London Fashion Week

Danielle Radojcin keeps track of all the fashion gossip at the autumn/winter 2008/9 shows.

Sunday 10 February

 

On a blindingly sunny Sunday in February, it was off to South Kensington for the opening of London Fashion Week. First show of the week was the off-schedule Poltock & Walsh, showing for the first time in London (their first ever collection was shown last season in New York). A rich, autumnal palette of plum, dark green, and black complimented the setting of the library in the Science Museum. Models sauntered out to a background of ceiling-high books; the feathered head pieces and boots were fantastic, as were some of the clothes: a two-tone pencil skirt which was plum at the front and black at the back and a knee-length puffed-hem coat were standout pieces.

Topshop unique

Alexa Chung, Kelly Osbourne, Pixie Geldof and Rachel Stevens all attended the show. Pixie is a style icon in the making, with her peroxide crop dark roots and eyebrows, and a ton of teenage attitude - very Edie Sedgwick. The collection itself was a little more grown-up, with some nice chunky grey knitwear pieces, black leather trousersuits, and a couple of oversize looks with massive pockets. Top model Suvi Kaponen stalked out in an impressive Mongolian-style sheepskin coat, and the highstreet star's young fans were finally rewarded with a bunch of cute, floaty grey dresses.

 

At the tents, stopped by the Pauric Sweeney stand. The upmarket handbags are widely being touted as the name to watch by the discerning set. I was told that the designer will soon be designing bags for a major fashion house; my source tells me an announcement will be announced in April....

 

Jaeger

This was the first fashion show by Jaeger London. The upbeat music and energetic pace of the models reflected an optimistic, commercial show, which took Ali McGraw and that whole late 60s, early 70s preppy but cool student as its inspiration: long woollen scarves, across-the-body messenger bags, adorned with long goat hair(?). There were some great prints - dark green and black large houndstooth, and a lime and black python dress long sleeved silk dress which looked both daring and wearable; there was also a zig zag print with black patent edging. The Paddington bear hats were a cute accessories touch, too.

 

 

Monday 11 February

 

Took a quick turn around the ground floor of the tents, which is the accessories section. Some nice stuff from jewellers Zoe & Morgan - Morgan showed me some cool rocker belts with patterned buckles they'll soon be selling; he also said they're thinking about branching in to bags (who isn't, these days). The Linda Farrow sunglasses stall was mobbed, as usual. Spotted some great Michelle Pfeiffer-in-

Scarface white-framed sunglasses by Eley Kishimoto, and also Raf Simmons wooden framed aviator styles will be a big hit on the shades front.

 

Off-schedule show Felder Felder presented a fierce, tough bitch collection, reminiscent of Tank Girl, with a bit of Siouxie Sioux thrown in. That meant a black leather jacket with jangling gold hoops hanging off it, a purple ruffled skirt, and a fine grey belted ruffled dress, with woollen beanie hats and bovver boots.

 

Eley Kishimoto was a colourful medley of clashing prints and colours. The press release notes said it was all about English quirkiness with an Alice in Wonderland feel. They got that right. The show had something jarring about it, with the white gloves, harlequin-print dresses, colour clashes and print mix-ups. Some of the prints were eyecatching, especially the white rabbit (continuing the Alice in W theme) print on black background tea dresses at the end.

 

Emma Cook showed a perfectly of-the-moment collection, with a kind of techno stall at Camden market feel (especially prescient in light of the Camden fires, you could say), which evolved into a parade of deep sea sirens. Each model walked out in what looked like glazed white leggings with a tie-dye pattern down each leg. A black bouclé wool cape and a layered ruffle mini dress, mushroom coloured and with the appearance of molluscs, were two strong looks. One thing I loved about Cook's collection where her flipped, wavy hemmed skirts, made stiff with underwiring, and her spider web-effect black lace mini dress.

 

Louise Goldin's show was the hit of the day, with the audience cheering and clapping like mad at the end (bearing in mind the fashion crowd are so jaded it's rare they raise more than an eyebrow at most things). The young knitwear designer showed Aztec-print fine woollens in a range of surprising shapes. Toggles dangling off hooded jumpers, and catsuits in blues and purples were reminiscent of neoprene surfing wetsuits. 

 

On to Claridges for the Paul Smith show, which was much too small a space to fit the throngs trying to squeeze in. It was worth the cramp and the heat, however, as the show was full of wearable and sexy pieces - alongside the usual well-tailored suits, there were large v-neck jumpers which came in green and in rust and fell to mid thigh; a fantastic cowl-neck double-breasted coat with mid length sleeves in a moss green and mud brown large square print, and a mustard yellow 50s-style cocktail dress with bow detailing and a white ruffle hem which fell to the mid-calf.

 

Tuesday 12 February

 

Oscar-nominated actress Laura Linney was sitting front row at Betty Jackson, as was Jennifer Saunders, Erin O'Conno, Lulu Guinness and Davina McCall. The show featured some great knits in teal and blue-grey. A yellow knee-length knit dress with an inbuilt shrug was a hit, as was a wide-neck floral-print lightweight coat. Was that Anne Boleyn, as seen in Holbein portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, embossed on a pair of burgundy knickers?

