Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Minki FW18 at London Fashion Week

Usually towards the end of London Fashion Week the schedule begins to slow down, by day four you find that the days get way easier as there are less shows to hop between.  Not so for FW18.  This season has been crazy in the best possible way.  Day five of show season started early with a runway show followed by a couple of presentations in designer led locations meaning I was out of 180 The Strand and off on an adventure.

The Minki FW18 presentation entitled ‘Who is the most sophisticated creator?’  was set in the Park Chinois which is a hop, skip and a jump from New Bond Street in Mayfair.  With it’s flower covered front and roaring open fire in the entrance, it’s a place that’s full of mystery and intrigue.  The presentation itself takes place down a spiral staircase where a selection of Chinese teas and dim sum available for show-goers to snack on and the dark, red lit, rich interior gives a hint of what’s in store.

The collection is a powerful exploration of gender and binary oppositions.  Minki incorporates feminine bijoux fastenings on mens oversized shirts to provide an oppositional force, the collection benefits from the addition and placement of real precious stones which have been used as raw brooches on coats.  Minki’s FW18 offering is a blend of opposing silhouettes that blend the traditional with the contemporary, heavy pleats in light tulle continue the oppositional trend throughout the collection and Minki plays with texture throughout – heavy quilted outerwear sits over fairy like dresses layered with soft, floaty tulles and voiles.

Minki FW18

Taffeta jackets are part quilted to resemble the reflections that can be seen in precious gem stones and it’s these rocks, minerals and gemstones that form the very foundations of Minki’s designs past and present.  Raw and fragile details such as stone snap buttons from Morocco are paired with heavier materials and shiny velvet trimmings, transparent PVC and furry mohair to create a juxtaposition of texture that works undeniably well throughout the collection.  The check / pleat combo is a personal favourite of mine and the masculine styling of the most feminine pieces is so current it hurts.  Kudos Minki, the FW18 presentation provided a well planned, thought provoking collection that seeks to explore the question: Who has been the most sophisticated creator, nature or man?

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

SOE Jakarta FW18 at London Fashion Week

You all know my love of discovering emerging design talent and one of the best places to do just that is at Fashion Scout.  Scout plays host to some of London Fashion Week‘s blossoming new talent as well as some of the more well established names like Dr Pam Hogg, but one of the most exciting things to witness at Scout is a designer’s debut.

FW18 has seen a plethora of new designers take to the vestibule of Freemason’s Lodge, from Amy Thomson‘s whimsical childlike wonderland, to Kristel Kuslapuu’s knitwear protest, Fashion Scout has got it going on.  One of the most anticipates debuts was from designer Monique Soeriaatmadja and her label SOE Jakarta whose FW18 collection The Unexplored Woman, was inspired by the works, life and style of American artist Georgia O’Keeffe.  Inspired by Georgia’s exhibitions in London and Brooklyn, the designer was drawn to the juxtaposition between Georgia’s personal style and her art.  Her wardrobe consisted of androgynous black and white; something of a stark contrast to her wildly colourful floral paintings.

SOE Jakarta is by no means new on the fashion scene, whilst the label is new to Scout, SOE Jakarta is actually in its sixth season and was born out of a love affair with hand woven textile and classic, timeless style.  The brand is committed to reviving the art of weaving in Indonesia and mixes local artisan techniques with technical fabrics to produce a collection which is as beautiful as it is wearable.

The FW18 collection features handwoven denim made on traditional Indonesian Manual looms which makes SOE Jakarta the first brand to bring this technique to London.  The yarn is dyed using natural dye Kayu Tinggi to create warm tones of brown, khaki and sand, reminiscent of the decor and surroundings of O’Keeffe’s New Mexico home.

The look is doubtlessly androgynous, loose fit dresses, jackets, trousers, skirts and shirts dominate the collection in handwoven cotton, crisp poplin and silk organza are layered to create both fitted and oversized shapes which lean towards a strong masculine silhouette.  In contrast, feminine detailing is seen on cinched in waists and drawstring detailing.

Designer Monique Soeriaatmadja

If the Indonesian influence wasn’t obvious enough, the collection features Batik textile stamp printing in a motif derived from one of O’Keeffe’s blue period paintings entitled ‘Blue Nude’.  The combination of O’Keeffe’s love for blue tones and kimono style dresses sees SOE Jakarta translate this into a wonderfully modern oversized shirt dress featuring this very Batik textile print.

For a collection that has been concentrated on such a restricted colour palette, it’s one that has produced some of the most wearable looks of day four, the split front denim pinstriped pant suit and thick bustier jumpsuits layered over loose fit polo necks piqued my interest in terms of styling.  Definitely one to watch for future seasons.

