London Fashion Week: Christian Blanken AW12

After a very un-fashiony krispy kreme with LFW Editor Faye, we got to flash our press tickets and bypass the queues to take our seats for Christian Blanken. Particular mention must be given to the cheeky photographer with a particularly booming voice declare "Uncross your legs, ladies. This is a fashion show!". The majority, assuming this was a health and safety regulation, immediately obeyed as the photography pit erupted into a fit of stifled giggles. The drama later continued as a model managed to catch her heel in her dress and narrowly avoided face planting the floor. Bravo!

In stark contrast to my previous post featuring Inbar Spector, Christian Blanken.is all about classic and elegant simplicity. Always aiming for items with a loose sportswear theme, these aren’t outfits for the gym. Instead Blanken focuses on creating a look based on sportswear cuts and shapes whilst ensuring items remain sleek, chic and wearable. Once again, the AW12 collection saw Blanken’s signature minimalist style reworked with fur trims, intricate draping, colour blocking and yet more metallics to jazz up straight trousers and simple dresses into the eveningwear category.

Structured slip dresses in pillar box red and tangerine were set against flowing draped black, grey and brown floor length pieces, followed by fur lined ponchos and funnel neck tunics. Statement pieces such as the high shine brown jacket and metallic jumpsuits were an attention grabber whilst other looks focussed on layering and loose satin drapes.  Simple blocks of neutral whites need no frills as the beautiful fit and tailoring stands out without assistance. Sleek, straight hair and smoky eyes again lifted the outfits from day to night.

Understated and elegant, this is by far the most sophisticated and feminine sportswear out there. I wouldn’t ruin it with treadmill sweat if I were you.

 

On to the next!

C. x

London Fashion Week: The Stereotypes

With London FashionWeek commencing in just a couple of days time, I will once again be part of the Who’s Jack fashion team down at the front line. However, we will not be alone. From the high-end editors to the fashion victims,  here is a rundown of the LFW stereotypes most likely to be encountered. As a disclaimer, I will add that this is just a bit of fun and is parodied on amusing people and events I, or team members, have encounted.

#1: The Big Wig

Characteristically clad in a pencil skirt and leaving the faintest whiff of Chanel No.5 and fear in their wake , behold and beware: The Big Wigs. Ever wondered who those stern and visibly unimpressed faces in the front row belong to? Wonder no longer for these are the media sovereigns that could make or break your entire journalistic career in the time it takes them to tweet “Fabulously chic bow detailing @ThakoonNY”. N.B.  Avoid all eye contact.

#2: The Off-Duty Model

Whilst you’re still wiping the sleep from your eyes outside the entrance to the 9am show,  take a moment to acknowledge the small crowd of over eager photographers forming on the otherside. Once acknowledged, then proceed to weep at the sight of the Off Duty Model. Sporting a casual ensemble of leather leggings and slouchy knitwear, it can often be a distressing spot at such an early hours. Though these people may be unnervingly effortless in appearance, try  to resist the urge to run home and claw at your face. Instead, revel in the knowledge that their lovely beachy blonde hair may be cut off and dyed orange tomorrow for the sake of their art. Small comforts.

#3: The Blogger

 

Sometimes immediately distinguishable by the business cards falling from their back pockets, if you don’t always recognise a blogger they’ll make damn sure that you know their Google Analytics figures within 13 seconds. These days, some bloggers are (deservedly) as known as the brands and figures they report back on. However, at Fashion Week, merely stepping foot in Somerset House gives other bloggers the idea that they are the queens of all media and that being made to stand at the rookies entrance in the rain is, quite frankly, an outrage. Don’t feel too bad for the poor dears though. Later on, as if by magic, you will also discover they somehow managed to smuggle a business card about your person without you even noticing. Sneaky, sneaky blogger.

#4: The Newbie

Bottom of the fashion food chain and the heaviest of fashion week drinkers, I hold a fond place for the newbie. Speaking from experience, the newbie is the individual that smiles in photographs and actually accepts the free absinthe shots at 11am in the Esthetica Exhibition.  Undeniably the most friendly and grateful for an actual seat, the Newbies are also the magpies of Fashion Week. First in line for the cheese and crackers, you can trust the Newbie to be the first to spot a free computer or piece of sushi. Whether they be the budding photographer lugging their equipment with them every step of the way or the just-starting-out journo, don’t, under any condition, underestimate the newbie. After all, you never know who they’re going to turn into in a couple of years time.

#5: The Gemini Twins

Pale, blonde and dressed entirely in black, they are the enigma of the week. Despite being London’s answer to the Fanning sisters, nobody knows who they are or where they came from. Are they twins? Are they related at all? Are they even...real?

#6: The Photographer's Wet Dream

 

 

The easiest of the stereotypes by far: the street style photo seekers. Whether it’s the stuffed black birds on their head that grabs your attention or the fact that they’re strutting around in a ball gown and walking 6 small Pomeranians, there is little you can do to avoid them. Whilst it can be said that men dressed as African Queens make the photographer’s job that little bit easier, other than that they usually serve no real purpose. Never spotted in the press area, it tends to suggest their day is dedicated to parading the square in bin bag hot pants and Lucite platforms as opposed to doing any real work.  Every day is a photo opportunity for these people and after a few hours, it really does get very tiring attempting to find actual style amongst the throngs of weknowwhatyoudidlastnight.com outtakes.

#7: Alexa Chung/ Olivia Palermo/ Kanye West

Apparently in possession of Bernard’s watch, this formidable FROW trio are somehow at every show on and off schedule.  Whilst people obsess over the maxi skirt Olivia is wearing and the width of Alexa’s arms, watch out for Kanye in particular.  He has been known to stare whilst you eat fererro rochers and, as a result, make you feel very uncomfortable...

I'll be posting every day from Friday to Thursday as well as on the Who's Jack website.  Fingers crossed for no twisted ankles on the cobbles.

Until Then..

C. x

London Fashion Week 2011: New Power Studio

As the queue snakes down the stairs and along the corridor, I have to say I was rather pleased to be near the front of the line to catch a glimpse at the NEWGEN Men's sponsorship winners New Power Studio as they present their inspired SS12 installation.
Since 1993, NEWGEN has provided an internationally recognisable programme that seeks to scout and identify the brightest new talents before offering them the invaluable sponsorship necessary to crack the London scene.  With the scheme’s previous success leading it to become a key draw for the international fashion media and having supported such names as Alexander McQueen, Mary Katrantzou and Meadham Kirchhoff in the past, it seemed only a matter of time before it branched out. And branch out it did as in 2009 a younger project was started – Newgen Men –  which is supported by Topman and has recognised emerging menswear designers to provide similar support.

This year’s presentation winners, New Power Studio, took to the Portico Rooms at Somerset House to showcase their SS12 and truly couldn’t have done it anywhere else. Fundamentally site-secific, the SS12 menswear installations drew inspiration from the history of the house itself using its previous use as a registration office for births, deaths and marriages to full effect.
The Portico Rooms, a function room for the best part, for one night was turned into a ‘dysfunction’ room in which, by way of three individual real life installations, the chaos and absurdity of family life was explored. Lit under greens, reds and blues, three sets made entirely of paper and cardboard depict the most pivotal moments from the womb to the grave.

As two grooms attempt to marry one masked and pregnant bride, two small and angelic children look on offering no explanation to confused spectators. Everything is surreal and undoubtedly absurd.

Moving on, cast in a red hue, four men sit amongst the rubble playing a childish game of connect four. It almost seems as if this is the bridge from the duo of birth and marriage before an ultimate death, a snapshot of the mundane.

In the final corner, a double suicide leaves two men in a single open coffin basking beneath the blue light, adding to the cold rigor mortis of the scene.

It may have been truly bizarre but it was an unquestionably thought proving installation that really drew upon the location and atmosphere of what took place right in the very place we were standing all those years ago.

London Fashion Week 2011: Fashion East Men

Sigh. Another glass of champagne? Oh go on then, I thought, as I began to wander the newest exhibition in Somerset House. The turn around was astounding as a whole host of menswear stood where only yesterday an array of  white canvas female mannequins showed their wares. Of course, my natural interest lies in womens fashion yet somehow there is something so interesting about the menswear on offer, almost as if they have less to work with and, therefore, try that much harder to create something unique. From obscure influences to tweaking the old style classics, Menswear had well and truly arrived so I thought it was only fair I shared a few of my favourites.

Agi & Sam

Describing their ideal customer as Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, the first collection Jack comes across is Agi & Sam with their  vibrant clash of Hawaiian Castaway brights. Positioned amongst the debris of broken clay pots, the rugged models chat amongst themselves as the spectators gaze at their typically summer straw hats and primary patchwork prints.

Speaking to London Fashion Week, the designer duo describe their style as “a strong emphasis on entirely bespoke print and humour, we believe that fashion should never been taken too seriously. We also endeavour to sit firmly in the middle of brands that fear creating something different and those which push collections too far.”

This collection is  undoubtedly fun and laidback, adding a touch of glamour to the washed up! 

William Richard Green

For his SS12 collection, ‘I hope I die soon’, William Richard Green puts the spotlight on negativity for the labels darkest collection to date. With influences including a fascination with the paradox of suicide and the irony of the Church’s response to it, Green presents an unapologetic respresentation of Pop Culture’s most glamorised way out.

Silk shirts and vests depicting post-suicide characters in their purgatory  establishes what the brand refers to a “gallows humour” whilst clichéd depictions, such as a photograph of a weeping girl, is featured on a stark white tshirt hinting at modern society’s common interpretation.

Each piece is lined with a trademark green polka dot material, produced in Great Britain with mainly British fabric. A simple thread of consistency for some, the brand provides the tagline “Just because the boy looks poor and suicidal doesn’t mean he can’t buy into the morals of a good British heritage brand”.

A fascination with the paradox it may be, but for some, could this collection simply be a brand drawing upon convroversy as a selling point? Adding humour  to such a dark topic may seek to address the Modern day contradictory attitudes towards taking ones life, but they too run the risk of glamorising the act in the same way they judge pop culture for the doing the same.

Regardless of this, individual pieces  such a an undyed rubber tshirt with contrasting black stripes alluding to classic convict attire evokes idea’s of Purgatory as God’s own prison making the though process behind each garment intelligent and unique.

Astrid Andersen

Astrid Andersen’s SS12 collection, mixing feminine rose lace with masculine sportswear in a weight room setting, had us Jack girls hooked from first glance. Graduating from The Royal College of Art in 2010, Andersen went on the win the Brioni Creativity and Innovation Award and the River Island MA Student Bursary Award designing 3 looks for the high street retailer. Her looks are urban and contemporary; unafraid of introducing feminine undertones to classically male sportswear. Styled with street New Era caps, panels of ochre and blush lace feature on tees and baseball jackets whilst tracksuits take a vibrant and casual approach in purples and reds to add a brave twist to lounge wear.

Hurrah for Mensday Wednesday!

London Fashion Week 2011: Ada Zanditon

Disclaimer: All pictures are my own and to be creditted if re-used

Dubbed the greenest rising star at A/W11 fashion week back in February, eco warrior Ada Zanditon is back once again to impress with her signature geometrically sculptured and innovative designs.

Studying at the London College of Fashion and previously working for Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders and Alexander McQueen, Zanditon has all the fashion credentials to impress even the most purist of audiences. In an industry where ethical clothing can often hold bland connotations, Ada revolutionises the term to create dynamic designs embodying the most unusual of inspirations.

