Paul Costelloe's Summer/Spring 2011 catwalks show opens up London Fashion Week.

Winter is nearly upon us so our thoughts turn to Spring/summer as LFW SS11 begins. Even the weather warmed to the event as it went from crisp chilly days to end with blazing hot sunshine.
Early on Day one and opening the show at the BFC marquee catwalk was Paul Costelloe. Still sleepy, frantic shouting backstage put a smile on our bleary eyed faces.

PAUL COSTELLOE

Titled ‘A Long Day’s Night’, the collection is girlie and described as ‘Tinkerbell turned party girl’.

Cropped biker jackets are thrown in to give a harder edge but are softened with the use of lighter colours and soft sheen fabrics.
Skirt lengths go to the extremes - either short or maxis. The short skirts are fun and flirty whilst the maxis are elegant and ethereal – one a sensual diaphanous fabric with modesty only prevailing through the pale pink and blue zigzag wave pattern.

Colours are sugar pink, mint green, silver, pearl, greys and navy. The pinks formed abstract checks with navy and white, lightly spice up graphic patterns with pale apricot, zigzagged with pale blue in waves and graduated alone from light to a bolder hue. The mint green was refreshing in a shiny jacquard fabric.
Textures come in metallic weaves and twill, patterns in abstract checks and graphics

Large bows don the back of low backlines.

The short skirts swirled in skater style, cocooned legs in tulip and puff ball shapes and looked art deco in a dropped waist pleated style.

The more interesting were the silver embossed puff ball dress tied at the bottom to form the shape of a large bow.........

........and the jacquard mint green dress looking futuristic with its stiff 3 tiered skirt.

Favourites:

The loose fitting hooded shiny grey jacket with short puff sleeves – it had a Red riding hood feel to it (minus the red of course) especially teamed with the pearl twill weave skater dress.........

.........And the Grecian goddess style dress in pearl with its short puffed out mini skirt.

To keep the smile on our faces, we were treated to Costelloe’s six sons strutting down the catwalk (albeit nervously) suited and booted.

Timothy Foxx - Exceptionally Eccentric Ladies Tweed Clothing Co.

I first met new designer Rosalie Eustace in September at the fashion pop-up showcase hosted by micro-boutique hotel 40WiNKS. Here she was exhibiting a sample of her designs from her fashion label “Timothy Foxx”. This new label’s signature look is “vintage modern chic” where traditional British tweed is mixed with other fabrics such as silks and cottons. Her main collection shows funky miniskirts with colourful silk panel slits, shorts with silk/cotton patterned patches around the bottom area, and traditional blazers with quirky patterned linings and silk cuffs. Rosalie’s vision was to keep the tweed’s reputation as eccentric but update it to a youthful and fashionable eccentricity. She has now expanded this vision to include women of all ages who want this playful quirkiness but don’t necessarily want to wear a miniskirt. And so Rosalie’s new collection includes the Hazel skirt – a sexy knee length tweed pencil skirt with the hint of a funky lining showing.
Why did Rosalie choose tweed as her main fabric?

Well there is a little story to this – are you sitting comfortably? Once upon a time there was a beautiful young princess who loved to sew and one birthday her dreams came true when her fairy godmother presented her with her very own sewing machine. Running out of fabric, the princess decided to raid her father’s (the King,) wardrobe and “borrowed” an old tweed jacket. With the aid of her sewing machine and scissors, she magically transformed the jacket in to a tweed mini skirt with funky silk patterned inserts and lining. She instantly became the belle of the ball and all the other maidens wanted a tweed mini skirt too. As the princess was blessed with a kind heart, she let the maidens borrow her skirt, but found that this meant she never got to wear it again. So she repeated her magic formula and designed another tweed skirt for herself and kind hearted as she was, started designing bespoke skirts for all of her friends. And what of the King? Did he miss his old tweed jacket? Well he may have but as a loving father he never let on. But as a loving daughter the princess made a bespoke jacket to replace the old one.

Why did Rosalie decide on the label name Timothy Foxx?

Rosalie named her new label after a much loved antique wooden horse she had as a toy in her childhood. Now the horse proudly takes centre stage in her fashion show stands.

Now about her collection.

Timothy Foxx has grown to include the long elegant Alexandra jacket (great as a suit with the hazel pencil skirt), and the shorter length Grace Jacket to show off the on trend Livibum shorts and Aimee miniskirts. Other pieces include the Victoria waistcoat, Gregory Union Jack patch flat cap, Maryrose scarves and Timothy Foxx polo shirts.

And what about a collection for all the gentle Prince Charmings?

No immediate plans for a full collection in gentlemen’s wear , but just to keep Prince Charming interested Timothy Foxx is currently creating tweed bow ties, flat caps and casual tops such as hoodies and rugby shirts. But for the moment there is the Timothy Foxx hound silk tie in maroon available.

Where to purchase the Timothy Foxx collection?

Online! The web address is www.timothyfoxx.co.uk

This is one fairytale designer who will live happy ever after.