London Fashion Week F/W 2012: Giles

The idea behind Giles Deacon's autumn collection was a narrative of sorts, depicting a scene in which a lavish estate is in flames. "It's burning down, and what are you going to take?" asked Deacon, offering insight into the concept behind his latest.

I like being forced to think; this collection did provoke thought. There's many elements to the formula: elegance, primness, disorder and disarray. But it isn't entirely obvious, even with burnt imagery present throughout.



xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

London Fashion Week F/W 2012: Mary Katrantzou

Mary Katrantzou is on fire. With her sold-out capsule collection for Topshop (released February 17) and consistently stellar shows the past few seasons she's been on the scene, Katrantzou shows no signs of slowing down. She's a personal favourite and one of the designers that really gets me excited about fashion, since her artistic vision is so clear. While these garments are indeed "pretty things," they're simply marvelous in terms of construction and perhaps delightfully wild in aesthetic.

The first few looks out on the runway were light in shade - not stark by any means - then canary yellow, red (which seemed neutral in comparison), aqua, and a soft green. Take note: this is the first time she's created garments that are essentially one color from head to toe.



There's a playfulness in this collection, with volume, materials, and even print. Look closely. The yellow look? Pencils. Red? A typewriter. Green? Grass, with lawn ornaments. See also: spoons (above!), forks, clocks, and telephones.

Along with a new approach to color and pattern, Mary Katrantzou experimented with different (voluminous, naturally) silhouettes - godet skirts, soft chiffon, and a corset inspired by Elizabethan England. While these facets could easily make a collection seem chaotic and incohesive, it's actually quite the opposite. Katrantzou did it again.

xox Catherine

Images via Style.com

London Fashion Week F/W 2012: Felder Felder

Daniela and Annette Felder came onto the scene as purveyors of rock and roll style, but in the past few seasons, they've been transitioning into something a bit milder. Though the rock influence is all but gone - perhaps this incarnation is more of the 1970s bohemian type.



The photo-realistic floral prints are trippy and psychedelic in the best ways possible, but I only wish there was a little more of a cohesive feel/common element. It's all certainly aesthetically pleasing and consumer-friendly, but perhaps a little too much in the latter direction. Nonetheless, this collection will be bookmarked in my fall inspiration folder (...come August). The gilded pieces are just too good to pass up.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

London Fashion Week F/W 2012: Simone Rocha

I didn't intend to have a non-stop fashion week(s) block, but I've come down with a cold and have been in bed with a cup of tea and my cat by my side.

Anyway... as if I weren't already coming to the conclusion that I miss London, of course LFW begins and sends brilliant new talent our way. Exhibit A: Simone Rocha. A 2010 graduate of Central St. Martins, Rocha is no stranger to the fashion industry with veteran John Rocha (whose show I watched gleefully from outside the tents at Somerset House) as a father. Perhaps his promotion of his daughter's work has aided in her popularity, but it's clear that Simone is talented by her own means - with a different aesthetic.



Another memory from last season: being seated next to Susie Bubble who was wearing enchanting brogues with a perspex heel by Simone Rocha. I've been hearing (metaphoric) murmurs on the internet since then, but it seems this time around Simone is proving herself to be quite a force. There's, without a doubt, an exceptional amount of skill in this young designer. The footwear. The silhouettes. AND THE MATERIALS. Braided, textured mohair collars, veils of tulle, a titch of dainty lace and silver leather...

I'm hooked.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: 3.1 Phillip Lim

There's a few things I learned last season in London. One, it's more difficult to cover shows than one might expect - self-imposed deadlines, running from show to show, editing photos nonstop, etc. Two, the experience at a show is immensely different from simply viewing photos and writing a review - it's a production, with music, lighting, brief written summaries of the collection. And seeing the clothing move in person is entirely distinctive. Both of these lessons are probably obvious, but still, worth noting. That said, it is hard to be fully impacted by a collection when reading another person's review and viewing secondhand photos.



Another confession: I don't look at every designer's photos. I don't have the time or patience. I have a few starting points - designers I've watched for a while, images that come up on my Tumblr dashboard, word of mouth, et cetera. Lim falls under the first category. While it is a must-see every season, I wasn't incredibly enthralled at first. And then it haunted me, in a totally benign and even delightful manner.

