LONDON FASHION WEEK

London Fashion Week SS13: Highlights from all five days!

2012-09-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

So we’ve officially waved goodbye to yet another season of London Fashion Week and we’re left with mixed emotions. We are partly welling up at the thought of leaving Somerset House and the surrounding fashionable areas for another season, while the other part of us is looking forward to kicking the heels off and slipping back into those trusty and far more comfortable flats. Somerset House cobbles that make it impossible to run to shows – we will not miss you!

We won’t be forgetting the spring/summer 2013 season at London Fashion Week anytime soon though… here are our thoughts on the whole experience:

Day 1 was our busiest, as not only were we tent-hopping in Somerset House and dashing to the Vauxhall Fashion Scout to check out the emerging designer talent too, but we also headed backstage to quite a few shows. We were presented with elegant, wearable and glamorous collections courtesy of Sass and Bide, Bora Aksu and Corrie Nielsen, as well as more dramatic looks thanks to Fyodor Golan and Carlotta Actis Barone. We loved the ballet dancing at Carlotta too – we might petition for more shows to have dance routines… what say you?

Day 2 was a bit of a mix as we got to see some rising talent along with the big guns. The forties were back thanks to Tahir Sultan, which is definitely a trend we’re more than happy to get on board with. Sequins and fairy-tale inspired looks appear to be one of the big, recurring trends of the spring/summer 2013 season, which is exactly what Jeffrey Michael reiterated with his “from the water” collection. Hooray for fantasy! And of course House of Holland was as spectacular as ever – casual, bright, bold and with lots of attitude to boot. We wouldn’t have Henry any other way!

Day 3 was basically spent drooling over the Temperley London collection which comprised of elegant pieces fit for the modern-day Princess. High street chains, please start here when seeking new-season inspiration. Many thanks!

On Day 4, we needed a bit of a pick-me-up as we were starting to feel the LFW strain (there’s only so much running around/standing in queues in heels that we can take) but the collections we saw definitely perked us up. It was a bit of a “go big or go home” kind of day, as everything was bright, loud and in-your-face… the Burberry, Antonio Berardi and Osman shows all brought their own drama to the proceedings. The Osman collection might not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but we stand by our view that it might be the collection the celebs turn to when they feel they’re having a wallflower moment and want to snap out of it. We think Rihanna will be right at home in the pieces!

Day 5 was the perfect way to end another successful London Fashion Week. No other show would get us out of bed at 7am on the fifth day other than Mulberry and the British brand should once again be proud of what it showcased on the catwalk this season. We can’t wait to see Olivia Palermo and Alexa Chung rocking some of the new designs. Let’s start a sweepstake for which lady will rock the collection first…

Omar Mansoor Presents LFW SS13 ‘SHORE-DITCH

2012-09-19T06:19:00.001-07:00

Omar Mansoor’s sixth London Fashion Week collection has taken an unexpected turn from glamorous elegant ball gowns and immersed himself into the boho aesthetic of East London. Inspired by the Shoreditch style, this collection lends itself to the most wearable of his work to date. After being predominantly known for the design of extravagant ball gowns, he turns his talent to casual wear, working in his usual exaggerated over-embellishment into this collection with ease.

Layering intricate lace work and fine knitwear, Omar always keeps immaculate attention to detail. Opting for a modern vintage colour palette derived from urban London, the collection uses the clutter of East London and the culture it is home to as the core stimulus. Omar has explored new fabrics creating show-stopping fluid silhouettes, complimenting the womanly figure. Taking inspiration from the creative hub of Shoreditch, this collection adds a new dimension to his brand, adopting the innovative medium of the casual-couture style.

Having made bespoke pieces for Middle Eastern Royals, Sheikha Moza for one even to Katie Price; its clear Omar is able to target all markets and has successfully delved into the world of ready-to-wear.

Omar Mansoor’s Collection at London Fashion Week S/S 2012

2012-09-19T06:16:00.001-07:00

Pakistani designer Omar Mansoor’s fifth London Fashion Week Spring Summer 2012 collection is inspired by the exhibition of the Enchanted Palace.

