Silver Fox Spotted at Oliver Spencer!

We arrived at Oliver Spencer just a few minutes before the show began and were rushed straight through to the photographers pit. Being one of the last shows on the last day of LFW this season, the photographers found their voices and began to yell at the audience! The traditional "Everyone uncross your legs and tuck them in!" is traditional, but now that iPads are a common accessory catwalk-side, and people tend to stick them out to get the best photos would make any well balanced photographer ragey. Especially when half of your really great photos are ruined by iPads cutting across the garments!

Spencer had an amazing film of his collection projected onto a wall which had both mine and Mel's attention. Beautiful colours and intense expressions agains a whitewash background.

Lights down..... 


"LEGS UNCROSSED! TUCKED UNDER YOUR CHAIR! PUT YOUR BLOODY IPADS AWAY AND WATCH THE FREAKING SHOW!!" ... Mel and I were laughing out loud...

I am going to put this out there right now.... Oliver Spencer's show was actually my favourite show of the whole season. There were a few which followed closely behind for varying reasons but based purely on style, mood, fun, chillaxedness, models, clothes - eveything about this collection and show came together perfectly in my mind and Mel and I left with a spring in our steps and smiles on our faces. This is a pretty mean feat when we are both lacking sleep!

Casual suits with colour varied buttons, polka dots and stripes, gentlemanly scarves. The collection was so bright and felt very contemporary though constructed using traditional techniques. 


These are clothes for the modern guy that look just as cool on the man in the street as they do on a catwalk.Canvas rucksacks and loafers with orange bottoms were the perfect accompaniment to the garments.

Speaking of men though, this catwalk show styled by William Gilchrist was a triumphant celebration of our opposite sex. We talk about women and celebrating women all the ruddy time - WHAT ABOUT THE BOYS!? This show was the crucial and much needed celebration of men of all shapes and creeds. Geeks, chics, beards, tattoo's, intense ones, muscly ones, languid ones, stiff ones, demure ones, arrogant ones. 

The joy of this show was that the clothes looked absolutely amazing on each and every one of the models, and each was still able to emit some form of personal style that perfectly suited them. 

Our steadfast favourite was a 40+ silver fox of a man named Adam (I only know this as I just spotted him in the latest issue of Another Man). He oozed the confidence that only a man who knows a few things and has been around the block a few times can project with any sort of conviction. (We saw a chest tattoo poking out and you can see he has gold teeth in Another Man! Yowza!!)

Self taught tailor Oli Spencer has got everything right. His clothes are well made, bright, creative and versatile. You can see his touch and vision in every piece. Then it's almost like his job is done - he lovingly hands his pieces over and they are yours to make your own.

GO FORTH GENTLEMAN! BE EVERYTHING YOU ARE, AND BE ONLY WHO YOU ARE! Oliver Spencer will ensure you look great doing it.

For the full show in video: Oliver Spencer ss 2012 Catwalk Video

Ziad Ghanem - The Show for the Rest of Us

I was really excited about Ziad Ghanem's show after the amazing spectacle's he has put on in previous seasons. With the lineup being several blocks long last season, I was sure to get there early and stake my place in my favourite spot. I looked around as the room filled. What I love most about Ziad shows, is that they are for everyone. He celebrates all measures of real life beauty in all of it's freakish glory.


I could feel the show was about to begin. At shows like this the lights almost feel hotter and a sort of pressure builds and you can feel something bubbling under the surface...


CRASH! AHHHHH!!! HELP!!!! BANG!!! SMASH!!!


I would have thought it was part of the show but the lights hadn't yet been dimmed. My eyes tore to the photographers pit in which all photographers were in a free fall domino like tumble off the meter high platform! Tripods and camera's crashing to the ground. It always looks and feels like such a delicate balance of bodies and equipment - precariously perched on a needlepoint. My over sized bottom once almost caused a similar catastrophe so once I saw that everyone was ok (but for a few bruises) I thanked bejeezus that it wasn't me who did it. "Girl from Pandora's Thoughts Big Ass Knocks Over 50 Camera Crew While Bending to Pick up Her Pen - 10 Hospitalised.  Bring Back Size Zero!"


