The LFW Virgin and the Izmaylova Express : Izmaylova SS12

What: Izmaylova at LFW SS12

Where: Vauxhall Fashion Scout, The Freemason’s Hall

When: Sunday 18th September, 1.15pm

Who: Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes, Amber Atherton of Made In Chelsea, ‘fro.

I’m late. I’m running down Great Queen Street after being stuck on the bridge in traffic for half an hour, gritting my teeth at my lack of luck. I’ve never been to a fashion show before and it looks like today will not be the day I get to see one. My wonderful sister’s voicemail is not offering any consolation as the minutes countdown.

I get there at exactly 1.15, and there is an immobile queue in sight.  Fortunately the show, being locomotive themed is accordingly delayed. As the doors finally open we are led in to the opulence of the Freemasons Hall, a gold and jewel coloured Art Deco dream.

I’m studying the fashion crowd, perfecting my own faux disinterested visage (I’ve already practised, I go to Central Saint Martins)  to mirror theirs as we wait on the stairs. A man in a vintage style train driver’s get up welcomes me to the Izmaylova Express, and clips my ticket. All aboard.

A few scuffles for the best view, many photos and a clock strikes signaling the start of the show. There’s a definite 20′s-with an edge- vibe throughout.  My camera’s misbehaving as I struggle to capture the pale silks, the swish of skirts and the statuesque drapery  all offset by the geometric patterns of the granite floor. Hard glances meet feather adornments and assymetric cuts.

A rhymthic moody music sets the pace for the poses, and its all over in a flash, so quick! The final clap, buzzing talk and I’m out of there.

Words and images Helene Charara.

Not one for wallflowers: Lako Bukia SS12

What? Lako Bukia at London Fashion Week

Where? Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Freemasons Hall

When? Saturday 17th September, 3.15pm

Who?Erol Sabadosh on the decks, remixing Arcade Fire

A firm favourite with the Style And Then Some team, who have now seen three shows by the emerging designer, Lako Bukia gave us another delightful collection this time with a hand drawn flower print across many of the pieces.

She also gave us beautiful corsets in black, white and red and, as ever, her collars were to die for. Last season we had matching leather collars and cuffs and this time she gave us Asian-inspired buttoned up collars on sleeveless pieces and the aforementioned corsets.

Below the waist, Lako kept to her signature style of flowing chiffon skirts and dresses. Altogether, dramatic but wearable clothes in feminine but strong looks – we can’t wait for next season.

All images Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari.

 

Twist and stomp: John Rocha SS12

What? John Rocha at London Fashion Week

Where? BFC, Somerset House

When? Saturday 17th September, 5pm

Who? As we waited under our umbrellas outside we watched all the big UK editors file in (Alexandra Shulman of Vogue and Jo Elvin of Glamour) plus bigtime blogger Susie Bubble.

Last season I had a ticket for the John Rocha show and I queued patiently only to be turned away, along with about 100 other people, because the BFC show space had reached capacity. Determined not to let this happen again I turned up 20 minutes early today and was sure it would all be fine since I was right at the front of the queue of standees having gone up to make sure our photographer Faraz made it in to the photo pit.

But alas my hope was dashed when we (again, there were easily 100 others) heard the music start and knew the show was under way. I won’t get into a rant about the ticket allocating procedure (there are enough shows with empty seats to understand why the PRs do it) but I will say I don’t think I’ll be chancing my luck with Mr Rocha next season.

The only silver lining to this fashion week storm cloud was that I got to go into the pop up cinema that has been installed in the BFC foyer for the first time this season and watch the show streamed live all the way from, well, about 20 metres away actually. In spite of my disappointment, I have to admit it was a great show. Not because I actually wanted to wear many of the clothes, but because it was such a coherent and well-realised production.

From the hefty platform-soled sandals that caused the models (including first out Abbey Lee Kershaw) to stomp moodily down the catwalk, to the downbeat, driving soundtrack, it all conspired to create a darkly atmospheric production. And what about the clothes? It was all about texture. Seaweed-like ruffles, raffia, crochet, feathers, irregular pleating – mostly on A-line skirted dresses, almost nothing lay flat against the skin. The densest pieces were a tangle of strands so fine they resembled cassette tape. This being Rocha, most ensembles were all black, but half way through we saw the light, from palest faun to outright white, and the first pair of trousers, wide-legged and to-the-floor.

