Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized

Winchester School of Art Graduate Runway Show

The Winchester School of Art is proud to be one of the UK’s leading art and design institutions and part of the world renowned University of Southampton.  An international centre for ideas and innovation, they have a history which spans almost 150 years.  Ranked among the top 1% of universities worldwide, the University of Southampton is recognised as a global centre for excellence in research and education. Their reputation, which is reflected in their UK and international league table rankings, is built on a long history of world-changing achievements.  96% of graduates go straight into employment or further study, over 75% of which is graduate level (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, 2015/16), now those are some impressive stats.

The Programme for Fashion & Textile Design at Winchester School of Art is alway one that produces talented graduates and alumni – it’s over-subscription reflects that.  This year, twenty out of their fifty students were selected to showcase their graduate collections at a show following Graduate Fashion Week, hand picked by a panel consisting of Cozette McCreery, Sibling, Clare Copland, Production Element, Sophia Malig, By Walid, Lisa Burn-Hunter, WSA Knitwear Tutor and Cecilia Langemar MA RCA, Programme Leader Fashion & Textile Design for Winchester School of Art.

“This was my first time on the WSA panel, I didn’t know much about the institute which sounds bad but we can be so lazy when based in central London that we often don’t look beyond what we already know. I was intrigued to see what the students had to offer. The freedom given to them in comparison to other universities is clear. When actually selecting from the 50 students I have to go for my gut reaction. There were quite a few collections that honestly, I loved instantaneously so that was easy. Others I felt had a place because they looked cohesive and a few where the student had obviously had fun with their ideas and offered real show-pieces. You must take into consideration the flow of the final running order and what will make a good show a GREAT one. This sometimes means that the more accomplished, yet quieter collections don’t get to catwalk but having an exciting catwalk creates a buzz for everyone so it’s important to show the really visual looks as an introduction to the overall output of the student’s work”.  Cozette McCreery, Sibling.

As far as Fashion design courses in the UK go, there are a few which stand out as amongst the best.  One of those is right here in the North East in the form of Northumbria University and amongst the others is Winchester School of Arts.  The institute prides itself on producing highly creative, skilled and hands on design graduates suitable for a range of positions within the Fashion Industry upon completion of their degree course.

Each year graduates take up roles in prestigious companies internationally and in the UK.  The 2018 show presented pieces from: Sofi Lever; Ning Kang; Abigail Skrentny; Grace Haggerty; Jasmine Lynch; Isabella del Zoppo; Becky Chandler; Lauren Sampson; Ashleigh Cameron; Holly Baxter; Zoe Lyne; Madison Weight; Evie Knott; Rui Cheng; Ezgi Gunay; Jessye Bolton; Hannah Franks; Chiara Bradfield; Yuxin Li and Ruje Aktar to an audience of super cool peeps including myself, who were engaged throughout.  It’s easy to forget that these designers are graduates when you’re watching the show.  From the production, to the casting and right through to the quality of the design and manufacture of each garment, the standard is as you would expect from London Fashion Week.  It’s undoubtable that we’ll see some of these designers showing full collections on the runways of fashion Scout in the coming years.

A further ten students were selected to present one complete mannequin outfit The Vinyl Factory as part of an innovative display of fashion design techniques: Charlotte Oliver; Courtney Wheeler; Yaming Zhang; Elena Hillier; Diva de Sa Menezes; Claudia Friel; Evie Cox; Anna Bateman; Maddy Page and Ellie Biggs made up the cohort.

“The panel select the students based on originality, creativity, professional execution and finish, silhouettes and colour story, level of pattern cutting and construction, ‘catwalkability’ and wow factor and a sense of a fully formed coherent collection. WSA BA Students are very able designers in terms of creative concepts realised to a professional standard in terms of make and finish. Most of our students progress into industry straight away after the BA course into a range of companies and studios, from Alexander McQueen and Victoria Beckham to Asos and Topshop. Some of the fabrications this year have been outstanding from both the Fashion and Knitwear students with some handmade woven leather fabrics, creative hand embroidery and embellishment and some innovative knitted fabrics with stunning yarn combinations”.

