London Fashion Week S/S09 Round-up

I've had to do catwalk reports on all of the London shows (and New York, Milan and later Paris!) for work, however with none of the glamour - I've been stuck behind my desk. OH the fun. Usually I love doing this, it makes the day fly by and I'm sometimes even caught talking cooing...however this year London has disappointed me. A bit flat?! For work this is fine as commercial is key, but not for the creative juice flowing through my veins (am I just pining over the loss of Gareth Pugh to Paris?). The designers' which really caught my attention were the Off schedule designers, keeping the creativity alive that London is so famous for (just a shame it's so hard to find any real coverage on their collections...full collections I mean, not just a mini snippet).

Julian Louie (OK this collection's New York, but I have to include it)- I love the colour blocking here. Genius. Beautiful lines and a very modern take on the ruffle we've seen so much of in recent seasons...one to watch!

Images from DazedDigital

LF Markey (Fashion Fringe) - I love her use of colour. I first read about her in the London Paper (of all places) and wasn't too keen, but this collection is bang up to date, and if I was a girl I'd be saving all my pennies to get my filthy little mitts on an LF Markey dress.

Erdem - Obviously Erdem were ON schedule, but their SS09 collection is too beautiful to ignore. Gloriously feminine with exquisite prints. Can't you imagine an Erdem girl running through a misty forest at sunrise on a spring morning?

Images from Elle.com

Louise Amstrup - Another OFF schedule designer, and I've been following her through fashion156.com. Her new collection is grown up and sophisticated, but still has an edge of British design that I love. Not too safe, yet not too extravagant. Just perfectly executed ideas.

Images from style.com

Richard Nicoll - I've come to realise that my tastes have matured a lot this season. I used to be all about the sombre, yet delicately beautiful (with a hint of steampunk)...but I seemed to have moved onto the vibrant colours of designers like Nicoll. Clean lines, clashing colours which are intelligently matched to compliment each other, interesting lines and shapes. I've not really paid much attention to him before, but I sure will be now (he's also one of the sexiest designers out there!) Images from style.com

Horace - So this is my perfect menswear collection. Commercially I guess you'd call it All Saints, but this has an extra simplicity, beautifully 'trampish' draping. Yes please.

Images from vogue.com

Inbar Spector - The new, female Gareth Pugh? I'm not a fan of comparisons, but it can't be hepled in this case. This is a bit morbid for spring, but I'm still loving it. Wonderful experimental shapes and fabric combinations, yet still staying sexy...and check out the geisha styling!

Images from vogue.com

YSL coin purse

I've been back from my 'Wintery Break' for a few days now, but have been incredibly busy with work that I haven't had the time keep up with you guys. London Fashion Week has been and gone and I shall be posting about my favourites soon, but in the mean time I wanted to share with you this beautiful coin purse that I NEEEEEED. How cute and perfect would that look on me?!

A Wintery Break

T-shirt from Pudel

I'm off for a relaxing weekend in the Lake District. A well earned break is needed, but I am taking a brave choice of holiday, and something I have never done before. The first being I am going with my boyfriend, the second is another couple are joining us - my sister and her boyfriend! It will either be the most blissful weekend of the year (praying the rain leaves us alone for at least one day), or one I shall have to crawl out of hell to escape. It's only a long weekend so do not fret, I shall not be gone forever .

Vest by Aquascutum. Shorts by Ralph Lauren

This has got me thinking of all things fairytale - forests, creatures, lakes, rolling hills, fields...I could go on and on. I'm a country bumpkin at heart, and I dearly miss that smell. That homely, comforting and oh-so refreshing smell of the countryside at dawn. I shall probably come back with hundreds of 'inspiring' photos of my travels and after choosing the best I shall post them accordingly.

Stunning images from the fashion156.com archive.

Ohne Titel S/S 09

Ok, so I'm still a bit retarded when it comes to blogging and I haven't worked out how to make my photos larger without pixelating them (unless I upload HUGE ones) - help would be appreciated!? Anyways, seeing as though my last post on New York Fashion Week had pathetic little images, I've decided to concentrate this post on one designer...also because I'm not liking a lot of what has been strutting down the catwalks today. I have also included some candid backstage shots by Sonny Vandevelde, which in my opinion show off the clothes soooo much better than the Vogue/Style.com shots.

