So, we have 2 days of London Fashion Week behind us and another three to go. So far it has been quite exciting and so much different from Berlin (What a surprise…) There is a bit more glamour, style and a lot more Champagne involved here… Read on for our impressions.
Friday: Noir/Bllack Noir
Our London Fashion Week experience started on Friday with runway show of Noir and Bllack Noir and a press viewing of Estethica – an exhibition of ecologically sustainable clothing lines – including Champagne reception. The Noir collections were very likeable ready-to-wear pieces, nothing to exciting though. The exhibition featured some interesting designers, but with free Moet it got a little to busy quite quickly so we finished our glasses and took a little shopping detour with Jessie and Julia from LesMads to Carnaby Street.
Ashish
In the afternoon we went over to the London Hippodrome to see Ashish. There we learnt how degrading a standing ticket can be like, having to wait on the other side of the street in a seperate line, which we later fondly refered to as the looser-line.
Ashish put on quite a show in a great circus like venue and proved that collections don’t have to play safe in times of recession. He showed bold colors, animal patterns and pompoms. A carnival for the eyes – absolutely fun to look at.
Arutyunov SA
In the evening Russian designer Arutyunov showed her glamorous collection in an almost intimate but equally fancy location. She presented a mix of voluptuous Haute Couture and glittering ready-to-wear dresses which I thought were both impressive and sexy. Of course we were even more pleased with the delicious finger food and desserts handed out later at the Champagne reception. A chunk of decadence was just what we needed to close this eventful day.
Saturday: Qasimi
The Qasimi show at St. Mary’s Church was defenitely not everybody’s cup of tea. The collection was quite small, all black and very dramatic. The designer presented a few big Haute Couture dresses with giant hats, which I thought were quite entertaining, and a few ready-to-wear drape dresses, as well as 4 men’s designs which I did not like at all. At least the show was entertaining to watch, as they played orchastrated pop songs and had some former top models on the runway.
Vauxhall Fashion Scout
Although we had an invitation we did not get into the Basso & Brooks show (buh!) as the venue was way too small for all the people on the guestlist. It was a real shame as we were there more than half an hour early and stood so close to the entrance. We hooked up with Mareth and Katja and went over to the Vauxhall Fashion Scout which offered journalists and bloggers a media center that was so well organized and cosy that it almost felt like a visit to the Spa between running around from one show to another.
Ioanis Dimitrousis
The Vauxhall Fashion Scout had some of the most interesting young designers on their schedule. One of them Greek designer Ioanis Dimitrousis who presented a stunning collection with metal meshes and steal nails. Dangerous!
Check out Katja’s post about the rest of our day….
