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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

Categories: The Fashion Closet

London Fashion Week FW17: VIN + OMI Present Submerge

VIN + OMI are known for their elaborate show sets during London fashion Week and as a brand famed for its couture, it draws in a pretty impressive crowd. For FW17 the brand has partnered with the iconic Michelle Violy Harper to produce its first ever ready to wear collection. Exciting stuff right?

With Violy as their muse, VIN + OMI have created a fresh aesthetic with new silhouettes and shapes to flatter form. Bold new patterns and colours reflect a fantasy waterworld, using fabrics made from recycled plastic collected from the ocean alongside the highest quality silks, sustainable latex and wool. The duo are always exploring new methods of fabric manipulation and fabrication and with Submerge for FW17, they’ve produced their most relatable and wearable collection yet.

“The collection is for that international, creative, art loving woman, with a sprinkling of menswear in there too. The collection has a balance of light pieces and heavier winter outerwear, pastel shades and bold colours. Global temperatures are changing and people are jumping on planes more often. Seasonal collections need to reflect this.” VIN + OMI

In a fully immersive London Fashion Week show staged at The Sanderson Hotel packed with the fashion elite, celebrities, and me, models walked the boards of the Perrier-Jouet enchanted garden before taking to the sidewalk to showcase the collection. A co-ed show saw both men’s and womenswear together on the runway, topped off with VIN + OMI’s signature quirky accessories including oversized silk mittens and zip tie jewellery in uber bright colours as well as hand drawn shoes. Oversized proportions and elongated shoulders and sleeves have been a favourite with many designers in the FW17 Showcases and these extreme shapes managed to remain flattering to the female form at VIN + OMI.

“My obsession with creating clothes that are avant garde, and steeped in the fantasy of the awe inspiring underwater world inspired me to work closely with VIN + OMI to create a collection that both challenges and delights. I was drawn to their work because they push boundaries and are able to explore and translate not only concepts, but also feelings.” Michelle Violy Harper

Radio 1 DJ Jo Whitley took to the runway for the finale alongside her two sons and daughter Coco, who led the finale, saying “well they got me out of Doc Martens!” As she closed the show.

Every Fashionista worth her Himalayan Pink Salt knows that London Fashion Week is where we look to find fresh new shapes, silhouettes and colours, it’s where most emerging trends come from and the VIN + OMI show provided a hotbed of inspiration for the high street. Come September, expect to see chiffon and mesh daubed with watercolours and frills (already huge news for SS17) on a high street near you.

Pixie xo

Professional images taken by Christopher Daw, all other images taken by me.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

LFW: CIMONE SS17

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

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Fun Affair: Girls Grow Up at LFW

If you’re familiar with the London Fashion Scene then you’ll already be aware of Fun Affair. Known for it’s gamine aesthetic and off-beat presentations, the brand oozes 90’s cool like no other. From the in your face logos to the vinyl baseball caps, Fun Affair is one brand that should be on your radar.

Integrating abstraction exotica, minimalism and subversion, designer Xi Zhu strives to create an avant-garde and elegant sphere of design. Zhu merges her oriental heritage with European romanticism and modernism to define her signature: ‘rebellion meets optimism’. Seemingly on a mission absolute to manifest extreme beauty, marrying oriental beauty with mystery, stillness and power, Zhu is a designer for the modern day feminist crusader.

Hosted by LFW’s younger, funkier sister, Fashion Scout, the Fun Affair show begins in a perfectly white space allowing the garments to speak volumes.

The Fun Affair SS17 collection is all of that and more and the runway show is a journey from start to finish. Inspired by the New Romantics, 80’s power dressing and postmodernism. The SS17 Fun Affair-girl is edgy, feminine and sophisticated with just the right amount of attitude. A girl gang for a new generation, and one I find myself wanting to be part of.

This season is all about playing with proportion and form. I caught up with Zhu after the show, noticeably nervous, she told me “It’s about women’s strength and rebelliousness, did you see the last look? That’s my favourite thing I’ve ever created”

Highlights of the show and top of my shopping list were oversized bow knot shirts, high gloss 90’s style slipdresses, high-waisted jeans & baseball caps, and yes, the last look was my absolute favourite, in fact I’m working on recreating it right now….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

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