London fashion Week - Peter Pilotto

As I eagerly anticipated the live launch of the Alexander McQueen collection at London Fashion Week (Only four and a half hours to go... eeeek) I decided to check out the other designers that had already shown their Autumn/Winter 2012 collection.
One of the designers I was particularly intertested in was Peter Pilotto. Their Spring Summer collection this year was amazing and Elle Collections named them as someone to watch in the upcoming season.
Peter Pilotto comprises of Peter Pilotto, the brands namesake and Christopher De Vos. They won the Best emerging talent award at the British fashion Awards in 2009.
So I decided to check out their new collection and let me just say... I was NOT disappointed!

Puffa Jackets with optical illusion stripes, and metallic fabrics opened the show. Beautiful, realistic floral prints in a multitude of blue shapes mirrored their obsession with prints last season, except this time they really did steal the show. Some of the jewel patterns were so detailed it was difficult to see that was flat and what was 3-Dimensional. Peter Pilotto continies to blur these lines for the audience. Amazing technicolour stoles were worn to create a clash of colour texture and prints. Everything screamed hi-tech futurism, some pieces almost bordering on sportswear.

A lot of the pieces created a hint back at the bondage trend we saw quite a lot of and is starting to creep back at Mulberry this season. Thick black straps make simple outfits look complicated, contrasting with the rainbow prints and sequins.
And how could I forget the super-embellished dresses towards the end? With cut out mesh pieces and cute keyhole necklines, these dresses are a huge contrast the the beginning of the collection, and yet it moulds together seamlessly. Theres not one thing I dislike. I like the different panels that make up each outfit, the different fabrics used for each, the exaggerated cap sleeves, the disconnected raglan sleeve, the almost-but not quite-peplum and most of all the SHOES!! Gorgeous Pointy, heavily embellished stilettos were worn with each outfit, perfectly made to match and tipping this collection from good to great.

All images courtesy of vogue.com

My New T-Shirt!!

Well I was sitting in the most boring lecture ever again, thinking about designer clothes and doing a presentation about how much designer clothes cost to manufacture and the amount of mark- up the retailers put on when I realised I needed a break.
Going on the topshop website, I have been dreaming about the Mary Katrantzou collection ever since it was released.

She is a designer I really admire at the moment, clashing a multitude of prints that are both incredibly colourful and amazingly realistic at the same time. Think under the sea, rainbow colours and beautiful scenes.

So I bought a t-shirt :) in my defense, the delivery was half price so it was practically a bargain. I blame my friend Aimee Watt for disappearing for about 30 seconds and not stopping me. But here it is:

Isn't it beautiful :)

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!!

For some its handbags, others jewels and for the majority of womankind; it’s shoes; An obsession… And Spring/Summer 2012 is no exception. Can a woman ever really have too many shoes?

I feel that this question is something that is very close to my heart, and my purse, having recently (last week) gone out and bought myself two new pairs, whilst at the same time asking myself and my flatmate “Why can’t I have both?”

Both pairs are beautiful and totally impractical; The perfect combination? And I always tell myself that because my feet are such an odd size (size 3?) That I really must buy them when I find a pair that fits. Two pairs is just a bonus.

When leaving the shop I thought to myself, “I don’t feel guilty at all.” Just happy: unlike with handbags and clothes and jewellery. A beautiful pair of shoes can put a smile on a girls face quicker then pretty much anything.

I’m talking about shoes not only because of my newly re-surfaced obsession, but also because of the amount of shoes on the catwalk at the moment. The huge variation between the shoes, no two designers shoes collections are the same. There seems to be more emphasis on shoes this season. The shoes make the outfit, not the other way around and plain black stilettos are a rarity; A thing of the past.

Take for example Prada. A collection that is typically summery with pastel colours, prints and tube tops and lead your eyes down to the models footwear. Beautiful, bespoke creations adorn their feet and it is plain to see that the shoes have been made for this outfit. They have flames and thin metal heels. Anything plainer would have been an abomination; a crime against fashion. Each time I see the ‘Prada’ shoes I fall in love over and over again.

The exaggerated pointy toe made a comeback at Louis Vuitton, this time in metallic fabric. Chunky straps across the foot were fastened with delicate little buttons and they were almost mule like with their lack of ankle support.

Gone were stilettos as the theme of thicker heels spread across the catwalk like wildfire, Chloe introduced a metallic, snakeskin sling-back and yet something which concept seems so wrong has never been so right. The heel (slightly thicker than a stiletto but not quite the clumpy heel of past trends) was outdone only by the front (loafer crossed with delicate evening shoe) and the Perspex used on some of them immediately stole the show.

The runway at Alexander McQueen was as beautiful and shocking as only McQueen can be. Gorgeous snake skin strappy sandals dominated the footwear of the models. Seemingly quite ordinary, one glimpse of the side of these extravagant sandals revealed a wedge heel that curved inwards, making them look impossible to walk in. These heels were covered in curved ridges and were sumptuous colours, making them appear almost shell-like.

And of course how can we have a post about shoes without mentioning the infamous ‘flatforms.’ Will they catch on? As seen on the catwalk at Nicholas Kirkwood among others, I for one am dubious about this painful looking fad. I am however excited at any prospect of looking taller without the pain of 5 inch heels.

Another chance to buy shoes you say?

Designer of the Month

I have decided that from now on I will do a little 'Designer of the Month' piece every month, picking out a designer that has probably been overlooked by Vogue, but I feel deserves some recognition.
This month I have decided that Mulberry will be my designer of the month. This is mainly because the s/s collection recently was really exciting and innovative. Some other reasons for this are who else could team up chiffon and pvc and get away with it. I doubt even Vivienne Westwood would dare do that. Sportswear made from tweed fabrics; hoodies with sheer, floor length skirts and lemon yellow?
Any yet the models with their voluminous hair and dogs on leashes pull this off. I particularly  like the lace maxi dresses combined with waterproof macs and ribbed leggings.
Anoth thing that seperates the Mulberry collection from all of the other collections of this season is the prints. I know that this season is all about prints, yet Mulberry take the classic 'zebra print' and totally turn it on its head. Here, zebra print meant a print made entirely out of tiny little zebras, meaning that they have the upper hand in the print wars commencing on the catwalk.
Its very fresh, very summery and just what the fashion industry needs.

Images from Vogue.com