the courier
15
Monday 24 February 2020
Fashion Week fight: LDN vs NYC
Chloe Buchan compares London and New York Fashion Weeks biggest highs and lows
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he Fall/Winter shows of New York and London Fashion Week have both been vibrant and enticing in their own ways. With New York Fashion week featuring tributes to the city itself as well as sweeping new trends, London Fashion Week has exhibited a surprising new model, subverting the usual rigid body dimensions of runway models.
NY Fashion Week provided some very wearable new trends
New York Fashion Week provided some beautiful new trends which would be very much wearable come Autumn and Winter. Flowing shapes were central to many of the shows, with capes taking centre stage. Proenza Schouler’s collection was one of my personal favourites, with asymmetrical capes draped over the models in muted colours, making this a very sleek and wearable collection. Michael Kors also paraded capes within the collection, with a focus upon classic buckle fastenings, rendering this a very sophisticated look with an outdoorsy, countryside focus. As high street trends have recently been leaning towards looser flowing shapes, the cape trend could very well be one which flourishes come Autumn/Winter 2020. New York Fashion Week also boasted a huge variety of colours, particularly neons and jewel tones, such as orange, red, fuschia pink and lime green. New and upcoming designer Christopher John Roger’s collection particularly stood out to me. Its evening wear featured a huge array of vibrant colours, as well as delightful fabric textures that set off the colours and succeeded in creating a truly eye-catching collection. Not only this, but the use of ruffles, high necks and puffed sleeves meant this collection oozed femininity, whilst simultaneously refusing to adhere to the expectation that dresses shouldn’t contain a bit of everything. Understated doesn’t seem to be a word in Christopher John Rogers vocabulary, and this
is what makes his collection so breath-taking. Ruffles and puff sleeves seemed to be the popular theme throughout New York Fashion Week, with Ulla Johnson presenting a collection filled with ruffles, taffeta and balloon sleeves in rich jewel tones, as well as Oscar De La Renta, who also incorporated a bold red lip. The final show of the Autumn/Winter New York Fashion Week 2020 was Marc Jacobs, who presented his show in an unusual way; guests sat on small wooden table whilst models walked around them like pedestrians rather than walking the catwalk as in traditional fashion shows. This was something of a tribute to the city of New York, thus rounding off the show in the most appropriate way. In my opinion, New York trumped London Fashion Week, however, London still presented some magnificent collections, with a few similarities to those exhibited in New York. Ruffles and puffed sleeves seem to be a huge upcoming trend, with Preen presenting some beautiful party pieces with crisp tailoring and evening wear that is both classic and slightly unconventional. The most significant thing to me about London Fashion Week was the rule-breaking that occurred, thus suggesting a possible rebirth of fashion, a thrilling concept. Actress Lena Dunham modelled for 16Arlington, a surprising modelling debut that many may not have expected. This sparks a suggestion that the body standard for models may be gradually being subverted in favour of bodies that more accurately reflect the shape and size of women as a whole. In general, 16Arlington is really pushing for body positivity and inclusivity, incorporating larger sizes into their collections and stocking up to a size 16 in their ready-to-wear collection. Finally, Matty Bovan’s collection stood out to me as one which displayed creativity and individuality, as well as being fun and fresh. Models wore large hairpieces, with some exhibiting sheer curtains suspended above their heads. The unusual silhouettes and use of contrasting fabrics made this a collection that would be very hard to forget.
Image: @marcjacobs on Instagram
I mean sure, each new collab might offer a new pattern, trend or style, but most of it is literally the EXACT same as every piece the site already sells -except with a less than thrilling countdown with various shots of the micro-celeb influencer posing in them. Do the influencers even like what they’re selling? Because most of it I can guarantee even they wouldn’t be seen dead in.
