D'Anice Aime's love of structure, and his innate understanding of what you can do with fabric, came through throughout his S/S 10 collection, even in the simpler pieces. Fitting in neatly with the French designer's 1950's Parisian chic look was a clean and simple colour palette of predominantly black and golden beige, that was until a sweet-coloured polka dot chiffon fabric featured in an outfit, and from then on we saw flashes of deep phone box red in glittered, chiffon and satin fabrics - some of which were manipulated into origami pleats, and padded out on the shoulders and pockets.
The design duo behind the brand that is Steve J and Yoni P unveiled their latest collection by way of a 'still life' inspired show which saw the models standing in one place for the duration of the presentation, whilst one model played the harp and sang in accompaniment.
The collection saw the design duo doing what they do best- striking the perfect balance between 'volume and drapery with tailoring to achieve their signature modern quirkiness'. Offering simple shapes, with emphasis on details such as cinched waists, bow details and rusched sleeves in a range of colours including navy, candy floss pink and grass green, for the womenswear collection whilst the men were dressed in navy slim fit blazers and khaki style shorts.
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.
Charlie Le Mindu poses with a model ahead of the Charlie Le Mindu Spring/Summer 2010 show as part of Blow Presents Week
French hair designer Charlie Le Mindu, who became a child prodigy during his time at the French Hair Academy began his trade at the tender age of thirteen years old. Today, Le Mindu introduced his new collection Girls of Paradise' for which he drew inspiration from the colourful plumes of bright coloured birds from all over the world.
Inspired by Niki Taylor's love of dance, Olanic returns to Vauxhall Fashion Scout with a collection that is both highly wearable and imminently interesting to behold. Metallic leathers accent casual jerseys, and most of the outfits are scattered with brightly coloured gems and copper beading. Simple, yet fitted silhouettes stood next to large, gathered shoulders siting on matching jackets. Overall the mood was upbeat and a feminine colour palette of soft greys and dusky pinks juxtaposed the flashes of bronze and twists of black lurex rope.
Blow PR hosted a show predominantly aimed at showcasing the new hairstyles of the season, courtesy of none other than Charlie Le Mindu. In addition to Le Mindu's wares, Blow also presented collections from three new emerging talents- Gemma Slack, Lina Osterman and Iris van Herpen. Slack kicked off the show with a series of edgy yet sexy, futuristic inspired leather and suede based ensembles. Leather cut out mini skirts teamed with crop tops, exposed zips, studding detail, suede cut-out playsuits, metal peplum detail and madonna inspired cone bra detail were recurring themes running through the collection aimed at 'giving the modern woman an opportunity to alter her appearance and become a super heroine'. Osterman's punk inspired collection, also the first of the designer since graduating from Central St. Martins, was next to come down the runway. Attention was paid to spikes, studs, cropped blazers with elongated lapels, sheer panelling underneath the blazers and studded knee-pad-esque detail on jeans, to create the 'subdued gothic look with strong tailored features', that the designer had envisaged from the outset. Last but by no means least was Van Herpen, the Avant-Garde designer who has previously always shown her collections in Amsterdam, presented a futuristic yet 'femininely body conscious' collection consisting of crystal spiked, cut out cocktail dresses, high neck lines and exaggerated shoulders. The signature style was the use of three-dimensional silhouettes using Ecco leather to create 'refined forms of spirals and high-tech material'.
