The see-through story continues: more sheer, transparency and lace

Above: Lesser-known designer Tim Soar played a clever card by showing his collection back-to-back with B Store on schedule at London Fashion Week. He used the chance to show many sheer items including this nylon trench.
Below: Louise Gray's colourful layered translucents at London showrooms in Paris. Her current collection is available at James Jeanette's store on Redchurch Street.


OK, so we all know that transparency, sheer fabrics and lace layers are going to be even bigger next summer. I was so excited about the use of these textures back at Graduate Fashion Week that I said it would be a future trend and dedicated a full post to it.

In actual fact it’s been bubbling under for a whole lot longer than that. It first came to my attention nearly two years ago when I was filming a fashion makeover show in India. The presenter chose a gorgeous layered dress with white sheer inner and black lace outer to dress up the awkward contributor. And even that was a high street knock-off inspired by earlier layered lace by Prada.

But I saw SO much of it again in London and Paris that I thought it was worth another look. Here’s my pick of the best examples of the next chapter in this ongoing trend which I've spotted on my travels, mainly taken from next summer’s collections.

Above: Over-laid lace panels at the Goldie SS10 show, off schedule London Fashion Week.
Below: There's a hole in my coat...Macedonian-born, Bali producing designer Marjan Pejowski's cool transparent trench. Just don't expect it to keep you dry!

When one of London's most directional brands puts themselves firmly nehind one trend you know it's hot: House of Holland's SS10 collection for Women (above) and men.

Above: Erdem's SS10 collection features these intricate overlaid lace numbers along side his trademark digital floral prints.

Below: It all started here...or at least she was there before. One of many of Madeleine Vionnet's amazing exploration in transparency on show at Paris' Musee des Arts Decoratifs till 31st January

On the slate...

Ain't no party like a Westwood party... Westwood Vs Westwood/London Vs Paris

OK, so it may seem a little unfair to compare what was essentially a staff party bolted onto a small Parisian club night with a full-on rave in the generously sponsored Red Bull sorting office with free bar for hundreds of press, mates and blaggers (above), a little light-hearted competition is always fun in my book... So I thought it would be a good idea to compare the shots I took at the respective after-show parties that brand Vivienne Westwood threw this season following her Red Label and Gold Label shows in London and Paris respectively.

Who’s got more style? You decide…

You're SO cool London!

All photos taken at Vivienne Westwood Red Label after party, Red Bull space, September 20th

Above: the ever-creative Dan Lismore goes ethnic.
Below: Breakdance candy bar.





Above: London, Paris, New York...Berlin. This type androgynous look is hot everywhere right now.
Below: Performer Masumi Tipsy Saito in slinky 40s chic with slimline hat and fur shrug.





Above and Below (M from Bitching and Junkfood) : Hair you like it...in London you don't have to be a floozy to like a good shag these days.





Above: A reveller in Comme des Garcons short culottes. Hot last season, bigger next...
Below: It's a Westwood party! Didn't they get the message? ManAboutWorld and another Galliano fan remind everyone that Westwood's not the only British designer to keep coming back to the man's skirt.



Tu est TROP chic Paris!

All photos taken at ChaCha club Friday 2nd October during the Vivinne Westwood Gold Label after show party.



Above: A Parisian party-goer toes the Westwood part line.
Below: an Italian friend sports his trademark intelectual thanks to much help from Comme.





Above: French guy funks it up with drop crotch pants and on trend double belting
Below: Sleek jerseys given some edge with a navy hat.





Above: Westwood intern Sharlene sports her maitre's tights and a vanity bag that gave me some serious envy.
Below: Vacationer from Oz, Mitch sports a contrasting plaid kilt and cream leggings. Inspired...





Above: Not a look you see everyday in Paris. Love the dressed down guard's jacket and navy hat (again...).
Below: Layers of black, studs and tassel shoulder detail. Tres now...



On the slate...Paris street fashion and more cool stuff from my walk around the showrooms...

Hussein Chalayan Spring Summer 2010

At 18 I left home in my small town of Matlock in Derbyshire and moved to Madrid. Madrid was all things that Matlock wasn't: clubbing all night and then all day in the underground after-hours clubs, afternoons spent in sun-drenched plazas drinking litre bottles of cerveza and smoking canutos and endless journeys of discovery in contemporary art around the recently opened Reina Sofia Museum.

It was in the Reina Sofia that I first came across the slashed canvases of Lucio Fontana. The fascination was instant but it took me some time to realise that it was the suggestion of another world behind the slashing and stabbing of the canvases that intrigued me. For me, these incisions alluded to a land beyond the canvas that was just out of reach.



Above: Lucio Fontana, Concetto Spaziale, Attesse, (Spatial Concepts) 1965, courtesy Guggenheim Collection
Below: Photo of Lucio Fontana by Ugo Mulas



Hussein Chalayan's Spring Summer 2010 catwalk in Paris last week, entitled Dolce Far Niente (translated as Doing Sweet F*** all) came in a year when Hussein could hardly have been criticised for resting on his own laurels. Following last year's appointment to the Creative Director role at Puma, he had a hand in the curation of the first major retrospective of his work in the UK at the Design Museum earlier this year, took part in various associated events as well as countless other projects around the world for both his own brand and for his new position at Puma. During the three visits I made to the Design Museum exhibition, my jaw ended up on the floor on various occasions. I was particularly awestruck by the landmark moment the models turned the coffee room set into furniture in AW2000 collection, After Words and the amazing animatronics in his SS2007 collection One Hundred and Eleven, neither of which I'd seen on a big screen before. I was left wondering what a mind-blowing experience it must have been to witness these shows, which had made me think about fashion in a completely new way, in person...



