LFW Diary AW12: On|Off at the Rook + Raven Gallery

On|Off at the Rook + Raven Gallery from On|Off TV on Vimeo.

On Thursday I attended perhaps the most visually exciting and bizarre pre-LFW event of the AW12 season, On|Off’s ‘Stoboscopic showcase’ held at the Rook + Raven Gallery.

An exclusive soirée held in conjunction with Land Rover, this preview celebrated the best of On|Off’s forthcoming Paris line-up in the format of an intimate one off evening showcasing fashion, film, performance and art. Highlights included exclusive live performances and DJ sets from:
Amanda Lepore ft. Charlie Le Mindu
Martin Creed ft. Matteo Molinari
Natt Weller ft. Lee Lapthorne
Ryan Styles ft. Yang Du
Irina Lazareanu ft. Raphaelle H’Limi
Brendand Courtney ft. Bronwen Marshall
Early Morning Rebel and Marques Toliver

With just 80 guests the evening was a blur of striking visual art with performance artists as diverse as Amanda Lepore – the world’s most famous transsexual and an effervescent fixture on the New York scene, for those who don’t know – Ryan Styles and while not strictly performance, there is something overtly theatrical about the designs of both Charlie Le Mindu and Yang Du which were brought to life through dance and mime.

With several video projection screens set up and performance areas dotted around the Soho gallery, guests huddled together and were taken aback when a performance would spring up to their left or directly in front of them. I had the pleasure of seeing Marques Toliver up close and was genuinely blown away.

A gifted violinist and emotive vocalist, Toliver’s story is amazing - he cut his teeth supporting himself through busking with his violin and working in a vintage store in Brooklyn before travelling to the UK as part of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson’s band, and is perhaps my best discovery this month!

Also on the evening the On|Off Visionary Award winner for 2012 was announced. Judged by On|Off founder Lee Lapthorne, Editor-in-Chief of LOVE magazine Katie Grand and model and Rankin’s other half Tuuli to name but a few, design duo Cunnington and Sanderson were the victors.

"I'm really thrilled to be asked in the selection for On|Off. I've always respected their taste in designers and think they have a completely unique vision, which is interesting and slightly subversive. This year's winner, Cunnington and Sanderson are new stars in the making. Their presentation was professional and thought provoking. I wish them the very best of luck for the future." – Katie Grand

Two lethal Corvoisier cocktails were served, one long; with apple juice and ginger beer and one short; with triple sec and a dash of lemon juice. I remember one being called a Sidecar and I distinctly recall overindulging in both.

A star studded evening, fashion heavyweights Zandra Rhodes, Jane Shepherdson and Dr Frances Corner OBE, Head of London College of Fashion, were out in full force making this one of the hottest dates in the LFW calendar.
*Images throughout courtesy of On|Off and Canoe PR.  

LFW Diary AW11: Jena.Theo

Imagery throughout courtesy of Essence Communications

Opening the internationally renowned On|Off platform for AW11, Jena Theo was the first show I attended at On|Off’s new Covent Garden show-space, Mercer Studios. Ridiculously over-subscribed - mainly due to the design duo’s extreme popularity - we all packed in to the tight space and eagerly waited for the brand’s signature dark aesthetic to captivate us - and captivate it did.

Entitled Valkyrie, the collection name is taken from Norse mythology, with the term Valkyrie,representing a band of celestial female figures who decide who will die in the field of battle. Known as lovers of heroes, Valkyrie take their chosen warriors to the Hall of the Slain. For their eagerly anticipated third on-schedule appearance at LFW, talented design duo Jenny Holmes and Dimitris Theocharidis have boldly taken their strong and somewhat dark aesthetic one step further, deftly juxtaposing elements of fantasy fiction and Norse mythology, to produce a highly covetable and wearable collection.

Expertly blending elements of 80’s Cinema with their signature bold and modern cuts and bleak colour palette, shapes were voluminous, with geometry and repeat patterns bringing the theme into the modern age. Key pieces included cute cashmere sweaters, a leather patchwork jacket, opulent silk modal jerseys and sand-wash silk satins which appeared in soft hues of black, charcoal grey and cream. Baby alpaca and wool hand-knits softened the bold lines created in the collection nicely, giving each garment an added layer of complexity.

With dark bands of matt black across the eyes of the models, the make-up for me typified the dark aesthetic of the Jena Theo brand, an aesthetic that has so far brought them great success, which looks set to continue into next season.

LFW Diary AW11: Ada Zanditon

A concept designer whose bold collections I genuinely look forward to seeing every season is Ada Zanditon (pictured above with her collection), whose talent and international renown has gone stratospheric since I was first introduced to her work in October 2009 through a writing assignment for Amelia's Magazine. Taking a different approach for this AW11 season, Zanditon's collection, entitled The Cryoflux, premiered with a short film inspired by the collection (directed by Andrew and William Ho), accompanied by a static presentation at On|Off's new show space at The Mercer Studios. As a must-attend event off-schedule, Ada's presentation created so much buzz that guests had to queue to take pictures of each mannequin in a very orderly and classically British fashion.

Season after season Zanditon continues to show why she's at the forefront of ethical fashion, winning awards for her pioneering, creative and intellectual approach to womenswear. Continuing to persu her trademark aesthetic for sculptural and architectural design, this season Zanditon takes inspiration from the extreme climates of Antarctica. Reflected through a cool colour palette of navy, marine and flame, Zanditon plays to her strengths utilising the fluidity and structural elements of her heavily textured fabrics: melton wool, Scottish tweed, Ocean Buckingham shantung, firebird, marine double ombre chiffon and black vegetable tanned leather – bet you've never heard of some of those fabrics before!