I immediately called Mel who's response was "Oh my god what equipment was damaged?? Please don't say any Canon 5d Mach II's...." Typical of her to ask after the camera's before the people! 


The lights dimmed - I chucked my phone and got ready...

First to come out were my favourite married art duo the Battenberg-Cartwright's. I adore their story and their work and their love for each other. So many people marry for what they feel are traditional reasons and do it in a traditional way and it ends up a loveless disaster. These two have something else.... Maybe this couple who got married for art should start giving some lessons! Anyway, they looked amazing with red eye makeup and large bushells of flowers in their hair. He in a cropped white tailored jacket and draped bottom half and her in a gorgeous pink gown.


I love a man skirt, but this was the best I have ever seen. Fold upon fold upon fold of layered white cotton tied with a pink sash. It was unbelievably masculine despite the feminine influence. My favourite piece was a long sheer dress with vertical ruffles which perfectly followed and accentuated the curves of the female form. I would normally insert some sort of self deprecating remark that it wouldn't look as good on me as it did on the model but Ziad designs for all shapes and sizes so I have hope that it would!

          

A stunning girl in a long white dressed veiled in a piece of black netting, it was so innocent and delicate to watch. 

Streets full of lace, a corseted jesus, a haunting mime like white faced figure who tiptoed down the catwalk arms outstretched. A caped figure who poured paint down themselves from somewhere hidden. A delightful beauty in PVC and a voluminous baby doll dress made from miles of fabric skipped along, opened her umbrella to a shower of rose petals! It was unbelievable.... 

                           

Ghanem's young niece stole the show in true diva style. Chin in the air, she was the most confident of a VERY confident bunch! You go girl! You too Ziad. Another amazing season... Thanks so much for having me...

Topman does Rebellious Decadence

We arrived to collect our photographers passes for the Topman show quite early (though admittedly after a cheeky glass of large white gold) which meant that we had plenty of time to stake our place and mark up our positions in the photographers pit; though we came to discover this means sweet nothing in the end.


As more and more photographers arrived with their masses of equipment, the more squashed we became until we were so jammed together that I felt as if we had done some sort of reverse cell production and ended up one giant blob of photographer matter.

Uh oh! Where fashion and politics mix... 

Tillie and Mille!

At the last second a cheeky Italian nicked someones stool and climbed literally on top of Mel and proceeded  to straddle her ears! As she couldn't move to defend herself and her voice was muffled by his jeans, I turned to him with stern authority and an all knowing grin, "Ya well, we will remember this! Next season we are going to hunt you down at every show and each take a seat on your lap!" Now thems fighting words I thought to myself proudly as I turned back around. That is until I actually realised what I said and heard the murmurs of "you can sit on my lap right now dahlin" and "take a pew right 'ere love".


Oh dear...


The photographers pit is definitely a pile of hilarity and most certainly our favourite spot to be - we just need to get better at the banter!!

      


Thank goodness for Lewis Taylor of 1883 Magazine who had us keeled over on the empty catwalk with laughter. 

              

Amir Khan, Jamie Hince, Millie and Chloe from the embarrassingly addictive Made in Chelsea were all in attendance. Chloe cuddled her dad (Topshop tycoon Philip green). All those E4 T4 U4, ME4 guys were there - but let's talk about the clothes!! I have gotten carried away!

The show opened with sleekly cut double and single breasted cropped suits which quickly merged into silk cropped pyjama bottoms in rich extravagant golds, maroons and teals with baroque paisley sweaters, multi coloured knits and patent leather man-clutches (Mutches? Manluts? Matches? They actually refer to it as "Maroc leather shopper rolled and belted to form a harder hand held piece.") We loved the multi coloured laofers (also in paisley!) but have to say that the man-bags were a bit more Gok Wan does drag than anything else...

  

The show was fantastic and made us feel as though we were being hand fed grapes in a decadent palace full of paisley silk furnishings and not the reality of being the bottom layer of a photographers dog pile!

Back to the pub for one more cup of wine to cheers the end of another fun and frivolous fashion week. We both fell asleep at the table...