Emerging Trends of London Fashion Week SS15

So for another season, London Fashion Week has come and gone in a flash, ironically pre-shaping everything from high fashion to high street for many months ahead, dominating the fashion cycle as it has for many years prior and many years to come. You may be wondering whats beginning to loom this season, both trend wise and more wholistically for London as one of the key fashion capitals of the world.

Firstly, the reign of the digital era is permeating into presentations and shows alike. This was evident not only through the flourishing BFC digital presentation space but also through a personal encounter on the 2nd row of Holly Fulton, where I sat next to two professionals working for the BFC focusing on all things digital; researching the current digital presence at LFW and how the experience may be enriched in the future. Surreal as it is that fashion looks so far into the future, even more so with attendees researching for AW15!

As a freelance creative director and photographer, I begin collecting editorial ideas for the upcoming season soon after fashion weeks are over and when possible, will attend the shows myself. There are many facets to attending shows that I find beneficial-  noting the movement/ texture/ colour intensity of fabrics, casting of models, venue contrasted with the collection, the press release explaining the direction of inspiration; all useful elements when constructing editorial concepts.

The most prominent trends that I envision emerging from SS15 (based on what I've witnessed in person and on Style.com!) include:

Distressed Hemlines as seen at Marques' Almeida and Prada.

Sheer as seen at Issa and Mary Katrantzou.

Stark Monochrome as seen at Jean-Pierre Braganza and KTZ.

Shades of Green as seen at Erdem and Tom Ford

Sex Appeal Metallics as seen at Emilio de la Morena and Tom Ford.

Colour Panelling as seen at Peter Pilotto and Marques' Almeida

Dries Van Noten at Les Arts Decoratifs

During my short visit to Paris last week I had a couple of hours here and there to visit exhibitions, one of which being the Dries Van Noten at Les Arts Decoratifs. This museum is one of my all time favourites; the Parisian parallel of the Victoria & Albert museum in London, conveniently situated next to the Louvre the central line 1.

Dries Van Noten as a designer isn't as globally known as the majority of designer retrospectives featured at Art Decoratifs including Madelaine Vionnet (queen of the 1920s empire line dress) and Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs, however as much as it is a showcase of the designer's work, the focus is centralised on the relationship between his collections and the inspiration leading to the final result presented on the catwalk.

My initial reaction was positive; a strong entrance to the show with a semi patent floral door to introduce his signature theme of hyper-real flowers & nature. Once inside, the show begins in a darkened room filled with names of models, photographers, pop stars etc of whom acted as inspiration to Dries in his early years of the 1970s/80s. The diversity of names featured, highlights the relevance of culture at this time, kick starting the ultimate focus of the exhibition, inspiration.

It takes a little while to suss out the layout and is worth making yourself familiar with this before wandering onwards to make the most of the show. Aside from the initial couple of rooms and final  room with a collage of catwalk videos, each cabinet features a selection of pieces from one of Dries' collections, contrasted with pieces by other designers (such as a Thierry Mulgar dress from 1978/79 in the middle of the gold/metallic room image below), paintings, film clips, graphic art and so on.

The juxtaposition of inspiration pieces next to Dries' collections is particularly fascinating, as you deconstruct the elements reflected in the clothing. Taking his Spring/Summer 09 collection as an example, he combined inspiration from 13th century art with contemporary optical art- enriched with sumptuous colour, crisp lines on the print and areas of curvature crafted within the piece itself.

Other themes featured in the exhibition include orientalism/ bollywood, high society, military, 'The Kiss' in Hollywood film and nature. Highlights include artwork by Damien Hirst and Francis Bacon in addition to film clips of 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' with David Bowie and 'A Clockwork Orange' by Stanley Kubrick; inspiration triggering his imagination throughout his life and career.

Although a little dark as I attempt to write notes (I could barely read my own writing afterwards), the curation forms a compelling show; leaving you feeling inspired and creatively energised from start to finish- a must see in Paris!

'Dries Van Noten: Inspirations' runs from March 1st- November 2nd 2014

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Jean Paul Gaultier at The Barbican

I had the pleasure of visiting one of London's latest, most anticipated fashion exhibitions last week'; 'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' at the Barbican. Organised by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and having already caused quite a stir in a number of museums, the all embracing irresistable legacy of Monsieur Gaultier appears to be stronger now than ever.

Collaborating with countless icons within fashion and music, Gaultier has claimed some of the most exalted and memorable moments of the 21st century, the most celebrated of which being the infamous cone bra for Madonna. He provided a breath of fresh air in the fashion industry at an opportune moment- when pop stars were dominating contemporary culture as the new 'icons' of society and when supermodels were household names. Fashion photography and film were becoming more developed, accessible and creative by the day; with Gaultier's vision fully embracing this.

If there was ever a fashion exhibition expressing the very epitome of  'feast for the eyes', this would be it!

'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' runs until 25th August at the Barbican...AND has its own cocktail bar!

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk