching hot pants, to a sorbet pink satin suit with flared trousers, Jacobs’ presented a delicious selection of tailoring. 

   Focus was on the legs, with tiny hot pants and floaty dresses with slits high enough to show the models co-ordinating knickers. The shoulders also made a play for this season’s erogenous zone, with flesh-baring halter-necks, bandeaux and one-shouldered style dresses and jumpsuits.

    The big trend that shone through is...BIG. The whole collection is over-the-top and lavish. Puffed sleeves, wide-legged trousers and voluminous calf length skirts gave the show a histrionic and nostalgic feel. Electric orange, rich plumb and a multitude of eastern spices made up the luxuriant colour palate, a stark contrast to his Autumn/Winter collection of muted and serene neutrals.  

   As ever, Jacob’s accessories did not disappoint. The models floated on glitter-dusted platform sandals, and clutched in their hands structured, envelope flap handbags in maroons, mustards and mauves.

       The hair was so voluminous, Farah Fawcett herself would be proud. Models sported shoulder-length frizz, or more cropped neater curls, both of which would look at home in Studio 54. NARS presented a smoky emerald eye and lips were stained with a selection of berry shades in Volga Pure Matte Lipstick. Bleached eyebrows accentuated the dark eyes for a theatrical appearance.

      Jacobs’ takes the Seventies vibe that has been infiltrating the catwalks for the last few seasons and makes it sexy. With sensuous chiffon, billowing skirts and vivid colours, this collection offers a delectable array of fun yet wearable pieces. Dust off your Bowie and your Bee Gee records, the Seventies are back...Marc my words. 

Burberry @ LFW

As British as a Sunday roast, leading heritage brand Burberry’s show at LFW was the hottest ticket in town .  Not just reserved to native stars, A-listers included SJP and the illusive Anna Wintour with her signature blow-dried bob and dark sunglasses sat front row for Bailey’s trench-coat extravaganza.  Successfully reinventing the classic coat, the S/S collection took a biker-chick direction with black quilted leather and raised collars.

   The show also featured cropped silver leather jackets with spray on silver trousers to match. Menacing gold spikes and towering platforms gave the brand a new hard edge. Many models opted to carry their heels, as they walked down the catwalk, however model Nina Porter suffered a dramatic fall.

   For a very traditional company, Burberry set the trend for innovative marketing this year. Shoppers were able to place orders via an IPad application as soon as the models hit the runway. Bailey’s acoustic and calming choice of music is also now available to download from ITunes.

BACK TO BLOG

Wow long over-due but I am back and will be blogging regularly so keep checking in! Now in my second year of uni studying Fashion Journalism, so I should have many tantalsing stories to write about. My first will ofcourse be about London Fashion Week. I am living in London now so I couldn't help but swing by Sommerset House and check out the outfits and celebs!

Paris Fashion Week

Leighton Meister (star if Gossip Girl) before the Louis Vuitton Pret a Porter show. She dresses much better in real life than in the show.

Image from zimbio.com