The Best Looks from London Fashion Week: Spring 2012

2012-09-19T06:14:00.001-07:00

imaxtree

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Mary Katrantzou Spring 2012

Mother Nature, meet Machine. It's a story as old as, well, the Industrial Revolution, at least. Set against a flower-lined runway, Mary Katrantzou's collection literally melded the two worlds, sometimes interestingly, sometimes loudly.

Simone Rocha DESIGNER

2012-09-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

Simone Rocha

Catwalk show

18 September 2012
12:00

Exhibitor Location

BFC NEWGEN sponsored by Topshop
East Wing

Company Details

www.simonerocha.com
Simone Rocha
Lighthouse Studios
75 Block A Shacklewell Lane
London
E8 2EB

DESIGNER NAME: Simone Rocha

BACKGROUND: In 2008, Simone completed her BA in fashion from The National College of Art & Design in Dublin. She graduated from her MA at Central Saint Martins in 2010.

SIGNATURES: “Modern and strong yet romantic.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “A woman who wants to wear beautiful things.”

TRADEMARK PIECE: "The floating perspex brogue."

THE COLLECTION: “Teenagers, Cy Twombly, cake.”

LONDON TIPS: “Claridge’s for high tea, the Tate Modern and the Shacklewell Arms.”

FUTURE PLANS: “Keep doing what we do and doing it well.”

Contact details

Sales Contact

Lizzie Walker
showroom@simonerocha.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7254 4390

Sarah Verdon
sales@simonerocha.com

Press Contact

Daisy Hoppen
daisy@karlaotto.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7287 9890

Showrooms

London

Somerset House
Strand London
London
WC2R 1LA

Press

Daisy Hoppen
daisy@karlaotto.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7287 9890

Sales

Lizzie Walker
showroom@simonerocha.com
Tel: +44 (0) 78 7551 5776

Abroad

London Showrooms
Le Loft
Off rue Saint Antoine 28, Impasse Guéménée
3 Cour Bérard, Paris
75004
France

27 September - 04 October 2012
10:00 - 19:00

Press

Daisy Hoppen
daisy@karlaotto.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7287 9890

Sales

In House
showroom@simonerocha.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7254 4390

Letter from London - London Calling SS13

2012-09-19T06:10:00.003-07:00

Letter from London - London Calling SS13

REPORT BY SARAH MOWER

Here’s the 2012 Olympic progress report on Team GB’s fashion - the largest, most varied, appealing and business-like cohort of designers to have taken to the London runway ever.

Colour, inventiveness, originality, surprise, diversity, humour, optimism, professionalism - all the innately British qualities spectacularly displayed at Danny Boyle’s Opening Ceremony are exactly replicated in London’s clothes and the designers who are making them. How? It’s no exaggeration to point out that the surge of gold medalists triumphing in athletics, cycling, rowing, sailing, boxing, tennis and equestrianism - has an almost precise equivalent in the rise of British fashion designers and brands. In 2012, a vast cohort of promising talents has blossomed at the same time, in both fields - and when you look closer, it’s for much the same reasons.

All these atmospherics - the Olympic afterglow, the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee are still in the air in London. They’re here to be enjoyed by anyone who arrives at Heathrow or St Pancras on September 14th for five days of myriad fashion experiences. We’ll make it something to remember. Welcome.

Read the full report.

Art Director: Elke Hanspach at Ink Valley

LONDON FASHION WEEK FLOOR PLAN

2012-09-19T06:09:00.003-07:00

LONDON FASHION WEEK FLOOR PLAN

The floor plans below show each area at the LFW Exhibition spring/summer 2013. This season, the Exhibition at LFW is brought together over two floors, providing a succinct presentation of London’s ready-to-wear and accessories brands. The exhibition will also now incorporate the West Wing of Somerset House providing access to both East and Wings off the main courtyard.

Click on the plan below or download the full plan here.

