Simone Rocha Fall 2015

As always, Simone Rocha has created the most refined collection with her own unique sense of vision. Having watched a short video of her explaining the way she sees her work in relation to art, as well as the work of her mother who creates art installations makes me feel more confident in placing her work within a contextual setting. Her sheer clothing should look as beautiful on a hanger as it does on a model, as well as the people she designs for. Specifically her family, close friends and even the women who work for her. Knowing that personal collections are what shapes her collections makes viewing each runway show even more special. I've decided to dispense with the sheer black coats and dresses and edit how I view the presentation. Regurgitating the same photos most of you would have seen on Style.com doesn't add value, it detracts from it. So instead I've only included the pieces I am most drawn to and currently fawn over. They include immaculate satin floral pieces, dramatic red and white tweed, and pastel pink. Fall and Winter should never be entertained as a dormancy period for our creativity, rather, it should thrive when we have the capabilities to layer our outfits.

Despite my best efforts, I was instantly reminded of previous efforts by Comme Des Garcons when viewing sheer dresses with cloud motifs. Something about those odd, humped shapes and pastel pink reminded me of a softened version of what I had seen seasons ago from Japan. That said, Simone Rocha does not align herself with the mavericks with fashion and has instead carved herself a nice niche and firm spot on the London Fashion Week calender. Indeed, these outfits do look different combining next season's hottest (and most practical trend), wearing your own hair as a scarf. These have been combined with chunky but pristine leather brogues and mid-calf socks. It reminds me so much of how I viewed myself in high school, but in reality I was never cool, first to be picked on and an outsider in every sense of the word. Still, it's somewhat comforting to see myself in a gorgeous, handmade dress in the perfect shade of fairy floss pink. And I could go on and on about the shoes but as always, Simone Rocha has set the benchmark and I'm sure brands like Jeffrey Campbell will be ripping off her designs for years to come.

After distancing myself from the fashion world and learning to accept I can't possibly scroll through my entire Instagram feed, seeing the latest at Brown's made me fall back in love with fashion. Email is so much easier for me to digest information, but even then there are days when I become frustrated with such a tedious process. First world problems aside, these red and white tweed dresses standing alongside the neutral pieces and Digimon graphics of A.W.A.K.E made me realise how special fashion is. Or how important I see personal style as an outlet for creativity and self-expression. Seeing those huge price tags does deflate my ego but it also gives me a huge burst of energy and the need to work harder than ever before. While these motifs seem familiar and the colour palette has become signature to Simone Rocha, floral motifs have become abstract and form. Not only that but rather than confined to a single headscarf, no matter how chic, these patterns have been allowed to blossom (terrible pun- I know) and become the finale of her Fall collection for 2015.

*Images via Vogue.com

Molly Goddard Fall 2015

I realised I hadn't finished writing this blog post when Molly Goddard followed me on Instagram and my god I have never felt such a strange combination of both guilt and excitement. The premise for her most recent London Fashion Week presentation was absolutely exceptional featuring life drawing class complete with nude model. Although I think fashion goers were somewhat putt-off or confronted with "the elephant in the room" many appreciated Goddard's cake like designs. Or the playful narrative: Art imitating life imitating art. In a way that theme has dominated editorials and fashion photography within the last six months but very few designers have been willing to tackle the theme in a live show. Or rather no one has been as explicit as Molly Goddard without being overt or gauche. Everything she does has a certain subtlety to it. At a first glance her dresses appear relatively simple and straightforward but on closer inspection it's obvious each is made with meticulously and with care. Tulle panels and ruching were the star of the show but again Goddard was able to reinvent herself and demonstrate new techniques combined with her signature style. 

