I’M A ‘FASHION-EAST-ER’!

If you went down to the London-Fashion-Week-woods on September 17th, you were in for a BIG surprise…especially if you happened to go via the ‘Fashion–East’-End!

I, excitedly, took that detour, and as if I’d fallen down a man-hole on Main Street, rather than that of a Wonderland-rabbit, I found myself entering whimsical world of Hong Kong designer, Ryan Lo! It was, indeed, a cordial welcome into a rich and textural tapestry of creations, with (spoiler alert!) anthropomorphic models, made-up to appear as fairytale-foxes and princess-pussycats, to name but a few!

 A veritable treasure-trove of vintage-lace appliqué, fluttered against knee-skimming skirts, whilst also being delicately-layered, as tie-string tops, in a kaleidoscope of watercolours, such as dusky-pink, sweet-pea blue and champagne-yellow. Tulle came full-length, in a peach-blossom frock, with ballet-flounces, frothing beneath a mid-length overcoat (complete with ‘tail’), in antique-gold-on-white, and would develop into a gorgeous gilet, which undulated like the rarest, underwater coral.

The knitwear-story was akin to turning the pages of the most vibrant pop-up book, EVER!!! Bubblegum-pink party-pieces were ousted by cardigans in kiwi-green, with a ‘moo-cow’ motif and chocolate-brown, with a fantastic farmyard-scene, a fresh-and-fruity, strawberry-strewn sweater/ mauve micro-mini ensemble and (my pièce de résistance) a full-length, lime-green, crocheted-cape, bursting with sunshine-marigolds in full-bloom!

Before I knew it, the collection had come full-circle, with the finale look of a soft, baby-pink-on-white, horizontal-striped coat, in a darling ‘trapeze’ silhouette…A fond farewell was given to the animal theme, in the guise of a huge, ‘pussy-bow’ neck-fastening and although it was his last word in the show, I’m getting more- than-an-inkling that, with his highly-skilled ability to emboss his unique vision upon the runway, Ryan Lo’s superstar-story has only just begun…

©AFROW2013-2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

MFW: I’M READY-TO-WEAR ‘ERMANNO SCERVINO’!

Picture it…

…Backstage, models sit calmly, hair being tailcomb-teased, face being made exquisitely, Terry Barber-ready, whilst front-of-house, conversations clatter like talking-typewriters! Suddenly, a cry of ‘EHH-OHH!‘, loosely-translated as ‘SILENCE!‘, splits the air into pin-drop reverence…

 Now, imagine a host of supermodels, amongst them Alek Wek and Karolina Kurkova, leading a runway of risng-stars, with the aplomb of their 90’s predecessors and you’ll understand the significance of the Scervino brand. If you even dared to blink, you would have missed an almost endless-string of timeless looks, worthy of their own reference encyclopaedia! Whilst we had seen the ‘Pastel/ Metallic/ Midi-Maxi Length/ Column-Hourglass/ Embellishment’ stories, favoured in the vestments of fellow MFW designers, Scervino interpretations seemed to renew them.

For example, skirts took on ice-skater-like proportions, pleats were more than couture-concertinas, reframed as flitting-gaudets… and embellishments, whilst beaded and embroidered, were off-set in position and oriental in theme. Metallics were not simply silver, but gunmetal and gave a more experimental edge when used in conjunction with the traditional silhouettes. Yes, lemon, taupe, mint, black and white all featured, however, peacock added strength to blues and something in the way that peach was colour-blocked, gave it the power of a full-on-primary. Fabrics perused PVC, took a departure into denim, suede injected a new joie-de-vivre to the vestments and silk-taffetta was accompanied by satin-trim, which was a signpost, not only  to the superb eye-for-detail on display, but also an attention-to-distinctive-detail.

It is with this in mind, that I take you on a whistle-stop tour of the most unique moments.

PVC won my ‘Return-of-the-mac’ prize for being a funky piece of outerwear, printed in lemon-hued houndstooth! The award for ‘Best Use of Embellishment’ was a split decision between a taupe, tailored-jacket with cluster-beading, set on the inner-edge of the tuxedo-collar (which, incidentally, did win ‘Best Placement of Embellishment’), and a stunning gun-metal-coloured sweater, with a silver-bead-encrusted accent around the crew-neck.

The ‘Prize-for-Prettiest-Pleating’ had to go to an amazing, chalk-white, column-dress, gathered from shoulder-to-waistline, with its pleating gathering pace to the hem…all cunningly-accompanied by a thigh-high split, for epic Grecian glamour! Coming in a close second, was a black, hour-glass gown with crystal-embellished gaudets at the tail.

‘Best Floral Motif’ was shared (I know, I know, there should only be one winner..but, my made-up competition, my rules!)…. The two stand-out creations were an oriental spray-of-orchids, perfectly-placed upon a strapless peach dress, in a diagonal formation, from empire-to-hemline and a peacock-blue, fitted, scoop-necked, mini-dress, with florals, off-set, on either side of the bodice, spilling into the skirt. ‘Best New Silhouette’ was a shoe-in, for a black, lace, nehru-collared cape with asymetric-opening and credit for ‘Best New Fabric’ could only go to……DENIM!!! The ink-blue offerings of v-necked crop-top, short-pant and denim-lined, white jacket were utterly irresistible!

We’re nearly there now, so, drum-roll please… because it’s time for ‘Best-In-Fashion-Show’…….which was…wait for it……the glorious  Jackie-O-inspired, midi-length, silk dress and collarless-overcoat ensemble, both in that lightning white, effortlessly worn by the magnificent Alek Wek!!!! Congratulations!!!

So, there you have it, fashion-friends….A  whirlwind tour of a tour-de-force collection, which gave us a collation of attire, reprising the traditional with a directional twist.

It’s safe to say that I absolutely adored what I saw…and if you want to reconnect with looks of vintage-modernity, then the designs of Ermanno Scervino are a great place to start!

©AFROW2013-2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED