Roving Reporter . . . The Fashion Show Week 8

This week the fashion kids had to go back to the greats and create garments designed by the likes of Halston, Dior, Chanel and YSL.
Once the designers got over the fact that some, knew nothing about who Halston was, they got down to business.
Daniella really got the essence of Dior, while Anna didn't quite get Coco Chanel, her efforts were better than some of her counterparts.
On the other hand, this was the first real week where Reco fell flat on his face and boy did he fall hard. He had no idea about Halston and as one of the judges said, made a dress more suited to 'a village wench' than a 'catwalk!'
It came down to a disgraceful piece of suiting by Haven and a horrid dress by Reco and I feel, luckily, due to his track record, Reco survived, though we did see plenty of tears, which humanised the drama queen of the show! I can't wait for next week.
And Haven . . . Bye Bye darling, we are just NOT buying it!

Flats Tells Us . . . What's Hot - Runway Roundup

After all the London shows and trend spotting, I have put together ALL my must have styles for A/W 09.
Smiles rose to many faces when it seemed that everybody seemed to be using lots of prints and full length dress which were truly red carpet worthy.
My favourite collection was Avsh Alom Gur who took a playful and ironic twist to the current economic slowdown, using credit crunch slogans.

Glee for all those, who like me, were happy to see wet look leggings, teamed with Dr Martin boots, oversized t-shirts and floral prints are still chic for day and evening wear - a thrown together look. Topshop is perfect for this look.
Models seem to really be picking up on this! Luckily for them, their slender legs look perfect in wet look leggings! Don’t worry though if you haven't got the legs of Giselle, I'm going to still be rocking mine! (part of the normal sized fashion clan).

MUST HAVES:

- Dr Martins, In any colour or pattern (they're cool in any style).

- Floral print dresses and blouses which Topshop again triumph as the place to go to!

- Wet look leggings, I’d stick to black but if you’re braver than me hit the colour and head to American Apparel. 

- For really cool over sized t-shirts with cools prints and pictures head down to Brick Lane's Sunday market for some really cool bargains!

- You must purchase any insect inspired accessories and jewellery for a quirky look which a certain Roving Reporter and myself keep raving about! Mulberry did them as their free press gift and the over sized, bug brooches were a huge hit, being rocked by Fashionistas and Pop Princes alike! (Will Young was shown in Heat Mag rocking his).

- Blazers and funky checked jackets in all variations and styles, great to make an outfit for day or evening. Beyond Retro have plenty of options all that make me go week at the knees.

Runway Round Up : Milan

So what did we learn from Milan?

When times get tough, the Fashion crowd dig in their heels, fill up their champagne glasses and ride it out!

Though there were designers who showed smaller collections, those who switched to presentations and even a couple who showed when their collections actually ability to be put in to production is still in doubt, fashion was still alive and kicking in Milan.

We saw fab furs, gorgeous suiting and superb mini capes. There were some brilliant basics, such as outerwear from Max Mara and while there were those that went OTT (yes we mean you D&G) over all Fashionista's created beautiful collections that left the drama behind and focused on wearability. 

All that is left to see is who will survive, who the buyers will go for and whether price points will be lower . . . Either way you will find it all here at Fash-Pack!

Roving Reporter: Anne Valerie Hash

This lady is really couture. Her clients enjoy exclusive consultations and made-to-measure services. This season, she decided to concentrate on the items she is most asked for: wedding dresses, smoking jackets and the 'it' evening dress.

This transpired into a collection of 10 items.

Added to a selection of tuxedo jackets and cigarette pants, jackets included beaded embroidery on lapels and a white silk-satin version. Some tuxedo jackets had a more masculine square cut, but were teamed with feminine lace, layered in full petticoat skirts.

Dresses were both bridal and evening. A beautiful floor-length, strapless dress came in silk, with antique lace and beading. It was a stunning masterpiece. I have to admit, the more my friends 'settle down' and get hitched, the more wedding dresses I seem to be gushing over, but vintage styles are by far my favourite and a much more chic alternative to meringue.

For those bridesmaids, Anne has created beautiful deep-flesh-coloured separates. The top and skirt combo was both frilly and romantic (the obligatory requirement for bridal wear) but totally grown-up. Gone are the lavender loo-roll covers of the 90s. This time round your bridesmaid will definitely pull the best man!

A sheer top (almost to the point of obscene), with beautiful applique shoulder detailing balanced a burlesque-style petticoat. Love at first sight!

