Paul Costelloe - Do si do?

                                    


I know it might be controversial but I love Paul Costelloe. There - I said it. I love him.  His lines are swingy and sweet and the fact that he has opened London Fashion week for about the past howevermany years - and he still looks like he is loving it makes me feel absolutely grinny.

                        

Sure, other designers are newer to the game so they should be given a bit of leeway, but at a Paul Costelloe show you can almost feel the lack of tension - like the air is lighter and that somehow there is a breeze; there are no hissy fits happening backstage nor steamers being thrown at interns. If I am wrong about this, please no one tell me!!! Keep the illusion alive as I would just as much like to think that Paul Costelloe is like my long lost uncle who always has a stock of Werthers Original in his pocket as I would that the chef in the restaurant I am in (and just saw exiting the loo's) washed his paws before tossing my salad.

             

The collection was a bright mix of purples, creams, mauves and the odd jailbird striping thrown in for good measure. The men's suits were sort of languid in their cut and held a certain amount of posh disregard, I loved the styling and use of Clark Kent specs. My favourite piece was a bell shaped halterneck dress which  sloped down over the arms instead of under them introducing bare shoulders and a sleeve. Delightful!

The socks and sandals clashed perfectly (yes you read this right - sometimes clashing works better than a match - have you never heard that opposites attract?) with the country music bumping through the BFC tent  I felt that I was back in Calgary at Stampede Week, and it got the ball rolling quite nicely on SS 2012.

No Werthers in my goodie bag though... Next year I hope!

Jena.Theo's Wild Woman

Jena.Theo opened On|Off's presence at Mercer Studios this season, and with them they brought the clothes and the models all designed to fit the definition of "Fierce".

Now, Mercer Studios, while not being a particularly spacious venue, more than gave back to it's guests in seductive atmosphere! 

Caught out of the corners of Pandora's Thoughts eye's were the likes of Matthew Zorpas in a full on gold suit and fashion photographer Anders Brogaard. I had heard from Amelia's Magazine later that the lovely Hilary Alexander was also there furiously taking notes, but honestly the place was too crowded for us to catch a glimpse of her until Jordanna ended up sat behind her 30 minutes later at Prophetik's show!

Blue tinged lighting and a rave-like screen set the tone and the crowd on edge, while the mist in the room seemed to creep in from a nearby secluded forest (does anyone know a place like that in London?), the same place I'm sure they found the unreal creatures they sent floating down the runway, each one like a stunning harpy. 

It has been said that Jena.Theo's clothes are wearable, and it is totally true. They perfectly combine rough but comfy looking wools with soft cottons and silks, which to me just oozes the feeling of winter out of it's very stitching. It also tells a subtle romantic tale of the haunted wilderness on the edge of a dark pulsating city, as the gentle, enticing fabrics strike a harder note in blacks, greys and whites. Stark colours, worked well in their favour and was a nice juxtaposition to the rainbow colours back at the BFC with Paul Costelloe.

Without doubt, ours, and I think many others, favourite piece of the show was "the coat". Now if you happened to be at Mercer Studio's on this day at 11am, then you will know the coat I am talking about as my ears still ring from all of the camera's snapping. For those of you who weren't able to see it first hand, Jordanna describes it as not a piece of clothing, but an act. It is an act many of us perform on the darkest coldest days of winter, usually on a Sunday morning. It is the act of waking and wrapping yourself in your duvet still warm with body heat to protect yourself from the cold. Except of course in the case of this Jena.Theo number, far more structured and sexy (and without the JBF hair and morning breath!) The act we speak of was this coat:

Each pair of shoes that took to the catwalk, was the base to a look which emanated fierceness for us, and the expression was truly reflected in the clothes. These draped and flowing garments speak of a different time, and a different woman; Jena.Theo's Valkyrie woman, one that I believe Pandora's Thoughts left Mercer Studios wishing we were!

Links: Jena.Theo

Paul Costelloe Swings Us In To London Fashion Week

So early on a Friday morning in a chilling February, we all needed something to kick start us into the mood for London Fashion Week.
Paul Costelloe did not disappoint, it seemed it was even his specific aim to wake us all up with his vibrant collection which opened fashion week for the 10th season in a row. Before the show began, spotted in attendance were the likes of Janice Dickinson and BBC presenter and economist journalist Evan Davis, with cameramen in tow jostling for their attention of course.

Finally, the crowd simmered down, the swing music faded in and out onto the catwalk stepped none other than Costelloe's own daughter Jessica, hands in the pockets of a beautifully woven red and purple "winter warmer" coat.

Then came the electric red hair, on models wrapped in greens and pinks in tartan and tweed, oversized buttons on a yellow and green dress - reminding us of the sixties, when no one would have looked twice at the enviable red fringe framing their faces.

A yellow tweed jacket and dress prepared us for a sneak at the menswear in form of a long earthy brown coat and a burgundy velvet jacket, providing the perfect combination of formal with casual.

He immediately snapped our heads back up with looser silhouettes of red and purple on high collars and skater skirts, with tartan and bold colours throughout.

As for evening wear, or if we're talking 60's here, something to 'twist and shout' in, my favourite pieces of the collection came in the form of structured dresses created out of metallic fabrics infused with shimmering threads of emerald, burnt orange and peacock blue. I was most definitely coveting one to dance until dawn in!

As the show drew to a close (playing The Rolling Stones - 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' I might add!), I reflected upon the press release comments on his collection:

 "Think of Paris in the late 60's & 70's"...

Well Mr. Costelloe I can only say this, watching those vibrant colours flow down the runway I was in Paris; sitting by the Seine, Camus book in one hand and glass of wine in the other, toasting your collection, with no reason to fear the words "winter warmer" ever again!