From Burberry to Mother of Pearl, it was all about velvet and exaggerated sleeves.
Fashion Month kicked off across the pond with J.W. Anderson, Simone Rocha, Markus Lupfer and more.
These are the labels to watch in London.
You could describe it as raining crystals on Wall Street.
We've come to expect bright Perspex, clear plastic, and geometric prints from Holly Fulton and her always-upbeat shows. This season, her muse was Noora Fox, the '70s singer known for her breezy style, a blend of folk and glam rock. As the show opened with a pale denim knee length skirt suit, we prepared ourselves for a more pared down collection from one of London's most fun designers. But with oversized colored sunglasses, side-swept disco curls, and oversized fan shaped clutches, the show proved to be anything but dull.
Lots of designers are working with print these days--but few are doing it with the wit and charm that Holly Fulton is. The London-based designer, who worked at Lanvin for two years before starting her own label in 2009, has already made quite the splash in the UK: She was named Scottish Young Designer in 2009 and 2010, and won the Emerging Talent Accessories at British fashion awards 2010. And if you haven't heard of her yet--well, trust us you will soon. We caught up with Fulton yesterday at the London Show Rooms press preview (for the past few years the British Fashion Council has been bringing London's creme de la creme across the pond so editors can check them out).
Playing the name game in London is far from easy: So many cool young designers, so many unusual names, and only a week to make sense of them all. It’s largely due to the aversion many Brit design talents have to being crafted into the sort of the fashion celebs we adore stateside. No worries; the clothes spoke volumes for themselves, as London dialed down the quirked, and turned out one of the most sophisticated seasons in recent years. See for yourself!
The British Fashion Council has announced the three winners of the "Fashion Forward" 2013 award for womenswear. David Koma, Holly Fulton and Michael van der Ham are the lucky three designers--and if you don't know their names yet, now's the time to get familiar.
Showing skin is taking a turn for the demure. London has been chock full of skirts with sheer panelling, a more cautious take on the sheer trend, though no less suggestive. There is certainly no shortage of options, either.
Katy Perry Makes a Funny at PFW: When asked about the revealing mini dress the Smurfette-tressed pop star donned recently in Paris, she replied, "It’s either Vegas hooker or Balmain." And upon meeting Conde Nast chairman Jonathan Newhouse, Katy blurted out, "Newhouse-- much better than old house!" Maybe the windows weren't cracked quite enough during all those blue hair dying sessions, but we can't say we mind the entertainment. {NY Mag} Mila Kunis Shoots for Dior: Mila's on a boat--or should we say, un bateau. The gorg actress and latest face of Dior was spotted looking tres chic as she shot a new campaign for the Parisian fashion house on La Seine. {Telegraph} Alexa Chung Will Host Scottish Fashion Awards: Great Britain's greatest Brit (fashion wise, anyway) is set to bring her quirky-cool brand of humor to the 7th annual Scottish Fashion Awards, in association with InStyle, this June. The awards celebrate the best of Scotch talent, and past honorees have included Christopher Kane, Holly Fulton, and Jonathan Saunders. Here's hoping the program allows for multiple wardrobe changes for Alexa, a la Anne Hathaway at last year's Oscars. {InStyle}
Designers David Koma and Holly Fulton showed together for the second season in a row as part of Topshop's New Gen series, and they really are the perfect runway mates. Mostly because their collections are vastly different.
LONDON--A recent flood of fashion films is promising to bridge the velvet-roped gap between front-row editors and the glossy-buying populace while giving designers yet another medium through which to express and control their brands. At London's City Arts & Music Project the public was invited to a S/S 11 Video Re-See of films by handful of London Fashion Week's most promising young talents including knitwear designer Craig Lawrence, art deco printmaster Holly Fulton and Alice Dellal collaborator and jewelry designer Dominic Jones. Here are the highlights, as well a word with Craig Lawrence on being a fish out of water:
London Spring 2011 was hands down my favorite fashion week ever. Shocked, are you? Once you feel the energy, see the masterful technique, and find yourself wide-eyed by the innovation, you'll understand where I'm coming from. Here are my ten favorites. Additionally, I must send out a big thanks to Swarvoski, not only because they sponsored my trip to the UK, but also because they underwrote almost all of the very best shows at LFW. If not for them, some of these collection mightn't have happened.
LONDON--We gave you the first look--now here's the rest!
It was back to the BFC tents this morning, where David Koma and Holly Fulton showed off their Spring 2011 offerings. First up was Koma, whose pale pink, yellow and gold peplums continued on with the mood of the week. And he showed wedges--another big trend, I’ve realized. According to The Daily, London Fashion Week’s newspaper, editors already hate kitten heels and are retreating back to wedges, which are “more comfortable.” I think the lower you are to the ground the easier it is to walk, but I’m also a girl who’s usually in flats. But I digress.
Swarovski just released the list of shows it'll be sponsoring for Spring 2011. The roster is long, but distinguished: Prabal Gurung Juan Carlos Obando Erdem GILES Marios Schwab Richard Nicoll Mark Fast JW Anderson Holly Fulton Henry Holland Michael van der Ham Louise Goldin What does a Swarovski sponsorship afford designers?
British Fashion Council's NEWGEN scholarship endows four emerging designers each season to put on a runway show. Spring/Summer 2011's recipients were announced today, and included David Koma, Holly Fulton, Mary Katrantzou, Michael van der Ham and Peter Pilotto. Craig Lawrence and Louise Grey will each hold a presentation. Along with £5,000 - £10,000 towards their show costs, the winners receive free exhibition space, usage of the BFC catwalk and mentoring.
British fashion never ceases to impress me. Sure, it's creative, but the amount of attention that's paid to craftsmanship is what really makes it dist