Menswear

I have a love-hate relationship with menswear fashion and editorials; it's either too safe or too mental. Fashion156 have restored my faith in mens styling, by producing a wonderful editorial on review of the London Men Collections.

The editorial is a beautiful mix of new designers, that all seamlessly fits together. The location, a classroom allows the clothes to speak loud and clear. The clothing isn't majorly outrageous, that's not what makes it good. The tailoring is clean, the patterns are suitable, the models are cast very well, and the art direction is perfect.

The designers features have taken classic menswear and altered it in a modern and innovative way; playing with texture, proportions and print to update classic items. This is what I believe makes fashion successful; not creating a monstrousity, but simply adding your stamp to what is.

Coat, shirt and tie by E.Tautz

Shirt, trousers and jacket by Alan Taylor

Shirt, Trousers, Shoes and hate by T.Llpop

Kilt, trousers, jacket, hat and shirt by Alan Taylor

Jacket, trousers and shirt by Joesph Turvey

Shoes by Joseph Turvey for Hush Puppies

LFW DAY 1 - Quick peek

I have neglected my blog due to a ridiculous lack of time to do anything apart from work, let alone blog about what I have been working on. So while I try to sort out various posts and a moment for me to sit down, here are a few photos from Carlotta's show on Day 1 of London Fashion Week. There are more stunning photos to come from a collection that involved big hair, big heels and dancing!

Topman Design A/W 12

Sorry for the lack of posts, this is due to the lack of time for me to even breathe in my life, let alone sit down and write! I have had an insane fortnight what with being at Acne during LFW and then being back at university and catching up the rest of my life! So I am kind of back to normal, although I am in the middle of a crazy amount of university work amongst other things. I did take time to attend the Topman show on Wednesday as part of LFW's Menswear Day, and I am very very glad I did. The collection was perfect mens' tailoring on every level! The mixture of textures and shapes in various shades of grey and black, were teamed with shiny shoes and slicked back hair to create a look that would make any boyfriend look like a 50s gentleman.

Here are some of the photos I took at the show, enjoy!

LFW - KTZ S/S 12

 KTZ S/S 12

As I said in my previous post, the KTZ was the most anticiapated of the shows on my list and by far the best. After Josh and I took our seats on the front row and the catwalk began, it was a whirlwind from the start. The Chemical Brothers - It Began In Afrika, boomed out from the speakers as the first model appeared as a silhouette under the lightning in the BFC showspace. 

The collection was unreal! Coined as 'Massai Punk' it was an ecclectic mix of leather, bondage, print and cut-out shoes to rival Balenciaga and Versace's attempts. The models stormed down the runway to the beat of the heavy bass tunes with attitude that could have stabbed someone. The perfectly stacked Massai jewellery combined with the leather harnesses and shows made a great combination that ccan be easily trasnferred to everyday life. The male models wore leather pleated skirts and knee-length shorts with cut-out boots. The women wore printed mini dresses and sky-high heels, with one look completely stealing the show. One of the models; a striking black girl came onto the catwalk wearing very little (see photo 5) in the way of leather bondage, with just a sheer cape, heels and sunglasses to accompany it.

The show ended all too quickly and the models came out for their last run and to a massive applause. Once the models had returned and the lights went up, it was a flurry of talking about what had just been witnessed and we met some dear friends with whom we worked with at Forward PR.

Post-show dinner was provided by Nandos near Victoria Station, where we talked about the day's amazing events and how we could wait for LFW in February. The whole week was a crazy, amazing experience that I never thought i'd achieve, and I can't wait to repeat it all again! 

LFW - Menswear Day S/S 12

Great Hall, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

 

MAN S/S 12

Topman S/S 12

James Long S/S 12

Wednesday brought Menswear Day to LFW, and as I wasn't working that day I decided to head down and enjoy as many shows as possible with friends.

First show of the morning was MAN at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The hall that the show took place in was absolutely stunning! The huge windows let in loads of natural light which made taking photographs very easy and the balcony provided a great viewing spot. The show consisted of 3 collections by emerging designers supported by Topman. Although the collections were interesting, I cannot imagine many men wearing the cullotes and Aztec inspired shawls.

The Topman show took place in the same venue, this time with a celebrity presence of trendy TV personalites. I have never particularly been a fan of the clothes present in Topman's stores, but this collection was right up my street. Silk pyjamas, coloured knitwear, loafers and grey and navy blue suits. Perfect.

After a good coffee we headed back to Somerset House to try and catch James Long's show. After a very long wait outside the BFC show space, and thinking we weren't going to get in, we were allowed standing space at the show. The atmosphere inside the BFC show space was always fantastic as the long proportions of the room and lighting lend themselves to mystery and anticipation. The pieces were a mixture of leather, knitwear and metallics that made for an interesting and suprisingly wearable collection. The show was great and standing wasn't bad at all.

