LONDON FASHION WEEK REPORTING FROM FASHION’S FRONT LINE Got a story? Email us: newsdesk@lfwdaily.com VIEW THE DAILY ONLINE: www.lfwdaily.com
ISSUE N O 1, LONDON FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2010
IN ASS OCIATION WITH PANDORA
SATURDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2009
THE FASHION MOMENT Mimmi and Hannah, stars of the current Miu Miu campaign no less, backstage at new label Veryta. Photography by Anna Bauer
Veryta good show Report by David Hayes
Picture the scene: a string quartet, Claridge’s ballroom, gilt chairs and a cast of new top models [see above]. Yep, such is a ‘presentation’ for a fledgling label on the opener of London Fashion Week these days. And the name raising the fashion week bar to these dizzying heights? Veryta, a new luxury Italian line by illustrator and designer Tanya Ling. But this is not just any old new label; it is one backed by Italian silkweaving magnate Filippo Binaghi
Walk this way! Report by Caryn Franklin Last night saw the launch of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, an initiative to expand upon the imagery coming out of the heart of London Fashion Week by using a wider range of professional models in size and age. It’s timely! And many agree that the resurgence of a 1980s aesthetic has precipitated a desire to embrace individuality over uniformity. Guests at the Somerset House Portico Rooms roamed among life-
and YSL’s Stefano Pilati. All that and a charity angle, too: 50 per cent of profits and 10 per cent of sales will go to poverty-alleviating projects such as educating children in India. “I wanted the collection to be like Chanel couture when Coco was alive,” said Ling after one of the three presentation shows. Cue a refined collection of 19 outfits that include impeccably cut trouser suits, satin jump suits, highwaist shorts, spare shift dresses and
white shirts, all run up in an array of silks, naturally. “We had to party with what we had,” joked Ling. In far less refined hands the look could have become more ‘dressmaker’ than ‘haute couture’, but Ling’s fabrics, finish and detail give the clothes a fresh simplicity. “People have been pleasantly surprised how good the prices are,” said Ling of the all-silk range. Well, after all, some of the price tag does go to a good cause.
sized photographs of eight women aged between 18 and 65 in sizes 8 to 16, with endorsements from Alexandra Shulman and a heartfelt speech by Sarah Brown, who stopped by before attending her own official LFW Downing Street reception. Shot by photographer Kayt Jones for i-D magazine, curvy and slender models, young and old, appeared in outfits from forthcoming collections of the UK’s leading emerging talent to comment on the industry’s power to influence the way women feel about their bodies, as well as fashion. “It’s been really refreshing to make and see fashion on a variety of body shapes,” said William Tempest, showing alongside Georgia Hardinge,
Mark Fast, Hannah Marshall, David Koma, Alexandra Groover and Cooperative Designs, “I’d love my model Laura, a UK size 14/16 [see right], to appear on my catwalk. I hope we start to start to see a more diverse range of sizes in our industry.” Working with designers early in their careers to introduce this shift in thinking is crucial. It’s something our industry finds hard to do, given that ready-to-wear requires the model to be slotted in at the end of the process. Founders Debra Bourne, Erin O’Connor, Susan Ringwood (CEO of not-for-profit organisation Beat) and myself understand the pressures. That’s why All Walks is a step in the right direction.
FROM TOKYO TO LONDON
We’re all gagging for the Lady
Column McDowell
Report by Anna-Marie Solowij
Noted by Colin McDowell
She’s on the cover of V and was the toast of New York, co-hosting the Marc Jacobs after-show party. In London we’ve been going gaga over the Lady ever since she appeared wearing nothing but a St Tropez spray tan (executed by fashion’s favourite tanning artist, James Read), a dressing gown and sunglasses. In a season when the body is more than ever on display, perfected skin is an essential part of the look. “It’s a Hollywood trend that’s
now here,” says St Tropez CEO Michelle Feeney, who is working with Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab and Roksanda Ilincic this season to create body-flattering finishes that complement their collections. For those still fearful of the overly bronzed look, these shows will reassure. “We’ve created some beautiful iridescent sprays for the skin for Marios’ show, inspired by the fabrics he uses,” says Feeney. And they wash off when you want.
New York crib notes Jet-lagged report by Isaac Lock
Photography by Kayt Jones for i-D
Will these trends cross the Pond? Watch this space… * Alex Wang giving girls shoulders like American footballers, but still making them look sexy. Clever. * Smoke, lasers and Sasha P as a gothic tribal warrior at Rodarte. Basically a fashionable Star Trek convention in an amazing way. * Party frocks literally everywhere. Recession’s over, guys. It said so in The Guardian the other day.
There couldn’t be a better time for Anna Wintour to be in London. She is giving the 25th anniversary of the British Fashion Council a huge boost by her presence. In over 20 years as editor-in-chief of US Vogue, she has changed fashion from an esoteric pastime for the privileged to a driving force for young and old, poor or rich across the globe. That is why she is the single most important individual in the fashion world today, with an influence and status far beyond that of any designer. But it is for other reasons that we should welcome this most stylish of women to London this week. Criticised – and has anyone in fashion ever had so much negative copy? – for her attitude to fur, model sizes and many other things, she is rarely praised for the considerable help and support that she uses her iconic status to give to young designers in order to help them further their careers. In no case is this more true than with young British designers, from John Galliano years ago to Roland Mouret and Jonathan Saunders, Continued on page 2
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NEWS
LONDON FASHION WEEK’S THE DAILY Saturday 19 September 2009
Kinder goes pop
LFW’S THE DAILY CREDITS
Report by Julia Robson
Created and edited by JENNY DYSON & CAT CALLENDER Managing Editor JANA DOWLING Art Director & Designer BIANCA WENDT Chief Sub Editor MARION JONES Deputy Chief Sub Editor FIONA RUSSELL Design assistants THOMAS ELLIOTT & KIT HUMPHREY Reporters NAVAZ BATIWALLA , STEVIE BROWN, CARRIE GORMAN, DAVID HAYES, ISAAC LOCK & JULIA ROBSON Beauty Correspondents ANNA-MARIE SOLOWIJ & ANTONIA WHYATT Guest reporters CARYN FRANKLIN, REBECCA LOWTHORPE & COLIN MCDOWELL Staff Photographers ANNA BAUER, MARCUS DAWES, CHRISTOPHER JAMES & TYRONE LEBON Advertising & Distribution Manager GEORGE RYAN Editorial Assistants CATHERINE BULLMAN, FIONA CAMPBELL, IONA HUTLEY & TODD WATKINS Web Co-ordinator KILA CARR-INCE IT Consultant SCOTT KNAPPER BFC Marketing Manager CLARA MERCER Printed by THE GUARDIAN PRINT CENTRE Published by JENNY & THE CAT LTD In association with RUBBISH INK LTD Thanks to THE BFC TEAM, SOMERSET HOUSE AND ALL OUR PAPER GIRLS & BOYS. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!
BAROMETER
“Imagine Kensington Market in the Avenue Montaigne.” This is how Kinder Aggugini, whose show is today at 1.15pm, describes his grittily chic pop-up shop, which is pitching up in Mayfair’s crucially fashionable Mount Street. Exquisite one-off pieces, the sort normally put aside for Kinder’s legion of fans – including Nicole Kidman, Arianne Phillips, Madonna, Uma Thurman and Kate Hudson – are housed in a candle-lit basement with Persian rugs on the floor, Union Jack flags strewn on tables and photos of Sid Vicious and a teenage Debbie Harry on the walls. There are also vintage Victorian beads bound together with blood-red silk and, directly after the show, Georgina Goodman shoes, which will be whisked over to W1 to satisfy a waiting list founded entirely on hearsay. More about that show: Loss of Innocence will be styled once again by Bill Mullen, with make-up by Pat McGrath and hats by Stephen Jones. The recipient of super-agent Camilla Lowther’s first young talent initiative sponsorship, it will also feature a line-up of leading players in the international model super league. Not to mention an A-list front row… “It’s all about the moment when the little girl in the woods realises there is a big, bad wolf,” says Kinder. “I took childrenswear apart at the seams as a tailor would do, then added cloth to allow for breasts and sensual curves.” “I am inspired by a mood rather than a look. In this case, when a girl becomes a woman. A lot of thought goes into the clothes, but they are bought because they are delicately tailored and women like them.”
LIVE CATWALK ILLUSTRATION AT HEADONISM
Drawn by Pia Bramley
Magical Mulberry tour Report by Isaac Lock
SUNNY SKIES, HOORAY! Optimism IS the new black.
THE MOBILE LFW DAILY OFFICE, COURTESY MERCEDES Gregory the driver rules ok
JOAN COLLINS A stellar celeb to rock up on day one
DISHY POLICEMEN Working the guest list for the No 10 Downing Street bash
BAROMETER BEING DISTRACTED… …by dishy policemen and walking into a traffic light
PAGODA SHOULDERS Yawn
COBBLESTONES + HEELS =
BAROMETER
Fashion disaster
Sept_09_09_Dailyad287X67.5.indd 1
The Kinder Aggugini Flash Boutique is at 35 South Audley Street, W1, from 24 September to 31 October (Thur to Sat) or by appointment
“I’m perennially inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” says Mulberry’s Emma Hill of her new collection. “You know, that dreamy but dark and druggy vision of everything being the wrong size and not quite what it seems.” As such, the new collection is full of the oddly sized details and unexpected fabrications that are fast becoming the brand’s trademark: supersized bows on tops, skirts and sleeves; tiny rivets engraved with Mulberry logos on jackets, bags and shoes. As well as Lewis Carroll’s tripped-out musings, Hill was inspired by fairgrounds this season, and by Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. Cue blouses, buttonthrough dresses and play suits bathed in splashy, colourful prints or dizzying carousel-horse motifs. In terms of accessories, the new cookie family of shoes (complete with Lebkuchen-style laser-cut detailing) will probably get girls a bit giddy, as will the new Alexa bag, named after her off the telly. It’s a double buckled satchel that comes in everything from traditionally Mulberry Oak to a screaming neonpink cheetah print. That’s part of Hill’s attempts to make sure Mulberry is relevant to a younger customer, and, as she puts it, “not too lady”.
It’s a permanent concern for a traditional brand like Mulberry. The other way Hill addresses it is with little subtle, dark twists: this time round you can spot them in black bow cuffs with heavy hardware that have a whiff of bondage about them; prom dresses that are pure Carrie, and the carousel horse prints that are, as she points out, “pretty, and dreamy, but basically made up of severed horses’ heads.” Mulberry’s presentations take place tomorrow between 9.30am and 1.30pm at Claridge’s, Brook Street, W1 Isaac Lock, Deputy Editor, Love
And Joan came, too Report by David Hayes. Photography by Anna Bauer Bunting, big hats, tea cups and even a speech from the Mayor; the grand opening of London Fashion Week was less Mad Hatter’s tea party and more like the ribbon cutting at a very chic village fete, with flutes of champagne and even a guest appearance from the one and only Joan Collins. “Darling, of course I’m here for the hats,” said Joan, as she swished into the Headonism show in a tight pencil skirt teamed with one of her own grey leopard-print satin numbers, topped off with a jaunty straw trilby she had picked up in New York. Put together by the patron saint of British milliners, Stephen Jones, Headonism showcased five of the hottest London-based hat designers around today: Piers Atkinson, Soren Bach, Shilpa Chavan, Justin Smith and Noel Stewart. “When people think of Britain, they still think of the Royal Family and hats,” said Jones. “I met most of these young designers when I put together my exhibition at the V&A. There was nothing like this back when I started 25 years ago, so it was a great opportunity to give these new designers a voice.” And the hats? A crazy mix of shiny outsized cherries, intricate
‘WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF BRITAIN, THEY STILL THINK OF THE ROYAL FAMILY AND HATS’ STEPHEN JONES AT HEADONISM
crochet work, strung-together tin bangles, tinsel, Perspex cutout trees and painted muscle shells. Not all on the same hat, of course; now that would be silly. Working out whose hat was whose was a little tricky as the models stepped up on the revolving stage designed by Dior set designer Michael Howells in a rather haphazard order. The presentation certainly set the tone for the week: beautifully crafted designs, crazy talent and a good dose of British charm.
COLUMN McD Continued from front page who benefit from her advice and wise counsel, given with no fanfare at all. Here’s an idea. For this week at least, let us put all the bile behind us, and keep silent about the stories of what a horror she is to work with (although I don’t seem to have seen any great exodus of damaged and disillusioned staff from US Vogue during Anna Wintour’s tenure). Instead, let us welcome as a privilege the presence of this remarkable woman in London for our anniversary and praise her for her valuable reign. I might even give her a porcelain Royal Worcester coffee can and saucer to replace that Starbucks paper cup as seen in her delicate grip. Somehow, it doesn’t quite match her substance.
Match of the day! LFW and Matches have got together to create an on-site store with all sorts of one-off goodies to buy at Somerset House from the Matches 4 LFW booth. To get in on the act, we are running a Willy Wonkatastic Golden Ticket competition every day during LFW for your chance to win a limited-edition designer gift: today it’s a Charles Anastase T-shirt and bag! Just go to www.matchesfashion. com and enter code LFWDAILY.
W W W. M AT C H E S FA S H I O N . C O M
09/09/2009 12:08
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BEAUTY
LONDON FASHION WEEK’S THE DAILY Saturday 19 September 2009
BROUGHT TO YOU BY FRONT ROW, THE NEW BACKSTAGE STYLING RANGE FROM CHARLES WORTHINGTON
Beauty spot Report by Anna-Marie Solowij. Photography by Fabio Boraso With its focus on frills and flounces executed entirely in white, Eun Jeong’s show on the first day of London Fashion Week forged an unlikely cross-Atlantic link with Marc Jacobs, who had also championed white with ruffles. That wasn’t the only connection, as both designers chose make-up looks themed around the colour white, too. For Jeong’s show, sponsored by L’Oréal Paris, make-up artist Polly Osmond sketched on white eyeliner, lipstick and highlighter, which cast the girls as ghostly apparitions appearing out of a haze of frizzed hair (left). White makeup is hard to wear, but Osmond proved its prettifying potential, lining the inside of the eyelids to avoid that pink-eyed look. In New York, Jacobs had presented his girls modernist Kabuki-style, with chalk-whitened skin and cherry lips à la Tina Chow. Other US designers doing white included Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Donna Karan, and, in London, Emilio de la Morena, whose polished looks were shown on marble-skinned models. This kind of seemingly unexplained coincidence is the stuff of major trends. The references to Rifat Ozbek’s seismic all-white collection of,
WHITE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A WEEK AT A SPA: THE ULTIMATE CLEAN SWEEP whisper it – 19 years ago – are unavoidable. So does it feel like 1990 again and that major fashion moment which signalled the dawn of New Age spirituality, when PR guru Lynne Franks hosted a legendary all-white party, and everyone wore white Levi’s with Gucci loafers? Sort of. White is the colour equivalent of a week at a spa: the ultimate clean sweep. It symbolises purity, spirituality, serenity, and we could all do with that. More significantly, designers are commercially conscious of producing ideas that will prompt us to buy. But what of the white moment? The beauty industry has less to worry about as its sales surge ahead. White cosmetics cast a flattering light onto the skin, so should prove their must-have value. Come spring, we’ll all be looking for light at the end of the tunnel. ADVERTORIAL
EDITOR’S CHOICE Charlotte Pilcher Contributing Fashion Editor, Vogue I love this oversized military coat with epaulettes, as it is really easy to throw on without too much thought. Although military is a strong fashion trend this season, it does not scream ‘fashion’. I would wear it with a skinny belt over the coat and tight, cropped biker-style jeans, while channelling Adam Ant in a New Romantic creamy white ruffle shirt. It would also look fantastic with the wealth of cutout-toe, high platform ankle boots out there, which lend themselves beautifully to being worn with a great bottle-green pedicure peeking out. Like so many H&M pieces, it’s an easy, wearable fashion piece to have in your wardrobe. Anybody can wear it, without it wearing them!
Gloves, £19.99
Ribbon tie, £4.99
Biker jeans, £39.99
COLLECTION AVAILABLE IN-STORE NOW STOCKISTS 020 7323 2211 WWW.HM.COM
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Catwalk highlights REPORT BY FASHION BLOGGER DISNEY ROLLERGIRL. PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATWALKING.COM
EMILIO DE LA MORENA
ON/OFF
EUN JEONG
SASS & BIDE
Ah, sexy, sculpted, derrière-skimming dresses – will we ever tire of them? Clearly Emilio de la Morena sees plenty of mileage in his signature silhouette, even if this season saw him working a softer, more fluid take on the look. “I always get inspired by sculpture, but this time I wanted to do something super-feminine,” said de la Morena post-show, citing sea life as a key influence. The theme played out in fitted shifts rippling with crystal-pleated fins and curvaceous sheath dresses daubed with abstract sea-urchin prints. Inspired by Annette Messager’s recent exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, de la Morena referenced her trademark use of fishermen’s nets and tulle with sheer organza dresses lined in, er, fishermen’s nets. But for those die-hard fans (Kate Moss numbered among them) who might be concerned the designer had gone soft, short-sleeved bomber jackets, super-skinny trousers featuring zips and peek-a-boo circular cutouts, and an on-going collaboration with Charlotte Olympia on shoes, delivered a sexy jolt to his superfeminine vision.
Bam, bam, bam! The On/Off presents show was a fastpaced showcase of raw but focused talent. Michela Carraro impressed with a hard-meets-soft medley of pastel colours and sheer fabrics offset with maximalist tailoring and a heavy helping of stickyout shoulders. Joanna Vanderpuije’s dresses were short and sharp – a clean little suede shift trimmed with glass-like shards and a chartreuse silk minidress with gentle tucks stood out. German duo Prose Studio combined leather, drapery and experimental nips and tucks with playful splashy prints. Yang Du's cartoon, Ecuador-inspired collection was full of fun – oversized T-shirt dresses with graphic stripes, collagy patchwork and bonkers blobs of fun-fur (above). “The collection was based on my trip to Ecuador,” Yang explained backstage. “All the elements I picked up were from the jungle – the animals, the insects – but everything has a childlike, cartoony aesthetic. It’s very much about my character, childlike and sometimes a little bit silly, but as a designer I’m completely serious and I want this collection to sell.”
It’s ever so exciting watching previous Fashion Fringe winners take their vision from strength to strength. Last year’s winner Eun Jeong confidently took her signature draping and tailoring to the next level, with lots of visual layers going on in each outfit. However, I found that my scribbled notes of Amadeus-meets-Prince-meets-Lula magazine were a bit wide off the mark when I spoke to Jeong post-show. “I was thinking about 16th-century ballet costumes because I wanted to use silk and drape,” she told me. Her lace-heavy short dresses and softly sculptured jackets became more elaborate as the show progressed. An all-white palette avoided bridal territory thanks to candy-floss fluffed-out hair and customised lace-up shoes styled with ankle socks – a little bit rebellious, a little bit rococo. The focus on shoulders that’s certain to continue for at least another season reared its head in an extreme cup shape with elaborate embellishment. Offsetting the whites and off-whites were the odd glimmer of silver in light flocking, or a short sleeve dress ruffled to the hilt.
Let’s face it, a summer collection just isn’t a summer collection without a nice big dollop of boho somewhere in the mix. And if anyone knows how to convey easy summer dressing with a cool, youthful spirit, it’s Sass & Bide. In fact, Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke turned the ubiquitous boho look on its head, serving up a contrast of fluid, harnessed maxi dresses and soft Ali Baba pants (which begged to be worn barefoot once those killer heels come off ) against their polar opposite – full-on body-con fierceness. More contrast came across in the colour palette: black and cream with accents of gold chain mail, sequins and beading inspired by Argentinian gauchos. “This collection is about a strong woman who is free spirited and confident,” explained Clarke after the show. “We like having the mix of long and free with short and edgy. A lot of the long dresses you can actually tie up to make them adaptable. It’s who our customer is because it’s not every day that you want to wear just one style – we like to mix things up.”
The great exhibition
ADVERTORIAL
Report by Stevie Brown Location! Location! Location! Venue is everything and this year the BFC has got it spot on. Somerset House and 180 The Strand are the two new homes for LFW exhibitors, and residents have been flexing their creative muscles all over. Highlights include Pauric Sweeney’s arcade games, the T-Shirt Island installation featuring designs from around the world, and Jas MB’s giant handbag – at six foot tall you can hardly miss it. There are also a
few newcomers to welcome into the fold. Bistrotheque’s pop-up Cafe & Bar is doing a roaring trade feeding the masses at 180 The Strand (the tacos come highly recommended). On/Off has also moved in with its own show space at the same address, tidying everything neatly into one place. All in all, the big move to the neo-classical setting appears to have been a glorious success – Kirstie and Phil couldn’t have done a better job.
Fashion footnotes
As a fashion-week virgin, Pandora the Danish mermaid decided the only way to dress the part was to wear a very posh crown. Rings worn as posh crown from £515, ring worn as belt £1,535, available from Pandora Photography by Tyrone Lebon
Report by Rebecca Lowthorpe TODAY’S TOPIC: KNOW YOUR FRONT ROW On the brink of London’s Best Fashion Week Ever – a brilliant new venue, a show schedule bursting with talent – we bring you (better late than never, right?) an International Blockbuster Front Row. Yes, it took 25 years, but here they are, la crème de la crème will be taking up their front-row pews this week and, frankly, we can’t wait to see them. So, how to spot an A-row-ista? (apart from the obvious positioning of her/his seat). Who’s who? Let’s start with her Maj, the queen of the front row, indeed the Pope of all editors, Anna. Clearly no surname required. You will know her by her power bob, inscrutable expression – mostly behind large shades – her penchant for teal and lavender, fit ’n’ flare knee-length skirts, cardigans round her shoulders, bare legs, no toe polish, nude heels. And fur. Will she bring the chinchilla? This is the question. Of course! Why would l’Anna give two hoots about what a nation of pet-loving, animalobsessed, if mostly carnivorousnone-the-less Brits think? Pah! I’ll place bets on her donning a big fur chubby by day three and no black. Never, ever any black. It is such a
shame that Grace the Great won’t be joining Anna on the front row. So, no September Issue sparring – editrix-in-chief versus creative colossus – I’m afraid. Instead, please acquaint yourselves with Tonne (that’s Tonnay) Goodman, Am Vogue’s fashion director, she of the skinny white jean, black roll-neck, loafer and flaxen shoulder-length hair. She’s neat and terrifyingly chic, Tonne. Looks like she’s just stepped out of an upmarket ad for The Hamptons, er, shot by David Sims. Also jetting in from New York, Glenda Bailey; you’ll recognise her by her russet curls and fruity Derbyshire accent – always such a reassuring sign that glossy mag greatness doesn’t have to mean talking with a plum in one’s throat. Don’t miss, too, the Vanity Fair team, comprising the formidable polish of Elizabeth Saltzman – the last word in high maintenance – and the elegant Michael Roberts. (Note to designers: if Michael Roberts is at your show, you’re special; don’t forget to bow.) And now to the French, marvel at Citizen K’s Kappauf – the once generously proportioned furcoat-’n’-white-tracksuit-wearing editor can now be seen sporting a Lagerfeld-esque super-svelte body
YOU WILL KNOW HER BY HER POWER BOB… WILL SHE BRING THE CHINCHILLA? and rock ’n’ roll leathers – and don’t take your eyes off the French Vogue posse. How to describe them? Thin, obviously. But for Carine and her disciples, it’s not just how they use fashion to emphasise their sylphlike frames – the skinniest of jeans and highest of heels, naturellement – it’s all about which French brands they choose to be muses for. I foresee Emmanuelle Alt thus: in a thigh-high boot created especially for her by Atelier Givenchy. But will Balmain’s sharp-shouldered jackets still prevail? Un petit peu over, non? Enjoy the spectacle, fellow Brits. Have a wardrobe bet with your friends (Will Anna favour Prada or Chanel this week? Or will she dumbfound us all with a little Louise Gray number? I wish!) Oh, and if for some reason you should tire of front-row shenanigans, there’s always London’s formidable runway talent to entertain you – Marios, Erdem, Giles, Luella, Richard, Vivienne, the Christophers…
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NEWS
LONDON FASHION WEEK’S THE DAILY Saturday 19 September 2009
Meet the BFC’s crack new team Report by Nicola Copping Photography by Chris Brooks
Party organisers, financial wizards, nurses to emerging designers… Caroline Rush and Simon Ward have many feathers in their caps Caroline Rush and Simon Ward are just six months into a new job, one that sees them responsible for delivering London Fashion Week and developing a strategy for its future – and that is just part of their new roles: joint chief executives of the newly restructured British Fashion Council. Facing the pair this week is delivery of the much anticipated international British festival of fashion, a six-day-long 25th birthday party to end all birthday parties, a jam-packed schedule (including the biggest British brands to show in the capital, ever), the appeasing and impressing of an audience of buyers and journalists (in heavily increased numbers) and a brandnew, hitherto almost unexplored venue at Somerset House. It’s a sleepless-night-inducing task, but neither is particularly daunted. In fact, such a thought is met with utter incredulity. “But it’s our job to deal with the pressure – if you can’t, you probably don’t want a job in the fashion industry!” says Rush. Pragmatism, it transpires, is an inherent component of the Ward-Rush partnership. Both have taken much from their inspirational predecessor and former CEO, Hilary Riva. If she put the cogs in motion to create an invigorated fashion week, then Ward and Rush have cranked that process up a gear or two, with the aid of a supportive chairman, Harold Tillman, and a cohesive management team. “Simon and Caroline have been at the very heart of the renaissance of London Fashion Week,” says Riva. “I could not have completed my role without them and believe that with their ongoing leadership of the BFC and
Jeremy Scott and his sporty shop Report by Julia Robson Following a ridiculously successful debut collaboration with Adidas Originals earlier this year (the range sold out globally), and to celebrate his showing in London for the first time, sportswear giant Adidas has handed over its concept store in Newburgh
its supporters from the fashion community, LFW is in safe hands.” Together, Ward and Rush bring 34 years of combined experience to the table. While Ward’s remit is finance and operations and Rush’s is the BFC’s sponsorship, marketing and communications, they often cross over in a partnership set
Street to Jeremy Scott, the fearless American designer responsible for the latest three-stripe hype. “I’ve always wanted to do up a store, especially in London, one of the coolest cities in the world!” chirped Scott, as he put the finishing touches to his temporary store, wearing a bow tie and orange leopard-print tracksuit. The Los Angeles-based maverick has transformed the space into a bespoke environment for the global launch of the new range. Supersized images of models, leaping about in tribal or animal print, from the latest campaign are pasted along one wall; and an installation of TV sets acts as a window display. Taking pride of place is the Jeremy Scott ObyO a/w 09
strategy and deliver projects on time. Yet both manage to juggle a busy family life. Rush is married to a teacher and has one daughter, Lana, 12, who last month won the junior national tennis championships. Ward is married to a special-needs teaching assistant and has two grown-up children.
In spite of busy professional and private lives, in only six months of top job tenure Ward and Rush have managed to (take a deep breath…): coerce Burberry, Matthew Williamson, Jonathan Saunders, Pringle, Clements Ribeiro, Antonio Berardi and Sass & Bide to the London catwalk; move the office and LFW venue to the palatial setting of Somerset House; create a second hub next door at 180 The Strand; appoint Sarah Mower as Ambassador for Emerging Talent; launch New Gen Men; and organise myriad celebrations, awards and general pomp and circumstance to celebrate 25 years of London Fashion Week, including last night’s party hosted by Sarah Brown and Maggie Darling at Number 10 and 11 Downing Street. Not that you’re going to find them resting on their laurels. The pair are only too aware that there is a need to maintain momentum and look to the future and beyond September. “This is mid-point of a several-year strategy to bring established talent back to the capital,” says Ward, of the current fashion week. “This season will demonstrate the breadth of talent that is on offer. Future seasons will see us develop the content of the week, to bring in new experiences that make London an essential for fashion media and buyers,” says Rush. This includes a refocus on the exhibition – a key component of their ongoing strategy – providing an increasingly multifaceted platform, including six Multibrand Showrooms (representing over 30 mens and womenswear designers), video installations (including a film commissioned by Topshop and made with the New Gen designers), and a collaboration with cult East End eaterie Bistrotheque. Sustaining London’s designers on a commercial level lies at the epicentre of Ward and Rush’s plans. “Promoting British fashion design talent internationally, and supporting emerging talent to build their businesses, is at the heart of our future strategy,” says Rush. The
Tell me Moore
collection, which includes a reissue of the silver winged high-tops, an early 1990s-inspired, hip-hop harem-pant tracksuit, multicoloured puffers and snow boots. “Being American, I’ve grown up with sportswear,” says the man cited by Katy Perry and Lady Gaga as their favourite designer. Adidas has collaborated on footwear for his show, but only so far as the shoes, which will, intriguingly, feature heels. “Tuesday is a complete departure… the next step for me. It’s like, double whammy, full on.” Jeremy Scott for Originals by Originals (ObyO) Pop Up Store is at 6 Newburgh Street, until 28 September
BFC has an entire team dedicated to international relations, one that has the financial support of the London Development Agency and the UK Trade & Investment. It also recently appointed PRs in Paris and New York dedicated to spreading the London word. “Since so many of our designers don’t have international offices, this has been a great benefit for those designers wishing to target a global audience,” says Ward, citing International PR, a strategy piloted a year ago to increase attendance of French media and buyers. “It was incredibly successful, it delivered strong features on our emerging talent and increased orders. We have now rolled this out to the US and aim to achieve similar results.” By doing so, the BFC intends to encourage Britain’s talent to stay. “The new Designer Fund, announced by Tillman last year, will form a key part of supporting designer businesses as they grow. This will allow designers to develop their businesses in London,” says Ward. “We always get asked why businesses leave London. This is a global industry, and for commercial reasons – store openings, conquering new markets, acquisitions by international organisations – designers will sometimes show in other places. We aim to help develop commercial benefits for designers to stay in London, and provide opportunities for international talent to showcase here when it makes sense for them.” Business support is an area Rush and Ward would like to see more of. The BFC has a Small Business Unit which calls on consultants to advise developing businesses. It is also considering global propositions, following on from the success of the international London Showroom in Paris (which sees the capital’s emerging talent travelling to Paris to sell their collections alongside the international fashion houses). Says Rush: “We are looking at creating events, showcases and opportunities for British designers in other fashion capitals throughout
Report by Carrie Gorman
Photography by Tyrone Lebon
Sarah Brown threw a party at Downing Street last night to celebrate London’s emerging talent and the career of veteran catwalk photographer Chris Moore. Designers dashed away from their sewing machines and joined artists and editors to toast the reputation and creativity of an industry that Sarah Brown hailed as “a fundamental part of the UK and second to none in the world”.
the year: mid-season pre-collections, for instance, building the reputation of London as an innovative fashion capital.” To develop these opportunities, the BFC requires funding, an area that is fixed on its agenda and is in the process of exploring, but first Ward and Rush are focusing on ensuring the success and future successes of LFW. As Burberry’s current return has demonstrated, London is a city that can present internationally powerful brands as well as emerging designers. “Diversity of talent on the catwalk is key. It demonstrates that we are much more than an incubator for new talent. We are very proud of that mantle, but we also build international businesses here,” says Rush, maintaining that the BFC is keen to continue to embrace nonLondon-based designers with a London sensibility. “We are also open to showcasing international designers if they provide a point of interest on London’s schedule,” says Ward, continuing Rush’s thought process. “An example of that this season is the New York designer Jeremy Scott, who is showing on Tuesday.” And the order book is still open for those who wish to show in the capital – home-grown or international. “There is a real wealth of talent here in London. Showcasing designer collections in new ways, such as through the presentation schedule, will allow London to increase its offering,” explains Rush. “We want media and buyers to see the backbone of British talent here in London, such as Paul Smith, Betty Jackson, Nicole Farhi, alongside those businesses who started their careers on London’s catwalks and are now developing international businesses, such as Temperley and Matthew Williamson, as well as our creative, emerging young talent. September will demonstrate the breadth of talent here, it is a platform to set the tone for the future!” smiles Rush. Here’s to the next 25 years. Nicola Copping, Deputy Fashion and Beauty Editor, Financial Times And speaking of Moore’s illustrious career, the Herald Tribune’s Suzy Menkes said, “It is extraordinary that someone has been recording fashion for as long. Fifty years – that’s five zero! He was trained at getting sharp and accurate pictures, and it is so rare for me to find any that are out of focus. And that’s from hundreds of thousands of pictures. It is a rare skill.” Asked what Moore thought of the tribute? “It’s overwhelming,” he said. “Do you think they’ll have me for another 25 years?” If you’ll let us, we say. To see more coverage, turn to our parties on page 8 ADVERTORIAL
Harrods exclusive The iconic store is flying the flag for unique fashion Report by Catherine Bullman Harrods may well be considered something of a national treasure, but when it comes to fashion its outlook is entirely global. Alongside international heavyweights Prada, Lanvin, Balenciaga and Givenchy, this season the department store has snapped up a roster of designers whose work is stocked exclusively at Harrods. Running the style gamut, this roll-call includes fashion luminaries such as the Paris-based designer Hervé Leroux (of Hervé Léger fame), whose ultraglamorous, body-sculpting dresses should win him a legion of fans this side of the Channel. Then there’s the dressed-down (cashmere) chic of Bird, the new line by Juicy Couture. Sassy, edgy and laid-back, its sheer knits, luxe denims and relaxed outerwear exude the coolness of an off-duty model’s wardrobe and will prove a hit with low-key fashion fans. “The current climate has pushed designers to be even more creative and forced us to examine how we
do business. The result is that we have decided to carry only the most special pieces,” says Marigay McKee, Harrods fashion and beauty director. While the store prides itself on its reputation for securing some of the hottest fashion brands from around the world, McKee maintains the way forward is to put together a thoughtful edit of the collections – think securing brand exclusives and investing in niche labels and one-off designs. “Our buyers have been extra scrupulous with their selections. They have put together an exciting assortment to
give our customers an emotional pull towards unusual pieces.” With this mission statement in mind, McKee has been looking forward to LFW. “London really supports new talent and has launched the careers of many top designers: John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Alice Temperley, Matthew Williamson, to name but a few,” she says. “It never fails to showcase a diverse mix of collections. And British designers continue to push boundaries, which is key, as Harrods customers want unique pieces and a point of difference.”
Far left: Lanvin dress, £2,450, International Designer Collections Top left: Bird jacket, £399, Designer Studio Bottom left: Phi biker jacket, £1,850, International Designer Collections
www.lfwdaily.com
Fast forward
DESIGNER PROFILE
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From crafted cobwebs to bandage dresses, Canadian knitwear designer Mark Fast is quickly making his name with his hi-tech yet witty knits Interview by ALICE FISHER Photography by CLARE SHILLAND
ark Fast would like those who think that television rots the brain to reconsider. It was regular viewing of Canada’s long-running fashionindustry news show, Fashion File, hosted by Tim Blanks, that first showed the 12-year-old Fast a strange world, far removed from his home town in the industrial city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. “It was back when Galliano had just moved to Dior. I remember Betsey Johnson’s amazing shows; there was the buzz, the looks, the characters, playing dress-up… it was after seeing that that I started sketching.” Fast nods solemnly at the memory. He has a pleasant, open face and a voice so high and light that it sometimes loses the battle against the building work that thumps and drills outside the window of the Mayfair office where we’ve met. (His studio in Hackney Wick is out of bounds, as a 10-strong team is furiously at work on the production of his latest collection for London Fashion Week.) He’s brought along his managing director Amanda May, too, and the strength of their working relationship soon becomes apparent. The pair met when Fast came into the boutique where May worked in Vancouver. The brief encounter inspired her to follow her dream of moving to London, and she bumped into Fast by chance when she got there. They became friends and started working together when Fast was still a fashion student. While his answers often fade into vagueness, May tends to finish up for him, adding useful and important fact and weight to his thoughts. It’s easy to see how these two combined have turned his new label into a fledgling international concern, now stocked in seven countries worldwide and, as of last January, a recipient of the British Fashion Council’s prestigious New Gen initiative. Though TV got him started, Fast says it was pitching up at Central Saint Martins in 2001 (he did his BA and MA in knitwear here) that put him on the right track.
“People say that you don’t get taught at Saint Martins, that you’re on your own, but you become independent, sure of what your world is. On the fashion MA with Louise Wilson, I learned more in a day than in the last 10 years. She’s as good as people say and I think she appreciated my knitwear because she loves to see new things.” She’s not the only one. London boutique Browns snapped up Fast’s MA collection. Erin Mullaney, the store’s buying director, is a staunch fan, supporting Fast not just with orders, but promoting him with events such as tonight’s Brown’s party, hosted in his honour. “Mark’s designs are just amazing. He’s developed an incredible technique for his cobweb knits that look so sexy and feel incredible on,” she says, of Fast’s designs that have, in the past, included delicate ladder-stitch panel dresses and knitted minidresses decorated with floor-length fringes made out of combed viscose. The whiz knitter’s creations are certainly original. His bright, sinuous knit sheaths are great feats of
“I DON’T MAKE PATTERNS, I JUST COUNT THE NUMBERS OF STITCHES” engineering, fusing body-sculpting construction with intricate textural detailing – neither of which would be possible without a masterful understanding of his materials. And while Fast may only be in his third season, the 28 year old’s visionary knits have already netted him a Loewe consultancy gig (his designs are in this season’s collection) as well as a nomination for the 2009 Andam Award. Fast is constantly experimenting with new stitches and elastomeric yarns (that’s stretchy to you and me). Lycra, he admits, is a pain, not least because it’s so hard to find in a range of colours. “My work may not look like it’s changing, but internally, when it comes to the stitches
and the shapes, I’m always finding new things,” says Fast. Cue the knitted viscose beads that were hand-linked to form bandage-style body-con dresses, and the knitted evening gowns made with a velvet yarn in his autumn/ winter 2009 collection. Or even the Swarovski crystals that he has encased in the fabric of the knits themselves for the spring/summer 2010 collection, which he unveils today. “It’s a very technical process, not least because I don’t make patterns, I just count the numbers of stitches. There’s lots of experimenting and you never know how it’s going to turn out because the way these materials work can be unpredictable.” So complex are his designs that Fast has had to employ a team of home knitters to manufacture his creations (thus far, no factory has been able to produce his knitted panels to a high enough standard). An ad placed on the Guild of Machine Knitters website produced a legion of little old ladies who sit in Devon, Scotland and even France, knitting up Fast’s sexy knits. Then there are the ideas and research that inform his collections – which are equally complex, resulting in sometimes trippy but always precise narratives. The idea for spring/summer 2009, for instance, was exotic birds from the Emerald City whose feathers have been stained by an oil spill. His BA collection imagined what would happen if Elizabethan houseflies were transported to the 21st century and electrocuted by a fly zapper. “I really need a story,” the designer explains. “It’s exciting for my imagination to craft these characters and their garments. It’s part of a need for me to dream. And I always stick to my research – if you don’t, you just go off on tangents.” “He physically storyboards everything,” May adds, of the initial research process that feeds into Fast’s final creations. Apparently, his is an approach that takes the usual inspirational designer mood boards to a whole other level. So much so, says May, his storyboards have become the subject of the current Art on the Underground scheme, to tie in with London Fashion Week.
As for the collection you’ll see today, Fast says he looked to both the silent cinema of the 1920s and the 2000 Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich. “I watched Erin Brockovich recently and Julia Roberts’ attitude was so fierce. She’s a very tough lady who has other things to worry about than clothes,” he says. “I’ve mixed in some of the textures of the clothes from 1920s films, so it’s cinematic but has the real-life personality of someone like Brockovich.” No one who’s seen his designs could be in any doubt of the type of strong, sexy, woman he idealises. He sees the Fast female as the kind of woman who has a family and kids, but is effortless and daring, suggesting Carine Roitfeld as an example. Surprisingly, he’s not overly keen on the body-con tag that’s been attached to his dresses, though. “When knitwear is close to the body it provides structure around the shape, it’s about the silhouette and the nature of the yarn around her,” Fast says. “They’re not body conscious, they’re just about the body.” Having created an outfit for a non-standard model size subject for All Walks Beyond the Catwalk (see front page), it would seem size matters to Fast. Although the designer won’t be drawn on the rumours that he will be sending voluptuous models down his runway today, he does acknowledge that there has been a shift in thinking when it comes to embracing more diverse body ideals and his designs. “I’m keen that my clothes are by no means seen as limited to the pin thin.” After all the fuss and furore is over, what Fast is really looking forward to is a trip home to Canada, to relax with his family and enjoy the lakes of his home province, Manitoba. “I don’t really miss Canada, as long as I know I can go there when I need to. Being there is like therapy.” And how does the creator of some of the sexiest dresses this side of decent relax? “Fishing. By the time I get home it’ll be fall, so the fishing will be amazing.” Alice Fisher, Style Correspondent, The Observer
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PARTIES
People & parties
LONDON FASHION WEEK’S THE DAILY Saturday 19 September 2009
Photography by Alistair Guy
Overheard In tribute to Boris Johnson… “I HAVE A PAIR OF MEXICAN SANDALS MY DAUGHTER FINDS SO REVOLTING SHE CAN’T CONCENTRATE WHEN I WEAR THEM.”
“I’m not a style icon. When I lived in Australia I sported extremely short shorts, known as stubbies. As a child my mother put me in shorts. I still love a pair of rugby shorts, although my girlfriend has tried to ban me from wearing them.” “WHATEVER THE THREATS OF THE TRADE UNIONS, AS LONG AS I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THIS CITY AND OF THIS COUNTRY, THERE WILL BE NO BAN ON HIGH HEELS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.”
“Clothes and textiles are worth £6.2 billion in overseas earnings alone for this country. That is why I’m so proud that we and the London Development Agency have supported this industry throughout the downturn, flying in business and journalists from across the world to see London Fashion Week. Our studies show that the investments we make in fashion in London have returns of 30 to one.” “I BUY MY BOXERS FROM CHAPEL MARKET IN ISLINGTON.”
“Thank you very much for having me along. I have great pleasure in declaring London Fashion Week open. Thank you.” AT NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET… TAMMY AND CHRISTOPHER KANE
HENRY HOLLAND AND DIVINE BAG LADY KATIE HILLIER
MATTHEW WILLIAMSON AND THE ESTEEMED SUZY MENKES
Photography by Tyrone Lebon
ANDRE J & LEO BELICHA
ERIC SIM
RHIANNON JONES
FRED BUTLER
Wears dress by Ioannis Dimitrousis, shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti, beard “All mine, darling. It keeps me genderless”
Outfit from Bhutan, bag by McQueen, vintage Dior shades from Argentina, shoes and beads from the Chinese Opera House, scarf wound artfully around head by All Saints
Originally from Hull and now living in Shoreditch, this schoolgirl has made her own outfit. “I’m launching my own fashion label, Bolshy”
Accessories designer, wears dress by Scott Ramsay Kyle, Office shoes, Levi’s, brooch pinned to bag from her spring/summer 2010 Hibiscus Ridiculous collection in the New Gen space at Somerset House
Wears Prada shoes, Balenciaga leggings, Emily Murray raincoat, vintage bag, rabbi hat, Linda Farrow specs
RUBBISH
www.lfwdaily.com
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FASHIONABLE CREATURE NO 1 BY ANDREW GROVES KATE GRASHER Holds her breath in platforms by Burberry
FASHIONABLE FUN & GAMES BROUGHT TO YOU BY POP-UP PUBLICATION RUBBISH MAGAZINE www.rubbishmag.com
FASHIONABLE CREATURE NO 2 BY ANDREW GROVES PAUL E TITIAN Dons a topper by Stephen Jones
DESIGNER DISH
OSMAN YOUSEFZADA COOKS CHAKRI Interview by CAROLYN HART Photography by EMMA HARDY
Freelance journalists working from home seldom get out of their pyjamas before 6pm, and only then if they’re having a drink in the kind of bar that calls for heels rather than slippers. So it’s unnerving to be sent off to visit a fashion designer before noon, especially one as distinguished as Osman Yousefzada, a man who dresses the A list in swooningly chic and sophisticated clothes. “Where did your dress come from?” he says accusingly as I step through his front door. High street, I expect, not that I’m telling him… “I want to do a range of basics,” he says. “And that dress is really basic.” “It’s organic cotton,” I bluster, trying to retrieve the situation. “No it’s not,” he says. We spend some time searching for the label to prove me, or more likely him, right. “Nothing’s really organic,” he tells me sadly. Luckily, we’re now in the kitchen, where Osman is going to cook lunch, and the organic credentials or otherwise of the dress are forgotten because the vital lunchtime component that Osman put in the fridge earlier to set has failed to do so. “Do you think it matters?” he asks me. “Not in the slightest,” I say. “Put it back in the fridge for a bit and see what happens.” His kitchen, a tiny square of a room decked out in fashionable white and black, and overlooking a panorama of roof tops and fire escapes high above Cromwell Road, is delightful – full of jars of exotic-looking ingredients, herbs and spices and cookbooks called things like Cooking with Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World Resort. While we wait, Osman has a cigarette and a large glass of his wonder drug, which he found in Sri Lanka (“It’s got things like berocca and liquorice in it for colds,”), and attempts – since I seem to know nothing about it – to explain fashion to me.
“It’s all in the fold,” he tells me, handing me pictures of glorious tribal clothes, Rajasthani jackets and Japanese kimonos, which have influenced his own rather stunning creations. “I love the simplicity of that,” he says, pointing to a picture of a 19th-century peasant in a sack. “I’d take that and turn it into a skirt.” Back in the kitchen, things are beginning to solidify. Osman explains the origins of his dish. “It’s called chakri, which is a Ghanaian dessert made from couscous, coconut, raisins or sultanas and pistachios with yoghurt and cream and peaches and mangoes.” He learned how to make it from a girl with whom he once shared a flat. “She made it all the time, then her gangster boyfriend got shot and she stopped cooking.” Chakri, he says, reminds him of having lots of people round, of parties, and of getting together with his family in Birmingham. “My parents are Afghans and cooked something similar. It’s very quick and easy to make in fashion week, and it’s comforting.” Growing up as an Afghan child in Birmingham made Osman feel always on the outside looking in. His father was a carpenter, his
mother a dressmaker. “I was a little boy who made frocks,” he says. “My three brothers became a surgeon, a lecturer and a spinal doctor. Me and the sister who’s a housewife are considered the dodgy ones…” Dodgy or not, his clothes are beautiful, draped and sculptural in pale, cool colours. The simplicity of the chakri, when it eventually emerges from the fridge, echoes the cool, rich folds of his clothes. It’s delicious, both creamy and refreshing, and the couscous and coconut combination is a revelation. Piling on the fruit makes it a terrific fashionista’s dish, too. We eat it in Osman’s sitting room as the sun lingers, bathing in its rosy light his eccentric collection of furniture culled from all points of the compass, while the plangent notes from an old-fashioned gramophone drift out to meet the roar from the road below. “It’s intellectual food from an intellectual fashion designer,” says Osman modestly as we tuck in. I think he’s right. The Osman Yousefzada show is today at 3.15pm. To find Osman’s chakri recipe go to WWW.DAILYRUBBISH.CO.UK
THE NEW WORLD ORDER Part 1
Mission to Earth in the near future, a group of the greatest females in the world, disgusted with how man has ruined the Earth, leave and settle their own planet in the far off reaches of space... On a beautiful world, which they called VOLUPTURA, they founded an all-female utopia, which existed in perfect peace for nearly a thousand years.
Ladies, the days of our perfect isolation are over. As you know, we exhausted our supply of healthy semen centuries ago. even though our scientists managed Despite all to artificially replicate the our best efforts, sperm, our society now the DNA of the sperm stands on the brink has decayed to such of extinction. a degree that it is impossible to birth healthy offspring.
“Consequently, it is the decision of this august body that a team of our best genetically enhanced agents be dispatched immediately for Earth.”
“Their mission - to find suitable males to be brought back to VOLUPTURA”
Find out what happens next in Tomorrows daily!
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DESIGNER CLASSIFIEDS
LONDON FASHION WEEK’S THE DAILY Saturday 19 September 2009
AgonyAunt
Dear Jean Dear Jean I have my eye on a body-con knitted sheath dress by Mark Fast, but am so petrified of VPL issues that I daren’t go down that route. What can you suggest?
DIARY is the definitive information service for press and PRs. If you need PR contacts for any of the designers or exhibitors at London Fashion Week, or are trying to get in touch with journalists, stylists, photographers etc, call DIARY on T: 020-7724 7770
HOW TALL IS NAOMI?
Yours in nervous anticipation, Kitty
COME AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE COLOSSAL ICON OF FASHION
My dear Kitty Here’s the skinny on how to wear a fabulous figure-hugging frock with confidence: Sculptz shorts (£25). These crafty, colourful creatures are so comfortable you’ll forget you have them on. They also smooth any bulges without constricting and eliminate the dreaded VPL, thanks to shape-control panels that create a taut tummy and lift your rear. Unlike most shape wear, Sculptz products look great, too (there’s a delicate lace trim on the shorts, which adds a flirty feminine touch). All of which means you will be able to make that bold choice and splurge on the hot dress. The key to fashionable confidence, my dear Kitty, is knowing that what lies beneath is supporting you beautifully, enabling you to wear what you want and be who you want to be!
BIANCAWENDT.COM
www.somersethouse.org.uk/fashionrevolution LONDON’S NEW HOME OF FASHION
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3Jean www.sculptz.co.uk b Free to be me
DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION
SHOWstudio: FASHION REVOLUTION Exhibition open daily until 18.00, late nights Thurs and Fri until 21.00. £5 ticket, free admission to London Fashion Week badge-holders until 27 September.
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FOR A GOOD TIME
FIONALEAHY.COM CREATIVE EVENT DESIGN AND PRODUCTION
ADVERTORIAL
Karen Millen’s atelier is one of the high street’s best-kept secrets. The Daily sneaks a peek behind the scenes For those who thought that only luxury brands whip up clothes in ateliers, think again. Karen Millen’s design team has been creating and sampling its collections from the brand’s East End atelier since 1981. “We have always lavished a lot of love on every garment we design,” says the label’s creative director, Gemma Metheringham. She believes that Karen Millen’s atelier set-up has enabled the brand to create thoughtfully designed pieces that sate the current appetite for affordable chic. “We’re able to focus on each individual detail just as any high-fashion designer would, from our choice of fabrics to how the seams are stitched, how the hemline is finished and how the garment feels when you wear it.”
The jacket is fitted on the model and final alterations are made Gemma Metheringham, the brand’s creative director
Biker chic
“This luxe leather biker jacket is one of my hero pieces for autumn/winter 2009. We felt that if customers were going to invest in one, they should be able to wear it all day – whether they were indoors or out and about. That’s why we wanted our biker jacket to be as comfortable as a cardigan – hence the jersey panels inserted under the arms and our decision to garment-wash each jacket. After washing, each one fits slightly differently, so your piece is unique.” Gemma Metheringham, creative director, Karen Millen Each garment is made up in a calico toile
Jacket, £299. See the entire Karen Millen collection at www.karenmillen.com
hosen nts are c ompone c re a w and hard Leather
Pattern cutters work from the initial design sketches
The finished product
SHOW SCHEDULE
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
LONDON FASHION WEEK SHOW SCHEDULE Saturday 19 September, 2009 CREATED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE DAILY BY
DAVID DAVID
KEY VFS Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Freemasons’ Hall, 60 Great Queen St, London WC2 BFC BFC Catwalk Show Space, Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2 RBFF The Old Sorting Office, High Holborn, London WC1 ON|OFF 180 The Strand, London WC2 THE PORTICO ROOMS Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2 TS P3 University of Westminster, Luxborough St, London NW1 EAST WING & VAULTS Somerset House, The Strand, London WC2
BFC Fashion Forward supported by the LDA BFC New Gen sponsored by Topshop Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden winner 2008 ToyWatch timeline powered by BlackBerry: 020 7759 1970
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