>SHOW REPORTS S/S '07 (London/Milan/Paris)
By Laura Bradley, 17:44 Mon 09 Oct 2006
After three weeks of (almost non-stop) fashion coverage, our final instalment from Paris Fashion Week centres on our visit to the Balenciaga showroom. Situated in the 6th arrondissement -the building also houses the atelier, press offices and the bi-annual catwalk presentations- the impressive showroom, recently decorated with an industrial colour theme (electric blue and grey with white acrylic display stands), played host to Ghesquiere's S/S '07 collection, displayed on clothing rails, a series of mannequin legs and on models that circulated the space alongside rolling footage from Tuesday's runway show screened on small television monitors. The extensive range -including pieces from the pre-season, show and selling collections- inspired by the 1980s 'Transformers' toyline, clearly demonstrated Ghesquiere's virtuoso technical abilities, futuristic design vision and continued commitment to the skinny silhouette. The much-coveted and commercially viable components of the Balenciaga brand were displayed in adjoining rooms: structured bag designs presented in varying shades joined the infamous Lariat as well as goggle-style glasses, gold cartridge belts and intriguing razor-sharp, stiletto-heeled shoes, courtesy of long-time collaborator Pierre Hardy (a similar design was spotted during our visit to Hardy's showroom earlier in the week), fashioned in metallic snakeskin.
By Penny Martin, 11:32 Mon 09 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 11:24 Mon 09 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 10:25 Mon 09 Oct 2006
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Went a bit quiet on you there: yesterday the phone went pop with sending all these films! Just a couple more...
By Penny Martin, 01:11 Sun 08 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 01:08 Sun 08 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 01:01 Sun 08 Oct 2006
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The theme of tonight's celebrations for Jean Paul Gaultier's 30 year was magic and to begin the entertainment, they asked all the big figures of fashion to perform magic tricks! Pictured here -from afar- is Lucinda Chambers as the vanishing lady.
By Penny Martin, 13:17 Sat 07 Oct 2006
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Listen to Pierre explain the origins of his fountain shoes.
By Penny Martin, 13:02 Sat 07 Oct 2006
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We travelled northwards to Pierre Hardy's showroom this morning for our biannual lesson in shoe construction. Our favourite shoe 'stories' were there silver baubled beauties -based on the Paul Bury fountain at the Palais Royale- and this flat with a distorted circle emblem, based on links in a Tibetan again. Also interesting is the line based on Sotsass and Memphis and Hardy's evolving line of bags. Particularly good are the canvas ones with fluro leather trim.
By Penny Martin, 21:02 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 20:57 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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Witness a dress made entirely from fresh flowers!Trapped petals, Goya drawings, Mexican dress and the most scandalous woman of her day, the Marchioness Luisa Casati were all influences for this extremely stylised collection. The real crowd pleaser was the final group of veiled gowns, modelled on flowers, which earned the designer a standing ovation.
By Penny Martin, 19:10 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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The show, set at the Cirque d'Hiver, is still filling up. But so far, we know it's entitled 'Sarabande' -as in G.F. Handel- and the stage is set like a deserted concert ballroom. The voiceover from Barry Lyndon is playing.
By Penny Martin, 18:44 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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Look what arrived under my hotel door in advance of the McQueen show tonight! A reproduction of one of Nick's ongoing rose series, is this beautiful flower a clue to the collection we are about to see?!
By Penny Martin, 11:03 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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Chanel was another first for us and King Karl didn't disappoint with this great finale. What appeared to be a Japonist house with screens opened up to reveal his working atelier behind. We're all for showing studio process, of course: couldn't see if they'd installed webcams, however...
By Penny Martin, 10:56 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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You've got to love Karl Lagerfeld's little anthropomorphic joke of dressing at least one of his models as himself. For the most part, though, the collection was monochrome, very young and very short. I particularly liked all the playing around with sheer fabrics.
By Penny Martin, 09:16 Fri 06 Oct 2006
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An early morning appointment at YSL -we were first in at 9!- confirms that the S/S collection demands close-up scrutiny. What a seat in the gods couldn't show you was the exemplary workmanship that has come with Pilati's time at the brand. Contrary to initial appearances, the first sequence of volumatic, checked suiting is relatively light, using woven horsehair to create the fine, tensile structure of upholstery. Jackets, tops and dresses are based around the principle of aprons, with menswear elements of braces and straps balanced against the sweetness of the tie-backs and bows. The overriding violet emblem was worked into beautiful organdy applique on shirts and dresses as well as fashioned (by Lesage) from crushed sequins to embellish this evening gilet. As reported last night, such technical innovation was combined with homage, particularly in the psychadellic prints with panne velvet applique, which Pilati says was inspired by the peace activists of the 1970s and are his attempt to situate these luxurious clothes in the current world climate.
By Penny Martin, 23:26 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 23:23 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 23:17 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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Pilati paid a very respectful homage to his predecessor in tonight's collection, which gave more than a nod to Saint Laurent's work of the late 60s and early 70s. Down a catwalk planted with little violet flowers, the (very high-heeled) models picked their way, wearing versions of the famous transparent shirt, some fantastic flowery gowns and -yes, really- harem pants. It's a new, softer silhouette, yes, but there's little doubt that the YSL faithful will gladly learn to wear it.
By Penny Martin, 19:27 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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Laura and I may confect ways to mention Stefano Pilati at any possible opportunity, but the truth is we're actually YSL virgins, having never previously scored a ticket. But tonight, Matthew, at the Grand Palais, we're in! Yipee!
By Laura Bradley, 18:56 Thu 05 Oct 2006
First of all, let me apologise for the poor quality image - hindered by numerous obstructions (particularly a rude man next to me), I struggled to capture anything half decent to pictorially depict what designer Christian Wijnants paraded through the narrow passageways of the Ecole Nationale Superieure earlier this evening. Slightly less voluminous than last season, the Belgian designer continued to please, contentrating his award-winning skills (Hyeres 2001) on metallic shift dresses, delicate knitwear pieces and the layering of contrasting weightless fabrics.
By Penny Martin, 17:13 Thu 05 Oct 2006
Fresh from his Givenchy show last night!
By Laura Bradley, 16:27 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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A fluoro pink invitation and an army of press representatives sporting dresses in an indentical shade, set the tone of Peter Dundas' S/S '07 collection for Emanuel Ungaro: a highly charged extravaganza incorporating voluminous dresses in electric neon shades, heavily embelished sequin blazers, skinny-fit trousers with corset-tie fastenings, gaudy printed mini dresses, lipstick and butterfly motifs and one particularly outrageous polka-dot feather creation. What better way to kick-start my end of week visit?
By Penny Martin, 14:10 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 13:43 Thu 05 Oct 2006
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This morning Stella McCartney sent out a -highly saleable- collection of short, voluminous and light dresses, some signature tailoring and even some airy romper suits I recall from my youth. Well, teens. The big story was the special edition of Roger Hargreaves' Mister Men books upon which Hargreaves' family have collaborated with the designer. Called 'Little Miss Stella' it tells the tale of a little girl who felt like a nobody until Stella came along and designed a dress for her. Then she was a somebody!
By Penny Martin, 18:40 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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Listen to Hussein Chalayan explain to a gaggle of enthralled fashion journalists the origins of his wearable technology. Like the wonderful scene in Blythe Spirit, each piece shifted from one fashion epoch to another -a long flapper dress rose into a short, Cardin shift, say- using computer hardware sewn into the corsets!
By Laura Bradley, 18:30 Wed 04 Oct 2006
Now that Hussein Chalayan's S/S '07 'One Hundred and Eleven Collection' -incorporating showpieces from jewellery designer FLorian and a rather spectacular finalé- has been unveiled to the press and those who tuned into the special web-screening, we can now launch a specially created film courtesy of Swarovski. Documenting the entire technical and design working process, the twenty-minute film reveals the fascinating realisation of those hand-constructed mechnical dresses including the original two-dimensional and three-dimensional drawings, the creation of toiles, the fitting of the electronic workings and initial tests, the fiddly attachment of thousands of Swarovski crystals, the production of the collection at the designer's London studio as well as fascinating explanatory discussion from the man himself.
NB The link will take you to a streaming QuickTime movie which requires a fast connection.
