Malan Breton AW18 at London Fashion Week

Titled 'Omega', this last letter of the Greek alphabet signifies the end of a journey to one’s clarity and self.

The collection has a theatrical flair with inspiration drawn from Edwardian Tarot, the wizard Merlin,
and Chinese astrology

But it also shows a darker side with inspiration from the myth of the four horsemen of the apocalypse- . The four riders symbolizing Conquest, War, Famine, and Death. However these riders are gloriously dressed with floor length military style riding jacket in pale gold brocade.

A red tartan riding habit

And ready for battle, a leather jacket  fashioned in a black knight's suit of armour.

Shard like sleeves rose high above the shoulders like sharp spears

Long flowing silk organza dresses lightened the collection but still had a hint of darkness: eerie silhouette print on a white background with accents of red, ....

whilst the other, a  more peaceful print of the Great Wall of China and it's surrounding landscape was bound securely in a leather corset

With a colour palette of mainly black

the collection did bring a splattering of bright orange and red

This collection was definitely not for the faint hearted ending with dominatrix style leather studded pieces, thigh high stiletto boots and leather opera style gloves

 “This collection, has been a journey of self-realisation, a point of gaining ones hope back in humanity. Rebuilding one's shell, one’s armour, one’s heart. Love lost, valour, and watching gluttony, and greed change humanity for the worst....” – Malan Breton
Photography: Simon Armstrong

Zeynep Kartal AW17 at London Fashion Week

For AW17, Kartal takes her inspiration from the 1920s Glitz and Glamour age with emphasis on a strong steely woman with sexy defining her discipline with her femme fatal vices.

Zeynep conjures into the night with hand embellished antique rose motifs from the the legendary British florist of the 1920s Constance Spry mixing with high gloss satins and lace capturing the vintage decade.

With couture inspired silhouettes and 20s tailored flapper dresses coated with a slickness attitude on silk lace.
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Constance yields a dynamic infusion of classic and modern, a new type of luxury with opulent evening wear that gives daywear a reminiscence to Spry's past and a celebration for the future.

Heavy exuberant embroideries in Art Deco shapes with silk fringes and ruffles,

clean cut tailoring, leafy printed macrame lace and spiral applique leaf embellishments using the unique Kartal signature of the finest natural silk fabrics.

Classic Tuxedo styles are given an elegantly casual make over to become more loungewear.

Refined tailoring takes inspiration from classic pyjama styles which move from night to day dressing.
Velvet gives textural relieve and a sumptuous relaxed feeling.

The key seasonal peacock hues include deep emerald and pea green for a forest like quality

 with chalk pink, rust and amethyst starring as the palette warmer for a look that's more transitional.

Creamier hues are mixed with nearly black night shades in a refined way.

Fabrics include silk, transparent chiffon, organza and handmade lace.
Photographs by Simon Armstrong

Belstaff AW16 Collection at London Fashion Week

Following on from Pre-Fall’s theme of ‘Heading North’, Belstaff turns its attention to great polar expeditions for this Winter, titled Polar Pioneer.

Outerwear:
Given the harsh environments of the poles, outerwear has been very much conceived with protection, wearability and luxurious comfort in mind.

Colour-blocking using a polar-inspired palette, and the combination of different natural fibres to create a rich patchwork motif that is echoed throughout the entire collection, are both key messages for coats, outerwear and beyond this season.

 The polar environment is evoked using an off-white palette and polar fur prints;
The calfskin patchwork was inspired by Inuit costume

, and the white Mongolian shearling offers something new and fresh to Belstaff’s outerwear offering.

Inspired by renowned female pioneers, the women’s design team was drawn to Edith "Jackie" Ronne's great Antarctic expedition of 1947. An American journalist and historian, she was the first woman to be a working member of an Antarctic expedition, led by her husband Finn Ronne. She conducted research for 15 months at a small station the 21-member team had set up on Stonington Island in Marguerite Bay, on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. This collection celebrates this spirit with a mix of polar and moto inspirations, influenced by wintry landscape textures of snow, icebergs and rocks and a nod to Inuit dress.

Leather:
This season’s leatherwear comprises new silhouettes such as a bomber jacket in a very tactile tumbled leather.

A café racer with lace-up details and Belstaff’s signature quilted shoulders also features a new embroidered Phoenix emblem ,the traditional Belstaff logo (back shown in above image on the right),

while the statement piece of the season comes courtesy of a khaki and natural skin Mongolian shearling coat with calfskin detailing.

In keeping with the polar theme, many of the leather pieces come with a variety of fur-lined collars for added warmth. Motocross leather pants are combined with fur-lined parkas, while embroidered jackets and patchworks of wools and skins bring richness to the collection.

Sportswear:
Further exploring the Inuit / patchwork themes, this season’s sports / casualwear consists of two different but complementary focuses: a very comfortable rich indigo selvedge denim employing the patchwork concept and fringing combined with a more feminine, textured and novelty style featuring pleating in leather and organza in wrap skirts, asymmetrical hems and fringe tape detailing.

 A silk bomber jacket with an embroidered Phoenix on the back and its complementary jumpsuit (above image) give a nod to contemporary trends.

Pleats are a strong detail this season, some in icy transparent organza, some in leather, adding fluidity and femininity in contrast to the fur and leather outerwear pieces.

  In all, it showcases Belstaff's strong attitude and freedom of spirit but expressed with soft materials and lines. “We were inspired by female pioneers venturing into the earth’s most bleak and hard-to-reach locations in the most challenging of conditions,” explains VP of Women’s Design, Delphine Ninous. “Protection from the elements, warmth and comfort are key themes, as are the stylistic influences derived from these lands and the animals and people that inhabit them.” For the presentation of the collection,
Knitwear:
The polar theme pervades the knit offering here with cable knits created from combining shearling and fur, knitted leather worked into the yoke of a jumper, various fringes and hand-applied cables.

There are also some graphic motocross-inspired sweaters - with elbow patches or refined with shoulder patches in gauze for second skin sweaters. A standout knitwear piece is a cosy cashmere cabled one-suit – a hybrid of a biker’s leather racing suit and a thermal onesie.

Belstaff took over the crypt of deconsecrated church One Marylebone, on the edge of London’s Regent’s Park. The high grey arches of the crypt provided a stark backdrop to set the polar scene, with models placed on installations of perspex and opaque white Styrofoam, evoking kryptonite-esque icy shards.

 Belstaff was delighted to welcome special guest female polar pioneer Christina Franco – one of the only five women to embark on a sole expedition to the North Pole. Her next attempt will be in 2017.

Photography Credit:  Jason Lloyd Evans