This Year's Fashion Weeks Spark Hope for High Sales

Burberry - Image courtesy of
The Daily Telegraph

After reading Drapers, 'Catwalk brights bode well for premium chains', I'm hopeful that maybe this recession is starting to come to an end!

As Paris Fashion Week drew to a close, it sounded as if high street retailers were feeling confident that bold colors, innovative pant shapes and cool outerwear might help to increase sales for fall 2011.

Clive Reeve, head of design at Arcadia-owned womenswear chain Wallis told Drapers,  “I think the trouser thing is going to be really strong. There’s a continuation of the midi-length skirt and boots, which is a really good story for autumn 11.”

Other retailers feel outerwear will be the biggest seller. The runway was full of bright colored trench coats that should fly off the racks for next season's winter blues.

Let's hope their sales forecasts are right and we see a retail boom this year!

LONDON FASHION WEEK - PPQ

PPQ’s autumn/winter 2008 show opened to a crowd that included Kimberly Stewart, Lily Allen and Peaches and Pixie Geldof. This was their 10th Anniversary of the ‘Freedom to Party’ Party and the crowd anxiously awaited for the show to begin.

Rich colours graced the runway in reds, golds, purples and blues. Polka dots and tye dye made a few appearances, while studded belts and leather jackets gave the collection a punk-rocker feel.

Luxury fabrics such as black velvet, lace and satin were used throughout the collection. The standout outfit was a multi-coloured satin dress that proved PPQ is still one to reckon with.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - INBAR SPECTOR

Inbar Spector’s autumn/winter 2008 collection debuted at London Fashion Week and proved that this up and coming designer knows how to take risks and create innovative and stylish designs.

Spector’s inspiration was the issue of immigration and the “notion of relocation and carrying your previous life on yourself.” This was evident in the zippers, buckles and heavy-duty combat materials used to create her clothing.

Intricate detailing, corsets, lacing, silk and chiffon were used in many of the outfits, giving the collection a more feminine touch. The standout outfit was a floor-length white dress with ruffles, but never straying far from her immigration theme the dress had a black backing that looked similar to a backpack.


Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - CHRISTOFOROS KOTENTOS

Christoforos Kotentos showcased his innovative autumn/winter ’08 collection to a full house at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Christoforos’s ‘Queens of War’ collection he said “was inspired by the importance of women throughout history and mythology.” According to the show’s handout his collection is a “representation of a powerful woman who is also a modern day warrior fighting for the highest values in life.”

His pieces consisted of intricate details with geometrical cuts and cut outs and also featured drapery and his emblem, the sword. He used luxury fabrics such as cashmere, silk jersey, wool and leather with a colour palette that included black, silver and bronze.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - AFSHIN FEIZ

Making his second appearance at London Fashion Week, Afshin Feiz’s autumn/winter ’08 collection, Cocoon, was inspirational, feminine and futuristic. His inspiration for the collection was the butterfly and he used ruffled and heart shaped blouses and dresses to represent the beautiful creature.


Keeping with his butterfly theme, cocoon shapes were seen in twisted skirts, dresses and coats. Known for using bright colours, this season Feiz opted for a darker palette and used fabrics such as wool, jersey jacquards and tulle.

However, he still included a few coloured satin and metallic pieces for the woman who dares to be different. Two standout pieces were a floor length satin green dress and a bright yellow knee length dress.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - NICOLE FARHI

Nicole Farhi’s ready-to-wear autumn/winter ’08 collection is feminine, elegant and chic. Her collection is made for a confident and stylish woman who enjoys classic lines, intricate detailing and luxurious fabrics.

Her colour palette consisted of black, grey, navy and creams with red accents. Nicole gave some of her classic looks a bit of an edge by adding black fringed leather gloves and a variety of different hats to complete each look.


Her collection of suiting, dresses and skirts consisted of chiffon, silk, wool, cashmere and knits. The standout design was a gold silk organza cap sleeved dress accented with a black bow that tied in the front and black suede ankle boots.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - JOHN ROCHA

John Rocha’s autumn/winter 2008 collection was a breath of fresh air as the runway was injected with bursts of colour. Bright tomato reds, candy pinks, purples as well as pastels used under some skirts.

The detailing was meticulous with twisted and knotted fabrics, hand crochet, dense metallic embroideries and sequin panelling. The fabrics used were cashmere, wool felt, lambs wool, silk crepe de chine and georgette legrere.

Known for his fascination with surface and texture works, John introduced new surfaces for this collection by using techniques such as beaten nakshi, intricate beading and gold braids.

One of the standout pieces was a bright red coat with pockets that had a deep purple skirt in a bell shape peeking out from beneath.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - JAEGER LONDON

Jaeger London’s debut was the collection everyone was waiting to see and the wait was well worth it. Karen Boyd and the Jaeger design team created a collection dripping with sexiness, glamour and intrigue for their first time at London Fashion Week.