This collection, to be frank, is badass. Phillip Lim used the abstract idea of superheroes when designing this collection - as is evident through the capes, graphic qualities, gilded booties, translucent belts, and overall silhouettes. The inspiration of superheroes might easily lead to the cliched punchy colors with capes and tights, but Lim avoids that with sumptuous knits and sophisticated cuts. But there's an element of mystery, too, with light and dark taken in both a literal and perhaps metaphoric sense.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: Michael Angel

Michael Angel, digital print aficionado, strikes a balance between wispy, watercolor-like qualities and sharp, mechanical and digitized. There's certainly a smokey aura present; the mirrored prints resemble faint clouds of cigarette smoke.



While the smokiness is generally limited to prints, the supposed inspiration also breathes in silhouette. The asymmetric-hemmed navy dress is significantly less structured than most other pieces, but it almost mimics the motion of smoke. Conversely, chunky gray knitwear is a particularly dense, stagnant cloud. Also worth noting is the clever attention to details - the rounded, three-dimensional collar of the over sized jumper is repeated in lighter weight shifts.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: NAHM

NAHM, a relatively new line by Ally Hilfiger (yes, that Hilfiger) and Nary Manivong, is known for its staple shirt dresses, but this season it moves into new territory. Hilfiger cites the powerful, fearless woman as a source of inspiration, but there's a clear nod to the 1920s in selection of prints. Sometimes we just like pretty things - I'm a sucker for the coral, pale aqua, and brick red. This is another collection that could very easily be translated into looks for off the runway... wink, wink.



And look closely... Loeffler Randall collaborated on the footwear for this collection. Mirrored platforms in black or the same wallpaper print? Sold.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: Calla

While I tend to eschew anything intensely twee or saccharine in my own sartorial choices out of fear of looking like a child, the sweet aesthetic sometimes speaks to me. I have a rule, though: it mustn't be all peter pan collars, doll-like silhouettes, and cotton candy hues. Newcomer Calla Haynes' eponymous line does include the latter two, but an exception to my rule arises when there's something a little strange, or sour perhaps, appears.



Any notion of twee disappears after the first few looks; speckled skinny pants and a matching jacket, a figure-conscious dress with marble-like prints, a mod-silhouette geometric tweed coat over a fuchsia turtleneck dress, and a tweed motorcycle-esque jacket with matching shorts are anything but doll-like. The contrast of sweet and "sour" work quite well in this collection; it can often seem contrived or derivative - the floral babydoll dress and combat boots combination is not the only means to create this dichotomy. And let's be serious, for a second... that coat is amazing. Seriously.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: Organic by John Patrick

While I do love a healthy dose of quirkiness, each season I'm drawn to a few particular labels for their wearability (Rachel Comey, Steven Alan, Organic by John Patrick, to name a few). Sleek, casual, and practical are terms that come to mind, and I often wouldn't mind donning these designers' looks from head-to-toe.



Patrick uses Julia Margaret Cameron's portrait entitled "A Beautiful Vision" (see here) as a source of inspiration as well as a title for his entire autumn collection. Cameron, a nineteenth-century British photographer who began her work in her late forties, was largely interested in the concept of beauty in her photography career, which is perhaps something Patrick played upon with ideas of femininity and masculinity. On a more basic level, the textured taupe fabric, quilted Barbour-esque outerwear, trench silhouettes and prints are all a nod to classic British heritage.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com

New York Fashion Week F/W 2012: Creatures of the Wind

There's something undeniably kooky about newcomers Shane Gabier and Chris Peters's fall collection for Creatures of the Wind. There's folksy, circus-meets-couture vibes abound, which isn't much of a surprise when taking into account that the inspiration stemmed from seventeenth-century fantasy tales.



What I love about this collection is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Designers often derive inspiration from a muse, whether real or imagined, who would wear their clothes - or perhaps just a general "for the woman who..." It's evident that these garments are a well-refined extension of the designers' imagination. But it's not all fantasy and whimsy; these looks would translate beautifully on the slightly-eccentric dresser.

xox Catherine

Photos via Style.com