With London Fashion Week done and dusted and the fashion world now upping sticks to Milan to sample the next round of designer collections, here are just a few of the highlights from London.
Issa London Autumn 2011
The hotly anticipated Issa London Autumn 2011 collection did not disappoint. Thanks to Kate Middleton, this London label has been catapulted into the world spotlight, with Issa being responsible for that engagement dress and the princess-in-waiting’s love of Danielle Issa Helayel’s jersey dresses and elegant column gowns. Whilst there were still plenty of easy-to-wear dresses, Helayel has taken things up a notch with a 70s-inspired collection, including heavier-weight knit pants, cheeky skater dresses and thigh-skimming wrap dresses. Beautiful prints in autumnal color palettes of teal blue, plum, frosty gray and chocolate brown made this collection different from her last, where for spring 2011 the designer concentrated more on color blocks than print. One of the key pieces for fall 2011 was a lipstick red fit-and-flare coat, which seemed to embody Issa’s style and all that makes the label a favorite with the future Queen of England.
Tom Ford Fall 2011
London Fashion Week's hosting of Tom Ford’s second womens wear collection was somewhat of a fashion coup. However, the only trouble is very few people have seen it. Only a select few, which were made up of mainly magazine editors, were invited to view the behind-closed-doors collection, and they were sworn to secrecy by signing a non-disclosure agreement, although rumor has it that the designer took his inspiration for this collection from Goya. This is the first time the American designer has shown at London Fashion Week and the fashion press can only wait patiently for the pieces to be revealed in May 2011. Having only recently returned to the fashion spotlight, after a break of six years, this is part of Tom Ford’s rejection of fast-paced fashion, whereby once collections have been shown so far in advance of the actual season, the designs can then be used for inspiration by more commercial labels. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar (January 2011), Tom Ford said about his designs, "Because I can’t have them in a store for 5 months, why should they go on the internet? Why should I help H&M figure out that leopard is the right thing for the season?”
Burberry Prorsum Autumn 2011
In complete contrast to Tom Ford’s philosophy of keeping his collection away from the media, Burberry Prorsum streamed its catwalk show live for its latest collection. The show that took place in a marquee in London’s Kensington Gardens on Monday, February 21st, 2011, and was screened in over 150 countries (not to mention numerous iPhones and iPads!). One screening took place in London’s Piccadilly Circus, on its iconic 32-meter digital screen for the benefit of onlookers and tourists.
Burberry’s chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey, told the Daily Mail that by allowing this worldwide screening, “Everyone will be able to feel the energy and attitude of the brand and the excitement of the show.”
The show itself (having had its biggest ever audience due to the live screenings) was certainly one to get excited about. It was the main event at London Fashion Week, with Samantha Cameron, Alexa Cheung and Vogue editor Anna Wintour in attendance.
Dubbed "Let it Snow" by Fashionishing.com, the label actually managed to make it snow (inside) during the closing moments of the show. The grand finale consisted of models wearing all-white outerwear, overlaid with short, transparent rain capes edged in black.
Burberry has come a long way since its iconic trench coat. This was an early 60s-inspired collection, which predominantly featured cleverly cut outerwear in leather, fur and animal prints and blanket checks in color palettes of monochromes, bright red, orange, turquoise, mossy green and brown. What brought pieces up to date was the way Burberry had played with proportions, dropping the shoulder, cropping the body and exploding the sleeve.
Burberry’s fall 2011 collection was named after 60s siren Jean Shrimpton, who once did advertising for the label. The designs consisted of Shrimpton-esque pieces that you could imagine her modeling in her heyday, with drop-waisted and tuilip-skirted dresses and mod sweaters.
It seems that at some of the shows at London Fashion Week, 60s and 70s influences continued to play an important role in modern fashion for autumn 2011. As part of a key fall 2011 trend, expect also to see a revival in Roaring Twenties' flapper fashion, with reworked drop-waisted 1920s flapper dresses.
Sources:
- Dykes, Daniel P.“Let it Snow” Fashionishing .com, February 21st, 2011.
- Maysa, Rawai. “Who needs a ticket to London Fashion Week, Burberry Prorsum set to stream live show on iconic screen in Picadilly Circus,” Daily Mail, February 17th, 2011.
- Blanks, Tim. Burberry Prorsum Ready-to-Wear Fall 2011, Style.com, February 21st, 2011.
Gill Hart - Gill Hart is a fashion and image professional who specializes in women's fashion over 50.
