Prose at London Fashion Week AW12 // Shredded Delight

What: Prose

When: Monday, 20th February at 18:30pm

Where:  Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Freemasons Hall

Who: Andrew Stone again!

 

This is the first season I am witness to the label Prose.  And with the show being set to an eerie mix of what I believe to be a depressed French love song, I was not expecting bucket loads of frivolity.  And quite rightly so, as the models sauntered down the runway in what appeared, overall, to be a very sombre and subdued collection, from the colour palette right down to the models slick-backed no-nonsense hair styles and thick-set brows. 

The main focal point of the collection for me, was the wonderful techniques that designer Miriam Lehle employed to bring her vision to life.  The almost shredded-like look of some of the garments, seen on selected jackets and tops, are reminiscent of multicoloured plastic ribbon, adorned garments in fluctuating lengths (you would have to mind you didn’t get this fringing caught in the Tube doors, mind).  This tougher look juxtaposed nicely against Lehle’s softer pieces, with almost feather-like loose knitted laddering cascading down dresses (see last photograph).

Prose is described as an evolution collection, taking inspiration from itself in past seasons and organic structures and shapes, and apparently uses little trend-let inspiration.  As someone who works in trend forecasting though, i do have to say the colour palette employed by the label, all navy, beige, yellow and orange (yes, there is absolutely NO escaping tangerine I am afraid) does seem somewhat trend led.  But hey ho, this could have been a lucky fluke!

 

 

Osman at London Fashion Week AW12 // Taste of the Orient

Who: Osman

Where: BFC Courtyard Showspace, Somerset House

When: Monday 20th February at 7pm

Who: Poppy Delevigne, Theresa May, Harold Tillman, Bip Ling

No that isn’t a typo. The Frow at Osman on Monday night took a surprising political turn, as Home Secretary Theresa May took up her seat alongside BFC Chairman Harold Tillman and star blogger Liberty London Girl. And why not? A favourite of SamCam and Sarah Brown, Osman’s collections have always been a big draw for the fashion-savvy politicos ensconced on Downing Street.

With a set that included a vibrant printed carpet catwalk, this season Osman treated us to a journey through the orient. White shirts were accompanied by ornate brocade collars and matching booties; cape backed blouses and skinny fit trousers were constructed out of richly embroidered chinoiserie fabrics. Even leather skirts, with Osman’s trademark U-shaped hems, were given a blood red lining – instantly lifting the monochromatic looks.

Moving on from a colour scheme of reds, white and black, Osman’s later looks incorporated a moss-green hue – set off brilliantly by bright blue pom-pom and gold accessories by Erickson Beamon. Yes, all the Osman design signatures were there- that elegant curve of the waistline, the neat silhouette of a trouser suit -but refigured in exotic prints and fabrics, here was a collection perfect for brightening up those dark winter days.

Images and video credit: Samantha Meachin

Raeffaele Ascione at London Fashion Week AW12 // Goths will be goths

What: Raeffaele Ascione AW12 at London Fashion Week

Where: Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Freemason’s Hall

When: Sunday 19th September 6pm – 8pm

Images credit: Samantha Meachin.

Holly Fulton at London Fashion Week AW12 // Hose me down

What: Holly Fulton AW12 at London Fashion Week

Where: BFC Showspace, Somerset House

When: Tuesday 21st February 2012, 12pm

Who: Tolula Adeyemi (in Holly Fulton, of course) and a very squished FROW full of editors

Urban gardeners, drop the herb box and listen up – there’s a new green-fingered style icon in town and it’s the AW12 Holly Fulton woman. At the Holly Fulton show this afternoon in a jampacked BFS Showspace, we got our somewhat expected art deco leanings together with brightly coloured rainbow hues of pink and turquoise on ladylike silhouettes.

All this was wrapped into beautifully styled packages of Christian Louboutin heels, Cutler and Gross glasses and messy, sometimes bejewelled buns. And we were told – via press release – that the look was straight out of a saucy Lady Chatterley-style getting-it-on-with-the-gardener scene.

As it always is with fashion, the botanical garden prints and Peter Max-inspired pop art motifs were the most sophisticated imagining of a sexed up nature-loving Lady of the Manor we could ever hope to see. Which doesn’t mean the collection wasn’t fun – there was more than a hint of Versace in the bold pink and black looks (though we preferred the turquoise section). Crossed necklines, cropped jackets and polo necked dresses kept all the frivolity in check.

Fitted skirts were cut at the hems providing another hint of naughtiness and statement earrings and accessorised short sleeves  gave the otherwise stiff outfits some girlish movement. I wasn’t a fan of the swinging, furry bags but otherwise the glasses and jewellery were grown up touches to some pretty loud looks.

The finale look – with a beautiful armoured-style cropped vest and long, skintight skirt – was a wonderful surprise after lots of print and not much texture. I’m sure Ladies looking to pounce on their outdoor staff would stumble just like the final Holly Fulton model did as she took on the bright lights of the BFC catwalk. They’d probably have more chance of being caught by a strong, young man too.

Photos taken with Olympus PEN E-PM1 – for more information see here

Michael van der Ham at London Fashion Week AW12 // Collage for Grown Ups

Who: Michael van der Ham

Where: Topshop Venue at Old Billingsgate Market

When: Monday 20th February at 12pm

Who: Henry Conway, Lulu Kennedy, Susie Bubble, Tolula Adeyemi

Michael van der Ham is one of those designers who will always have a unique design signature. With his magpie-like eye for beautiful textiles and prints, his collections have always maintained that collage, arty aesthetic that has made him a favourite of avant-garde bloggers, Fashion East acolytes and London’s bright young things.

Personally, I was always fascinated by how beautifully he could incorporate patches and drape sashes across his dresses so that the whole thing moved as one. His technical skill is just mind blowing. I must have had sashes on the brain as I dreamt about his AW12 show last night as a spectacle that mimicked The Dance of the Seven Veils from Wilde’s Salome. Okay, so maybe three days of non-stop shows meant I was verging on delirium.

And also way off what he showed us today at the Old Billingsgate Market. Models were made up with Veronica Lake-esque curls as they glided up and down the runway in glamorous looks worthy of the screen goddess. Metallic details were present everywhere, from the jacquard panelling on bodice’s to hems with a delicate metallic floral appliqué – set against apple green separates.

But from the knitted, structured pieces that dominate daywear, we moved towards the night, with sequin-encrusted tops paired with shimmering mini-skirts, satin cigarette pants. The silhouette became more fluid, more nonchalent as MVDH upped the ante for his finale – a series of dainty organza concoctions, diffused floral prints across blouses and – yes- the odd sash here and there. In these lux fabrics and cuts, MVDH’s latest collection shows that grown-ups can do collage too.