Head in the Clouds...
Two catwalks later and over two hours to kill, we settled ourselves down on to chesterfield settees (not ‘proper’ vintage shabby chic ones that I want to own one day, but new and untainted ones. I’m not complaining – just observing) in the cool, dimly lit media lounge at the Freemasons Hall (where the Vauxhall Fashion Scout catwalks were taking place). I’ve mentioned previously that London Fashion Week was a completely new experience to as was fashion itself (the LFW experience was meant to fuel interesting, personable and accessible reviews as well as feed my curiosity and newly found passion for fashion) so again, the designers I was being introduced to, were alien to me.
I had an invite to the Bora Aksu catwalk show, but the lovely people at Push PR had offered me a ticket to see the Jasper Garvida catwalk show and apparently, both were expected to be amazing. As you already know by the title, I opted to see Jasper Garvida’s show, but having later viewed the images from the Bora Aksu show, I felt just a ting twinge of regret (Bora Aksu had featured my favourite colour in the whole world – pea green). That’s not to say I didn’t appreciate Jasper’s collection, but it wasn’t all as exciting as I had hoped.
My standing ticket didn’t allow for the most fantastic view and being vertically challenged (and yes, I probably will continue to moan about my height in every one of my LFW reviews. I do apologise, but it just can’t be stunted), I laboured to secure a decent spot, but alas that didn’t happen. You shall see evidence of this from my pitiable photos.
The show commenced with the sound of rain hitting a tin roof (I do so love that sound), calming and silencing the crowd. All eyes focused on the runway as the collection bared itself to fashion hungry crowd. First up were day-wear pieces in dark muted colours, brandishing mandarin style collars and low backs as well as jackets inspired by samurai attire. Jasper Garvida’s inspiration for the collection; the novel ‘Soie’ (or Silk) by Alessandro Baricco about a European silk breeder who becomes enchanted with the East and finds himself captivated by the concubine of his local contact; already shines through. But the intial pieces fail to inspire me.
But as the colours changed to chartreuse green and rufescent red and the silhouettes of the dresses began to resemble the dresses of the 1930’s(one of my favourite vintage eras), my curiousity is definitely peaked. The Fornasetti prints added to the recognizable, but modernized silhouettes, a new dimension, reminiscent of modish prints, melding together two different eras. The hair too subscribed to the vintage look, brandishing side swept chic up-dos.
Ripened colours were followed by pretty pale peach silk and delicate café au lait lace, accompanied by fantastic neck pieces fabricated with angular plastic leaves. The same sheaths were used on evening bags and also embellished the top half of a full-length red evening, giving it a scaly effect and accentuating the shoulders. The final installment went a little further with its sweeping ecru evening gown almost fully decorated with the plastic sheathes. Stunning, but I’m guessing a pain to walk in and probably a hazard to one’s back, especially if you’re as skinny as the models that paraded the runway.
For someone who has battled with anorexia for years, this was an especially painful sight and I plead with the designer to show his beautiful collections on women whose bones don’t acutely jut out and frames that fail to fill the clothes created. Yes, I know anorexia isn’t just about body image (in-fact in some cases, it rarely is at all) but far more about control, but that shouldn’t make it ok for designers to promote seriously minuscule silhouettes. But all in all I’m impressed with Jasper Garvida’s collection bar a few pieces and I find myself wondering how long it might take me to be able to afford one the Fornasetti printed pieces.
It’s amazing how quickly the audience clear out once a catwalk show is over and it’s easy to get trampled upon if you don’t expertly manouvere yourself through the crowd. Or you could just wait till danger slips away, as I learn.
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