Belgrade Fashion Week: Review

Belgrave Fashion Week is an organisation that strives to present collections with the unique balance of both commercial and artistic fashion. Collaborating with Belgrave Fashion Week, Fashion Scout presents Ana Ljubinkovic, Ivana Pilkja, George Styler, Budislava Kekovic and Vlada Savic, five of Belgrave’s hottest names.

Image: Oda Eide

Ana Ljubinkovic’s SS16 collection is an explosion of contradictory ideas. The garments combine the vintage cross stitch patterns with futuristic metal textures and structures to represent ‘the clash between naive innocence and experience’. The theatrical look was completed with kitsch woodland creatures, nested in the model’s crimped hair and faces covered in gold glitter. 

Design: Ana Ljubinkovic, Image: Oda Eide

With ‘Sports-Luxe’ featuring so heavily this London Fashion Week, it’s no surprise that the trend has gone international. Vlada Savic’s collection featured a primary colour palette of blues, yellows and reds across a clean cut set of dresses, culottes and smock tops.

Design: Vlada Savic, Image: Oda Eide

Inspired by simplistic form and the complexity of the underwater world, Budislava’s SS16 collection featured clean, cubistic cuts and a monochrome palette. Draped, sheer leggings contrasted the rigid structure of the garments and the solid plastic masks.

Design: Budislava, Image: Maja Jankowska

Stylist to many VIPs and fashion forward folk, George Styler exhibited his fun knitwear turned sportswear collection. Using floral designs and knitted fabrics to create bodysuits and bomber jackets, Styler found the perfect clash of technique and style. 

Design: George Styler, Image: Oda Eide

Returning to the theatrics, Ivana Pilja presented her dramatic, avant-garde collection which used monochromatic, kaleidoscope patterns and bizarre silhouettes.  Influenced by Japanese fashion and origami, the collection also felt animal inspired as the fabric was manipulated to resemble feathers and armadillo style pleats.

Design: Ivana Pilja, Image: Oda Eide

Incorporating international talent at Fashion Scout, Belgrade Fashion Week brought their innovative and unique style to the London catwalk. As the designers took their final bow, we, at Fashion Scout were delighted to introduce Belgrade Fashion Week to London.

Words: Alexandra Craft (@alexandrasaidso)

Images: Oda Beide and Maya Jankowska
Editor: Fiona Nicholls

COLLECTION| George Styler SS15

This afternoon in the Vestibule, George Styler showed his SS15 collection. Introduced by two shirtless models wearing nothing but swimming trunks and golden embellishments on their hair, the overall vibe of the show could only be described as a mix between New York street style in the 90s, thrift shop chic and the bearings worn by a Texas pageant queen. Together, they all blended together and transported the viewer into the world of ready-to-wear today. 

Using an intricate form of web-style knitwear to create short dresses in bright shades of pink, purple, blue and yellow, the designer layered embellished jeans jackets and vintage style cardigans with naïf motives over shimmering pink corsets. Creating a candy-like look, they were topped off with golden detailing on the clothes and hair.

With bold shoulders and bold hips, the garments shown were clearly not designed for those who don’t enjoy standing out. Creating juxtaposition between opaque materials and shimmer, as well as wooly textures and jeans, the kitsch chic collection incorporated several typically extra-feminine motifs such as kittens and knitted roses in statement pieces that seemed transported straight from pre-internet times.

The short, dainty and fun dresses were created utilising an intricate decorative knitwear technique that created different spider-web like patterns, and were given movement in the beaded detailing and shimmering embroidered roses. As well as that, statement pieces created by corsets in bright pink and gold detailing topped off by yellow and pink tulle transported the onlooker into a world of candy and unstoppable partying.

Styler’s SS15 collection embodied the spirit of carefree amusement expected from the sun-lit seasons. By mixing patterns, colours and materials, the designer maintained his bold and bright identity, and topped it all off with a good dose of sugary femininity to create an exciting and creative runway show.

By Biju Belinky, (@bijubelinky).

Photographs by Celine Castillon.

DAY FIVE| Fashion Scout London SS15

The final day at Fashion Scout London continues its showcase of international and emerging talent. Going out with a bang the catwalks here at the Freemasons' Hall will play host to Spring / Summer 2015 Collections from Dioralop, Isabel Garcia and George Styler. 

The exhibition open until 6pm will see a platform from PR company Lewis & Leigh showing a selection of pieces from their various designers. With the evening ending in a celebration of young talent from FAD, an audience of press and guests look forward to the day's events!

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DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT SS15| George Styler

George Styler is a Serbian designer with a decidedly maximalist aesthetic - ethnic embellishments, dramatic silhouettes and touch-me textures dress a futuristic traveller. Using fashion to express cultural points of view, Styler draws inspiration from a diverse range of sources, making Vogue, New African Woman and The Wild magazines all take note of our AW14 One To Watch.

The ‘NetWork’ collection saw Styler reflect on the interwoven global relationships between people and cultures, a modern society in an increasingly virtual world. Knitwear, embroidery and shearling with a Balkan feel are toughened with sequins, spikes and heavy metal accessories in a collection influenced by Persian royalty and global styles from East to West.

‘Captivity’ looked at the supposed freedom of the modern man still captured by society, using a bird motif and punk embellishments as symbols of freedom and rebellion. A darker colour palette of terracotta and turquoise took inspiration from Eastern embroidery, while silhouettes were exaggerated and textures embraced. Patent crocodile harem pants for men and bustled bottoms for women redressed the dichotomy between sportswear and glamour.

Graduating from the College of Textile Design, Technology and Management in Belgrade with a Diploma in Apparel and Textile Design, Styler has already shown with FashionClash, Belgrade Fashion Week and previously with Fashion Scout. We have no doubt that Styler is sure to inject some cultural and sartorial food for thought to SS15.

By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks).

Images by Hannah McGee, (@HannahMcG3e).