london fashion week's the daily. wednesday 17th september 08

Goldin Girl

High Five ColumnMcDowell

Louise Goldin’s status as star-in-the-making was confirmed yesterday, after showing a beautiful collection that was a dramatic step forwards. It was almost as if this newcomer had grown-up 10 seasons in one. “I was looking to integrate a print with my knitwear,” said Goldin. “One of my interns found a swathe of organza in a Japanese reference book and we tracked it down.” Goldin then

Girls, Girls, GirlsReport by Lauren Cochrane

Photography by Anna Bauer

layered this superfine fabric – almost invisible to the naked eye, five-metres of which weigh less than an egg – with her trademark knitwear. Long flesh-coloured shift dresses were layered beneath “Lego” bras and sheer bodysuits were woven into soft jacquards.

“The collection is a mix of this ghostly transparent fabric and knit – but very light layers,” said Goldin. The only production hurdle was communicating with the Japanese fabric makers. “Translation via our interns at silly o’clock in the morning was a nightmare,” she said, “but we got there in the end.”

Boys are different from girls. Even fashion boys. They’re not as tough, for a start. Take the Downing Street party on a chilly night. I arrived at the same time as plucky Elizabeth Saltzman. She looked fab in a white sleeveless dress. We waited in the security queue. It was more than a bit parky, but the immensely brave Elizabeth was totally unconcerned. She might as well have been in Florida. And the party? Snooper’s paradise, darling! Eyes everywhere, noting everything. “Bit shabby... Just like a hotel... That carpet could do with a good clean...” But, and this is another boy/girl difference, the surroundings had an amazing effect on every woman’s bladder. Suddenly, they all needed the bathroom. You know the old saying, “A bathroom tells you everything about a woman”? So, it was check-up time. Not. Did they really think that Sarah was going to let them find out where she buys her soap and towels. It was strictly “Visitors’ Toilets This Way”. The men, however, seemed to have no problem in containing their excitement. Apart from Monsieur Macdonald, draped in a Union Jack. Not a look I would dare to wear, even in the confines of my bananamobile.

The book launch of Michael Roberts’s Fashion Victims at Hamiltons Gallery across town was a more decorous affair. The audience was 80 per cent male, most of whom I suspect had mistaken this charming and witty book for something much more appealing to their tastes. I was amused by the title of Michael Roberts’s collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana, unveiled last night at the new menswear store. The Good Shepherd? Frankly, he looks to me a very naughty shepherd, indeed.

The squeeze is over. At a meeting yesterday between the Big Four fashion capitals, an agreement was reached to secure London Fashion Week’s slot on the global fashion calendar.

“I am so delighted with the outcome of this meeting,” said a smiling Harold Tillman, chairman of the British Fashion Council, last night. “It has brought our fashion capitals closer together. We are all united by one aim and one global industry. We recognise and respect the strength of each others’ cities and will continue to collaborate together to protect and grow our industry.”

The new agreement allows New York to move its slot back, satisfying the needs of its own designers while ensuring a full five-day slot for London from September 2009 onwards. For February 2009, the CFDA, Camera Della Moda and Fédération Française de la Couture agreed to work closely with the BFC to ensure show schedules cater to London’s needs.

“We appreciate this solution,” said Mario Boselli, Milan’s Camera Della Moda’s chairman.

Waiting for Giles to start, front row guests Mischa Barton, Samantha Cameron and Daisy Lowe got the flashbulbs popping. Once the lights went down, however, it was all about the clothes.

That’s no surprise. When a gold-and-camouflage fitted pencil-skirt dress, acid-coloured knitted dresses with biker-style shoulders and

“It respects London as a leading creative capital and Milan as capital of the Italian fashion system – platform for ‘Made in Italy’ and supplier of quality textiles to designers worldwide.”

New York’s representative, Diane Von Furstenberg, said: “We all agree it is very important to preserve London Fashion Week. It provides the pool of talent we all benefit from.”

Hilary Riva was smiling, too. “We are really pleased by the endorsement and recognition that there needed to be a clear uninterrupted space for London Fashion Week to strut its stuff,” she said. “The outcome is fair for everyone.” Lest we forget, according to fashion veterans, for 23 of its 25 years LFW has been a five-day event.