The Fashion Moment

2012-09-19T06:08:00.001-07:00

Quite Contrary

Missed the two pairs of jeans in the first few looks of Mary Katrantzou’s show? You weren’t the only one. The baby blue over-printed denim chimed so perfectly with the soft pastel aquas and watery blues of the collection they were easy to miss. Really easy: they were as printed and ornamented as the rest of the stellar catwalk outing that took stamps and out-of-circulation bank notes as the starting point. “I wanted to use something that showed a progression with world history, that significantly tied in with cultures,” said Katrantzou backstage. “This is the first time I’ve done jeans,” she added, “I wanted to loosen up the collection after the restricted silhouette of the last show.”

Katrantzou is an original talent but her latest offering, using soft hues framed with the hard outline of postage stamp perforations, stark text and the snaking lines on bank notes, did confirm a trend: soft pastels toughened up with harsh black.

“I love flesh pink and soft yellow,” said Topshop Creative Director Kate Phelan. “It’s a way of merging black and white, softening everything.”

She’s not alone. Corrie Nielsen was one of many designers who majored on pastels this week, adding black as a bitter antidote. “I was inspired by Kew Gardens,” she said after the show. “It was about the whole experience of nature, flowers and mutated pastel shades. Among all the pretty flower colours at Kew was one black calla lily. I used that lily as a way to break up the sweeter pastels with one single black dress in the show.”

Prints charming

Earlier this year, Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos organised a lunch for their whole team at Shoreditch House. As 24 of them squeezed around a banquet table, the designers struggled to comprehend just how much their business had grown. Only a year earlier, there had been a workforce of just 10. But the past 12 months have been significant for the pair, with sell-out collections worn by the infinitely varied likes of Rihanna, Samantha Cameron, Miranda Kerr and Carey Mulligan, and 140 international stockists buying into the brand.

So it’s not surprising that they have outgrown their studio of just two years. Step inside their space in Dalston, east London, and the evidence of that rapid growth spurt is everywhere. Downstairs, a large team of people draw, measure and cut in silence; upstairs, seven more workers are gathered around computers in a room big enough for just four – while a boy works diligently on his laptop in the doorway, as if he has drawn the short straw.

Pilotto and De Vos’s own studio, meanwhile, is filled with the paraphernalia of two industrious designers: seasonal mood boards cover the walls; initial sketches of the S/S 13 collection are spliced with swatches depicting colour and print; a rail is heavy with A/W 12 samples and early toiles, and underneath are piles of print try-outs and fabrics that threaten to spill out further into the room; a pair of prototype Nicholas Kirkwood catwalk shoes lies on a high table, with samples of the beading that will eventually form the laces coiled next to them. Five people are working among the madness, but, as everyone steps around each other, there seems to be an organised rhythm to it all.

The duo met in 2000 when both were studying at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Arts and emerged on the runway in S/S 09. It was the season before Mary Katrantzou first showed, and the year before Jonathan Saunders returned to London Fashion Week from the New York schedule. The Big Bang of the British digi-print revolution was gathering force and the duo were in the vanguard. No one really thought the print trend would last long – historically, it had been difficult to convince women to embrace the concept. But the naysayers were wrong: five years later, print is still dominating the catwalks, and Peter Pilotto has proved to be an international success, founded on the dialogue between the brand’s state-of-the-art digitally engineered prints and the super-luxe, body-sculpted silhouettes, creating pieces women want to wear.

When we meet, a month before their S/S 13 London Fashion Week show (whose looming date was reacted to with mildly disguised panic by Pilotto and wide eyes by De Vos), they had just returned from a trip to Asia, where they had hiked through Nepal and visited Rajasthan in India. Although they had intended it to be a much-needed break, they returned with their heads full of inspiration and research for the new collection.

“Our collections are like diaries; they reflect our experiences, and this is so much about our trip,” says Pilotto of the new-season collection. “We find it so boring having a theme. It’s always much more about a process for us. We had started working on the collection before we left, but India is so full of amazing colour combinations that of course it became part of it. We were in Jodhpur and the blue and lilac houses there were incredible. Our brand is about print, yes, but it’s also about the emotional feeling you can get from colour and colour combinations.”

