SNAP Fashion

LFW: Day 5 + taking stock

The final day of fashion week is for getting excited about the last of the new collections on show, but also about starting to decipher the mass of looks and formulate trends.  As luck would have it, day 5 confirmed for us one of next season’s biggest trends…winter pink.

Simone Rocha opted for bright bubblegum pink and jelly-look shoes (we’re not so sure about those!) while Roksanda Ilincic’s pink was more delicate, dusky and teamed with fresh whites that Ariel would approve of.. check out the candy pattern shoes. Ekaterina Kukhareva gave us playful swirling patterns in pink on muted grey cloth. I can imagine Gwen Stefani in her former No Doubt days rocking this look.

Day 5 brought with it other looks too but for now we’ll stick with the pink, which was also seen at Topshop Unique with sequins and wooly at Jonathan Saunders and Mulberry.

Pretty in pink

More!

And some other trends hot off the LFW catwalk…

• Capes at Marios Schwab, J.W. Anderson and Peter Pilotto
• Ladies in red paraded at Eudon Choi, Preen, Peter Pilotto, Burberry, Jonathan Saunders, J.W. Anderson and Topshop Unique.
• Dark, brooding and sinister were key themes at so many shows. Meadham Kirchoff took the fetish route to this, while Mary Katrantzou chose evocative prints. There was plenty of dark lace and velvet for a twist on grown-up gothic at Erdem, Mulberry, Giles, Preen and more.
• Velvet – seen at Marios Schwab, Issa and arguably most innovatively at Christopher Kane.
• Roll-necks (I’ll be skipping this one!) but they were seen at Pringle, Erdem, J. JS Lee, Emilia Wickstead, Clements Ribeiro, Roksanda Ilincic and Thomas Tait.
• Also a little sexy; PVC was everywhere from OTT outfits at Meadham Kirchoff to stylish separates at Topshop Unique, Simone Rocha, Jonathan Saunders and Marios Schwab.
• Skirts come with splits next season, even if it is windy and cold. Of course Rihanna showed off her summer collection for River Island which featured so many splits it’s a wonder that skirts are able to preserve any modesty. But they are here to stay for AW13 according to Christopher Kane, Topshop Unique, Jonathan Saunders, Preen, Peter Pilotto and J.W. Anderson.
• Leopard skin came in many different forms from chic pops on accessories to full-on looks and pattern clashing at Burberry and Tom Ford (I know- we’re kinda shocked too!) while Preen and Sibling paired it was a risqué red.
• Decades-wise, we think that the 1990s and the 1960s were the biggest historical influences from LFW. Dust off your baseball caps y’all!
  

  Dotty for the spotty

Discovery Monday: Huishan Zhang (LFW special)

I was blown away by Huishan Zhang’s presentation at LFW. Think 1960s perfection teamed with Piet Mondrian’s ‘Compositions II in red, blue and yellow’ painting with some bonus sparkles.

Born in China and a graduate of Central Saint Martins with experience at Dior couture, Huishan’s signature style is ‘Chinese tradition meets western influence and modernity’. Huishan’s recent collections have featured his trademark piece. “The cheongsam dress is a recurring piece in my collections. I think it embodies everything that is sexy and feminine about the Chinese culture and tradition, yet it remains very adaptable to Western society and easy to embellish with a modern twist each season,” he told LFW.

Yes there were 1960s-inspired shift dresses, A-line swing coats and geometric shapes, but they looked super fresh, which was surprising given their retro shapes and arty influences from one of modern art’s most famous painters. The Mondrian-esque black lines separated panels of exquisite lace, which was not in the least minimalist with accompaniments of sugary pinks, power blues and panels of sparkling crystals. But everything was meticulously placed, balanced and somehow restrained.  I adored the grey lazer-cut coat and will be attempting to re-create the beauty look at home…in vain I’m sure!

Pics: Sarah for Snap Fashion (feeling smug)

LFW: Day 4

On day 4 I went to the Hushan Zhang presentation (separate blog coming up) and it was one of my favourite collections of LFW for many reasons, which I will gush about later. But for now, here’s some amazing looks from Day 4.

• Peter Pilotto’s Spanish style boxy bolero jackets – the embroidery was influenced by the works of Spanish renaissance artists.
• The fabulous capes of Antonio Berardi. On my wish-list (or at least something similar – try using www.SnapFashion.co.uk to find yours!)
• Erdem’s sexy boucle and lace combos and of course his delicious wintery florals – violet and lemon – yum.
  

  Three very different looks. That’s what LFW’s all about.

Burberry’s transparent trench coats and cute heart prints were super alongside luxe camel and leather with lots of eyelet detailing. It’s love!

Burberry: Cara and details

I couldn’t wear it but I adored Tom Ford’s glam, maximalist colour and print clashing – a real departure from his last collection. Maybe the craziness of London has rubbed off on him.

J.W. Anderson’s masterful mixing of women’s and menswear was plain to see. He’s also joined the dress/skirt with trousers club and I detect a bit of nineties influence in the collection.

Giles’ golden lazer-cut pieces and other-worldly flowing dresses were impressive but I didn’t like the beauty look – effective and brooding yes, but I thought it made the models look tired!

Tom Ford, J.W. Anderson and Giles

Christopher Kane’s kilts and floral appliqué pieces were some of my favourites of this season (so far!) I enjoyed the glam take on camouflage print, leather fastening details, beautiful silk maxi skirts with super soft knits and so much more. If I had the cash, I’d snap up a lot of this collection!

Michael van der Ham made holey knackered material into an art form, but I loved his patterned more polished pieces in rich blues and mossy greens.

A van der Ham Sandwich! (Christopher Kane on either side)

Pics: Vogue

LFW: Day 3

I spent a good deal of day 3 preening and having an amazing time at the Topshop Unique Show but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t more fashion going on! Some of Britain’s biggest hitters showed their latest wares (or should that be wears) and my ‘must-have’ coat list is expanding at a frightening rate. It will be a real challenge to put a top 10 together this season! #FirstWorldProblems

Flashes of red

Justin and Thea’s Preen collection was a little ‘polished punk’ (that’s my new phrase – don’t wear it out) and was reportedly influenced by a post-apocalyptic film called ‘Jubilee’, hence perhaps the slashes of red. Leather skirts had slits, kilts and biker jacked reigned supreme (a personal YES!) and studs and zips featured heavily- some pockets you could even zip right off. Handy. Holly Fulton’s show was also a teensy bit punk inspired but if course a lot of Art Deco featured too. There were lipstick dresses, love token prints, drop waists and lovely geometric cube-type patterns.

Topshop Unique also showcased plenty of patent red leather and scarlet patterned separates, but you’ll have to switch to our Topshop blog to read all about it! And Paul Smith clashed his deep reds with opulent deep pinks and rich plums for some beautiful tonal colour-blocking that looked fresh but refined.

Ladies in red at Preen, Holly Fulton, Topshop Unique and Paul Smith

Check mate

Mulberry referenced the 1990s (which has been EVERYWHERE this fashion week) with skirt and trouser combos and textured checks…although the occasional woodland animal snuck in…thank goodness! It wouldn’t be Mulberry without them. Emilia Wickstead’s collection was similarly English but very prim and proper, as you’d expect. Plaid, pleats, impeccable tailoring and flared feminine shapes with occasional rose prints combined for a modern twist on heritage ladylike.

Temperley London channelled Hitchcock muse Tippi Hedren, which gave the collection a sexier, broodier mood than the super summery floral collection of this season (surprise surprise!)I loved the early sixties shapes and will have to invest in a pair of cats eye glasses.

Different checks at Mulberry and Temperley London

 Pattern and print

In recent years London has emerged as the premiere fashion capital of print and day 3 was particularly prodigious on the print front. Temperley London and Vivienne Westwood gave us very different stripes. Jonathan Saunders’ show was typically restrained with a focus on beautiful colours and texture but there were also stripes too. Sexy but totally wearable, he told Vogue that it was all about womanhood, 1950s pin-ups ad Diana Dors. I adored the slightly jarring but muted colour palette and the underwear as outerwear details were just the right amount of naughty. It was incredibly sophisticated and provocative in a quiet but sexy way. LOVED it.