Immediately following the fashion calendar discussion, the BFC took the invited Milan and New York fashion-week captains on a tour of the Model Sanctuary. “It is a brilliant facility,” Diane Von Furstenburg said during the tour. “Both New York and Milan would love to see this concept replicated in their own cities, to ensure models can be given similar support and care throughout the fashion calendar.” Well then, it seems it’s time for fashion high fives all round.

a ballgown parade past, one can almost forget they contain Lily Donaldson, Christina Kruse, Lara Stone and Raquel Zimmermann.

“We wanted to have a good combination of girls,” said Deacon post show. “Christina Kruse is 39, like me, but I think she looks as good as the 19-year-olds.” Kruse was also the right age to join Deacon on the nostalgia trip that formed the inspiration – 1988, Pac-Man, designer Peter Saville

and Hacienda architect Ben Kelly. “That’s where the colours came from,” says Deacon. “I love that acid yellow.”

This era was also the inspiration for some of the poppier elements of the show – from the Space Invaders motif to the supersized ghost character on the catwalk. As for the biker detailing, who knows? “I just like sportswear,” says Deacon, “and I thought it looked really cool.” Guess what? He was right.

Report by Colin McDowell

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Maude (in Roksanda Ilinic) doesn’t feel she needs a psychiatrist but hears they are frightfully fashionable, so has asked her friend Mildred to be hers. For the occasion of some front-row therapy, Mildred sports Lanvin.

Seasonal HangoverMaude & Doris

A fashionable children’s tale for grown-ups. Created by David Longshaw, with Jenny Dyson. Photography by George Bamford New season, new clothes – or

so you might think. Instead, designers at LFW are proving that, in these frugal fashion times, it doesn’t always pay to throw out a trend with a new season. The ones that work evolve to become a part of the next one, too.

See lace – rearing its holey head on the s/s catwalk at Spijkers en Spijkers, Charles Anastase and Luella. Jumpsuits, making all the

difficulties of one-piece dressing a reality for another season, spotted at Adidas by Stella McCartney, Ossie Clark and Jaeger London. Eccentric heels, a hottie for this season and cranked higher for next, proved popular again – cue crocodile- and rhino-inspired shoes complete with horns at Christopher Kane; Emma Cook’s frilly platform heels; Luella’s nod to the Glam-rock aesthetic; and PPQ’s brick-like platforms. “We asked the assistants to look for delicate footwear,” laughs PPQ’s Amy Molyneux, looking at the shoes. “That’s what they came back with.”

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Daily team

THe LFW DAILy CReDITSCreated by Jenny and the Cat Club

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Today’s schedule has been created exclusively

by illustrator ROB RYAN

For further information and important facts, please refer to the key below:

* BFC New Gen sponsored by Topshop

** BFC Fashion Forward supported by LDA

The BFC Tent: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7TS: TOPSHOP venue, P3 University of Westminster, Luxborough St, NW1

On Schedule shows: www.londonfashionweek.co.uk

Off Schedule shows: www.blow.co.uk

On/Off: Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, W1: www.thedoll.org/onoff

Vauxhall Fashion Scout: Cnr Cromwell Road and Queen’s Gate, SW7

Schedule correct at time of printing – for updates, contact the Timeline, on 020 7942 3900

Hats OffReport by Lauren Cochrane

The venue for Nasir Mazhar’s debut presentation yesterday was the Mecca for London’s after-dark creativity: latterly BoomBox and more recently Ponystep. Despite it being a Tuesday afternoon, Mazhar’s work fitted right in.

Based in the backroom, behind a blackout curtain, fashion’s finest (seven at a time,

mind) walked into another world – one refreshingly different from the sunny styles portrayed on many spring/summer runways. In the dimly lit room, an opera singer in red cardinal outfit and a pianist complete with Clockwork Orange-style mask completed the tableau of six models wearing jaw-dropping headpieces.

Other pieces included a Perspex astronaut’s helmet that

skimmed the contours of the model’s face; a cone-shaped headpiece trailing with floor-length ribbons, and a pillar-box red rimmed hat reminiscent of planetary rings. “The collection is based on a fantasy of mine, where a pandemic in the eleventh century means treatment with radiowaves. It then goes to religion in the fifteenth century,” explained Mazhar of his reference-packed millinery offering. “There’s not always a concept behind my work – I make the story around the hats, not the hats to fit round the story. There’s no desire to be historically accurate.”