This collection is actually Part 2; Part 1 being the label’s first Resort collection, shown at Pitti Immagine W, in Florence, in June. “We’re thinking of it as one collection released at different times of the year,” says De Vos. “It’s been really exciting to be able to split the collection,” adds Pilotto. “For Resort, we used a variety of fabrics with different price points. This freed us up to really push it for S/S 13, where we’ve used luxurious silks that really affect the colours as they resonate on the fabric.”

So what trail of clues did their Resort 2013 collection offer as to what to expect from today’s show? First was a collaboration with art director and digi whizz Jonny Lu (who redesigned the Love magazine website and collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Giles). Lu created a software programme that the boys likened to a “digital kaleidoscope”, which helps them generate a dizzying number of bespoke prints.

“Every season our prints are about layering – it is never one simple idea. Together we created something where all the layers moved to create an infinite number of patterns. We clicked on things as you would with a video game and then selected frozen moments to create the prints,” say Pilotto and De Vos. The kaleidoscopic prints continue in S/S 13, but they’ve upped the luxe factor with beading and embroidery.

As for their inspiration, the Resort prints were derived, in part, by an exhibition at the British Library, called Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, showing beautifully illustrated books dating from the 9th to 16th centuries. The exhibition book lies in front of the designers as we speak – heavily thumbed and bursting with Post-it notes. It’s clear that it continues to play a starring role for S/S 13. “There are some very religious elements we are currently looking at, but we don’t want it to be so literal. Look at the calligraphy work bordering some
of these pictures,” Pilotto enthuses, hungrily delving into the marked pages. “It is so beautiful and detailed that recently we have been working around that.”

With previous designs, the boys have put the print first and the design has followed, but “this season, we have started with the silhouette; the success of Resort has allowed us to really explore the shape further,” De Vos explains. So while they usually deliver a signature narrow silhouette, in the form of pencil skirts and fitted shift dresses, the catwalk might add some rather different shapes. Some early sketches of the collection are pinned up on the wall behind De Vos’s head and, although when we meet it is early days, there are definitely styles that could be described as gowns and full skirts – there is undeniable volume. When they catch me looking at the drawings, they are quick to dismiss it all as a work in progress. “Although we will be having more show pieces,” they admit, “we’ll play with a contrast of shapes, as we did with the fitted dresses under the vast puffa jackets of A/W 12. We want it to have a more couture feel.”

Indeed, every piece is bespoke in some way. “It’s important for us that our designs are rich and fit into our customers’ lives. Every garment demands its own rules and is idiosyncratic in its own way,” says Pilotto. “We don’t create clothes that all fit in a certain way or share the same silhouette. Each piece is designed so that the wearer feels a certain excitement and feels energised. This is very important to us.”

Pilotto and De Vos are not quite at the stage where they finish each others’ sentences (let’s give them another season on that), but they are in sync, albeit with seemingly opposite personalities. Austrian Pilotto races through sentences as he tries to verbalise his perceptions, while Belgian-Peruvian De Vos speaks slowly and confidently, although he answers most questions to Pilotto or the tabletop. The label might be in Pilotto’s name, but don’t be mistaken, this is an equal partnership. “Before I joined, Peter was already stocked in Colette and Opening Ceremony,” remembers De Vos, who came from Vivienne Westwood and is renowned for his draping and fitting technique. “When I started, we began playing with combining the names, but they all sounded terrible, so we stuck with Peter Pilotto, but obviously we are both the designers and do everything together.”

This summer, the pair attended the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party and spotted 10 women wearing their designs. “It was pretty insane,” says De Vos. “We felt so proud, but what is most rewarding is that those women went into a store and bought Peter Pilotto, and that is what really means something.”

Peter Pilotto has become renowned for its fit, which is rare in such a young label. “Fit is so important to us and we work so hard to make sure it is perfect,” Pilotto says proudly. “We have fitting models in every size, which I think is unusual.” It also means that it doesn’t exclude any woman from buying into the label.

“They really understand how to flatter the feminine form,” explains fan and buyer Ruth Chapman, joint CEO of Matches. “Our customer looks to them for something directional but wearable, in beautiful fabrications, and they always find it.”

