LFF IS AWAY...

I'm taking my first holiday of the year and indulging in some much-needed R&R in the Welsh Valleys. So I'm taking a brief hiatus from fashion, Twitter (no wifi) and London life for one week. Let's see if I can hack it! See you in week, LFF Sophiex

 

 

 

SIX OF THE BEST: JEWELLED EARRINGS FOR AW12

If SS12 was all about the off-the-wall statement earring, then AW12 belongs to jewelled, luxurious adornments set with coloured crystals and faux-gems. Look out for faceted stones in an array of colourful jewel tones to tap into this trend.

This is both a fun and versatile trend that will multitask in your AW12 wardrobe; pair with simple knit to add some dazzle to your daywear and offset a stylish shift with finese for cocktail hour. Here's my pick of the best styles available at the moment:

 
1. Lanvin vintage-look earrings, Matches, £495.
2. Jewelled vine drop earrings, ASOS, £20.
3. Frankie bling earrings, Kurt Geiger, £30.
4. Kenneth Jay Lane crystal drop earrings, The Outnet, £55.
5. Jewel bauble earrings, ASOS, £18.
6. Shourouk DS Montana earrings, Matches, £305.

THE ASHISH SS13 LFW SHOW

The show: Ashish SS13 in the Somerset House Showspace today (18th September) at 3pm

On the FROW: Kate Nash in a black gothic maxi dress

LFF's fashion friends in attendance: Sarah- Fashion Dotty and Gemma- Gemma Satire

In the show notes for Ashish's S/S13 collection, the new-season muse is described as 'an archetypal math geek, more concerned with quadratuc equations than the number of ply in a cashmere sweater'. But the girl that Ashish sent down his catwalk at LFW this afternoon was a far cooler incarnation than the class geeks I encountered (and was one of) in my now distant high-school years. This was a Reebok-sporting, sequin-clad, slouchy denim-working geek girl, with just her coke-bottle lense glasses and scrunchy tied top knot adding that nerdy calculus-loving edge.

Starting with slouchy sweaters and patchwork denim separates, the catwalk looks had plenty of Ashish' signature crowd-pleasing sparkle, with the yellow gold rectangular-sequin embellished tracksuit prompting the best crowd/ flashbulb reaction and causing the flamboyant chap seated in front of me to proclaim 'That's feirce!'.

Having hot-footed in from Holborn to Somerset House to catch the catwalk show in my lunchbreak, the Ashish show proved to worth the physical exertion. Flamboyant, fabulous and full of personality, Ashish closed LFF's LFW with style and made this fashion geek very happy (although I still advocate just saying no to scrunchies).



My favourite look- charcoal backless sweater and embellished mini skirt.

The 'fierce' denim & sequin-embellished tracksuit.

 

CORRIE NIELSEN'S SS13 FLORILEGIUM COLLECTION

The Show: Corrie Nielsen in the Somerset House Show Space, Friday 14th at 2pm

On the FROW: Hilary Alexander and Victoria Beckham's parents (not sure why either...)

LFF’s fashion friends in attendance: Bloggers Katie- Glass of Fashion, Sarah- Fashion Dotty, Pearl- Pearls of Wisdom and Florrie- Instrically Florrie

Anyone that has been lucky enough to visit Kew Gardens on balmy, hot summers day will know it is a truly magical experience. This proved to be the case for designer Corrie Nielsen, who was so inspired by a trip to London’s Royal Botanic Gardens that she based her SS13 ‘Florilegium’ collection on the florals, fauna and architecture she discovered there.For the spectator like myself, Nielsen’s botanical vision lead to a fantastical show experience, complete with a wildlife soundtrack that would have not sounded out of place on a David Attenborough documentary.

Like many designers at LFW SS13, Nielsen adopted a pared-down colour palette for her new season collection, citing the inner parts of petals as her inspiration for the delicate blushes, oyster and faint blue/greens that coloured the garments. One singular dress in the blackest of the blacks contrasted against the washed-out tones, which explored Nielsen's interest in the black lily that contrasted against the otherwise delicate-hued flowers at Kew.

For me the real ‘wow’ factor of the accomplished collection was delivered through the volume and proportions of the garments; I still can’t figure out how the rectangular black dress that appeared to be made from three concertinaed pleats of fabric was constructed. Of course there are pieces in the collection that are neither commercial nor wearable and I do wonder who the typical Corrie Nielsen customer is, but where this show lacked wearability it delivered in terms of theatre, skill and sheer spectacle.



MARY KATRANTZOU SS13 LFW SHOW LIVE-STREAM

LFF'S LONDON FASHION WEEK DIARY DAY 2

 

Day two at London Fashion Week SS13 and on my agenda were several off-schedule shows; which are shows by up and coming designers at various locations away from the main LFW hub of Somerset House. Off-schedule shows can be a great deal of fun because they tend to attract a more-quirky crowd and the designers appear to have a bit more creative freedom with the looks they show.

My first show of the day was Jeffrey Michaels at the Goldsmiths Hall, which proved to be a youthful and urban offering with geometric prints and 3-dimensional prisms adorning the party frocks. The FROW  included (rather randomnly)  Lemar London-based latex-clad fine artist Pandomonia. The show also had a very cool soundtrack with the models walking to Princess of China by Rihanna and Coldplay, with plenty of added bass.

Pre-show frap with Katie.

The Goldsmiths Hall always makes an opulent backdrop for a show.

3D prisms decorated the garmets at Jeffrey Michaels.

Lemar takes a sneaky peak at one of the models!

Pandemonia poses after the Jeffrey Michaels show.

After the Jeffrey Michaels show Katie and I headed down Fleet Street back to Somerset House for some more street style photography ops. This was a little bit tricky because all the television crews were out in full force and Katie and I kept getting asked to interviews! Rather amusing we were interviewed by a TV channel in Shanghai, goodness knows they will make of the LFW circus.

My favourite street-style fashion find so far- this gorgeous Mawi jewelled clutch.

 

DIY neon kicks!



Loved this bird-print botanical blouse.

Katie being interviewed by this chap going by the name of 'Sugarpuff'. The interview culminated with Sugarpuff quizzing Katie on how she'd go about stealing a item of someone else's clothing she liked.. I'm not joking!

Me! Wearing my metallic floral Topshop jeans, a Cinderella B necklace and a simple blazer and shirt ensemble.



Marni H&M layered beads.



Ashley Isham's show felt like an ode to the society girl through the decades, with pearls and chandelier earrings and coiffuerred hair harking back to the days of debutantes and slinky, sexy party dresses bearing shades of party-girl Paris. Isham even accessorised one of outfits with the IT girl's favourite accessory- a real-life puppy!

Jodie Harsh on the FROW at Ashley Isham.

So that's LFW day 2 done and I'm taking day 3 off to digest my LFW SS13 experience so far (and tidy my clothes-strewn room). But I shall be back on the Somerset House cobbles Monday for more fabulous fashion. Sophie X