BOB | Never too late for the Best Of British fashion

A very late update on the Best Of British fashion showcase for A/W12 which Fal and I had the pleasure of attending quite a few weeks ago. Due to a host of pressing deadlines spot smack in the middle of April, I wasn't quite able to get down to this piece of work, regretfully. Thankfully, the images stayed fresh in my mind; indicative of the impression that these British designers have once again left on me.

Upon walking through those familiar wooden doors, the first rack already caught my eye with the plenitude of prints, symmetrical, animalistic, embellished or embroidered. As usual, the cosy arena was alive with the inspiration and magic brought to life by the foresight and creativity of these British designers. British fashion has often struck a chord within me, as much as the Italian couturiers, for their experimentalism and fearlessness.

Hermione de Paula, who worked with Christian Dior Couture, Alexander Mcqueen, John Galiano and Giles, is not new to the scene for she launched her ready to wear label in 2008. She takes floral prints and with a signature twist, turns them into unique pieces which resonate with playfulness and individuality, femininity and dynamism. Each collection is based on an unconventional female character, and A/W12 is no exception. This season's muse is Hermione's dark Lolita, Maguerite, a twisted English flower who is an unconventional collector of sorts whose dark passion lies in her menagerie. Hence the animalistic twist to the unique florals on each piece and the fascinating collection entitled Marguerite's Menagerie.

Some trivia for menagerie. Originating from 17th century France, the menagerie was what the aristocratic nobility owned to house their common and exotic animals and plants. It was considered the ultimate establishment of luxury and curiousity. One glance at Maguerite's Menagerie will evoke that same sense of decadence and inquisitiveness from the luxe fabrics and the unusual prints, with fish tails as petals and metal or ice as flowers. To add to the surrealism and decadence of the collection brought to life by monkeys, exotic birds, bejewelled bees, and glossy fish, Hermione used hues reminiscent of the Northern lights and precious stones. Vermillion, turquoise, magenta, burnished oranges, creamy peppermints and peach tones show themselves as perfect complements to the printed accents. 

Hermione de Paula's fashion credentials are outstanding, having acted as print consultant to Nicholas Kirkwood as well as collaborating with the same designer on the recent Keith Haring collection which launched the Nicolas Kirkwood flagship store in Mayfair, UK. She has also sown in other parts of Asia, Bangkok, South Korea and Tokyo as well as Saudi Arabia following a showcase at the SS/11 London Fashion Week installation at Liberty in London. We should definitely expect to see more of Hermione de Paula and her fascinating muses in the near future.

T'is the season of decandence for sure. St Erasmus is another designer label that is as decadent as it is artisanal. Hailing from South Africa, designer Pieter Louis Erasmus has culminated the influences from the textures of the African landscape with edgy London, stylish Paris and exotic India to create a cross cultural line of jewellery that reflects the multi-cultural influences that we embody in this multi-cultural globalised world. St Erasmus is unique for its 3D statement style that mixes traditional artisan techniques and skills with contemporary forms and materials.

A/W12 for Erasmus was inspired by Marie Antoinette, the 18th century French Queen who lived in a time of social change, who was independent and stylish yet restrained. Each handcrafted piece is a statement in itself, embellished and encrusted with Swarovski crystals and crochet in St Erasmus's trade mark Zari thread crochet. The collection transcends fads and whims of the trends and seasons and focuses instead on the wearable elegance and beauty of each statement piece for the independent and influential woman.

Fashion has always been about showcasing the woman with her mystique and beauty in clothes that are equally beautiful and intricately made. Amid the decadence and luxury, the woman, as recent fashion shows, also takes form as a modern and independent individual who is not only beautiful but with a mind of her own. Frivolous or not, fashion is a form of soft feminism that should be taken seriously.

♥,
Fir

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

From the BOB Trunk Show: Belle Sauvage

Tucked away in a corner at the BOB | Best of British Trunk Show was Belle Sauvage's Resort 2012 and S/S 2012 collection. The discreet location was by no means inconspicuous, as the arresting colours and dizzying floral prints drew my attention to it.








The collections marries pastel shades such as yellow, magenta, mint green and lilac with digital floral prints which have been manipulated till you can hardly make them out. All that put together seems like a gaudy mismatch, but Christian Neuman and Virginia Ferreira somehow manages to pull it off. Coupled with powerful feminine elements and slim silhouettes in the form of maxi dresses with high collars or cocktail numbers with smart tailoring such as a heart shaped neckline, fins that protrude from the hips, or just sleek and fitted mini dresses, the inspiration was clearly derived from Hollywood in the 
1920s.









Softening the bold touches of colour and tailoring is the choice of fabric which is a mix of silks and French embroidered tulle.


