Forget those slogan T-shirts which made him a household name, Henry Holland has moved on. The designer behind the House of Holland label is all about Pantone colour cards these days, showing his most grown-up collection to date. The show opened with a square-cut box jacket featuring colour blocks and horizontal stripes. This theme continued into dresses, skinny trousers, tights and knitted jumpers. There was the odd hairy coat, sequinned panelling, and chunky chain-link accessories designed by Kate Hillier. Even with pal Agyness Deyn hitting the catwalk again for him and whipping up a crowd frenzy, I can't deny that this collection left me dizzy. Bold? Yes. Brilliant? No.
Proving he's still the up-and-comer to watch and fully deserving of his Vauxhall Fashion Scout Merit Award, William Tempest last night showcased his first standalone show at London Fashion Week. Demand to get into the show was high, with ticket holders queuing outside the door for an age and even the likes of Sass & Bide designer Heidi Middleton being pointed in the direction of the standing section at the back.
Sitting front-row to take in the Tudor England-inspired show was actress and Tempest fanEmma Watson, who looked demure in a little floral dress with a sweet pinned-back hairdo. I imagine it won't be long before we see her wearing one of the futuristic mini dresses or floor-grazing sheer silk numbers on a red carpet near you. Taking inspiration from Hampton Court Palace in particular, Tempest's attention-to-detail - from the architectural necklines to the Elizabeth I face prints - makes this a very wearable collection indeed.
I got a text message last night to alert me to the fact that Emma Watson was sat front row at William Tempest wearing a floral dress. But who else has been nabbing the best seats at London Fashion Week? Click through for a gallery of the celebs who've been frequenting the tents this season...
After a long absence the fashion world was understandably excited for the return of Pam Hogg. Her panelled catsuits have arrived at just the right moment too, when fashion is all about the '90s and the space age trend is rapidly gaining momentum. With big names like Roisin Murphy and Gareth Pugh in the front row it was never going to be anything less than a high impact affair.
Hogg showed a variety of catsuits, as modelled by famous faces Liberty Ross, Daisy Lowe, Jaime Winstone and Alice Dellal. Club kids will go gaga for these outlandish designs but in fact the panelling was so cleverly cut as to be incredibly flattering. There was also a few sheer designs and beaded frothy tops, but it's the catsuit on which she's made her name, and it's the catsuit which is the focus of her collection.
We were already looking forward to the slasher-film inspired show after interviewing Back a few weeks ago, but the "Ann-Sofie Back burns in hell" show proved to be one of her best yet.
Taking her cues from cult films like Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead and Carrie, Back sent out models with whited-out faces and zombieesque contacts to a soundtrack of some of the greatest moments in horror including Tubular Bells and the Ghostbusters theme.
Julien Macdonald has been promising to grow up for years, and this time it really felt like he did. Though the show may have closed with the traditional bling-ridden dress (though this time it was high-necked and much cooler than the revealing frocks of old) the rest of the show was much more subdued, edgy and directional. There were the odd nods to the glamorous looks that made the designer famous (blue cut-out satin and short, sparkly mini dresses) but these were outshone by sharp shoulders, 80s influences, zippy bodycon pieces and huge furs.
CLICK THE IMAGE TO START THE GALLERY [all photos courtesy of Coutorture]
Former assistant to Roland Mouret, Todd Lynn, delivered up androgynous hard-edged pieces on Sunday morning, that were softened by Edwardian elegance. High collars, fur wraps, evening gloves and scarves helped to ease the tough leather-focused collection, in a palette of black-and-white. A hint of embellishment could be found in glittery bodices and in ropes of beads that were carried by each model, while the extreme heels continued with sky-high Louboutins. Click play on video above to watch show.
digg this |
del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