By Penny Martin, 18:26 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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For this final piece in Hussein Chalayan's extraordinary sequence of computer-animated clothing, a full-length dress ascended into a picture hat, and then descended as a cloud of Swarovski crystal dust! Coming to you in a 'moments in fashion history' book soon... Amazing!
By Laura Bradley, 17:00 Wed 04 Oct 2006
Click here to link to the Swarovski site to see Hussein Chalayan's S/S'07 collection entitled 'One Hundred and Eleven', live from the Palais omnisport de Paris Bercy during Paris Fashion Week. Our woman in Paris -Penny Martin- has just sent us this image of the invitation on route to the show, which is running slightly late...
By Penny Martin, 16:48 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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So bright was Thierry Dreyfuss' lighting for Sophia Kokosalaki's hard-edged, Panos Yiapanis-styled show this morning (russet silks and some fantastic pleating, as one might expect) that any image turned into a white blur. Instead, then, feast your eyes on the invite. We salute your foil blocking on tissue Ms Kokosalaki!
By Studio, 16:00 Wed 04 Oct 2006
We are extremely excited to announce that we will be linking to the Swarovski site later on at 17:00 UK TIME, who are screening Hussein Chalayan's S/S '07 show live from Paris (we have it on good authority that he is planning something rather spectacular)! We also have a special extra 'something' for you straight after the show. Stay tuned...
You will need Windows Media Player to view the show.
By Penny Martin, 14:32 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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Consider this my 'Mainbocher Corset'...
By Penny Martin, 14:09 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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Marios has himself a rather fine Paris showroom with rococco trappings galore. All that fanciful frilliness is quite a contrast to the supremely pared down modernity of his clothes. I was interested to hear that the mind-boggling construction of his hexagonal, patchwork dresses that stand away from the body was an attempt to meet any criticism of his body conscious design approach.
By Penny Martin, 13:08 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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A sort of Thomas Demand for fashion, Tao's delightful wedding-inspired collection centred around these intricate showpieces, fabricated entirely out of paper.
By Penny Martin, 10:18 Wed 04 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 20:16 Tue 03 Oct 2006
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A show of two halves: the first a sequence of nubby, baggy, grey, Chanel-style suits with chain detail (as seen at Balenciaga this morning, apparently) and the second a group of mushroom, sugar pink and sage Grecian dresses with metal hoop detail (as at Chris Kane, in fact). Lucy Ewing, who is travelling with us, tells me it's a very pared down version of the Couture. Even Galliano's entrance was grey, sombre and subdued. Like last Dior S/S, a complete departure from what went before.
By Penny Martin, 12:36 Tue 03 Oct 2006
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Now, I make no claims for the cinematography, but I did once promise you a film of Vivienne's famous lap of honour!
By Penny Martin, 12:34 Tue 03 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 12:31 Tue 03 Oct 2006
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The 'on-trend' aspects were all there: the riot of colour, the tassles, the metallic fabrics, sky-high heels in which a model fell not once but twice, the ballgowns. But what was notable at Vivienne Westwood's show that's just finished at the Louvre was that this all felt like her territory anyway. With the dress-up energy coming out of London (whatever you think of the club kids) it very much felt like Westwood's moment. And she brought on her longstanding muse Sarah Stockbridge to share the glory.
By Penny Martin, 06:49 Tue 03 Oct 2006
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I'd love to give you a crit of what *appeared* to be a moving show. But in truth, the raked seating at the Grand Amphitheatre de la Sorbonne meant the models were like specks of dust on the horizon. Great soundtrack of Elvis ballads, though, and I hear there were lacy knickers!
By Penny Martin, 19:23 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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Jun Takahashi just fired off every fashion reference in the book for his excellent A/W show. To a knowing Nouvelle Vague soundtrack of cover versions, the inspired Japanese designer referenced everyone from YSL (past and present), Chanel, Lanvin, Madame Gres, Margiela and doubtless others. Only for a designer as dark and maverick as Takahashi could this chic, sexy, polished and Bourgeois collection constitute a sincere and subversive statement.