Arguably the most wearable was the outerwear. A couple of double-breasted jackets, one sleeveless, were positively middle of the road when compared with the crunchy crochet that preceded them. According to the show notes (which I had to read vicariously via Twitter because, as I might have mentioned, I wasn’t in the venue) Rocha wanted to create warrior woman outfits, and that he did. You’d have to have a pretty fierce attitude to get away with some of these looks.

All images Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari.

I Spy with my Palace of Versailles: Masha Ma SS12

What? Masha Ma at London Fashion Week

Where? Freemason’s Hall

When? Saturday 17th September, 10.30am

Who? Style and Then Some sitting Front Row – how it should be

Masha Ma kicked off our Day Two this season, to a less than full house at Vauxhall Fashion Scout – not to worry though as this meant more room for Sophie on the front row. It was half past ten on the morning after the first night of Fashion Week after all so maybe all those fashion heads were feeling too sore to make an appearance so early.

Inspired by the reconstruction of the Chateau of Versailles, Ma’s Spring/Summer collection came in shades of midnight blue, mint and a whole lot of off-white. Standout looks included sleeveless jackets, a bib made from hand-sewn gold beads and prints of buildings, doors, frames and handles. White straps bound the models’ heads and ponytails were long, straight and slick.

Ma made a feature of the open back, a quick-fire way for sophisticated sex appeal if ever we saw one and zips also featured heavily in adorning the pieces, helping to toughen up the look together with stilettos wrapped in white plastic. So how does the collection compare to the palace? Let us know below.

All images Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari.

#TodayImWearing: Sophie and Faraz Day Two of LFW

Perfect the art of the fashion blag, dressed in this – as we did all day at Vauxhall Fashion Scout and the BFC Showspace..

J Lindeberg shirt, Folk jacket, Uniqlo trousers and don't forget the Canon 5D

 

Oasis dress, Topshop pumps and bag from Afflecks Palace, Manchester

Kaleidoscopic, don’t stop it: Basso and Brooke SS12

What? Basso and Brooke at London Fashion Week

Where? The Old Sorting Office

When? Friday 16th September, 6pm

Who? Hilary Alexander apparently sat on the floor, but we couldn’t see from our standing right at the back position

Basso and Brooke was one of the shows I was looking forward to the most and I didn’t leave The Old Sorting Office disappointed. Silhouettes were long, lean but still fluid and romantic and the statement necklaces were tribal and eclectic. But it was always going to be about the clashing prints – the looks started off with speckled patterns and huge flowers then turned to geometrical shapes, psychadelic blues and finished with dark, moody monochrome.

 

A lesson in geometry: Jean-Pierre Braganza SS12

Colin McDowell and Hilary Alexander in the 'fro

 

What? Jean-Pierre Braganza SS12 at London Fashion Week

Where? BFC Showspace

When? Friday 16th September at 3pm

Who? This was a hot ticket, with Brix Smith-Start, Colin McDowell and Hilary Alexander all gracing the front row

 

 

There were tailored jackets with shoulder pads, dresses made of deconstructed suit jackets and even a boiler suit in what was a showcase of sexy androgyny, but I loved these kneelength sleeveless dresses which kept cropping up. The flash of coral broke up an otherwise predominantly monochrome collection.

 

The cut out work on this cream shift dress reminded me of the shapes in an orchid, or some other exotic flower.

 

 

Braganza clearly paid attention in his maths classes. Even the models’ tousled fishtail plaits were meticulously executed.

Am I an alien? Corrie Nielsen SS12

What? Corrie Nielsen at London Fashion Week

Where? My Beautiful Fashion, The Old Sorting Office

When? Friday 16th September, 10am

Who? Our fave gentleman of fashion Colin McDowell sitting FROW

Inspired by Dorian Gray and with a soundtrack by Ken Watanabe, Corrie Nielsen’s SS12 show didn’t disappoint. The ex-Vivienne Westwood designer delivered theatrical pleats and architectural shapes – giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “peplum trend”.

