Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Fyodor Golan SS19 at London Fashion Week

Fyodor Golan is a house that manufactures fragile silhouettes with great quality, with a youthful look.  My very best but least eloquent way of putting it, is that they are the best at creating a niche something for everyone, which other people are creating poorly for a target audience only.  With me?  No, I thought I’d lost you.  You’ll need some imagery to see what I mean.  The house  produced its SS19 collection Lost & Found which showed at the BFC showspace at London Fashion Week this season and I was lucky enough to have a front row seat – literally the best place to take you on a guided tour of this epic collection.

“Sporty survivalism guided us through the understanding of water as the source and a symbol of progression.  Castaway elements found on beaches, from seashells and pearls to plastic waste, influences fabrications and detailing”  FYODOR GOLAN

Models took to the runway like a tribe of ocean warriors, real, sustainable pearls are used as a feature detail throughout the collection in their raw form and inspiration was taken from painter Jamie Adams in some of the collaged pieces used.  80’s shapes appeared on the runway in the form of puffball skirts, elongated shoulders, peplum minis and wingback skirts, something that makes me nostalgic every time they come back around and I’ll definitely be embracing those shapes next season.

This season Fyodor Golan collaborated with SEGA’s Sonic The Hedgehog with a focus on the earlier pixelated imagery which adds another nostalgic touch to the collection using cyan blue, cerulean, cobalt and fuchsia to highlight tones and texture throughout to great effect.  Looking throughout the collection there were so many standout pieces for me in terms of editorial, including the first look out the gate and a dramatic wing flare skirt with blue and white chevron stripes that I’d literally book for a shoot tomorrow.

“Working with SEGA using the early Sonic (The Hedgehog) made perfect sense to our Lost & Found collection.  We wanted to explore Sonic’s iconic look into items that would feel like your favourite childhood pyjamas contemporarily reimagined.”

The set itself was sculpted from flowers and abandoned fishing nets to emulate coral covered driftwood, Fyodor Golan are another design team to have teamed up with the charity Plastic Oceans UK in order to help reverse the damaging impact the fashion industry has on the oceans, or at the very least to support ocean clean up and the repurposing of waste found in our oceans.

Lost & Found is a co-ed collection meaning that it was shown on both men and women, and garments were designed with neither a male nor female body in mind.  All shirts and sportswear produced within the collection is also completely gender unbiased so there’s no male or female section when ordering from the brand.  This athleisure, I could easily see it appealing to the male and female fashion market and anyone identifying anywhere inbetween, I mean that white suit on the right?  I’m already dreaming of how I’d style that up.

So, to refer back to my earlier statement, you see highstreet brands who target a very small portion of it’s already limited audience, then they make something, poorly.  For example, New Look make a leopard print skirt, they take a classic pattern which appeals to about 70% of its audience and then make it into a very, very young shape which further cuts its audience.  They then make a poor fabric choice, usually something textured, either shiny, or “feely” like cheap velour, and then overlock it meaning that it’s prone to ruching and it effects the way the garment then hangs.  Every choice narrows down the audience in a negative way.  Fyodor Golan do the opposite.  They take a youthful idea and make it appeal to a majority market.  It’s refreshing and the quality of each piece is just perfection, it’s a rare find in fashion.

This one set the bar high for me, it helped that I arrived fresh off a plane from Mahon and was greeted by a team of smiling PRs, something pretty rare in fashion, and everyone I was sat with was really, really lovely.  Day one of London Fashion Week, I’m calling this one a 10.

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

TEATUM JONES SS19 ROUND TABLE NOT RUNWAY AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

For their SS19 collection ‘Global Womanhood Part Two, 16 Days Of Activism’ shown at London Fashion Week, designers Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones have partnered with YouTube, Google and the British Fashion Council in support of United Nations Women.  In a move away from the regulation runway show, the designers behind the label Teatum Jones have created a presentation to highlight the collection itself, accompanied by a powerful round table discussion.