By Penny Martin, 17:50 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 17:00 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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Comme des Garcons' was beautiful but difficult to grasp. All I could think throughout was 'I'm not getting it!', until lo, the deconstructed tailoring, tattered ballerinas, Japanese flag emblems and 'against nature' slogans all integrated into this beautiful rising sun finale.
By Penny Martin, 14:39 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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By Penny Martin, 14:21 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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With the launch of the Dutch duo's new fragrance -'Antidote'- this week, it was inevitable that we were set for an archetypal V&R extravaganza. Kit-Kat club-style tables flanking the Carousel du Louvre's runway suggested a bit of interwar glamour and the crystal chandeliers held the clue to which patron of fashion design might be supporting it: Swarovski. The collection itself was a dancehall reworking of all the key V&R staples- the sexy trench, the tuxedo tops, blouses with fancy cuff details. But there were also some ballroom-inspired elements: the star emblems, flesh-toned bodystockings (as at Margiela, as Forum regular Detlev noticed) and tassled fringing. Viktor & Rolf's brilliance is in explicitly referencing all the flagrantly commercial elements of the fashion industry (the press-hogging spectacles, the 'selling' collections, the scent) and deftly distilling them into an oh-so-clever statement about the current state of fashion, as if they weren't actually complicit in it. A bit like reading anti-capitalist pulp literature, it flatters the audience's ego into feeling rather intellectual about what is principally entertainment. Hugely enjoyable at that.
By Penny Martin, 11:30 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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It's been whispered that Martin Margiela spent more time than ever before honing last night's collection. See for yourself in this (slightly psychadellic) video of their grand finale.
By Penny Martin, 11:21 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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The hair at Junya Watanabe -by Japanese hair stylist Kamo- is always a real highlight of the show. This morning, yards of blonde were looped through latex and piled high to create a sort of 'Futurist Edwardian' look. Lace was also used to embellish heavy, pointed shoes.
By Penny Martin, 11:12 Mon 02 Oct 2006
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Junya Watanabe is wonderful for a pedant like me, since his collections always focus on a single idea, which is subtly repeated and built up through his (early morning) shows. Today, what seemed to start as a showcase of his visceral, radical tailoring -with a late Victorian silhouette rendered in stiff, dark denim with a woven brocadey design- actually morphed into a progressive study of fabrics. Once the stock shapes were established (little jackets with nipped in waists and a gathered, bustle effect below, dynamic trenches, s-shaped skirts, skinny trousers) the density of the denim and brocades with plasticised trims soon gave way to lace and then white cottons which, despite being cut to the same patterns, behaved completely differently on the body. A gradual shift from constricting the body towards airy, even frilly lightness, then, this coherent collection every bit deserved its roaring applause.
NB: Check out Tokyo Style Clash judge, Sarah Colette, on the front row!
By Penny Martin, 20:14 Sun 01 Oct 2006
A great start to the week at Maison Margiela with a non-stop run of fan-pleasing looks that women are still going to want to wear. Their news is the new, graphic silhouette with structured shoulders, sinuous lines over the hip and long, long legs that either bundled up at the ankle or created trailing trains. Capes, stars and beads were other -perhaps less attention demanding- emblems but devotees are going to love the 'half unpeeled' tailoring, these fishnet shawl dresses (great tip for a masked ball, anyone?) and the shoes with plexiglass heels. Me? Loved all of it.
By Penny Martin, 19:53 Sun 01 Oct 2006
Imitation of Christ's Tara Subkoff and Purple's Olivier Zahm hunker down for the first night of Paris Fashion Week.
By Penny Martin, 15:01 Thu 28 Sep 2006
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Those of you with a Tretchikoff reproduction hanging at home will recognise the look. The jewel colours and lustrous fabrics of Miss Wong's get up or the Orientalist, 40s glamour of The Lady With A Green Face is very evident in Mrs Prada's collection for spring -won't we be hot in all that duchess satin? To complete the look there are some characteristically idiosyncratic accessories, also in colourful satin: rucksacks, spike heels with (shocker!) pointed toes and these Norma Desmond turbans. Now, only Miuccia Prada could get us in those!
