Pondercam On The Hop

London-based Fashion Communication student interning journal.

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Minju Kim Aw15

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J Moon AW 15  “”

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I'm running out of ambition to keep posting.... I guess really, life of a (part-time sort of) intern really couldn't be more repetitive?   I hope I don't have to post anymore until next week. Please. 

I may not be the most hardcore intern out there, but note to self, I am only meant to be doing this part time (2 days a week i heard) how do I end up doing this 24/7? Thats the perks of being a part time intern with no office to attend to, I work mostly at home or meeting my editor at random locations, and pickups at different PR agencies. Maybe I need to get used to this, as I'm holding onto this internship for at least half a year! 

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So... the work doesn't stop, just yet

Hi again, I am writing on behalf of my editor from Ligat.... Oh wait...  this is not an email. Apologies. I've been on a little merry go around today with lots of work coming from my mail inbox. (My iphone ringtone for emails resonates  as I write...) 

Various of tasks. On a monday morning, I find myself waking up at noon, and god, I haven't done any work yet. ( I still my final year proposals to type, plus sketchbooks to do. I am all over the place)

But rantings aside, intern works do need to be prioritised. (Sorry FMP ...) 

I find my self with a full list of tasks that need to be regularly followed up on, as I will need to arrange a pickup on wednesday, negotiate distribution opportunities, blogger researched, retouching images, and even writing emails in chinese. (Here I come East Asia. I knew one day being bilingual will really be useful, especially being highly proficient in written chinese..... )  

I do find that I am writing this blogpost rather early during the day than my past blogposts. Well Might as well, as I will need to head back very soon on to my tasks. x

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Today I have progressed into a little more "hardcore" intern  experience. Well not exactly, as I was given the freedom to work at home, the time management should be stress free, as it is entirely self-management.  

I was given some homework yesterday by my oh so eclectic editor (I'm not being sarcastic, she is a sweetheart! ) , and my homework consisted of compiling a list of all the featured designers in our current issue alongside their press contacts. It may have been a simple sounding job, but the process of looking it all up, hence confirming whether they are up to date information, was rather laborious (took me a good 3 hours). I also was given a task to look up some more potential/future distributors to Ligature. 

I had some personal arrangements on my september sunday morning, and only managed to get on with the work post dinner time. I am glad I managed to complete them all before midnight, thus writing this blog post! 

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Many of you may not know that I have already started interning for Ligature Magazine, because thus far I've only been working remotely with the Editor, Sarah Michelle.  I've previously met up with Sarah Michelle back in December, prior my placement with A.I PR, and have settled with this internship since then.  The third printed issue of Ligature has been published, and I have been asked to help out with the distribution of it. I was originally assigned to be delivering the hard copies to three different place, but after meeting Sarah today ( as she was handing me the freshly printed Ligature magazines ) I was re-updated with the locations I will be delivering to. As there were slightly alterations to the original plan, I left off from Tooley Street, London bridge on a bus towards Soho, where I will be delivering to The Other Shop, Photographers' Gallery and Claire De Rouen Bookshop. I also had a bonus mission to pass a copy to a guy named Paul (of whom I have been making assumptions of being a friend of the editor), and had to traveled east, wrapping the day promptly before 8pm.  PS: I will also need to remember to do my "homework" ~ 

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Phineypet SS15 Presentation 

So here's the comical aspect of the morning of my last day at LFW: I was casually lounging in my bed, still refusing to get up and get dressed for my Dioralop show, with iphone in hand I was procrastinating, scrolling aimlessly on my instagram. Then I came across a polaroid-like image of a jacket  decorated with hama beads, spelling out "f o r   y o u r   a m u s e m e n t " then I noticed that it belongs to an account under phineypet , of which I was following for quite some time already (I tend to have good memory on strange little things.) Deja Vu? Not quite there, because I was later reunited with this charming jacket at the Freemason's Hall. 

Phiney Pet is a freshly launched womenswear label that mixes eclectic print and street influences. Set up by designer Phiney Pettman, the label takes inspiration from its South East London surroundings. With an illustrative approach to print and a hint of the comical, Phiney Pet is always about fun and never taking itself too seriously. 

I am glad that I decided to drop by the Fashion Scout exhibition once more on the last day of LFW, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to meet the bubbly and eccentric Phiney Pettman of Phineypet. 

Phiney graduated from Ravensbourne last year, and since then have been keeping herself active with seasonal design collections. For SS15, Phiney informed us that she took primary inspiration from fun fairs, fairground visitors and also objects that belong to the fairs, thus developed them into artworks/craft-works that she had incorporated into her garments. (I'm seeing sequins, hama beads, embroidery and glitters!) Isn't her illustrations great though? With no former education in fine art, Phiney enjoys drawing and painting, and as evident as it is, she exerts her creativity skilfully through her paintings.

