And that's a wrap... NYC

By Katie Wright

Two-Day Top Ten As New York draws to a close, here’s a run down of my top ten looks from the past couple of days:

Proenza Schouler. The metallic sheen and jewel tones of this collection full of mini-length hems brought to mind beetles and bugs for me.

Marchesa. Origami pleats and folds were centre stage at the label that might as well be the official sponsor of red carpets everywhere.

Marc by Marc Jacobs. The mood was a lot more playful at Mr. Jacobs’ diffusion line – and he’s still obsessed with the 80s it seems.

Narciso Rodriguez. I wonder if this grey floor-lengther is sold with a giant fan on wheels, for constant billowing effect wherever you go.

Doo.ri. Who says goth-chic is only for winter?

Temperley London. The emphasis was really on the London here. Do Americans know what a pearly queen is? Now they do. And they’ll be dressing like one come spring.

3.1 Philip Lim. You can’t beat a shiny red flasher mac in my book.

Rodarte. I usually adore everything the Mulleavy sisters do, but for next season they’ve gone seriously dark – think primeval warrior woman – and I found myself wishing for a bit more of the prettiness they’re famed for.

Michael Kors. Kors seemed to be gazing into space with star prints and futuristic shapes.

Vera Wang. It was all about accessories here – I’d take the shoes and gigantic necklace over the outfit any day.

New York Fashion Week - day 6

By Katie Wright

Probably the most highly anticipated collection of NYFW, Marc Jacobs was as prolific as ever. A spectacular swarm of references (Japan, gypsies, eighties, Elizabethans and many more) was spread over more than 50 looks. The two unifying factors I saw were the Flamenco-esque ruffles that adorned everything from midi-length skirts to the shoulders of belted blazers, and the pale icy hues throughout.

Check out this particularly genius Marc creation below, it’s as if it’s been scribbled straight on to the model.

Much warmer were the offerings from Carolina Herrera and Zac Posen. The former’s brand of grown-up glamour came in a range of sandy and sunset tones:

And Posen’s mood was fresh and youthful while channelling a sixties vibe. The tinted transparent raincoats and flower-strewn gowns were real standouts.

Winter Trends and How To Wear Them

By Charlotte Hoyle

Its official summer is over. However despite the chill in the air we can cling to the exciting prospect of new winter wardrobes. So as we face darker nights, colder mornings and even more rain think happy thoughts as this year sees a varied take on winter fashion.

Luella A/W 09/10 - Tweed coat with gold buttons - Image Vogue.com

Summer saw an array of 80’s inspired prints, statement jewelry and neon brights - we were all about the floral cream tea look meets House of Holland on acid, but winter has a more somber palette of luxury midnight colours complimented by heavy textiles such as leather and tweed seen at fashion brands Burberry and Luella.

Emilio Pucci A/W 09/10 - High shoulder leather jacket worn with leather shorts and high leg leather boots - Image Vogue.com, Kate Moss Starksy leather jacket - Image Marie Claire

Leather jackets are currently massive on the high street, the perfect casual cover up favored by Kate Moss and Pixie Geldof, if you don't have one invest now. Fake leather is just as good and the high street showcases various styles of the biker jacket depending on your price range.

Left SAVE: Leather look studded biker jacket New Look £40 

Right SPLURGE: Leather studded Mohan biker jacket All Saints £395

The feel is not subtle as the attitude to create a stir is still present in decorated surreal like hosiery and evocative accessories which were seen at Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton. Jewelry is almost architectural in design, a modernist take on shapes taken from punk jewelry of the 1980’s with a nod to sleek luxury. Its all about over accessorizing with statement pieces to create an almost bejeweled look.  

Left SPURGE: Emanuel Ungaro - Image Vogue.com    

Right SAVE: Bebaroque Suki Jewelled Tights £42 mytights.com

Several trends are present each a development of the former thus creating a symbiotic feel within the collections, each an inky shade from this seasons palette. Pick items that are shades of berries such as violet, blue and purple, rich regal colours to be worn alongside stormy shades of grey and black. Or take note in the opposing dreamy pastels seen at Balenciaga and Lanvin. 

ABOVE: Elise Overland Image Vogue.com, Rare by the Saturday's Purple Tulip dress ASOS £40 worn with wrap over double studded belt ASOS £12 creates the look.

Silhouettes are dramatic and highlighting the waist is key in many looks, whether through thin belts, cut of fabric or wide Japanese obi belts. Shoulders are high and sculptural with fabric spilling over in pleats or stratospheric like fur adornments; if not shoulders then arms see drama in fur or fringe embellishment. The best place to find your very own piece of couture at a fraction of the price is to either visit vintage stores or invest in a piece created by a fashion student/graduate. Stores such as Rokit (www.rokit.co.uk), Absolute Vintage (www.absolutevintage.co.uk) and Beyond Retro (www.beyondretro.com) offer an online vintage experience if you aren't in the London area. Seeking out young designers is rather more obscure, Camden Lock and Petticoat Lane markets offer a range of usual pieces for the same price (if not less) as a high street garment, however if this is not viable then check out ASOS's Laden Showroom range (www.ladenshowroom.co.uk). Situated in Brick Lane the store is a mecca of usual goods and is well known in the industry for unique finds. 