By Penny Martin, 11:22 Thu 28 Sep 2006
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It's rumoured that Matthew Williamson has been putting all his energies into his line for Pucci after some grim reviews of A/W. Who was the wag, then, that chose this morning's soundtrack: Roxy Music's 'Same Old Scene'?!
By Penny Martin, 10:18 Thu 28 Sep 2006
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As the biggest fashion retailer in Italy, with outlets in every tiny province of the nation, Maxmara's sartorial influence is considerable. This Spring, if this morning's (presumably Carine Roitfeld-styled) show is anything to go by, Italian women will be wearing tight, yellow and black print shifts, black and silver gladiator shoes with straps around the calves and ruched, lame dresses like the ones Joan Collins wore in 'The Bitch'. Unsuspecting young men on their scooters had better watch out!
By Penny Martin, 18:53 Wed 27 Sep 2006
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Saying she wanted to present a kaleidoscope of references in her S/S Gucci show tonight, Frida Giannini took us on a trip from the late 60s (all Jean Muiresque navy minidresses with fuschia or red piping) to the mid 70s with neo-Nouveau embroidered shifts and then some full-length, printed chiffon gowns sweeping along at the back. The skinny trousersuits may be at odds with the time frame, but they're in there for extra sexy measure.
By Penny Martin, 18:11 Wed 27 Sep 2006
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By Penny Martin, 13:12 Wed 27 Sep 2006
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For the shows you can't get tickets for there are the erroneously named 're-sees'. The incredibly successful Bottega Veneta -it's no secret this luxury brand is shoring up the rest of Gucci group's more whimsical loss leaders- is worth re-seeing, however. The quality of the butter-soft leathers that make up a lovely pin-tucked shirt/jacket or the springy, silk georgette from which their beautiful Grecian dresses are constructed really have to be felt to be believed. In surely the soundbyte of the season, Bottega's PR marvelled at designer Tomas Maier's ability to constantly reinterpret the woven intrecaccio leather that is the house's unofficial logo: 'If there is one thing Tomas is amazing at, it's at reinventing the weave'.
By Penny Martin, 13:12 Wed 27 Sep 2006
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Isabella Capece Galeota and Claudia Labati from Fendi may look like they are calmly relaxing in the splendour of Hotel Diana. In truth, however, they are in ticket panic stations. Happily, that doesn't prevent them spending a (hugely enjoyable) hour detailing the production of their new bucket 'Palazzo' bag.
By Penny Martin, 18:09 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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Correction: it seems Calvin Klein's new making of film was shot by Christopher Romero.
By Penny Martin, 17:51 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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Francisco Costa is throwing a little soiree to celebrate his collection for Calvin Klein. There's a looping screening of a film -half catwalk, half TV commercial in feel. Looks incredibly like the fades and transitions used in the Moving Fashion film Fabien Baron did for us last Christmas. Could it be his?
By Penny Martin, 17:29 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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Like the Palazzo Riccardi in Florence, a modest family home built by Cosimo de Medici to conceal his money lending family's wealth, the Armani HQ on Milan's Via Borgonuovo doesn't exactly shout out 'ostentatious glamour'. But wandering around the twists and turns of its labyrinthine interior - as I was this morning prior to a meeting - you get a sense that this is the way the most powerful fashion houses express their extraordinary clout here: with discretion, restraint and above all, consummate taste.
By Penny Martin, 16:28 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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It's an irresistible story. Horticulturalist Ken Scott's love of flowers and beautiful drawings of his gardens gets him noticed by eccentric art world matriarch Peggy Guggenheim, who prompts him to translate his work into textiles. Whilst they don't do so well in his native America, they really take off in Italy, where the mid- 60s vogue for psychadellic print makes him a star. Three seasons ago -and fifteen after the designer's death- the brand was revived under the custodianship of design duo Antonio Ponte and Paolo Battaglia and the label is stealthily gaining followers who treasure the characterful prints and vivacious palette. Here you see Antonio pausing for a break in his flower-festooned showroom, next to a stool upholstered with Scott's striking 'Calcutta' print design.
