Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Fashion

Fortie Label FW18 at London Fashion Week

After another rather bland and boring New York Fashion Week the baton has been handed to London and we’ve come to learn that over the past few years now, London is where Fashion Month really hits its stride.  What with it’s awesome street style, emerging talent, and well rooted, established designers, London Fashion Week has something that every fashion lover can appreciate and aspire to.

My start to London Fashion Week is always the same: severe train delays resulting in over half a day lost  and the FW18 show season was no different.  After an epic delay in excess of two hours, I finally arrived in the capital and met up with some familiar faces.  After checking in, I hotfooted it to my first show of the season, Fortie Label to find that I had one of the best seats in the house…

Show Pack FW18
Look 1 at Fortie Label FW18

If you’re thinking you’ve heard that name somewhere before, that’s because Rihanna commissioned this urban-luxe brand to produce part of her Anti world tour wardrobe; and if you haven’t heard of it yet, you’ve most definitely seen some of their designs on the likes of Jorja Smith, Kelela or Chaelin CL.  For their FW18 collection, Fashion Scout Merit Award winners Fortie Label drew inspiration from Forty Thieves, an all female London crime syndicate who were famously known for their antics through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Fortie Label FW17

The collection is an ode to female sexuality and empowerment and with its fierce girl gang aesthetic, it’s not hard to see why they were selected for the much coveted Merit Award.  Oversized boiler-suit silhouettes fashioned from stiffened voiles are paired with elements of the sports luxe trend, urban glamour and hints of resort wear.  Cropped hoodies, sheer tracksuits and high PVC shorts cement Fortie Label firmly on the radar of every hip, youthful female artist out there in 2018 and it won’t be long before you’re spotting pieces on MTV.  FW18 saw the return of the brand’s signature triple hoodie alongside a revamped corset fashioned from denim.  A collaboration with swimwear designer Louisa Ballou resulted in a base layer of overlay bikinis with bamboo detailing.

The colour palette for the entire collection was a warm mix of caramel tones with accents of tangerine, indigo and blue with textures ranging from denim, to tulle and faux fur.  Fortie Label founder and designer Essie Buckman demonstrates her meticulous eye for detail with this collection which was produced through traditional textile development and construction techniques rather than resorting to cheaper, mass production.

As far as Fashion Week openers go, Fortie Label put in a strong show, with a hip hop dance finale and Fortie Dollars flipped all over the runway from the opening act, this is a show that was never going to be boring.  One thing’s for sure, New York Fashion Week may have only been a few days ago, but it’s long since forgotten as London picks up the slack.

Pixie xo

Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized

APU JAN SS18 at London Fashion Week

Taking inspiration from the short lives of flowers, Apu Jan presented Before the Last Petal Falls for Spring Summer 2018 at London Fashion Week.  In this collection of 33 garments, Jan uses bursts of colour and texture variation to freeze their explosive beauty and capture the sensation of urgency in their short but fragrant life.  The collection pays homage to O Henry’s ‘The Last Leaf’ and echoes the theme of Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’.  It was also the first show of the SS18 season that saw Freemason’s Hall open up the Grand Temple – something that rarely happens during London Fashion Week and an absolutely unbelievable spectacle when it does.

‘Before the last petal fell, I remembered there was a garden in full blossom ;

Before the last leaf faded, I remembered there was a forest full of green ;

The last snowflake, the last sand grain, the last teardrop…

Nothing gold can stay.

So let me cast a spell for you, it’s necessary to freeze the beauty of flowers, it’s necessary to freeze the fragrance of coffee, and it’s necessary to freeze the fragrance of our youth…’

Using pattern to emote throughout the collection, ‘Before the Last Petal Falls’ takes us on a fantasy journey.  With motifs and patterns including blooming and fallen petals, leaves, trees, snow, ink, and manuscripts, the components play to the theme and the brands core elements of storybooks and fantasy beasts are evident throughout the collection.

The SS18 collection from Apu Jan features more of the designer’s trademark silk knitting which stands out in texture, Jan uses a self developed blend of jacquard and chiffon and varies between machine and hand knitting to create that signature and inimitable mix of chunky and uber fine texture all within the same garment – perfect for the intended season.

Strong oriental influences ring through this collection; mandarin collars, horse-hoof cuffs and 6/8 wide leg trousers with a wide set pinstripe set up the core shapes for a neutral palette of grey, black, white and grey with the occasional dancing pink petal dancing across the landscape.  Towards the finale we saw drop waist and empire line dresses with structured cape detailing imitating orchid type silhouettes and depicting the last stages of life of the flower, and burnout dresses with flute sleeves with a hint of Victoriana.  The standout piece in the collection was a grey dress with a structured capelet that drew gasps from the press as it floated through the temple.

Apu Jan is a master craftsman when it comes to working with printed satin; taking the finest print details and working them into a pattern only determinable at close range, which from afar creates additional texture and shape despite having been crafted in the lightest fabrics.

The show was set to the beat of DJ QuestionMark and a live orchestra, something that’s been lost in time over the seasons at London Fashion Week and something which created a real atmosphere on the day.  I don’t know whether it was the design talent, the live music or being seduced by the Grand Temple but this was one collection that piqued my interest Voyeurs…..

Pixie x