FAD previews on Vogue.com

This 22^nd February will see the 14 FAD (Fashion Awareness Direct) finalists showcase their collections to the fashion world, all designed around the theme of ‘Traces’.

Judges include Harrods fashion buyer Elizabeth Mcluskie, 20^th Century and Contemporary Fashion Curator at V&A, Sonnet Stanfill, previous FAD winners David Koma and Ana Belen Merono as well as our very own Fashion Scout Director, John Walford.

As always the upcoming FAD  show has gained incredible coverage including a feature on Vogue.com earlier today. Read the full article by Lucy Archibald by clicking here or visit www.fad.org.uk for more information. 

Posted by Emma Drinnan

Images- top: illustration by finalist Rebecca Thompson (Manchester University), middle: illustration by finalist Alice Jane Hutton, (DeMontfort University), illustration by Rebecca Solity (DeMontfort University). 

Leona Lewis wears William Tempest on the red carpet at the Brit Awards

Leona Lewis brought down the house at the Brits last night after wearing a fabulously futuristic outifit by the lovely William Tempest.  Shimmering like a true star in the asymmetrical, power shoulder cocktail dress, Leona looked every inch the tinstletown songstress she’s become.  Scoring 10 out of 10 for shunning the LBD for something all the more directional, Leona has a definite eye for edgy, awards ceremony style.   Bravo!

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Fashion156.com LFW AW10 Preview Issue

Fashion156.com LFW AW10 Preview Issue

Although New York has only just started I’m already looking forward to the London shows. To my joy Fashion156.com have launched their seasonal LFW Preview Issue.

Featuring the hottest names showing over London Fashion Week, I always feel inspired and excited to see a glimpse into what might be. This issue, like always does not fail, the fashion shoot is beautiful, the models are gorgeous (Ash Stymest is amongst the names) and the clothing incredible.

Many of the Vauxhall Fashion Scout designers were featured, click here to see the issue and make sure you watch the video as well, I helped out on the day and it was magical to see the clothing come alive.

Posted by Emma Drinnan

Images- top: Iris Van Herpen, middle: Hermione de Paula, bottom: Eudon Choi

The perfect presentation

Is all this Fashion Week talk making you green with envy?  Well, if you are a designer and want to get your collection seen at Fashion Week, a presentation can be a great place to start.  Production expert and Vauxhall Fashion Scout Director John Walford, tells us how it can work for your brand.

What is it? A presentation serves as a halfway house between a full catwalk show and a static exhibition, and is a fantastic way to meet your buyers, and get their reactions to your work, face to face. 

Planning: It is vital to keep your budget under control and well monitored.  A presentation is considerably cheaper than a catwalk show.

Production: A presentation is very fluid; if the models are late or something disastrous happens, it is much more fixable than with a show, where you only have one chance to get it right.  Also, a presentation enables buyers to see your collection close up, and to take in every detail.

Budget: Bad models kill clothes, so never, ever, cut costs by booking cheap models.  The look and the walk of the model make a huge difference to the image of your brand and the sense of professionalism you exude.  The model is the face of the brand, so she has to know what she’s doing.

Parties: Don’t waste money on expensive promotional parties.  The industry insiders you hope to attract will in reality be unlikely to attend, as their time is so precious during Fashion Week.  Spend your money, and energy, elsewhere.

To find out which of our designers are presenting this season click here and to see our full Fashion Week schedule click here. 

Posted by Fiona Anderson
Image: Kingston MA presentation SS10

A day in the life of... Viking Wong

09:00 Nowadays, texts and emails seem to have replaced my alarm...and unfortunately so do my interns.  This morning, my dear soldiers are toiling, cutting and preparing fabrics whilst I do the patterns, have breakfast and try to juggle a million things at the same time. Sometimes my assistant, Holly, and studio manager, Kate, drop by to make sure I am on track!

14:00 After a spot of lunch I dropped by Liberty House to the pop-up showroom, London a La Mode, by the lovely Emma Crosby.  We talked about pricing and sales, and tried to catch up a bit during this crazy time leading up to Fashion Week.  You can catch a glimpse of the new collection here. Visits like these are usually followed by coffee sessions which are definitely the highlight of my day!