By Penny Martin, 15:28 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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Launched in the year of the Great Exhibition, Swiss leatherware company Bally are keen to assert their 155 year history in the wake of their upstart/new-comer peers' success. For their 'static' (i.e. non catwalk) presentation this afternoon, Bally have gone through the company archives and pulled out all the 30s, 40s and 50s dancing shoes and 1920s advertising images that inspired the eveningwear-focused ready to wear on show. The originals have been placed in vitrines to accompany the live models whilst the designers themselves (who are to be nameless and may not be photographed - how mysterious!) are giving guided tours of the collections. Now that's what I call thorough!
By Penny Martin, 13:29 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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For a brand whose design vocabulary is as established as Marni's -witness the circular cutting into firm, coloured printed fabrics that stand proud of the body - it's understandable that a designer might want to introduce some maverick reference points from time to time to keep things fresh. Of all the potential art world influences you might pair with Constelo Castiglioni's low-key, feminine collections, however, the fiercely conceptual New York sexuality of Richard Prince seems the least likely. But just as Tina Barney collaborated with Peter Jensen on a soundtrack for his London show, Prince contributed two watercolours for Marni's S/S showcase that adorned T-shirts and provided abstract printed detailing. Most impressive, though, were the 'sloping plant pot' straw hats and the use of smart fabrics, which held the signature balloon shapes in skirts and sleeves but also added lightness and sporty appeal. Lovely Lily Donaldson here, for example, closed the show with a shimmering dust coat fashioned out of stiffened organza.
By Penny Martin, 09:06 Tue 26 Sep 2006
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Pringle brought in the big guns last night -Fabien Baron art directing, Karl Templer styling, Pat McGrath on make-up and Guido on hair - but the collection itself was a simple sequence of tennis slips and easy knitted separates.
By Penny Martin, 19:24 Mon 25 Sep 2006
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Christopher Bailey continued his own sweet revision of the 1960s tonight, despite any ideological interruptions. Fabric volumes were slightly heavier than previous seasons, creating fabulous flourishes like little trumpet sleeves on a trench or a tulip skirt on a Summer coat. The popularity of YSL A/W tunic continues into Spring and Burberry has some great ones in acid coloured brocades.
By Penny Martin, 19:04 Mon 25 Sep 2006
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The minute Otis Ferry, the pro-hunting star of the current Burberry campaign took to the runway tonight, so did a trio of fur protestors, brandishing their paper placards directly opposite Anna Wintour. The Milanese security were singularly slow off the mark in responding in comparison with their British or French counterparts, who are wont to smother the furious interlopers in fur blankets, aptly enough. But this is the quintessentially British brand, after all and by invading the Houses of Parliament in an vain attempt to get the hunting ban lifted, Bryan Ferry's son has keyed into a very British debate. Shame for the protestors that this was a Spring/Summer collection and there wasn't a scrap of fur to be seen!
By Penny Martin, 18:29 Mon 25 Sep 2006
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It's rumoured ALT has been researching the UK club kid look on MySpace.
By Penny Martin, 17:42 Mon 25 Sep 2006
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I'm hardly going to rival Craig McDean's current Gucci campaign with this shot so you'll just have to take my word for it that Cristina Ortiz's collection lived up to her burgeoning reputation for impeccably constructed 'OrganicCouture', as the company like to call it. With impressive credentials from the houses of Maxmara, Prada and Lanvin (no less!), Ortiz's art is to keep the structure on the inside -using boning where necessary- and allowing her finest quality, mainly monochrome fabrics to drape with ease.
By Penny Martin, 16:53 Mon 25 Sep 2006
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There are two showings of Armani and Leonardo di Caprio was at the second (but we've given you him already this week!) so Brioni is still filling up. The clever souls have thought ahead though and are keeping us entertained with this undulating wave film, to off-set the ocean themed collection (it says here in the show notes).
By Penny Martin, 16:08 Mon 25 Sep 2006
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If ever there was a spectacular setting to see my first Milanese fashion show, it is Tadao Ando's extraordinarily brutalist Armani Theatre, where Giorgio Armani's mainline collection was set only half an hour ago. Whereas last season's collection focused solely on eveningwear, Spring/Summer '07 was literally split in two, with the first half of the show featuring all the classic daywear we associate him with: structured jackets with nipped in waists and palazzo pants that swung as the models walked to reveal jewelled, mid-height shoes with pointed toes. All the elements of restrained dressing you could find in no other current fashion collection, in fact. As the back-projected imagery at the end of the catwalk changed from day to night, however, the outfits switched to shimmering red-carpet gowns, mostly displaying a 30s, Jean Harlowesque silhouette and made from liquid satin or encrusted with crystalline embroidery. Each was finished off, like Alek Wek here, with a broad brimmed hat. Well, after all his RED shenanigans last week, who could deny him a bit of good old fashioned glamour?
