Kicking off my third official
LFW as a freelancer and blogger was the superbly talented
Maria Grachvogel who lived up to all of my buoyant expectations. Set in the resplendent and newly refurbished
Savoy Hotel's grand Lancaster Ballroom, Maria Grachvogel was so inspired by the venue for her AW11 showcase that she named both a tuxedo and flannel jacket after the decadent Edwardian Building.
Taking inspiration from a variety of sources the resulting aesthetic was a heady mixture of dark tribal prints evocative of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, with a purposefully engineered artwork to encompass each garment. Beautifully ethereal and abstract shapes infiltrated the catwalk including signature pieces such as 'the magic pants' and softly draped dresses, which any discerning woman would kill to have in her capsule wardrobe. With relaxed tailoring taking the spotlight, printed wool dresses were bountiful as were loose fitting silk shirts with flamboyant balloon sleeves.
With a somewhat muted colour palette of ebony, grey, cream and flesh, bright bursts of tangerine orange, and subtle jewel tones ensured the collection had the wow factor. Texture also played an important role, with rich fabrics such as silk, georgette, lace and cashmere making interesting surfaces for Grachvogel’s fluid petrol-looking prints.
Grachvogel's
MAC make-up and hair by
Kenna was some of the best I’ve seen so far on the catwalks, with strong dark blue/ purple lips and exquisite buns which incorporated samurai style horizontal spears, held in place with copious amounts of gel. In a special thank you on the press release, I noted that Grachvogel enlisted the services of a spiritual healer backstage by the name of
Ingrid Collins. I don't know what she did, but it certainly worked a treat, as this was a fantastic show and a superb setting to launch my LFW.