Above: the austere surroundings of the Couvent des Cordeliers.
Below: the backstage area across the convent courtyard



So it was with much excitement that I arrived at the Couvent des Cordeliers in Paris last week for Chalayan's Spring Summer 2010 catwalk. Once inside I perched next to the band and noticed a handsome figure decked out in a dinner jacket, somewhat nervously standing at a lectern at the other side of the stage from me. It was Hussein, with rather more hair than usual. When the show started and as the models entered, he announced key points in the collection in French. I fear subtlety of meaning some of this was lost on me but in any case I loved the element of refined showmanship. Every season Hussein seems able to bring an element of show to his collection but always with originality and always imbuing it with cool in the most unpredictable ways.

Below: Hussein in a dress suit announces the looks





And so to the collection.

Where the work of Fontana intrigues me for the other worlds hinted through the incisions in the layers of paint and canvas, Hussein's new collection excited me through the subtle revelations of flesh offered by the repeated slashes, transparency and pointed layering. Having blogged my interest in transparency a few months ago and seen a lot of it on other catwalks over the last few weeks, it was great to see Hussein use it in a mature and highly original way. Here, the long sheer, feminine dresses were contrasted dramatically by unexpected gentlemen's tailoring-inspired details and surrealist hands gripping the fabric, twisting it from below, from the world beneath the dress.




As I kept watching I saw more evidence of hidden forces and private territories below the surface of the clothes. Many looks featured pointed bras which poked themselves to the surface of the sheer outer layers. Backs had cutaway panels, maxi length dresses were slashed at the waist and holes were cut in the hats for visors to drop-down with characteristic Chalayan techno-charm. I saw a world beneath the dresses, bodies that were looking to escape; but this was carried out with subtlety and suggestion which left me fascinated and wanting to know more about this force rather than being visually assaulted by the over exposure we saw on so many catwalks the week before in Milan.

Thanks for showing me this world Hussein: once again you have taught me to look at clothes in a new way.





See videos from all Hussein's show and a walk through the Design Museum exhibition on his official site.

And keep up-to-date with all things Chalayan from 3rd party collection reviews to sample sale news on his label's blog.

Find out more about Lucio Fontana.

On the slate...more to come from ManAboutParis and a Vivienne Westwood London Vs Paris party-off.

Transformer bags part 1: Benedetta Bruzziches' shows off her transformable box ba

I've been interested in transformable clothing since my mid 90s Gaultier obsession. This fascination has been re-kindled this year with new designers in both clothing and accessories using 2 or 3-in-1 designs to conceptually satisfy the demands of our recession-hit lifestyles. I'll be doing a full post on this soon but for now here's a fun video I shot yesterday with Italian designer Benedetta Bruzziches who showed her first leather accessories collection in Tranoi, Montaigne this week.



On the slate...back stage, in the clubs, on the catwalk and the street...ManAboutParis

Man About Paris Part 2: Pick of Tranoi Carrousel du Louvre Showrooms

The other day I popped into one of the three Tranoi showrooms (the one at Carrousel du Louvre) to check out the array of mainly European designers selling womenswear and accessories. Here's my pick of the coolest stuff from their Spring Summer 2010 ranges. Much more to come from Paris including catwalk, street and club looks and more trend forecasts from the best showrooms.



Above: OK, so I'm no Lady Gaga but these shade from the projects range have gained instant icon status and the black frames make them wearable.
Below: Out of House of Holland's collaboration comes these single coloured 'fashion glasses'. unfortunately to keep the colour unified they had to lose the UV protection.



Linda Farrow

Tracy Sedino and Co keep expanding their reach and are now without a doubt the strongest brand for designer sunglasses tie-ups. Their impressive range encompasses both established names like Dries Van Noten, Matthew Williamson and Eley Kishimoto and with lesser established names under their Projects banner often producing more experimental and directional pieces. Their space was one of the most popular there and I saw lots of assistants scribbling away at order sheets...



Above: You know I'm a sucker for masks so I love these Jeremy Scott Batman glasses.
Below: A little bit early 80s Cazals, a little bit late 90's clubwear, Peter Pilotto's frames are more subtle but very cool.






Earthbound/post-apocalyptic trend continues...

Sure there's lots of colour coming through for SS10: but there were sill plenty of suppliers from Italy and Asia pushing the Armageddon look that I've been talking about so much on here. This expressed itself through distressed lambs leather, shawl cardigan, long jackets, all in monochrome and styled with lots of layering as shown in these pics taken at the stand by Japanese brand, Golem:





Trend: Flags and antique fabric

Another British stand that was teaming with buyers on order missions was Bolongaro Trevor. I've been a regular visitor of their off Carnaby Street store for a while. Their designs which combine lots of vintage styled fabrics and flag designs with sharp and inventive cuts give an overall look which is part nouveau-boho, part cool Britannia. While I was in Tranoi, Westwood was across town showing her Gold Label collection of vintage draped, DIY inspired clothes. This makes me think it's a trend to watch and an interesting alternative to the the two biggest movement: bright digital prints and dark post-apocalyptic draping.



