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| Made In Chelsea's Amber Atherton on the front row |
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| Photography by Lucas Seidenfaden |
We had a teasing clue placed
in the middle of the catwalk at Izmaylova Spring Summer 2012. A still life comprised of
battered and worn suitcases and a bench.
Loud clock chimes filling the
large hall introduced it. Next: the sound of passing people perhaps recorded at
a station while people moved between platforms and waited for trains. Then the
shrill squeal of a train as it pulled in, it’s final stop: London. The lights
went up and suddenly the first model had arrived.
In a way it was. Izmaylova managed
to reference the natural elements of an isolated tropical hideaway combined
with the shape of the female form for the collection flirting towards forties
glamour.
Structured corsetry ran
throughout the collection. Panels curved around toned natural curves to create
faultless silhouettes. But Izmaylova also broke this pattern and got a little
inventive with the traditions of corsetry. Some panels morphed and changed
while lines cut across the body, dissecting the clothes. The different shapes
signified changes in colour, usually differences in the tones of the warm
pallet of gold, burnt orange, dusty pink, nutmeg and beige.
But amongst the tight bodices
there was also fluidity in the lightweight fabrics used, mainly in long
rippling fishtail skirts, which flowed from the restriction on top. The use of
ostrich feathers continued the softer element of the collection: transferred
into fluffy jackets, skirts or even just odd bits on the garments. A tiny
detail on one dress remains in my mind - a peplum of white downy peplum.
These were juxtaposed against
hard, shining Swarovski crystals, which replaced matte colour in the structured
plates or peeked out from beneath draping fabrics.
A series of stand out dresses
finished the collection, mainly in black with long wispy chiffon skirts and
trains billowed past us.
We caught up with
Shingai, the lead singer and guitarist from the Noisettes just after the show, just as she was rushing out to
prepare for her performances at fashion week parties. Donned in a black
Izmaylova creation herself, the musician talked to us about last season and how
she and her team rushed around Paris and not being able to take it all in.
This season they
made the decision to focus on the music and take it slow, the Izmaylova show
however was one she did not want to miss! As for her favourite piece from the
collection? 'The long black silk dress with the ruffles around the neck'. We
here at VFS can't wait to see her strutting her stuff in SS12.
Text: Rosanna Cole