Alongside this were classic black dresses. One floor-length, one LBD, body-classic and body-con. In an age of economic crisis, I can definitely see a switch to buying expensive pieces that will live for decades, and Anne's pieces do just that.

We adore her!

Runway Roundup: Connie Ho

Hey, men – show me some leg! And to do that, you might want to slip into something by LCF master’s student Connie Ho.Connie started modest at the V&A, with Thom Browne-length ankle-bearing trousers, and worked her way up. Way up. 

One pair of shorts was so short and so tight that it could do to the model’s rear what many women hope their bras will do: lift and separate.

For shirts, Connie seems to like sheer and paint-spackled. A strip of neon-yellow down the front here, a dip-dyed rectangle of teal there. Throw those with some fuchsia trousers and no one can ignore you.The boys out there who step into these looks had better tone up – besides the pec-baring sheer shirts and bum-displaying hot pants, Connie is a fan of high-waisted shorts for males. I don’t do menswear as much as Rivkie here, but I can say one thing: This is the first collection in awhile that brings men’s bodies up for scrutiny as much as women’s often are.

Runway Roundup: Marina Nicolaidou

I loved the autumn/winter 2008 YSL collection. Lots of black, very grimy feeling, coats that hide you from the world. Any runway show that can make it seem that drop-crotch pants are natural, and even flattering, has serious brainpower.In Marina Nicolaidou’s master’s collection for the London College of Fashion show, I found the same train of thought take a new direction (and for menswear). Marina had it all – the leave-me-alone jackets, the jodhpurs with their crotches at knee-level – but with her looks all in white, she achieved a vibe that was so off-puttingly surgical that I loved it.Marina played around with Mao collars, bow-in-back jackets and coats that feel more like robes than outerwear. But one of her most interesting pieces was subtle. Was that a high-riding cummerbund she put under one of her coats, or is she suggesting than men should belt their waists? Her experiment with length, as seen in the knee-length jacket that hit almost the same point of leg as her shorts, was pulled off well.
I’m not sure how many men we can expect to see wearing gauzy white shorts, and was that a male playsuit I saw? But overall, Marina gave me just what I was looking for – clean, well cut looks with flavours of the incomparable Yves.

Runway Roundup: Yun Ju Ko Kate (Take 2)

Rivkie - I loved her! It's the sequins I wasn't sure about, but that's another story.
One of my favourite Oscar dresses of all time has to be Hilary Swank’s long-sleeved, navy blue number. You know the one I mean. That Guy Laroche dress was simple, almost to the point of being boring from the front. Then Hilary turned around and BAM – no back. Guy Laroche set up the most interesting point of his dress to be seen when walking away, and I think LCF’s Yun Ju Ko Kate had a similar philosophy.At her runway presentation last night, Yun played around with some of the trends we knew should be coming: sheer, lots of chiffon, asymmetry – you get the idea. But her added touches, like a floaty top that became a cape from the back, or a dress that had a cowl back instead of the typical cowl neck, made her something special.
That’s not to say Yun’s looks don’t wow from head-on. In palates of mocha, buttercream and gunmetal grey, she offered the most flattering empire waists and the sweetest baby-doll dresses. And I would love to take home a pair of her high-waisted capri pants for the days when I try to feel like a Hepburn.
To stand out at LCF’s master’s show – which featured 19 talented students – takes real potential. Rivkie and I agreed Yun has that, and we hope that a rack at the Laden Showroom or a guest collection at Topshop is in her future.

Runway Roundup: Jie Pi

There were two main eras referenced throughout the night: 40s and 80s. This was an 80s collection. Eye-popping colours and metallic tones in hot pink, blue, gold, silver and black. Sequins were in abundance and totally adorned every garment, with entire suiting being a sparkle-fest.

Again, Jill and I are at odds, but I think it was a truly fun and fabulous body of work. From man-kini to sparkled swim shorts, it was a treat. Sheer shirting, with paneled sections in rainbow adornment, not only showed craftsmanship, but also daring behaviour! Having witnessed rows and rows of excellent but somewhat predictable tailoring, it took these fun collections to revive my faith in menswear designers.

I loved the skinny black-sequined trousers and the silvery jackets - and yes, they may have had a touch of 80s glam rock, or even a Vegas feel about them, but who cares! Your final collection is the last chance to be totally and utterly self indulgent, not falling in line with the commercial world of fashion yet. These brave graduates had their last chance to throw caution to the wind, and why not do it with the odd sequin or two!

