SOARing to great heights

Featured at the BOB showcase that Fal and I attended was Tim Soar. This graphic designer turned DJ turned music consultant to fashion houses (for runway music that is just right) turned fashion designer sure has one hell of a CV that has catapulted him to the upper echelons of the British fashion scene. Tim Soar shifted away from the DJ spotlight and placed himself into the fashion spotlight with menswear design, amid plenty of scepticism from his fashion industry insider friends. Nonetheless, the designer threw himself into it and has since earned himself a reputation year on year at London Fashion Week.

Rice informed us that the collection carried on BOB is pretty much his inaugural womenswear collection. I appreciated the clean lines and neat tailoring that is the essence of menswear that Tim Soar has managed to translate into skirts, dresses, blazers and so on with effortless ease and no pretense. The only issue I have with the collection is that it is a tad too simple. Not that there wasn't enough attention being paid to the detail, tailoring in itself is a detail-focused activity, I guess I was just expecting more than the blatant subtlety.

Nonetheless, fabrics that were used to create these gorgeous tailored pieces were in themselves a pleasant surprise. Touch that wool blazer and instead of a heavy and rough textile that feels like wool, you'll be taken aback, in a good way of course, by the soft, silky fabric that slides right off that finger. What appears to be a thick, woolly blazer is actually a silk blazer, soft to the touch, printed like wool, perfect for the warmer weather that is spring/summer.



Another item of interest was the pencil skirt, which looks like 6 of daddy's old silk ties cut up and pieced together to form a wonderfully tailored skirt, haphazardly striped because obviously, ties are too oddly shaped to be sewn in a straight line. I loved the sense of spontaneity and fun in this skirt and I'm actually toying with the idea of trying one out on my own with (yes) 6 of daddy's old silk ties (if he would let me).



Tim Soar admits the heavy influence of menswear on his ladies' collection probably because of the huge archive he has to draw on through his experience designing for men over the years. Nonetheless, a womenswear collection is the perfect outlet for some of his designs which are too feminine for the menswear collections. Taking things slowly, Soar did not want to try too many things simultaneously in his first collection, which explains the clean cuts and crisp lines.



This designer definitely does not take things that slow; he is still dedicated to music and now compiles playlists for hotels more than fashion houses under his label, Music Concrete. My personal subscription is to the belief in fueling and fulfilling the passion that one has for something and achieving a balance between money-work and passion-work. It's not easy as I have come to realise (especially today) and observe, but still, worth a shot. Life is short and if Tim Soar can do it, I think we all can afford to at least try.


♥,
Fir

BOB | Best of British Trunk Show

Fir and I visited the BOB | Best of British Trunk Show on Saturday. Held by Glamour Inc., the Trunk Show gave buyers and the press a chance to view brands that were fresh from the runways of London Fashion Week. This event which is in the form of a trunk show/ exhibition gives British designers which have made their mark in the UK a chance to showcase their work to the South East Asian region.



Rice, our guide around the exhibition was kind enough to give us an introduction to the brands featured this year, which included: Belle Sauvage, Hermione De Paula, Boudicca, Lee Klabin, KTZ Kokon ToZai, Lee Lapthorn, Pazuki, Tim Soar, Vassilisa, Micquella, Atelier, George Angelopoulous, Alexia, Jenny Parkham and more.

According to Rice, brands are selected according to the strongest and most influential emerging trends. This year, British designers with two opposing aesthetic directions were chosen - one remaining true to Britain's roots of tailoring and structure, and the other being experimental.

Fir was especially enamoured by Tim Soar's collection which was inspired by menswear, while I fell in love with Bell Sauvage's dresses with digital prints which were very contemporary.






The accessories at the Trunk Show were gorgeous too. One of the highlights was George Angelopolous' bags and jewelry.





The scarves from Alexia gave the illusion of layering as they were made from several different fabrics. In addition, these scarves had a unique touch to them, as they were embellished with sequins, tassels and chains.


Another brand that was featured was Jenny Parkham, which carried jewelry that was apparently a favorite with the Duchess of Cambridge.








Fir and I also liked Cor Sine Labe Doli, which gave a new life to accessories by adding a touch of ceramic to it.

 As it is probably impossible to feature all of our favorite brands from the Trunk Show in one post (trust me, it would be as long as a thesis), we will be bringing to you the designers and brands that we fell in love with at the Trunk Show over the course of this week.

Remember to come back and check this space!





♥,
Fal