London Fashion Week Day 1 Paul Costelloe SS16

Paul Costelloe's son Robert Costelloe, just back from 5 years working in China was here at
London Fashion Week for SS16. He has a Masters in Business planning and strategy so will be a real asset to the Costelloe brand. 

Paul Costelloe Collection 
Spring Summer 2017

With the lights lowered, the audience hushed and the music beginning, a spotlight hit the catwalk, Paul Costelloe’s white high collared dress stood bright and tall, lighting up the runway. It was a porcelain white linen dress, which was followed by a theme of white linen clothing in Costelloe’s Spring/Summer collection. His work was not just a combination of white themed clothing, he also presented bright metallic print dresses, pastel coloured chiffons and thick navy patterned dresses. Amongst long coats, shoulder pads and high collars, Costelloe uses a combination of ruffles, bishop sleeves, pleats, layered fabrics, bubble skirts and light and metallic linens, which gives the collection a diversity between each fabric and style, sewn with particular techniques.

Costelloe’s combines the use of traditional designs with contemporary fabrics which gives a new breadth to the Spring/Summer collection. He focuses on the use of light linens for the basis of his designs, by using a classic fabric for not just the its functionality but also its beauty. Focusing on the use of fabric in relation to the designs, the white linen, has dual purpose as it looks elegant and also naturally works well in warm weather, with the ability to breathe. Costelloe’s knowledge in fabric manufacturing adapts each fabric to his designs, for example, he uses the natural rigidity of linen to create a fitted navy blue dress, with a pleated skirt, with the knowledge that the pleats will hold their shape. Contrasting to the elegant white day wear, Costelloe also uses a metallic printed cotton for two dresses, as he gathers the fabric around the neck line and the skirt, which emphasises the vibrant colour differentiation with the natural light.

The techniques used in each design complements both plain and printed fabrics, for example, the use of pleats on the bodice of the white linen wear adds to the plainness of the fabric, to give both shape and detail whereas the ruffles on the front of the navy dresses is used as a feature, and gives an interesting angle to his collection. This collection jumps between the elegant and the bold, whether it is in the metallic printed dress, the navy dress with extravagant sheer puff sleeves or the white short dress with a plunge neckline.

www.paulcostelloe.com
www.paulcostelloeman.com

Copy and Photos Clara Walton and Schelay for fashiontent © fashiontent

London Fashion Week Caitlin Price SS17 'Sports Glam Daywear '

For spring/summer 17 Caitlin Price’s fascination with nightlife rituals moves on to 24/7 partying, exploring the relentless hedonism of young British women on group getaways. Set against the backdrop of a heady and hypnotic film by Benjamin Bowe-Carter that blends nightclub strobe lights with crashing waves,

rites of passage trips to Ibiza, Marbella and Ayia Napa are recalled. Here ‘holiday best’ style is amplified and abstracted, to create an image of artificial poolside opulence. 

Price’s deliberately OTT look this season is intended to play on the idea of aspirational hyper-reality. Initially inspired by the graphic shapes and saturated tones of the villa set piece in Jacques Tati’s 1958 film Mon Oncle, parallels were subsequently drawn with computer-generated noughties club flyers, and the contemporary obsession with Instagram filters. These Influences are seen most clearly in the collections palette, where candy pastels and punchy chemical brights feature heavily. As well as in a near-psychedelic distortion pattern that appears throughout looks in both panelled and cut-out form. Bold embroidered lettering by RART also emphasizes an idea of excess, with a largescale CP monogram logo, and head-to-toe white on white house music lyrics, that emerge more clearly under dance floor lights. 

Throughout the collection, Price’s signature mix of body-conscious club wear and relaxed sportswear has been used to chart a day through night transition. A juxtaposition that’s become more pronounced through the influence of scant but dynamic swimwear references, which have made signature hybrid garments appear more dramatic. Pushing further at the boundaries of genre definition, a stronger effort towards eveningwear is also offered through the slight streamlining of silhouette, and more delicate volumes of drapery. 

Completing outfits, a maximalist approach to accessorising has been taken. Pairing brightly tinted Rayban sunglasses with a range of chunky resin jewellery created in collaboration with Ellie Mercer. Each jewellery design is set with a selection of healing stones – chosen for their hyper-real appearance, and association with Ibiza’s long-established holistic movement.