20:00 As night falls, my last stop tonight is the gym for some long hours of training, followed by...well... it's none of your beeswax, wheres the fun in
life without a bit secret?!  Goodnight, and believe in the impossible. Viking Wong

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Revolution, love and goat skin clogs - interview with Johnny Blue Eyes

A topless Alice Dellal, Beth Ditto and bringing Kate Moss out of catwalk modeling retirement signaled the first House of BlueEyes catwalk show last season. Now having styled the Scissor Sisters, Gossip, making pieces for Lady Gaga, and with his presentation at Vauxhall Fashion Scout this fashion week mere days away, The Fashion Scout’s Emma Drinnan finds out more about the man behind the label.

“When the opportunity to be involved with Vauxhall Fashion Scout came up I was thrilled, so were the designers. The influences I have and how the show looks is important to what I do. The show is really the platform to our utopian House of BlueEyes world,” explains the enigmatic Johnny Blue Eyes.

House of BlueEyes comprises a ten strong team including Johnny, he likes to surround himself with people who challenge him. “The fashion world is generally very hierarchical, people are always under the impression that the designer has designed all those pieces and that’s just not true.” Johnny wants to shine the light onto every talented creative he works with.

“I’m interested in the idea of helping people just be themselves. I don’t care what you look like, we are all individuals. Fashion should work with each person, we are all different in this world, we look different, think differently, are inspired by different things.” With his AW10 collection (a little insight for you) it’s really celebrating true individualism. “It’s ok to be the person you are, fall in love with yourself,” muses the designer.

Johnny has said that he has become the person he dreamt of being as a child. He never went to art or fashion school, he actually got thrown out of school aged fifteen. “People are obsessed with education, do you have to have been to art school to say whether you are an artist or not? Me - I give a long red painted fingernail middle finger up to that, if you’re an artist you are an artist,” he declares passionately.

“I have forged my way through so I can go out there and now buy goat skin clogs from Paris” Johnny only half jokes. “I think working in fashion seems like an impenetrable world but my story gives hope to all people out there. It can happen to you, the important thing is to learn and work."

Work isn’t something Johnny shies away from- indeed previous incarnations have seen him work as a carpenter, an estate agent and a Portobello trader, “I love markets in general but my heart is at Portobello and I hope to God it survives. I used to have a stall down there years ago, I sold to some of the largest fashion houses in the world”. Less conventionally he also worked a go-go dancer in New York, “I used to just wear a wig, pants and high heels, it was about freedom of expression.”

House of BlueEyes was born in New York in 1993, inspired by Warhol and the silver factory of late sixties New York, channeling the freedom and expression of ideas. “House of BlueEyes is a movement in the same way as punk or acid house. I want House of BlueEyes to be known worldwide. I’m looking for global domination of love. I think of the label becoming a modern day Biba, it’s fashion, it’s art, it’s performance, it’s make-up, it’s everything.” Bold claims, but if anyone can do it then Johnny Blue Eyes can.

The House of BlueEyes presentation, showing on Saturday 20^th, is entitled ‘Revolution and Love’ and aims to take you into a world “full of beauty, art, elegance and fierceness - being proud of the person you are. When you come to the show I want your mouth to drop. I want you to be moved. I want you to go away and say that was amazing, I want that dress, I want those shoes, I want that energy.”

“If I wasn’t me and I wasn’t going to my own show, I would fucking want to go.”

Image: Ana Matronic from the Scissor Sisters and Beth Ditto

The Vauxhall Fashion Scout group model casting

Great Queen Street in London’s Covent Garden was an even more beautiful place today as 300 models from all over the capital flocked to the Freemasons’ Hall for the Vauxhall Fashion Scout group model casting.

“The concept is that the designers come in, and because we have them all here together hopefully we get a better quality of girl coming to the casting,” explains Vauxhall Fashion Scout Director John Walford. “It also means the designers only have to give up one afternoon rather than having models all the time coming to their studios over the next five days. From now on they can work uninterrupted.”

It’s a great set up for the girls, too. No more missions across the city to different studios, and they were looked after with food and refreshments (which went down extremely well judging by the happy models we saw tucking into cereal bars and crisps!) as well as eating disorder charity Beat on hand to offer friendly advice where needed.

The venue’s looking as spectacular as ever, the designers are in the final furlong with their collections, and with the models now cast you can feel the excitement building towards Friday. Watch this space!

Posted by Hannah Kane
Images: Marsy Hild Thorsdottir 

In today's Telegraph: Hilary Alexander talks to David Koma and new designers whose passion makes London Fashion Week so exciting

Hilary Alexander talks to the new designers whose passion makes London Fashion Week so exciting. Excerpt follows.