ABOVE: 1980's Black Ruche Dress with Diamate detail £65 at Rokit - www.rokit.co.uk

Continuing with the trends, femininity is present in plunge neck shapes, lucid textiles and revealing skirts; fabric is manipulated around the body to create fluid shapes in silk and organza, which are fitted to the female form. 

 ABOVE: Louis Vuitton A/W 09/10 - Image Vogue.com, Nude Ruffle Dress £40 Topshop, Mango Waist Belt £23 ASOS.com, Short Statement Heavy Link Chain Necklace £12 ASOS.com

The feel is very evocative, desirable and emotive. So take a deep breath pull on your knee high boots, grab your oversized clutch and plunge into the glamour of Autumn Winter 2009. 

NYC - Fashion Week day 5

By Katie Wright

Where to begin with so many big names out on show yesterday? Well, DKNY was the usual high-standard (but hardly ground-breaking) display of clothes for the ‘modern woman.’ Who knew that cycling shorts could be a neat update on the city shorts suit?

Continuing the emerging all-American trend, Derek Lam’s girls were decked out in cowgirl brown suede, neckerchiefs and stars and stripes. Thankfully it was less of a literal a translation than, say, DSquared2 would come up with. Petal- and tulip-shaped skirts plus lots of floral frocks made it all look highly wearable and highly recession-proof.

Diane von Furstenburg was definitely not on home turf for her eponymous line. The giant tromp l’oeil archway kind of laboured the point, but it was all about travel to far away sandy places, and the wardrobe of ethnic-hippy-traveller floaty chiffony tunics you’d need to take with. Personally I was too distracted by the stacks of multi-coloured bangles to notice many of the clothes. I want!

Is it wrong that one of my ambitions in life is to own a Hervé Léger dress? Really? Damn, cos every season I think surely Max Azria must have run out of reinterpretations for the famous second-skin dresses, and every season I want them all anyway. Particularly the ones that look like they’d been put through a paper shredder and reassembled. Amazing.

Much less likely to cause your Dad to say ‘you’re not going out in just that are you?’ was Karen Walker’s supremely practical collection of cagoules, coats and capes in distinctly nautical style. Some looks were a bit over-the-top though. Yachting is one thing, but I swear you could go whaling in some of that gear.

What a day. Well done NYC. And extra points from me as, being a vocabulary geek, I loved the fact that the Y-3 show was a perfect demonstration one of my favourite words: vexillology. See dictionary.com for help.

Mark Fast - By Gussy

It's Monday 14th September. I have a deadline looming - and I’m not the only one: the clock is counting down. In a matter of a few short days, London Fashion Week will be upon us. And not just any fashion week either, but the 25th anniversary of this much-esteemed event on the seasonal sartorial calendar. Cause for excitement indeed - certainly an adequate reason to break out the Louboutins.

Of course, all the stalwarts will be there: Betty Jackson, Basso and Brooke, Vivienne Westwood, and Aquascutum, among many others. Even Burberry Prorsum have returned to mark the occasion, with Christopher Bailey bringing the iconic English fashion house back to British shores, after a long stint in Milan.

This is all, obviously, incredibly important. Well, maybe not in the grand scheme of things: I mean, I think it’s important, some people think interest rates are important. I’m not judging them about that – different people think different things are important, there’s no need to go banding around words like shallow, or vapid. In any case, touched nerves aside, I’ll continue! The point I’m hoping to eventually make is that LFW is as much about the new generation as it is the about the veterans: up-and-coming designers parading their creations on the catwalks, be it on- or off-schedule. It's all very well to know your Nicole Farhi from your Jasper Conran, but some of the week’s most exciting fashion comes from fresh blood: the new names with nothing to lose, but plenty to prove. We all want to be among the first to know who’s going to be the next big thing we’re talking about, and currently there’s a lot of whispering on the streets of London – and beyond – about Canadian-born knitwear designer Mark Fast.

So, who is he? To give the Reader’s Digest style, abridged-for-blog version, Fast studied fashion design at London’s Central St Martins for five years, before completing a masters in February 2008. He created knitted pieces for Bora Aksu over three seasons while still at St Martins, and his graduate show at London Fashion Week in 2007 piqued the interest of buyers from London’s Browns Focus. In January of this year, he was awarded NEWGEN support, and a month later was showing his A/W 09 collection in the tent at London Fashion Week. His pieces are stocked in 7 countries around the world, from France to Egypt, and over to Russia. All Fast’s work is done by hand, on a domestic knitting machine. And before your head fills with images of your nana’s wardrobe, please put such presumptuous notions on hold. His clothes caress the body like a second skin, formed on the body as he works, with every contour informing the direction of the fabric. Not only that, he manipulates the very nature and composition of the fabric he uses, merging lycra with wool, angora or viscose. He’s also been praised for his cutting-edge, innovative stitching techniques. In short, he’s the breath of fresh air giving new life to a classic form, and pushing the creative envelope as far as the needles will let him.

