Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

London Fashion Week FW17: John Herrera

In a fashion Months full of firsts, designer John Herrera showed for the first time at Fashion Scout and debuted with his FW17 collection, Agila.  A showcase tinged with tradition and exploration of Herrera’s Filipino roots.

 

Herrera launched his brand in London two years ago when he was chosen to participate in the British Council and British Fashion Council’s International Fashion Showcase at Somerset House.  That same year Herrera went on to win at the London Emerging Designer Awards, also at Somerset House, and showed his winning collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Tokyo.  After showing a sensational bioluminescence themed collection and on the eve of LFW’s FW17 season, Herrera was announced as the winner of Britain’s Top Designer award for 2017, a title previously held by Helen Woollams of Hellavagirl Couture.

John Herrera’s Agila Collection presented at Fashion Scout.
John Herrera’s Agila Collection presented at Fashion Scout.
John Herrera’s Agila Collection presented at Fashion Scout.

For his FW17 collection Herrera harked back to his roots, experimenting with filipino tribal art and tattoos straight out of Luzon.  The Philippine eagle which features prominently throughout the stunning six piece collection, was a huge inspiration to the designer, each piece of his hand-drawn, original artwork was transferred to the fabric through dye-sublimation printing in partnership with Epson Philippines, with amazing attention to detail.  The result, a sublime kaleidoscopic effect in earthy, neutral tones.  I was on the front row and can vouch for just how hotly anticipated and talked about this show was;  without a doubt, Herrera’s showcase was one of the most over subscribed shows I’ve been to in years and for good reason.

John Herrera’s Agila Collection presented at Fashion Scout.
John Herrera’s Agila Collection presented at Fashion Scout.
John Herrera’s Agila Collection presented at Fashion Scout.

The great thing about Herrera as an emerging design talent, is his passion for ethical material sourcing and supporting his hometown where he continues to produce his collections.  His staff is made up of women from challenged upbringing and he continues to support his community through his work; Herrera is a designer who has seen struggle and made it work as a positive in his branding.

Next on the agenda for the Filipino designer is a stint at Paris Fashion Week.  Agila will be shown as a static presentation at The Westin Paris – Vendome as part of the prestigious So… Couture showroom.

Definitely one to watch Voyeurs, the Agila collection is already up on Vogue Online and will feature in this season’s accompanying Vogue Collections – I’ll be watching for Herrera’s next move as September is always the best show season…

Pixie xo

Categories: The Beauty Cupboard, The Fashion Closet

London Fashion Week FW17: CIMONE

LONDON FASHION WEEK FW17: CIMONE

London Fashion Week has been the talk of Fashion Month so far this season and it’s partly due to reinvention.  Each season one of the fashion capitals lags behind with an underwhelming collection of shows and another stands out for it’s bold, sometimes risque, play on fashion and trend prediction.

I’m excited about LFW this season and it’s because it’s off to an awesome start.  CIMONE showed an awesome, power packed collection for FW17 at Scout and was just the start of a season of bold, brave collections that played with femininity.  The exaggerated proportions which have long been a staple of CIMONE were present and a clash of the old and new in a breathtaking runway show.  Carli Pearson, founder and creative Director of CIMONE, trained at Central St. Martins and gained experience working with Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang and most recently, Alexander McQueen before launching CIMONE.  McQueen’s influence is laced throughout this collection; from the uber strong zombie beauty look, to the hair design straight out of Plato’s Atlantis, the collection is one tinged with the best memories of the late Lee McQueen and a fitting tribute.

I was there for what was set to be one of the talking points throughout the whole of LFW and I got to see first hand what went down at CIMONE FW17.  Let me tell you Voyeurs, it was freezing cold but pretty damn awesome.  The influence of McQueen was very apparent in some of the shapes, the collection felt nostalgic and familiar, I’m pleased to see houndstooth check as a carry forward trend for next season as it’s one of my favourite current trends.  If anything, this show season has lent itself to transition, carrying over more existing trends than ever before, introducing new, more playful ways of wearing them.

With the feminine form at the centre of this collection, elongated shoulders and sharp panniers frame the female silhouette, Pearson has a way with fabric, using it in experimental ways to create the illusion of textures one might have thought impossible.  Light, floaty silks are weighted to create restriction and heavy wools appear light and voluminous.  CIMONE is a brand rooted in its passion for craftsmanship and ability to defy the laws of convention and the expected.

CIMONE FW17 is a collection for strong women everywhere, for backstreet rebels fighting the cause and for women who dress for themselves.  Shapes are strong and over defined with ruffles making a re-appearance for next season, bolero jackets in stiff fabric and pelmets in a variety of shapes look set to be the standout shapes which will inevitably trickle down to the highstreet – expect to see cobalt blue and red everywhere come September.

So far this collection has been met with critical acclaim with Vogue Italia shooting a dedicated lookbook and British Vogue citing it as a season highlight.  I don’t know about you Voyeurs but I’m a huge fan of exaggerated proportions, the ability to create something extra from nothing is a wondrous thing and there’s just something about an elongated shoulder that harks back to the power silhouette of the 40’s. Blend that with the modernity of the British highstreet and you’ve got a powerful mix right there.  I’m looking forward to creating this look on the highstreet when Fall ’17 rolls around and can’t wait to see how the trends infiltrate your wardrobes.  Whether you’re conscious of it or not, these almighty runway shows dictate what you buy and when you buy it meaning everyone, whether they know it or not, is influenced by fashion and I predict that the highstreet shapes we see in Fall will be hugely influenced by the likes of CIMONE, one of my favourite shows of the season so far.  The show closed with a strong finale to Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson, models marched purposefully making a final statement before Pearson appeared briefly to wave to the crowd.

Keep it here for more from London Fashion Week, as you know we’ve had (more than) a few website issues recently so I’m working out the kinks and catching up!  I promise you Voyeurs, you won’t be disappointed!

Pixie xo