CATWALK REPORTS FROM THE LFW DAILY
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Saturday 20th February 2010
Daks
Who would have thought that it would take an Italian to bring Daks back to its great British roots? Taking on a luxury design house with heritage (115 years of it, to be precise) is no mean feat, but Creative Director Filippo Scuffi sent out a collection that was note perfect. There was everything you might expect – trench coats, grey boiled- wool, Aran-knit sweaters and lots of that Daks signature check; but there was nothing fusty about it. Scuffi was inspired by aviation, so those late-Fifties-style narrow trousers, slightly A-lined camel skirts and wool Bermudas were punctuated with quilted flying suits, sweeping capes and lots of lovely leather. Styled with socks and brogues, flying caps and freshly-washed windswept hair, it was all about clothes that girls like Alexa Chung will interpret and make their own. In fact, this collection should earn the brand a whole new legion of fans – those who admire the likes of, say, Margaret Howell, bits of Aquascutum and that other British great, Barbour. And deservedly so.
Report by Sarah Harris
Michael Van Der Ham (Fashion East)
Florals, flashes of neon-pink, swirling seams, sheer panelling, mohair… and that was just one dress. There is so much going on in a Michael van der Ham creation that it can be tricky keeping up. This season, London’s patchwork prince continued to explore the possibilities of his cleverly pieced-together party dresses comprising collages of clashing prints – many of them vintage fabrics sourced from Liberty’s vast archives (a silk pansy print was particularly pretty). But it was when he loosened things up with a series of sheer and blousy midi-length dresses that it suddenly began to look new. In addition to these were fisherman-ribbed sweaters that were backless with slashed necklines and spliced with mohair and softly draped silk. Van der Ham’s navy finale gown, with oyster crinkled silk-crêpe inserts and a smattering of chunky crystals dripping from one sleeve, was pretty sensational – now all he needs is a budding starlet to premiere it.
Report by Sarah Harris
Unique
The country look has never been the same since Kate Moss invaded the Cotswolds with her metropolitan take on rural style. Hot pants with wellies, who would have thought it? Bolstered by this rural revolution, it looked like the Unique design team at Topshop had spent a weekend at Moss’s rustic retreat rifling through her wardrobe to inspire their latest catwalk creations.
Entitled Be Prepared, the collection began with a Girl Guide theme, with award badges sewn onto garments, but evolved into an homage to the grown-up girl who wants to be stylish and outdoorsy.
Styled to the max by Katie Grand, antler hats and faux fox fur echoed a wild woodland theme, while a definite outward-bound functionalism was found with duffel coats, shrunken waxed jackets and trench coats. But who would have thought of teaming these with cable-knit legwarmers, chiffon tutus (a must for any country outfit) and fun-fur hot pants. Very Kate. “The styling was unbelievable,” said popster Nicola Roberts. “It was so full on!”
Report by Heath Brown
Emilio de la Morena
Emilio de la Morena’s star has been on the rise for a few seasons now. And this season, it sparkled. Inspired by otherworldly atmospheres and a young nomadic woman, de la Morena sent a collection of hits out onto the runway, with plenty of them venturing into new territory – namely in the shape of chunky silvery knitwear and outerwear such as sumptuous parkas, fashioned in softest wool from Italian luxury house Loro Piana (imagine, for a moment, how good they would feel to wear). But it was his, now signature, draped silk mini dresses – with their cleverly folded flippy panels and decorated in those mesmerising painterly prints resembling planetary landscapes (achieved by mixing oil paint with wax and others created by the crystallisation of watercolour and salt) – that this collection will be remembered for. Front row attendee Olivia Palermo would certainly look great in any of it. Order books at the ready.
Report by Sarah Harris
Mary Katrantzou
“I am really excited about this collection,” said Mary Katrantzou in the backstage calm before her show in the vault-like Topshop space. “Last season I was breaking down crying. This season it’s all so organised.” It was a pity that the organisation didn’t run so smoothly with the front-of-house security. A little excitement before a show can only be a good thing; mix it up with a mad ticket scrum at the door and what you get is an audience asking themselves if the fight to get in was really worth it.
Thankfully for Katrantzou, it really was. A strong show of 25 pieces in front of a packed house, which included the Prime Minister’s wife Sarah Brown, elevated the designer’s signature print dresses to another level this time. Trompe l’oeil motifs caught and froze the sheen of rich swathes of fabric, the sparkle of baroque jewels and regal lines of medals pinned across the chest of steamlined silhouettes were all rendered in vibrant shades of rich orange, deep purple, midnight blue and sugar pink. At times the rococoeffect echoed Gianni Versace’s iconic scarf prints from the early Nineties – no bad thing in anyone’s book – but the Greek-born, Central Saint Martins-trained designer kept the look entirely her own.
“I based this collection on 18th century portraits but subverted them for the 21st century,” explained Katrantzou of the prints that were inspired by artists such as Fragonard and Nattier. “I want to establish an identity and develop my label into an aspirational brand. That means lots of hard work. But I believe to feel challenged, you have to have some fantasy in what you do. As a result, there are many more layers in the collection this season that are combined with the more austere pieces I’m known for.” Those extra layers came in the form of an asymmetric ruffle of lace at the hip, a lacy sleeve skimming one arm, or the metallic twist of a chandelier-style necklace, which added a three-dimensional feel to Katrantzou’s flat trompe l’oeil effects. She even threw a purple cutaway jacket into the mix just for good measure.
“The support from everyone has been so great,” said Katrantzou after her show. “When you are a young designer trying to get established, it really is so important to have that. But, at the end of the day, it is what comes out on the catwalk that matters.”
Report by David Hayes
House of Holland
Henry Holland is all about instant gratification; his front row provides plenty of activity – yesterday afternoon it was courtesy of Mr Hudson, Alexa Chung, Pixie Geldof and Marina Diamandis. His clothes are immediately uplifting – all that colour, all those Eighties references (lots of topknots and gold hoop earrings courtesy of Katie Hillier) – and, now, you can instantly buy it straight off the catwalk. Those with BlackBerry phones were invited to download a shopping application, allowing show spectators to shop from Holland’s show and order directly from the eight-piece slogan t-shirt range debuted mere minutes ago. Aside from t-shirts, what else was on display? Bandana paisley-prints on silk-crêpe de Chine breezy boiler suits and shirt dresses, shearling jackets, tight leather dresses and lots of hosiery (a collaboration with Pretty Polly) in candy-coloured hues of pink, aqua, lilac and palest grey. Unfortunately, shoppers will have to wait a bit longer for those pieces – in the meantime, buy the t-shirt.
Report by Sarah Harris
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