Corrie Nielsen AW12 Catwalk Collection at London Fashion Week

Taking inspiration from her own Scottish ancestry, Neilson named her collection after the ancient manuscript on Scottish clan tartans ‘Vestiarium Scoticum’

Neilson blends medieval Scottish styles with her own signature sculptural forms. 

Tartan was of course present:

The Menzies tartan kept with the black and white colour palette of the collection and the Burns Check just added a faint touch of Hodden Grey and green. 

Whilst the red Royal Stewart tartan and multi MacLellan tartan brought a blast of colour. 

Nielsen also chose the Royal Stewart tartan as homage to the Queens Diamond Jubilee especially creating a short kilt with a dot and lace overlay.

Black tulle overlay added texture and drama to the tartan: covering the model from neck to toe over an off the shoulder knee length fitted dress, and wrapped around the feminine curves of a high necked sculptured dress (top image). 

Nielsen shows she’s dotty over the Burns Check with this Juliette sleeved jacket. But then her grandmother is a Burns.

One of the key pieces was the high neck conical neckerchief blouse in silk grosgrain with lace overlay. Teamed with tartan pencil skirt.

Sweeping the floor in bold and dramatic statements was the monochrome tartan Le Cigale oversized skirt and deep purple Duchess satin voluminous floor length cape. 

Small leather- beaded clutch bags in matching tartan fabrics were made exclusively for Nielsen by Sophia Beckford and also the striking tartan design face laces by Phyllis Cohen

 Hats designed by Emma Yeo.

For information on where to buy any of the collection pieces email info@corrienielsen.com

Photographs by Christopher Dadey

Bora Aksu AW12 Catwalk Collection at London Fashion Week

For his AW12  collection Aksu took his inspiration from the Vivian Girls in Henry Darger’s tale ‘In the Realms of the Unreal’. 

In the tale, the young and innocent heroines find strength after enduring years of sorrow fighting a revolution against the tyrannical universe.

Portraying young innocence, necklines were high with button up collars and pussy bows,....

..... and chiffon layering brought a hazy fairytale look to the pieces.  

Colour palette was the dreamy soft shades of dusty pinks, light greys and creams.  

Knitted dresses were of soft cashmere with 3D prism shapes representing the simple childhood 50s spinning top toy.

 As the innocence was replaced the style became more structured with tailored waistcoats, jackets and capes,.....

...... and the colour palette darkened to greys, blacks and silver metallics. 

But the heroines have also found strength and this was shown in the boldness of the accent colours:

bright fuchsia, 

burnt orange 

and ruby red.

Aksu used a Baroque style print throughout the collection, both on tailored and chiffon garments.....

...... plus the soon to be ‘must have’ patterned tights. He deliberately repeated the same print to bring memories of children’s potato prints.

For more information on the collection email studio@boraaksu.com

Photographs by Christopher Dadey

Antoni & Alison AW12 show at London Fashion Week

This season, a kind of tradition was broken; there was no Paul Costelloe to kick off the LFW proceedings.  Saddened at first but no time to mourn as the excitement mounted whilst waiting to view the designer duo Antoni & Alison‘s opening show.

On the surface, this was a kinda ‘what you see is what you get’ sort of a collection with no hidden meaning or storyline.  The title was ‘Models Walking Up and Down in Dresses’ and that’s what happened. The models walked up and down the catwalk in dresses; no trousers, coats, skirts or jackets, just dresses. 

However, these simply cut and loosely fitted shift dresses were not just dresses, they were blank canvases for the designers to display their trompe l’oeil works of art using digital printing. 

‘We have been looking to make these pieces since we were students’ they say ‘it’s only technology that has allowed us to make them now’. 

And like kids in a candy store, they’d grabbed and digitally printed everything at hand from biscuits, cellophane, brown paper bag, and staples to feathers, buttons, taffeta and tweed. 

This ‘random’ assortment was well thought out producing textures and detailing whilst the actual fabric remains smooth and unadorned.

There' a few long maxi dresses:

Combining oversized buttons with wool and paper bag. And  'Putting on the Ritz' was the hand drawn bow tie and tux with long skirt of digital printed gems

To keep the focus on the prints everything else was minimal, the models wore black wigs in a short pixie hairstyle and the shoes were plain black pointed court shoes.

The collection will soon be available at their shop:

43 Roseberry Avenue, London EC1R 4SH or online www.antoniandalison.co.uk  Prices are around the £400 mark.

Photos provided by Village Press