#LFW - Day One

Although the London Olympics have drawn to a close, it’s nice to see that we haven’t all lost our spirit and sense of patriotism. Today London sprung alive once again, buzzing with British pride and relaxing back into the familiar feeling of having the eyes of the world upon it. What is the sport in question this time, you ask? Fashion at its best, as London Fashion Week kick-started with Antoni & Alison this morning. Yes, 2013 may seem a world and a half away right now, but fashion freaks are always two steps ahead of the game, and right now Spring/Summer 2013 is the sole focus for all. It’s very overwhelming, I know, and with so many names and shows it can get a bit confusing, so I’ve broken it down for you – here’s a small selection of just the best bits so that you can get your fill of the action.  

Antoni & Alison

With flashes of magnetised picnic-blanket checks and fun doodle print flower designs, the Antoni & Alison show began LFW with a squeal of youthful excitement. With easy-to-wear silk chiffon t-shirt dresses, the designer duo has succeeded in creating the ‘zip up and go’ pieces which they always aspire to create. Many of the designs seem to draw upon modern contemporary art pieces for inspiration with colourful blocks blending into each other like paint splodges, reminding me of my A-level art days and those countless school trips to the Tate Modern. In fact, even the on-going doodle theme which features in many of the pieces remind me of the scribbles of the likes of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. If the eye-popping colours didn’t wake the audience up for this 9am show, then the marching brass band that closed the show certainly would have. All-in-all the show, which marked the 25^th Anniversary for the label, made for an aptly playful start to LFW SS13. After all, isn’t that playful experimental vibe the very essence of London style? I think so.

Eudon Choi

For upcoming talent, the star of the day has to be Eudon Choi. Originally from Korea, where he worked with menswear, Eudon moved to London and began tailoring his tailoring expertise to womenswear, establishing his label in 2009. His collections, as a result of his menswear training, are all about crisp cuts and transferring masculine shapes to wearable feminine pieces. Eudon apparently drew inspiration for the SS13 collection from the 1968 science fiction film ‘A Space Odyssey’ which looks to the ‘future’ of the year 2001. Perhaps this futuristic vibe is where the crazy texture combinations have been drawn from, which seem to characterize the collection, mixing the shine of pvc fabrics with sequin embellishments, crystal studs and fur. The futuristic theme is certainly where the floaty silver metallics have come from, and I love the giant silver satellite dish which formed the backdrop of the runway. You could definitely see Eudon’s attention to detail and love of strong tailored masculine shapes in this powerful, sport chic show.

Fyodor Golan

So we’ve seen inspiration drawn from modern art at Antoni & Alison, Filmography at Eudon Choi and with Fyodor Golan we also saw literature drawn upon, specifically the book “Blue Tattoo” by Margot Mifflin, which tells the legendary story of Olive Oatman, a girl who was brought up by the Native American who killed her family and kept her as a slave. The collection by Fyodor Golan attempts to capture Oatman’s transformation and journey, beginning with simple designs in a striking cobalt blue (presumably taken from the Blue of the facial tattoo that Oatman was branded with by the natives) and developing through to Native American-inspired blue/white wave patterns and then into more complex and quite stunning amber printed gowns. In many of the pieces you can also see hints of a Victorian Silhouette (the book was set in the mid 1800s), and this is particularly obvious in the pink statement gown which plays with excessive ruffles and a top-heavy imbalance which stole the show and stood out as a piece that was fascinating to look at, even if not wearable.

sass & bide

I love love love sass and bide, and the Australian label didn’t disappoint with their show this evening. Like Eudon Choi, sass and bide have mixed up their textures too, bringing feathers, sequins, metals, beads, chiffon and tassels into the mix. This was the show for big names today, with a front row starring twiggy, Delilah, Alison Mosshart and Poppy Delevigne who was there to support her younger sister Cara who was walking the runway alongside the likes of that Topshop girl, Jourdan Dunn. The collection displayed sharp tailoring, clean cut lines and even an even cleaner colour palette with monochrome deisgns featuring heavily. I love that they’ve continued their usual theme of interesting necklines with cut-out shapes and metal necklace styles.

I’m also VERY excited to see what PPQ and Felder Felder had to bring to the mix this evening, but unfortunately without being actually there (if only!), I have few resources to go by, but I hope to bring you an update on those ones tomorrow when photos of the shows come up online.