Teatum Jones SS19 LFW Fashion Voyeur Blog Round table not Runway three models posing separately in pieces from the spring summer collection

The first of its kind, the Teatum Jones led ROUND TABLE not RUNWAY discussion has been recorded and features a panel of industry experts including:

  • Caryn Franklin MBE – Fashion commentator, Journalist and Professor of Diversity
  • Claudia Croft – 10 Magazine – Deputy Editor & Fashion Features Director
  • Felicity Haywood – Model, Activist, Campaigner
    Lotte Anderson – Art Director, i-D magazine ‘Future Females’
  • Lucy Banks – Google / You Tube – Head of Content and Brand Partnerships across EMEA
    Marai Larasi – Executive Director of Imkaan
    Munroe Bergdorf – Model, Activist, Campaigner
  • Simran Randhawa – @ Gal-Dem – Politics Editor, i-D magazine ‘Future Females’
  • Sophie Matthews – British Fashion Council – Head of Media & Retail Partnerships
  • Tamara Cincik – Fashion Roundtable – Founder and CEO

“The SS19 collection has been inspired by the interviews we’ve had over the last six months with activists and campaigners.  From our research and interviews we conducted in relation to 16 Days of Activism, we have extracted the most powerful messages and literally woven them into a body of textiles, such as; “I DEFINE MYSELF” and “I OWN MY STORY.”  Recognised for our textile development, we wanted to present a collection of bold, vibrant and unapologetic textiles that speak louder than previous seasons and reflect the courage and determination in the voices we’ve listened to throughout this season.”  Designers Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones.

Teatum Jones SS19 LFW Fashion Voyeur Blog Round table not Runway three models posing separately in pieces from the spring summer collection

I was invited to an intimate gathering at London Fashion Week at a private members club on Greek Street to take in the new collection and chat to Fashion Commentator Caryn Franklin MBE about just how important this whole discussion is to the fashion industry as a whole.

The collection itself is strong and vibrant, the hand painted Love Floral print takes centre stage in flame burnt orange, mustard yellow and royal blue with contrasting textures.  The sequins used in the collection have been repurposed from past season sponsored water bottles and old stock jumpers have been used throughout this SS19 collection.

Teatum Jones SS19 LFW Fashion Voyeur Blog Round table not Runway three models posing separately in pieces from the spring summer collection

There are hints at the struggles that women are facing in today’s political climate and this is discussed in the short film which accompanies the collection, the sports tape strapping used throughout which cinches and pulls, almost dragging and tightening the clothes on the body in a way to express those hurdles faced by women today.  It’s a politically rich collection, made more uncompromising by the strong message in the ROUND TABLE not RUNWAY film screened alongside the presentation.  The film is being made available for public consumption on YouTube and if you have an interest in fashion, sustainable fashion, political fashion or feminist issues and how they’re represented by the fashion industry today, then it’s an absolute must watch as it’s spearheaded by some of the most influential activists in the industry.

In terms of the fashion itself, it’s typical Teatum Jones, it’s beautifully crafted for the female form echoing batik print, elegant cuts, elongated sleeve detailing and proportions that seem to add height without any effort at all.  The fashion most definitely hasn’t been diluted in order for the brand and its associates to deliver a strong message about how fashion can play a part in the protection, unification, inclusion and equality of women and girls

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Simon Mo SS19 at London Fashion Week

You know when show season rolls around and there’s a handful of designers that you always look forward to seeing?  Well Simon Mo is one of those for me and it’s because he’s a safe bet in many ways.  Mo is a designer who has his feet firmly in the sustainable fashion camp, an eco warrior with style, but there’s always a quirk within each collection, and that’s the thing that draws me in.  I’m all for sustainability and producing more ethical collections, however with so many designers more conscious of where their cotton is sourced now, and where their pieces are made, sometimes the fashion suffers at the hands of the message.

Simon Mo however, does both, really well.  This SS19 collection focusses on the nature and beauty of our world, with significant inspiration taken from the ocean.  It’s a fun, contemporary collection that despite its serious underlying message, manages to remain upbeat.  The nautical inspired collection focuses significantly on the ocean, and the impact of pollution as a direct result of human behaviour.  After seeing viral image “The sewage surfer” of a seahorse clingong tightly onto a q-tip taken by Justin Hofman in 2017, Mo used this as inspiration for his collection and to shine a light on the long term ecological damage caused by using plastics.  It’s a message we’re seeing more and more of in the fashion industry and this season we were all involved in the filming of a BBC documentary as part of the Stacey Dooley Investigates series which seeks to explore the effects of fast fashion.

