Inside LFW: Christopher Raeburn

When people say they leave the best till last, they are not kidding around. My last show of LFW was the one I was most excited about; Christopher Raeburn! And it was taking place at the new BFC Show Space location of Brewer Street Car Park (interesting to say the least). 

Now let me get this off my chest first- I definitely missed Somerset House this season. I missed the open spaces, where you could stroll around at your own leisure, have a good old catch up with friends and get street styled if you were lucky enough. Let’s just say, you could do none of those at Brewer Street. The streets are chocker block with cars, so you had to weave dangerously in and out of cars just to get there. The space around the car park was minuscule, and if you stood to talk to someone you were quickly moved on by security. And there was no hope for photographers to take street style- no more typical walking-across-a-road shots as there were so many cars, and just general pandemonium. So in some ways I was kind of glad that I only had one show there so I didn’t have to deal with the chaos. 

But anyway, onto the show. The Sarawak collection is inspired by the jungle territory of Borneo, and female explorers both real and imagined. Essentially, it considers women exploring an unknown environment. 

This narrative is captured in ready-to-wear garment, and for the first time, footwear. Raeburn has teamed up Clarks in a unique collection for the Sarawak collection. 

I was looking forward to see how he would use his parachutes this season (something the brand has become known for using), and I was not disappointed! He reimagined black and white airbrake parachutes to create amazing raw-edge dresses, and classic parachutes with mesh inserts to create separates. Colours were not forgotten about though, with olive greens and sky blues from the classic parachutes, and vibrant yellows and soft greys for lighter separates. As well as the parachutes themselves, patterns inspired by the airbrake were used to make light pieces using naturally-dyed Habitoi silk, while graphic flock hearts transfers were embellished onto cotton drill and jersey. Raeburn also teamed up with Knyttan to create a lightweight knitwear collection. It’s also clear to see that sleeveless coats won’t be going out of fashion any time soon, as they strutted down the catwalk alongside with simple kimono style jackets. 

My particular favourite was a mesh black dress, that was so classically elegant, you would never know it was made of such tough fabric. The accessories were on point too, with feminine hand-tied bows supporting jacquard bumbags worn on the back. 

Gx

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Inside LFW: Avant-Premiere showrooms

Sometimes you need a breath of fresh air during fashion week- when all you’re doing is going to shows and presentations, it’s nice to be able to chat to some human beings once in a while. This is especially great when you get the chance to speak to some brands while viewing their collections. 

The Avant-Premiere showroom was exactly that. I was met with such a friendly atmosphere as soon as I stepped in, and basically spent the whole day there! The space was huge and so I got stuck in to viewing the collections and having a good old natter to some of my lovely blogger pals :) 

Lodovico Zordanazzo had the most beautiful shoe collection! The designs are handmade in Italy by master craftsmen with the use of sophisticated and exclusive materials. Each shoe almost had its own character from the flamboyant green flame heels to chic courts. 

I have met the brand Cataleya at previous events and have always loved their bags! These are actually laptop cases, but I wouldn’t think twice about using it as a work ready briefcase for everyday! Their luxury leather bags are all adorned with the Cataleya motif, and each design is named after a flower. You also get a feeling of uniqueness in each, as the materials they source can sometimes be few and far between, meaning only a few bags are made with that material! Very limited edition ;) As well as their laptop cases, I adore their totes, round chain shoulder bags and clutches.

It was really cool learning all about Esscentric's perfume oils! Using 100% pure essential oils, they blend the most amazing fragrances to make unique scents that you can mix and match yourself. The jojoba oil in them keep the blends active on your skin for longer, so no need to reapply! Each blend is composed of at least 11 different oils sourced from around the world. Also the packaging is so sassy, don't you think? Almost like the Nasty Gal of the perfume world...

I just couldn't walk past these shell bags; the inner Ariel in me did a mini flip! I just couldn't get enough of them. One of the great things about Barel is that they make these fab high end bags and are vegan friendly, so for any animal lovers this bag company will be a sure fire hit with you! The fabrics and microfibers that they do use are eco-friendly and cruelty-free and made entirely in Italy. 

Black Betty are a jewellery company based in Cape Town, South Africa, and who celebrate Mother Nature’s bounty and her essence, by incorporating hand cut precious and semi-precious stones held by treasured metals born from the earth. The handcrafted pieces have a timeless quality and each one, their own personality. As a ring girl I was really drawn to the rings from their Shapeshifters collection, and the skulls in their Black Ash collection. 

