Fashion Voyeur

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Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Starsica FW18 at London Fashion Week

In the run up to London Fashion Week‘s FW18 show season I was asked a few times who I was most looking forward to seeing and as I thought about the previous season, there was one name that kept jumping out at me: STARSICA.  The fledgling brand showed as part of Fashion Scout’s Ones to Watch for SS18 and put together a striking and playful collection featuring neon, cutouts and 90’s style logos.  It’s a show that really stood out and one that I was definitely looking forward to this season.

FW18 saw designer Ike Seungik Lee produce his first full collection and like anyone else, I wondered how this would stand up against some of the more established designers who had shown before STARSICA on days one, two and three.  I needn’t have worried, the STARSICA show was an absolute doozie and even now, it’s one of the one’s that stands out in my mind as being one of the strongest shows of the season in terms of the collection, the production and the darkness.  Oh the darkness…..

The show, entitled “Seirēn sings for a Mad King” takes its inspiration from learning the phenomenon of otherness.  The idea behind the collection is primarily derived from observing the behaviours of the unspecified masses around us and Lee does this to perfection.  From the eerie opening to the jerky music box soundtrack, the show had me captivated from start to finish.

There is an inherent sense of humour and futility in the collection that is the DNA of STARSICA, displaying distorted aspects of our society in conceptual symbols.  The models walked as exaggerated versions of themselves with jerky motions and through theatrical breaks and interactions with the audience they left us wondering if, in essence, we are all the Mad King.  We utilise the vision of those who interpret the egos and lives of others through their own subjective perspectives.  With this in mind, the collection constitutes a sense of dramatic construction, and draws on reinterpreting Greek tragedy as a fashion monologue.  It truly was a sight to behold and truly if you weren’t there, you missed out.

Starsica FW17

STARSICA’s models took on the appearance of siren-like dolls, a little like the Monster High dolls a child would play with, eerily made up to fit a distorted ideal.  They carried with them pieces from the debut STARSICA accessory line in the form of three dimensional coffin shaped bags which reinterpret the portable bags carried by the Mad King himself, hand mirrors and even bird cages.  Semiotic symbols adorned a grey suit which stood out in a collection where every piece was saleable.

The playful motifs in wings and soft fur which can be understood as symbols of Siren, the troubadour, have been reinterpreted with a modern twist and found in the prints of Lee’s own paintings and the patterns created by embroideries.  These echo the essence of mythological elements such as the star, bird and semiotic signs, the collection is as fun and uplifting as it is spooky and eerie.

Inversely, the Mad King is portrayed through the gothic arched lines in wearable suits and hard reliefs on coats.  The primary colour for the Mad King is dark purple, while grey is used to describe the Mad King’s power.   Finally, glen check patterns and wide sleeves create the juxtaposition of fabrics and colours to express intertextuality and cohesive characteristics of Siren and the Mad King.  These pieces are highlighted with romantic silhouettes on tail edges, scribble prints and splashes of gold which reflect the sense of sadness brought about by the death of the Mad King, perhaps the reason for the models appearing so tortured.  I loved every minute of it and left feeling like this was probably going to be the most memorable show of the season.  I wasn’t wrong.

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet

Cassey Gan FW18 at London Fashion Week

As one of Vogue Italia’s “Future generation of talent”, Malaysian born Cassey Gan’s FW18 presentation was hotly anticipated at London Fashion Week.  In fact, her graduate collection was one of just twenty five womenswear collections selected by London College of Fashion for its external press show in 2012 – not bad for someone who began her higher education reading Chemical Engineering.

A shot of the crowd in Freemason's Hall at Holborn for the Cassey Gan FW18 presentation at London Fashion Week

If you read my post on the Kristel Kuslapuu FW18 presentation at Fashion Scout, you’ll know that my top tip is to head in around 15 minutes before close for the best views and angles of the collections, not the case with Cassey Gan.  The interest for Gan’s FW18 collection was peak and even right up to close, the hall was pretty much full.  Gan’s collection is pure, clean and striking.  She plays with dimensions which challenge the perception of each individual garment, whether it’s an offset shoulder, or an asymmetric cut that isn’t quite obvious at first glance, the collection seeks to challenge our self perception.  The presentation itself was a lot easier to navigate than some of the others, despite being static, the models used the stage and raised blocks in the room to ensure that even if you weren’t right up close, you still got a decent view of the garments.  Or at least the top half of them.

When creating her FW18 collection, Gan explored how social media has caused society to create almost fictional versions of ourselves in the pursuit of perfection.  As beauty standards become more pronounced and culturally accepted, the line between fiction and reality becomes blurred and we tend to forget our true selves, constantly self editing until the line between truth and untruth is no longer detectable.

In addition, Gan also considered the works of Maria Svarbova when developing her concise collection – where a seemingly picturesque utopia is juxtaposed by the dullness of Svarbova’s subjects – Gan used the visual aspects of these pictures as a direct reference in her choice of print and textile.  With repetition as the common denominator, ripple patterns cascade the collection in pastel blues with accent hues of tomato red.  Detachable layers held together by gold metal fixtures also give a nod to art deco.

With the macro trend for clashing prints showing no signs of abating, Gan has taken this to the next level by combining multiple prints in one garment.  The collection seems rooted in style over fashion by using classic layering, wearable and interesting accessories and bold primary colours as it’s M.O. and it’s one that will no doubt be plagiarised by high street stores who have a hand in their own print design.  It’s only a matter of time before Zara are passing these striking yet wearable prints off as their own.

Pixie

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

Pixie Tenenbaum Editor's signature with fashion illustration graphic