Caitlin Price held her SS17 presentation and London Fashion Week After Party at Selfridges’ Forest Restaurant & Bar on The Roof in London. The event was the closing party of Selfridges’ Shakespeare reCITED programme - a series of electrifying music and art performances from today’s most compelling acts, held in collaboration with cult contemporary brands. Shakespeare reCITED pays homage to the master wordsmith in a brilliantly entertaining and unique fashion.

The night was a joint celebration, as Caitlin Price, with whom artist Little Simz created a highly collectible line of limited edition performance merchandise; marked London Fashion Week with a presentation on the Selfridges’ roof followed by a Simz-assisted after-party.

Inspired by the dramatic nature and intimate settings of classic Shakespeare plays such as Macbeth and Hamlet, Simz’ performance was an engagingly eerie experience. Performing many of her key tracks acoustically – including the metaphor laden Dead Body, Wings, God Bless Mary and Interlude, on which she worked with Rihanna writer Bibi Bourelly, the evening lent itself to Shakespeare in feel through interaction, engagement and conversation with the audience in an intimate and atmospheric setting.

Caitlin Price collections are available in store and online at Selfridges.com

WWW.CAITLIN-PRICE.CO.UK

Thank you to Blow PR for fashiontent's invitation to the show.

London Fashion Week Day 2 SS17 Dilara Findikoglu Presentation

Sunset Strip was the setting for Dilara Findikoglu's Spring Summer 2017 presentation. Rock music, red lights, mirrors, candles, and a checkered stage adorned with fruit and dried flowers made for a moody, indulgent, and unapologetically seedy atmosphere. The collection combined patent and lace, satin and safety pins, beads and chains, hand painted details, embroidery, fishnet, religious symbols and symbols of female empowerment. Dilara Findikoglu crafted a visually complex set of clothes with details ranging from the Baroque era to a sleazy outer-space diner, tying together the past and the future to create a set of powerful pieces aimed at strong, irreverent women who reject the norm and are not afraid to live by their own rules.

Copy and photographs Gaby Degwitz for fashiontent

London Fashion Week Day 1 SS17 'Rocky Star'

Rocky Star

The last stroke of mascara, and her eyes glow with excitement as she waits for her love…

‘Shringara’

Is an alluring atmosphere that one enjoys with this love. The word denotes love and beauty but gives scope for a myriad of other emotions. This story is a modern take on a woman adorning herself as she waits for her love to come. The journey through the dark forests to her love is one of immense trepidation. Through the journey, not only does she find her love, but she also finds herself. The essence of Shringara lies in the overwhelming emotion of happiness and in the celebration of a woman in love, its many moods, as she adorns herself in wait for him. This spring the Rocky Star label celebrates love, and its many moods bringing together decorative prints, handcrafted textures and opulent embroideries. The colour palette includes shades of grey, mysterious forest greens and light pastels which enhance the feelings of fear and joy. Voluminous dramatic silhouettes and flattering cuts are a coalition of beauty and drama. So, fluid georgettes and chiffons highlight the romanticism in the collection. It is a perfect depiction of the relationship between the individual and the divine.

The show took place inside the Freemasons’ Hall, an Art Deco style building on Great Queen street. The simple white runway was set up in a room with a white coffered ceiling featuring gilded accents. Large painted portraits of important-looking men hung in golden frames on the room's walls.

Working mostly in light browns, ochres, and greens, Rocky Star’s Spring Summer 2017 collection consisted of ornate dresses in a combination of airy georgette chiffons and more structured fabrics, adorned with floral prints and embroidery. The looks on the runway, like the venue itself, featured touches of gold either on the detailing of the fabrics or in the extravagant jewellery pieces and headpieces that accented certain looks. Rocky Star’s S/S 17 collection is both feminine and lavish. The rich textures and patterns of the pieces successfully reflect the overwhelming passion and intense emotions of a woman in love.

Copy and photographs Gaby Degwitz for Fashiontent

Show Production: Fashionscout 

Hair: Hair created by the TONI & GUY Team led by Chie Sato using label.m Professional Haircare Styling

Make-up: LAN Nguyen-Grealis and Team using products by KRYOLAN

Skincare: Products kindly provided by CRABTREE & EVELYN

Jewellery: by Amrapali

Photographer: Simon Armstrong