Peter Pilotto is being shown today at 9am in WC1. Stockists: Dover Street Market, Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Matches, Selfridges, The Shop at Bluebird

Kay Barron is Fashion Features Editor of Harper’s Bazaar

What would her Mama say? Pixie Lott dares to be sheer in a knitted mini-dress

2012-09-19T06:04:00.003-07:00

She's been on the front row of pretty much every show this Fashion Week, and Pixie Lott has clearly been taking some cues from the famous designers showcasing their designs.

The 20-year-old singer opted for a daring fine-knit sweater dress as she attended the Giles Deacon show at Somerset House on Monday.

And posing for photographers the inevitable happened as the flash photography turned her dress a little see-through.

Thankfully a bra just about protected her modesty.

I can see through you: The English pop star revealed a little bit too much with her stylish outfit

Joined by her model boyfriend Oliver Chesire, the pair made a dashing sight at London Fashion Week

Showbiz pals: Kelly was sat alongside Pixie Lott as she watched models strut their stuff in the Mark Fast spring/summer 2013 collection

Pixie wore a hairband with cat ears in her beach blonde locks, and teamed her sexy dress with knee-high boots to emphasise her slender legs in the 1960s-inpired frock with bell sleeves and a minuscule hemline.

Her boyfriend Oliver Chesire looked every inch the model that he is, as he teamed his quintessentially British mac coat with a dapper white shirt and a tote bag.

Stepping out: She linked arms with her model beau as they attended their second fashion event of the day

And Oliver seemed to enjoy accompanying his famous girlfriend to the shows, as he has been tweeting pictures live from the front row to his followers.

The stylish couple has been hitting the London Fashion Week grounds hard this season. They've been spotted on the front row of shows including Moschino, Alice Temperley and PPQ over the weekend, before heading to Mark Fast, David Koma and Giles Deacon on Monday.

Presumably, Pixie wanted to get inspiration for her own collection that she designs for high street label Lipsy.

Signing autographs: Pixie was all smiles before she headed inside to sit on the coveted front row

Suits you! Despite turning up in her own fashionable garbs she was also handed a T-shirt from a waiting fan

The blonde songstress later mingled with other celebrities on the front row of Mark Fast including Kelly Brook, who was dressed in one of her three outfits of her busy fashionable afternoon.

32-year-old Kelly flaunted her stunning curves in a leopard print prom-style dress as she attended the British designer's spring/summer 2013 collection showcase at London's Courtyard Space.

And Kelly was doing a spot of self promotion in opting for the eye-catching ensemble, as the outfit was from her very own New Look collection.

Writing on her Twitter page, she said: 'On my way to Mark Fast Show wearing one of my own dresses!'

Happy couple: But her boyfriend Oliver kept on the same outfit as they worked around the different events

The brunette bombshell teamed her dress with a pair of towering black patent platform Mary Jane heels, and kept up the animal theme with a gold snakeskin bag.

Kelly sat alongside Pixie as she watched the models strut their stuff on the catwalk, with the pair seeming to be getting along famously as they grinned throughout the show.

Meanwhile, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo actress Noomi Rapace - looking chic in a black and gold ensemble - and singer Kate Nash, who wore a sheer peach shirt dress, were also seated on the front row.

Comical: Kelly couldn't help but pull a funny face as she watched the show in action

Celebrity attendees: Kate Nash (L) and Noomi Rapace (R) were also spotted in the front row at Mark Fast earlier today

Later on, Kelly opted for a playful grey and pink printed dress, once again teamed with her favourite shoes and bag.

But the former Big Breakfast presenter wasn't the only star who shone at the Giles event.

Model Daisy Lowe looked every inch the rock chick in a black leather jacket and pretty pink dress, while Abbey Crouch looked lay a ray of sunshine in a bright yellow tulip-hem dress.

Kelly has certainly been making the most of London Fashion Week so far, and has already been spotted at the Bora Aksu, Moschino, Philip Treacy and Issa shows.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2204831/London-Fashion-Week-2012-Pixie-Lott-shows-legs-mini-dress-takes-model-boyfriend-tow-London-Fashion-Week.html#ixzz26v8IO7nV