Print: Temperley London, Vivienne Westwood, Whistles and L’Wren Scott

High street favourite, Whistles, gave a presentation of its new collection for the first time at LFW and there were interesting camouflage-like patterns as well as lust-worthy leather separates. Arguably the contemporary queen of print, Mary Katrantzou, took a darker, more sophisticated and slightly sinister direction to her usually exuberant and fun prints, often composed of florals and unusual found objects. For this collection she was reportedly inspired by the black and white photography of Steichen, Clarence White and Alfred Stieglitz. But it wasn’t all about the print. Japanese origami shapes drew attention to the stark landscaped printed on the garments.

L’Wren Scott, who also showed at LFW for the first time, was inspired by artist Gustav Klimt and swirly lines defined her glamourous collection. Matthew Williamson injected some much needed winter sunshine into his collection and I picked out this delicious zigzag dress as one of my favourite pieces. Masculine tailoring and androgyny was the focus of Richard Nicoll’s show, which also featured zigzags, but in a furry way. There were also subtle florals and plenty of grey felt tailoring.

Print: Mary Katrantzou, Jonathan Saunders, Matthew Williamson and Richard Nicoll

LFW: Day 2

Day 2. Feet remarkably recovered and today was about watching a lot of live streams on the sofa. The wonders of technology, eh?

Elemetary?

We spotted some outfits on the runway on day 2 of LFW that could were a little Sherlock Holmes or a twist on the contemporary suit at Daks, Christopher Raeburn, Jasper Conran, Palmer Harding, Todd, J JS Lee, Lynn and Issa London, which defeinitely had the most stylish hats.

Snappy dressing at Daks, Christopher Raeburn and Todd Lynn

All white now

Fresh white outfits remain a big thing this coming winter. I loved Antipodium’s super flattering, flared dress, Julien Macdonald’s slinky body-con numbers (his first show for quite a while) and J JS Lee’s slouchy suits.

Clean and simple at Antipodium, Julien Macdonald and J JS Lee

Ready-to-Wear favourites

New York Fashion Week is known for presenting super-wearable collections for people that don’t want to stand out in the fashion pack toooo much, but today Clements Ribeiro gave us punch florals, Orla Kiely pretty, simple pastels, cute cardis with squirrels and prim furry coats and collars, while Jasper Conran served up some sixties-inspired dresses in  pop-tastic orange and pinks as well as more muted browns and plums.

Jasper Conran reworks the 1960s

Star power

Love it or hate it, River Island’s show with its Rihanna-designed collection (RiRi for RI?!) attracted as much attention as any of the cutting-edge designer shows…check out our update. The Saturdays sat FROW at Julien Macdonald in an identikit leg-baring pose. Impressive.

The Saturdays and Pixie Lott all do short dresses and towering platforms

Sci-Fi lands

We love a futuristic shapes and sci-fi inspired collections and Moschino Cheap & Chic, David Koma and Thomas Tait got us excited. So much so that I’m off to the shows later wearing shiny silver shoes and a huge handbag.

Moschino’s collection was playful and wearable with hints of the brand’s  back-catalogue, as you’d expect, while David  Koma’s structured leather and mesh creations  definitely had sex appeal. I loved the metal waist belts, perky peplums, concentric circle print and ribbed leather – can’t wait to see this collection up close! But the fashion pack went crazy for Thomas Tait and his very distinctive aesthetic of pared-down tailoring and hi-tech construction. It’s a little bit sporty – but not as we know it. Yes- there were socks and sandals.

The future as seen by David Koma, Thomas Tait and Moschino Cheap & Chic

David Koma’s spacey collection

Seventies wallpaper

Fun, lairy wallpaper, the seventies and eighties were all big influences in the House of Holland collection, which also featured cocktail prints. I liked the tortoiseshell accessories and seventies-style vinyl macs but the wallpaper print suits were certainly eyecatching!

