Simple but chic - Christopher Waller's Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection

After studying  Fashion Design at the University of East London and graduating in 2007, British born Simon Christopher Waller started designing at John Richmond. Now he has taken that large scary leap and created his own brand Christopher Waller which was launched in July 2010.

His new brand’s philosophy is:

’To provide effortless sophistication to women on a day-to-day basis blurring the transition from day to night with clean and flattering silhouettes enabling subtle detailing to shine through.’

And this certainly showed through with his AW10 debut collection which was a mix of silks, wools and jerseys in minimalistic chic tailoring injected with an effortless laid back wearablility.

For the SS11 collection, Waller has taken his inspiration from the minimalist artists of the late 50’s and 60’s who rejected outside influences such as politics, religion, symbolism etc  as the only means to create art. They chose to strip their work to the pure basics where colours, lines, shapes and textures were used sparingly and didn’t express the moods and feelings of the artist, but relied on the viewer to appreciate the object in its simplicity as just a beautiful piece of art.

Waller has carried this minimalism in to his cut and colour palette, proving you don’t need to rely on frills, bows and bright colour ways to create beautiful statement garments. The fluid fabrics of silk, jersey and finely woven wool he uses ensures the simple tailored cut is not harsh and gives a soft luxurious feel to the whole collection.

However Waller does add a touch of texture with his silk panelling on the jersey and wool pieces.

The main colour palette is black with accents of bold block colouring in muted earth tones of slate, stone, aubergine and dusty pink.

Highlights of the collection include a deconstructed fine wool box blazer in a muted block colour of slate with silk black cuffs, pockets and lapels; and a jersey T-dress with a taped silk seam.

Summary: A chic and minimalistic classic soft tailored look with a laid-back sporty twist

More details and images can be viewed on www.christopherwaller.com

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New Designer Hardcastle SS11 Collection on the Profile Fashion Event Catwalk 2010

Last but not least on the Profile Fashion Event catwalk was Hardcastle, a mid to high end ready to wear label which combines...........

..........the relaxed Australian easy to wear attitude with the quality of European tailoring.

The SS11 collection is called ‘As the Llamera Girl dances...’ and Louise Hardcastle took her inspiration from the colourful Quechuan women of Peru.

She combines femininity with a touch of masculinity by mixing fabrics of suede, silk, chiffon, wool crepe and leather together.

Colours are bright acid oranges, blues, pinks and reds.

The neon pink dress combines an empire line band of suede on a wool crepe shirt covered with a layer of silk chiffon. A tan leather mini skirt is layered with wide suede looped bands.

The digital print used is an aerial shot of Peru. 

This was Profile’s 9^th year and 20 new designers were able to showcase their collection.

But no resting on their laurels as Profile now looks at organising next year’s event.

New Designer Label 'Isy & Peeps' give us Country Chic with their SS11 Collection

New designer couple Israel and Pierre Imarni showed their fashion label Isy & Peeps – so called after their nicknames- at the Profile Fashion Event on 6 Sep.

The age market is 18-25 year old so the pieces are fun and flirty. The collection is a series of capsule items each based around a key trend for the season, but designed in colour and style so that they can be mixed together.

The first theme is ‘Tomorrow’s World’. Digital prints of birds in flight grace chiffon dresses and tunics.

 The second is ‘Postcards from the Country’ where a city girl is on a walk through rural America on a hot summer’s afternoon. 

Here are prints of free running horses on sandy coloured chiffon mini dresses and blouses, juxtaposing femininity with the rugged prairie.

The third is ‘Script’ where everything is black and white, especially love.  Here we see ‘Isy & Peeps’ printed in black script all over white chiffon dresses and tunics. 

Knitted maxis, tunics and capes are adorned with love hearts, love birds, ‘Love till the end’ and Isy & Peeps’ initials. Colours are white on black, black on white and some with a splash of red. 

New Designer Beachwear Label Paolita at the Profile Fashion Event

Third on the catwalk at the Profile Fashion Event, Mayfair hotel on 6 Sep 10 and getting us ready for sunnier times, was beachwear label Paolita

Born in the USA  and raised in Greece, Anna Paola studied fashion design at the Instituto Marangoni in Milan before starting her own label Paolita.

For SS11 Anna has two ranges: Voyage and Floreana.

B Queenie in red

Voyage is inspired by the explorers of the past and shows swimwear in nautical stripes.

