London Fashion Week: The Rodnik Band AW12

Yes. Yes. YES. 

Having been looking forward to this all week, the time finally arrived for me to get a good look at The Rodnik Band AW12 collection. With previous pieces including Mondrian Urinal and Warhol’s Campbell soup can dresses, you can imagine I was just a tad excited at what was next. At first glance, The Rodnik Band could just look like a bit of fun, you know, something for Katy Perry on a Friday night. It’s wacky, out there and really rather comical. However, this season is it also fabulously British, and definitely not one to be written off so easily. 

After sipping on £50 a bottle Tequila and vitamin water, a throw back to my student days,  we set about taking in what was on display. The right hand side of the room was dedicated to the red, white and blue in a teatime display of tea and cake. The models too, dressed in some of the most iconic images of British culture,  stood on individual plinths emblazoned with the Union Jack. If it wasn’t already obvious AW12 has taken a rather regal stance as it delved in the world of the Monarchy.

Starting with a feature film declaring “God help the Queen” with cancan-ing Queen Victorias and British landmarks turned on their heads,  is designer Philip Colbert just taking the piss out of the Royal Family? After  a few false fire alarms and a closer inspection, it quickly becomes apparent that designer Philip Colbert  is actually making a far more serious comment about the boundaries of fashion and creative expression. When we outright asked Philip  if the  label sought to mock the royal family, Colbert simply replied ‘No not at all, it’s all about making everything relevant’. And boy is he right, as Kate and Pippa Middleton lookalikes instantly get the crowd talking. The designs walk a satirical line between art and fashion, and, much like previous collections, play on the idea of wearable icons.However, Colbert also addressed  the inescapability of our national heritage. How we present ourselves is an integral part of our individuality yet so is where we come from. Britain is an inherent part of our history and identity and why should this be ignored?

A red sequin dress was a nod to the classic Beefeater attire, accessorized with an oversized crown transforming the model into a royal caricature. In her hand, a bright red double decker bus bag completely the signature British look. Toned down but just as iconic, a royal mail postbox in a blush pink made the second look paired with a black cab bag and a fried egg purse. Yes, that’s right – a fried egg. A similar inflatable egg was also seen around Colbert’s neck for much of the night.  This collection was practically tailor made for me for as much as I love sequins, I bloody love eggs. 

In it’s own little corner, Violet’s Box, an up and coming vintage fancy dress boutique added to the good British humour of the event kitting out attendees in moustaches, tulle skirts and top hats. Keep your eyes peeled here for a little insight into Violet’s work very soon.

 

Overall, yet another season of mental window shopping for me. I’m madly in love with the Beefeater dress, that’s for sure. I’m also madly in love with Philip Colbert himself, he was absolutely adorable and exceptionally friendly to everyone he passed.  I also loved his hat. I’ll stop going on about the poor man now...

C. x

London Fashion Week 2011: Oliver Ruuger

Set in the stunning upper gallery of the Freemason’s Hall, Vauxhall Fashion Scout present Oliver Ruuger’s SS12 range. A graduate of the London College of Fashion, Oliver Ruuger’s MA collection of umbrellas, sculptural saddles, briefcases and hats is a result of a personal design exploration that turns the everyday accessory on its head with stunning results.

Specifically choosing materials that would convey emotion to all who set eyes upon the pieces, ritualistic materials such as leather and horse hair play a key role . For Ruuger, it was paramount to his collection that he make everything himself, as these pieces would not fall prey to accompaniment and act as an accessory to something else but have a place in their own right.  A spectacle in themselves, each accessory possesses an Avant-garde twist, from curled and spiked handles to waterfalls of blonde, brown and chestnut horse hair. With oversized yet understated black brollies skilfully hanging above our very heads, it was  hard not to feel that the collection exuded the Magritte painting of quintessential Britishness, the missing bowler hat only to be located on the opposite side of the room complete with detached hairpiece. Now, it’s common knowledge by now that the ponytail is the must have hairstyle for Autumn and Winter, but on the end of an umbrella? Elements of the surreal were accentuated by the Father time-esque figure, posing with each piece, mounted upon the walls . The typicality of a lowly umbrella and stereotypically English bowler reach unusual heights in this curiously innovative collection leaving the bowler on my very own head feeling a little bland!