Having worked on shoots with Nick Knight, Katy England and Katie Grand, the 25-year-old former hairdresser moved into millinery three years ago. The London-born designer quickly scored commissions from Kylie Minogue, the Rambert Dance Company and made a piece for Madonna to wear in a shoot styled by Dazed’s Nicola Formichetti [the stylist behind the presentation]. “Everyone seems to like it,” said Mazhar. “It’s weird for me, because I’ve been locked in a room with it for so long I kind of hate it by now,” he laughs. “I think I need a hug.” P

Celluloid Chic

Constructivist photo-montage à la Alexander Rodchenko inspired the sauvage/sweet animal prints that brought a touch of graphic glamour to Emma Cook’s catwalk. “I cut and pasted pictures of circus animals and put party hats on the lions,” demurred the designer backstage. “Exotic and a bit funny,” chipped in stylist Cathy Edwards, by way of clarification. Festive fauna aside, Cook has always trodden a line between East End attitude and a lighter-hearted feminine way of dressing, producing decorative and eminently wearable pieces that consistently swerve the saccharine, and this collection was particularly strong. Ruffled, tiered and scallop-hemmed frocks came in sober tones of sepia, khaki, brick and grey; a flapperish number with metal chain fringing delivered just the right dose of kink, while a shot-silk textured sheath brushed with butterfly-wing blue-pink iridescence was an absolute winner, fit for any trip uptown. Meanwhile, the plastic rain capes studded with Swarovski crystals, like giant water drops, could prove the perfect edgy evening topper for the young red carpet set; no need even to wear bracelets... the cuffs are studded with jewels.

Lucia’s presence is a big deal and the backstage area is buzzing. “It’s my favourite makeup so far, it’s powerful and womanly,” says Raquel Zimmerman.

“Christopher’s brief was Planet of the Apes, prehistoric women who were captured and taken into the forest,” says Lucia. Where most of us would have thought mud and grunts, Lucia decided to bring out the model’s bone structure to give that slightly primal feel.

She highlighted the cheeks, nose and cupid’s bow. “It’s all about light and shade. You can be hidden by makeup or enhanced

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First there were the piggy meringues at the Luella show (from Judges Bakery), then news of more temptation swiftly followed. Fecund designers Alice Temperley and Charlotte Dellal are getting out the tablecloths to serve afternoon teas. Charlotte Dellal (due in October) puts her signature cobweb-print on cup cakes at the Trafalgar hotel this afternoon. Alice Temperley (due now!) has proper cream teas lined up at her studio all week. For the truly greedy, there are three days of gourmet heaven (invite only) at Anya Hindmarch. Not only is she designing hampers for Selfridges, but her showroom menu features waffles, Eggs Benedict, meringues and brownie sundaes. Hindmarch’s Sloane Street store will also have a pop-up café catered by the Primrose Bakery all next week. If the hungry can’t wait, be sure to stop in for canapés, pink fizz and vodka cocktails at Mulberry’s mini presentations all day from 11am today. Undo that belt notch now.

Makeup artist Lucia Pieroni is usually too busy beautifying the likes of Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Weisz and Cameron Diaz to do shows. But when the show in question is Christopher

Kane, Pieroni shifts things around in the old diary. “I love Christopher’s clothes,” Pieroni says enthusiastically, “and he’s just the nicest man on earth. Why wouldn’t I come?”

Report by Jo Craven

Let Them Eat Cakes

Report by Antonia Whyatt

designer David Saunders, “and elevate my work a bit. This collection is about conveying a mood so a film works better – it’s more intimate.”

To see this week’s most fashion-able cinema releases, pitch up at Quaglino’s for Fashion East today at 2.30pm – and go to www.showstudio.com/blog/29195. Don’t forget the popcorn.

Tweety Pie

While there’s nothing like a bunch of models wafting down the catwalk to get fashion hearts beating, designers are experimenting with other ways to showcase their work this season. After presentations from the likes of Mulberry, Nasir Mazhar and Victoria Beckham, comes the film. Prada, of course, started the trend

“Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!” went the soundtrack to Monday’s Jasper Conran show. And Conran is not the only bird-watching designer to be channeling a big bird-theme this season.