Below: Hong Kong based Hidy N.G. were showing a simlar nouveau-boho/vintage fabric look through Showroom Romeo.





Above and below: When Qasimi showed at London Fashion Week a few Sunday's ago their catwalk created a big impact. After missing that I had a good chat with some of the people behind the brand. I was amazed to here that they make everything in Dalston, London. With fans like Lady Gaga pushing their designs, I reckon their name will profile will continue to grow and their next collection will be eagerly awaited. I was impressed with the price point to - the red biker jacket will retail at around £1,000. With realistic prices like that they deserve to get the retail sorted...





Finally some real colour: transparency from Osklen, Brazil (above) and the mature yet fun digital prints of Italians MSGM.




On the slate: the pick of Paris fashion from the catwalk, the street and in the city's most exiting clubs...

Man About Paris Part 1

Above: I'd been wanting to pay homage to 31 Rue Cambon for years. And after loving the few menswear pieces that Dover Street Market had in their Chanel special collection last year, I was also really looking forward to seeing the new collection as it's usually the only place in the world that sells any of it. They don't even have it on show: I had to ask for a discreet wardobe door to be opened and they closed it as soon as I finished trying things on. After I left and just as I was taking some exterior shots of the house, Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour popped into frame...

When I gave my blog the rather grand title Man About World I did it semi tongue-in-cheek but also to refer to the globe-trotter-like way that I spend some years. Working as a factual TV producer/director I’m used to grabbing my carry-on luggage and a camera kit and being handed an itinerary which tells me to jump straight in a cab to the airport and just has a list of hire car references and hotel bookings for some city or country I’ve never been to or maybe even never heard of before.

It’s pretty ironic then that is the first time I’ve made use of my passport since starting the blog a full fashion season ago. Since then it’s been more Man About London than anything else. Anyway, today I arrived in Paris. Yes, it’s Paris fashion week and I'll be going to a few shows and showrooms but what actually brought me here was a long-standing need to reconnect with my nearest neighbouring capital and one of the most important fashion cities after a 14 year absence…

After getting settled into my friend’s flat and shoving an amazing steak frites down my eager gullet, I headed out for a stroll starting at Les Halles and ending several kilometres and a few hours later at L’Etoile Arc du Triomphe.

These are some of the things I saw and thoughts I had along the way…

Above: Anna made a point of pointing out something from the grass green tweed collection.

Above: 31 Rue Cambon, home of the strongest name in fashion
Below: Upstairs, where about 400 people work in the offices and put the haute couture together in the ateliers.

Above: The window of Colette. Mannequins wear layered shear silk crepe covering other fabrics and the same fabric thought over their faces. The lace face covering and layers are still around, as seen by Lady Gaga in her red lace outfit which she accepted an MTV award in recently. But we’ve seen so much sheer and translucent finishes on the catwalk in the last few weeks (from menswear designer Tim Soar’s ripstop nylon in London to Versace’s transparent minis) that I think the flat translucent fabrics will takeover in a major way over the next 3-6 months. Both is these were trends I was interested in back at Graduate Fashion Week in June.

Below: I love the line given by belting men's jackets at the moment. From Thom Browne's 70s safari-inspired wide belts in the fabric which matched jacket to these thin leather ones styled by the visual merchandiser at Kenzo, it's a directional look which is smart yet fun.

Above and below: inventive window displays at Lanvin





Above: Braided black leather jacket in the window but sold out at Zara Champs-Elysees and allegedly every other branch...now will they learn to take a few more risks on statement pieces like this or do they still believe men want to hide away in ill-fitting blandness?

Below: A great men's cape in Givenchy...but then you know I love capes already...



Below: I can't take off these rough cotton drop-crotch chinos from All Saints since I bought them last week. The loose on top, tapered aesthetic which probably started with Nichloas Guesquierre's jodhpurs for women 4 seasons ago has finally filtered down this far and is giving men an alternative to the skinnies and straight legs which have been most guys uniform since Slimane at Dior about 4 years ago.



On the slate...

Trend report: Women's Geometric and Crystalline Jewellery

Above: Irregular crystalline wrist pieces and oversized earings still managed to make a big impression despite the extreme prints and shapes on the Belle Sauvage catwalk.

Women fighting back: the story so far...

As I've mentioned here before, a lot of people have spent the last 9 months complaining that womenswear is not as exciting as menswear this year. Now it seems people designing women's clothes are coming to a consensus that the best way to fight back and create interest is through exciting accessories.

As men borrow more and more from womenswear - the long dress-shape knits form many designers but best executed by Rick Owens this season, Topman's long-awaited expansion which has allowed them to begin to appeal to the more experimental among us, the creatives behind women's fashion and the girls themselves are grabbing extreme accessories as totem protectors of the femininity. This is the last in a series of three posts, from material shot during London Fashion Week and before, focusing on specific women's accessories trends which I'm excited about right now.