It was delightful to be able to meet the creative individual behind PhineyPet, and both the collection and the designer herself have put a smile on my face. I will be expecting to borrow a few pieces for my FMP! Here's a clue, "heartbreak" will be in the sentence. 

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Dioralop SS15 

Final day of LFW and luckily me and my girl companions have landed ourselves front row seats at the Dioralop SS15 catwalk show.  

Adopting inspirations from underground cults, tattoo symbolisms, and silhouettes from the West Indians and subcultural skinheads, the collection exclaims its unconstraint with relaxed military looks in stern monochrome. Prints were cultivated with intended spills, and processed at different temperatures, creating the intricately hypnotic pattern that is now indisputable to the collection. 

As stated by the designer, "a woman who wears Dioralop is uncompromising, aware and individual." From concept to execution, the woman behind the label itself is also daring yet sensitively innovative. 

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Le Photographe SS15

Unlike the runway shows, Le Photographe's SS15 presentation was much more calmer (perhaps no seatings really did make a difference? ) Inspired by the "garden of temptation", the designers showcased a ready to wear collection that is sophisticated, feminine and undeniably wearable.

As stated by Christopher Dadev the photographer, "The aim of our collection this season was to twist and extend the boundaries of wearable silhouettes, incorporating embroidery and fabric manipulation to bring a playful elegance  to a new vision of the post modern wardrobe."  '

We were joined with a swift catwalk after the visitors have settled in, where we witnesses more extravagant versions of the collection in movement. Just like a spring garden in full bloom, flashes of violet, lilac, ivory accompanied with heaps of black and white, the spring summer essence was at its epitome. 

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SORAPOL SS15 

Shifting from Great Queen Street, we relocated to 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, The Royal College of Surgeons for the Sorapol SS15 Presentation. 

Promptly after nine, the rest of the visitors were finally seated inside the main hall. We were half an hour behind, but all our well-dressed visitors did not protest. WIth the French decadence and African identities in mind, the duo, designer Sorapol and fellow Creative Director Daniel Lismore brought together an extravagant collection with a glimpse of Marie Antoinette's opulent life style. 

The collection envisions a fictitious "French-Masaai Queen." -- whose style marries tribal prints, pearlescent bralettes, with luscious ruffled blouses, gold embroidery and delicate feather-works. Split into two parts, apparent day and night wear tailored to their fictional aristocrat, the backdrop changes from hues of vermillion to starry blue.  Closing the show, the "queen"  enthralls  the whole room with her waist cinching, protruding crinoline and her lavish ship hat (inspired by Marie Anoinette's "Coiffure à la Belle-Poule." Due to the hat's wavering nature, it had unfortunately fell off when the model reached the photographers' end of the catwalk, do not fret, as a professional and persona in mind, she gracefully place the hat back on --  We all applauded as she sashayed her way out. The quality and concept for this collection was as compelling as the couture shows, and Sorapol have presented us all, a magical and breathtaking trip to his very own Versailles. 

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Dora Abodi SS15

For Dora Abodi, I might have ended up in one of those awkward seats where it is fair for viewing , yet awful for photographing. (Rants over)

As soon as the music kickoff, we were all immediately lured into an ambience of dark romantics and mythology. Intricate and opulent prints are mixed and matched over the models' bodies, as the glossy feather clutters over their skirts and ankles. The show gradually deviates from the metallic blues and red, reaching the epitome with chimeric, yet intimidating attire on towering high models (not to mention the Maleficent-esque horns.) Dora Abodi's vision is enigmatic and  alluringly complex, which defines her design approaches.

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Bernard Chandran SS15

Day 2's hors d'oeuvre is served at approximately just past two in the afternoon, and it is Bernard Chandran that is delivered on the plate.  From Chandran's invite designs, a poster with a textural flat print, consisted of recurring diamond silhouettes, have implied that this print may be a central to the collection.

I was half right. Laser cut-outs only took up a fraction of the collection, yet mildly deformed painted portraits incorporated as prints  silk, chiffon and satin profusely takes over. Models' hair were tied back and all wore lipsticks in a paler pink; Chandran's SS15 comprised of palette that will remind you of classical ruins, where bronze orange and turquoise resembles oxidised metal-wear, and the blazing yellow and monochrome represents day and night.  There is only one word that rose to mind whilst spectating,  "classical. " Interestingly on some shirts, bustier-like breast cups are externally crinkled and gathered onto the garment, emphasising slightly Grecian, corset-like contours.  Precisely, from colour palette to garment silhouettes, the collection possesses timeless shapes, which are neither too fitted nor too loose-fitting. 

