LONDON FASHION WEEK AW13: DO THE "CO-ORD"

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

Here's a FEAL version of what I wrote for today LFW paper, The Daily...

Matchy matchy has already been made modern. Recall way back when in Resort 2012, Phoebe Philo did shirts, jackets and joggers all styled together in the same floral print. Since then, the "co-ord", as matching outfits have been christened, has become a key component in the most wearable collections. It's an easy look, the bricks of which can quickly be taken apart to form a whole new outfit. A case in point was Zoe Jordan's Prince of Wales ensemble, or the striped set which Eudon Choi embellished with Swarovski crystals. While they look perfect together for full-on, mega matched impact, the best bit is that you could wear that check tee with a leather pencil skirt or play down the stripe trousers with a plain jumper. You might decry that surely that is what a dress is for. A total, easy-to-put-together look.  Well, yes but separates are far more modern looking and I would bet that a co-ord induces boredom at a far slower rate precisely because you can change it around.  From a designer's perspective, the co-ord is a commercial winner too because it persuades us to buy into two pieces to achieve one look (or if you're into Christopher Raeburn, you'll need the bag and boots too)

At Antipodium, there was the choice of a tweed bomber and wide leg look in either mustard or lilac checks. Creative Director Geoffrey Finch told me, "we were fed up of so much bitsiness, it's nice to have a whole look". Vogue's Emma Elwick-Bates summed up LFW's take on the co-ord, "I feel like it's really relevant in heritage fabrics now, like a modern Katharine Hepburn". We'll match to that.

 A TUMBLE OF LFW CO-ORDS

Lace at Christopher Raeburn

Striped and embellished at Eudon Choi

Checks at Zoe Jordan 

Cocktail print at House of Holland

Simply grey and sporty at Thomas Tait

Graphic print at Holly Fulton

Black and white chains at Whistles

CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN: JUST ONE REASON TO VISIT NEW GEN IN PARIS

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

During London Fashion Week, we blogged about lots of the brilliant collections by the NEWGEN SS12 contingent. Paris is now upon us and we thought that any of you lucky enough to be in the city over the next few days might like to know that you can drop in to have a look for yourselves at the collections (n.b at a different location to previous years, see bottom of post for details). Michael Van der Ham, J.JS Lee and Craig Lawrence  (amongst others) will be in attendance and you can see what we thought of their offerings by following the links.

Christopher Raeburn SS12 (STYLE.com)

 Christopher Raeburn is a member of the NEWGEN crew and his LFW show was an example of how this group are really shaking things up. I attended his presentation at the Museum of London on the Friday night, and the three stages which he took his audience through made me really excited to be a young journalist embarking on my first fashion week.

Christopher Raeburn SS12 (STYLE.com)

First up was a short film which focussed on the 'Made in England' element of his designs as well as the technicality of the fabrics used in their construction. Raeburn told me that the vast majority of his pieces are still made in-house, with a few others being manufactured in three factories around England. Second, was a museum-like presentation of the collection. The models were set against all colours of the rainbow and there was a kind of eerie beating music which only added to the blurring of the lines between art and fashion.

Christopher Raeburn SS12 (Style.com)

 Finally, a completely fun element; the opportunity to get touchy feely with the clothes. In fact, attendees were positively encouraged to bang the items which were wired up to lights so that your bash literally lit up the room. Take a look at the video below of the fabulous Susie Bubble having a go.


Installation at Christopher Raeburn S/S 12 from Susie Bubble on Vimeo.


Raeburn emphasised to me the desire to create an 'exciting show in an amazing space in a limited time' (the Raeburn team had just six hours to transform the classic museum space into a fashion show venue). In short, this was a completely inspired, super fun way to show a collection. And a perfect example of why the New Gen crew are so exciting and a must-see if you're a journalist or buyer in Paris in the coming days.

You can visit them from Friday at 2pm, here: Le Loft, L'Impasse Guemenee, 3 Cour Berard, 75004, Paris (4eme). They'll be around for a week.