See HFM's round up from the third day of London Fashion Week...
Rejina Pyo
When your show time slot is at 9am on a Sunday morning, you may not expect to see a huge turnout of fashion editors or influencers on your FROW. That is unless you're Korean-born Rejina Pyo, who since her London Fashion Week debut last season, has built up quite the fashionable following. Her AW18 collection, shown in a very quiet Burlington Arcade just off London’s Piccadilly, celebrates the idea of coming of age and moving away from home for the first time. Nostalgic, vintage feel pieces were paired with contemporary details - think checked wool, textured feathery chiffon and plaid worn with custom printed silks, faux leather and thoroughly modern, distinctive accessories. Her footwear and bag collections have expanded, which is music to our ears, and includes western-style ankle boots, suede and wrinkle leather kitten heel mules and the new 'Olivia object bag.' We would say watch this space, if you're not already watching.
Temperley London
Always a favourite with the ladies who love a pretty dress or two, this season Alice Temperley brought a tougher edge to her collection. Yes the embellished, sheer, impeccably crafted dresses were there, but this time they were mixed with olive military style jackets, jumpsuits and over coats. Other military touches were the Airmail stamp prints, safety buckle belts, flying jackets, army boots and medal style embellishment on sash belts. There was still plenty standout glamour gowns in metallics with chevron details or peekaboo shoulders to satisfy her loyal fans but the "She Who Dares Wins" sassed up uniforms only served to give an injection of freshness. Peaky Blinders actress Helen McCrory and dapper husband Damian Lewis joined other famous faces Yasmin Le Bon with daughter Amber and HFM's cover star Arizona Muse.
Temperley London Beauty
The hair and make-up look at Temperley London is always a talking point at LFW. Inspired by strong female icons from the 1930s and 1940s (namely English aviator Amy Johnson and German actress Marlene Dietrich), Alice dubbed her models 'Temperley Trailblazers' and worked with make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury and hair stylist Antonio Corral Calero to create a striking and sophisticated look. "We styled in classic fingers waves with a modern twist," said Antonio. "I used a new product, Morrocanoil Mending Infusion, £26.85 at feelunique.com - not only does it help seal the hair cuticle, it also enhances the pattern of the wave." And Charlotte Tilbury explained how she nailed the soft-focus skin of a 1930s film: "I actually used my new Hollywood Flawless Filter, which launches on 22 February. This product brings together the versatility of a primer, the mega-watt glow of a highlighter and the perfecting properties of your favourite digital filter." Everyone backstage wanted to know what the models were wearing on their lips; it was Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Savage Rose, £16 at charlottetilbury.com, and Hot Lips lipstick in Tell Laura, £24 at charlottetilbury.com."
Fashion East
Supported by Topshop, the Fashion East innovative is a pioneering platform for emerging young designers set up by Lulu Kennedy. Having championed burgeoning designers in London since 2000, their roster names include: JW Anderson, House of Holland, Roksanda and Ryan Lo - to name a few. This season the line-up included: Asai, Charlotte Knowles, Supriya Lele and special guest Symonds Pearmain. The standout showcase had to be the opening act: Asai, founded by London born designer A Sai Ta who launched his label in February 2017 after graduating from Central Saint Martins. Having been headhunted for a position at Kanye West's Yeezy just a year into his MA, he has taken the brand through to a third season at LFW that delves into the nuances of his British-Chinese-Vietnamese heritage. The collection was inspired by Vietnam and land surrounded by water which was evident in his use of fluidity, colour palette and deconstructed fabrics. We' re predicting big things from this outlandish designer.
The other standout slot was Symonds Pearmain, founded by designer Anthony Symonds and stylist Max Pearmain. This seasons extravaganza is their first catwalk back in London, after previously showing in Berlin, and they didn’t disappoint with a star studded line-up of models including Edie Campbell. The collection included Buffalo Girl style graphic prints, exaggerated neckerchiefs and statement headgear - wrapped up with clashing stripes, checks and swirls.
Beauty
It was a feast for the eyes backstage. In a space that usually houses the setup for one show, four were being prepped concurrently for the four Fashion East segments. We were drawn to the Symonds Pearmain show because we spotted HFM's former cover star Neelam Gill walking for the designer. "The make-up has an 80s look," explains make-up artist Lynsey Alexander. "But it's still modern because everything else is bare on the face; glossy, luminous skin and lids, no mascara, brushed up brows and then this bronze lip - which we created using MAC Lip Pencil in Oak, £14 at maccosmetics.co.uk, and a new MAC lipstick called Disco Fever." The claw-like 'Dragon Toe' crafted by nail artist Sylvie Macmillan for Asai was another major highlight. Perfectly proportioned for peep toe shoes, the graphic, painterly design, created using CND polish, was a fun talking point on the front row.
Margaret Howell, Beauty
Make-up artist Miranda Joyce gave us a lesson in minimalism at Margaret Howell: "the designer wanted it really pared back. In fact, she asks me to knock back any naturally red lips in the line up. We didn't go overboard on the skincare - we're at a show, not a spa. I used MAC Matte moisturiser, £16.50 at maccosmetics.co.uk - which worked really well under the lights during the run through - the girls still had a bit of a glow and we didn’t have to add powder. We did a little bit of a stronger brow for those with shorter fringes; it's very subtle but looks quite graphic. And I applied tinted brow gel at the roots of their lashes. But that's it. Not a dot of colour on the cheeks or lips, just Chapstick."
