Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Bora Aksu FW19 at London Fashion Week

“Once you’ve been in space, you appreciate how fragile the Earth is.” – Valentina Tereshkova

Let me set the scene for you, I’ve just arrived in London, checked into my hotel, changed into an insanely fabulous outfit, been papped twice and have literally pegged it from Covent Garden to The Strand to catch my first show of the day.  I’m a little sweaty, a bit windswept, in a good way, and hella late.  I mosey on into the BFC showspace for the first time this season to find that it’s half it’s usual size and I’m ushered to my front row seat and handed a piece of paper that says this:

Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly in space in 1963.  The daughter of a tractor driver and a textile plant worker, at 17 she had to leave school and began working at the textile plant in order to help support the family.  But she wanted more from life.  She insisted on earning her education and opted to study by correspondence.  At the age of 18, while working at the textile mill, Valentina joined a club for parachutists and wrote a letter to the space centre volunteering for the cosmonaut team.  Tereshkova, a woman with little formal education, was selected as one of five women, all of whom were much more qualified than her: test pilots, engineers, and world-class parachutists.  After intensive training, Tereshkova proved she could make the final cut.

On June 16, 1963, she spent almost three days in space and orbited Earth 48 times in her space capsule. While TV viewers saw her smiling face and her logbook floating in front of her, they didn’t realise that the flight had almost turned into tragedy, a fact that remained classified for 40 years.  In the years to follow, Tereshkova went on to graduate from the Zhuykosky Air Force Engineering Academy in 1969 and earned a degree in Technical Science. She then toured the world promoting science and feminism.  Valentina serves as a role model for all women throughout the world who wish to strive to achieve their dreams.

I mean goosebumps right?!  Forget the shrunken showspace, I’m all in, talk about setting the scene!  So it’s clear before we even get underway that this collection is dedicated to Valentina Tereshkova.  Bora Aksu creates garments that reflect Tereshkova’s space trip drawing on the contrasts of her early life growing up in a small village and her determination in standing against traditional restrictions also provides inspiration for this powerful collection.

It’s a slight step away from the norm for Bora Aksu, there’s an exploration of new silhouettes and materials and the colour palette lends itself excellently to the theme.  The iridescent organza and tulle fabrics appear ethereal in texture and draw gasps of wonder from the baying audience, myself included as this theme hits every note on my pleasure chart.  The combination of soft feminine fabrics and structured shapes add a romance to the bolder silhouettes.  There’s an element of weightlessness which is conveyed perfectly through the use of tulle and organza and the addition of pearl sunglasses created by Halo and Co, specifically for the show add a layer of interest.

If you’re looking to spin this look on the high street, sadly it’s a very tricky one to recreate well.  Needle and Thread do it very well and I’m sure they observed this show very, very closely at the end of a needlepoint, but their pricepoint is high so be prepared to pay above the odds for it.  It’s worth it though, it’s a look that’s guaranteed to turn heads again and again.  I can honestly say, and I know I say it every season, that the first show, straight out the gate, is always the best show of the season.  Bora Aksu, so far, you’re shaping up to be the best show of FW19.

Pixie

Images by Chris Yates Fashion Photography

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Cassey Gan FW19 at London Fashion Week

I discovered Cassey Gan by accident a few seasons ago, one of those happy accidents that you note and seek to repeat on purpose.  I was leaving a runway show at Fashion Scout and exited through a presentation space whilst a presentation was wrapping up, there was hardly anyone in the showspace and the models were occupying the space serenely, holding their poses, faces in bold, sullen model pose.  The pieces themselves were bright and geographic and completely juxtaposing in texture.  I stopped and whipped out my phone, I had the whole space to myself to get up close to the pieces, I remember writing down the name of the designer and deciding to find out exactly who Cassey Gan was.

Since then I’ve made it my mission to get on the list for Cassey Gan’s presentation at Fashion Week, whilst it’s a small presentation of only a few pieces she can definitely pack out a room.  Occupying one of the longer time slots in the presentation show space, Gan’s work is admired from opening to close, unlike that first time I saw her which coincidentally was also her first show at London Fashion Week.  Her work has a definite style and she’s stayed true to that, it’s easy to spot a Cassey Gan piece, the lines, cut and print are easily identifiable, but the textures and the fabrics change with the season.