Cecilia Langemar MA RCA, Programme Leader Fashion & Textile Design for Winchester School of Art

 

Categories: Fashion, Models, Uncategorized

Hellavagirl Presents Human Meat Freaks for London Fashion Week SS18

During London Fashion Week there’s always one show standout show.  It’s one that’s usually hotly anticipated because of the spectacle of previous shows, for SS18 that show was Hellavagirl Couture.

If you’re not familiar, British designer Helen Woollams has created a brand synonymous with gothic, macabre glamour and fetishism.  A label that celebrates the weird and makes the outsider then norm.  It wasn’t too long ago that Hellavagirl Couture was given it’s big break, with Woollams named Designer of the Year in February 2016, this is one brand That’s rising with velocity and establishing it’s very own niche at London Fashion Week.

For SS18 Woollams treated us to Human Meat Freaks, a show that brought our deepest darkest fetishes to life in a pre-show ritual featuring circus performers and gravity defying acrobatics.  To the uninitiated it would appear that Woollams is out to shock her audience, we’ve become pretty close over the years I’ve been attending her shows and knowing the designer, the show is more about breaking down barriers and saying a massive Fuck You to society and conformity.  If a guy wants to wear a gown then so what?  In the world of Hellavagirl Couture it’s about owning your aesthetic and topping it off with a crown and a bold red lip.

“Inspired by our love for flesh, fetish and guilty pleasures, gender-less extravagance with a rock and roll edge. Non conformist Fashion for the bold”  Hellavagirl Couture

Human Meat Freaks built on the capsule collection produced for FW17 and made the most of the impressive showspace in the grand temple space at Freemason’s Hall.  The collection gave us bold harlequins with elongated proportions and striking sequins, huge black shredded gowns with an aesthetic reminiscent of Brendan Lee in The Crow and the most diverse cast of models this season.

In the Hellavagirl universe what sets you apart is your differences and that goes for the cast of models too, Woollams has managed to create an expectation for the unexpected and delivered something with undeniable edge.  Think Bad Romance meets Plato’s Atlantis and you’re definitely on the right track, in fact if Gaga is looking for a new tour wardrobe designer then Hellavagirl has her vibe cut, edged and belted with black leather and sequins.

Standout pieces included a two piece checked suit with an exaggerated sleeve detail proving the trend for a differentiation from a regular sleeve is going nowhere for SS18, and a green and black sequinned jumpsuit that I’d literally wear tomorrow if I could.  With white and dove grey added to the palette this season Woollams has proven that her ideas are far beyond the realms of noir.  this is one designer who’s far from a one trick pony, something she’s proving season after season, and that’s tricky to master with a niche that’s so small.  Hellavagirl Couture has fans baying for more and more show related chatter on the front row than most other shows put together, it’s probably the only show I’ve ever been to that got a standing ovation from the audience who pretty much stormed the runway just to be part of the spectacular finale of dancing models.

So how was the fashion?  It was good.  Damn good and surprisingly wearable for the brave fashionista.  Sure it’s out there, it’s big, bold and most definitely in your face, but if you’re suppressing an inner goth, or there’s a tiny part of you with the desire to act out, then Hellavagirl is all about rebellion and shunning the entrapments of conformity and there’s probably a part of you that’s curious about exploring that.  There are certainly pieces from the collection I could see myself wearing during LFW FW18 and lavishing the attention they receive, if fashion is about showing your personality then Hellavagirl is about sharing your deepest, darkest secrets; even if they make everyone around you uncofortable.

Pixie xo

Categories: Fashion, Models, Pixie, Uncategorized

What I Wore: For London Fashion Week SS18

The Spring / Summer 2018 season of London Fashion Week is over and it’s been a rollercoaster!  From abhorrent terrorist activity and resulting bomb scares and evacuations, to the ceiling of my room collapsing, it’s been a whirlwind five days and that’s before we even get to the awesome display of design talent.

I’ve had my busiest season to date, hence no full blog posts yet – although they are coming!  And I’ve completely neglected my social channels because preserving battery life is everything during Fashion Week.  So to whet your appetite Voyeurs, here’s a quick post on the outfits I chose to wear to the shows this season, with a disclaimer on why they were not my intended outfits.