Pixie

 

Categories: The Fashion Closet

Alexander White FW18 at London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week isn’t just about the garments, there’s also a whole host of millinery talent, accessory designers and footwear brands in amongst the other schedule fixtures.  On the final day of FW18 show season my schedule showed no signs of slowing down and right in the middle of my day I found myself at an awesome footwear presentation at the previous home of London Fashion Week, Somerset House.

Alexander White is a British luxury footwear brand offering timeless, elegant footwear combined with contemporary and playful silhouettes.  Each piece is designed in London and expertly handmade by skilled artisans in Florence.  The collections produced by Alexander White are inspired and influenced by White’s surroundings, from architecture to antique and vintage jewellery, and reinterpreted in a fresh and energetic way.

The Portico Rooms at Somerset House provide the perfect location for the FW18 Disco Cowboy presentation.  The huge windows mean that the room is flooded with natural light making the huge disco ball centrepiece, the most perfectly placed prop.  For his FW18 collection White found his inspiration in the southern regions of the US and it shows right through the Disco Cowboy collection.  The collection is very much a fusion of Studio 54 with its glamour and vibrancy, and Western staples including buckles and accent stitching.  Think glitter and wet look snakeskin, the collection features all of it.  With extra glitter.

Central to the collection is the most perfect pair of heeled cowboy boots covered in silver glitter, the very embodiment of the theme Disco Cowboy and probably what you’re likely to imagine in your head when you say the words.  White has incorporated Swarovski crystals, floral prints, glitter, velvet and satin to create a variety of textures and shapes throughout the collection.  Each silhouette has been planned and developed meticulously and White has expanded on his penchant for printing eye catching designs on to specchio leather to produce a collection that’s as worthy of a light up disco floor, as it is of a red carpet.

Alexander White FW18 Presentation London Fashion Week front view of presentation board

White is ahead of the curve when it comes to presenting fashion forward footwear.  His designs inspire a million lookalikes on the high street every season and if you think the shapes are familiar that’s because high street footwear giant Kurt Geiger have lifted several of White’s designs and respun them in seasons gone by.  Flattering yes, but also very naughty.

White’s A-list clients include Emma Watson, Alicia Vikander, Joan Smalls and Carey Mulligan amongst many others and although certainly not A-list, I’m thinking of adding myself to that list by starting with those side buckle glitter boots.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Beauty Cupboard, The Fashion Closet

How I Switch Up My Look with SHOW DRY at London Fashion Week

When I travel to London Fashion Week I’m always working for the duration, that means I’m on duty for five full days and nights and in turn that results ins an overpacked suitcase that I usually need to sit on in order to close.  With that in mind, I need to meticulously plan every single item I take.  I plan two outfits per day, one for working shows and presentations, the other for partying on an evening.  Once I’ve done this, there’s little room for anything else.

I never, ever take any hair washing or styling equipment with me, not even so much as a hairbrush because space is precious and messy hair is cool.  So, how do I manage to stay looking awesome?  I always wash, tone and blowdry my hair the night before I travel, because I travel early, I get up and go, I don’t fiddle with it or restyle it, I literally get up and get out.  I wear that hair for the next three days, however it is when I wake up is how it is for the rest of the day, if it rains I might throw it up into a messy bun but I’m more likely to wear it messy topped off with a tifler.

Day three is where the magic happens.  I visit my favourite Notting Hill blowdry bar SHOW DRY who always look after me during Fashion Week and tend to my tresses.  They wash and prep my hair using products from the SHOW BEAUTY range (seriously, it’s worth it for the fragrance alone) and I usually opt for some sort of braid to keep my hair off my face and switch up my look for the remainder of the schedule.

Pixie Tenenbaum in the rain at London Fashion Week FW18

For the FW18 season day three brought with it hella bad weather.  The first day of bad weather for the whole of show season in fact, I’d been to the Paul Costelloe show that morning and been puddle dumped by a truck as I left The Waldorf Hotel so arrived at the salon in a fresh set of clothes but with gross and very wet hair.  After being greeted by Rihanna and given a bottle of San Pellegrino I felt decidedly less stressed.  She took me down to the back wash area downstairs which is dark shades of grey and black accented with gold, exactly like the bottles the SHOW BEAUTY products are so beautifully packaged inside.  We chatted about what sort of style I like, there have been some staffing changes at SHOW DRY so this is the first time Rihanna and I have met, I tell her that I’m an urban princess and “don’t want anything bridesmad-y or wedding guest-esque” she nods in agreement.