Drawing inspiration from Tim Braden, Malaysian designer Cassey Gan has dissolved and reassembled her world in her FW19 collection, Pixelated.  Vivid brushstrokes take the form of pattern heavy, non-form fitting garments that reveal a new layer of Gan’s evocative work.  Known for loose fitting silhouettes, original prints, and lightweight textiles, Cassey Gan explores thicker fabrics for the first time.  Her colour palette of blues, olives, maroons and mustards build on the collection alongside wool and padded fabrics, furthering Gan’s textured approach to her luxurious FW19 pieces.

The collection uses innovative shapes and heavy layering as with Gan’s previous collections, but shifts between representation and abstraction as if to hint at something new.  Comfort and style are of equal importance for the label aiming for a timeless modern appeal, Pixelated will focus on metaphor and craftsmanship to achieve the collection’s goals.  Influenced also by the impossible pace of the fashion industry and the inevitable changes rooted in the digital age, Gan harnesses her frustration at the speed which designers must now work, into a furious, and interconnected collection. Drawing from the incomplete and elided images of the collection’s verbal namesake, Pixelated comments on the love / hate paradox Gan sees in contemporary fashion. As speed increases, precision sometimes falters, leaving Cassey Gan’s Pixelated to recombine the pieces into a meaningful statement about the contemporary moment.

It’s a definite evolution for Cassey Gan, it’s a new shape, it feels more whole, like more of a collection and a more fruitful vision.  What started off as a group of pieces and shapes, feels like it grew up and moved on, like it reached it’s teenage years and is deciding what it wants to be when it grows up.  That’s as simple as it needs to be for these shows and is often all it takes for a designer to make things happen in the fickle world of fashion.  In short, put your head in the game, know your style and graft.

Solo Model at the Cassey Gan FW19 presentation at Fashion Scout for London Fashion Week Fashion Voyeur blog by Pixie Tenenbaum

I’d love to see more from Cassey Gan, and eventually a runway show in the vestibule of Freemason’s Hall, the pieces and the inspiration is there, the vision is there, the progress is definitely there.  In just a few short seasons this young designer has come a long way, she’s one I look for on the schedule and if I’m around I’ll be there watching, seeing how she’s grown.  Definitely a one I watch with curiosity and interest.

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet

Rocky Star FW19 at London Fashion Week

Rocky Star is one of those shows that causes an absolute scrum outside.  I mean everyone has an invite, but not everyone makes it through the doors, it’s a pretty elite show and there’s a reason for that.  Rocky Star’s shows are awesome, they’re full of sparkle, fringing, tulle and it’s the look that probably inspired what you’re wearing right now because it’s the one the high street most often rips off.  Yes, everyone wants a piece of what Rocky Star is selling, even you, whether you know it or not.

For FW19 Star was inspired by Vatican architecture, the collection features his take on the painting Separation of Light from Darkness, and in a bid to unravel the myriad of experiences we undergo ourselves as humans, throughout the collection, Star touches upon the realm of fantasy and the romanticism between good and evil.  It’s something we’ve seen glimmers of in earlier collections, but nothing quite so forceful as this and it’s a collection that I love, those fringed trousers that were made for slo-mo walking are to die for.

Star has always been about female empowerment.  Dressing the female body and empowering women has always been at the core of his work and his Fall/Winter collection for 2019/20 is no different, the values remain the same.  Where there’s powerful tailoring this is instantly juxtaposed and almost challenged with free-flowing silhouettes in the line-up.  Typical Rocky Star fabrics made the cut including feathers, organza, velvet, lace and silk, as well as those more skilful elements which showcase the young designer’s talents, pleated sequins, quilting and flat broad collars.

Rocky Star continues to be a show I look forward to each season, I watched from the front row, which really is the only place to absorb the intricacy of the workmanship that goes into creating each Rocky Star piece, from the sheer volume of triple flip weight sequins (no flat single stitch paillettes here), to the way the feathers are placed to make them lie as they would on a living bird.  The craftsmanship is what matters here, sure the end product is special, but the work that goes in is phenomenal.

I remember bumping into Rocky Star the morning after his show a few years back, it was back when Freemason’s Hall used both show spaces and there had been a riot outside before his show.  The guy is so damn humble and it’s easy to see why reality stars who leave the Big Brother House (RIP) or Love Island end up desperately trying to get Star on speed dial.  His style is familiar, but inaccessible to the mainstream.  This is the wondrous thing about Rocky Star; it’s editorial fashion, but it’s also wonderfully commercial.  The highstreet looks to this midpoint, to the Pioneers and it takes elements from every point, top, middle and bottom of the collection with the intent of reproducing and repackaging them.  Star’s collection is one of those that you’ll no doubt see everywhere, maybe you’ll even buy a highstreet replica thinking that you’re buying something original.  Well know this; you saw it here first on the runway of Rocky Star at Fashion Scout.  The only question remaining, is when will we see this designer on schedule?