With lots of nods to Japan, the models walked at a snails pace underneath the shining baubles lining the ceiling of the gloomy Old Sorting Office. But that gave us plenty of time to admire the pintucks around the breasts on the dresses, the gathered fabric on metallic trenches and otherworldly make-up – green eyeshadow with strong black brows.

Now we just need to find a Victorian aristocrat who’s throwing an Orient-themed party to wear the collection to. If you hear of one, tweet us. We’ll wear Nielsen’s beautiful black coat, complete with train.

Mad hatters on the runway: Caroline Charles SS12

What? Caroline Charles SS12 at London Fashion Week

Where? BFC Showspace

When? Friday 16th September at 11am

Who? I met friendly fellow fashion blogger, Adam, from fashioninaflash.wordpress.com. Harold Tilman from the BFC joined the bigwigs in the front row.

Caroline Charles was  simple and classic as usual, but this collection was all about the hats: wide brimmed summer hats tied to the models with ribbon, little trilbies, and lots of 1920s inspired low waistlines and short white gloves.

I loved the 1920s style pleats on the back of this cute, belted navy blue day dress. You might even say I got into a little bit of a flap over it. (Har har…)

These lovely high waisted black trousers were finished off with a bow, adding a twist to the otherwise very conservative outfit.

There were definitely references to early Chanel throughout the collection. This beautiful beaded and buttoned up collared shirt caused a flurry of photographs and whispers as everyone craned to get a better view.

I might go and hunt out that old school girl’s straw hat I have stashed away somewhere for next spring…

#TodayI’mWearing: Sophie and Sophie Day One of LFW

Too many invites, too many “muses” and “style icons” in our way, not enough time = what I like to call Fashion Eek. But Sophie and Sophie still kept it together on their first morning running between shows.

Dress picked up in the sale at Oasis yesterday - ssshh, don't tell anyone

Rocking a jumpsuit from Dotty Ps and crown of plaits

Wicked in white: Paul Costelloe SS12

What? Paul Costelloe SS12 at London Fashion Week

Where? BFC Showspace

When? Friday 16th September at 9am (ouch)

Who? Sat with @bumpkinbetty

We jumped off the bus straight and ran straight into our first show of the season. Twenty minutes late – the show, not us - not bad not bad. For the first half, we were treated to a muted palette with lots of white which still weirdly feels right as winter hasn’t yet drawn in. The models had hair piled up on the top of their heads and ankle length white socks.

All very prim and proper until the swinging skirts and the flouncy shoulders came out. A stripy monochrome smock here and retsrictive white lace there but then we even got some fuchsia in the menswear. Some of the outfits were a lesson in how to wear period drama era bed sheets, in a good way – others just beautifully wearable.

GUIDE: A weekend in Paris

I love the order and elegance of Paris. I love how aesthetically pleasing it is, the architectural coherence, the fact that you can look at almost any street corner and know instantly where you are. For a capital city, the centre is pretty compact, and it’s easy to explore on foot.

My favourite area is the Marais district, near the Saint Paul stop on the metro. You can wander past the artisan chocolatiers and arty boutiques through to the Place des Vosges, and sit under the beautiful red brick arches in Cafe Hugo to enjoy a croque monsieur (grilled ham and cheese sandwich).

Cafe Hugo, Place des Vosges, Paris

Just a few minutes away from Place des Vosges is my favourite hotel, Hotel Jeanne d’Arc, with rooms ranging from 64 euros (for a single room) to 162 euros (for a quadruple room) a night. It’s the perfect location, simple and stylish with friendly staff.

Hotel Jeanne d’Arc, Paris

The wonderfully eccentric Shakespeare & Co bookshop on the left bank just opposite Notre-Dame cathedral (about a 20 minute walk away from the Marais district) is a great place to drop by. With a piano and several type writers tucked away amongst the piles of books, there are always a few interesting characters (struggling poets, famous philosophers?) around.

