When is a lampshade not a lampshade? When
it’s a fringed dress, hung from the stone staircase at Somerset House. I spotted lots of unique accessories at
London Fashion Week.
Like this hand-sculpted metalwork and leather cape by jewellery design-duo Yunus and
Eliza,
cutesy Perspex hair bands and epaulettes
from Little Shipa,
arty headwear by Stephen Jones,
illuminated shoes by Liam Fahy,
and quirky handmade bags by Benedetta
Bruzziches.
This time there seem to be more accessories
than clothes at the exhibition – perhaps related to the growth of online
shopping?
Unusually for London, there seem to be
plenty of empty parking spaces too… By the way, I am wearing a vintage men's Playboy shirt, hand painted and embellished platform shoes, with a handbag and sunglasses from ShopCurious..
It’s not difficult to capture the essence
and diversity of London Fashion Week when all around are designers, exhibitors,
photographers, students, bloggers and visitors… Some are pictured here in photographs by
ShopCurious.
What started as a Boiler House Project in
the basement of the V and A, organized by Design Museum founders Stephen Bayley
and Terence Conran in the mid 1980s, was originally conceived as a pioneering
‘pop up’ museum. But London’s Design Museum
has ended up storing several thousand items, which will become a permanent display
when the Design Museum’s new Kensington premises open in 2015. The entire top
floor will be dedicated to icons of 20th century design in a free-entry exhibition. Meantime, from tomorrow, a snapshot of the
permanent collection that will be on show can be seen at the current Shad
Thames location. 150 items from the Design Museum’s collection feature in the exhibition: Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things.
We mentioned the trend towards ‘immortalization through fashion’ in a previous Curious Trends post - and, for lovers of fashion, this
show includes a sample of some of the 400 pieces donated by Design Museum
trustee, Jill Ritblat. Her generous gift contains items by many of the world’s
leading designers, including Karl Lagerfeld, Issey Miyake, Ungaro, Belville
Sassoon and Vivienne Westwood, spanning a period from the 1970s to the end of
the 1990s.
The exhibiton showcases an eclectic mix of
artefacts, but the fashion pieces on loan for this show - including a Victor
Edelstein satin brocade dress and a Jet Set of St Moritz ski suit - are fairly
middle of the road in terms of style.
These aren’t necessarily the sort of designs that
would have inspired or transformed the habits of a generation, unlike the
original iMac, the red telephone box and the Bic biro, which are also featured.
At a press briefing, Design Museum Director,
Deyan
Sudjic, was at pains to point out that fashion
isn’t just frivolous – it’s functional, and a contributing part of the economy
too. “Design is not the same as art,” he also said. So where does art stop and design begin… or vice versa. And what exactly
is ‘design art’? I’m curious to know.
Life size weeping cherry blossom trees were the magical backdrop for Nicholas Oakwell’s fourth collection. Branches dripped down over the catwalk,
causing towering models to wave petals out of their way.
Couture is all about attention to detail – and this show was no exception. Opulent shagreen, (shark or ray skin) used to trim the accessories and clothing even adorned the reverse side of the sumptuous invitation to the show at Claridge's.
And Roja Dove created a deliciate lilac based perfume
”with an unexpected kick” especially for the occasion.
The ‘kick’ was due to the inspiration for
Oakwell’s Spring/Summer 2013 show - Hokusai’s 19th century
woodblock illustration, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Japanese art and culture generally portrays a harmonious and balanced image of the nation’s society, showing calm
and serene landscapes of flat water and iconic mountains, tranquility gardens
and the fragility of nature in the form of cranes and wisteria. But there is the constant reminder of the destructive forces of nature.
The show began with ruffled, fringed and beaded designs, reflecting the foaming waves of a tsunami. The ensuing serenity was embodied in outfits of neutral tones, with the lean silhouettes of 1970s inspired kimono sleeved trouser and catsuits. The regrowth of flora and fauna following the wave were represented by handbeaded and embroidered wisteria, honeysuckle, weeping willow and birds – not forgetting Oakwell’s trademark feather and seqin embellishment. Traditional Japanese hexagon woodblock prints were also intricately woven into the handcrafted designs.
Like ShopCurious, Nicholas Oakwell Couture prides itself on supporting British craftsmanship and “working with the finest artisans around the British Isles.”
London Collections: Men should have its name changed to Gentlemen's Fashion Week, if yesterday’s Savile Row showcase at Spencer House is anything to go by. The event was an elegant display of all things uniquely British and beautifully made – interiors, furniture, art and afternoon tea, as well as men’s tailoring, hats, shoes and accessories.
The presentation, sponsored by The Woolmark
Company, was a reminder of the fact that London is still the world capital of
masculine style – as it has been for over two centuries – certainly way before
Downton Abbey (the television series at least).
A mix of models and ‘London men’ were
dressed by Savile Row Tailors, from Ede and Ravenscroft (established in 1689)
to Richard Anderson (opened in 2001). The outfits were styled by Jo Levin of GQ
Magazine, with accessories from the likes of James Lock and Co, John Lobb
Ltd and Holland and Holland.
A delicious tea of sandwiches, mini-cakes
and cocktail curiosities was served, washed down with Nyetimber English
champagne and King’s Ginger from Berry Bros and Rudd – or a nice strong
cuppa.
Spencer House, described as London’s “most
magnificent 18th century private Palace,” belongs to the Trustees of the
Spencer family and is open to the public on Sundays. You can also hire the
venue for private events. I can confirm that it is even more spectacular when
lit up by candelabra for a dinner, plus you get a private tour of the house and
a box of Spencer House chocolates when you leave. Even the loos are curiously
splendid!
Anyway, getting back to fashion…
Shopcurious noticed that some of the male guests, like Masahiro Murase (below), wearing Celine, had their own arty and original interpretations of gentlemanly dress.
But British dandy style doesn't have to be traditional...
Christmas has flown by and the past week
has been a blur of catching up. On a Sunday night in early January, I fully
intended to be sitting quietly at home in front of the television. In fact, I
would have been watching the first episode of Mr Selfridge, if I hadn’t been
invited to Harvey Nichols for an event to celebrate the launch of LondonCollections: Men. The party was held in the 5th
floor café, where curiously creative canapés courtesy of Salon in Brixton
Market included crispy fried pheasant and Welsh Rarebit with pickled walnut
(yum!)
Guests at the event exuded a cool, offbeat
vibe and dressed with a smart-casual quirkiness, like Boy Meets Fashion blogger, Jai’me Jan.
Harvey Nick’s new Fashion Director, Paula
Reed, buzzed around, overseeing the proceedings. Amongst the international fashion
glitterati, was male supermodel, David Gandy. I squeezed my arm around his
waist, and can confirm that his body is just as taut as it looks in the photos.
I later saw him chatting to Men’s Health
Style Editor, Dan Rookwood… With so many fit men under one roof, I’m already
enjoying this week of men’s fashion.
The highlight of the evening was a special
performance by Kindness to preview 1205’s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection. The
band members modelled 1205’s forthcoming clothing range, as they wowed the
audience with an impromptu jam (see below) in their distinctive contemporary
funk style.
Adam Bainbridge showed off his fabulous
mane of tousled locks (see top and below),
whilst the band’s talented drummer
rocked an enormous afro. Seems like big hair is getting bigger.
ShopCurious looks forward to more uniquely
British men’s fashion and style over the coming week.
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