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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

Carli Pearson, Founder and Creative Director of new womenswear label, CIMONE was trained at Central Saint Martins and prior to launching her own brand, she honed her craft in a variety of senior positions at some of the world’s top houses. She spent her first seven years at Stella McCartney, later moving on to become Design Director at Alexander Wang, Head of Show Collection at Pucci, and Head of Womenswear at McQ, Alexander McQueen.

Her second collection for spring/summer 2017, and first runway collection was shown as part of London Fashion Week’s SS17 season and received to rapturous applause.

A web of contradictions, the collection saw control versus chaos and high-end production values paired with repurposed textures; focusing on the interplay between naivety and self-assuredness.

statement pieces featured unique, interactive embellishment, moving with models bodies and reacting in unique ways, never appearing the same way twice. A subtle and muted whitewash was brought to life with a vibrant injection of juxtaposed bold colour, appearing as splashes and stripes.

Very obviously influenced by the late Lee Mcqueen, Pearson has focused on confidence as the recurrent theme throughout the SS17 collection – with a little fun thrown in for good measure.

Pixie xo

London Fashion Week FW17: CIMONE

LFW: CIMONE SS17