Not knowing the location of Oliver Spencer's show, me and Josh decided to sit down for a drink and a chat before the next show. The last show we planned to watch was KTZ at the BFC showspace. The long queue and buzz of people outside the venue proved how anticipated this show was going to be, and we knew it would be great regardless of what direction they went in. KTZ are well known for fusing music with fashion in as many ways as possible, so I was looking forward to seeing what display they put on for the spectators. After what seemed like hours of standing outside and people going in who had tickets, me and Josh almost gave up hope, but, Josh had a trick up his sleeve. A bit of shoving and blagging saw us being whisked to the front row and we couldn't have been smiling any more than we were already. We arranged our cameras and took in the crazy atmosphere for crew members came to take the covering off the runway and the lights dimed. Silence.

Full coverage in my next post :p

LFW - Amanda Wakeley S/S 12

I rushed from a lecture to Somerset House to pick up my LFW pass on Tuesday and ended up 2nd row at Amanda Wakeley's show in the BFC space. I'm glad I decided to go and collect my pass :) The collection was simple, eegant and modern. Simple lines, drapes and colours; some pieces were accompanied by belts and emebellishment, while others were just simple block coloured maxi dresses. My favourite pieces were the red and white striped pieces, because they were so simple but looksed so good made from chiffon as the model walked down the runway.

As I wasn't planning to go down to Somerset House that day I only had my iPhone with me, which did me very proud! In my opinion the show was a success as the collection can be easily worn by anyone and will never go out of style.

When the show was over I took a tour round the new designers area and got talking to a few designers, in particular a shoe designer called Liam Fahy who designed the shoes for Jasper Conran's S/S 12 collection. We had a very long conversation about the fashion industry and I hope to use his shoes in some of my future work as they are simply stunning.

It was a great day on the last day for Womenswear and I knew that Menswear would be equally as good. I'll bring you photos from Menswear Day in my upcoming posts.

LFW - Corrie Nielsen S/S 12

Corrie Nielsen S/S 12

Christopher Beales (http://www.christopherbeales.co.uk)

As I mentioned in my previous post, today I was assisting at Corrie Nielsen's S/S 12 show with Forward PR. The 4:30AM start was hard and luckily there was a Starbucks open when I reached Tottenham Court Road Station. After I had finished my grande extra shot hazelnut skinny wet latte to go, I was able to function...almost. The venue was hosted by a company called My Beautiful City and it was on old post sorting office in London, that I really did take a liking too, regardless of how rundown and unpleasant it looked.

Although the venue was very cold, once we got down to work we soon warmed up. After packing boxes full of Starbucks treats and bags full of hair products, we were able to set up the seats and let people in at about 9:30AM. The show commenced under a ceiling full of bare bulbs and oriental inspired music, that really set the mood.

The garments were all absolutely stunning, made form carefully pleated chiffon and silk and elegant structures. The photos speak better than I can for the clothing on display. My favourite piece was a chiffon structure dress that looked so delicate that I wanted to put it in a glass case and just stare at it.

45 minutes of showtime was quickly over and it was time to guide people out and clear up the mess of paper, empty boxes and bags. Backstage was a riot of press, models and staff memebers; you could of easily been killed in the huge mob of people. By the time we left the venue it was about midday, and it was quite warm in busy London, which meant wearing all black was not so comfortable. Home was an hour journey home, and I have never been so greatful for a seat.

Assisting at the show was a fantastic experience that allowed me to see how a PR company works, experience the rush of a catwalk show and mingle with industry people all at once. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to go into fashion, and I will be repeating this process again on Monday for Jasper Garvida's S/S 12 show; although this time I have lectures first thing in the morning and the show is at 5pm.

Who's collection are you most looking forward to seeing at LFW?

LFW

Good morning, well, it doesn't feel like a good morning because i've been awake since 4:30AM (it's now 6:20AM)! Today i'll be working with a company called Forward PR at London Fashion Week and will be assisting at Corrie Nielsen's show. So as much as a 7AM start is undesirable, it will be well and truly worth it! I will take as many photos as possible and try and get some backstage gossip as long as I remember to not collapse due to currently having the most ridiculous headache ever. Good bye for now, wish me luck and i'll be back with photos soon! X

Sandy tangerines

VPL S/S 12

The structuring and simple colour scheme makes this collection so damn good, I JUST WANT TO EAT IT...or maybe i'll just stare at it for ages and ages... All the models have bodies to die for (i'm so not jealous), as always, but these ones don't look to miserable for a change. My favourite piece is the white structured bikini (4th photo) because it is so different to other piece I have seen this season, and reminds me of a stingray, which I like very much.

So tomorrow i'll be backstage at LFW for Corrie Nielsen's show and am HUGELY looking forward to this! As I type, my coral coloured nails are drying, my hair has been washed, and I could really do with some sleep. I will take as many photos as possible and post them when I get back (if I haven't collapsed with exhaustion before then).

Bedtime for me...maybe...