It's official. Alexander Wang cannot do any wrong. While leading established fashion houses are on the brink of bankruptcy (I don't think I need to name names), Wang appears to be building a strong fashion empire that is proving to be resilient to the knocks and turns of the economy.
What is a about Christopher Bailey? Not only did he completely revolutionise Britage heritae brand Burberry at the ripe age of 30, he has the ability to know where fashion is going and what to do during the current economic climate.
"I wanted it to be a show rather than a fashion show" he said backstage. "I wanted it to be about showing what Burberry stands for...I wanted the clothes to have longevity. I wanted something that can be teamed with pieces from last season".
Naomi: Jill, I saw our girl Sasha P at Prada. Did you see her?
Jill: Saw her, adored her, want the dress.
Naomi: I'm loving the fact that there were none of the garish, 80s-neon unwelcome pieces that we saw in New York.
Jill: I know I sound like a broken record, but I really think people are going to look back at the 80s revival and smack themselves in the forehead. I mean, just watch any episode of freaking Dallas.
As I was wandering through a very vintage, very extensive, very gorgeous collection of Stephen Jones hats at the V&A, I nearly bumped into someone. (Late night, too much sherry.) "Oh, sorry," I mumbled. Fortunately, Stephen (who was doing a video interview with a French reporter) did not mind.
Hats: An Anthology to Stephen Jones is well worth the time it would take you to give a dedicated look to each of the hundreds of pieces on display. Divided into sections for each type of millinery style (feathers, flowers, plastic, felt, etc) and with special sections for hats worn by celebrities and in high-end runway shows, the exhibition really pushes the boundaries for what most people think hats can look like. As cheesy as that sounds.
John Galliano's set designer, Michael Howells, set up the exhibition, which will run until 31 May at the museum. If you go, be sure to watch your step and look out for famous milliners in berets.
Talk about close quarters. Amy Molyneaux and Percy Parker hosted the PPQ show in Burlington Arcade, and between paparazzi clogging the aisle trying to get shots of Nicola Roberts (in harlequin-print Moschino) and Alexa Chung, and Hilary Alexander and Colin McDowell rushing through a space where one crossed ankle could mean you get tripped, it was a miracle only one person was carried out with an injured leg.
Betty Jackson feels optimistic - about her whimsical mish-mash of prints, the economy, that sort of thing - but she made sure to insert a bit of darkness into her show this morning. She said in our backstage chat that she wanted to bring out Tim Burton's 'darker surrealism', and with looks like this one on Tanya D, it seems she accomplished the goal.