Fast’s collection for A/W 2009 was awash with black, with flashes of vibrant orange, deep cerise and muted stone for good measure. Knitted fringing was a highlight – the 1920s flapper was clearly in the forefront of his mind, but there were subtle elements of 1970s and ethnic influence too, with the detailing reminiscent of the llama-fur edging of afghan coats. He turns his hand to the little black dress, with fierce results, with one featuring loose-woven panelling that at first glance looks like snakeskin. A hooded cardigan has a touch of the Morticia Addams about it, there are hints of geometry in a floor-grazing fringed gown, and an orange minidress takes us back to the 1980s – with some raw-edged rolled hems thrown in for good measure. Things then seem to go just a little sci-fi, the models’ collarbones adorned with strips of fabric, vaguely sinuous, a little bit alien space suit, and – is it just me? – a slight channelling of Old Gregg.

Fast does not believe quality, attention to detail and purity of form should be sacrificed in the quest for new aesthetic dimensions: “I believe that there is a growing attention to craftsmanship in fashion these days, as opposed to quick-fix disposable pieces. I am focussing on timeless classics”. Thank God for that! One less jumper that will disintegrate in the washing machine then, I hope.

By Gussy

Ballad Of…Trends

By Charlotte Hoyle
Recent fashion times has seen an explosion of the rockstar esque model, more IT girl than supermodel these pioneers of anti-fashion personify London's energetic fashion scene. Leading the brat pack are Alice Dellal and Daisy Lowe, both born from the glitterati of fashion they favour a grunge meets gothic style, something which recently has been emulated on the catwalk and the high street.

Above: Daisy and Alice at iD

Their look is rebellious and provocative - rubber corsets, fitted t-shirts, black lipstick and macabre jewelry by designer Dominic Jones merges the world of fashion and fetish. Now seen on the likes of Lily Allen and Lizzy Jagger the new age of the rock chic is most defiantly in vogue. Wear with confidence whilst listening to Lady Gaga who herself took on the look in her video 'Love Game'. Don't overdo it keep it sexy and wear with an air of 'who gives a f**k?' London style.

Above: Alice modeling for Dominic Jones - www.dominicjones.co.uk

Must have items include biker boots or black high shine platform boots and heels, possibly adorned with studs and spikes.

ABOVE: High Knee Resoul Boot £110 by Faith, ASOS - French Connection Sahara Double Platform Court Shoes £110, Spike gold studded platform £75 by Topshop, Punk corset Sandal £130 by Topshop Boutique

 

Accessories are key to this look, more the better.

ABOVE: Python Chain bracelet £12.99 by Marc by Marc Jacobs, Tassel Zip Leather gloves £16 by Topshop, Black and gold chain belt £15 by New Look, Feather and chains necklace £35 by Topshop

If you really want to finish the look try gothic style makeup.

ABOVE: Barry M Glitter Dust £4.50, Barry M Nail Polish £3.00, M.A.C Lipstick in Cyber £12, Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara £7.82

NYC - Fashion Week day 4

By Katie Wright

From the get-go all was not as it seemed at Alexander Wang. The first exit was a trench coat that seemed to have been stretched and spliced to leave it drop-waisted and sleeveless. Other schizophrenic garments included a skirt masquerading as a shirt tied round the model’s waist, and an unusual sweatshirt/corset combo. There was plenty more in the sweatshirt vein as a sport influence was shown in huge American football player shoulders, letterman jackets, and gym kit ensembles.

Over at Ohne Titel, inspiration was apparently drawn from Egyptian wall paintings. Not sure how this translated into full body ankle to jawline cover-ups – mummy wraps maybe? – but I liked the swishy little flapper dresses.

And finally a special shout out to my fave dress of the day, by Shipley and Halmos. Perhaps I’m biased though – I’m wearing a Shipley and Halmos for Uniqlo dress as I type.

NYC - Fashion Week day 3

By Katie Wright

Remember that flashy catwalk action I mentioned? Well check out Jason Wu’s spectacular disco deluxe set. That was just for starters in a collection that was all about the details. The make up was exquisite (porcelain skin and ruby lips), the shoes magnificent (platforms in a ton of colour variations) and the clothes were a big old mix up – flirty skirts, pant suits, stripes, abstract prints, swirly graphics on cocktail dresses, feathers with clashing ribbon belts – and all divine. No wonder one of my style icons, Michelle Obama, is such a fan. I think she’d love the black and white number below.

The other stand out show of the day for me was Preen. There was serious sex appeal in dresses that were more like lingerie, with straps so fine they look like they could snap at the slightest pull, or on the other hand like they’d been knotted in place. It was all kind of kinky.

Erin Wasson’s second outing as super-turned-designer was pretty predictable, but fine if you just want to dress like her. There was a quite nifty holey/spotty theme going on, and brown ankle boots + white socks is an idea I intend to steal, but what the hell is up with that chevron striped skirt??