Above: I've been shooting these geometric necklaces for a while now but this is a particularly nice example from designer Lucy Huchings, represented by Robinson Pfeffer and modelled by one of their agents in 180 The Strand last week.
Below: This fashion journalist's bright clothes and explosive neckpiece was a welcome respite to all the dark uniforms most people at LFW were wearing.



Take it in the neck...or on the wrist

Elsewhere the trend will be for anything as long as it's large but with a further increase of the geometric trend and plastic jewellery. At first glance this clean, techno look goes completely in contrast to the post-apocalyptic trend I've written about previously. In many ways it's everything the earthbound look isn't: colourful, untextured, synthetic and often symmetrical. But what is really fascinating for me is that they actually converge in their loose referencing of tribal motifs and shapes, particularly on the neckpieces.



Above and below: a jewellery tutor from Edinburgh School of Art shows of one of her own geometric designs incorporating plastic and crystals. Shot at Graduate fashion week at Earl's Court in June.






Above: Sister of St Martin's shoe design student Nina shows that, when it comes to accessories this season, for her, more is more.
Below: These colourful designs combine the trend for bright, geometric jewellery with the tribal fashions which are also coming through strong.






Above: Flat, pressed metal pendants are the more wearable way of hitting the geo trend. These were on display during LFW at 180 The Strand but cheaper similars are already on the high street.
Below: If in doubt, put it on your shoulders: a designer at On/Off shows that any trend these days can convert into shoulder details...



On the slate...

Trend report: Accessorageous...Womens Hats

Above: Little Shilpa! I finally got to check out her one-off pieces at the LFW showrooms. I was blown away by the exciting cultural references with inspiration taken from anything and everything. A full pret-a-porter collection of unisex accessories is also available. Contact Blow PR for details.

Women fighting back: the story so far...

As I've mentioned here before, a lot of people have spent the last 9 months complaining that womenswear is not as exciting as menswear this year. Now it seems people designing women's clothes are coming to a consensus that the best way to fight back and create interest is through exciting accessories.

As men borrow more and more from womenswear - the long dress-shape knits form many designers but best executed by Rick Owens this season, Topman's long-awaited expansion which has allowed them to begin to appeal to the more experimental among us, the creatives behind women's fashion and the girls themselves are grabbing extreme accessories as totem protectors of the femininity. This is the second of three posts, from material shot during London Fashion Week and before, focusing on specific women's accessories trends which I'm excited about right now.

Hats

Something tells me we'll see more and more women wearing hats over the coming seasons. It's another territory currently under-explored by the men and I reckon women and the creatives behind women's fashion will seize on this fact to differentiate them from the blokes wearing women's jackets and guyliner.



Above and below: more out-of-the box headgear from Little Shilpa





Above and below: J Smith Esq's bespoke millinery designs, showing at Somerset house, represented by Blow and produced in Soho, London. Inspired by shipwrecked bodies and washed up treasures, the naturally toned collection makes a heavy use of rope, feathers and shells.



Below: Hat designer and author of the book Fashion Fabulous London, Tracy Rose, shows off one of her own designs. Each she impressed with another extravagant creation.



On the slate...

Trend report: Accessorageous...Womens footwear

Above: Fresh from her collaborations with Henry Holland, the super talented Atalanta Weller was kind enough to allow me to photograph her samples for SS10.
Below: Some even more dramatic designs made by Atalanta.



Women fighting back: intro

As I've mentioned here before, alot of people have spent the last 9 months complaining that womenswear is not as exciting as menswear this year. Now it seems people designing women's clothes are coming to a consensus that the best way to fight back and create interest is through exciting accessories.

As men borrow more and more from womenswear - the long dress-shape knits form many designers but best executed by Rick Owens this season, Topman's long-awaited expansion which has allowed them to begin to appeal to the more experimental among us, the creatives behind womens fashion and the girls themselves are grabbing extreme accessories as totem protectors of the femininity. This is the first of three posts, from material shot during London Fashion Week and before, focusing on specific women's accessories trends which I'm excited about right now.

Heels

Since these accessories are about women staking their claim to their femininity and their wardrobe it's no surprise that something which has traditionally been a no-go area for men has become the main weapon of choice in this sartorial battle of the sexes. For me, footwear is the most exciting sector of womenswear right now. Similar to the effect of the new CAD programmes used for Frank Ghery's Bilbao Guggenheim which were then simulated by architects all around the globe, it's the one area where technological breakthroughs such as rapid prototyping and centrifugal molding are having a huge effect on the shape of the products and all this is feeding back into the imagination of the designers whether or not they're using those specific techniques. The result is sharp shapes and sculptural forms that blend feminine curves with Zaha Hadid-esque angles.



Above and below: One of the many highlights of this year's RCA graduate show was the display of Chau Har Lee's women's footwear. Unsurprisingly she caught a lot of people's attention with her avant garde designs. Following graduation, she won the Its 8 award which will be funding another collection from her and Manolo Blahnik also picked her out for a prize in his award collaboration with the Royal College.





Above and below: Central St Martin's masters student, Nina's designs as worn to the B Store after party at Kettners last week by the designer and her sister...