I packed my case meticulously with ten outfits.  Nothing particularly trend led, just a mixture of things that I own and like, and things that designers and brands had sent to me in the hope that I’d wear them.  Amongst these things was a pair of brand new metallic boots which led to the utter demise of my planned LFW SS18 Wardrobe…..

DAY 1

I left on the 8.38 Virgin East Coast train, which was delayed due to what we now know was a home made explosive device on the Parson’s Green underground.  This understandably delayed the arrival of my train into London Kings Cross considerably meaning two things happened:

1. I missed the Pam Hogg show, which I later heard was awesome. Dr Hogg is known for her wonderfully quirky and imaginative runway shows and I was gutted to have missed this one, but you know, bigger things were happening in London at that time.  I also missed the Billie Jacobina show which was a real downer – Jacobina’s creations are amazing.  Think pink, negligee, teddy bears, fur, voile and throw it all together and that’s Billie Jacobina.  The kitsch designer was promoted from presentation to runway for SS18 which is a really big deal.  I did get to catch her static exhibit at Fashion Scout, so all was not entirely lost I guess.

2. I attended my first show of the day wearing my train outfit.  I landed in London, ran to my hotel, which luckily is a stones throw from the station, ditched my shiz and literally legged it out the door to catch the much hyped Ones To Watch runway show in Holborn.

So, this outfit is an eclectic mix of AND / OR jeans (which I love), with a sheer, black ballerina skirt layered over the top.  On top I’m wearing a Year One Collective spoof tee and my Starlover Clothing custom painted leather jacket.  Obviously I travelled on my own and had to cut a dash so didn’t have anyone to grab a picture but I featured in Donna Air’s Insta stories wearing this and she said it looked cool so, ’nuff said.

DAY 2

My most jam packed day and one where I knew I’d be cramming a good weeks worth of regular people activity into 24 hours and for that reason comfort came high up in my list of priorities.  I chose a Maison Margiela MM6 Denim shirt dress.  Simples.  The best bit?  Pockets.  Crammed with protein bars, my Oyster Card, hotel key card, San Pellegrino water & gum.

Remember those metallic boots I told you about?  Well they broke on Day 1 running across a road into the show venue and sadly died that evening, leaving me with one pair of metallic fuschia flat loafers to get me through the entire week.  I topped this off with bed hair and a tiffler from Marks and Spencer.

DAY 3

Another crazy schedule climaxing with the awesome Hellavagirl Couture show, and a link up with SHOW DRY London, the salon arm of SHOW Beauty who very kindly look after my hair during London Fashion Week.  After fixing me up with some super cute Dutch braids, I set off for my first show of the day wearing high shine PVC fetish store pants and a custom printed slogan tee made specially for me by Virgo Seven UK.  On my feet?  You guessed it, those feet murdering pink loafers with white fishnet socks.

DAY 4

Day 4 was wet, with intermittent downpours; I knew I wanted to be warm.  I also tried to keep the afternoon free to go buy Plankton a present in Hamleys and get myself out of the fashion bubble and take in some London architecture.  None of these things actually happened, I took on extra shows and headed out into the cold with yesterday’s braids, Topshop tweed shorts and a cosy Primark sweater.

Part way through the day after The Great Foot Massacre of London Fashion Week, I went back to my hotel to switch into jeans (Plankton’s) and socks which I bought that day, mid hissy fit.  I met a photographer friend for drinks that evening and he told me convincingly that I managed to style it out….

Front Row for Dumpty Studio SS18 LFW

DAY 5

With the finish line in sight, I let out my braids and whizzed the flat irons over my hair to give a soft curl and after waking up to a suitcase full of water and rubble, I was left without my intended outfit.  When your hotel ceiling collapses, sure it’s funny at first, until you find your Mark Fast sweater is soaking wet & your underwear is laced with plaster dust.

Luckily I was well equipped with a wipe clean PVC A-line skirt from Primark, some purple Wolford fishnets (never go cheap when it comes to fishnets) and I cut a dash to Monki to buy this Where’s Waldo-esque red & white striped tee.  I added one of my signature metallic tattoos, this time a diamond gifted with the Fenty Beauty press pack and a deco style necklace from M.I.Accessories.  Job done.

