Weds 29th Feb: Paris Fashion Week - Zandra Rhodes - Retrospective Collections - Andrew Gallimore Makeup

This project has been an ambitious task in contrast to regular shows where a makeup test is developed to arrive at one cosmetic combination to tie together a collection. In keeping with the retrospective, Andrew made a unique design for each look to compliment and mimic the style of Zandra's original concoctions. Andrew carefully recreated the avantgarde faces invented initially by Richard Sharah, Yvonne gold and Phyllis Cohen. Here are his pigment palettes, plans, bindis, brushes and models undergoing thier own personal transformation.......... what fun!!!!!!

Weds 29th Feb: Paris Fashion Week - Zandra Rhodes - Retrospective Collections

I have come to Paris to witness Kim Howells style a retrospective runway show of Zandra Rhodes CBE having edited the complete archive down to 24 looks with the designer. One of my earliest memories of visiting the V&A as a child was enjoying the exquisitely beautiful yellow felt circular coat which has been pulled to open today's show as the first look from 1969. Kim has experienced a rare dream opportunity of joining forces with Zandra to realise a concise projection of all her past memories and triumphs. Its been a joy for me to see the process and peek round the computer screen at skype conversations between the pair and now finally be present for the final presentation. Here are whole crew who came on board to add the finishing touches with hair stylist Lyndell Mansfield and Makeup Artist Andrew Gallimore. The beauty team have recreated the idiosyncratic faces of Zandra's historic themes from the dawn of bohemia thru to the punk era, via Princess Diana to the latest cubist collection............ which I will break down in a series of posts to share ..........

Tues 28th Jan: Rainbow pancakes

A fellow rainbow obsessed friend Kate Moross cooked a spectrum of Scotch pancakes for my be-lated Shrove Tuesday ............. ch-ch-ch-check it out! Cosmic and delicious! See more photos from her fun-filled life on her Tumblr including her recent entry in the Fabergé egg hunt.........

Tues 28th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 - Top Shop Party

I finally found myself at the newly arrived French club in London "Le Baron" and having missed out on the opening parties made up for time, with a different party each night over the duration of fashion week using the venue. After the 10th anniversary soiree for the Business Of Fashion on Monday night, Top Shop took over the space on Wednesday to celebrate 10 years of supporting the BFC New Gen scheme. Teo Connor was invited down having taken part in a Sunday Times Style article on the designer t-shirt range that 10 ex-recipients of the award had artworked. Teo wore the Roksanda Illincic option whist representing her WProject initiative in the feature also highlighting new creatives by shooting real talent instead of models. A few of the contributing artists to Teo's Womens Day exhibition happend to be at the party to watch Azelia Banks performance too, including Naomi Shimada and Margot Bowman (seen here). Find out what other fantastic female artists are involved in the show over on their site............ which lands on March 8th at KKOutlet on Hoxton Square............. and follow thier Twitter for updates and photos like these........

Tues 28th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 - Menswear Day - Ashish

I loved the cosy, baggy layered silhouette at Ashish with a myriad of different prints, sequin patterns, tie-dye swirls and muslin drapes. There was a peace-sign, smiley-face and rainbow theme throughout which was of particular interest to me with spectrums set into black and white continued all the way down to the stacked soles of modified moulded boots. Keko Hainswheeler made special Hindu inspired jewellery for each look, connecting nose to ear with chains of trinkets, bells and beads . Here are some close shots of those pieces from his studio to show the more intricate detail. If you head over to Anna Trevelyan's Tumblr you can see how she wore the accessory off the runway, straight after styling the show at the Top Shop party ..........

Tues 28th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 - Menswear Day - Julie Verhoeven for Christopher Shannon

One of my favourite designers and one of my favourite artists teamed up for a sculptural live installation set design as a backdrop to a runway show. Julie Verhoeven created this "Tableau Vivant" for Christopher Shannon A/W 2012 with models legs appearing from sections in the dressed screens. Two cheeky sensibilities have found a shared humour for a slightly saucy, sartrical approach to fashion and produced one of the most refreshing sights of the whole week. If "great minds think alike" this is a visual example and proof is in the pudding of pleats, pink tassels, pop socks, padded hearts and plastic swaddling .

Tues 28th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 - Menswear Day Highlights

(Top to bottom: Yu Masui wearing Astrid Anderson photographing T.Lipop's installation at Fashion East, Shaun Samson at MAN, Atalanta Weller wearing her own shoe design, William Richard Green's models playing table football, Christopher Shannon's bus stop installation in Somerset House and Kickers collaboration, AGI & SAM finale at MAN with Larry B & Duffy modelling, Dr.NOKI wearing his own design)

Mon 27th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 - Menswear Day - Tom Ryling

I first featured the work of Tom Ryling from his BA graduation at Goldsmiths and his installation "My Lady Poverty". His latest sculpture / text crossover multi-media composite took roots in Somerset House with a tree literally planted in his room of the Fashion East installations. To compliment the poster artworks, Tom transplanted and tessellated the digital prints into a capsule collection of jersey separates with slashed t-shirts and slogan silk scarves. He was also responsible for the graphics on the circulated invitation for the event with his favourite Chet Baker lyric "Lets Get Crossed Off Everybodies List" which is a prophetic sentiment for fashion week ............ as each season we inevitably find ourselves in a deja-vu "your names not on the list, your not coming in" scenario. Its great to see Tom having his first on-schedule presence at fashion week in addition to regularly writing about it. Keep up to date with his projects at his site including the new Mark Ronson / Coca Cola advert he styled with Nova Dando for the Olympics............ here.

Mon 27th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 - Menswear Day - Kit Neale

Kit Neale's debut collection styled by Mark McMahon was one of my favourite Fashion East installations for the oddly matched metallic Reeboks and fun karaoke film playing Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"........... the namesake title of the collection. Renowned for his prints, this season Kit has taken a botanical twist with turnip illustrations inspired from both his father's allotment and Derek Jarman's Dungeness garden. With these turquoise foil print fingerless gloves it might be possible to keep your green fingers twitching down at the plot next winter - a cosmic way to weed those Brassica! (Film above by Ben Rayner)

Mon 27th Jan: London Fashion Week AW12 Street Style

One of the best things about being around Somerset House for London Fashion Week is people watching and seeing all the "looks". Head over to The Daily site to see the official photography by Marcus Dawes who captured the whole scene every day. Here are a few of my favourites....... Aaron Frew wearing Astrid Anderson on Menswear Day, then with Ella Dror wearing matching Ashish for TopShop, Keko Hainswheeler, Anna Trevelyan and Larry B with his brilliant Keith Haring phone case and nails!