Ambersouk had the most beautiful African inspired jewellery pieces! The pieces varied from cuffs and snake earrings, ebony rings to ruby studded elephants, and you can't forget that adorable buddha necklace!

I got the chance to meet Ronald Abdala, the creator of House of Ronald, who has emerged as an internationally recognized creative designer at an early stage in his promising career. As a British/Lebanese designer, Ronald’s multi-cultural identity is strongly evident in his stylistic and aesthetic elements. His creations represent a unique interplay of western fashion modes and craftsmanship with traditional Middle Eastern elements and embellishments. This balance of East and West is one of the hallmarks of his style and talent, and a key element of his line’s international appeal. I couldn't get enough of the net blazers and digital fish print dresses. 

Van Der Borne are all about unisex accessories, but still keeping individuality. They have everything from camera straps to the coolest pizza bags that are produced in a southern region of The Netherlands and made with Buffalo leather from India.

Liselore Frowijn was showcasing her ready-to-wear SS16 collection. Her designs are for women with a curiosity for the world, they are explorers in heart and soul; ambitious, curious and independent. There was a lot of variety in her collection, but this two pieces coord really stood out for me! You can't beat a good roll neck. 

Hellen van Rees is a dutch fashion and textiles designer whose collections are based on traditional feminine silhouettes. Her SS16 collection features handmade textiles with contrasting textures and proportions, and is inspired by suspended bridges. Just like a suspended bridge plays with gravity, looking both light and stiff at once, Rees uses the concept of gravity and suspension to exhibit the difference between the materials used. The classic silhouettes are also inspired by 1920's flapper dresses with layers of textured fabric, and are brought together with chunks of rubber to create edge. The colour palette goes from spring pastels and greys to dark blues and blacks. I really loved the amazing knottingfusing and knit work that creates an undone feel to the garments and the mesh tops with tiny knit edging. 

You can't beat how gutsy Haifa Fahad's DARE collection is! Originally from Saudi Arabia, she uses her rebellious creativity to create garments with metallics and actual metal- I just couldn't take my eyes off the denim chain jacket! 

Louise Körner is a contemporary womenswear label that focuses on creating garments that carry unique prints on innovative rich textures and materials. The prints are inspired by architectural perspectives of the built environment with the perfect mix of grunginess and simplicity that is associated with Scandi style. Funnily enough while talking to Louise, who is Swedish, she was telling me how in Sweden people find her style very Western, while here people find it very Scandi! It's funny how people see the same thing differently when they are from different parts of the world...

Louise's collection was definitely one of my favourites at the showroom. Her latest collection Cosmic Aquarium is Scandi in its cuts but not in its colours and prints! The pieces sported either swirling watercolour prints or digital fish scale prints, but the collection still flows together very well. You can style any of the pieces together and the finished outfit will look amazing!  

Last but not least, Valley of the Dolls were a company after my own heart; all about the vintage vibes. Influenced by Central American style, the Indigo Blues collection combines the crafty homemade feel in dresses, distressed denims and folk prints. I mean, how cute are the sleeves on that denim dress?! This collection has festival written all over it, from floaty off the shoulder blouses (that also wouldn't go amiss on the beach) to flares with intricate prints. Also, that 70's vibe can't be ignored, with a colour palette consisting of oranges, terracotta's and indigo's along with fringing and suede to complete the boho vibe. They are also super affordable too, with prices starting at £24! What a steal ;) 

Gx

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Inside LFW: Vinti Andrews

You’ve got to love a good presentation, especially ones where the space is big enough for press and models to circulate without bumping into each other. 

I got exactly that when I went to the On/Off at The Vinyl Factory to see the Vinti Andrews presentation. There were even seats (a rarity during fashion week unless you are an A lister or high up in fashion)!

For their SS16 collection, Vinti Andrews paid homage to Jodie Foster’s character Iris in Taxi Driver, mixing modern skater girl codes with late 60’s/early 70’s vibes (very me). 

Everything had a youthful, laid-back feel, that fed through organza tops and re-worked jeans to that ah-mazing sequinned bomber. Silhouettes were laid-back too with shifts and swing dresses galore, and even when there were the occasional tucked in shirt, it still ballooned out over the top of the waistband. Spots and stripes were layered as the key prints, with embellished flowers and spider webs subtle added to shirts and tunics. 

 

 

 

Gx

P.S. If you didn't know, I was in episode 7 of Cradle To Grave tonight on BBC2! If you fancy catching it, it's on iPlayer now!

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