Growing up on an island country, surrounded by sea, Mo felt a strong sense of personal responsibility and urgency to draw plastic pollution to people’s attention.  In that same vein, using the ocean as a frame of reference Mo initiated research with one of his favourite stories – Sinbad the Sailor. Full of adventure, myth and fantasy, the story tells of a time where gods and human alike revered the power of the ocean.  The collection itself was presented in runway format and maintained that playful edge we’ve come to know and expect from Mo, there’s a definite synonymous style there and it’s an aesthetic I’m a fan of.
Clean lines, obvious shades of blue throughout, references to vintage scuba diving suits in the elongated shoulders and the hats with dipped brims that now seem to be statement pieces throughout Mo’s collections.  SS19 Seas The Day is a collection with more of a purpose than just selling clothes.  In 2018 more designers than ever are recognising a need for change and responsibility.  The fashion industry is responsible for more than we are currently aware of as consumers and for designers to begin to move towards responsibility and sustainability is one big step.  Communicating a message through an ethically sourced and produced collection is another thing entirely.

Mo is a designer with a conscience, and one that I enjoy watching at work.

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Skull Decorating at Moth Studios

If you know me in real life then you’ll know I have a love of skulls, beetles, bugs and a general interest in the macabre.  Call me weird (I kinda like that), my aunt is a witch and I guess a little of that weird shit rubbed off on me.  I like to think of my back story a little like Maleficent’s, but cards on the table, I’m way darker.

I’m constantly scrolling taxidermy websites and looking to Pinterest for decorated longhorns and roe skulls, if you haven’t looked, seriously, you can find some amazing hand carved, real animal skulls on there if you’re willing to stump up for the extortionate shipping charges.  In America these were common place, we could walk the malls and find these in TJ Maxx and nobody would bat an eyelid, you could go to cattle farms and buy this kind of thing with your food shopping, as long as you were prepared to go through the clean up process yourself.  Here in the UK however, things like this are a little harder to get hold of, unless you know where to look.

I came across Moth Studios as part of the Breeze Creatives group in Newcastle.  This group of creative souls from the North East is housed in a rabbit warren of super cool studios at Bamburgh House.  Owner Sherene has a love and an insane talent for taxidermy and entomology.  Her studio is lined with bugs, spiders, posed anthropomorphic mice, birds and collected animal skulls.  We’ve become friends over the years that we’ve known each other and support each others businesses, it’s a most excellent relationship.  Moth Studios have a pretty unique way of coming up with the goods so to speak, with a massive number of suppliers from all over the UK and further afield, Sherene regularly travels to pick up dead animals, insects and skulls that people have either found, or have had living on farms.  It’s an odd conversation the first time you have it, now it’s just standard; this morning in fact we were chatting about how there’s a robin in the freezer that will make a perfect Christmas themed piece.  Everything she uses has been collected, found or donated and died naturally, that’s the first hard and fast rule of Moth Studios.  Nothing produced in the studio will ever have come from hunted or deliberately killed livestock.

So, after spending time out in the States and seeing this type of thing in American ranches, I promised myself that when I finally got round to overhauling my sitting room, I’d hang some sort of skull in there.  The best part?  With Moth Studios I’d get a hand in create the final product myself.  I booked myself on to one of their Skull decorating workshops and got more and more nervous as the weeks and days ticked by until my class.  What if I wasn’t creative enough?  What if I couldn’t rise to the challenge?  What if I was freaked out by having to actually hold a real animal skull??

I needn’t have worried.  The class is super relaxed and the studio is equipped with everything you need.  From pinned butterflies and peacock feathers to moss and bark, there’s pretty much everything imaginable for decorating your chosen skull type.  Classes are set up for a maximum of 7 people so you get enough time with Sherene if you need specific help with ideas, or anything else.  On arrival you choose one large skull (usually from a roe deer or fox) and one small (normally from a squirrel or bird) then everything else is down to you.

Skulls in hand, I took my seat and pretty much spent 30 minutes just watching what other people did.  After I decided I was going for a flowers and moss kind of vibe; I grabbed some fake flowers, moss and gold foil and set to work.  It’s quite an intense class, especially for someone like me who’s not that visually creative outside the arena of fashion, but once you get in the zone, it’s incredibly therapeutic.  Sidebar, I live with an incredibly challenging disabled child (Sherene will vouch), life gets tough, things get in your head and escaping that is hard.  This class?  Pure bliss for someone who lives their life minute to minute owing to reasons way beyond their sphere of control and influence.  It’s a chance to unwind and the level of focus required means that you have little time for other thoughts to creep in and take over.  Some people take up pottery or knitting, me?  I’m out here painting up skulls and loving every minute.