Do the influencers even like what they’re selling? Because most of it I can guarantee even they wouldn’t be seen dead in
It’s just another ploy to suck us into the fast-fashion world
Personally I never usually buy into any of it. It’s just another ploy to suck us into the fast-fashion world when our interest starts to slip from another influencer’s greatest collab yet *rolls eyes*. So maybe I’m being a little harsh, maybe Beyonce’s Ivy Park was new and tasteful and got the fans excited. Or possibly, these clothing collabs allow celebrities to venture into other industries they otherwise would have no opportunity to in another life. But when every Love Island winner that manages to capture the nation’s attention for 365 days until the next season hits our screens, collabs with any brand they can get their claws into just to have the chance to slap on ‘#Ad’ beneath their insta posts gets kind of predictable and boring.
Image: @prettylittlething on Instagram
Beyond Retro
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Beauty Editor Ellie James shares her thoughts on the production of celebrity fashion lines
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Brand we're loving:
Images:@beyondretro on Instagram
Do influencers steal designers' thunder? ew celeb fashion lines are announced often – perhaps too often – usually with that somewhat overly extended social media countdown and a glossy name which isn’t actually all that glossy other than an ‘X’ between the celeb’s name and another fast-fashion brand. Original, right? The thing is, this buzz about a new range of clothing being released seems a bit OTT for my liking, especially when there’s barely anything other than a label that differentiates the new clothing from another influencer’s that was only released a few months prior. So are new celeb fashion lines really all that big of a deal? We all know what I’m talking about here. The likes of Love Island’s Molly-Mae joining up with Pretty Little Thing in 2019 after leaving the Majorcan villa, along with Little Mix bringing the snakeskin to our online PLT shopping January of this year. Along the higher end of the spectrum, we’ve got Beyonce’s ‘Ivy Park’ partnering with Topshop briefly back in 2016 and Rhianna’s ‘Fenty’ last May. But when it comes down to it, what really sets these pieces of clothing apart, other than a name on a label?
life & style
It seems society has become obsessed with becoming as close a fit to an influencer as possible, which everyone seems to believe is achieved through wearing clothes made out of cheap fabrics that a celeb most likely had no creative input apart from being presented designs they gave a yes or no to – a bit like Tinder but for clothing. The sadder side of this fact is that there are so many creative individuals out there producing incredible new lines that would shake the fashion world. But they’re stuck in the shadows of those who are currently being manufactured through reality TV shows or sporting a higher Instagram follower counts. The reality of today’s fashion industry isn’t a pretty one. Creative talent is useless if you don’t have a pretty face and someone to pap you for your social media along with it. And even then, you could get away with just the latter if you manage to be launched into fame through other means. Want to know how to produce a successful fashion line? Scrap your university Fashion or Art degree, you should be writing an application form for next season’s Love Island instead if you ever want a chance to get noticed in the fashion world apparently.
he student – often wearing flares, usually in a big puffa jacket, or faux fur coat. Doc marten style shoes often also part of the mix. As I walk around the town it is not hard to spot the students of Newcastle University. However with the daily life of lecture attendance comes the fatal problem of what one must do when one inevitably decides their wardrobe has become too basic, and the savings pot is looking a little too large. I personally try and avoid shopping at high street brands, simply because their convenience results in your lovely new trousers being worn but an army of others, and in our modern age individuality is key. I therefore turned to ‘beyond retro’ and my love of the moment. A perhaps less known brand, stocking vintage styled clothing, a perfect fit for the ever back tracking fashion style today. The brand offers a range offers a selection of different eras, such as 70s 80s and 90s, all with affordable clothing tailored to this particular era. So weather your feeling flares or vintage dresses there is something for everyone’s different style taste bud’s. While the brand may not be Primark cheap, it is certainly priced reasonable for the items on sale, another reason to love their brand, as one thing I have found with the high street shops is their ability to increase their prices without people taking any notice. Another element of the brand I find particularly noteworthy is the individuality that comes with purchasing any one of their garments, people around campus seem to rarely clash with any of the clothes I have brought from there over recent months. Something increasing hard to find as many people flock the shops for the sales currently on! The brand also has such a range of clothing, and while it is an online shop is really is tailored to everyone’s needs, weather your looking for a cosy jumper, or a top to hit the toon with! Iona Lowe
Images:@vintageheartsuk on Instagram