“Without sponsorship, I wouldn’t be on the catwalk,” Koma says. Aged 25, he is one of many young talents whose charm and innocence, coupled with passionate desire and design, make London Fashion Week, starting on Friday, unique.

Read the full article over at the Telegraph by clicking here.

Images: 
Left: David Koma, right: Eudon Choi

A day in the life of... Ada Zanditon

It’s nearly D-Day for our designers, and we want in on the action.  Here’s the first in a series of diary entries from some of our hottest designers, starting with the fabulous Ada Zanditon.

7:00 It’s an icy cold morning in Whitechapel, I'm counting down until the organic cafe opens, but it’s worth it to get the best cup of coffee in town! 

8:00 I look to the origami bat for inspiration before the studio gets into full swing- replying to buyers, finalising the shows music and speaking to my sales agent, Emma at London a la Mode. 

14:35 My stylist Callum and I have a meeting over lunch to talk about choreography for the show.  

16:00 Henry the studio tree is yelling for more rotten bananas, how else how else is he going to grow up to be an Evergreen Oak Tree? 

The day after we made our visual diary for Vauxhall Fashion Scout, very sadly Alexander McQueen passed away. Like everyone I feel an indescribable sense of grief and sadness. An absolute genius, may he rest in peace. Ada Zanditon

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Valentine's Day special with Johnny Blue Eyes - show us what you love!

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day we have dedicated today’s posts to the theme of Love! Here Johnny Blue Eyes gives The Fashion Scout a tour of his house and his wardrobe, showing us some of the things he loves...

"Love" tray from America

Madonna art pieces from his hallway 

Polaroid camera

Lady body tee shirt

Jeremy Scott for Adidas 'Angel' shoes

Original punk Vivienne Westwood trousers from Sex shop 1976

Guns N Roses tee shirt 

Victorian pocket watch his mum and dad bought for him as a 21^st birthday present

Gold boots "I love high heels and I have some wicked pairs"

Bat neckpiece

Pegasus bracelet that inspired the House of Blue Eyes logo

House of Blue Eyes cape  Lady Gaga wore on The Fame Monster album cover

Mirror balls!

Love image - "It all goes back to love"

Images: Emma Drinnan

♥ What do Vauxhall Fashion Scout designers love? ♥

Beekay:

"I love that the journey is more important than the destination."

Sarah Brannon, Chelsea Rebelle:

"My list of 'loves' could fill many pages but my current loves would have

to be listening to The Gun Club, tea and London!"

Jeff Garner, Prophetik:

“I love the heart and souls of people...I love my daughter...I love following my calling...on the lower level I love açaí, poetry, going for a bike ride with the fresh air in my face, riding bareback in the spring air with no reigns, classical music, opera, dancing, wearing skirts, Italy and the sustainable farms and food, and positive energy...life is love... life without love is lost.”

Spotlight on the Ones to Watch: David Longshaw

He’s been nominated for a barrel-load of awards, won reams of column inches and managed to bag himself a job at Alberta Ferretti before his graduate collection had even made it down the catwalk.  Yes, David Longshaw’s done good, and, judging by his debut collection, all signs are pointing to success for the talented young star. 

An award-winning illustrator as well as designer, Longshaw’s collection works as a perfect balance between the chic and high end and the whimsical and playful.  His alter ego, Maude, the rather fabulously dressed mouse, makes an appearance, but this collection is by no means childlike, with an ultra polished sophistication that Lady Beckham herself would applaud.   In glistening bronze and pewter shades, Longshaw’s immediately wearable mini dresses make instant impact with their pretty, plumage-like petals puffing up over the shoulders and creeping up from the hem.  There’s also easy day wear, with simple, silky separates, and a fabulous dress-come-suit with exquisite tailoring and those gorgeous signature petals, clinging daintily to the skirt. Longshaw’s pieces are expertly cut, carefully considered and, above all, ooze girlish sex appeal from every stitch.   We predict the fashion magpies to covet his collection for months to come.

Posted by Fiona Anderson

The winners of The Fashion Scout photography competition

Over London Fashion Week we're really excited to be working with the following winners of our photography competition. They'll be snapping all the action backstage, keeping their eyes peeled for VIPs, bringing you Sartorialist-worthy streetstyle, as well as reportage and portraits to go with the fantastic interviews our journos have got lined up. 