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Ashley Isham SS15 Finale of my First Day at London Fashion Week September 2014, is Ashley Isham. (who I realise have previously studied at Middlesex University as well, which may explain the headwear being provided by House of Flora) 

As we made our way into the gallery, we notice models were scattered along the runway, posed still, some leaning on the gates, some sitting gracefully on the floor. The ambience was established with flourish; with the models assigned to specific poses in their 1920's inspired attire, it  was as if all of us were invited to a Great Gatsby Party. Although not much alterations have been made to the venue, but the gallery itself, with their prominent gates were perfect for Ashley Isham's SS15.

Introducing floor sweeping dresses, all fitted and bejewelled, as Ashley Isham sought inspiration after Mata Hari, icon of exoticism in dance, whose signature performance often involved in stripping away her outer garments revealing her adorned brasserie, or even nude body. The designer took on the performing aspects, finishing the show with the last model shedding off her white lace dress, and pranced her way out in her golden body suit. 

Opulent, sensual and graceful. Ashely Isham have left us in awed and fascinated, and having underlying eroticism connoted in his SS15 collection concluded our evening sublimely. 

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Ones to Watch:  Keiko Nishiyama SS15

Now, apart from CVG, Keiko Nishiyama was another familiar name that rings many bells. A year ago, super blogger Susie Bubble featured a blog post wearing a floral print and sequins embroidered coat from Keiko's MA collection. 

The full bloom english garden aside, this season Keiko takes a liking in heaps of seashells. As the last of the Ones to watch on the runway show, Keiko's collection was focused on prints and extravagant head pieces.  Every garment were like walking canvases, collages even, compiled of all sorts of paraphernalia your child may dig up at a beach. The quality and the ingredients of the prints are rather nostalgic too , yet Keiko preserves poeticism and scrapbook elements within, enhancing the romantic femininity of her style. 

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Ones to Watch: Youjia Jin SS15 The embodiment of masculine femininity is an ideal of the modern working women today; tenacious, cool but still undeniably womanly. In Youjia Jin's SS15 the idea is clearly demonstrated with her strong tailoring, minimal colour  schemes and fitted drapery. 

The collection comprised of mainly white, black and grey, with a few dipped dye effect on the shirts. There is definitely an essence of spring within the collection, as of the materials itself are on a lighter side. 

The show finale arises with the last model dressed in all black, raised her fist as a sign of dominance for a good few seconds, then made her exit. It was intriguing because the end was so solemn yet captivating, maybe it would remind you of your boss at the office? Haha.  

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Jamie Wei Huang SS15 

Commencing my journey of London  Fashion Week, is Jamie Wei Huang's SS15 "Metaphysics" collection. As stated by the designer herself "The Metaphysics collection was created to be worn by everyone and anyone." --and as how I would interpret it, there are definitely aspects on every garment that could be deemed wearable. 

 Comprised of silk jacquard, faux fur, leather buckles, slitted skirts, and flashes of bralettes,  Jamie Wei Huang's collection deemed her favouring wintry elements and implemented on her Spring Summer's, in which is an aspect I favour too, especially when living unsteadily chilly weather in London. 

With strokes of white paint dabbed on the sides of the models' hair, make up was kept to the minimal, whilst apart from the garments, the personal adornments of the models spoke for themselves.  As it further enhances Jamie Wei Huang's notion of translating the garments via the inner personas of an individual, i.e. models,  which may explain some some of their slightly unconventional model preferences, such as tattoo-ed models. All of which are ways to express that "anyone" could wear this collection. .

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Ones to watch: Cassandra Verity Green SS15

Do you recall the well received CSM graduate collection with signature beadwork and fishbowl rucksack from last year? Well, the name is Cassandra Verity Green, and she is part of the ones to watch at Vauxhall Fashion Scout today at the Freemason's Hall. 

Long Anticipated along with other three talented graduate designers, no wonder the venue was overcrowding! And wonderfully, the bubble-rucksack (fishbowl bag) made its return with slight alterations.

This season, C.V.G 's signature colour schemes persisted, but with a whole new concept. Here's a clue, Psychedelic Swimwear. Yes, the CSM graduate dedicates the following Spring Summer Collection to a theme so summery, it would put a smile on your grandmother's face ( because she wants one....) 

Everything about this collection was as exciting as her graduate collection. With unusual choice of materials (plastic wire binders?) implemented on jackets, whilst kaleidoscopic swirls were implemented into textural knitwear or prints.  The recurring colours seems to be electric blue, scarlet red, mint green and white, with red and blue being the main colour for hte models' wigs. All I think is missing might have been some heart shape sunglasses, then we would really experience the brimming 60's poolside vibe!