In an unexpected twist, the show begins in the queue as two out-of-this-world inspired models parade the corridor. An amalgamation of monochrome curves and spherical layers, the two girls glide past onlookers sporting flushes of almost alien metallics to compliment the cosmic, double-layered crown poised on their heads at precarious angles. They're a vision of surrealist calm amongst the hustle of press going in and out of doors, stopping in confusion at the ethereal creatures passing them by.

Previously revealing her SS12 influences as “Seahorses, Greek goddesses and Haiti Kanaval.”, the seemingly abstract become all the more clear as Ada unleashes a screening of a film inspired by her collection, “Poseisus”. Created in collaboration with film makers Andrew and William Ho, the film depicts the heroine, Poseisus, transposed through the urban landscape. Moving from flashes of monochrome, the maiden explores the vibrant urban ocean as her elegant movements and sinuous sheer fabrics reflect the ebb and flow of the tide.

Transposing from citrus oranges to piercing blues, pinks and purples, the striking, other worldly visage as seen on the physical models just prior to the show adds a touch of elegant mythicality to focal character. Simply put, I am in love. The film captured the attention within an instant and held the audience, and myself, captivated until the last frame.

Short but sweet, Ada’s collection most definitely did not disappoint.



London Fashion Week 2011: "Dirty, Mucky Tramps" and Caroline Charles

London Fashion Week has arrived and is already off to an unusual start. From the women galavanting with stuffed birds carefully poised on the tops of their heads to the numerous brightly coloured dip dyes, it's a mixed crowd by any stretch of the imagination. And, this morning, as we stood outside Somerset House, the epicentre of fashion for the next few days, we were approached by a 72 year old woman muttering beneath her breath. What could this seemingly innocent well to do Grannie want with us? Well it’s funny you should ask as she wanted quite a lot as it happens. Giving us the once over with her curious eye, her gaze landed upon my wet look leggings much to her disgust:
“London Fashion Week? Is that what they’re calling fashion these days?”

Ah. I see where this is going. However, her tirade did not end with my faux leather bottom halves as she had a few pointers for all in attendance declaring every woman in the surrounding area a “dirty, mucky tramp”. From a elderly woman dressed head to toe in tweed, one would not normally expect such obscenities but this is fashion week after all and anything could happen.

“Topshop stinks! Primark Stinks!” she continued as we looked on in shock and amusement. High street favourites they may be but in her humble and modest opinion, these figureheads in budget fashion have left London is a state of disarray as we apparently drape ourselves in rags and garments more suited to a lady of the night.

As she began to settle and walk away, she made sure to leave us with her final word on those mingling in the courtyard:

“Women in London….the worst dressed in London”

Well, it wasn’t completely sensical but she had well and truly made her point. And with her mission completed, she went on her way to harrass a man about his unsatisfactory briefcase. However, after a shaky start  and some free pastries and compote, it was onto the shows starting with Caroline Charles.
After queueing in the baking sun for half an hour amongst some of the most eclectically dressed men and women I’d seen all day, it seemed unlikely that we were all waiting in line to see the same designer. After 47 years in the industry, Caroline Charles is no stranger to London Fashion Week but her collection of feminine prints and ladylike two pieces show that she’s no sucker for passing fads as she channels a look that wouldn’t have been out of place fifty years ago.

As one model follows another, each is clad in feline framed sunglasses adding an air of old style glamour to their otherwise prim and proper attire. Demure midi skirts and slim line shapes dominated the walk, accessorised with playful straw boaters to lift the outfits into Spring/Summer. The overall look is grown up sophistication whether it be the floaty summer dress in the blue and white print akin to a willow patterned china plate or an evening black lace maxi skirt accompanied by a cropped top with bead embellishment. However, it has to be said that the similarities between her SS12 and SS11 collection are uncanny but then again if it’s not broken then why fix it?

Until next time...
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