I've always had a love affair with pleats, and these (which hark back to Lanvin A/W 2008) are contemporary and clean.Each piece is a strip of fabric bunched up and weaved together to create the organic shape, which bares resemblence to Sandra Backlund's work. The concept is great, but I don't think they managed to pull it off - it looks a bit bulky and unflattering...perhaps without the circular shapes on the top of the chest?! The rest of the collection is perfection in my eyes and if I was female, I would be a Ohne Titel girl.

Model Shannan Click

New York Fashion Week, part 1.

I am not a fashion journalist (and you are all just as capable as I of trawling vogue.com and style.com), so I don't want to critique the NY catwalk shows that are taking place this week, however I wanted to share with you some of the designers and 'looks' which I'm loving so far.

Alexander Wang

This trend King (or Queen!) has had celebs everywhere, from Alexa Chung to Alice Dellal craving his recent collections, with its grungy, simplistic appeal. The pieces from his current collection that I believe will be donned by students, celebs and fashionistas alike are the over-sized sleeveless hoodie, 'moth-eaten' large knitted jumpers and possibly even a return of the crop-top (thank God I'm not a girl).

Alexandre Herchcovitch

A designer I haven't really paid much attention to before, however this collection has certainly grabbed my attention. Ruffles, which I am surprised to see (surely we have had enough of the delicate, feminine beauties?) have a contemporary twist, with a great use of seam detailing running through most of the collection.

Johnathan Saunders

Saunders is the King of colour...and this collection was no exception! Loved the dresses and skirts, however the military style jackets have fallen flat with me. Despite this, Saunders' is one of my favourites so far - JUST SOAK UP THAT COLOUR.

Preen

And I thought ruffles were dead! The Preen duo seemed unable to agree on structure or delicate ruffles, so decided to do both - a glorious decision which has merged their collection beautifully. They seem to have taken a more feminine look this season, which is also slightly more commercial. I am loving the shapes, zippers, structured ruffles and pastel colour palette.

YSL Manifesto A/W 08-09

OK, so I am officially a fashion slave. I woke up early this morning and dragged my boyfriend down to Long Acre in Covent Garden for 10.30am so I could get my dirty little mitts on the new YSL Manifesto A/W 08-09, with FREE canvas tote. The dressed-in-black YSL girls didn't arrive until after 11, but there was hardly anyone around. I had read about this on Vogue, StyleBubble and it had been in The London Paper only yesterday - where were all the London fashionista's? Or am I just a little desperado?!

The Manifesto itself was a bit of a disappointment...I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a twenty page booklet featuring Naomi Campbell (looking incredible) in some really nice pieces...however I don't believe it reflects the collection terribly well. I was so impressed with their A/W 08-09 show, and for some reason this has left me thinking it is somewhat...bland?! They are trying to appeal to a mass market I guess, one which would not have necessarily viewed the catwalk shows. Despite this, the idea of spreading the word about the brand, and giving us mere plebs a taste of the YSL world is and idea I whole-heartedly embrace.

Vintage surprise

I was flicking through my Moleskin and look what fell out - I had completely forgotten about this little gem. I bought her for £3 (expensive I know, for what is not much more than a postcard) from Spitalfields Market, London and put her in my diary for safe keeping. She is strikingly beautiful, but quite haunting at the same time. There is something in her eyes/expression which makes me not want to look at her for too long!

The clothes she is wearing are amazing - the amazing lace piece around her neck and the beautifully pleated sleeves are actually making me dribble! I WANT THAT JACKET.

Fall-ing Fashion

I was hunting out the latest issue of POP for weeks after I saw the post on Susie Bubble's page about the six collectors covers (I eventually decided upon the Jourdan cover). When flicking through though, I found something faaaarr more interesting. It is the feature of Agyness Deyn, shot by Ryan McGinley which was inspired by this 1950s image of falling children.

If you haven't seen this yet, look at my scans below. It is phenomenal! She actually jumped from a 4 story building, landing on massive crash mats to create the images. Not only this, she is also butt naked -this is one brave girl. Just imagie falling 4 storys and trying to keep yourself composed - thinking about the dress your wearing, are you looking at the camera, are you screaming??? I have always been a bit wary of Agyness, don't ask me why, but something has never sat right with me (maybe it's the fact that I constantly see her in the free-papers/gossip mags/websites). Now though I have the up most respect for the model...this is a shoot not many of the precious models of today would take on.