Completely unrepresentative pic from the House of Holland show – but my fav!

P.S. Cara Delevingne count: Three shows (I think!) and in the audience at Rihanna for River Island.

Pics: Vogue, Style.com and The Telegraph.

LFW: day one

Hello London Fashion Week – we’ve missed you. I rocked up early to see the first show of the week – Zoë Jordan. And we’ll wax lyrical about it in another blog later on – even the music was amazing – but for now, here’s a few day one highlights.

For anyone who hasn’t run the gauntlet of Somerset House’s Courtyard, where some of the shows are held, it’s stuffed full of fashion folk wearing outlandish outfits, journos, photographers, models and the odd confused member of the public hoping to go to the art gallery. There is also a lot going on behind the schemes with very exclusive viewings and presentations by some of fashion’s finest.

So by the time I took my place for the first show, magazine insiders had got a peek of Markus Lupfer and McQ’s latest creations…which featured patent navy leather, matchy-matchy separates, snakeskin prints, signature quirky knitwear and geometric shapes in the case of Lupfer and military-inspired tailoring, shearing and black equestrian wear shapes with a twist at McQ. Yum.

McQ & Markus Lupfer

The new colour blocking

Zoë Jordan’s collection was beautifully architectural with coats to die for! Patches of plaid,  pink and tangerine pieces coupled with interesting architecturally-inspired prints and practical leather pieces shot to the top of the audience’s shopping list. It was one of the most wearable yet inspiring collections I’ve seen lately and there were even a couple of striking evening gowns. Something for everyone. But my favourite was this super minimalist snow-white ensemble, below, that’s not even at little bit Disney.

There was also colour blocking of a very different kind at Felder Felder. I was pleased to see the brand’s floaty nature-inspired prints, mixed with rubber, practical knits, suede and calfskin (I think; that fashionable hairy-stuff…it looked good on the catwalk but it’s not for me!) lots of quilting and metallics. I adored the cranberry and earthy colour palette with the occasional flash of matte silver.

New new colour blocking. Zoe Jordan and Felder Felder

Going global

Of course designers’ influences are many, but Bora Aksu, KTZ, Eudon Choi and Fydor Golan’s collections all seemed to be inspired by far-flung places and certainly did little to dampen my wanderlust.

Bora Aksu’s collection included some extreme corset shapes – in velvet and fur with a focus on the lacing, mixing 1920s influences with his Turkish heritage. The colour palette was largely neutral, with the exception of some punchy pinky-purple numbers but the latest collection seemed to be more about texture than the riot of colour we are used to from this designer. For me, the devil was in the detail, which was exquisite from crocheted ties, incredible head dresses, amazing hairstyles, quilting and needlework. The image I have chosen does not sum up the collection but I fell in love with this dress! Eudon Choi included plenty of billowing shapes in white cotton and leather, with textured baroque detail black pieces and even paisley headscarves- a modern take on a peasant style, perhaps.

KTZ’s collection was eclectic as always but in a monochrome palette for half of the show with furry textures, magical references, an urban traveller feel and very distinctive hats! Vibrant African-influenced print appeared in the second half of the collection as well as golden metallics and shearing; all borrowing touches from around the world. I have a real soft spot for Fyodor Golan and the duo’s attention to detail and devotion to craftsmanship is incredible- as well as them being super friendly! Their collection featured wintery fresh whites with intricate black detailing as well as minimalist white frills (following on from the SS13 trend) contrasted with structural gold and heavily embroidered mini dresses and gothic touches. My love affair with Fydor Golan continues.

Eudon Choi, Bora Aksu, KTZ and Fydor Golan

A different kind of girl

A little bit ladylike with lots of sumptuous fabric, PPQ, Sass & Bide and Jean-Pierre Bragaza provided some glamour for women who don’t want frou-frou gowns. These outfits will fit every mood and add va-va-voom to practical trousers as well as offer sleek dresses to lust over.