Below: Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent is producing my favourite internationally available shoe designs right now. Hot on the heals (pardon the pun) of the my favourite shoes of last season - the soon-to-be iconic Cage design, the originality of these AW09 Bandage shoes comes from the inset stiletto which gives a cantilever effect. Available in YSL now.



On the slate...

London Fashion Week on schedule show: Wintle SS10 Finale Video

Here's the finale video from Wintle's SS 2010 collection shown on schedule at Somerset House yesterday, humbly delivered via my Lumix...

I wasn't exactly knocked off my seat by the originality but when given the main references were the last few McQueen summer collections (pastels, dip dye cottons, fine knits, sheers) and Lanvin (two-textured brogues, mauve) their designs were still a delight to see go down the ramp. There'll be more looks from the show in future posts.

In case you're new to this brand, you can get them in one of my favourite South Molton Street stores, Vertice.

London Fashion Week, Vauxhall Fashion Scout Show: Belle Sauvage SS10 Finale Video

I loved the Belle Sauvage show this week at Vauxhall Fashion Scout. In fact the only complaint about Virginia Ferreira and Christian Neuman's ranges is that they don't do a high end men's range: only a simpler diffusion line with less detail on the prints.

Expect to see more from their show up here soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the hand-held finale video...

Scarlett Etienne with a bit of help from Peter Breen and Alexander McQueen

When Scarlett Etienne burst onto the catwalk at Ziad Ghanem's hotly awaited and extremely buzzy show, she excited the crowd in a way that gave the designer's colourful prints and wacky, spiky cut denim a real run for its money. Up till then the mood had been pretty sombre: the models expressionless speed-walks contrasting heavily with the drama of the clothes. But as soon as she appeared Scarlett's magnetic energy shook up the whole audience, waking them from their blase slumber and sending a bolt of lightening through the room!

So I was really glad to bump into her tonight at Stavros Kar's shop, Digitaria's drinks party hosted by Johnny Blueeyes. Without realising this was the live wire I'd seen strut down the ramp a couple of days before and no idea who she was yet a great deal of respect for her outfit I asked her for a few shots. Not only did she let me pap her but we popped across the street and ended up spending the next 15 minutes comparing fashion week notes, our love for McQueen's Faithful line and realising that we were practically old friends having met under slightly more sordid circumstances a few months back at a Japanese bondage festival in Bethnal Green's Resistance Galleries.

Scarlett explained that she's been spinning electro pop/techno disks for 9 or so years now as well as playing live gigs. I'll definitely be campaigning my local MP/promoter mates to get her some slots at my favourite hangouts as soon as possible... But when it comes to style she claims she'd be nothing with Hackney Wick based stylist Peter Breen.



Above: Scarlett out partying in McQueen and chatting with me at the Digitaria store party tonight on Berwick Street.

Below: The gloves and boots, both from McQueen's faithful collection.







Above: First impressions...Scarlett at our first brief encounter at Resistance Galleries Hentai Festival

Below: Gimme the bag Scarlett...you've got far to may already...






Above: OK, so the streets of Soho are dark places...here are Scarlett's/McQueen's Faithful booties in CU.

Below: As I've previously blogged, I love two-in-ones and all convertible clothing right now. So my personal favourite item from the Faithful collection is this clutch with Scarlett's bike glove integrated. FIERCE! And ManAboutWorld's only ever forked out more than £1,000 for a bag with skulls on it...enough said.


Below: Scarlett's stylist Peter doesn't let the side down either. The first time I met him was at a New year's Eve party about 5 years ago. Then he was wearing a rubber duck in his hair. These days he usually keeps things more monochrome...



Credits...

Scarlette Etienne

Alexander McQueen Faithful

Digitaria

Peter Breen

Resistance Gallery

On the slate...more from London Fashion Week

The Fashion Scout: Street style outside Belle Sauvage - Ed Thomas

The Fashion Scout: Street style outside Belle Sauvage - Ed Thomas

MAW's short film for Alexandra Groover's SS10 presentation at Vauxhall Fashion Scout

The last few weeks have been manic: a full-time contract directing for a BBC architecture series which has seen me shooting on location pretty much every day, nightly filming for a documentary I'm making about Iranian-born fashion designer Pierre Garroudi and preparing for the run-up to London and Paris fashion weeks... Somewhere in the middle of all that I made this short film for Alexandra Groover's Vauxhall Fashion Scout presentation.



Above: Model Basia peeks out through the ingenious organza visor hat. I loved these and would completely wear them myself. You all know how obsessed I've been with masks, balaclavas and pretty much anything that covers the face but these great head pieces do it in an altogether subtler way. And after Lady Gaga's MTV appearance in a red lace mask, that can only be a good thing.

The simplicity of the clothes were meant to be reflected in the treatment of the video. To be honest though, Alexandra and I only talked for the first time the night before the filming and the video had to be conceived in the half an hour or so while the model went through hair and make-up so anything other than a simple treatment would have been tricky to pull off! The piece was excellently edited by James Herbert who I hope will be one of my editors on the Pierre Garroudi documentary. Inspired by the eerie soundtrack from Stephen O'Malley, I was pleased with the range and pace of effects we used to help keep the interest across the looks without distracting from the minimal yet chic designs.



