Uncharacteristically Chanel!!!

Chanel was uncharacteristically casual this season, and underwent somewhat of a fashion make-under!

Naturally, there were elements of the iconic and historic brand – with tweed twin-sets, layered pearls and the classic pastel and monochrome colour schemes.

However, this season, Karl Lagerfeld seemed to be inspired by a new age of Chanel fans; fashion IT girls such as Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo and Mischa Barton have been putting their youthful stamp on the label by wearing Chanel items in a new edgier way than before and it seems Karl gave his S/S 11’ collection a shot of youth serum too.

Typical twin-sets were given a modern overhaul with hot pants replacing skirts, teamed with understated t-shirts and bold floral blouses. One of my favourite looks was the deceptively prim and proper tweed jackets worn over matching waistcoats teamed with barely-there hot pants and edgy accessories such as chainmail fingerless gloves and chunky metallic cut-out shoes.

Small-deconstructed details gave the clothes a raw feel; frayed hems, raffia-style feathers on tops and bouffant-feathered skirts and cuffs and even hemlines, meanwhile denim was given a new lease of life with perforated fabric almost resembling the infamous tweed print.

This is possibly one of the most wearable collections we have seen from Chanel in years –- Lagerfeld said that a new use of texture and re-working of fabrics make this a dynamic collection with something for everyone, and I have to agree… one of his new tweed jackets would work very nicely into my wardrobe!

However, not one to shy away from a little drama, the finale to the collection saw supermodel Carmen Kass parade down the catwalk in a show-stopping, feathery peach-coloured dress with metallic perforated shoes. Although the look didn’t necessarily fit in with the rest of the collection it was nice to see an element of Chanel showmanship in what was otherwise a very delicate and understated show.

So what can we expect to sift down from catwalk to closet? Next season, look for fabric details like soft feathers, raw edges, perforated fabric and even selvedge edges. Metallic will remain a trend but in a much more muted way than the bolder Christmas looks!

Holly Fulton; 'A jet-set socialite with a crush on Joan Collins'

There was something very ‘Versace’ about Holly Fultons’s debut solo collection; the big hair and bright colour pops reminded me of the good old days of Gianni (okay granted I was 10 when he died but I still know my stuff). Not only was there a strong 80’s vibe with her colourful looks, but there were also some very vibrant prints in bright blues, oranges, yellows and dashes of monochrome. It reminded me of the art-deco district in Miami where there are stunning colours and patterns seen across the exterior of buildings in South Beach… which ironically is where Gianni Versace was murdered!

Alas apparently her inspiration actually came from France; with a colour palette inspired by glass artist Louis Barillet and the cinema du look of the 80’s. Although I prefer my comparison! Holly is taking her customers/fans on what seems to be a world tour; from safari chic with animal-like prints, to waterproof cruise control, to South Beach shopping and more... it seems like the collection belongs in the luggage of a jet-set socialite with a crush on Joan Collins.

 

This is Fulton’s first season showing solo at London Fashion Week, but she is by no means a newbie in the industry. She was the winner of Young Designer of the Year Awards at the Scottish Fashion Awards, has a British Fashion Award and she also won the Elle Style Award for New Designer 2010. So it’s clear to see why her collection is so strong and complete.

Her glamazon prints and passion for pop art and colour are clear to see in this powerful S/S 10’ collection. Her outfits have a carefree ease about them, but it’s the luxurious fabrics, vivid prints and luxe accessories that bring it from nonchalant to uber glamourous.

The rain-slicker yellow laser-cut dress with cheeky cocktail glass shapes around it certainly caught my eye. An innovative and slightly unusual choice of fabric, but the skater skirt silhouette is a flattering shape for every woman and I imagine the quirky design would be loved by cool fashionistas such as Zooey Deschanel and Fearne Cotton.

The stunning Palazzo Pants are my favourite pieces from her looks, with their tribal motif designs she allows them to be the statement piece and kept it simple on top with silk vests. The Art Deco necklace completes the outfit with a finished touch!