 

On to the tents, where I met and chatted with the Poltock and Walsh designers, Katie Walsh and Fiona Poltock. There feathered shoe-boots, which they made especially for the show, were even more covetable up close. Apparently I'm not the only visitor to have asked after them, and although there aren't any plans to put them into production, the pair are thinking about branching out into shoes this year. (A big thank-you to Katie, who ran after me with my Blackberry Pearl, which I'd left behind at their stall, and which was ringing distractedly).

 

Met and chatted with designer Hannah Marshall, who looks fantastically Betty Page with her long raven hair and blunt mid-brow length fringe; shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood had some fantastic pieces on show, and has just won an Italian Vogue Who's Next Awards.

 

 

 Hot newcomer Krystof Strozyna showed his first on schedule collection, which was a sharp, bright parade of clean white dresses and trouser suits, followed by the same in hot pink. The large, plastic jewellery for which he is known adorned many of the clothes like alien shiny appendages. 

This show was followed by another New Generation (funded by Topshop) collection, by Meadham Kirchoff, which was a much looser, romantic affair. There were long, fitted jersey skirts in nude and grey, a couple of which were so so tight at the hem the models could only take tiny steps, geisha style, down the runway.

 

The Aquascutum show had the right idea, serving champagne and mini iced cakes on the guests' arrival. Supermodel and Nicholas Ghesquière muse Liya Kebede opened the show, after which followed a calm stream of models in beautiful, double breasted coats in bold, clean colours;  an electric blue coat  which stood out at the hips and seemed to float around the model's body was particularly stunning.

 

 

Todd Lynn's show was "inspired by the eerie stillness of Victorian taxidermy and the pallor of gothic glam" according the show notes. Lots of sharp tailoring, as we've come to expect from this designer. Hightlights included a plum coloured cracked leather jacket, and a dark silver metallic halter-neck dress, which came down to a deep V at the front, and was cut away to a low square at the back. There was menswear as well. The great thing about Lynn is he chooses models that look like they wear those kind of clothes all the time anyway, making the whole thing a lot easier to buy into (and to buy, no doubt).

 

Nathan Jenden showed his fifth collection (and his third at LFW) in the dark and gloomy vaults of the Shunt club, under the arches of London Bridge. The moody atmosphere leant itself to a mesmerising collection of masked mannequins, fit for a modern-day masquerade. The opulent fabrics - leather, lace and metallics - were offset by sharp tailoring, with precision tucks and pleating. One of the final outfits - a rhinestone-encrusted strapless sheath dress, took the audience's breath away, not least Diane von Furstenberg, for whose company Jenden is Creative Director in New York, and who sat centre front row.  

 

Wednesday 13 February

Although I was too late to catch the on/off schedule Peter Pilotto show, I was lucky enough to be meet the designers, Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, backstage. Jefferson Hack's girlfriend Anouk Lepere, who modelled in the show, was still in her final outfit: a fitted teal knitted all-in-one with attached hood; there was also a great deal of hand dyed and paint-splattered fabric about.

 

 

Back at the tents, settled in at the New Gen Arms, the friendly pub in the Topshop-sponsored area, and easily the nicest place to hang out at LFW. I chatted with shoe designer Charlotte Dellal, who's collection, Charlotte Olympia, which she co-designs with Isotta Cleps, is in its second season. The gorgeous shoes, which range from super-high heels in colourful ostrich leather to suede cream sexy office shoes, all carry the gold spiderweb logo on the sole, which as the glamorous designer told me, is after ‘Charlotte's web'. I was also glad to have the chance to ask the glamorous Charlotte where her she gets the gorgeous cats' ears hats, in either yellow or leopard print, she's often photographed wearing: apparently they're by French milliner Marie Mercier. She liked my YSL navy blue cocoon dress, and said she always likes a bit of Yves. Similarly, she likes to wear Giambattista Valli dresses when she's going out, and also raids her mother's closet (Charlotte is the offspring of Brazilian model Andrea Dellal, and real estate millionaire Guy Dellal; her sister is It-girl and model Alice).

 

 

Giles Deacon was able to put on a spectacular show, the likes of which is more often seen in the more financially flush Milan or New York; this was thanks in part to the support of Blackberry, who sponsored him as part of their partnership with Carphone Warehouse for the launch of their limited edition Pink Blackberry Pearl. The show, which was staged at an old school in Shoreditch, was actually a double: one at 7.30 and one at 8.00 (although the show ran over an hour late, prompting many on-time arrivals to decamp to nearby Hoxton for cocktails). The show itself was breathtaking with hundreds of silver disco balls hanging from the ceilings casting a thousand twinkling lights over the room. Giles also gets in all good models, so there was Suvi Kaponen, Liya Kebede and Lily Donaldson, although Agyness Deyn, who hid her infected eye behind various disguises (a tartan patch at House of Holland, for example) wasn't in evidence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this Print this