While Notre-Dame and the Sacré-Cœur are worth visiting (the Sacré-Cœur partly because it has such a good view of the rooftops of Paris, plus, you can re-live that Amélie moment on the steps…), my favourite church is Saint-Étienne-du-Mont on the left bank, a short walk from the Jardins du Luxembourg (a lovely leafy park). It’s all delicately carved white marble on the inside, a gem tucked away next to the imposing Pantheon.

For a little taste of Parisian luxury, try a macaroon cocktail in the Ladurée bar (75, Avenue des Champs Elysées – use the side door entrance for direct access to the bar). Famous for making the best macaroons in Paris, it was definitely worth the 16 euros price tag… As I sipped my cocktail and nibbled on a macaroon, I couldn’t help feeling a little like a modern day Marie-Antoinette. At least, Kirsten Dunst’s version in Sophia Coppola’s film.

Macaroon cocktail in the Ladurée bar, Paris

We love Bjork and wonder if she loves us back

Bjork rocking out at the end of this video for Crystalline, the first single from the album Biophilia, is exactly how she was rocking out at Bestival last Sunday night. She closed the festival on the Main Stage (with Erol Alkan and Fatboy Slim doing the honours on other stages) and the whole experience was just magical – complete with her incredible choir, custom built instruments, fireworks and heart confetti.

The vid is directed by indie favourite Michel Gondry who has done Bjork’s music videos in the past: its a nice fit – quirky and innocent, playful but a bit too obscure for some tastes. This one’s pretty simple though, fitting in with her themes of nature, cosmogony and physics – she even got David Attenborough to provide the voiceover for her iPhone/iPad app and Bestival performance. What a woman.

Scotch & Soda: Effortless cool from the Netherlands

Having spent some time recently browsing the boutiques in Amsterdam’s Nine Streets, I came across one shop who’s name I was semi-familiar with.  Scotch & Soda, an Amsterdam original, has definitely popped up on my late night ASOS searches for a while now.  

What struck me most, when browsing round their bricks and mortar store, was how well Scotch & Soda have branded themselves.  Although the label has been going since the 80′s, in the early noughties it was rebooted and has since expanded to include womenswear (Maison Scotch), premium denim, and childrenswear.  It oozes that fashionable, effortless cool only the Parisian and Dutch women of Europe seem to be able to pull off…bitches.

With photoshopped sales assistants floating around (it should be illegal to be as good-looking as the men who work there) it did take me a few minutes to focus on the actual clothes.  And thus I spent a good ten minutes tearing myself away from a tweed blazer with a star print lining.  Seriously, their Maison Scotch statement pieces are BUFF.

You have been warned.  Thanks to Dolce & Gabbana, stars are back in orbit this Autumn, and everyone is following suit.

The Nine Streets: Amsterdam’s alternative shopping Mecca

Having jaunted over Titanic Style to Holland recently, I wasn’t looking for the obvious that Amsterdam has to offer.  Having only 6 hours in total to spend in the city meant some meticulous planning was initially involved, and then subsequently thrown out the window.  However, I did fulfil my personal mission and instead of succumbing to the, shall we say, more ‘touristic’ pleasures of Dam, I went in quiet search of the ‘Nine Streets’ or the ‘De Negen Straatjes’ to speak native.

Situated only a few minutes from the Royal Palace and Dam Square, the Nine Streets sit in the heart of the Canal district and are home to an array of weird and wonderful, as well as designer and vintage independent shops.  Actually, in most instances ‘weird’ is definitely the right word to use.  Having arrived on a Sunday, the stores pretty much chose when they wanted to open e.g. 1 o’clock in most cases, and many of the dusty windows displaying Vintage vinyls (one shop window was dedicated completely to Prince’s back catalogue), typewriters, and even stripper shoes, just begged to ask ‘how do I make a profit?’.  Maybe the recession fairy forgot the Nine Streets.  

Either way, it was refreshing to be surrounded by ‘indies’, even if I did end up spending some dollar in H&M (oops).

Photos from Style & Then Some’s first ever Tweet up

Firstly, on behalf of myself, Katie, Sophie and Sophie C, I want to say a massive THANK YOU for everyone who made our first ever Tweet up last thursday (8th September).