 

The City Shorts are a look you can imagine the stylish Olivia Palermo wearing for sure. Balancing the vivacious shorts with a simple shift silk top. This look oozes effortless glamour.

If this is only the beginning for Holly, I cannot wait to see what’s next!

'Futuristic Ice Maiden meets an Alien Ziggy Stardust’

It’s always exciting to be one of the first to witness a new emerging talent. And at the debut show of MASHA MA show that is certainly what happened! Her cool collection of origami influenced outfits lit up the catwalk in a swishing abundance of crisp whites and shimmering silvers. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d just stepped into the North Pole, but she didn’t receive a frosty reception - quite the opposite, a collection of oohs and ahhs whispered from the front rows as outfit after outfit impressed editors and stylists alike.

Although she states that her inspiration was drawn from the industirla landscape of New York’s meat packing district; I would personally describe it as ‘Futuristic Ice Maiden meets an Alien Ziggy Stardust’. The collection had a little something for everyone’s taste, from the structured origami dresses, to the fluid draping of silvers, the sheer chiffons, to the tailored trousers, geometric shapes and overall fluidity and layering… I adored every single piece! And I’m not the only one, she has already caught the attention of publications such as Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Officiel to name but a few.

Some of my favourite looks from the collection –

                                                                    Feminine Folds

                                 
                                                                        Alien Skin

                                                                  
                                                                        Ice Warrior

Silver Streak

Modelled by the gorgeous Irish Model Caitlin Leckey from Morgan.

Ziggy Stardust

Touch of Frost

(Modelled by Jessica P from Models 1 who I worked with on a Brown Thomas Shoot recently)

Fashion Mode @ LFW

Fashion Mode is a novel approach to promoting new designers! It is a company led by Andrea Abraham whose soul purpose is to nurture and cultivate a new generation of fashion talent through catwalk shows, pr and marketing and with the ultimate aim of bringing back cutting-edge and innovation to London Fashion.

This year Fashion Mode was supporting 4 new rising stars; two menswear and two womenswear collections;

                                                                         James Hillman

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

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

Talent has no name...

There was one question I was frequently asked by editors and bloggers alike while at London Fashion Week ... "so WHO are you looking forward to seeing". But instead of listing a variety of heavy hitters such as Vivienne Westwood, Giles, Matthew Williamson etc etc, my answer was simple... the nobodys! Well, the nobodys yet!

What I love about London is it's thriving fashion talent and the opportunity to see a monoploy of unknown and up-and-coming designers is so much more exciting to me than the big names that I can see on style.com hours later anyway. I want to see the future of fashion - what we'll be wearing in years to come and where the next generation of fashionistas are taking us.

I will be reviewing some of my favourite new, up-and-coming and relatively unknown collections and designers I saw at LFW... I was lucky enough to see Masha Ma, Falguni and Peacock, Roksanda Illinic, Kinder Aggugini, Elliott J. Frieze, Fashion Mode, Ada Zanditon and Holly Fulton. I also spoke with some designers at the exhibition held inside Somerset house...a few amazing Jewellery designers in particular that I would like to share with you.

LFW 2010 - The Beginning

I am more than aware at how delayed my LFW report is… however, I reckon now that the fashion week buzz has died down and all the editors and fashionistas have trawled through Paris and Milan; it’s finally time for me to reflect back on fashions new hitlist! The new influential and upcoming designers shaping our future in fashion… and predicting what we will be wearing in years to come!

But first time to reflect on my 'carry-on' style. You see my arrival at LFW was somewhat last minute and unexpected as my LFW pass only arrived days before I was due to leave and I was working some ridiculous 14 hour days in the run-up to my departure... therefore I had very little time to put together outfits and was simply carrying on luggage! So my style was easy-chic and pretty much what I had worn on the plane the night before.