By Penny Martin, 23:50 Fri 22 Sep 2006
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See the 'walk through' of Carri-Cassette Playa's stand out collection from this afternoon's MAN showcase. Warning: the sound's pretty dreadful on this phone so adjust your speakers accordingly.
By Penny Martin, 22:22 Thu 21 Sep 2006
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Teaming up with Motorola, RED have positioned a mobile on each table, urging each party-goer to send a message. Nobody seems brave enough: maybe we should give a quick tutorial before Bryan Ferry comes on?
By Penny Martin, 22:08 Thu 21 Sep 2006
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By Penny Martin, 22:05 Thu 21 Sep 2006
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It's rumoured that the Armani company have spent £1,100 per head on tonight's unbelievably star-studded event. This is apparently the 'capsule' collection. How many models will be in the remaining two, presumably more extensive ones?
By Penny Martin, 21:37 Thu 21 Sep 2006
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Giorgio Armani's RED event starts with a tribute to the designer's charitable commitments by Leonardo di Caprio.
By Studio, 16:27 Thu 21 Sep 2006
As a member of this year's Fashion Fringe judging panel, Nick has just phoned to let us know the 2006 competition winner. The annual initiative, set up in 2004 by fashion historian Colin McDowell intended to discover and nurture new fashion talent, was held this afternoon at City Hall in South East London. After a catwalk presentation from each of this year's finalists (Antonio Santana, Six and Seven Eighths, Gavin Douglas and Stephen Harper) the panel, including journalists Sarah Mower, Hilary Alexander, Hamish Bowles, Creative Director of Selfridges Alannah Weston, designers Tom Ford and Giles Deacon and our very own Nick Knight- decided to award the prize to Birmingham-born designer Gavin Douglas. Douglas (pictured), who has previously shown during Caribbean Fashion Week, impressed judges with a collection inspired by an exhibition on black Victorians and will subsequently receive the necessary backing to set up his own label.
By Penny Martin, 10:49 Thu 21 Sep 2006
Today is officially Armani day: Giorgio Armani is showing his Emporio collection for the first time ever in London tonight as a sign of his commitment to Bono's RED, UN-affiliated global fund to fight AIDS in Africa. And to mark the occasion, the Italian designer has also authored the second ever guest edited issue of The Independent newspaper, for which he asked Nick to shoot the front cover. Reprising his notorious 'blackened skin' technique (first used in campaigns Martine Sitbon in 1988), Nick collaborated on this free poster image with Kate -not previously known for her charity comittments- a couple of weeks ago. The question is, though, will she be at the much-talked-about extravaganza tonight?!
By Laura Bradley, 10:29 Thu 21 Sep 2006
The final show of the day, held in Holland Park late last night, came courtesy of Marios Schwab who -after only two collections as part of Fashion East- has quickly become renowned for his sharp eveningwear and virtuoso technical skills (ardent supporter, Lulu Kennedy was sporting one of his velvet, tasselled creations at the Fashion East show on Monday). For his first solo show, the Greek-born designer decided to expand on his flattering Alaïa-inspired, micro-sculpted dresses, debuting slim-fitting trousers, shirts and print designs. Interestingly, Schwab also chose to apply a markedly different approach to elements of the collection, incorporating feminine fluidity in a succession of long-flowing dresses - a direction also taken by Richard Nicoll in his show earlier this week. The stronger elements of the twenty-three look collection, possessed the favourable Schwab trademark designs, taking their form for S/S '07, in black and pearlescent pink fabrics with detailing such as dynamic bustle formations, conical breast cups, hexagonal patchwork fabric constructions, and cheekily-placed placed eyelets.
By Penny Martin, 20:46 Wed 20 Sep 2006
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