When Katie first had the idea to organise a ‘tweetup’ (a social with the people we have virtually met through Twitter, email, Facebook etc) we never expected it to go as well as it did.  More often than not, in the ‘blogosphere’ you rarely get to put faces to names, so we had an amazing time meeting our new friends in the flesh!

We’ve put a whole album of the photos up on the Style & Then Some Facebook page. Click here to head over there – and  don’t forget to tag yourself.

We would like the thank @jamielondonboy, the ladies from Essence Communications, Emma Corbett from Greene & Sheppard, Lisa Bickerstaffe (@lisajbick), Jacki Wadeson (@JackiwadesonPR), Daniel Thomas (@DanielTFashion), Jennifer Roberts (@RubyBrowning) @OliviaPinnock, Emma Hill (@Ems_EJSTYLE), Alice from Running in Heels (@RIHmagazine), Ruth Wright (@Ruthie_W), Jaclyn Craig (@MissJacCraig), Katherine Warwick-Adkins (@KMMWAdkins), Jessica Chan and many more people who kindly came.

We will definitely be hosting another evening in the future, and look forward to seeing you all again soon!

My top 5 tips for bloggers at London Fashion Week

Three quarters of the Style & Then Some team will be heading down to Somerset House next week (lucky Helen is off to New York on vacation) for London Fashion Week, taking place Friday 16 to Wednesday 21 September. It’s my fourth season as a blogger at LFW so hopefully I’ll be putting in to practice everything I’ve learned over the last year and a half. This could easily be summed up by stealing the Boy Scout motto: be prepared. Here are my top 5 tips for newbies at London Fashion Week.

1. Get to the shows early. Not just on time, but early, like at least 15 minutes before it’s due to start. PRs give out more tickets than there is space for the audience, and at almost every show there are a handful (or sometimes, a LOT) of disappointed ticket holders left on the wrong side of the closed doors when the show starts.

2. Take flat shoes. I once spent 15 hours in ankle boots with 4 inch heels and it was AGONY. Unless you’re willing to shell out a lot on cab fares get some cheap ballet shoes that you can slip on for those dashes between shows – they only need to last a week so it doesn’t matter if they get crushed in your bag.

3. Network. By that I don’t mean that you should force your business card down the throat of every person you meet, just chat to people. There’s lots of waiting around in between shows, and you never know who you might end up next to; they could be a valuable contact at a magazine, or a new designer who you could blog about. It’s an inaccurate cliché that everyone in fashion is cold and calculating. I’m still friends with some of the lovely people I got chatting to at LFW several seasons ago.

4. Tweet. Twitter really comes into its own at fashion week. You can keep track of which venues your new friends (see tip 4) are at, find out if shows are running late or which celebrities are on the front row, and generally keep up with the fashion week goss. Add a column for the hashtag #LFW to whichever Twitter app your using. And, of course, most importantly, follow @Style_ThenSome.

5. Get some sleep. with all the parties and events to go to every night it’s tempting to go wild , but if you want to make those 9am shows, or to survive a 12 hour day without a hangover, then take it easy. Plus, do you think the Sartorialist is going to want to photograph you when you look like death? Exactly.

We’ll be blogging and tweeting live from London Fashion Week starting next Friday 16 September.

HIGHLIGHTS: Paris Ethical Fashion Show

I have returned home from the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris full of good intentions to save my pennies and spend them on a thought-through socially conscious wardrobe instead of indulging my usual habit of impulse buying. The problem is, when you start scratching the surface of what’s ‘ethical’ (i.e. doesn’t exploit people or the environment in the production line) and what’s not on the high street, the result is a bewildering array of pro and con arguments (mostly con) for each brand, and it can be tempting to give up the whole exercise of trying to shop your way to a better world. (See Vivienne Westwood’s thoughts on how fashion can change the world here.)

Perhaps the solution is to focus on the positives, rather than the negatives. As I discovered at the Ethical Fashion show, there are so many talented designers out there. Ethical shopping really doesn’t need to be a chore. Here are three of my favourite brands that I think could easily replace some of the big high street contenders in my own wardrobe.

