With some of the British fashion industry’s top designers dropping out of London Fashion Week in the wake of the events in New York and Washington last Tuesday, the way was clear for others to jostle for the spotlight.
The cancellation of familiar names such as Paul Smith and outspoken designer Katherine Hamnett, who was due to be making her comeback after six years of self-imposed exile, meant that attention fell instead on the likes of actress Sadie Frost and her friend Jemima French, fellow design duo Nargess Gharani and Vanja Strok, established British designer Margaret Howell and newcomer Maya Fiennes.
Many produced collections based on the sort of clothes that they and their friends would be interested in shelling out for. Barely there fringed mini skirts, leather shorts, sequined dresses teamed with hippie-style belts and slouch boots were key notes. Maya Fiennes’ debut collection was inspired by Sri Lanka, while Margaret Howell offered a wearable, sporty collection in beige, white and navy.
The “girly girl” look was deceptively every day, and its delivery was equally insouciant, with formal catwalks abandoned in favour of still life tableaux and “real-life” scenarios. Sadie and Jemima led press and buyers past carefully created scenes in which their designs were hung from walls, draped over chairs or strewn carelessly across a bed.
Nargess and Vanja set their collection against the background of a paradise island, but Jessica Ogden offered no frills reality in the form of a single, spot-lit chair in an otherwise empty church hall just off Leicester Square. Press and buyers were forced to stand as the models, all friends and relatives of the designer, tried on her various creations, using the chair as a prop.
Ogden’s unchanging style, which often purposely goes against mainstream trends, is considered almost “anti-fashion”. With contrasting fabrics and pieces that wrap or tie around the body, the art school-trained designer’s creations don’t necessarily follow the rules of fashion - they are simply meant to be uncomplicated and adaptable.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
