This year Fashion Mode was supporting 4 new rising stars; two menswear and two womenswear collections;
James Hillman’s collection was an interesting one – it is only recently that I have even begun to have an interest in menswear (it usually bores me), but Hillman’s 'Teddy boy' inspired looks took a special twist. He confused the viewers by creating a collection that was almost unisex in design and with his unusual mix of fabrics (silk, leather, chiffon and jersey), he clouded the boundaries between feminine and masculine looks! He seemed to take what was typical menswear silhouettes but distorted them by using unexpected fabrics and little touches of innovation here and there, like sheer boat-neck shirts, or the unusual short-shaped collars. His palette of grey hues kept the androgynous effect throughout and found myself picking out pieces that I too would wear. My favourite had to be the slate-grey chiffon trousers… a little risqué for an average guy perhaps… but team them with say Russell Brand or Kate Moss and you are onto a winner!
Elson Figueiredo
This menswear collection was inspired by the people who travelled with circuses and amusements shows in the 19th Century; otherwise known as Carnies! It was an interesting show because he had picked beautiful male models with very feminine features to display his creations, but unfortunately for me this distracted a little from the clothes as I found myself staring at the models faces instead. However, looking back at the pictures I now see he created an extremely wearable collection that has mass appeal. He describes his own designs as a “mish-mash of casual workwear and traditional tailoring”, we can see this with the more traditional menswear elements of breast pockets, tailored jackets and subtle elbow patches, combined with touches of gingham piping and binding in some of the looks.
Carlotta Barone
The most outspoken and politically charged collection belonged to Carlotta and was aptly called 'wear my skin'. The idea behind this was to create clothing that spoke her mind and boldly stated to fight against the racism. Digitally printed slogans of anti-rasicm were printed like newsprint all across these skin hugging bodysuits, almost like an entire tattooed body. But this wasn’t just a political statement; over these bodysuits was an extremely innovative collection. The outfits were delicately crafted in a way that resembled cages and slaves garbs; constructed by beautiful draping and clever tailoring she managed to find the perfect balance between femininity and sexy – focusing on body-contours and the structure of the female form.
Florian Jayet absolutely knocked my socks off. It was possibly my favourite collection of the four - His innovative designs were inspired by the outer shell of insects - which ultimately created the body-armour looks like an exoskeleton! The outfits were predominately made from leather (my favourite) but also incorporated bits of metallic to infuse a futuristic element. He names Paco Rabanne and Thierry Mugler as his main influences… but Jayet’s designs stand on their own and although unique I would wear every single one of his pieces. Pure craftsmanship!
Images from the Vauxhall Fashion Scout Blog: www.vauxhallfashionscout.com
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