L’Herbe Rouge

A standout French brand that is eco-chic at its best – a stylish replacement for your Topshop jeans, very American Apparel with its sexy and bright androgyny but better quality. (Seriously, I had a look at the seams and they are finished really well…) The online shop is currently under construction, but I was assured that it will it be up and running soon and also looks likely to be stocked in some London boutiques in the near future. L’Herbe Rouge does menswear as well as womenswear, and jeans start at around £99. www.lherberouge.com

Natural Wave

This German company makes beautiful, simple Gap style basics in organic fibres that are super soft and wearable. Order online at www.naturalwave.de Prices range from around £20-£35, so it ticks the affordable box as well.

Linda Mai Phung

Paris Ethical Fashion Show 2011 eco fashion ethical fashion best eco fashion brands

It was love at first sight. When founder of the Ethical Fashion Show, Isabelle Quéhé, wore Linda’s dress to present her with the Ethical Fashion Show prize, that irrational ‘It’s beautiful, I want it…’ syndrome kicked in. Luckily for me, it didn’t break the bank at £78. I can’t enthuse enough about this talented young designer – a mixture of Reiss and French Connection, her collection is made up of simple, flattering and stylish designs in bright colours and silks. Linda’s career is just taking off, but she hopes to have her online shop up and running with her Spring/Summer 2012 collection early next year. Watch this space, this is one talented designer… www.lindamaiphung.blogspot.com (My dress is the bright blue silk maxi dress!)

(Hand) Made In Chelsea

There is nothing that divides people more than art.  Some people struggle with concepts that are not literally translated for them whereas others revel in the unknown.  I heard an analogy years ago that perfectly explained this.  It was a conversation between two people at an art gallery, looking at a piece of art depicting a rip in a canvas.  One person argues that anyone could do that (the logical thinker), whereas the other mused back ‘but no one has bothered before’ (the creative mind).

I was reminded of these feelings (as I have always felt somewhere in the middle of these two opposites) when I was taken round the Chelsea College of Art & Design MA show.  Now, I have to say, the work on display was mighty impressive, as you would expect, but I kept getting drawn to the work I felt I couldn’t wholly understand, and which left an after taste of mystery.  For example, the printed fabrics created by Jessica Chan stood out the most for me:

Perhaps it was because her thought processes that led to her designs could only be explained by the gorgeous patterns she had created, or the eye-catching colours she used.  Or perhaps that her accompanying sketchbook did not need words to provide the viewer with any literal translation.  Either way, I have no desire to probe, as I found her work stunningly thought-provoking and enticing.  After all, why explain the mystery away in a few seconds, when you can leave people guessing forever. 

Perhaps this means I am less logical after all.

To contact Jessica Chan directly, please email jkmchan@hotmail.com, or alternatively visit her blog www.forallmywork.blogspot.com.

 

 

StyleMint: What’s it all about Olsens?

Being one of the Olsen twins’ biggest fans going (much to my mum’s disgust) I was a little bit excited when I heard about The Row designers latest venture in to the world of e-commence.   However, it has taken me a while to get my head around what www.stylemint.com is actually all about. 

At first I had the impression it would be a virtual style sight like dress up Barbie (ahhh, those were the days) but using the Olsen twins – and FYI if that is indeed what you are looking for, you can get your kicks on www.i-dressup.com (don’t judge me please).

But in fact, it is more like signing up to a monthly personal shopper, whereby you answer a series of questions and are pigeon-holed in to a style group in less than 5 minutes.  You then spend around 30 dollars on a t-shirt and are sent your ‘top styles’ based on your profile every month with the incentive to buy more stuff.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed as the outfit choices to determine your ‘style’ were pretty lame, but hey, it is a bit of fun, and they have even managed to badger some fellow celebs to be seen out wearing their extremely basic togs, so no doubt it will spin them a little more pocket change to pump back in to The Row to produce those 16K priced crocodile backpacks.

But as always, personal opinion and all that.  But I think I would   Rather spend my time on www.olsenanonymous.com.  Now there’s a fellow addict I’d like to meet.