London Fashion Week Archives - Page 9 of 11

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

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.

Pixie Tenenbaum Frow Day 5 SS18 LFW The New Rashtra

Pixie Tenenbaum Day 5 LFW POST NYASA Facial

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: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Amira Haroon x Yana Markova SS18 at London Fashion Week

It’s not often we see a partnership at London Fashion Week and on the rare occasion that we do, there’s usually one designer or brand battling for supremacy within the collection. This one however, is a perfectly complimentary relationship and that’s a rarity in fashion. Beautiful and delicate clothing pieces, complimented perfectly by expertly crafted headpieces. This Amira Haroon x Yana Markova collection is a match made in fashion heaven.

Amira Haroon showed her American pop culture inspired Spring Summer 2018 collection at London Fashion Week with the late, great Whitney Houston serving as muse. With a strong focus on the 80’s disco era, the collection was laces with glitter thread, scallop edging and satin, sounds garish but was actually uber cool, relevant and very wearable. Seven years after setting up her own label, she’s owning the retro disco look with this collection. It’s a collection that combines the past with the present to great effect and all topped off with some of the most Whitney-esque headpieces you’ve ever seen. Remember the signature floppy bow that we swooned over in the early 90’s? This partnership collection showcased a rework of that look perfectly.

Those signature headwear looks were recreated and reworked by rising star milliner Yana Markova (a darling of the Russian beau monde). The bow, which will be making an appearance on my very own head during SS18, was crafted using a secret milliners fabric coated in iridescent glitter. The second headwear look created specially for the Amira Haroon show is one you’ll have to double take to spot as it’s so effective. a chain style headband crafted from dozens of individual, delicate gold chains, sewn together to give the appearance of an Egyptian style golden wig. Clever huh?

“I was really excited to be asked to collaborate and was honoured to see my pieces on the catwalk over London Fashion Week. I hope that we can do another partnership. We worked well together and understood each other’s design philosophies.” Yana Markova, Milliner

This talented milliner has roots in fashion, after training in fashion design at the Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts and went on to work for some of the largest designer fashion, jewellery and accessory brands for fifteen years before launching her own label. Her first collection was met with critical acclaim and she continued to create a fashion range, before turning her attention to millinery. Her designs have been featured in some of the most prolific Quarterlies in fashion including Jute Magazine, l’Etoile Magazine and L’Officiel, this gal ain’t messing around and with a celebrity following including Lady Gaga (she produced the headpieces for Gaga’s tour wardrobe), this collaboration is sure to cement her status as one of the best and most current in the business.

If like me, you’re a fan of a crown, or any other elaborate and striking headwear, you’ll be pleased to know that the Amira Haroon x Yana Markova headpieces will be available to buy as part of Amira Haroon’s Spring Summer 2018 collection.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Fashion Closet

John Herrera SS18 at London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week‘s SS18 season is already weighing in as a heavyweight against New York Fashion Week’s decreasing flyweight. NYFW was once the matriarch of Fashion Month, a beacon held aloft for the lesser three to aspire to. Well those days are long gone, since the division of Fashion Month and The Big Four as a whole, New York Fashion Week has become the diluted and less aspirational sister to the European Three, and Vancouver Fashion Week is hot on its heels.

Back to London and we’re on day 2 with John Herrera’s Amanda collection for SS18. Herrera launched his brand just two years ago when he was chosen to participate in the British Council and British Fashion Council’s International Fashion Showcase, keen fashionistas will remember that he went on to win at the London Emerging Designer Awards at Somerset House, showcasing his Agila collection at MBFW in Tokyo. That’s a whirlwind career for a designer who set up his namesake label just two short years ago.

Last season Herrera put together a presentation of looks on the runway for Fashion Scout, his first runway show. This season he’s back and he’s upped the ante with Armada; a 30 piece collection of digitally printed haute couture fashion, designed to turn heads. Building on Agila for FW17, Herrera was inspired by the accidental discovery of the Philippine Islands by the Spanish; Diogo Ribiero’s World Map from 1529 set the pace for Spring Summer 2018’s prints and the linear fabric manipulation techniques. All pretty spectacular when you see it in real life.

