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London Fashion Week

As London Fashion Week draws to a close and the fash-pack jet off to Milan and Paris for the fashion festivities to continue, let’s take a look back at the highlights of what the coolest and most eclectic capital had to offer. The designers certainly did not disappoint; the Spring/Summer collections were bold, beautiful and creative. It took me a while to narrow down but here is a round-up of my five favourite shows:

Burberry Prorsum

Christopher Bailey embraced ladylike elegance with his collection of prim shapes in pastel shades, perfect for Spring. His designs were given a modern edge with lace fabrics, sheer detailing and a selection of bold prints. Will the spotty design seen on several shirts in this collection replace the distinctive Burberry heart print that has adorned so many this season? My favourite piece had to be this lace, bejewelled Burberry trench, putting a spin on the brand’s classic mac. Perhaps not as practical but infinitely prettier!

Mary Katrantzou

Fashion is never boring with Mary Katrantzou. As usual, her designs were a feast for the eyes. Katrantzou’s trademark trompe l’oeil prints were back in a big way with shoes being a key feature. There were leather brogues, colourful trainers as well as many close-ups of buckles, laces and chains. Next came beautifully bright cocktail dresses, heavily embellished and in a variety of interesting shapes, from origami folded skirts to frilly necklines. This collection, although perhaps a bit avant garde for most of our everyday lives, was technically brilliant and definitely one of the highlights of London Fashion Week.

Topshop Unique

The Topshop Unique show was one of the most eagerly anticipated shows by fashion editors and celebrities alike. With a palette of bright blues, sea greens and sunny yellows, summer was in the air. This summery feel was accentuated by dreamy beach music and a grassy runway for models to strut down.  Silhouettes were relaxed, floaty spaghetti strap dresses and playsuits being one of the most prominent shapes sent down the runway. The designs were kept modern through the use of almost kaleidoscopic geometric patterns. Overall, this collection definitely achieved its ideal of capturing the feel of being ‘young in the sun’.

Giles

There was a definitively spooky atmosphere at the Giles S/S 14 show. There were darkly atmospheric film stills, romantic screen prints of models Amber Valetta and Kate Moss and even a batty ballgown for the finale that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Tim Burton film! Barely there make-up and Adidas trainers gave the collection 90s style laidback cool. Pop Art lip motifs were another key feature in Giles’ designs which made for a playful hiatus before a return to the dramatic gothic dresses.  

House of Holland

Henry Holland never fails to bring the fun factor to Fashion Week. Holland cited Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet as a key influence and, with Virgin Mary motifs in abundance, it is easy to see elements of Baz’s vibrant, eclectic style in this collection. It was quirky and unique; even the invitations were original and sent in the form of a temporary transfer tattoo. Tattoo prints tights, along with gun holster accessories, backward caps and chunky oversized jewellery, brought an edge to the 50s style full skirted dresses. ‘Homegirls’ was a decidedly grown-up collection for House of Holland but retained the brand’s characteristic offbeat and sexy feel.

 So that’s my round up of my favourite shows from the Spring/Summer 2014 London Fashion Week. If push came to shove, I would probably say that my ultimate favourite was House of Holland’s – I can’t resist a bit of Baz, plenty of glam 50s style dresses and a smattering of brassy jewellery!

Francesca Bender, guest blogger for VOIX Fashion, @fb14_

Based in London

(Photo: Vogue; Vogue; Topshop; Giles; Vogue)

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Clothing and Connotations: My Experience in India

With a penchant for patterned leggings and a steadfast refusal to buy skirts that actually cover my knees, my pre-holiday wardrobe was not exactly India friendly. A trip to Westfield Stratford City, and an extensive raid of my mum’s clothes, sorted me out with an array of high-waisted trousers, floaty maxi skirts and baggy t-shirts that would ideally keep me appropriately covered up and cool yet still somewhat fashionable. The idea that women only, or even primarily, dress for men has always been something that gets my goat. I dress for myself; I really enjoy finding great pieces and putting them together in an inventive way. Being told what I should or shouldn’t be wearing was definitely something that frustrated me as I was traipsing around the shops trying to find appropriately long/loose/non- sheer clothing. I don’t mean to say that I don’t understand the culture behind this emphasis on women’s modesty or that I really wanted to be prancing around the Golden Temple in hot pants and a crop top. However, I did resent the suggestion that dressing ‘immodestly’ said something about us and our respectability.