Last season's the dresses were the embodiment of the spirit of sweet sixteen with the iconic presentation taking place at a deconstructed birthday party. In a way, we as consumers are watching the development of a character in parallel with Molly Goddard's expanding skill set. Her graduate collection was a grownup interpretation of the clothes a baby would be baptised in and her character's are aging at an alarming rate. I suppose this is more interesting as it celebrates the milestone events in a woman's life in a way that allows Goddard to experiment with her signature sheer and tulle creations. I find it fascinating that as a young designer she has taken this approach and progressively works on each collection as a facet of her life and narrative of a greater story. It's a shame that many more designers don't join her on this approach but for certain bands each album is like a part of a greater anthology. In much the same way Goddard works with a certain kind of rare perspective on what the implications of each collection are. Simultaneous to that she is able to create beautiful which are also a commercial success and feed the artistic community nestled in the heart of London.

I love the way Molly installed herself as the art teacher and overseer to this entire performance and she looked as proud as punch. Too rightly of course, given just how bewitching the atmosphere of the room was. On a personal level I always associate art at a high school level with tons of really bad advice and the subjectivity of a portfolio, hence why I avoided it entirely and stuck to studying science. But of course if I could do it all over again I think I'd at least like to apply myself since I have a better idea of what kind of project I'd like to overtake. The black creepers were the perfect shoe to highlight the bottled up teen angst associated with our high school years as well as popular London subcultures which were active right about the time Goddard was a student herself. Like last season each outfit was styled by Goddard's sister Alice hence the use of black nail polish and black rubber bracelets emphasizing the stereotypical art scene. It's the attention to detail which always contributes in my mind to the reputation of a designer at any level. I look forward to her next collection and the concept behind her presentation at London Fashion Week as well as how fashion bloggers style her wonderful dresses.

1-14 from Now Fashion and 15- 25 via.

Katie Jones Fall 2015

I've known about Katie Jones wonderful knitted creations for quite some time now but never felt compelled to discuss her work on this blog, until now. The combination of a glittery rubber boots, a fantasy world and colour is itself enough to attract me towards a collection but the casting of Rina Sawayama (instagram) was the icing on the cake. In addition to being a model she's also a singer/ songwriter, nail technician and graduate of the prestigious Cambridge University. Basically I have a huge crush on her at the moment which only intensifies my love for this collection. Her playful poses complimented the sentiment of this photo shoot as well as the textural elements such as the large scarves and pom pom earrings. What I find most interesting about this collection is the number of different techniques integral to a single piece as well as the colour combinations and overall use of patterns. Stylist Emma Slade Edmonson did a spectacular job and I don't think these photos would not be what they are without her influence. While I've previously stated JuJu Footwear has become the go to shoe for smaller independent designers something as simple as changing the laces on the boots really had a big impact. 

What I found particularly interesting about Katie Jones' knitted creations were the cuts and shapes of her pieces. By equal measure she was able to create darling cropped, knitted vests and long draping cardigans and coats. Her scarves weren't a typical, boring, straightforward design either and allowed her to explore a variety of different techniques and add texture to her outfits. Other designers who knit and create such as Caroline Kaufman have been busy making statement scarves but it's only recently that they've become important accessories during fashion week. In part this has been due to bitterly cold conditions in New York but I'd like to think that things are undergoing a slow transformation. That people are appreciating the addition of texture and colour to their outfits. Had I not chosen to study science or if I had the free time now I'd like to experiment with knitting machines and introduce different materials into their design. This urge to reinvent myself or try mixed media has also been inspired by Nashville artist Zoe Schlacter's instagram account and the numerous swatches she's posted there. 

This particular collection, aptly named 'Let them Eat Cake' reinforced this idea of taking joy in frivolous and pretty things, particularly the white frilled edges of many of the coats and scarves. Of course these are bound to get dirty after many adventures and outings all of which reminds us of Marie Antoinette's decadent and sheltered lifestyle romanticised through her namesake feature films. Again this reinforces the idea that these clothes are special pieces and should be treated as such but for something as cute and colourful as a big statement jacket and given how much work went into its design and execution I think they deserve to be seen. I just like the idea of serving up knowledge and telling other people about the clothes I wear on my back through word of mouth in addition to online content. Because you can't hear the sound of me getting all gushy and emotional about a coat as you would if you knew me in real life but the truth is clothing does affect me on an emotional level. 

Images via Katie Jones website