Roland Mouret
Roland Mouret's third season in London saw a return to Southbank's National Theatre. Citing Irvin Kershner's cult film 'The Eyes of Laura Mars' as the muse, this sweeping influence translates into a collection full of contradictions. Plush baroque jacquard is softened by chevron lace, velvet corduroy followed by lurex georgette, exploring hard and soft, masculine and feminine. Tailoring is reintroduced harking back to Roland's early career with outerwear in patent leather, alpaca and Prince of Wales check. While trenches and capes evolve with exposed stitching, frayed hems and oversized lapels. Signature figure-hugging dresses are swapped out in favour for looser silhouettes with draping as key to create luxury day dresses.
Beauty
"Roland told us he was inspired by Faye Dunaway in the film Eyes Of Laura Mars," said nail artist Marian Newman. "It's super easy chic. Think of a woman who wakes up in the morning and has to do very little to their look. For the nails, we're using Kure Bazaar’s Nude, £15 at johnandginger.co.uk. I'd describe it as an 'urban nude' - it's got very cool undertones. I think this will be the colour of the season." Sam Mcknight told us there wasn't a uniform look for the hair: "It depends on the individual model’s hair type. Some have loose hair with a bit of a wave in the front - and we used my Cool Girl Spray, £25 at cultbeauty.co.uk, for that. And there are chignons, too - styled with my Modern Hairspray, £22 at cultbeauty.co.uk."
Preen, Beauty
The make-up at Preen took it's cue from the collection, which combined tailored scuba wear with floating florals. The beauty look was other worldly and marvelled at by everyone backstage. Inspired by Korean divers searching for oysters, the skin had a dewy sheen with glitter blown (literally) into the centre of the forehead for a reflective, glacial finish. Imagined by make-up visionary Val Garland, the complexion was prepped with Mac Studio Waterweight Concealer, £18.50 at maccosmetics.co.uk, and Mixing Medium Shine, £16.50 at maccosmetics.co.uk. To remove the glitter post show, the team stocked up on mini lint rollers from Primark. We can report they picked up most… but the artists at the next show (Margaret Howell) kept finding specks of it! The aquatic aesthetic extended to the hair look, too. "The hair seemingly floats," explained Wella's Global Creative Director of Care & Styling, Eugene Souleiman. "We're working with the girls' natural texture by prepping it with Wella EIMI Ocean Spritz Spray, £10.80 at lookfantastic.com, twisting it up into a bun and drying it with heat to create some movement. We're also using the GHD gold styler, £135 at ghdhair.com, to add subtle bends throughout the lengths. The girls are wearing these sort of scuba hats - and with loose tendrils coming out from under them - we're actually creating an octopus-effect."
Palmer//Harding
Palmer Harding's ability to design a great shirt, in many different forms, is second to none. Each season we see the design duo reimagine what is meant to be a fairly basic wardrobe staple into a full catwalk collection of varying shapes, colours, fabrics and prints. For their AW18 show the focus was on different contexts of movement, while longline shirting, floaty silk co-ords and flattering floor-grazing trousers create fluidity, scrunched up details, twisted fastening and seams and cinched necklines and waists created volume and contrast. The colour palette focused on muted shades like white, navy, periwinkle, terracotta and rust - the sort that can be worn together and layered easily. There was also a clear emphasis on real garments that real women can live in, and that suits us just fine.
Huishan Zhang
The Chinese-born, London-based designer choose the elegant Savile Club on London's Brook street to show case his luxurious aesthetic. Emaculate models with slicked back buns and lacquered lips weaved their way through the audiences gilt chairs, so close that you could have reached out and touched the fabrics. The beauty of this intimate salon was that you could really see the detail in his work. Tweed dresses with sheer plastic overlays (yes it continues!) we’re trimmed at the pockets and hemlines with clear crystal beads. Black vegan leather was crafted into dress shirts and sliced into fringing for sharp pencil skirts. Traditional textures like velvet and lace collided with PVC and quilted satins. Shapes were either tight and slick or cocooned and babydoll. Signature pleating returned as did classic peplums and flared gowns to continue the eighties tribute. The finalie wedding gown will delight his fans; a white beaded, netted and tiered confection like a giant gliding cake. This is fairy-tale fashion at it's finest!
Ashish, Beauty
For Ashish's sixties girl, lead stylist Ali Pirzadeh for Bumble and Bumble brought the grunge and the glamour to the hair. "We're doing a mix of sixties inspired styles but we're taking references from the Middle East and India." For the glam girls, a combination of Bumble and Bumble thickening hairspray and cult classic surf spray was spritzed through the roots for serious oomph and height. It was then curled in sections and brushed out – adding a few girly clips to individual models. The grunge look was all about raw, lived-in locks. Loading wet hair with Bumble and Bumble don't blow it thick hair styler cream, model's tresses were blasted with heat to bring out the oils in the product for added grease.
Peter Pilotto, Beauty
The seventies disco vibe of the collection continued into the makeup but with an added playful twist. "I love the idea of when you first discover makeup and you've got an eyeshadow palette and you're just throwing all of those shades over your face", explained head make-up artist Thomas de Kluyver of his 'undone' disco eye. Using only fingers to blend, he even had models apply their own eyeshadow. We spotted three metallic eye looks, all with a two tone effect using two MAC pigment colour combinations across the lid and underneath the eye. The most interesting? A surprisingly wearable electric fuschia and violet duo. "It's not make-up to hide behind, it's all about using it to express yourself, almost as a fashion accessory."