Steve O Smith AW19 at London Fashion Week

SOS has reimagined the pantomime for the era of farce that we have now found ourselves in.

Surrounded by the traditional setting of a country house, signature tailoring is amplified by elements of pin-stripe patchwork, featured on the Revolutionary and the Politician.

Video of presentation


Padding, exaggerated silhouettes, corsetry and oversized millinery as seen on the Lady and the Vamp are designed to be noticed even from the very back row of the theatre.

 The Banker, dressed to impress in a full PVC look plots their world domination in the Parlour,

 as the Dame holds court in the sitting room.

 Hand woven Banarasi silks, as seen on the Lady and the Merchant are reversed to show the striking colour and texture of their loose threads.

Video of presentation



The Patchwork technique continues in leather on the Fox,

contrasted by the sharply tailored Hunter in hot pursuit around the garden.

And in the centre of them all, the Guard and the Flag idly await their orders.

Hats by Leo Carlton

Photography Richard Dowker

People Watching on Day 5 at London Fashion Week

It's the last day of Spring/Summer 2013 London Fashion Week. It's been five hectic days of shows, exhibitions and after-show parties with little time left for sleep and still people arrive early all dressed up in their creative finery (or maybe they just haven't gone to bed!).

British artist Daniel Lismore shows us how bling is the new pearly white for teeth with his gem encrusted jewellery grills.
Daniel is also the Creative Director of the avant garde fashion brand Sorapol London who will be showing their SS13 in October. This one is definitely in the diary!

www.sorapol.co.uk

Milliner Tracy Rose also showed some glamorous bling for the last day and created this diamante belt/necklace by combining two diamante necklaces together. Her strawberry pink hat certainly gives Tracy a rosy glow.

www.tracyrosehats.co.uk

 

On the front row waiting for the Nova Chiu fashion show to begin is designer Paolo Basa and creative editor of Facades magazine, Jose Espinas Jr.
Paolo is looking dapper in an eye catching cow hide print felt top hat by Anthony Peto, whilst Jose goes for understated chic in YSL.
Check out Facades magazine for Fashion, Art, Culture, Architecture, Design, Events and Society on:

http://facades-online.com

Fashion show images and reviews coming soon!  

Tracy Rose 'Hats Off' Exhibition

When Tracy Rose first wore her own hat design to Royal Ascot, the photographers couldn’t get enough snaps. Now 30 years on she is still creating quirky designs and the photographers are still snapping. To celebrate all these years in the millinery industry, Tracy decided to showcase a large selection of her original hats for 2 days so the public could get a closer look.

Tracy’s launch party for the ‘Hats Off’ exhibition was last night and here’s a few of her wonderful creations: 

2006 - Rose Cloud

White silk with blue & black chiffon roses.

2010 - England World Cup

White silk, red satin with Swarovski crystals. 

This hat represents the England flag waving in the breeze with goalposts at each end.

The black veil represents the goal net and on the net are 11 tiny footballs representing the 11 english players.

2001 Picasso hat

Turquoise chiffon, silk face with brown chiffon hair. 

Inspired by Picasso. 

The brown represents hair.

If the hat is turned upside down the crown becomes the neck with a bow.

2011 Windmill hat

Black, pink, yellow and white satin. 

It became known as the windmill hat only after a few people observed that it looked as thought it was moving.

2008 Zig Zag hat

Lilac, pink, orange and blue satin.

2004 Art Deco hat

Yellow and pink silk with beaded fringing. The skull cap has more fringing at the back.

2011 - Wimbledon hat

This is one of Tracy's latest and of course she wore it to Wimbledon. 

White satin, veiling and crystals.

It is to celebrate Lavazza being the official coffee at Wimbledon. 

The crown represents a coffee cup,

the brim a tennis racquet,

the veiling the tennis strings 

and brown Swarovski crystals are scattered around like coffee beans.

The petals at the front are satin replicas of Lavazza coffee capsules and in the centre is a velvet tennis ball.

1996 Heart hat

Black chiffon with white pearls

1987 Zip hat

Bronze lame and zips

1982 - Gold Ra Ra hat

This was the first hat Tracy wore at Royal Ascot. 

Gold lame.

It may have caused a stir in its day, but now it looks a bit tame compared to her latest creations.

1998 - Tiger hat

There's nothing tame about this Tiger hat.

Tiger print chiffon with gold thread. 

Gold lame and black fringing.

1995 Butterfly hat

Pink satin crown with dark pink chiffon and crystals. 

Tracy explains that the split brim (just to the right) is one of her signature designs.

Other signature designs are swirls and waves.

2003 Candy Delight

Pink and yellow Marabou feathers with black lace up. Behind is the Leaf hat.

2011 Staircase hat

Pink silk, gold lame and blue velvet. 

There is a door with 300 on it at the top of the crown (not shown)  in celebration of Royal Ascot 300 year old birthday this year. 

2010 Chocolate Box hat

Definitely one of my favourites! Purple satin, lilac chiffon and brown silk chocolates- yummeeee!

2003 Oriental Lily

Pink crystals, organza silk lily, silver lame swirls and silver chains. 

Tracy created this in tribute to her grandmother Lily, who had just passed away. 

Lily was also a milliner and Tracy still uses her wooden block from 1923.

2006 Spanish hat

Black lace, black and white crepe, pink and red satin.

2002 Fan hat

Lilac lace, pink and lila Marabou feathers. Dyed silk glove with acrylic nails.

On a close up you can see the acrylic nails clearly with their nail polish. 

Tracy's nails are the same length and on the day she painted them in the same colour and design.

So that's a few but still more to see at the exhibition. It is at the Gallery Different, 14 Percy Street, London W1 and there is still one more day of viewing.  From 1000am - 6pm on  Sat 29th Oct. Entry is free. 

