Old slides projected onto a wall and rephotographed.
Adele drinking in our hotel in Paris, 2007.

[ PS How clever, this is a scheduled post, as you read this I will be in a posh hotel in Istanbul. ]

With Paris taking centre stage this week in the global fashion market, London Fashion Week feels like it was left back down the rabbit hole. But fashion wonderland still exists in London via numerous shows and events.

Source: shop.showstudio.com

SHOWstudio’s exhibition ‘Headdress’ opened during fashion week, but now is the time to appreciate the collection. Located at the SHOWstudio SHOP on Bruton Place, it showcases exquisite and rather fantastical millinery by Jordan Askill, Stephen Jones, Charlie Le Mindu, Nasir Mazhar and Noki.

“The theme, it seems, is very much the idea of ‘dressing’ the head.”

Some cross between hairpieces and hats, whilst others could even function as quirky mantelpieces. Charlie Le Mindu’s pouting lips made from blonde synthetic hair is the kind of hairband fit for Lady Gaga’s current Monster Ball tour. Nonetheless, Nasir Mazhar’s orbiting wire headpiece was seen on her last year –twice! The exhibition closes this month.

Source: npg.org.uk

The National Portrait Gallery’s homage to Irving Penn is a beautiful collection of one of the greatest photographers of the 20^th Century. Simply titled ‘Portraits’ the exhibition is categorized into seven parts, taking you through his career. Photographers be sure to watch out for a one day workshop with Anthony Luvera this month.

Source: vam.ac.uk

Then there are events we must sit tight and eagerly wait for. Next month the Victoria & Albert museum will introduce ‘Grace Kelly: Style icon.’ The exhibition will trace the evolution of her style, displaying her film dresses, clothes as Princess of Monaco, the gown she wore when she won her Oscar, and the original Hermès Kelly bag. They will be accompanied by film clips and posters, photographs, and (since Oscar buzz is in the air this weekend) the original Oscar statuette.

Last but not least, Spitalfields Market will see Alternative Fashion Week kick off next month, as over 70 young designers take part. Fashion shows will be at 1.15pm every day from 19^th to 25^th April. Whilst the event is free it does get crowded so be sure to reach there early. If not The Fashion Market will be open selling clothes, textiles and accessories.

Lots to enjoy, and I hope you do!

Sejal Kapadia

I feel like I just stepped off the couture carousel and all I can see about me is the rushing swathes of fabrics and dashings of colour that ousted Paris in the magic stakes, if only for a week. Whilst I’m still galavanting around the internet for mere morsels and scraps of fashion press of the shows (alas, the world wide web is the closest I can get to sitting with the fashion pack), I have cherry picked three designers to spoon feed into your no doubt salivating gape – after all, with Chanel dresses the colour of sorbet, who isn’t left drooling?!
Christian Dior

To the cantering hooves of some fantastic fashion beast (I’m guessing, at the very least, a Dior unicorn), models fidgeted their way down the kind of staircase now only evident in old Audrey Hepburn films. Cinched at the waist and booted in black leather, they tottered around in outfits so lifted from a bygone era, it was shocking. One is used to a few influences here and there on the catwalk, but to truss models up in costumes so reminiscent of the decade which really made Dior was bold. These were nothing short of amazing; red dressage coats topped off with a bouffant hair-do to rival Winehouse made way for debutants with more than a hint of Antoinette about them. Later, crushed velvet and the disheveled remnants of a perm added an obscure dollop of the 1980s in the cataclysmic mix. And then came the frock; not just any frock, but THE frock. You know, the one your great granny only got to pull out of the dressing up box at a photoshoot not too far removed from an oil painting? Only a few fashion greats I’ve been witness to have really been brave enough to dabble with the old fashioned contortions of crinolines and corsetry. So the show was a bit schizophrenic, but the few consistents were ones I could give a firm thumbs up to; BIG statement teased backcombed hair, fabulous diamonds and an attitude to kill. Red is most definitely back, smeared across lips and painted on talons. Elbows out, hips back, Cartier on. My God, it was fabulous. And just when I thought I’d peaked and met couture perfection, Galliano came galloping out in an equestrian suit, spanking his fashion fillies with a riding crop. Brilliant. Just brilliant.





Chanel

If anything shows the decreasing circular gambit of the fashion seasons, it is the juxtaposition between this and the SS 10 Chanel show. Gone were the hay bales, the quirky clogs and the toe tappingly good Lily Allen; enter cyber Chanel, so cold and crisp and sterile I felt afraid to move out of place, despite being at a safe distance in my London flat. Everything was just so intimidatingly perfect as Lagerfeld wielded his Chanel clones about the catwalk with all the effortless maneuvers you’d expect from a couture God. Traditional tweed suits were hacked into metallic trimmed culottes, all available in a tantalizing array of ice cream pastels. To my delight, hosiery still held a dominant role, with a heavy sheen coating limbs with such gloss they looked bionic. Lagerfeld hailed the comeback of the bow, positioned coquettishly at the forefront of the girls hair in a much more stern and sensible manner than we’ve seen in the oversexed adverts directed by soft porn enthusiast, Tom Ford. Sequined collars and beaded hems gave austerity the much needed middle finger, as capes cocooned models in couture triumphs. But it wasn’t for me; the colours were too fay and sickly for my liking, and while I have pined to snuggle up to Lagerfeld in a moment of Chanel self pity, reassurance would have come with the steely rustle of tin foil and cellophane. Does this mean I’m falling out of love with Chanel? Heavens no, my affair with Chanel is a long and fantastical one, where I give give give all my money and Chanel takes takes takesall my money. By next week, I shall be sculpting my hair into a predictably squiffy heart in homage to the couture house. Oh, it’s far from over.