Above: My favourite piece from the collection... An organza LBD with a panelled hunchback/lizard profile paneled hood. Beautiful, wearable, adaptable yet highly original. Love it!

Below: When Alexandra and Yasu teamed the sleeveless lycra catsuits with capes, I suddenly felt hit by a monochrome update of 60s silhouettes...in a good way. Alexandra's love of circles, translucency and black also reminded me of my favourite womenswear from Comme des Garcons this summer...



Crew shots...starting with stylist Yasu Takehisa and hair stylist Taku Sugawara doing their thing and ending with some idiot called ed wearing one of Taku's horny hats.





Get another view of the presentation including another video on Hannah Kane's Vauxhall Fashion Scout Blog

Check out Alexandra's other work here.

And the work of talented stylist Yasu Takehisha here and here and here .

On the slate...

Yes: I have been squeezing in a few catwalk shows, presentations and parties too. My pick of the most creative things I've seen will be up here soonest...

The Skin Game: Summer Furs...Summer Blog-off with Bitching and Junkfood Continues

The Story so far…

Since last week ManAboutWorld and Bitching and Junkfood have been hanging out and chewing the fat in our not-so dusty archives. We’ve pulled together key images from London’s underground club scene, this year’s graduation catwalks and the coolest streets in the capital and we’re producing a run-down of the hot trends we’ve been seeing on our travels. If you haven’t already, check out last week’s posts and blog-backs on Men’s Makeup and Post-Apocalyptic style.



Above and below: the inimitable and highly creative Zack Holland at Disco Demolition last Saturday with his trademark suspended short/leiderhosen/skirt; this time in colourful real fur.




Skins

While I was hunting and gathering shots for last week’s Armageddon post I realised that within that trend I had enough shots to warrant a whole post on one part of the trend which is particularly hot (in all senses) right now: summer fur. As with the blanket/layering/shawl trend and most other fashions which emerge at the opposite time of year from when it would normally be expected, the popularity of fur’s likely go through the roof once it’s natural season of Autumn/Winter starts in earnest.



Above: Fake fur luxe jacket outside Slave to Fashion
Below: This combination of bare chest and quilted bag suggest the post apocalyptic and luxe feel of fur both in the same look



As a politicised vegetarian for 17 years of my life, fur isn’t something I’ve had a great deal of personal experience with. I’m fascinated with the fact that it symbolises both the ultimate in luxury, after all where else in fashion apart from jewellery and haute couture will you find standard items costing tens of thousands of dollars? Yet at the same time it takes us back to our caveman roots, pointing to a time both before the existence of Selfridges, Bloomingdales etc as well as a post-apocalyptic future when all things civilised have been wiped from the planet. As such it walks a difficult tightrope between high sophistication and simple subsistence.



Above: Another party goer at Disco Demolition
Below: Fur collar at a Film Noir's June Dalston Superstore party



These extremes are mirrored in the way fur is branded by the industry which reminds us that it’s the material of choice for the high culture of opera goers and aristocrats versus the anti fur campaigners who remind us of the barbarism of the production of the skins. Personally I feel more comfortable buying second hand as I believe it’s a way of using the fur that’s already out there without really supporting the industry in any negligible way. One thing’s for sure, with so many designers from Alexander McQueen to Ann Demeulmeester offering fur this winter we should be ready to see much more of it as soon as the thermometer starts to head south.



Above: Jason Mui Graduation Show (Nottingham Trent University School of Art and design)
Below: Holly Russell Graduation Show (Manchester Metropolitan University/Manchester School of Art)






Above: Nathaniel Parchment shows fur after a night at Vogue Fabrics
Below: My £3 fur collar from an unofficial trader at the Brick Lane street market



If you’re interested in reading more about how the fur reaches the racks, take a look at the propaganda-heavy Campaign to Abolish the Fur Trade website or this article in the Independent which appears to give a more balanced account.

Club credits:

Disco Demolition, hosted by Dan Lismore and Henry Conway, every Friday at 24, Kingly Street

Slave to Fashion, every Saturday at Beach Blanket Babylon

Film Noir, occasionally at Dalston Superstore and every 4th Friday of the month at Ghetto, Old Street

Punk, various parties. Check out Ferofero.com for the best ones

Vogue Fabrics, occasional parties. 666 Stoke Newington High Street, Dalston

OVER TO YOU M....

The End of the World...Armageddon Style. A Blog-back to M from Bitching and Junkfood:

Bitching and Junkfood's latest post has got me all het up about the end of the world in 2012 and to be honest I'm rather looking forward to it! For me it just seems like yet another excuse to get dressed up... And one thing's for sure: if Armageddon really is coming, I want to make sure I'm wearing the right gear. From the graduate catwalks to East End clubs and streets I've been noticing a huge trend in looks with a Armageddon/Apocalypse theme. These are some of the looks I reckon we should all be rocking when the big meteorite says 'ta-ta' to style-kind as we know it...



Above: Simon Shilton, RCA Graduate collection

Protection: hard as nails...

