ZIAD GHANEM AW11 Collection at London Fashion Week

Titled ‘Never End, Never End, Never End’ 

the collection’s inspiration came from the horror video game ‘Silent Hill’ and the supernatural works of painter John Henry Fuseli.

Here performers as well as models sashayed down the catwalk and sashay they did.

Opening the show saw Marnie Scarlett, an alternative performer, hunched over like an old hag in a black jacquard full length hooped gown.

Raising her head and showing her joker like mask, she grew and grew in height 

until she was way above our heads, whilst performing a fan dance with two large green feathered fans. She obviously was on stilts but everything was so gracefully done. How can you top that?

Well the rest of the show didn’t disappoint starting with male models in long evening gowns with transparent tops. Here seen in a fish tailed netted gown  or....

..... looking tomb like embellished in gold

The Prince of Darkness strides in wearing a chiffon cloak

 

 Helen Crawford the first soloist ballet dancer kept on her toes by pirouetting down the catwalk in a pale lilac ethereal strapless dress and grey veil,

transgender singer SaHHara strutted her stuff in a sparkling sequined fish tailed gown, 

whilst artists Paul and Nora Battenberg-Cartwright as a gostly bride and groom in white with black print and black veils strew petals on the floor. 

Not all was gothic and horror; there was lightness in the middle of the show with draped vintage silk chiffon strapless gowns ready to take flight as the winged messenger in grey...

or bringing a fleeting taste of  innocence in floaty pale pink,

and a touch of drama in turquoise edged in green with envy,

... raising the temperature in hot fuchsia..

and ready to take flight in blue and white.  

But it was back to Gothic black with cobweb like embellishments.

Then came to turn of the femme fatales. The first in passionate pink with a death plunging neckline.

Whilst the blood red body con fish tailed gown squeezed the breath out of the next femme fatale 

and this virginal gown was not so innocent with its precarious neckline

And the last model proved you don't have to be stick thin to look glamorous.

A great show to end the day.

Omar Mansoor AW11 Collection at London Fashion Week

The title of Omar’s evening gowns collection was ‘Paradise Lost’ 

and he took his inspiration from John Milton’s epic poem of the same name, in which Adam and Eve’s temptation by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden is described.  

The colour palette was a range of purple shades from the palest greyish purple to deeper but muted hues; 

and a range of muted greens from the mustard greens to olives.

The purples represent flowers

whilst the shades of green suggest the leaves in the Garden of Eden.

The opening gown shone with its metallic gold panels emblazoned on the folded chiffon bodice like the rays of the sun.

A short cocktail dress seemed to represent the happy days in the garden with its shiny satin silk in top pleated in shades of fresh lime greens and its floaty chiffon skirt dancing with its embellished flowers.

 Layers of chiffon fall like delicate shreds to form the skirt of a satin silk ruched cocktail dress in light aniseed green,

whilst a long simple lilac gown in satin silk was given texture with a crisscross patterned bodice.  

Delicate woven lace flowers, layers of sheer fabrics, asymmetrical hemlines,

and dramatic necklines symbolise the story of sin, angels, curiosity and beauty.

Photography by Shahid Malik

Ashley Isham AW11 collection at London Fashion Week

Taking Christina G Rossetti’s poem ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ for inspiration, ‘The Enchanted Forest’ is a darker continuation of Isham’s earlier floral theme ‘East of Eden’ in SS11 collection.

 Here the models represent fairies in lush tones of magenta, emerald, deep sapphire, crimson, coral and granite whilst the Queen of Fairy looks dark and mysterious in granite voile and silver sequins.

The headgear ranged from the simple floral arrangement you’d expect fairies to wear,

 to those with more of a touch of the orient – proving fairies are well travelled.

And of course the Fairy queen’s headdress was bigger and better than the rest – like a bridal veil on a windswept day catching flowers as they flew by

Opening the show are the fairies, sorry models, in striking bold floral patterns on a background of forest green and turquoise blue velvet.

Lengths are short with a variety of necklines from the high to the strapless.

Loving the strapless green with matching separate sleeves -So good for those women who hate their arms but long to wear sexy strappy dresses.

Then came the elegant long draped jersey dresses in plain deep sapphire

and crimson,

followed by green and yellow pattern chiffons which brought a light airy freshness before going back to deep block colours,

this time the turn of emerald.

By the end of the collection the colours were darker with the granite and silver shining like different strengths of moonlight

on metallic bark textured browns,

silver birch jacquards

and scale-like sequins,

whilst black beaded and woollen lace appliqués entwined around the dresses

and jackets representing creepers.