While scurrying across the Somerset cobblestones on my way to my first show I was approached by a camera and presenter from some fashion TV; the presenter was doing a vlog (video blog) on street style and asked me to describe my outfit and overall look. This is a question I get asked a lot in interviews and my answer is pretty much always the same.

So here I am day 3 of London Fashion Week (photo taken by the lovely Haruki Horikiwa at http://www.changefashion.net/) ; Jacket by Zara, leopard print Tshirt by Reiss, Belt by Reiss, Half-leather leggings by NeverMind (that’s the name of the label…not me being rude!), wedges by River Island and bag by Tescos…yes, Tescos! I had a bit of a cringey moment when I had to tell her it was only 9euro… but then I realised actually Supermarket Chic is the way forward and the presenter seemed mightily impressed that my gold faux snakeskin bag was literally as cheap as a MacDonalds extra large meal.

My rings are an assortment - Oasis, Awear and Vintage. I like that pile-em-all-on look... plus pretty handy in case anyone tried to rob me. My punch would be lethal!

As mentioned before my beloved wedges from River Island... Soooo comfy and so easy to wear with pretty much everything in my wardrobe! An investment piece for sure... although they are coming in a leopard print too... and I am more than tempted!

Okay that's enough about me... onto the shows!

Arnotts A/W Fashion Show Review

Arnotts has become one of my new favourite haunts over the past few months. They have completely revamped their womenswear department on the mezzanine floor by stocking new and exclusive brands like Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Reiss, Boutique by Jaeger and new labels Nevermind and One Teaspoon which are a favourite of mine. It has really upped the ante in the style stakes and with this new insertion of young and funky labels it has begun to compete with edgier stores like BT2 and is finally making Henry Street a worthwhile shopping destination!

I happily headed along to the A/W Arnotts fashion show last week that was held on the top floor in the Conran Shop. Under first impressions the layout was intimate and fun; each chair was a different style - which was a nod at the new boutique-style womenswear department and the eclectic selection we were about to see!

(pictured here model Yomiko wearing a Tara Jarmon dress to launch the Arnotts A/A show)

The catwalk opened with an introduction to this season’s hottest colours: camel and red with touches of leopard print. My favourite look from the catwalk was this Hobbs camel coat and Coast red belted dress with the Abro leopard-print bag. Assets Model Lynn looks prim and office perfect in this tailored look!

Statement coats are absolutely huge this season, as seen on the catwalks of Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Alberta Ferreti and almost every other designer. Well stylist of the show Jan Brierton dedicated a whole segment of the show just to coats, to showcase how outerwear can be an entire outfit!

Without a doubt this pink and red plaid Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood coat as worn by Baiba is the perfect vibrant option to let you stand out of a crowd.

Heritage Fabrics were also huge on the designer catwalks this season, layering countryside colours and outdoorsy prints with structured tailoring was big at Rodarte, Chanel, Jaeger London and Kenzo. Well Arnotts was no different; showcasing various looks from the new Hobbs diffusion line NW3, Max & co and of course the Lauren by Ralph Lauren collection. Here we see the gorgeous Sarah Morrisey in one of the coveted Hertitage looks.

Other show segments included; ‘Knits’, showcasing this season’s coolest knitwear just like Marc Jacobs and D+G collections. ‘Glam Military’, ‘Clean Lines’ with suiting and silhouette enhancing outfits and finally ‘Hitchcock Glamour’, showing that elegance of the forties and with inspiration taken from the leading ladies of the Hitchcock era such as Grace Kelly.

It was a show that catered for every age group with an emphasis on dressing the female form, most importantly - there was something for everyone! I have already bought the half-leather/half-trousers from ‘Nevermind’ collection and even got papped at London Fashion Week while wearing them. Next on my wishlist is an Abro leopard print bag and patent black belt from Hobbs.

Keep your eyes peeled for this Saturday’s Irish Independent WEEKEND magazine where I have my ‘Gossip Girl’ inspired shoot showcasing the best buys at Arnotts!