This dress, that Fir has mad love for, is a good example of the combination of all elements that Neumana and Ferreira have chosen to incorporate in their S/S 2012 collection - mint green chiffon panels with a tailored maxi dress in digital floral prints.





Belle Sauvage's current collections feels modern without being too space age, and feminine without being too pretty.


Will Singaporeans take to the brand? I sure hope they will, because I can't wait to see Belle Sauvage's dresses at stockists' around Singapore.



♥,
Fal

London Fashion Week: Antonio Berardi Spring/Summer 2012

I saved Antonio Berardi's collection for the last, because it is, in my opinion, the best of London Fashion Week. I am after all a sucker for gorgeous dresses and Berardi delivers this with precision tailoring. The billowing chiffon pieces, patent shoulder pieces and chiffon pieces encrusted with sparkling beads, made the collection all the more beautiful. Short shift dresses or shiny leather were with a body con silhouette had great details either with beads or mesh cutouts forming intricate patterns.  The softly draped kimono tops and dresses with asymmetrical hems were flowy with a train behind looking almost like a dream to wear. And the colour palette - pearl, flesh pink, pale spearmint and scarlet and even black made the collection so stunning.

 

♥,
Fal

London Fashion Week: Christopher Kane Spring/Summer 2012

Christopher Kane's collection is worth a mention simply because it was light, gorgeous and gave a new take on doing embellishment. What started out as a pale leather look shift dresses was actually a dress smothered in fine gold and silver. This gave way to shorts and matching jackets, and pale mint leather mini skirts and mini dresses in pale and bronze brocade. Thick tailored grey nylon followed, with bold black and white, glitter fringed applique. Later the bold glittering prints became bright plastic fridge magnet embellishments on nude chiffon dresses overlaid in shimmering organza. Then the arrival of a twinkling, embellishment story was heralded as densely encrusted sparkling mini dresses, jackets and mini skirts went by in a blinding line-up. The embellishments served to create an optical illusion and 3D effect on every piece, making this collection one of London Fashion Week's highlights.

♥,
Fal

London Fashion Week: Peter Pilotto Spring/Summer 2012

Everyone knows that Peter Pilotto creates gorgeous prints, and this collection sure did prove that point. Dresses and suits in psychedelic, out of the world prints opened the show in bright hues of blue, yellow and red. While the prints of flora and fauna were inspired by the duo's trip to Indonesia, they were surprisingly modern and it was a definitely fresh take on an Asian influence, away from batik prints. The best part about this collection however, was not its prints, but the use of texture with prints - crystals encrusted the necklines and skirts, PVC leaves were unfurling elsewhere and dresses had interesting cutouts that revealed lots of skin. This mixture of print and texture definitely gave the collection a new dimension and was definitely a breath of fresh air from other collections.

♥,
Fal

London Fashion Week: Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2012

From the looks of Burberry's Spring/Summer 2012 collection, Christopher Bailey isn't looking forward to much of a summer next year. I guess I'm hoping the sun will stay away too.

The opening colours were rich wintery hues like plum, forest green and bronze. High-waisted skirts were teamed with form fitting tops that had crocheted wooden beads. Woven raffia in stripes of mustard and navy or plum and black made chevrons of super slim pencil skirts under cropped Parkas.

An African influence was also prevalent, emerging in the form of draped cotton dresses in graphic prints of orange and white, black and green, or yellow and purple. Wound around the body or tied between the breasts, these ornate sarongs looked very flattering indeed.

While paying homage to all things natural, such as wooden beads adorning the necklines, Bailey still manages to stay true to the heritage brand that is Burberry. Trench coats were still very much a staple, even though they were given a new lease of line in their prints. I am totally loving this collection, and it makes me want to get my Burberry trench coat real soon.

♥,
Fal

London Fashion Week: Erdem Spring/Summer 2012

Erdem's collection features the designer's signature florals once again. There were floral dresses with blue cornflowers and hydrangeas, yellow and red poppies followed by darker swallow and floral prints; these looked perfect for an English tea party on a warm spring afternoon. The nude lace dresses were nothing short of delicate, soft and feminine, and I'd imagine every single bride to be would want to be wearing these dresses on their wedding day.

♥,
Fal

London Fashion Week: Jonathan Saunders Spring/Summer 2012

Jonathan Saunders' collection is simply gorgeous - from multi-colored kaleidoscopes to sheer nude dresses appliqued in white, black or pink Baroque curls, this man sure knows how to dress a woman and make her look beautiful. He sheds a whole new light on how to pair colors together - blue to yellow, vanilla to blue or peach to pink, these unlikely color combinations are sure to be seen on every fashion maven next season.

♥,
Fal