Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

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, Uncategorized

London Fashion Week FW17: Hellavagirl Couture

Fresh off the back of her 2016 Britain’s Top Designer win, Helen Woollams has created what’s surely her best visual spectacle yet for Hellavagirl’s FW17 showcase at Fashion Scout.  I headed out to the Freemason’s Hall in a leather A-line skirt (to protect me from the elements) to share this awesome collection with you.  I got to go backstage prior to the show too but that’s a whole other story…..

The Last Dawn on Mars FW17 –A Post apocalyptic inspired couture collection with dark undertones and a regal rock and roll edge, a dys(co)topian future if you will, filled with couture robots to blow your circuits.

The opening look set the tone for the show, a shimmering oversized gown masked the model’s limbs giving the illusion of exaggerated height, topped off with a ginormous flower crown beyond even your wildest dreams, fashioned out of paper by specialist crafters, Tissue Blossoms.

A silver two piece consisting of harem pants and a metallic, frilled top dripping with emerald coloured stones (one of my favourite looks) gave off a space age mermaid vibe as an awesome follow up to the opener.  From the Frow, in the VIP section no less, I had a fantastic view of this exciting showcase, a collection which tests boundaries and challenges proportions.  A glittertastic, brocade wrapped, flower topped collection of couture for confident, powerful women who don’t fall at the feet of men.

Woollams’ collections are always strong, but FW17 is the dark side of the fairytale.  For every wooded tower that hides a princess there’s a gothic witch just wishing she had Hellavagirl on speed dial; it’s exactly that kind of devilishly flirtatious drama.  A hybrid of couture and RTW, this is a collection available to buy and wear but it’s not for the faint of heart.  Filled to he brim with sequins, sparkle, tulle and brocade, it’s dramatic, confident and filled with personality.

Personally, I adored the show, I was keen to see how Woollams would build on her 2016 national recognition and was pleasantly unsurprised.  It’s great to see that she’s stuck to the principles that made her stand out from the crowd in the first place, staying firmly within her talent niche there’s a definite Hellavagirl aesthetic developing.  Creating unapologetic proportions and dramatic shapes that scream “Don’t fuck with me” – a bold trouser with added width at the hip, or a voluminous jacket with looping shoulders, the knack for creating these exaggerated silhouettes has become Woollams’ signature and it’s one I hope she’ll keep as she’s edging the pack.

When I started writing this post I knew it had to be image led as The Last Dawn on Mars is a collection that has to be viewed to be appreciated.  A distinct Bowie influence makes the collection beautifully bittersweet, but I’ll leave you to make your own assessment.  I can’t wait to see what Hellavagirl brings us in September for SS18 and I’ll be waiting with bated breath for another look inside the mind of Helen Woollams.  So for now Voyeurs, enjoy The Last Dawn on Mars…….

Pixie xo

 

 

Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized

London Fashion Week SS17

If there’s one Fashion Week that’s associated with new talent and a passion for supporting the underdog, it’s London Fashion Week; and with the likes of Prophetik, Gareth Pugh and Mulberry all showing strong collections, it looks like the bar is set to keep on rising.

I’m headed to London SUPER early in the morning for three jam packed days of shows and events and a special something from one of my all time favourite designers (more on that later).

Stay tuned Voyeurs, after a very mediocre NYFW, I’m predicting big things from London.  BIG things….

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized

Prophetik presents Nevermore: SS17

London Fashion Week.  The most urban and exciting of all Fashion Weeks and definitely the one most likely to show and breed hot new talent in the fashion industry.  A hotbed for creativity, London is home to some of the best designers in the world, some of whom manage to fly under the radar of most non-fashion folk – Fuggles if you will…

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Step forward Prophetik.  An uber cool brand founded by award-winning designer, Jeff Garner in Tennessee, USA, Prophetik is the sartorial result of Garner’s take on visual art, blended with his  pioneering stance on sustainability. Garner was designated as one of 40 top artists in America, resulting in his work being exhibited in one of the world’s most famous museums, The Smithsonian.

With sustainability at the core of the brand, Prophetik is the fashion label you never knew you knew.  Garner has dressed Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Gisele Bundchen, Miley Cyrus, Cameron Diaz, Livia Firth, Julia Stiles, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas and Kings of Leon; and he has reached into the technological sphere, partnering with Apple and Griffin to create sustainable iPhone cases, which were revealed on the catwalk at London Fashion Week, where Cara Delevingne both opened and closed the show.

Spring forward to today, day 2 of LFW and Garner is back in a big way with his SS17 offering: Nevermore, which took place at the Tower of London.  If the venue conjures up images of gothic romance then you’re definitely on the right track.

Jeff Garner’s spring/summer show, under his label Prophetik, nods to love lost and the notion that in the depths of a shadowy, dark void, light is exposed and wisdom can be found.

Heritage set the foundation of Nevermore. An American archetype – descended from Yorkshire settlers and the Native American Cherokee – Garner and his family have been residing in the state of Tennessee for seven generations, dating back to the land grant from Lord Fairfax. Mary Crane, daughter of chief Whooping Crane of the Cherokee Nation in Tennessee was Garner’s great, great, great grandmother and looking back to this Native American ancestry and its traditional folklore, Garner examined the raven, which featured on this season’s invitation. The raven is a symbol of a light-bringer – one which gifts humanity with understanding and discernment holding the ideal of balance. On the contrary, pulling from the English side of his ancestry, in Celtic lore, the raven was the goddess of war and strife.