Tracy Rose

 My favourite has to be the Chocolate Box hat - which is your favourite? Please let us know in the comment box.

For more details on Tracy's hats see her website:  www.tracyrosehats.co.uk

Purrrfect for the cold weather is the House of Skadi Faux Fur Hat

Well it's more than a hat: it's a cosy and cute combo of furry hat, scarf and mittens - fun and practical at the same time! Practical - you'll never leave your gloves on the tube again, you know when you take them off because it's so warm, put them on your lap, get up and hey presto they're on the train floor and you're on the platform before you realise..

But really it's the fun part that makes these hats. Those really cute ears and paws mixed with the grown up glamour of those feline prints:, leopard, black jaguar and snow lynx.They are bound to be one of the must haves of the cold season and already favoured by Fearne Cotton.

Brothers James and Alex Penny established the brand after their travels around South East Asia and were inspired by the Korean kitsch fashion.

Prices start from £87 and available from www.houseofskadi.com

Images provided by Dee Vesali PR

Hats Off to Tracy Rose's 30 year retrospective Hat exhibition

Tracy Rose is renowned for her love of hats and her quirky designs - all of which have meanings and incorporate sculptural art in the designs. I'm loving the England hat with its goal netting and tiny swarovsk footballs (the 2nd image down on the poster).
Tracy started wearing her own designs to Royal Ascot 30 years ago , and now has decided to hold a free 2 day exhibition for the public to view all these wonderful creations.
The exhibition is called 'Hats Off' and is to be held at the Gallery Different, 14 Percy Street, London W1. from 1000am - 6pm on Fri 28th Oct and Sat 29th Oct. Entry is free.
Tracy will most certainly be wearing one of her creations - but will it be a new design especially made for the exhibition or will she wear one of her past favourites?  

The event will also coincide with the launch of Tracy and her husband Russell's 2012 edition of 'Fashion Fabulous London' - an essential annual guide to the best fashion outlets in London, giving reviews on the top  200 places to buy fashion in London and 132 restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels where fashionable people go plus the 62 'must visit' fashion stores.

Royal Ascot is 300 years old this year!

It’s hard to believe that Royal Ascot is 300 years old! Right from the start in 1711, when Queen Anne declared the area would be ideal for horseracing, it has attracted the fashionistas of society. And to celebrate the Big 300, Vivienne Westwood and Stephen Jones have designed three outfits collectively named the Three Graces. Each ensemble represents a different century- 19th, 20^th and 21^st.

The first gown is in the style of the Victorian era and made from a select silk taffeta named Quality Viola. The word taffeta is Persian in origin and means ‘twisted woven’ and is a luxurious fabric often used for ball gowns. The fabric has 100 thread counts per square centimetre and is hand dyed with 300 different colours producing an overall grey ombre shading from soft yellow, gold to violet, mauve and black.  Honouring the sewing process of the late 1800s the machine used to create the gown is more than 150 years old and each thread had to be introduced individually by hand in to the machine.

Stephen Jones bonnet is made with the same taffeta silk as the dress and is reminiscent of the prim ‘poke’ style worn in the Victorian times (called poke as the ladies could poke their hair inside the hat). But rather than hide the face with the typical forward projecting rim, Jones’ rim soars upwards to frame and reveal the face. The bow tied around the neck is flamboyantly large instead of dainty and demure, and complements Westwood’s gown. The hat’s style also is reminiscent of the jockey’s cap.

The second gown nods to the Edwardian ‘Belle Epoque’ period and was inspired by the black and white Cecil Beaton dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1964 My Fair Lady movie . In the film Eliza Doolittle attended Royal Ascot at the time of ‘Black Ascot’ in 1910 when the ladies wore large black picture hats out of respect for the death of King Edward VII. The Edwardians loved wearing white, cream or ecru as it was a symbol of wealth- it meant that you could afford plenty of maids to clean your soiled hems made dirty from a leisurely stroll on the lawn. 

Wider hats were fashionable and became a statement of extravagance with their over the top trimmings of large cabbage roses or gerberas, lace, bunches of berries, rosettes and ribbon streamers. And Stephen Jones’ large fascinator with its ears of wheat, bows, plumes and flowers is in keeping with the era and also pays homage to Cecil Beaton’s hat worn by Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

The third creation brings us in to 21st Century glamour. This lipstick red demi-couture piece is from Westwood’s Gold Label collection.  It is hand sewn with red embroidery on black silk with an all over flower theme. Sculptural finishes are seen around the neckline and shoulders.

The hat is of hi-tech lacquered straw in the same deep red as the dress. Fashioned in Jones’ signature miniature top hat style and softened with veil netting.

Throughout the fashion stakes, you can see the style may have changed but the flamboyant look always remains stable. 

Bejewelled Headpieces for Royal Ascot

We all know the key piece that will transform your gorgeous dress in to a glamorous outfit fit for Royal Ascot is what's on top of your head.
Biba Fox, the designer of bespoke jewellery, not only takes commission on rings, necklaces, bracelets etc, but can also design headpieces for weddings, gala nights and of course Royal Ascot.
Just email her on biba@bibafox.com to discuss ideas for next year's hat.

Here's a few of her past headpieces with a flirty 1920's feel :

Passionate Pink is always a hot colour for Royal Ascot and looks striking with the bold black feather. The crystals are of course Swarovski.

Silver plated woven wire with Swarovski crystals - inspiration butterflies. This will set off a monochrome outfit just nicely.

Make them green with envy with this smaller headpiece.The attention is drawn to the green enameled wire lacing detail embellished with sparkling Swarovski crystals.  
Price starts from £85
visit her website for more details: www.bibafox.com