With fewer garments showcased than I recall seeing in previous seasons, the collection had a great impact none-the-less, with many of the bloggers, fashion editors and stylists in attendance 'coo'ing over each and every piece. With a strong collection of show stopper dresses (perhaps out shining the separates), references to the natural formation of unbroken Antarctic waterfalls were bountiful. Eye-catching separates included the garbadine flared shorts and a stunning double silhouette maxi skirt. Coats also featured heavily, as you'd expect from a winter collection, with a variety on offer to suit any occasion (military, pea, trench and puffa), geometrically cut in an endless variety of digital prints and glacial silks. Building upon their prior collaborations, once again Zanditon has teamed up with chic jewellery designer Luca Romanyi to produce a magnificent range of geometric statement necklaces, created using a combination of printed tiles, silver chain and vegetable tanned leather.

Not necessarily how I would have chosen to present en mass on the inaugural day of LFW, somehow it worked, and yet again Ada Zanditon has triumphed, proving ethical and sustainable fashion can be just as chic, visionary and exciting as non, if not a hundred times better – and as an added bonus you get to enjoy your wardrobe with a squeaky clean conscience.

SS11 Press Days: Snow PR

Last week I also stopped by the Snow PR showroom for the inaugural time. With a great client list (highlights of which below) I was keen to check out their best brands in person. The first works I spotted were by  fashion designer and artist Zakee Shariff, whom I have written about previously. As a massive fan I loved looking at her newest prints and accessories in a plethora of bright colours - I particularly like the skull print. 

Another designer whom I spotted was that of On|Off founder/ director Lee Lapthorne who launched his eponymous range of scarves and hoods two seasons back. This time round the colour palette is light and crisp with beautiful digital prints in cool colours and silks.

A firm favourite is PPQ, who in my opinion didn't produce their strongest collection to date, however their SS11 offering was filled with lots of cute cocktail dresses (such as my favourite pictured right). Perfect for edgy and youthful sophistication.

A treat on the catwalk and a treat in the showroom is how I view the work of Pam Hogg. I absolutely love her space and 80's vibe aesthetic (above) and love how for SS11 its been mixed in with thick and heavy linens (below), with an intriguing straight-jacket theme reminiscent of a SS09 Converse trainer designed by Ozzy Osbourne.

 Lastly I spied the work of Horace, above and below, whose painterly, distressed and slightly OTT garments are brilliant - definitely a brand now firmly on my wishlist.

LFW Diary SS11: Ada Zanditon

A firm favourite, whom I have followed for the past three seasons (SS10 and AW10), yesterday afternoon at On|Off, Ada Zanditon displayed a salon show of her new SS11 collection, quirkily called The Pyramora – to rave reviews and rapturous applause.

Utilising fractal geometry and tessellation to provide the foundation for her architecturally disciplined collection, Zanditon combined innovation and ingenious shapes with technical precision, to create something entirely her own. Inspired by The Great Pyramid and the delicate structure of coral reefs, Zanditon plumped for light and translucent materials such as fine chiffon, organic cotton, silk douppion and recycled heritage British brand trench fabrics to form intriguing structural shapes.

With gravity-defying conical hair personifying the pyramid theme, models were adorned in vibrant iridescent turquoise, gold and burnt orange present in a kaleidoscope of prints depicting coral reefs combined with watercolour to provide the colour palette and backdrop for the range, completed with Zanditon’s illustrations.

A matching caramel coloured vegetable dyed leather crop top and mini skirt was a standout look that shouldn’t work, but indeed it did exuding attitude and confidence. For the first time – I can recall - Ada has collaborated with a jewellery designer, Luca Romanyi to produce square porcelain tiles broken into triangles depicting the recurring prints, enhanced with Swarovski crystals and leather.

A truly fabulous collection and I’m really rooting for her to get more stockists and the international acclaim she truly deserves.

Beekay

An old friend whom I bumped into during LFW was Beekay who was exhibiting as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout in the grand setting of the Freemasons Hall.

Having graduated back in 2008, Beekay debuted his menswear label at On|Off last year where he showcased his collections for AW09 and SS10.

Inspired by heavy metal animations, Beekay utilised his signature leather to great effect creating a striking AW10 collection inspired by natural motifs, with particular attention to the natural contours of tree trucks and the raw textures of leaves.

London Fashion Week Exhibitions: On|Off

As with every season, a highlight of going to the On|Off show space meant a great opportunity to check out their designer showcase. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to catch up with some friends and familiar faces such as the lovely Yan To, and the iridescent Brooke Roberts, whose luxury knitwear I just can't get enough of. As you can see from the range of images below, Brooke's second job as a radiographer heavily influences her collections, often utilising images taken from x-rays and CAT scans. In the extreme close-ups you can see her (now) trademark ortho fringing, where she uses special metallic plates that are used to correct/ replace bone. with her collections getting bigger and - if possible - better each season I'm already looking forward to SS11!

What I love about both designers is their unique and raw talent, which is increasingly hard to come by these days, especially in the fashion industry so it was truly a delight to see them both doing so well and producing further epic collections for AW10. I first wrote about Yan To back in November when I came across his debut collection 'One' at a press day.

I also discovered a new designer too, which is always great. I love that feeling of unadulterated excitement you get when you feel as though you've stumbled upon something really fantastic, indeed a real gem. What I liked about Aroma 30 was the elegant simplicity, which is something I feel is so hard to get just right, and she nailed it!

It was also great to see the Bryce Aime collection up close and personal, as whilst it was a great show, nothing beats being at close range, especially when the collection in question was a highly sculptural and artistic as Bryce's offering for AW10.