By this point my feet were destroyed and I’d adopted a penguin style walk that even I couldn’t style out.  Note to self, sneakers or sliders next season.

The next morning I shamefully put on yesterday’s outfit to head to the station and make my way back up North to a slower pace of life.  After experiencing the tornado that is London Fashion Week, and my busiest schedule to date, I’m ready to do this all over again in six months – albeit in better shoes.

Pixie xo

Send me your top tops for packing light and treating blisters for the chance to be featured in an upcoming post!

Categories: Fashion

London Fashion Week FW17: N&S GAIA presents The Hybrid

SS17 has given fashion lovers more trends, sub trends and micro trends than we can shake a stick at, each of them totally wearable and lustworthy. (I’m looking at you gingham).  If I’m honest, SS17 is when Fashion Month got its mojo back (with the exception of NYFW which was a soaking wet, drowning squib).  FW17 had a tough act to follow and early shows out of the gate at NYFW showed promise.  Now Voyeurs if you don’t know, pay attention: LFW is the younger, fresher, funkier sister of NYFW, the one that everyone loves and wants to cheat with, so as all eyes turned to the British fashion capital we expected great and wonderful things….

The early days of every capital’s Fashion Week are designated for the relatively unknown, new or emerging design talent and these are often some of the best shows you’ll see.  With these showcases and presentations there’s zero expectation, often because we haven’t seen seasons previous or the label hasn’t quite established its niche.  Enter N&S GAIA, a rising star in Indian fashion and originating from New Delhi, the label has contributed to the successful rebirth and modernisation of Dakmanda – a hand-woven embroidery technique of the Garo tribe in North East India.  The brand is also a major proponent of the exploration of upcycling and use of sustainable fabrics. Dedicated to its pillars, the ‘N’ and ‘S’ in N&S GAIA standing for Nature and Sustainability.

Founded by designer, Sidharth Sinha in 2013, the brand made its second LFW runway appearance at Fashion Scout this show season.  I hotfooted it over to the Freemason’s Hall wearing the most perfect vintage skirt and an incredibly rude tee to bring you the lowdown on this relatively undiscovered label.

Following on from the SS17 collection, which was shown in both London and Paris, and given a coveted Vogue Online collections report, N&S GAIA carries forward its signature style of colourful flowing silks punctuated by wide-legs, exaggerated ruffles, sweeping hems, bold, painterly appliqué and tapestry embroidery.

Exploring a deep, dark facet of meta-modernism, the FW17 collection, entitled The Hybrid, is centred on nature photography and existential transformation.  Models walked the runway wearing simplistic pieces which grew bolder as the show progressed, starting relatively tame and occasionally rising above the parapet with something more dramatic.  Soft, blurred lines adorned with tapestry embroidery and shapes which reflect the brand’s Indian heritage were the order of the day set in a muted colour palette, sometimes accented with a pop of metallic.

Shapes were fluid with constructed drapes offset by elements like wide flares, pleating and voluminous sleeves.  Surfaces including the handwoven details of the Dakmanda mix with metallic embroidery echoing the hybrid forms in nature.

Nature starts with almost nothing, just a molecule; where humanity plays the role of the transformation.

A pioneer of sustainability in Indian fashion, N&S GAIA aims to use a balance of hand-woven textiles blended with mill-woven fabric and natural dyes in an effort to push the brand to the forefront of the fashion industry’s natural progression.  Textile and craft are at the core of N&S GAIA and that’s evident in both the craftsmanship and the attention to detail in the embellishment.

Yes, it’s tame compared to some of the stalwarts of Fashion Month but it’s not just about the drama.  This collection is wearable, relatable and ultimately, sustainable.  This is a brand with a vision and some sense of direction, there are consistencies throughout the collection and that’s great news for a relatively new label.  Measurable progression is key in the fashion industry and time is a key ingredient for progression.  Fashion Scout is known for nurturing design talent so I’m interested to see how the RTW collection is received following show season.

I’ll be back for more in September for SS18 and N&S GAIA’s next power move…

Pixie xo

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Models

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