Psychologically speaking this is the denial stage of Armageddon chic. Instead of facing up to certain doom, people are trying to save themselves with protective gear: spikes, armour, anything they can to fight back against the threat of annihilation. Offence is the best form of defence!



Above right: clubber at kinbaku event in Bethnal Green's Resistance Gallery.



Taking cover

So, you've worn your spikes and you've put up a good fight. But now the end of the world is getting ever nearer and there's no point in struggling...What do you do? If you can't beat 'em: hide! Here, the threat of imminent apocalypse has people heading for the covers: blankets, shawls and layered coats. It ties in with another of my favourite looks of now: homeless chic. Colours are generally muted: naturals, greys and blacks and materials are usually natural too: wool, leather sometimes mixed with metallics. This is the part of the apocalypse trend that fashion forecasters WGSN have been focusing on with their Earthbound trend report...




Above: Jasper Sinchai Chadrapajong's RCA Graduate Collection

Below: Jason Mui, Nottingham Trent University Graduate Collection





Above left: old Indian guy on bus takes cover under his shawl.



Above left: Protester at G20 Bank demonstration
Above right: Clubber at Caligula 1st night

Dreadlocks: Cave Life takes it's toll

With the world's salons flattened and Aveda haircare all but a distant memory we'll be embracing dreadlocks as the low-maintenance hair style of the future. As M pointed out in her post it's not just the Hackney Wickers who already sporting dreads in preparation. I spotted these hot cavegirls around Brick Lane daytime and nighttime over the last few weeks...





Creative Scavenging - sticks and stones and animals

These looks street looks I saw recently also hit the Armageddon trend. This is about scavenging anything we need which can help us in the post apocalyptic world: crystals, bits of computers, tools and animals...





Where are the animals? I reckon fur and feathers is such an important part of this trend, I'll be doing a separate post on this tomorrow. Check then for more Mad Max looks with just a little lux coming through...

MAW Vs Bitching and Junkfood Blog off: No bare faced cheek! Men in makeup

Part 1 of a bitch-fest-blog-off with M of Bitching and Junkfood...Starting today M and I are blogging on the keys trends emerging from London's highly directional underground club scene. These guys don't follow fashion, they tell it where to go and they make it happen. Let the bitching commence...



Above: Alexandra Moon-Age (left): 'Dem Bitches stole my facepaint!' to Nadir Tejani and Marshall Johnson (behind)

Men in makeup: hardly a new thing...back in the post-disco daze queens were kitting themselves out in face colour and straight guys were borrowing the ladeez makeup whether the women liked it or not.



Above: Claudio Claystl and mates get creative and just a little deranged with their colourful box of tricks. The face colour feeds through to their outfits which mix textures, patterns and colours.

But in recent years blokes, especially straight-ish ones pretty much forgot about makeup and despite market developments like Gaultier launching his own range specifically for men, a quick trackback of the celluloid archives of Boombox et al shows us that colourful faces were the exception rather than the norm...until now.



Above: tireless DJ and sometimes accessories designer Jun Shimbo with his signature liner. The success of Jun's look has inspired me to steal this lately but I struggle to achieve his subtlety...

Below: LCF student buddies Nadir and Marshall's face adornments have blown me away time after time. Their ability to create such drama while restricting themselves so often to a monochrome pallet shows just how inventive these guys are...





With the huge early 80s - early 90s revival, especially new romanticism, and the more gender-bending lens we've slapped onto nu-disco this year, makeup, facepaint and full-on facial accessories have become just another expected part of the look rather than a focus in themselves. From Jon Shimbo's trademark subtle black eye liner to Nadir Tejani's dramatic weekly facial art, the most directional individuals will rarely venture out with barefaced cheek...



Above: Love this look though I prefer even darker and more defined around the eyes so it really looks like a mask. A poster on the wall in the old Ghetto inspired me to try it a couple of years ago and I've gone back to it recently. It's fairly easy to achieve with masking tape. For a non-run effect apply Screenface's Luxe Creme Liner with a wet brush.



Above/below: Don't leave home without it....Men's makeup ain't the drama it once was. It's just as much an ordinary part of the outfit as the boots on yer feet.





Above/below (Andrew Carbery-Row): glam punk...at Dan Lismore's night, Slave to Fashion every Saturday at Beach Blanket Babylon, Shoreditch.





Camp Vamps at Dalston Superstore (above) and Slave to Fashion (below - Alejandro Gocast)






Above: another subtle look
Below: Gage...awesome.



BITCH THAT MARION!!!!

On ManAboutWorld's side of the MAW Vs Bitching and Junkfood slate...

Sex in the Churchyard

Above: Leo (left) and Jim

Leo Belicha and Jim Warboy’s new all-night, every Friday club Caligula became my end of the week hangout joint when it opened in June. Pretty much whatever else I do on a Friday I usually pass by there for a couple of hours between midnight and 4am. The tunes are fairly eclectic: last week Jim was dropping some great bassy Italo but there are always a team if guest DJs playing anything from Kylie and Beyonce to new electro.



Above: Gabriel Gettman (left) and Bunny Clarke

The crowd’s pretty eclectic too: a polysexual mix of all 18-48 year olds from all walks of life. Leo and Jim are keen for it to be a meeting place. They’ve left the restaurant tables and chairs so their punters have plenty of room to take those looks they’ve been giving each other on the dance floor a stage further and get to know each other a little better. Leo actually cites one of his aims as providing a place where people can have sex. I’ve already seen some couples roll out the doors and take advantage of The Bathhouse’s secluded churchyard location to help Leo achieve this goal.



But despite Leo’s disdain for overly posey tamely-mannered party-goers (‘come and trash your Margiela’ he enthuses us in his invites), the place has also been attracting more than it’s fair share of fashion-conscious dressers. Of these, over the past few weeks, I’ve been most excited by the creations of Gabriel and Bunny. This creative couple have been taking my breath away with their outfits which mix designer with home-made items.



The small glimpse into their lives afforded by the exchange of a few words in noisy places and scanning their facebook pages has got my wondering how these creations come about…Are they a super-rich aristocratic couple who live in some far off castle and employ a team of minions to craft their outfits, descending on EC1 each week on their horse drawn carriages? Are they fashion sorcerers who spend their weeks dreaming up new spells to stitch together fresh outfits leaving us spellbound each week? Do they float down on a cloud, fly in on their brooms or are they teleported from some far off fashion-forward planet to show us the future?

I’ll be finding out the answer to these and other questions when I catch up with them for an interview soon. Also, look out for interviews with Jim, Leo and the other drivers of my favourite East London trashpoints on Bitching and Junk Food soon...

Meantime, here are a few more shots from the last few weeks at Caligula.



Above: Brazilian DJ Lara Gerin is expected back in the DJ cage in September.
Below: I love Gage's eclectic looks: industrial/post apocalypse meets bondage softened down with occasional womenswear accessories.





Above: (from Left) performer/artist Alex Moon-Age in a characteristically colourful and retro outfit. Students Marshall Johnson and Nadir Tejani are constantly coming up with highly original home-customised creations and are not afraid to use their faces as canvases.
Below: Jim Warboy flicks Jodie Harsh's switches.





Above: A well wrapped and layered reveller smiles with his Victorian-inspired kitout.
Below: These guys also make me trip with their dramatic outfits. A mature balance of 60s left-bank and Magic Circle theatricals. (From left: Noah Crutchfield, Kosmo Sang and Lash Day)



Below: Occasional door whore James Ng drapes uses lots of draping of colourful flags to give an original spin on the Japanese black draping trend.



On the slate...

Women's fashion: A New Hope

In response to my recent blog entry about the excitement around men's fashion and the moans about Women's fashion, many of my friends asked when will we see Women's fashion take off again. Will things ever feel exciting and new again or are we bound to a future of tedious revival and uninspired retro looks?

My answer? 'Ask not what fashion can do for you but what you can do for fashion.' Don't wait for cues from the catwalk or magazines before getting creative and experimenting with new looks. If we are in a time of creative lull, seize the opportunity and use it to out-shine your sisters by being avant-garde! The lady pictured here at the Caligula opening party a few weeks ago is tipping her hat to a few current trends like the Japanese and especially Comme de Garcons-inspired black layering/draping and the stocking/semi-leggings. But, like Richard Shoyemi in my previous post, she adds so much of her own character, largely through the drama of accessories like her cropped leather gloves and monochrome feathered hat, that her look is full of hope of a new fashion direction not mourning over the current supposed lull.



Just as I applaud men who take advantage of the tradition for safe menswear by sticking two fingers up at it and pushing the expected, right now I'd love to see fewer women moaning about the state of their fashion and trailblazing new looks which are there for the taking. This isn't the worst time for women's fashion, this is the best time. If you're bored with the looks 'on offer' reject them, create your own avant-garde and bask in the glory of the spotlight that will shine on you.



Japanese black draping trend as shown by stylist with Eton Group, Hiro (above) and 2nd year LCF student, Tomi



On the slate...

Richard Shoyemi: Trends Remixed

People who criticise fashion for being a monolithic dictum of the style elite get short thrift at my door. After all, most people who call fashion followers sheep are actually still wearing this or last season's trends with a watered down high street flavour anyway. All VERY yawn inspiring...

Take a look at these snaps of music and celebrity stylist Richard Shoyemi: does he looks like a slave? A fashion clone? Have you seen a thousand people walking down the street with this look?.. Didn't think so. And yet he's rocking so many current and forward-facing trends in his look, its difficult to know where to start... biking mits, studs (ideally giant and square), sequins, chalky colours, 80s details (zips borrowed from bondage trousers), chain jewelery, Doc Martens...



The reason I keep up to speed with fashion trends is not to ape looks I see in magazines but take ideas, mix them up in my own way and experiment with them on my body. In the all-you-can-eat buffet which is our wardrobe, this season's styles are just one counter to pick from. By adding these new ingredients to other basics and our own perennial favourites it gives the overall meal a fresh flavour. When I took these photos on the day of the RCA MA graduation show, Richard took the current trends and put them through his own personal mixing desk, scratched them up and delivered a remix which is pure Richard Shoyemi. For me, this is the work of a stylist at the top of their game and something I suggest those trend cynics should take some precious inspiration from.



Richard's My Space

More reports from MAW at Bitching and Junk Food soon...

On the slate...