A decorated roe skull in Moth Studios designed and created by Blogger pixie Tenenbaum at a skull decorating workshop with Sherene Scott in Newcastle. - Fashion Voyeur Blog

Three blissful hours later I’m the proud owner and creator of a pretty awesome roe skull.  Decorated with flowers, feathers, moss, a little barkflower and painstakingly applied gold foil.  I’m proud.  Real proud.  The small skull I left in its natural state, I had an idea to create some kind of bio-zone type thing inside a kilner jar along with some moss, sticks and bark with a pinned butterfly and I was pretty impressed with the fact that I did this within days of bringing the stuff home, rather than leave it sitting, like I’ve done with my gym kit for the last six months.

Next up, bug pinning, I have a feeling I’m going to be a regular here…

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East, The Lifestyle Edit

Slaley Hall Summer Soiree

Northumberland has two modes, Summer and Winter and it looks equally beautiful in either.  Bo and I were invited to Slaley Hall in the heart of Northumberland for the annual Summer Soiree, held during the height of Summer.  Not just any Summer, the Summer of 2018, yeah, the one where we had actual heat and sunshine at the same time.

With the sun high in the sky we set off for Northumberland with the top down, our sunglasses on, and not a jacket in sight.  We arrived at Slaley Hall in the evening with the sun beating down on us like noon on a Summer day, the setting literally couldn’t have been more perfect.  Slaley Hall is as welcoming as it is imposing, this gorgeous castle / manor house never fails to impress and seems to project a different persona from every aspect.  Tonight though, we were there for a showcase in conjunction with Duke Ata Bespoke, a menswear label by one of my BFFs held in the gardens, natch.

Guests were treated to sunset themed mocktails and cocktails prepared using Durham Gin (the house gin at Slaley Hall) on arrival, alongside canapés that looked like delicious mini ice cream cones but turned out to be some kind of weird tunafish wafer thing.  As we walked out to the gardens, the view opened out over beautiful, uber green grass and perfectly trimmed trees.  A live singer played on the lawn for us whilst we chatted and enjoyed the rare occurrence of some evening sunshine, think Nikki Beach, with grass.

After a chance to catch up and chat, we were escorted to the Japanese Ornamental Garden further down in the grounds of Slaley Hall.  A feature that’s pretty well hidden, almost like a secret garden which casts the most perfect light over it’s red and purple leaves and super still pond.  At the entrance to the Garden there’s a stone bandstand type structure, we’re told it can be hired for private dining parties and decked out with lanterns, or used for smaller wedding ceremonies and I can’t help but think what a gorgeous moment that would make.  Today though we’re assembled to hear from Duke Ata about his latest venture, the Duke Ata Clubhouse.  If you haven’t already read my post about the Clubhouse launch event you can find it here.  Duke and his team spoke about their quest to find the perfect base for the Duke Ata Bespoke brand and how as well as the bespoke tailoring range, the brand will now produce a ready to wear collection for men comprising suiting, shirts, socks and shoes, all available to view on the rack at the Duke Ata Bespoke clubhouse in Jesmond.

After his informal presentation, I grabbed Duke for a chat about some of the intricacies of how the Clubhouse will operate and in his usual relaxed tone, he told me that it’s there to be used, basically if a client wants an appointment the team will make it happen.  A driver will be sent to pick up the client from any North East location to bring them to the studio where they’ll chat about personality, style, likes and dislikes so that Duke can get a feel for what the client needs.  After that, the process begins and the suit is crafted to the exact specifications for that particular client.  It’s simple, but also elaborate and it’s a very client-centric approach.  Obviously I know all of this, I hang out there, I’ve even played the vintage piano that sits in the Clubhouse.

Sunset over Slaley Hall at the Summer soiree in Northumberland

At the end of the evening we make our way back across the manicured lawns to the main Slaley Hall building and I can’t help but notice just how beautiful it looks in the Northumberland sunset, right here in the UK.

Pixie

 

Pixie Tenenbaum Editor's signature with fashion illustration graphic