London Fashion Week S/S12 Roundup

LFW is probably the only fashion week I really get excited about. That is not to say that New York, Paris and Milan aren’t major in the fashion meccas, I’ve just always looked forward to London’s madcap aesthetic style and fearless eccentricity that is completely inimitable. Mainly because London isn’t trying to imitate anything or any place else. I have noticed a slight change though, lines seem cleaner – see Antonio Berardi and Aquascutum- a shift towards the lean, clean and cool menswear tailoring that seems impossible to shake season after season? Writer and friend Sarah Nicole Prickett I believe puts it best, perhaps London has grown up?
 Christopher Kane took my breath away this season. I was expecting his usual menagerie of kooky looks, but this work was so painfully sharp and beautiful it did my head in. Acne‘s over sized and slouchy silhouettes and tangerine pistachio palette drew me in nice and quick. While I personally can’t pull off such OTT tent like pairings, I can certainly run away with a dress or seven. Erdem,although obvious, is always a winner for the super girly-girl in me. I’ve sworn countless times that it’ll be his work I rock on my wedding day! And as I have been a massive fan girl of J.W. Anderson and his work (remember when he had a jewelry line?) his “a schoolgirl raised by nuns, finally escaping the convent” concept was straight up my alley. And what of those loafer trainers? Lofainers? Toafers? An Aldo shoe collaboration that I pray goes in to production. I’ve got an insatiable appetite for ugly ass shoes! Then came the mentalists. An affectionate term for London’s true whimsical mercenaries! Scottish designer, Louis Gray kicks it all off with her most cohesive and wearable collection yet. Still incredibly true to her mis-matched punchy pairings, it looks like she’s stripped down on all the baubles and has really concentrated on the cut of the garments. Digital print wunderkind, Mary Katrantzou pumps up the colour voltage and brings back her love of what looks like melting plastic flowers. Then of course, there is Meadham Kirchhoff. I’m thinking My Little Pony and Barbie collided head first with a Texan tiny tot beauty pageant then smothered it in ruffles and sprayed it down with a rainbow of icing sugar. You get the picture, right? A super girly flirty mental fuck-you to anyone wanting to cower behind the norm.
And  I suppose that is it! My round-up. Below are a selection of nerdy GIF’s I put together saluting a few of my most favourite pieces. I no idea making this little things would be so much fun.

Acne S/S 2012



Christopher Kane S/S 2012

Erdem S/S 2012

J.W. Anderson S/S 2012

Louis Gray S/S 2012

Mary Katrantzou S/S 2012



Meadham Kirchhoff S/S 2012

Meadham Dreaming

Designer x Highstreet retail collaborations is not much of a surprise to any one these days. It’s almost expected and appreciated by those who covet luxury pieces but can’t afford the steep prices. As a sales advisor at H&M I would sit back and watch the madness unfold around me. I’d dealt with Matthew Williamson and Comme Des Garcons but both were tame in comparison to the Cavalli and Jimmy Choo madness, and I’ve got battle scars to prove it. While these were all designers I admire, I was of course most excited about the Lanvin launch, and as I no longer worked for the company, I called upon a few friends to squat outside the store on Bloor street. Thank god for my obscene fur coat. It was a fucking cold wait! Was it worth it? I only bought the t-shirt. The experience of being drunk out on the street with friends made the event a real spectacle. Having to drag my ass to work straight after was torture. For eight hours I wanted to die and no amount of redbull was helping the situation.

As designer collaborations go I am most excited about what Topshop has to offer. And now that The Hudson Bay Company plans to house and roll out the mega-retailer across our fair nation this fall, I’m really hoping a selection of their quirkier collections make my greedy palms. I admire the eccentricity and true bonkers intellect that British designers all seem to harbour. Take the lastest S/S Meadham Kirchhoff for Topshop collection. I am absolutely in love! Their mastery in creating decaying beauty is unlike any other. Then there is Ashish and his fun foodie sportswear. The guy is totally mental, but fuck I want a sweatshirt with a fry-up on it! And finally Mary Katrantzou‘s kaleidoscopic capsule collection featuring her signature prints marbled on sweet summer dresses.

With big buys, come big bucks. I am really hoping The Bay takes this oppurtunity to showcase Topshop’s designer collabos and bring a whole lot of fun and lunacy to my city and mainly my closet. Plus I am so fucking tired of paying for shipping!