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet

Matty Bovan FW19 at London Fashion Week

Five short months have slipped by and we’re right back in the thick of Fashion Month.  We can pretty much all but disregard New York now, what was once a beacon of hope for the Fash Pack is now a beeline for commercialism.  We might see the odd glimmer of brilliance, this season it was from Tom Ford as he dug deep into his archives for inspiration but really London is where Fashion Month truly begins.

Day one held promise, real promise in fact.  First on the agenda was Bora Aksu and his army of whimsical space fairies; a very hard act to follow and an uber strong opening act.  Bringing up the rear however was Matty Bovan.  Known for his eclectic style pallette; his FW19 show came with a back story that hooked me in from the word go, or to be more precise, from the words: In Uncertain Times, This Is A Sure Thing!  Let me explain…..

In late Autumn last year, a letter slipped through the mailbox of Matty Bovan’s front door, addressed to his deceased grandma. He opened it to find an odd claim, promising to becalm the nerves of recipients with the sale of warehouse furniture.  Unsettled by its rhetoric he photocopied the last eight words. At the 11th hour, he had alighted upon a title for his Fall/Winter 2019 collection: In Uncertain Times, This Is A Sure Thing!  The strange act of contacting the deceased, and the sheer tenacity of further suggesting the purchase of a Draylon three-piece suite might solve all woes felt too irresistible to resist.  Had the fabric of British civilisation come to this?  “I mean,” he sighs now, “how creepy?”

Already, sinister thoughts had been afoot.  Germinating through Matty’s mind while assembling the rich, strange, dark, tempestuous and even occasionally – whisper it – pretty collection was a flavour of wilful witchiness. (Exactly my style – you were thinking it too right Voyeurs?!)  He spent six months researching the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, obsessively reading about the Lancastrian massacre against mysticism.  He became consumed by folklore and myth.  “Really a lot of this stuff is just about healing and ritual, stuff that has been twisted and spun to try and control people.  Folk traditions are quite bizarre but there’s documentation of them actually happening.”  In the end, it came down to the idea of what constitutes modern magic.  “This is just a way of thinking about the past, the present and the future. I’m sceptical about magic, of course, which in many ways makes it all the more fascinating.”

Could this be the reason Liberty of London reached out to him in October, just as he was finishing his knitwear, the cornerstone of any Matty Bovan collection as we know it, inviting him to visit the Liberty Fabric archives,  where he subsequently selected their Tana Lawn pattern, scaling up the tiny graphics to find the wizardry and magic in the colour blend, while turning the collection into an exploration of Englishness, as divined through his unique eye, moving the colloquialisms into a new stratosphere.  Waxed fabrics have been etched with nails, leaving random impressions.  The ballgowns of Spring/Summer had mutated into polymorphous shapes, cut against the leg, into the hip, bolstered with tulle and foam padding.  His significant print this season?  The unmistakably English dragon.  I mean how fabulous is that?

A Liberty Fabric print blouse, in four different colourways, with shoulder frilling and an Edwardian neckline is almost quintessentially Helena Bonham Carter in its Englishness.  “This is the sort of thing most people start designing,” he says.  “For me, it’s a kind of an extremity.”  He might send it down the catwalk back to front. “It works as a jacket, too.” His sense of playfulness and anarchy remains undimmed. A waxed kilt comes at what he calls “schoolteacher length.”  Where others like to test the limits of their design eccentricity, Matty began prevaricating on the possibilities of his hitherto unseen conservatism.

When he sat down to talk about the headwear, made by Stephen Jones for COACH X Matty Bovan, this season featuring Coach Signature tapestry fabric, he used the phrase “hats through the ages” to creative director Katie Grand and peerless milliner Stephen Jones.  “That made everybody laugh.”  Until it made sense.  Katie Hillier has fashioned collectable outsized keyrings for the collection, as well as hair scrunchies and bows in Liberty Fabric prints.  And trust me Voyeurs, scrunchies are big news again this season and beyond.

There is a message in everything in this collection, one print from the knits is taken from the impression of a grit-bin found in Manchester.  A local wood-turner has made jewellery from chair spindles and bracelets which were worn as armlets by the models including current supermodel Adwoa Aboah, this particular craft continues into talismans which were held by the models and shaped by Matty’s mother.  If ever there was a collection to come out of something so pure, this is it.