Feathers and birdlife in general are a trend set to flutter into s/s ’09. First up, Jaeger London’s sun-kissed swallow-print blouses. Julien Macdonald left his feather boa at home for one night only, instead sending out a model in

with its Trembled Blossoms film, advertising the s/s ’08 collection. LA designer Melissa Coker then debuted her line ‘Wren in New York’ with a film featuring Karen Elson, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and Sarah Sophie Flicker. For s/s ’09, couture-hat-label House of Flora daringly dabbles in womenswear with Dress No. 1, a very short film previewing the collection. BFC New Gen sponsored by Topshop winner David David has swapped a catwalk spot at Fashion East for a film put together with rising video director, Zaiba Jabbar. “I wanted to put a bit of passion into what I was doing,” says

an astringe dress – the feathers of which were so light they floated off the hem; Todd Lynn took a break from his usual androgynous shapes with a monochrome dress covered in – yes, you guessed it – feathers. Meanwhile, Nicole Farhi’s were candy.

And let us not forget that fashion boutique Feathers celebrates its fortieth birthday with a party at the store tonight – followed by late fun and games at The Wellington.

If you’re twitching to get along, we suggest that, if you’re at all superstitious, you steer well clear of those peacocks!

Report by Lauren Cochrane

Report by Becky Davies

“I’m quite obsessed with dinosaurs,” laughed Christopher Kane of an exquisitely executed collection, that saw the designer bring an almost couture level of craftsmanship to playfully elegant Crayola-hued gowns, constructed from endless weightless silk circles, which did, indeed, riff on the bumps down a dinosaur’s spine. “Quite cartoony – The Flintstones, Bam Bam,” expanded Kane about his influences backstage. “Lara Stone is the new Raquel Welsh! And then it all gets a bit fucked up... The hunter becomes the hunted, which is what the marabou [shifts] was all about.” There’s a wild animal passion in design right now, and great ape prints on Kane’s little evening dresses were darkly magnificent. As for his leopard-print knits in livid hues, which opened the show, these will surely be aped the world over.

Christopher Kane

BY SARAH BAILEY, DEPUTY EDITOR HARPER’S BAZAAR

Emma Cook

CatwalkHighlights

The incredible hosiery and candy-tot-coloured footwear could, one feels, have starred in their own catwalk collection. However, this was a show that conjured a non-specific era of childhood, with its sunbleached colours, innocent smock-shaped silhouettes, sweet, low-heeled shoes and, yes, those trippy tights. There were pretty day dresses in brocade (a trend for spring), retina-buzzing rainbow butterfly damasks, a psychedelic salamander motif on slinkier-than-usual jersey pieces and a last-minute appearance by a sexy motorcycle helmet in Eley Kishimoto’s famous Flash print (a collaboration with Jérôme Coste at Ruby). Random perhaps, but it looked damned good - a reminder that the Eley Kishimoto aesthetic works best with a bit of tough to temper the cute.

Eley Kishimoto

Adidas by Stella McCartney

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“I loved the Olympics,” grinned Stella McCartney after an exuberantly action-packed presentation of her sports line for Adidas, as demonstrated by athletes and dancers (the latter trained by no-less-than body guru Tracy Anderson, responsible in part for Ms McCartney’s own post-baby physique). The collection earned the designer a gold in technical performance and sexy insouciance categories yesterday. Plus a special mention in soundtrack, for mashing Toni Basil, Daft Punk and Match of The Day pom-po-po-poms with such elan.

As for the design direction? “It’s a little bit more urban, we’ve been looking at the city, with more black, but keeping the delicacy,” said McCartney. Indeed, the signature dusty palette was evident, only this time with zings of neon coral, tomato and kelly green to provide sharpness. While feminine-but-just-edgy-enough touches, like the scallop hems and lace inserts on tennis skirts, rolled-hem shorts and over-the-knee stirrup socks look set to win new young fans to the line.

by it. I’ve also made the brows incredibly strong to give that Amazonian touch.”

Africa was also the inspiration at Nicole Farhi, but AD rather than BC. “It’s a woman who goes to Africa to try to find herself. She’s outdoorsy and a bit Tess of the D’Urbervilles,” says MAC makeup guru Val Garland, whose hands look like an artist’s palette. On them she has combined three different cream blushes for the cheeks and mixed purple and red on the lips. “I’m pressing it in, so it’s less goth and more spring.”

www.weleda.co.uk Luci

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