The winners are:

Marsy Hild Thorsdottir, 2^nd Year BA Fashion Photography, LCF

Doh Lee,  3rd Year Year BA Fashion Photography, LCF

Kristen Blow, 2^nd Year BA Fashion Photography LCF


Posted by Hannah Kane

Images: 
top, Marsy Hild Thorsdottir; 
middle, Doh Lee; 
bottom, Kristen Blow (model: Amanda Perera, make up and hair:  Kenny Leung)

Lee Alexander McQueen 16 March 1969 – 11 February 2010

 
Lee Alexander McQueen 16 March 1969 – 11 February 2010

It is a shock and we are all deeply saddened by the news of Alexander McQueen's death. Our thoughts are with Lee McQueen’s family and all his friends and colleagues.  He was an inspiration to all of us and will be missed.

Spotlight on the Ones to Watch: ASKH

Ones to Watch: ASKH

Two newcomers to rocket onto the Danish fashion scene are 2009 MA graduates, Anne Sofie Madsen and Katrine Hedegaard.  The collaboration between womenswear designer, Madsen, and menswear designer, Hedegaard, looks set to be a match made in heaven, wowing the fashion press with their Nordic couture creations.   Based on the book, Skins, by Gavin Watson, the collection looks to the beauty and fragility of youth, and the embalming techniques of the ancient Egyptians.  The pair’s love of art, fashion, storytelling and craftsmanship radiate from this collection with intricately embellished sheer dresses, wrapping, binding and a fabulously luxurious shaggy coat in a beautifully pale vanilla and cream colour palette.  Fine knit sweaters in flattering, neutral tones and subtle, understated textures dominate the equally as neat menswear line.

Dripping with innovative techniques, their technically complex aesthetic is cool, crisp and the essence of Danish style.  Clean without even a whisper of the clinical, this collection is pure perfection.

Posted by Fiona Anderson

Breathe in ladies... the bodysuit is back

When the glitter began to settle, catwalk trends of the 1980s transitioned into tired trends of the 1990s only to fade into fashion oblivion. The bodysuit was swept away with them, only thought of in distant, cheesy pop culture memories...until now. 

Maggie Dolan, PG Cert LCF reports.

With its versatility and ability to figure flatter, the bodysuit is the 1980s fashion trend that got away. Now, in the midst of the era’s fashion revival, designers remind us that the bodysuit is the anchor to the modern women’s wardrobe.

Already embraced by hipsters and their ringleader, American Apparel’s Dov Charney, the bodysuit is transitioning from lo to high. “We began producing the original, plain body in 2004, and they sold well, so we kept developing more designs. Ones with stripes, graphic patterns and now zippers and mesh down the front, even full lace ones. The demand is there, so we keep creating,” says American Apparel representative Sarah Woodiery.

Donna Karan catapulted the bodysuit into the fashion realm with her “seven easy pieces” in 1985. The bodysuit became a lifestyle essential for the urban career woman’s wardrobe. "I'm on the go day and night,” Karan told The New York Times in 1986. “I like clothes that you don't have to think about, things with a certain sense of effortlessness that really allow your personality to come through. Karan put emphasis on comfort, fit and sex appeal, and designed clothes to enhance women’s figures.

The bodysuit’s sleek lines harmonize with the female form, allowing a woman’s sexiness to come through naturally. “The bodysuit is very seductive. It’s high cut on the hip baring the entire leg and is skin-tight,” says Woodiery. “Although stuff is covered, it leaves very little to the imagination.”

The beauty of the bodysuit lies in the versatility of its smooth lines. Anything goes over the sleek base of a bodysuit. In an economic climate when pockets are shorter and investment pieces are all the rage, the bodysuit’s flexibility within the wardrobe is a key attribute. Investing in the style chameleon opens a range of looks for any occasion.

On the Spring catwalks, a range of designers highlighted the versatility of its streamlined simplicity. The sexy, sans pants look was sporty at Alexander Wang’s “varsity Americana” show and smart at Rochas with Marco Zanini. Celine’s Phoebe Philo and Hussein Chalayan used its sleek lines by pairing it with high-waisted trousers and a pencil skirt, respectively. Stella McCartney, practical chic extraordinaire, paired an asymmetrical style with belted cargos. Carine Roitfeld, Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue, was spotted taking the look off the runway at her son’s art premiere in New York City wearing one in black satin with a lace overlay.