The collection is based on heritage and that much is clear, however Bovan’s kooky spirit shines through and none of that eclectic edge we’ve come to know, love and expect has been diminished.  Every single look is planned in it’s entirety from the headwear to the accessories making Matty something of a connoisseur when it comes to creativity.  The shoes were a collaborative affair, having been planned with everyone’s favourite nineties shoemaker Gina.  Gina for COACH x Matty Bovan footwear also features Coach Signature fabric, as well as GINA for Matty Bovan footwear in clumpy sludge fake snakeskin, cappuccino-coloured stack lace-ups, and the fabric of a thigh boot looking something like a luxurious diesel slick.

There aren’t many designers who can pull together a collection, a show, associated collaborations and a full-scale set piece to create an immersive atmosphere based on just eight words.  Matty Bovan I salute you.  This was one of the best.

Pixie

 

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Sustainable Fashion: Finding Treasures in Your Own Wardrobe

We all know that rush that comes from buying a new pair of shoes, or a really great, well-made handbag, ore even just the perfect pair of jeans.  In fact, shopping is up there with addictions such as gambling and alcohol, and is often termed a “secondary addiction’ as it quite often slides in after a different addiction disappears.  Yes, we’re a nation of shoppers.  We spend what we earn and the fashionistas amongst us put our wages straight back into our wardrobes and shoe closets.

A shot of Carrie Bradshaw looking into her closet longingly - Fashion Voyeur Blog

“I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet.” – Carrie Bradshaw

But in 2018 there was a huge shift in the fashion industry, one that saw a light shone on the damage done to our environment and the finger of blame was largely pointed at fashion.  We were shown an ocean once thriving, now nothing but dust.  All for the production of cotton for fast fashion.  The cries were that fashion is fickle, but it’s also a very complicated beast to understand as there are so many tiers, so many layers, and so many season and micro seasons within each level.  It’s difficult to find where the blame does lie, other than to know that garment production plays a huge part in the responsibility of environmental destruction.  Making clothes out of a non sustainable material, unethically, is a challenge.  One which may, or may not be solved.  Pointing the finger most definitely will not solve it, making more conscious decisions at a personal level however, can definitely go along way to make your own contribution towards potentially conserving our environment.

Here’s what I suggest:

1.RE-DISCOVER ITEMS IN YOUR OWN WARDROBE

Pixie Tenenbaum Photographed by @meganlscottphotography
Pixie Tenenbaum Photographed by @meganlscottphotography

This is a personal favourite of mine.  We all have wardrobes and closets of different sizes, I’m a hoarder so mine are huge, I never throw anything away, just move it from floor to floor or from property to property so when I rediscover something, it’s like finding treasure.  (I’m aware that makes me sound like a fucking gross snob but I swear I’m not, I still burp and pump like everyone else.)  I found this Gucci Jackie O bag in black leather and denim when I was looking for something else.  It’s pristine, I bought it when I was 20 years old and living in London and I’m pretty sure I was so terrified to use it that I never did.  That means it’s now brand new and twenty years old, still stuffed and in its original dustbag – probably classed as vintage now.  Simple things like this amaze me.  I took it out to shoot with my Blogger and Photographer friend Megan Scott and I swear, this brought me so much joy you wouldn’t believe.  I also rediscovered a dress I haven’t worn for years, I put it away in a box in the attic, it’s been in there for around 9 years and when I tried it recently it just worked.  Obviously I’m 40 now and my body has changed, my hair is different and my style is different.  Things change, don’t throw things away, hang on to them and restyle them.  Fuck Marie Kondo, if you have the space and you genuinely think you might use it again, keep your stuff.

2. TRY OUT CHARITY SHOPS / THRIFT STORES / VINTAGE FAIRS / ANTIQUE FAIRS

All of them. Charity shops are a little more hit and miss as you’re more likely to find damaged items, or pieces that are just other people’s rubbish, however, in recent years, they’ve gotten a lot better.  St Oswald’s in Jesmond is a good bet and they put together a pretty enticing window display.  There’s also a very good one in Chester Le Street which seems to change it’s name every week so I won’t include it because by the time you visit it’ll be different.  In terms of vintage, Clerkenwell Vintage Fair at Freemason’s Hall in Holborn is amazing, it’s seasonal but generally four times per year.  Trendlistr is an amazing curated vintage seller with a studio for viewing and trying on, and there’s also an online selling platform too for the pieces that aren’t in the studio.  If you’re up here in the North East, you get the best of both.