Annabel Lee in blue/red

The stripes are of faded red, fern and blue with a few tiny ruffles here and there to give a vintage undertone.

Nauti in fern

This collection is definitely for the woman who is not afraid to show off her body......

Andromeda in blue

.....as even the one piece suits show a lot of middle with their cut away designs.

Cupid's Kiss in fern

Floreana is inspired by the Galapagos Islands combining exotic and colourful ethnic prints in modern bright neon colours of fern, yellow, red and blue. Here we see a patchwork of patterns and colours together giving a carnival feel. 

Odalisque in yellow

This collection has a more varied choice for different body shapes: The Odalisque one piece is of a burlesque style with girlie frills at the top of the legs, the Sonnet one piece is more Hollywood glam with its halter neck cord tie......,

Minikini in fern

........the Minikini is girlie with its little frilled skirt and the Shorti bikini is boyish with its mini short style bottoms.   
Whichever range you choose, you're sure to raise the temperature on the beach. 

Check out her website www.paolita.co.uk  

New designer Haizhen Wang shows his SS11 collection at the Profile Fashion Event

Central Saint Martin's graduate Haizhen Wang was one of the up and coming designers  who were lucky enough to be chosen by Profile for their annual fashion event.

The event took place at the Mayfair hotel on 6 Sep 10.

 Wang’s SS11 collection is inspired by his past work at MaxMara, Boudicca and All Saints mixed with his own personal creativity.

Hand printed designs are either a combination of deep muted bronze and gold ( a great colour combination for the warmer complexion) ..........

..........or the lighter mix of pale gold and pearl.( suits the cooler complexion)

His signature fabric of waxed cotton is used for the outerwear.(see mac in the first photo)
The overall look is soft structured tailoring.  

Profile was developed by FashionCapital.co.uk so new talented ladieswear and accessory designers are able to display their collection to retail buyers, press, overseas and international department stores and independent retailers.

New designer Vjera Vilicnik at the Profile Fashion Event

Where do up and coming designers go to showcase their collections after Graduate Fashion Week? A few may have a lucky break at GFW itself but the majority are on their own and without the necessary funds.

This is where FashionCapital.co.uk comes to the rescue. They have developed a fashion event called Profile where new talented ladieswear and accessory designers are able to display their collection to retail buyers, press, overseas and international department stores and independent retailers.

By carefully selecting some of the best and emerging designers, Profile bridges the gap between the new faces of Graduate Fashion Week and the names of London Fashion Week.

Now in its 9th year, Profile took place on 6^th Sept in the Crystal room (with its amazing chandelier) at the Mayfair hotel.

First on the catwalk was Croatian born designer Vjera Vilicnik.

Vjera believes in quality over quantity which is displayed through the hand crafted embroidery of her collection. She perfected her skills of hand crafting at Ecole Lesage, the French school of haute couture embroidery.

The inspiration behind the collection is a girl becoming a woman.

Dusty pinks are teamed with sophisticated black. Lines are simple allowing the hand stitched embellishments of feathers, beads and Swarovski crystals to transform the garments from ordinary to unique.

A plain white silk t-shirt reveals a cross over pattern of Swarovski crystal beads on organza at the back, whilst a conservative pink and black mini shirt dress shows......

....a more adventurous side of feathers, ribbons and beads across the shoulder blades.

Her aim is to show that embroidery does not mean old fashioned and does not have to be heavy.

New collection "Damsel in a Dress" brings affordable couture to the high street

This new label is the brain child of Alison Mansell and draws its inspiration from the female form

embodied in the works of feminine chic. Each piece in the collection has been carefully designed to embrace feminine curves and carefully couture cut to fit.

The collection offers the wearer luxury timeless pieces at affordable prices.

Damsel in a Dress is a brand that is very much romantic at heart with a poetic outlook on life. It attracts women that are confident, vibrant and individual who embrace the feeling of wearing beautifyingly elegant clothes with such delicate attention to detail.

We love their colour twist on the classic mac - neon orange in luxe satin, and the way the 1930's Schiaparelli print is splashed over their seamless dresses.

Each item will be made in a limited edition and will feature exclusively at the following John Lewis store from 8th Feb:

Oxford Street London

Edinburgh

Trafford

Kingston

Newcastle

Bluewater

Nottingham

Glasgow

Aberdeen

www.johnlewis.com

Something to look forward to on these cold wintery days - roll on 8th Feb!