American Apparel’s extensive series ranges from original and simple at £25.00 to leather and lace at £36.00. Or try Wolford’s “bodies,” which come in six classic shapes, including a turtleneck, polo and blouse and range from £79.00 to £320.00.

“The bodysuit is just so appealing because you don’t have to fuss about with it throughout your day,” says sales representative Rahiannon Ducker from Camden . “You put it on and everything stays in place, doesn’t ruche or untuck. It keeps a smooth line along the body from morning to night.” 

Effortless style from morning to night? It is no longer a secret; the 1980s castoff is a modern must have. The bodysuit is back. 

Images: above, Carine Roitfeld; below, American Apparel bodysuits. 

Spotlight on... Florencia Kozuch

 

  

 

"I want to make clothes that I love, with lots of character. I want to make timeless pieces with references to me, where I come from and what I represent as a designer". 

Well, Ones to Watch designer Florencia Kozuch has certainly achieved that. Born in Buenos Aires, later moving to Barcelona with her family, Kozuch graduated from CSM in 2009 with a show-stopping, killer collection that is set to storm down the runway and straight into the fashion glossies. 

The collection, which is rock and roll meets tribal, sees Kozuch draw inspiration from the Onas, also known as Selk’nam, an aboriginal tribe from South America.  The result is a fabulously unique combination of traditional design with modern innovation, utilising unusual materials, super chic prints and lusciously touchable textures.   With long, shaggy capes of twisted, frayed yarn, tumbling over the torso, towering, jet black feathered headpieces and soft, light knits that look like they could float on air, this collection is an absolute stunner.  A lavish offering for the fiercest of tribal queens, the myriad of textures and proportions make Kozuch’s collection alluring, exquisite and imaginative.   

Posted by Fiona Anderson

The Glitterati

Why the recession calls for the power of sequins by Jessica Whyte, MA Fashion Journalism LCF

New Delhi-born Ashish Gupta and his sequinned creations have been causing quite a stir in the fashion industry. His collections, which have been showcased at London Fashion Week for the past five years, have attracted celebrity fans such as Beyoncé Knowles and Kylie Minogue. Ashish’s success becomes even more intriguing when one considers that he has been up against stiff competition.

Ralph Lauren, in his spring/summer collection for 2009, was one of the first designers to hop on the sequin bandwagon with his safari-inspired gold sequinned harem pants. Nicholas Ghesquière for Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen quickly followed suit with a more futuristic take on sequins, while Giorgio Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier featured them in a more traditional style. For Ashish however, it isn’t a case of merely including sequins in his designs; they are an integral part of his work, vision and personality. It has been his full throttle, pedal-to-the medal approach to fashion that has the world sit up and take notice.

Taking his sequinned creations at face value, it could be argued that their success lies in society’s craving for escapism. There is certainly no denying that escapism is something that both society and Ashish Gupta have in common. “I like the darkness in things,” he says, “and I feel that my clothes are definitely a form of escapism from the darker side of life.”  But is using fashion as an escape mechanism from the current economic climate the only explanation for this global obsession with all things that sparkle? There is also perhaps a feeling amongst fashion enthusiasts to celebrate the creativity and spirit of the industry as opposed to creatively closing up shop.  According to Ashish, “a recession feels like a good time to celebrate the fun of fashion.”

All fun and games aside, the reality is that society is still combating a global recession. It would be wrong to simply categorise the entire world to be craving shiny and glitzy outfits simply because they are in denial. On the contrary, sequin-seekers are looking beyond the sequin’s associations with glitz and glamour to something more concrete. Sequins today have evolved past being a symbol for fun and frolics, to becoming akin to armour. By their very nature, sequins deflect and reflect when brought into contact with light. They give movement to garments as well as multiple dimensions. Wearing a sequinned outfit or carrying a sequinned accessory therefore makes a statement and a strong one at that. And so rather then being swept away by the uncertainties of the future, women are empowering themselves with this fashionable form of armour to tackle the recession head on. 

The success of Ashish’s recent collaboration with Nike further cements this attitude of using fashion to overcome the psychological and emotional obstacles. In his spring/summer 2010 runway collection, he featured a number of outfits used in his collaboration with the sportswear company. The most thought provoking was undoubtedly a full length sequinned t-shirt with the iconic Nike phrase ‘Just Do It’ dripping in sequins. Considering how his latest collection sold out from Selfridges in just three days, it seems that society is doing just that. 

Image: Ashish SS10