The contemporary collection had a colour palette of neutrals, deep forest green, black, warm mossy shades, and camel with snake and animal textures, graphic florals and “subtle tribal references”.

From the structured swing capes to the silk velvet kimono dresses the entire collection was what you would like to have hanging in your closet. One of the stand out pieces was a shaggy Mongolian jacket.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - Ben de Lisi

Ben de Lisi has been doing London Fashion Week since 1995 and always puts on a good show, this year was no different. His entire collection was one of understated glamour and chic style.

From the tight silver pants to the floor length maroon dress every piece that was showcased was ready-to-wear. His colour palette was black, purples, camel, silver and a few patterned pieces.

There were two must-have items a sparkly silver blazer with a black button and a black patent wet-looking trench coat with a bow in the front. When both of these items came down the runway you could hear the crowd gasp in admiration.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - BIBA

Biba’s fourth season at London Fashion Week showed how much the label has grown over the years and what better place than Claridge’s ballroom to show their new look.


The autumn/winter 2008-9 collection was the perfect balance between the past and future drawing on inspiration from the artists Gustav Klimt and Camille Rose Garcia.

The highly textural, embellished fabrics were dramatic and glamorous. There were sequins, graphic prints, organic shapes, velvet, tweed and metallic flecked wool throughout the show.

With a colour palette of midnight blues, greys and blacks injected with red, teal, turquoise and fuchsia it was anything but boring. The nature theme was evident throughout the show as models sashayed down the runway in dresses with rose petal construction, rounded shaped skirts with ruffles and voluminous blouses.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - JEAN PIERRE BRAGANZA

Double layered wool, piping, crepe for drape and open-ended panelling all made an appearance on the Mango store runway of Jean Pierre Braganza. The shop transformed their top floor into a catwalk venue for London Fashion Week to a crowd that included Hilary Alexander, the Telegraph’s Fashion editor.

The New Gen Designer of Autumn/Winter 2008 was handpicked by Lagerfeld as his protégé and is known for his signature sharp tailoring and deconstructed shapes. Jean Pierre’s runway was anything but ordinary with each tailored silhouette having a futuristic feel.

His collection featured a lot of black and grey with flashes of fuchsia and used satin, leather, knits and wool. With a round of applause at the end of the show expect his futuristic view of the modern world to be the next big thing.

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

LONDON FASHION WEEK - PAUL COSTELLOE

I'll be posting the shows that I've covered during London Fashion Week with the photographs I took for my work experience with Annazbell.com. Hope you enjoy the reports! I'll begin with Paul Costelloe since he was he kicked off London Fashion Week.

“I was inspired by the Golden Age of Couture at the Victoria and Albert Museum,” Paul Costello told Annazbell.com before he opened the Autumn/Winter 2008 London Fashion Week for the fifth consecutive year.

The Dublin-born designer showcased exquisitely tailored clothes while using rich fabrics such as printed tweed, knits and duchess satin. One signature piece Paul mentioned to Annazbell.com was what he called the “crunch skirt”. Which was a black and white bubble skirt made out of organic wool.

The majority of his collection featured colours of black and grey with some bright reds and oranges. Another nice touch was the turquoise lining in one of his black long coats that graced the runway.

The showstopper was the final piece, an elegant strapless ivory dress that came above the knee in the front but had a long and flowing train in the back. His collection was one of elegance and old world glamour that was made for the woman who loves chic and classy clothing.

When asked about expanding his label outside the UK and Ireland he responded, “I would love to do that but we are trying to make people more aware of the brand first.” I have a feeling that won't take too long!

Original report was written for Annazbell.com

Vivienne Westwood Returns to London!

Drapers magazine announced today that Vivienne Westwood has confirmed that she will be returning to London Fashion Week after a nine year hiatus from the show. Westwood will be showing her autumn 08 Red Label collection in February.

She said: "We are back by popular demand. The sales of all of our lines are increasing and we decided that the Red Label, which is successful worldwide and so popular in the UK, should have its own show."

I'm very excited to see what she has in store for us that week!

The New Gen Winners for London Fashion Week

To support the best new up and coming designers at London Fashion Week, the BFC's New Generation sponorship was put into place in 1993 and has been known to launch the careers of some of the biggest powerhouses in fashion.

These include: Alexander McQueen, Clements Ribeiro, Matthew Williamson, Julien Macdonald and Sophia Kokosalaki, among many others.

According to London Fashion Week the autumn/winter 2008 winners for the catwalk are as follows: Christopher Kane, Duro Olowu, Erdem, Krystof Strozyna, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab, MeadhamKirchhoff, Todd Lynn.

The new designers that will be showcasing their collections at the exhibition are: Anna Vince, Borba Margo, Charlotte Olympia, David David, Emilio de la Morena, Felder Felder, Hannah Marshall, House of Holland, Justin Smith, Nicholas Kirkwood, Peter Pilotto, Poltock & Walsh.

For more information on the designers or about the show visit www.londonfashionweek.co.uk