“The raven shows us how to go into the dark of our inner self and bring the light of our true self to healing and creation, cultivating renewal, recycling, and reflection.”  – Jeff Garner

Tradition and artisan craftsmanship collide, underwritten in Garner’s signature use of romantic shapes. Working with black and dark navy silhouettes, which he has steered away from in previous spring/summer collections, Nevermore borders on sombre with hints of whimsy and the ethereal. Black, naturally shed duck feathers symbolise raven feathers, while salmon sustainable leather, hemp silk, Tussah (peace silk), and hand-woven Dupioni appear, all of which are hand dyed with plant based hues at the Prophetik studio in Tennessee.

The show opened with Prophetik’s recently launched intimates collection followed by Prêt-à-Porter  and ending with Garner’s statement making ballgowns, designed around the theme of a gothic wedding.

With a live soundtrack provided by Suzy Amis Cameron and Dorado, the show was firmly rooted in Tennessee

“Nevermore is a remembrance and in honour to all of those who have loved and lost.”  – Jeff garner

A collection steeped in tradition, that sticks firmly to its own ethos of ethics and sustainable production while edging towards the dramatic, Prophetik might just be one to watch Voyeurs…

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Fashion, North East, Uncategorized

Kathryn Trueman presents Inbal Dror to the North East

This week Newcastle was treated to a very special bridal couture show, unlike anything the region has seen before and I was there to bring you the scoop….

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Bridal couture is big business and Israeli designer Inbal Dror has been a leader on the scene for some time, slowly amassing a following of fans who appreciate her unique craftsmanship and attention.  A skill that puts Dror one step ahead of the pack when it comes to creating standout bridal couture.  A graduate of The Shenkar Fashion Art Academy in Tel Aviv, Dror is a pioneer when it comes to couture, creating gowns that transcend the bridal genre with Beyonce opting to wear one of the standout pieces from the 2016 collection for The Grammy Awards.

With a focus on accentuating the female form by using soft, moveable materials over more traditional and thicker materials, Inbal Dror’s creations have to be seen and experienced to be believed.  Known for being a little more risqué than the average bridal designer, Dror offers something for those brides who want to feel a little more desirable.

The perfect bridal brand to collaborate with Kathryn Trueman then; Kathryn lends her name to what is probably the North East’s premier bridal boutique.  Nestled in the heart of olde worlde Morpeth with a quaint and understated shop front, an impressive boutique lies beyond with couture and more spread over two floors.  Kathryn has an unparalleled knowledge of bridal couture and can size you up in an instant.  Within five minutes of arriving she’ll have you upstairs and into a gown you never knew you needed – it’s just what she does.  With daughter in law Emily by her side, they are a formidable force on the North East bridal scene and one you need to know about.

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Kathryn Trueman Bridal Boutique, Picture by Adamskii Photography

Hence being the natural choice for the Inbal Dror Trunk Show; left with full creative control over the show, Kathryn and Emily wanted to give revellers the chance to get up close and personal with these show-stopping gowns and so came up with the idea of the #RUNFREE Trunk Show.  (That’s the official hashtag and there are some amazing pictures on social media)

I have to say I was excited about this one, I’ve had my eye on an Inbal Dror gown for a little while now (not for a wedding, just because I can).  Invites stated that guests should arrive at 6.30pm prompt at the Millennium Bridge for a “surprise pre-event” so up I rocked in my half wedding dress, baby pink boots & “Surfboard” tee, right on cue with Miss Durham GB, Taylor Hamilton as my guest for the evening.

The opening act was indeed memorable, a bridal “flash mob” arrived by stretch limousine to the Newcastle Quayside at sunset and with the sidewalk as their runway, five brides strutted to perfection while their audience was left gasping in awe.  Making their way to the centre of the Millennium Bridge – they strutted and the paparazzi followed.   At the Gateshead side, models posed for photographs at The Baltic Mill and literally walked off into the sunset.  As far as flashmobs go this was the most romantic, I fell in love with all five of those girls that night.

after moving up the The Sage, guests were treated to a champagne reception and goodie bags from my bridal publishing home, Belle Bridal before taking their place on the Frow for the show.

Exercise caution Voyeurs, you’re about to see couture so beautiful you’re going to want to down told and propose to the person closest to you….

With a live soundtrack provided by Le Sape Nocturne, a collective of eight musicians from the North East and a little further afield, these guys take infamous musical numbers from all genres and re-spin them with a little Le SAPE magic to create music you’ve never heard before, except you have.  Perfect for a bridal showcase of this calibre.

Models walked the runway in a range of styles from the Inbal Dror 2016 ‘New York’ collection which oozes glamour and decadence.  From the classic full length bridal gown to the shorter, more modern backless gown, the collection drew gasps from the crowd of press and potential brides alike.

Obvs this much concentrated gorgeousness carries a hefty price tag, but not as hefty as you might think.  With Beyonce’s (read ‘my’) gown at £8k that’s pretty affordable, and covetable, couture right there.  Sure you could pick up a car for that price but let’s face it, you won’t look as good in it as you will in this gown.

With gowns this pretty I’m considering taking on a part time second husband, or maybe two….

Pixie xo

The collection can be viewed at Kathryn Trueman Bridal, 42, Bridge Street, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1NL

For appointments call: (01670) 511917

Follow @pixietenenbaum