Archive for September, 2009

Sunday October 11th 2009: due to popular demand from the West of England ‘The Midcentury Show’ touches down in Bristol, England as opposed to its usual venue- London.

Showcasing furniture and collectables from the middle of the last century, featuring some of the greats such as Eames, Nelson, Jacobsen and Aalto whilst promoting fresh design talent. Talent like exciting new textile designer Zoe Murphy who unveils her latest piece of customized vintage furniture following the success of her Margate, Bexhill and Whitstable pieces. Murphy was shortlisted last year for the BBC’s New Designer of the Year Award her work is inspired by the seaside nostalgia of her hometown Margate screen-printed onto vintage/ recycled furniture.

This week, Camron.co.uk, the PR agency document the London Design Festival.

Camron is a leading lifestyle PR agency with international clients from many fields including design, interiors, art, food, fashion, publishing, travel, and luxury. Clients include Armani Casa, Liberty, London Design Festival, Martin Brudnizki, Sainsbury’s and Swarovski Crystal Palace. Camron.co.uk

Words by Judith Fereday

Last week saw the official opening of the 2009 London Design Festival at City Hall with a champagne reception courtesy of Veuve Clicquot. Hosted by London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson, the event brought together many of the partners who are taking part in the Festival with a week-long programme of exhibitions, events and installations all over the capital. Boris gave us all a rousing call to action, praising the creative industries in London and the part they can play in bringing Britain out of recession. Everyone admired the panoramic views of London’s skyline at night whilst exchanging views on what they were going see during the week.

Whatever the standard of the exhibitions, London Fashion Week was always going to be a momentous occasion; celebrating its 25th year, London Fashion Week is, as Tom Ford put it, “where it’s happening.”

LFW has always been a hotbed of exciting new talent, and in a refreshing change of events it seems as though those in attendance were simply marvelling at the sartorial expertise on offer rather than indulging in the usual idle speculation as to who will be the next McQueen or Galliano.

Following on from New York Fashion Week, it appears that austere whites are a strong theme across the board for this season. Osman’s stark collection, Julien Macdonald’s retro-sportswear inspirations and Marcus Constable for Liberty’s Scandinavian-style angular pieces all reinforced a trend for cleanliness set down a week ago by the likes of Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein. With so many prolific designers echoing the same aesthetic, white has emerged as the most important colour for SS10 – fresh, clean minimalism, ideas fairly synonymous with white, are perhaps fitting themes for this season given the political and economic events of the last 18 months. In the words of Jasper Conran, who also featured numerous white ensembles, “you can never really put your finger on why everyone picks up on the same things. It is just something in the air.”

This isn’t to say that the entire week was all about being linear and serious; far from it. Collections from Luella and Danielle Scutt explored notions of fun and frivolity with their charming Fifties and Sixties styling. Luella’s bold polka dots, large hair ribbons and soft pastel palette was interspersed with splashes of bright tomato red and custard yellow. In fact, the food-as-clothes colour schemes also branched off into Burberry Prorsum, with their stylishly re-worked trench-coats in ice-cream shades of strawberry and mint, while Danielle Scutt’s candyfloss dresses emerged alongside erratic, collaged graphic prints that merged geometric playing-card patterns with brash scribbles and halftones.

Such prints were also prevalent across collections. Caroline Charles’ ‘girls from Ipanema’ theme placed classic, neutral tailoring alongside illustrative watercolour florals and leopard-print swimsuits. Mary Katrantzou explored the unusual world of glass-blowing with her collection, citing glass-blower Peter Layton as the influence for her draped pieces, swirled with sporadic, psychedelic flourishes. Elsewhere, up and coming designer Duro Olowu planted his foot firmly on the fashion map with his sheer halter-neck and asymmetrical dresses adorned with opulent and bold prints.

Olowu also featured gingham blouses in some of his initial outfits, a look which should be making a substantial impact this coming season. Alongside the aforementioned Caroline Charles, who teamed irregular, patchwork-style gingham jackets with classic one-piece swimsuits, Christopher Kane’s highly contemporary experimentations with tablecloth checks and transparencies firmly cemented him among London’s fashion elites. However, the fact that many in the enamoured audience were sporting Kane’s infamous animal graphic tees or pieces from his collaboration with Topshop, this was almost a foregone conclusion.

