LFW SS11 Diary: Lako Bukia

Rather excitingly yesterday saw the inaugural catwalk show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout for Lako Bukia. Having followed her career for the past few seasons and attending her AW10 Fashion Mavericks show, I was happy to see Bukia take to a larger stage, as she has more than enough talent to fill it.

As the show was running slightly behind schedule I had a look in the exhibition upstairs (details to follow soon) and headed back to the catwalk space only to resume queuing behind none other than Janice Dickinson (search Twitter for my unkind comments about her appearance). So with Janice in the front row I was expecting great things and was far from disappointed – especially after seeing Bukia’s trademark shoes.

Inspired by Soviet Union architecture, and particularly the block buildings which remain in her native Georgia, Bukia’s SS11 collection, Surati is dedicated to Georgian culture and religion, with a beautiful and ethereal colour palette taken from the cityscapes’ soft hues of grey, teal and pink. To create her unrivalled fusion of softness and structure Bukia uses a plethora of bountiful and fluid fabrics: organza, silk, satin, crepe, chiffon, georgette and cotton to great effect, utilising draping and pleating techniques to create sleek and modern silhouettes that are overtly feminine and easily wearable.

With the main emphasis on strong and angular shoulder lines, silhouettes were dramatized with pointy triangles creating a striking futuristic balance between strength and fragility. Key garments were beautifully constructed drop waisted dresses and voluminous maxis. In terms of hair and make-up, intriguing buns whereby the ponytail is doubled over at the front were present creating a superficial fringe by way of a Croydon facelift.