The best thrift store we have up here is one I change my mind on quite a lot, at the minute it’s probably Retro which is on High Bridge Court, but last week it was the Durham American Thrift Store which is a HUGE thrift store in Langley Moor.  It just depends what their stock is like.

Antique fairs are a bit more exciting.  You can roll through these in a flash, especially if you’re looking specifically for clothes and accessories.  I tend to get caught up in picking up stuff for the kitchen but generally speaking, antiques fairs are where I go for hats, they have the best and most outstanding (by that I mean as in standing out from the crowd) collections you’re likely to come across.  You’ll find crowns, tiaras, hats, widows lace, cloches, all kinds of weird and wonderful hats at an antiques fair and the one I tend to head to first is the seasonal Colin Caygill Antiques Fair at Gateshead Stadium.

3. BUY LESS, WEAR MORE

Try different ways of styling what you already own.  I know that’s easy for me to say as a Stylist, but trust me, there are lots of different ways to wear what you already own, it’s why a Capsule Wardrobe is called a Capsule Wardrobe.  Set yourself a Rail Challenge where you pick yourself 12 items from your wardrobe and see how many different ways you can style them in a 7 day period.  If you work in an office it’s something that can be great fun, if you’re a busy mum parenting the kids at home – not so much, then you need to get your fashion kicks in other ways.  As a busy mum myself, I take great pleasure in wearing my son’s clothes when he’s at school, I’m contributing to the sustainable fashion movement and still getting a new outfit every day.  Plus, he has some freaking cool clothes man.  Double the wear and he doesn’t even know I’m doing it.

4. DO NOT BUY INTO THE “YOU CAN’T WEAR AN OUTFIT MORE THAN ONCE” BULLSHIT

This is one thing I can’t stand about the Blogging / Influencing community and something I appreciate that I’ll never be able to change on my own.  The whole ridiculous ethos of “I would never be seen in an outfit I’ve been photographed in”, or, “I can’t wear something I’ve worn before”.  It’s utter bullshit, I don’t know how this came about, it’s like Bloggers suddenly believed they were A-List celebrities, except an A-List celebrity would never behave like that.  You are single handedly contributing to the problem you are preaching about.  By saying that you won’t be seen in the outfit you just posted to Instagram, you are contributing to the sustainable fashion problem directly.  It’s just crazy and unbelievable that people don’t see that.  I’m more than happy to be seen in my clothes more than once, twice, three or more times, clothes are built to last, hence the term sustainable.  I’ve had other local Bloggers say to me that they wouldn’t dare, and they think it’s disgusting that I wear the same clothes a second time, or “Do you know you’ve worn that before?” (er, yes I do, they’re my clothes) “It might be time to throw that T-shirt away, you’ve worn it before” and “You’ve already posted that on Instagram”.  I’m literally facepalming right now.

Wear your clothes.  Wear them out.  If you get sick of them and no longer want them, pass them on to a friend or a charity store. Or, and that leads me on to my next point….

5. ORGANISE A CLOTHES SWAP OR SALE

Got a closet full of clothing and accessories that no longer fit, isn’t your style, no longer works with your brand new hair shade or you feel you just need a change?  A clothes swap or sale might be for you.  So what’s the difference?  Well, a Swap is basically a night in with a selected group of friends who each bring round some pieces from their wardrobe that they no longer want.  You agree to showcase your pieces and then swap anything you don’t want, for something you do want.  Simples.  The problems with this is that you generally need to swap with a group of friends who are all the same size –  I don’t know about you, but my friends come in all shapes, heights and sizes.  This is why sometimes a sale is the best option.

A Sale is similar except you exchange cash.  You might be saving up for something, moving home, saving for a car, for medical treatment, decorating or giving proceeds to charity (all of these are perfectly acceptable).  You set a price, your friends might haggle, once you agree, you complete the sale and sell your item.  I like these ones, they’re like eBay or DePop but more personal, usually in someone’s home, with a few drinks, a few nibbles and you generally get to pick up some amazing bargains and make some awesome new friends.  I went to one in London and met legendary designer Pam Hogg which completely blew my mind.

I’m actually thinking about holding a private sale at my home maybe in April of this year so drop me a comment, message or email if you fancy coming – I promise, it will be mint.

Pixie

Pixie Tenenbaum Editor's signature with fashion illustration graphic