Favourite thing: aside from the boy in the trunks at the end (yes that woke us all up) I loved the styling of the shiny, shiny shoes!

Runway Roundup: Yun Ju Ko (Kate)

I think Jill and I were at odds on this collection, but I'm already a devoted fan! The colour palette of toffee, caramel creams, lemon and blue hues was really beautiful. Cutting of the collection was outstanding, with well structured, paneled jackets that hugged the model perfectly met with high waisted trousers that in soft fabrics, simply stunning, could be a perfect evening wear alternative to an LBD. Chiffon and silk were draped, deconstructed and manipulated to create dresses of volume, detail and great interest - certainly an eye-catching collection. Shapes were new and innovative, and the asymmetric dress is definitely now a lynch pin to the fashionistas way of dressing. Soft pleats and folds in clever fabric combinations meant that this collection really stood out. There was so much work in each piece that I was floored by the cutting skills displayed here. My favourite pieces would definitely include the high-waisted trousers, which would be drooled over by many a fashionably lady, and the empire-line dresses that would look at home at any glitzy premiere. I'm keeping an eye on this one!

Runway Roundup: James Hawkes

Somehow, I ended up reviewing nearly all the menswear, (Jill did you revise the list?!) Not that I'm complaining, I love menswear! As a personal shopper, it's my favourite!

I was looking for innovation and creativity, but I also wanted garments that were well cut, and would be satisfied with commercially viable pieces. I found these in James Hawkes.

I don't know what he was inspired by, but to me there was a definite Pop Art feel, with oversized sleeve heads that had Pop-esque style jaggedy edges. Almost like big cartoon 'bang' signs. Well cut bomber jackets were teamed with waterproof skinny cut trousers and oversized shirting. 80's colours were in attendance, with rusty metallic silver and blue grey making the main colour palette. A fun collection that was both innovative and well designed.

Runway Roundup: Emilia Bariamova

Emilia Bariamova, have you been sneaking off with Giles Deacon?

The bigger-means-better approach to knitwear he took a few seasons ago was fully present at the LCF student’s runway show.

Start with a sweater dress that cowls to mid-belly, with sleeve holes that gape nearly as low, and move on to a dress all in white with a turtleneck piled to lip level. These knits are not for the weak.

One of Emilia’s most interesting risks was a white, mega-cable knit sweater dress with dangling adornments that could perhaps be described as…yarn sausages or woolly tails. Two layers of the add-ons circled the chest and hips, and although editorially interesting, there were pieces that showed her talent better.

That’s not to say the Fash Pack team didn’t love it. We did, and more importantly, an extra-special member of the front row was pleased. Emilia, you now can count Nicola Roberts as one of your fans.

Runway Roundup: Hsiang Ju Kung

Remember the soap Dallas? Ever been in a hospital? Put the two together, and you get Hsiang Ju Kung’s master’s collection for LCF ’09.

Strong shoulders and lots of clinical white (white jackets, white skinny-leg trousers, white skirts, white tights, white shoes) formed the basis of Hsiang’s women’s wear looks. Sound boring? Not so much, when you factor in the student’s obsession with plastic-y feathers, spilling down sleeves and swinging from jackets and ruffling across dress hems.

Just when you think she’s gone soft with all those “feathers”, the designer brings in a tough-edge surprise. It’s funny how well a white blazer, padded to look as though it has an exoskeleton, fits in with something a little frou-frou.

Hsiang should get ready to pack up those boleros and halter dresses: The directions a stylist at an indie fashion mag could take with her are endless.

Runway Roundup: Dimitri Stavrou

I never thought the ‘80s hair bands would make a comeback on some pairs of Doc Martens, but I also never thought I’d see someone at a fashion show wearing a red sequined hoodie. Both of those expectations were thrown away tonight at the V&A.Dimitri Stavrou’s MA collection for the London College of Fashion runway show would make David Bowie and Dazed & Confused fans proud. Using fringe reminiscent of loosely crimped horsehair, Dimitri added movement and attitude to his menswear.
Want your fringe down the side of your blazer? Just pick your colour – metallic gold, silver or black. Want it along the hem of your vest? No problem. Dimitri even added his signature embellishment to the back of calf-high Docs for a bit of a Rapunzel-meets-moonboot effect. (Strangely, I mean that in a good way.)
Could Dimitri Stavrou be London’s next rebel boy? Gareth Pugh’s gone off to Paris, so someone has to take the role.


For those who didn’t make the show, check out Dimitri’s smokin’ video. (Literally. There’s smoke.)