The LFW post: Wearability strikes on the runway

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend some shows at London Fashion Week. I was covering most for the magazine, but also managed to acquire a Jonathan Saunders ticket along the way from a friend (NBD!!) Instead of doing some lengthy pointless post about my experiences, I thought I would share with you my photos from the weekend (sorry for the crappy iphone quality!) and do a super quick summary of each show individually, as well as what I took from it overall. 

Overall, there was, in my opinion, a cohesive message at the catwalk shows at which I was a guest at: wearability is the new Avant Garde.  Those who mock fashion show collections for their incompatibility with real life must finally take a step back, as this season designers remembered that pieces shown were there to be worn, not just marvelled at from afar. The catwalk was a never ending stream of wearability in fact: awash with pieces that could easily transition from catwalk to wardrobe. Audiences were able to dream about the clothes, but in a much more realistic fashion. 

Jonathan Saunders:

Invite: Vibrant pink but a little flimsy. We’ll forgive Saunders for his invites seeing as his location was so impressive.

Location: The Topshop Show Space at Tate Britain: pretty astounding. Vast, stylish and a super long runway: the Tate was the perfect place to hold Saunders’ mighty comeback. I also managed to nab a second row seat despite only being in ownership of a measly standing ticket. Yes, I used my elbows to get there.

Front row: Nobody that exciting surprisingly, but maybe I was just too transfixed with the collection to notice. I did catch sight of Susie Lau sat directly opposite me however.

Collection: (see 3 images above this writing) Jonathan Saunders' AW15 collection quite literally took his audiences into a time machine, in which we woke up back in the 1960s. His collection was one of determination and one which seethed with the desire to come back fighting from his recent financial issues. As well as featuring sixties style dresses, boots and earrings, the line also focused on mixing plain whites with vibrant block bright colours. The catwalk was also awash with flares, polo necks and thigh high boots. It was bright, it was bold and it was retro: the best collection I saw at fashion week hands down. 

Sass & Bide:

Invite: My favourite of the bunch. Metallic gold and with a robot plastered on the front, the S&B invitation was the epitome of fun.

Location: Also one of the best I visited. The show was held at the Australian Commission, which meant security checks on entrance and a thorough guest list check. Inside it was seriously beautiful. The high ceilings were extravagantly decorated and the runway was like a maze, which was far more interesting than many traditional straight catwalks.  

Front row: I got there so early I thought I would spot numerous well-known faces. Unfortunately due to the twists and turns of the catwalk, I didn’t get much of a chance to celeb-spot.

Collection: (see three images above) Super wearable and designed with a sassy woman in mind. The collection, in my eyes, told the story of a young city girl who wanted to get noticed. Glitz galore was at the heart of the collection which boasted sequins, metallics and shine. Outerwear provided the glitz with a sophisticated edge; offered in the form of fur fabrics and sleeveless structured waistcoats. 

Jean-Pierre Braganza: 

Invite: Black and gold...how very suave.

Location: The Somerset House show space again! I was in a prime viewing spot though. 

Front row: Don’t remember seeing anyone, unless you count the crazy male frow-er dressed in leopard print who decided to get up and sashay with the models when they did their final walks (SECURITY!).

Collection: (see two images above) Core, earth like colours were the main focus of JPB's newest collection. Camels, dark purples and forest green hues featured heavily in a line designed for the lady who resides in the country, but with an edge. Colourful fur, leather aviator jackets and knee high socks and sandals toughened up the look, making it fun and modern while still safely in the spheres of tradition and maturity. 

PPQ:

Invite: Black and cream and small and cute. Simple, but I liked it.

Location: The PPQ show was held at the MELondon hotel, just opposite Somerset House. When I arrived at the location by taxi, the place was rammo. Queues to get in made for some pretty antsy fashion folk, and I ACTUALLY heard a guy mutter to his mate: ‘Do they not know who I am?’ before deciding to walk out and give the show a miss because he didn’t want to wait. Once in, things didn’t get much better, not least because I was stuck back in fourth row and couldn’t really see much. It was nice to see the show with a friend from work though, and the atmosphere was really great.

Front row: Zilch!

Collection: (see two images above) A little dissapointing. While I heard many people liked the line, I wasn't crazy over it. Despite there being a couple of great key pieces, such as the fluffy monster-inspired purple hooded dress, the rest left me a little cold. Many of the silhouettes were a bit basic and I didn't like the way fabrics hung. They were often a little tight or clung to the body in the wrong way. It was, to me, slightly too high street for a high end line. 

Eudon Choi: 

Invite: Very minimalistic but elegant with a white and grey colour scheme.

Location: Somerset House show space: nothing too glitz & glam, but gets the job done. The music was however pretty fantastic: oriental soothing chords were juxtaposed with head-banging rock.

Front row: Lucy Watson and Rosie Fortescue, as well as Amber & Yasmin Le Bon.

Collection: This was the first show I went to on Friday morning, and was one of the ones that impressed me the most. Taking clear inspiration from the orient, Eudon Choi's pieces featured some fantastic silhouettes and structured shapes, with the silk dresses (one of which is seen above) as the stand-out pieces. He later introduced modernised, city-style pieces which still hinted at the East. It was, in other words, tradition meets modernisation on the catwalk. Colour blocking also featured in a big way: a trend which Jonathan Saunders later confirmed the importance of for the upcoming season. 

Felder Felder:

Invite: On flimsy paper, but a nice design.

Location: Unfortunutely, the pandemonium which surrounded the show sort of spoiled its pretty location. Upon arrival, around 1/4 of the guests were told there were no seats for them, and so they would have to stand. The PRs had ballsed up a bit here, oversubscribing the show, which inevitably led to a bit of an explosion of some fashion egos. I was just happy to be at the show, so wasn't too bothered about standing, but the chaos did sort of overshadow the clothes. 

Front row: I spotted the Made in Chelsea folk, Little Mix girls, Amber le Bon and designer Charlotte Simone.

Collection:(2 photos above) This was sadly another collection that didn't leave much of an impact on me. It again had a bit of a high-street feel and didn't inspire me as much as other shows did. The pieces, which were mostly 'going out' style dresses, were pretty, but not memorable to me. 

Shrimps (presentation):

Invite: Let’s cut straight to it: it looked like a vagina. In a night sky. With naked people running toward it. Interesting...unique. 

Location: The BFC show space at Somerset House. 

Collection: There’s something quite unnerving about going into a room and having a dozen models stare directly at you. What's even more strange is knowing they have to stand there for two hours straight, the poor buggers. But Shrimps...oh glorious Shrimps...it never does let a girl down. 70s vibes and a heavy star wars influence made for a pretty out of this world (quite literally) presentation. The pieces were so on point and I loved the whole line, I just wish next season enough pieces are designed for a show!