Givenchy

Now, I’m used to a fair bit of nudity in the fashion world; it thrives off sex, a commodity universally sold. But what was overtly cheeky about the Givenchy show was the use of fabrics, for those that successfully covered up the model’s modesty seemed to stop abruptly and deliberately at the navel. It seemed to say, “Why, of course you can cover flesh with beautiful fabric, but why not go sheer? Oh, LOOK… nipple!”. Like I said, this was not a message I was adverse to, I just found it rather amusing, but I’ll stop talking about nipples now before this post goes all lesbianic… Sculpture and texture really made the show, from feathers to spherical hats, and oversized sequins to frou frou frills. Whorish red lips and sooty eyes revived goth once more, with net overlaid dresses looking devilishly sexy. What can only be described as jade and purple disco suits stole the show, but midnight blue, black and cream provided an equally tempting palette. Pretty.






ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF WWW.CATWALKING.COM

Intricately nude and embellished at Elie Saab. The nude and pastel palette offset the soft shimmer that delicately bounced from the pieces. The lace and embellishments were soft and dainty. The collection was romantic and feminine especially with the watercolour painterly prints. The shorter dresses were equally gorgeous and modern but still captured the fairytale of the show. 

Couturier du jour thanks to Mrs Cheryl Cole, showed his much anticipated collection. It was definitely worth the wait and the anticipation. A belted skirt suit with voluminous sleeves was given a twist with a splatter of the deepest blood red which was almost purple. Another skirt suit was given an edge with a shoulder with high ruffles and printed skirt edge. One shouldered dresses in cream with a shell-like scalloped sleeve had the most intricate detail. Simple pieces such as tailored trousers and belted dresses were elevated with added details. The dresses were breathtaking, fluid and softly sheer, in deep colours with details plentiful and precise structure and shapes.

Bloodshed and Opulence… a very apt name for the collection indeed. The blood red of the collection was startling and very, very opulent. I’m not a fan of red but this red was beautiful and deep. The splashes of painterly blood also added to the theme and not in an eery way. The military inspirations complemented the reds to create a superb Russian themed colour palette. I loved the way that it didn’t look like ‘couture’ at first glance but when you looked closer the details and the colours told the story that the designer wanted to create.

A lunar experience at Armani. The crescent shape was seen throughout the collection, not only in motifs but also influencing fluid and voluminous shapes in the collection. The pieces were sharp, streamed, sexy and smooth. The skirt suits had the finest tailoring with a soft edge to add to the femininity. The volume in the shoulders and sleeves blended perfectly with the lunar theme. The colour palette was reminiscent of moonlight and sparkled along the catwalk. The fluidity of the pieces won me over and had perfect movement. I have seen the moon in a whole new light.

The genius that is Galliano showed his equestrian streak in this homage to dressage. The collection was stunning, every piece said a million words. The first half of the collection focussed on fitted jackets which hugged the body and long skirts with beautiful volume. Leather gloves and boots added sex appeal as did the hair and make up which was almost as stunning as the pieces themselves. Coat dresses in red and soft checks fitted in with the theme perfectly. It all hinted at the New Look of the late 40′s and what a welcome return it was. The second half of the collection was worth waiting for, the dresses were masterpieces. No detail was overlooked and showed what couture truly is. The lace was soft and delicate and on the right side of girly whilst the pleated skirts and embellished blouses were delicate and pretty. The volume and pleating of the satin pieces were lovely and the fluidity showed as the models moved. The evening dresses were also breathtaking in ice blue, soft yet burnt orange, black and deep red. Oh Galliano <3

Paris Couture screams of beauty, elegance and dreams all in an endless flourish of expense, luxury and glamour.  Oh how I wish I was there, well I guess that’s why the Internet was invented… to bring couture to my Mac <3. The Chanel girls strolled onto the catwalk with bows and bouffants. Reminiscent of little girls playing dress-up in their Mother’s chic yet eccentric wardrobe. The classic tweed suit received another makeover this time in the form of a delicious pastel palette with exquisite metallic embellishments. The tailoring oozed the expertise of Chanel as did the volume, fluidity and effortless drama of the dresses. The metallic shoes and gloves added a gladiatorial element to counteract the gorgeous prettiness of the collection. I loved the lace details and my favourite pieces were the coat dresses. The evening dresses made my heart skip a beat and shows why Chanel is Couture or Couture is Chanel.