Ramon Gurillo delivered exactly what he does best with his latest AW10 collection at London Fashion Week. His signature hand-crafted knits stole the show as they made up the perfect winter wardrobe.
The models emerged in hues of black, light grey and gritty charcoals layered loosely for an effortless style. Fine knits with gaping holes and tasseled edges glided over wet look leggings. A grey ruffled cardigan gave an over-sized silhouette, cinched in the waist with a glossy black belt. Beanie hats, headbands and stacked platform shoes were used to style the show, emphasising the wearabilty of his looks.
First off, this hair reminds us of the hair that Valentino adamantly rejected in 'Valentino: The Last Emperor', which we watched again this weekend. But more importantly, we're loving the Sonia Rykiel pour H&M collection, which now has a lookbook out. Naomi previewed the knitwear collection at the lingerie show in Paris, thanks to the H&M team, and as the release date gets closer and closer, we're getting anxious to stock our closets.
The knitwear collection - which will be sold for women, as well as girls ages 1.5 to 8 - is a playful range, complete with sets of chunky bangles and other accessories. We especially like the relaxed black playsuit and yellow-striped bowtie cardigan, so we'll mark our calendars for 20 February, when the collection hits the shelves of 250 H&M stores.
When you're wrapping up this winter we know it's not all about keeping warm. The only way to keep the cold out this season is with oversized textured pieces. With knitwear the only rule is the chunkier the better. Quirky cut out detailing or shaggy fringing will add to the textured style of this trend. Leather, suede and fur compliment the knitwear by continuing the textile theme. Larger than life snoods and scarves are a must and you could even take up knitting, either way it's all perfect to keep you toasty this Christmas.
H&M can do no wrong. In the past, the high street retailer has collaborated with everyone from Karl Lagerfeld to their most recent line with Jimmy Choo, not to mention the highly anticipated lingerie and knitwear collaboration with Sonia Rykiel.
Just when we thought that was good enough, the retailer has announced that the Sonia Rykiel collection will be officially unveiled and celebrated with a big runway show in Paris on December 1, days before the collection hits stores.
The show will take place at the Grand Palais, the place of choice for Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel's runway shows, and will showcase the full line including both lingerie and knitwear.
If you cast your mind back to the star studded Stella McCartney launch and the Matthew Williamson party with Grace Jones in attendance, speculation for the font row of the show is already in full swing.
We are pleased to reveal that The Fash Pack will be attendance and will be reporting and tweeting live from the event for you so stay tuned.
Knitwear specialist, Alice Palmer, held her first stand-alone show at VFS. Wowing the crowd with beautiful, and surprisingly wearable, architectural pieces, Palmer's inspiration from Vegas hotels shone through. Uniting bright, block shades of purple, blue and teal, with innovative and bold shapes, the collection was reminiscent of Issey Miyake's Pleats Please, although took on a whole new approach.
Predominantly dresses, with the odd jump suit thrown in for good measure, overall the show projected a sensual and tailored look. Merge that with well-executed draping and you get the perfect fit we saw on the models, a technique that subtly draws attention to the female form. And to add another dimension to that, literally, Palmer used padding and chains to zone into key features such as enlarged shoulders, and cut-out sections in the bodice. The result: a collection that stands out from others and wouldn't look out of place amongst any number of high-profile designers. Palmer is definitely one to watch.
Picture the girl you know who can do everything. That's Madeleine Thompson, whose namesake knitwear and cashmere line is making its US debut in a few weeks. Of course, this comes after she earned a law degree from London's Durham University, worked as a buyer for Lane Crawford and successfully started her own jewellery brand. Kate Moss and Renee Zellweger are fans - and now the aforementioned clothing business, which Thompson launched in 2007, has Sienna Miller and Agyness Deyn looking even more stylish.
That's quite a fan list for age 28, but her chic pieces are perfect for busy women, and that deserves a reward. With Thompson's friend Poppy Delevigne modelling for her Fall '09 lookbook, we're sure there's even more buzz to come for this style queen.
But for right now, let's see what the designer has to say about Nicole Richie, Kanye West and her fabulous new digs.
Nico D is all about wearability - and we love that. Chunky knits in classic shapes were styled with oversized leather bags, trilby and khaki trousers for ultimate comfort.
Tailoring was a strength of the show. Jackets, with oversized collars in satin, were boxy and structured with angular shapes at the front, drawing on Didonna's interest in geometry this season.
Evening wear was strong, tied in by a theme of sequins that adroned black turtlenecks, mens tuxedos and floor length evening gowns.
Geometric shapes was the source of inspiration for the show but was not clear in the collection. Individual looks worked well, but toverall the show lacked cohesion. The designer served us with a bit of leather and grunge, some sequins a la Ashish and some casual urban wearable looks rather than committing to one theme and seeing it through. Styling was also inconsistent, starting off very strong and losing it's punch towards the last few looks where a beautiful black knee length dress was teamed with pink fish net tights.