I usually plan exactly what I want in advance but this season’s schedule has been way too crazy to even remember my own name, so with that as her only brief, Rihanna gets to work blowdrying my over-processed hair.  To be totally honest, I pay little attention to what my Stylist does when i’m at SHOW DRY, I know I’m in good hands, the Notting Hill salon seems to just get it right without forcing their own opinions about what you should do with your hair.  For the duration of my appointment I sit and read the latest issue of Vogue on an iPad provided by the salon whilst they kindly charge my phone.

Engage Fembot mode

In 45 minutes I’m done.  Washed, blowdried, waved and braided.  In just 45 minutes my rain and puddle soaked hair has been transformed from resembling dull hessian curtains you might find in a nursing home, to bouncy FemBot-esque waves with twin split Dutch braids through the front.  Winning.  Despite leaving the salon looking freaking amazing, I hasten to add that it literally rained crazy heavy for the rest of the day.  I threw on a Baker Boy hat and popped the collar of my faux fur coat (which hasn’t looked the same since) and went on my merry way.

Basically the moral of the story is, pack heavy, ditch the styling equipment, rock messy hair for part one, hand part two over to a superfly blowdry bar like SHOW DRY and basque in how easy you made it for yourself.  Cheers SHOW DRY Notting Hill, same time next season.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Fashion Closet

Kristel Kuslapuu FW18 at London Fashion Week

With London Fashion Week well underway, there comes a point in the schedule where you realise you’ve taken on way too much.  After all, with two main locations for shows and presentations, and several other satellite venues used to host dreamy showcases, it soon becomes a question of choosing a venue to hover over as it’s just unrealistic to manage the hopping between venues.  Day 3 was, and always is that day.

pixie Tenenbaum wearing a prairie girl dress and faux fur coat in day 3 of London Fashion Week fall Winter 2018

I started and ended day 3 with a banging migraine and ended up missing several shows because of it, the only upside of this vile situation being that I was wearing an awesome outfit (with terrible shoes as I had broken my toe 4 days earlier).  My photographer friend and London Fashion Week sidekick, Ralph and I instead took a midday break to skulk around Holborn’s independent coffee shops and talk about upcoming collaborative shoots we’re working on.  On our walk back towards Fashion Scout, we decided to take a wander in and check out a static presentation by one of fashion Scout’s FW18 Ones To Watch winners, Kristel Kuslapuu.  Here’s a top tip for you Voyeurs, if you have static presentations on your LFW schedule, go 15 minutes before closing and you’re guaranteed an awesome view and the chance to get right up close with the designers work.  You might even be able to get the models to pose for you like we did.

Back to the work.  Kristel Kuslapuu is a new designer to the Fashion Scout schedule, after the Estonian knitwear designer showcased at Talinn Fashion Week she caught the eye of the judging panel who brought her talent to the FW18 line up.  Although new on the scene here in London, this isn’t Kuslapuu’s first rodeo.  She scooped the prizes of 2008 and 2009 SuperNoova in Estonia, Lithuania Fashion Injection and ERKI Fashion Show, alongside being showcased for Estonia at London Fashion Week in the International Fashion Showcase for 2014.  Phew, time to take a breath.

The succinct FW18 collection is inspired by dark secrets, phobias, social anxieties and traumas.  The individual pieces themselves, discuss serious subjects through highest levels of self-irony.  Most of the bold, colourful designs in the collection are hand knitted as a protest against fast, convenient fashion – a rebellion that we’re seeing more and more of throughout the Fashion Month model.  A twist is added by portraying serious topics with cute and fuzzy materials, such as yarns from alpaca, camel, goat and sheep.  Flirting with sculptural forms, bold colours, unique patterns, the collection shares provocative messages and symbols, transcending the traditional gender conformity.  Bright, vibrant and definitely eye catching.

I wonder what he said to her?

“For me winning was a reassurance that I am at the right place doing the right thing. The excitement of fulfilling one of your dreams is indescribable. I really do feel like I have found something that I am meant to do. Whilst years are passing I feel more and more obliged to give back to mother Earth and having this opportunity to share my art with the world is as given from above. I feel very grateful.”  Kristel Kuslapuu.

Kristel Kuslapuu FW18 Presentation at London Fashion Week A group shot with photographer Ralph Whitehead standing in front

I did also line up a pretty sweet group shot of the six piece presentation which Ralph stepped in and ruined…

Pixie xo

Pixie Tenenbaum Editor's signature with fashion illustration graphic