LFW Diary AW11: Eun Jeong

In the heart of the famed Covent Garden Piazza for the second season in a row, the 2008 Fashion Fringe Award winner, Eun Jeong held her AW11 showcase with breathtaking results. As we waited for the second showing to start late on Friday afternoon, guests were more than happy to examine our Kipling and Cosmetic á la Carte goody bags whilst absent-mindedly tapping our feet to a variety of delightful speakeasy tunes which really set the scene and gave me instant visions of the latter years of the hot new HBO drama Boardwalk Empire. It was a pleasure to see the talented and serenely beautiful Iraina Mancini (of former pop group Mancini fame), manning the decks, and as we went to school together it was lovely to catch up after the show and hear all about her hot new band and plans for 2011 – all I can say is watch this space!

As the lights dimmed and the show began, we were treated to an artful collision of Jeong's modern and timeless aesthetic, emphatically displaying the designer's love of her craft – evident in her intuitive fabric choices and refusal to stray from her signature draping. Taking 30's tailoring and embellishment as her inspiration, Jeong deftly discovered ways of resurrecting the classic minimal silhouette, which originally came to international prominence with stars of the silver screen such as Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford wearing minimalist fashion in Hollywood.

Iraina Mancini

With an emphasis on neck lines and sexy structured bodices, Jeong's garments embodied a sense of empowerment rarely seen in a designer so young. Beautifully crafted intricate airy pleating combined with an unexpected injection of colour in the form of striking Art Deco prints created a look just as relevant in the 30's as it is today, some 80 years later. Simply blocked base colours of nude, beige and black were cleverly mixed with vintage gold and cold grey shades to create an air of elegant and youthful femininity. Offering a variety of textures and an assortment of skirt lengths to rival any high spec prêt-a-porter collection, Jeong perfectly encapsulates the spirit of 30's tailoring with this bankruptcy inducing collection, appealing to the modern working woman.

A genuinely great show and an amazing collection, I loved the little details such as lace and embroidered underskirts, hip bustles and who could forget the beautiful linear print that featured on the invitation and heavily throughout the collection – most noticeably on printed colour pop silk scarves worn in the models’ hair. Accessorizing with super-skinny belts and an assortment of black knee-high boots from Dune, it was little touches such as vintage inspired leather driving gloves by Sermoneta that really offset Jeong's period designs. Soft curls by Lock On Ego added to the drama as did seductive and smoky eyes by Cosmetic á La Carte. All in all, an incredible display of staggering attention to detail and genuine raw talent making this one of my top three shows of the season.

Sex and the City 2: Flashback to the '80s

Yesterday eagerly anticipated images were leaked from the NYC set of Sex and the City 2, due for release in spring 2010. Pictures emerged of our four favourite Manhattan residents Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Miranda Hobbes and charlotte York wearing a variety of fetching outfits revived from the depths of the worst ‘80s wardrobes. Clearly influenced by the ‘80s flashback trend seen on the FW09 catwalks, the four were papped shooting flashback scenes which pre date the original HBO hit series.
Carrie and Samantha had the most outlandish outfits by far (pictured above). With Carrie channelling an early Madonna complete with corset, tutu, pearls, fishnets, and the obligatory big hair looking as over the top as I would have imagined her when she first moved to Manhattan in the early ‘80s. In keeping with her character Samantha opted for a more punk influenced ensemble, complete with studded denim waistcoat, snake skin effect fishnet leggings and the biggest perm I’ve seen since the emergence of glam rock!
Miranda as the professional of the group was snapped wearing a hideous variety of unflattering power suits and a particularly fetching bowl haircut making her look by far the worst (pictured above). The Upper East Side princess Charlotte looked rather similar to her modern day appearance, dressed in a preppy polo-shirt, skirt and cardigan combo. The only ‘80s influence visible was her ever so slightly back combed hair- and what on earth are those pink pompoms doing on the heels of her trainers??? (pictured below)
The influence of the legendary SATC stylist Patricia Field is clearly visible in these shots and I’m so excited to see how she dresses the cast reflecting the financial constraints of the 'credit crunch'. Absolutely can’t wait for the sequel due for release next May. And with the legendary Bette Midler snapped on set, rumour has it that she will play the role of Carrie’s mother. With a canny resemblance to SJP I think Bette Midler would be a brilliant addition to the cast and with the two working so well together when they played witches in 1993’s ‘Hocus Pocus’ I for one cannot wait.

Images courtesy of the official Sex and the City website and Daily Mail Online respectively.