Monday 30 September 2013

London Fashion Week LFW Spring Summer 2014 Paris '99 picks!


London, the smallest of the 'big four' fashion weeks often is a launching pad for British designers who go on to bigger and better things abroad (read Galliano, McCartney, McQueen (RIP), Chalayan, Pugh and Philo). But it seems there is a push to keep things local and make everything bigger, better and more visible in order to engage public interest in the industry. Please read the following article about the new chair of the British Fashion Council, the fabulous founder of Net-A-Porter (Portay of biensur..), Natalie Massenet, after you look at the pics below of course haha :)
http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/sep/22/observer-profile-natalie-massenet

Always a hotbed of excitement and energy, London is of course home to Burberry and Paul Smith, arguably two of the most established fashion houses around; and strong, now newish blood making waves in Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane, Simone Rocha and Erdem.
The designers I have chosen are a mix of the old guard, the new, and the rebirthed.
Antonio Berardi, Burberry and John Rocha have varying sizes of their houses but all have been London locals for the better part of 2 decades (I remember the late 1990s it's true!). Sexy tailoring and vampy dresses are always on Berardi's runway but this season is more relaxed. Christopher Bailey looks to lace and muted pastels, loving that lavender and murky mustard and mint!
John Rocha studies form in Gothic-y period styles and a nod to Japan, but his collection was decorative, floral and fresh with a dark edge which was just gorgeous. Now I am aware of family run labels where the children take over duties from parents and grandparents but I'm not sure, and correct me please, if there are many other children who have gone on to launch successful labels to compete with their parents, as in the case of Simone Rocha who has taken the world by storm with her what I've termed 'past modern futuristic collections'.
No introduction necessary for Tom Ford, transformed Gucci and YSL, film director, immaculate gentleman! He can do what he wants and he's sticking to his bondage, power and party roots where everything is fabulous and I love it!




Antonio Berardi!







Burberry Prorsum!









David Koma!







John Rocha!







Simone Rocha







Tom Ford!






Sunday 29 September 2013

New York Fashion Week NYFW Spring Summer 2014 Paris '99 Picks!


Hello hello dear '99ers!
It's been fashion month all month long and we are heading towards the back end of the Paris shows which means, that with more shows on schedule than ever before, there is some serious catching up to do!
Do not despair, I have been keeping close watch and here are my favourites from NYC; something for all you island people, up-down-and-mid-town, enjoy! xxx

Oh of course, all images are taken with love from www.style.com and I do not claim ownership to any of them, apart from the ones taken at the salon, but I will readily point these out of course ;)!

The alphabetical order was not how I viewed or thought about these collections, but its how Windows saves them! (Yes, PC user here haha). There are three designers starting with R, that too was unintentional. I'm liking the darker edge to summer; outerwear, leathers, burnt colours. At the same time this explosion of creams, whites and nudes are very refreshing.
There is sport, aerodynamism, cultural referencing, embellishment is big and hang on to both your sunglasses and your shiny fabrics, loving metallics of course!
I guess maybe it's more about the globalisation of fashion, spring here is autumn elsewhere and everyone travels so much these days, our wardrobes are multi-season, inter-season, trans-season, duo-season, non-season, you get it :).

Alexandre Herchcovitch!







Altuzarra!








Calvin Klein Collection - Happy 10th Francisco Costa!







Del Pozo!





Side note*! I, like I'm sure many of you, have been a member of the not so secret club Moda Operandi. Clever ladies, you place your order with deposit for the next season, so 100% sell through and instant access to runway pieces, amazing! Anyway, Delpozo and Calvin Klein Collection are on there right now, and the incredible 'stripey' jackets which are actually striped snakeskin and incredibly handwoven leather are respectively $24,000 and $40,000. Never say CK is cheap, it never has and never will be, love!



Monique L'Huillier!






Reed Krakoff!








Ralph Rucci!
Has been mine, and many others, silent insider's favourite for years and years. This collection brought some new found youth, don't worry, I'm sure the prices will stay the same (starting in the 000s always, but the pieces are the stuff of dreams).








The Row






Stay tuned for the iconoclastic hub that is of course London, which had a far more visible fashion week two weeks ago thanks to Natalie Massenet who has taken over the British Fashion Council (yay for budgets! ;P)
xx