Be sure to check out our comprehensive coverage of London Fashion Week and stay tuned to Mpdclick for our concise s/s 10 overviews guiding you on the best shapes, colours, fabrics and fashion trends to translate from runway to retail.

Last night Prendergast Hilly Fields student Katerina Drury, 18, was awarded the top accolade at the 2009 FAD Junior Awards, held at Vauxhall Fashion Scout.

Pairing an ‘edgy’ cutwork, metallic leather skirt with shimmery grey bodysuit, Katerina dazzled press and industry guests with her futuristic interpretation of the Arts & Crafts theme. The stunned and delighted winner was welcomed on stage by Martyn Roberts, Director of Vauxhall Fashion Scout, who presented her with the coveted top prize – a two week placement with Editor in Chief of Volt Magazine, Rui Faria.

Three runner-up awards were also announced – for Creativity, Miriam Mwangi, 19, from NewVic 6th Form College (Newham); for Research, Egle Zepkinaite, 17, from City & Islington College (Islington); and for Pattern Cutting, Lily Harriman, 17, from Camden School for Girls (Camden). In addition, a special mention was given to Salford finalist Lizzie Prince, 17, (Pendleton College) in recognition of her accomplished fashion illustrations.

The project is heavily supported by industry, and on the evening there was a packed house at the Freemason’s Hall with guests from Harrods, ASOS.com, River Island, John Lewis and Grazia taking front row seats. Excited family, friends and teachers were also there to support the young designer’s debut at London Fashion Week.

Originally selected from 130 young people who participated in FAD’s Fashion Futures 2 workshops earlier this year, the 23 finalists spent a week at FAD’s Summer School, held at Central Saint Martins. Supported by a team of tutors, technicians and student mentors, the 17 – 19 year olds had only 5 days in which to construct their designs for the catwalk final.

Despite London Fashion Week now drawing to a close, there will be a chance for the public to see the finalists’ outfits showcased again this week – this time to thousands of people – when they take part in a catwalk show in Trafalgar Square, on Sunday 27th September as part of London Peace Week.

About FAD:

FAD (Fashion Awareness Direct) is a creative charity supporting young people to bridge the gap between education and the fashion industry. We specialise in running professional fashion workshops and competitions for 13 – 25 year olds, working with creative young people throughout their education from secondary school and college right through to university.

FAD believes that through fashion young people, especially those from less advantaged backgrounds, can gain the confidence and transferable skills they need to succeed in the future. As a direct result of taking part in the Junior Awards, past finalists have gone on to study at institutions such as Ravensbourne, London College of Fashion and Chelsea School of Art & Design.

To date FAD has worked with more then 4,000 young people across the UK. In 2009 the charity was presented with the ‘Chairman’s Award’ by Sir Mike Tomlinson, at the London Educational Partnership Awards (LEPA).

(Source: FAD)

“Even though it’s been twenty years, I am still excited like it’s my first collection” Nicole Farhi

NICOLE FARHI celebrates 20 years of Menswear in 2009 as an established and thriving British fashion lifestyle brand.

When Nicole launched her renowned menswear collection in 1989, it seemed an effortless transition. “I was designing women’s clothes that had a masculine touch”, says Farhi. Softly tailored suits and separates have now made her menswear as coveted and popular as her women’s. Her exclusively Men’s store opened in Floral Street, Covent Garden a year later.

‘The narrow parameter of menswear is the challenge I really enjoy, it then comes down to the detail – fabric, colour and touch – all these things are so important to me.’ Nicole Farhi

The AW09 collection, available in-store now, boasts a line of Limited Edition items. These special pieces exist as singular, timeless garments that tell the story of the brand as a whole over the last 20 years. Each piece chosen to represent this special occasion, will have an embroidered limited edition label inside, the number ‘20’ in gold and ‘NICOLE FARHI MENSWEAR’ in black.

SPRING SUMMER ‘10

The Spring Summer ’10 Menswear collection is the essence of the classic Italian Riviera.

Taking the late 1950’s movie, ‘Plein Soleil’ (the original ‘Talented Mr. Ripley’), and the enigmatic Alain Delon’s style and attitude as inspiration, the collection makes you want to turn up your trousers, tilt back your panama and smile carelessly at the sun.