Models walked the runway complete with a strong beauty look of whited out faces with burgundy or black lips topped with bag veils fashioned from voile and tied at the neck adding a gothic opulence to the show. Shapes were stronger this season, if Herrera carved out his niche in FW17, he’s closer to perfecting it in SS18. Wing tipped shoulders and cinched in waists were the stalwarts within the collection, with a ruffle frilled Little Red Riding Hood-esque cape that defied these shapes to become the stand out piece in the collection.

The show was fluid and told a story, if you’ve followed Herrera’s career to date you’ll know that he employs women from challenged upbringings and communities and has produced a work ethic that’s unrivalled. He’s a designer who cares about the origins of his collection and how it makes its way on to the runway as final pieces. The Armada collection features a nod to the Spanish monarchy with regal ruff necklines and hourglass body shapes with a touch of fetishism brought in.

Herrera’s second mainline runway show at London Fashion Week definitely upped the drama and proved that he’s more than a presentation designer. With 30 key looks produced in the last six months between seasons, I can’t wait to see what Herrera brings us for FW18 in February.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Fashion Closet

London Fashion Week FW17: Chanel Joan Elkayam presents La Sola Rosa

London Fashion Week is always exciting, it’s a hotbed for fresh talent and in terms of ‘The Big Four’, it’s the one we look to for micro trend inspiration. It’s a great place for spotting emerging design talent and the FW17 season saw several designers make their debut, a few of whom stand out for all the right reasons. Jessie Western showed their first runway collection this season to huge success and another young designer to break the mound is Chanel Joan Elkayam.

Elkayam has been on my radar for a little while now, she’s an interesting girl and I’ve followed her career to date with curiosity after she contacted me a couple of years back. Elkayam has an impressive CV and a list of awards and accolades as long as the train on her finale gown. Whenever I read about her, I’m always curious to find out more. The reason I’m so interested in her is that she’s just 19 years old. Yes Voyeurs you read that right, this is a fully fledged fashion designer who not only creates her own collections, but produces her own elaborate shows, all at the tender age of 19.

Elkayam is a Womenswear student studying at Central St. Martin’s, she’s been around on the tradeshow scene for a little while now but in 2016 the girl blew up in a big way. Major players started to take notice, she was invited to show at Paris Fashion Week for FW16 and in doing so, became the youngest designer to show a couture collection during Fashion Month. Since then, she’s shown at New York Fashion Week for SS17 and spoken at several conferences about women in business. She may be just 19 years old but the girl is a powerhouse; at the 2016 New York Fashion Awards, Elkayam was awarded the ‘International Designer of the Year’ by industry professionals.

Her FW17 collection, La Sola Rosa was a story of Love and loss. Inspired by poet Vera Brittain who was given a single red rose by her fiancé at the train station on their last day together during World War 1. Elkayam sought to portray raw beauty, emotion, power and romantic sensuality though her collection and did this with drama and flair.

Guests took their seats and the lights were dimmed before the show began. Models walked the runway with a strong Dolce Vita inspired beauty look reminiscent of Dolce & Gabbana’s Sicilian princesses, a timeless red lip and a single red rose to compliment Elkayam’s debut accessory line. A largely monochrome palette with flashes of red and tapestry brocade, the collection showcased the female form using traditional shapes with a focus on the waist using leather waspies to cinch and create an hourglass shape.

When you’re watching a show with as many looks, comprising both a fashion collection and an accessories line, it’s hard to remember that Elkayam is still in her first year at Central St Martin’s. Detailing throughout the collection is uniform and exquisite, her eye for detail is mature well beyond her years and whilst the shapes are simple, Elkayam clearly knows where her strengths lie.

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing how Elkayam’s career progresses, with preparations already underway for SS18, I’ll be back on the frow in September so keep it here Voyeurs and remember the name Chanel Joan Elkayam, you’ll be hearing it a lot more….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Fashion Closet

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