PPQ was a riot of Warhol-esque colour with pop art coloured coats seemingly inspired by different historical periods. But I fell in love with a  monochrome coat that Jackie-O would have gone crazy for. The dresses were classic PPQ: tight, revealing and colourful, although there were also gathered bubble skirt shapes that didn’t do it for me. But a great collection for fun party girls.

For a completely different girl: if I was heading to a red carpet event I’d call Alice Palmer for a modern take on Art Deco with just the right amount of peek-a-book in the sheer chevrons. Jean-Pierre Braganza was understated, elegant with sleek geometric prints, a few oriental-inspired patterns, sharp suits and a lot of cool. As well as the perfect clothes, you have to check out the precision centre partings and models’ amazing smoky eye make-up. I’d like to be a Braganza girl.

And last but not least, more trousers! Sass & Bide gave us a surprisingly sunny winter collection and why not? I loved the neat blazers and lounge pants as well as the matchy-matchy full on stripy separates. If you read my blog regularly, you’ll know that I’m a sucker for stripes. As well as slinky metallic kits and patent leather details, I’ll be rocking a pop of sunshine yellow in my winter wardrobe this year!

New was to be a lady! Thanks Sass & Bide, PPQ, Alice Palmer and Jean-Pierre Braganza

Over-and-out for now. I’ll bring you more blogs and a day 2 round-up once I’ve limped back from Somerset House…Day 2 is my trainer day!

Discovery Monday: Sophia Webster

Here’s a shoe designer you are going to be hearing a LOT about. We first saw her designs (we think!) at the London Fashion Week exhibition and we fell in love…instantly.

Sophia Webster studied at the Royal College of Art and was design assistant to Nicholas Kirkwood *swoon* before starting her own line. While her Aztec open-toe bootie is well admired, we think her candy coloured SS13 collection is incredible, inspired by Jackson Pollock and Marie Antoinette, apparently.

Sophia’s shoes are already on sale at Net-a-Porter – WIN! And here are lots of pics from the exhibition- we love the Barbie doll-esque models showing off the designs too.

Amazing boots!

Sophia Webster Briar multi-strap leather sandals £360 from Net-a-Porter

Sophia Webster Yayoi patent-leather and suede sandals £525

The ones I want. Sophia Webster Daria leather and PVC slingbacks £295

Sophia Webster SS13 at the exhibition

Love these! Sophia Webster Lana embellished PVC and suede sandals £395

Sophia Webster Yayoi patent and leather sandals £525

London Fashion Week

LFW: Geometric wonderland

Rulers at the ready and protractors poised; geometry has never been so cool! From hot hexagons to sexy stripes, titillating triangles and sensual circles, designers tessellated and threw some serious shapes together for mathematical mayhem on the catwalk. 

With more shapes than your old maths textbook, take a look at this little lot!

Holly Fulton

House of Holland

Jean-Pierre Braganza

Louise Gray

Peter Pilotto

Topshop Unique

Marios Schwab

Pics: Telegraph, ID Magazine and London Fashion Week.

LFW: Geometric wonderland

Rulers at the ready and protractors poised; geometry has never been so cool! From hot hexagons to sexy stripes, titillating triangles and sensual circles, designers tessellated and threw some serious shapes together for mathematical mayhem on the catwalk.

With more shapes than your old maths textbook, take a look at this little lot!

Holly Fulton

Pics: London Fashion Week.

LFW: Metallics are back for more!

Metallics were big news last summer (thanks Versace, Chanel et al) and we’re committed to to sparkle this season too…so the good news is that you can keep recycling those sequinned separates and shimmering in silver as it’s a big SS13 trend as well. Invest wisely now and you’ll get some serious mileage from your oh-so-glam wardrobe.

A big Autumn trend is bronze and shimmering brocade but unsurprisingly summer’s metallic are more ethereal and lighter. Silver is the order of the day at Jonathan Saunders to cut-outs at Topshop Unique and slightly scary OTT pieces at Marcus Lupfer there’s something for everyone.

Jonathan Saunders

Antipodium

House of Holland

Jonathan Saunders

Preen

Topshop Unique

Burberry – fashion moment of LFW? Pic: AFP

Pics: London Fashion Week + AFP.