Effortlessly chic, the suit is broken up with chinos and polo shirts in a move away from formal tailoring. Crisp compact-cotton shirts appear in cobalt blue and white to be styled with denim and luxury items such as a silk jacquard dot blazer.

Bright colours pop in vibrant pink, emerald green and rich blue’s increase through the collection as our hero moves from a dark suited Warhol-inspired New York to the embrace of the Italian summer lifestyle.

Our sophisticated and relaxed Spring Summer ‘10 man is not dressed without the right accessories including paper panamas, leather and stripe fabric belts, soft leather loafers and nautical print scarves. Swimwear appears for the first time in Nicole’s menswear range with a short boxer-short shape in the check of the season.

(Source: Nicole Farhi)

Words by Catherine Fuller

This year we decided the best way to bid adieu to London Fashion Week was to visit the Menswear Day’s final show – B Store and Tim Soar, at Somerset House.

Like any respectable fashionista, first item on the agenda once we’d found our seats was to check out the crowds. Celebrity-spotting aside – Boy George in a signature oversized hat on the front row was a particular highlight – the look du jour was individual, aspirational and original, with everyone working layered separates in their own unique way.

Eventually, the B Store collection made its way onto the runway. A well-styled mix of preppy shorts, shirts and jackets alongside tailored denim made for a very wearable collection, reminiscent of the 1999 hit film The Talented Mr. Ripley. However, the show was a tad on the safe side; it would have been nice to see a few more daring, directional pieces incorporated to make the collection stronger.

Following B Store was the Tim Soar show. The collection was of a similar nature, with a preppy aesthetic coming through strongly via the stylish mix of casual separates, sharp tailoring and knitwear. Key directional pieces included PVC trousers and jackets, with touches of metallic silver and snakeskin used in trousers.

After the show we headed to Kettner’s in Soho for the B Store after-party, which doubled as a launch event for B Magazine. Even outside the venue the atmosphere was buzzing; scene kids gathered in groups excitedly discussing the collections they had seen over the past week. Inside there was more of the same – a hectic bar dishing out beer and fruity cocktails, a DJ playing an eclectic mix of everything from The Smiths to Michael Jackson and scores of designers working the crowd.

The main room was a furnace with so many bodies crammed into it so we made for the back room. There we found cool kid cliques mooching, looking fabulous as ever. After a few drinks and a dance it was time to head off and peel off our heels after yet another hectic yet splendid fashion week. Same time next year?

This week, Camron.co.uk, the PR agency take a look at the Hermes pop-up store in the iconic British department store; Libery’s of London.

Camron is a leading lifestyle PR agency with international clients from many fields including design, interiors, art, food, fashion, publishing, travel, and luxury. Clients include Armani Casa, Liberty, London Design Festival, Martin Brudnizki, Sainsbury’s and Swarovski Crystal Palace. Camron.co.uk

Words by Adnan Abbasi

Freida Pinto and Dev Patel turned out last Monday as French luxury brand Hermes galloped into Liberty for an historic partnership. The two fashion forces launched a pop-up store for six weeks (through 18th October) in Liberty’s new scarf room and collaborated on a limited edition series of scarves and ties entitled ‘Hermes Pour Liberty’. For the party we transformed the scarf room into a life size Hermes gift box. Guests played dress up with the haute accessories and captured their look in a special photo booth. We jammed to cool tunes and a live set from Marina and The Diamonds and sipped on Kir Royale.

Held at the aptly titled King of Greene Street boutique in New York’s trendy SoHo, a plethora of eco-minded designers gathered last week for a two day event of all-green fashion shows. Held on the 15th-16th September, precisely in the middle of the prestigious New York Fashion Week, designers such as hotly tipped Californian based Mr Larkin, Brooklyn based Bahar Shahpar as well as former Nylon fashion editor and Vogue writer, Eviana Hartman under the label Bodkin all sent highly wearable, considered collections down the runway to much success. This was definitely the place to be for any green-minded fashionista. If you missed this season’s show be sure to look out for GreenShows ever-growing presence within New York Fashion Week as the demand for ethically sound clothing continues to surge.

Image source: bodkinbrooklyn.com