hannabytes: September 2011

It seems to have come around extremely fast, but yes, for just over a week now the fashion showcases dotted around the Western world, the four weeks which will act as the main influence over what we will be wearing for the seemingly distant Spring and Summer of 2012, are here.

I have a tendency to get extremely over excited and obsessive checking Vogue.com for updates, particularly if I know one of my favourite fashion houses or designers is on the day’s schedule. (A delayed tube from Notting Hill Gate on Sunday cause me much grief as I realized I would miss the live stream of Topshop Unique’s collection!) Anyway the bottom line is, I love to blog about the collections which have caught my eye so I hope you enjoy my fashion week instalments.

Let us begin with New York, the city’s fashion week boasts some of my most adored designers and I must say as I caught up with the collections on my laptop I was not left unimpressed.

3:1 Philip Lim

Philip Lim never falters in delivering his signature clean line and sporty aesthetic, his Spring Summer collection exhibits beautifully cut shapes whilst contrasting fluidity and structure. The colour palette is certainly to be noted with monochromatic tones accompanied by sugared almond pastels which seem to be proving a trend for the season to come. The addition of a punchy dyed print and contrasting bags makes the collection feel believable and totally wearable.

Alexander Wang

Oh adoration! I had to exclaim my excitement in a tweet as soon as I glimpsed Wang’s collection. The sportswear vibe continues, again a signature aspect of Wang’s designs, yet a new darker element really engages me within this collection. I adore the use of sheer mesh pockets, which seem both feminine yet industrial, meanwhile, the use of print within the garments and wet tousled hair nod to Hawaiian surf vibes, Hawaiian Air.

Band of Outsiders

Band of Outsiders is a brand which I have previously heard of, but not a name which I expected to appear in the list of catwalk reports from New York. None the less the collection is one of my favourites from the Stateside’s run. A balance of coquettish French chic and prim bookish Alexa Chung London cool featuring classic pieces such as boaters, blazers and pinafores with a new edge. The selection of fabrics was fantastic too I adore the dip dyed crochet and the pairing of a leather bandeau with pyjama-esque printing silks.

Marc Jacobs
One of my favourite current designers, I was bound to fall for anything crafted at the helm of Marc Jacobs and this collection continues to grow on me. Sultry, Grungey, Shiny and Youthful. Sheer and transparency look to stick around for a second outing next Spring Summer along with Winter’s Mistress vibes. Jacobs has crafted a collection which makes me think of a sophisticated, futuristic, yet still ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ Britney. Meanwhile Vogue suggest the influence of Judy Garland as Dorothy cementing the idea that their is a sense of Americana hickish girliness. The theatricality of the show is also of note each model was posed and slouched on chairs at the start of the runway backlit so as not to reveal the details of what was in store the added a dinner like dance hall vibe to the preceding.

Proenza Schouler

If you regularly read my blog you’ll be fully aware of my crush on anything Proenza Schouler, again they have created a polished yet travelled collection which makes reference to Africa, Hawaii, and 1970’s Safari’s, complete with touristy yet extremely covetable camera case bags. I adore the leather trimmed tee and the use of snakeprint. A gorgeously feminine take on summer tailoring too, twinned printed trousers and structured tops also appear in the next featured collection, a new more flattering alternative to the jumpsuit perhaps.

Rodarte
And here we go, more printed two piece jumpsuits, again they seem very ladylike and very right in the evolution of summer dressing for next year. I adore the Vincent Van Gough sunflower colours and references to his painting Starry Night which appear interspersed with more sugared almond tones in the form of leathery lilac and pistachio green. A great meeting of full on girly frocks and strong powerful shapes all with a subtle space aged vibe (check the metallic shoes and Star Trek shoulders).

So there we have it, my round up of the New York shows and a few potential trends are already emerging in the form of, Sugared Almond Shades, Sports Vibes, Travel/Holiday Inspiration (notably a Hawaiian Air), New Transparency, Futurism and The Two Piece Romper. Next stop, home soil, London.

Love this shoot from S/S11 POP, the colour and continuity of the images is perfect and considered whilst I adore the budget Travelodge style hotel setting in contrast with the garments selected entirely from Louis Vuitton. The composition of the photos is utterly striking, with a strong sense of symmetry and repetition echoing the constructed, uniform nature of a hotel room. The beauty of this shoot is likely to lie in the collaboration of the model and the photographer alone, rare I feel you'll agree for a high calibre fashion magazine such as POP. A truely successful pairing none the less, which results in striking and confident yet seemingly organic photographs.

Photographer: Emma Summerton

Styling: Emma Summerton and Anja Rubik