LFW : DAY TWO OUTFIT

 Pictured with the charming Candice Lake by on Park&Cube

Pictures via Shini/ Stockholm Streetstyle/ Kit / Sandra

'When I am old I shall wear purple' goes a rhyme my Granny has shared with me on several occasions. 'When I am hungover I shall wear purple' was more the rhyme that inspired this outfit, or the fact that what with the grey rainy sky and the grey setting of Somerset House I thought I'd do everyone a favour and blind them with my outfit. Does it work for you?

A/W 11 ASHLEY ISHAM

Ashley Isham was the last show I saw on Day One, bringing to a close 11 hours of non-stop show-hopping. The On:Off venue, one of my favourite places last season when it was in Victoria House, had moved into a sort of bungalow on Mercer street accessed through a polytunnel, and the whole week it was just chaos. There were at least 400 people behind me when I was turned away from the Jena.Theo show because it was at full capacity earlier that day, and every day long queues of freezing fashionistas suffering drizzle hair would wait and wait and continue to wait because they didn't have a yellow dot, or a red dot, or a blue dot on their ticket. Or one gold star? Who's got two gold stars? Anyone have a silver star? What's that? Superstar? Hey, I'm a superstar! SUPERSTARS! 

So went the banter in the queues, but it wasn't enough to cure the extreme fashion fatigue. So On:Off and Blow PR, because I love your shows and I want to see you expand, FIND A BIGGER VENUE. 

Ashley's show started promisingly, and I really liked the floral printed velvet dresses he sent down in looks 1-4. The print is fairly extraordinary, but it struck a chord with me because I'm sure when I was very small, my Granny had some left over stiff velvet floral fabric from the late 70s, and made me some dresses with it. Or perhaps it's similar to a fabric I remember my Mum wearing. Unfortunately, that was the last we saw of the velvet minidresses and then the collection started to stray a little too far into the BCBG Max Azria territory, but I concentrated on admiring the headpieces. I am definitely not one to turn my nose up at a headpiece made from plastic flowers and tassels that looks like it was bought for a child at a Chinese nightmarket (see here) . No, seriously, I love the tack.

A/W 11 EUN JEONG

Eun Jeong's A/W 11 show took place in an empty outlet in the Covent Garden piazza, outside which I had sat a few hours before, enjoying a coffee and listening to the music on the stereo from the Royal Opera House, which they play to entertain, or rather tease, the poor souls queuing outside for tickets. 

It was absolute blogger central inside; the crowd consisted entirely of adolescent girls with cameras, but it was refreshing to be privy to such a small, neat salon show. From where I was seated, the clothes were backlit by a deep yellow lamp, so the camel tone wool pieces and the pleated maxi skirts were beautifully lit in golden light. Ultimately, it was a minimalist collection, focusing on shapes; structured folds on a thick wool dress, a bib-front detail on a sleek puffa coat, peplum details on skirts and jackets and assymetrical oversized collars made for a quirky silhouette. There were beautiful equestrian influences in the silk headscarves and riding boots with socks, and a look comprising of a 3/4 sleeve shirt with a peter pan collar paired with a light pleated long skirt and gloves brought to mind Coco Chanel in her DIY-ed riding gear. It was the long skirts which tugged at my heartstrings; so many designers have been showing them for Autumn/Winter and the courtyard at Somerset House was dotted with beautiful sheer or mesh long skirts. It is the sheer and light quality which is so appealing, and Eun Jeong's appeared especially wearable, youthful... almost athletic. 

A/W 11 FELDER+FELDER

Getting into the Felder+Felder show was a mission in itself; the queue outside the Mayfair Hotel became a scrum as fanatic show guests battled with suitcase-wielding tourists to get in the doors. I really take my hat off to the PRs in these situations. 

Inspired by stormy nights and the freedom of nature, the Felder+Felder girl at the beginning looked like she'd spent the night in the woods, and taken on some of its textures. With a moody palette of petrol blue and moss green, it was really the dark lipstick which sold me on the spot at the first look. It was a form-fitting and sexy collection of studded leather, suede and tufts of goat fur, reminiscent of those troll toys you stuck on the end of your pencil; who would have thought they could inspire such an alluring look? The digital print on dresses and biker jackets which I first imagined were inspired by bark were actually  was taken from the abstract blow-up of the feathers of an owl.  My favourite pieces included the studded leather minidress and a mongolian wool A-line puff skirt in black and white.

MINUS ONE MOTORCYCLE

Photo courtesy of the Warehouse UK Blog

My day one outfit. With 12 shows on my schedule, there was no chance I was giving up these trusty boots for heels. Wearing all vintage save for my beloved fringy bag by Prada.

A/W 11 CORRIE NIELSEN

The winner of 2010's Fashion Fringe award, Corrie Nielsen, showed for the first time on the opening day of LFW in the BFC showspace. Nielsen, who honed her craft at John Galliano, showed an epic collection reminiscent more of courtly couture and Elizabethan tailoring than 21st century fashion. Extravagant and theatrical with tulle ruffs and perfectly placed ruffles and pleats, the way the light caught the folds of silk and satin echoed the details of sumptious 17th century Dutch still lifes, while the ornately braided up-do's brought to mind Queen Elizabeth's golden mane. As the show progressed each piece became larger and more impressive, finishing with two full-length satin gown of spectacular proportions, accessorised with pointe shoes. The grand finale dress, fashioned entirely of black satin ruffles in extraordinary detail, must have weighed an absolute tonne judging by the model's troubled expression as she laboriously made her way along the catwalk!
Corrie Nielsen may not be very wearable, but with the exquisite tailoring that's bound to become her signature, she's certainly one to watch.