Bally AW09 Women’s Presentation
Bally’s AW09 collection is all out glamour!
Perfectly combining sumptuous elegance of the 30s with the soft and sexy tailoring of the 80s. Rich fabrics and textures - velvet, hand-painted silk prints, lace and marabou dominated. Shoes and peep toe boots (ankle and thigh-high) had either a unique gilded lattice heel or gilded lattice detailing.
I’m already saving up for a fabulous slinky marabou and chain coat and the most incredible lace-effect jacket that was made from patent leather and chain.
It will sure be as close to couture as I’ll ever get and will go just perfectly with the chic set of Bally luggage with printed-lace silk lining – all I need now is to book a trip on the Orient Express to show off my wares!
Brand events, Fashion and Milan
Benefit at Vauxhall Fashion Scout AW09
This week I was backstage at Vauxhall Fashion Scout checking out this year’s A/W make–up trends. Heading up the team was the lovely Rachel Wood from Benefit, who talked me though all the key looks and trends for next season.
Working across some fab shows including, Alexandra Groover, Harriet’s Muse, Hemyca and Ones to Watch, there was a definite pattern of make-up styles. There were two looks for A/W – the very natural or the extremely dramatic.
For the natural look, Rachel explained that it’s all about getting the right base this year and keeping the eyes and lips and neutral as possible. The dramatic look for A/W is going to be Gothic and Vampish with a pale base, dark eyes and / or plum and red lips.
The Make-up this year was outstanding and I’ll definitely be attempting some of these looks for my next night out!
Beauty and Runway Shows
Things fashion folk are talking about on the front row # 8 - WHERE’S KANYE?
Seemingly everywhere…
All week we have been reserving seats for Mr West who is in town and keen to be seen front row. After a couple of no shows we were giving up on the American Boy – as the lights dimmed for the Giles show word reached the front row that he was in the house. I will hand over to WGSN for the rest of the story….
GOSSIP: KANYE WEST, who’s been trotting round the womenswear shows in London this week with shaven-headed model and reported new squeeze AMBER ROSE, tried to make a grand entrance at the Giles Deacon show last night by arriving late in nauseating look-at-me showbiz style. But as any true fashion insider knows, it’s best to arrive early to Giles. No matter how late you think it’s running, seats always vanish quicker than Peaches Geldof’s wedding vows.
Stalking the length of the runway, Kanye failed to find a free spot big enough for his mulleted head and eventually reached the top of the catwalk without success. Friendly front-rowers kindly squeezed up enough for one bum cheek, which he rather gentlemanly gave to Rose. Meanwhile he shiftily stood behind the second row with the other standing-ticket holders before a PR scurried backstage to get a fold-up chair. But in Kanye’s defence, we must report that he took it like a man and there were no histrionics or stamping of red Louis Vuitton’s - even though what must’ve been really irksome was that mumsy daytime TV presenter and fashion-scene oddity LORRAINE KELLY had a perfectly comfortable spot a few seats down. Ouch.
Things fashion folk are talking about on the front row # 7 - BIG LOVE
It’s finally here – LOVE magazine. Well done to Katie and the team. We heard that the 6 months supply has already sold out and another print run ordered. The cover wrap of the International Herald Tribune was a master stroke.
Giles AW09
It’s always the hottest ticket of the week and the most packed as any Editor will tell you. This season did not disappoint with over 50 models and a band, numbers would be very tight and challenging to keep within those ever important health and safety guidelines.
Relinquishing my usual Sergeant Major position at the door was hard but necessary as I marshalled Editors and VIP’s to their seats and answered a 100 questions simultaneously. Finally we were good to go and bursting at the seams when we were told Kanye West had arrived, greeted and dually walked down the catwalk to a space in the front row which appeared much smaller than the one I had found seconds before he graciously gave up the space for his girlfriend, not a PR to have an A lister standing I dashed off to find the last chair I saw at the other end of the catwalk, it seems others had that idea too and Kanye ended up with two seats!
Relieved I watched an amazing Giles show that explored his fabulous imagination, strong and sharp with nods to his graduation collection. Extraordinary oversized knitwear and wonderfully wearable strapless dresses teamed with killer Louboutin’s and elegant Stephen Jones hats, lively hand printed dresses and an outstanding ‘egg coat’ were drawn to a final conclusion with a beautiful grey diaphanous ballgown.
Things fashion folk are talking about on the front row # 6 - Hats - An Anthology by Stephen Jones
The long anticipated exhibition at the V&A of Stephen Jones’ wonderful creations has opened during fashion week. Where else would you see a crowd make such an effort with their headgear.
People Behind the Scenes at LFW # 2 - Julian Watson
Über agent – Julian represents the great and the good in hair, make-up and more recently photography. He has managed and created the careers of some of the world top session stylists including Guido, Paul Hanlon and Diane Kendal.
We met up backstage at Twenty8twelve show.
Erdem AW09
Erdem staged his AW09 Collection at the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House. There was a jaunty mood in the air, as Ooh La La treated us to some authentic toe tapping French folk music. Models delicately sashayed down the catwalk in expertly embroidered, boldly coloured silk dresses.
The ethereal feel of last season has evolved. The girl who had been so happy running in the meadows in Spring Summer 2009 had now bought a red lipstick and hopped onto the train to the city! The colours were vibrant, cut-out black lace was dramatically applied to red duchesse Taroni satin.
Tiny red, purple and black flowers were embroidered and adorned with Swarovski crystals. Empire lines and puffed out skirts ruled the catwalk with the additional introduction of slim fit print trousers and mismatched print tops. The feeling was Parisian meets Russian doll, a vast departure from previous seasons but equally as breathtaking…
Backstage with Aveda at LFW - Maria Grachvogel AW09
It was chocks away for the Aveda team backstage at the Maria Grachvogel show yesterday, with flying hats galore.
Lead hair stylist Antoinette Beenders created a complicated flat-wrap to ensure tresses were kept well tamed and tucked away – obviously except those fly-aways helping emphasize the windswept look around the hairline. And those eyebrows!
All hail the strong brow for AW09!
Jaeger London AW09
Jaeger London took to the catwalk for the third time this season and again to great acclaim from UK editors.
A very desirable ticket; the show was watched by a posse of past Jaeger models including Erin O’Connor, Jade Parfitt, Laura Bailey, Jacquetta Wheeler and the super chic Carmen Dell’Orafice as well as aspiring starlets Tamsin Eggerton, Alexa Chung and Nicholas Holt. Leah and Jo wood also made it a family outing to give us a very fabulous front row!
The collection explored Mondraian and Art Deco references with a strong nod to Russia, with its beautiful sheepskin coats and jackets with varying lengths of wool. An amazing Parchment colour coat with black angora stripes really stood out as key piece - or so I was reliably informed by the wonderful Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director of the Daily Telegraph as I fact checked fabrics for her with Design Director Karen Boyd backstage as she had to dash to the next show.