                On arrival in Leh, we were greeted by a huge sign detailing the correct way tourists should behave and, specifically, how to dress. The sign described, as we’d heard before, that shoulders and knees should be covered to be respectful to locals. The sign concluded that failing to do so, i.e. dressing inappropriately, would “cause” harassment. As a fairly opinionated girl who harps on a lot about the right to do what you want and wear what you want, this kind of causal language regarding our sartorial choices and the apparently consequent risk of harassment is maddening. However, what we tend to forget while getting whipped up into a flurry of indignation is the context; many Indians, especially in more rural parts of the country, are unused to seeing white women, period – let alone white women dressed in more revealing Western clothing.

“Hijab is security” – billboard advertising the hijab as protection against harassment from men

As Westerners travelling around India, you are stared at a lot. It’s something that takes a fair amount of getting used to. For the most part, the staring comes from a natural curiosity, however, sometimes it’s undeniably hostile and leery. On one memorable occasion in Goa, myself and two female friends were followed (sadly, not a one-off occurrence!) by a guy on a bike who, after we shockingly decided not to engage this delightful man in conversation following his shouts of “hey baby hey baby what’s your name”. He then told us very firmly that we were in his country, we were there for him and we were going to talk to him. Our outsider status as Westerners in India, crystalised here, is designated by inferences from our skin but also from what we wear. Clothing does not cause intimidation or street harassment – the reasons are much more ingrained and complex than that – but it is worth considering its contribution. After all, you experience very different treatment while wearing a headscarf.  

One Indian friend suggested a possible reason for the excessive, leery staring and harassment could be that one of the most common places Indian men encounter young white women is in porn. Obviously, this is not uniformly true of the Indian public and may just be conjecture, but it’s an interesting angle from which to consider the impressions people had of us. Even when dressed modestly with arms and legs covered, our skin and our clothing (often cut to flatter body shape) still carry a certain connotation of what Western women are like. Whether you choose to buy into this association or not, the clothing you wear affects how people perceive you. It is what the clothes signify that is important, an indication of the West’s overly sexualised culture; the idea of ‘slutty Western women’.

On returning to the UK, I was surprised to notice that both my sister and I were dressing somewhat differently, choosing to cover up more, even when returning to uncharacteristically hot English weather! It’s odd that we continued to adopt the notion of covering up, despite actively resisting the indications of it while in India. There remained a residual impact of our experiences in India in the clothes we were choosing to wear. Arguably, though, the overt process of equating revealing clothing with loose morals we encountered in India occurs in the UK too, albeit in a much subtler form. The pornification of women in popular culture sees young women being encouraged to be overtly sexual but then vilified when they act and dress in such provocative ways.   You only need to look at discussions of Miley Cyrus’ recent antics at the VMAs and in her new video ‘Wrecking Ball’ to see that discourse is centred around how absurd/disturbing/pitiable her behaviour is, instead of reflecting on her situation; why she feels the need to display her sexuality almost as almost as an initiation into adulthood ‘evolving’ from Disney Channel wunderkind to barely adult popstar. Neither is the role of the questionable Terry Richardson in directing ‘Wrecking Ball’ often called into question. Richardson, epitomising the permeation of pornification from popular culture into the fashion world, captures through his lens this double standard of perceived immodesty being upheld as both sexy and condemnable. The margins are wider at home, we are freer to wear more outlandish clothing, behave in more outrageous ways, yet the boundaries are still there. We are able to experiment with fashion, express ourselves with our clothing choices without facing continual intimidation – just one of many things that we are able to appreciate but can still take for granted – but are ultimately still constrained by our own societal norms, and open to harsh judgment if we deviate from these standards.

Francesca Bender, guest blogger for VOIX Fashion, @fb14_

Based in London

(Photo: Francesca Bender)