Sat 26th: INCANDESCENT META-MORPH-INCESSANT A/W 2011 - The Look Book

Here are some screengrabs of the lovely look book that Teo Connor designed for the presentation day........ so pleased with the final outcome!!! There will be more to pick at the press day if you couldn't make the screening on Monday ......... details to follow shortly.......

Sat 26th: INCANDESCENT META-MORPH-INCESSANT A/W 2011

Here are the final shots of the collection............

Photographer - Elisha Smith-Leverock
Stylist - Kim Howells
Hair - Ben Jones
Make up and Nails by Yin Lee
Stylist Assistant - Reuben Esser
Model - Lindsey Byard at Next

Crown and Shin Piece by Rosy Nicholas for Fred Butler
Special thanks to Hannah Wood for Corset Construction

For press enquiries contact: ella@elladrorpr.com

Sat 26th: The Daily feature of Studio Shots of Work In Progress for my INCANDESCENT META-MORPH-INCESSANT A/W 2011

My Jacket which inspires me as I wear it


Layering Papers


Components being made


Invitations made from leftover scraps


Sketches and inspirations


The origianl origami experimentation


Tetris patchwork paper


Stylist Kim Howells in meeting, working out shapes with the body

The Daily asked me to send them some studio shots of the work in progress for an article on their site so here are some of those images and what I wrote for them.....

"The palette of the last two seasons has been silver and gold metallics, so A/W 2011 is a return to my signature psychedelic spectrum of colour. I’ve stripped back use of layering materials and concentrated on the purity of paper and paper folding. Shapes and silhouettes employ a new technique developed in my ongoing exploration into origami. On a recent trip back to my favourite haunts of China Town NYC, I realized that origami is an infinite craft of possibilities with no limits. My new collection is an experiment in pushing these boundaries utilizing both the top and bottom conflicting surfaces of structures for contrast in texture.
Here are images of patchwork paper, playing around with painting via collage instead of actual paint. I’ve transposed my hobby and routes of designing paper-cut art into my accessories. Accumulating origami squares is the best source for collecting rare colour and I initially fell in love with the craft by default, looking at instruction manuals when I bought the packs of paper. I wanted to celebrate this history to my story and run with the idea.
My collaborator Elisha Smith-Leverock has taken this direction of playfulness into her treatment for our fourth fashion film together. The individual pieces of the collection can be worn separately or slot together to make a sequence of armour to incase the body. Elisha has picked out the basic forms from the technique and wants to turn the shape into an oversized set to create an geometric world for the model to inhabit. It’s going to be a jack-in-the-box sequence with a techno soundtrack to build a crescendo of fun and invigorating emotion. An explosion of colour will carry through from the scraps of on my studio floor to the final cut of the film.

See the original article here.

Sat 26th: Spine TV Art Shorts - Studio Visit

Whilst I was cooped up with cabin fever constructing the AW11 collection, Spine TV came to visit the studio to film my work process. Here is the final cut of the interview with some images Ive held back until this point and the release of my finished work. Head over to Spine TV to see the rest of the series and all the artists captured on camera.............. including David Bailey "Skulls"

Friday 25th Feb: #itsPinkFridayHoe @NICKIMINAJ

I have only just discovered this portrait of Nicki Minaj by Tom Oxley from a Feb issue of NME wearing my necklace. Check out the rest of his portfolio here for more great music photography.

Friday 25th Feb: Kokon To Zai AW11

Irrespective of trends and seasons - I need this Kokon To Zai collection in my wardrobe forever. All the way from the stripey shoes, optical panelled leggings, asymmetric patchwork fin dresses, chunky warrior accessories, ball bangles and squiggle shape afro combs. It was a mash up of Oskar Schlemmer sculptural proportions, Memphis furniture graphic patterns with a dash of 80's Disney Mickey Mouse Club thrown in for good measure. For the first time, designer Koji Maruyama came to London to walk out for the encore to wave alongside Marjan Pejoski. Congratulations - I am in LOVE and desperate to try some of it on!

To see a more detailed selection of photos of the garments and jewellry, head over to Un Nouveau Ideal

(Images all by me except invitation artwork and Silhouette Ive stolen from Koji's facebook. Top to bottom: Makeup by Thomas De Kluyver, Hair pics and bangles and clothes being packed up backstage, Show styled by Anna Trevelyan with hair by Charlie Le Mindu)

Friday 25th Feb: House of The Jago AW11 "The Oath Of The Canting Crew" streetstyle

I have never been to one of the infamous "A Child Of The Jago" events before and I'm so pleased to have now experienced it for some salvation from the mainstream merry-go-round. This is what marks London out in the month of international capital city's slots in the season's fashion weeks.................. style is deep set in sub-culture and the underground is a prevalent force to contend with. The community that have grown up around the Jago scene might slip un-noticed on a daily basis in their dandy get-ups but when the individuals congregate its quite a spectacle. Everyone there looked fantastic and it wasn't the conspicuous flashy dressing that you get down at Somerset House - it was incredible credible unconscious swagger. I'm a fiend for finding hats worn with conviction and this was a collective of men baring the best in big brimmed fedoras Ive ever seen! Ive snapped some of the audience here including Jordan Bowen who is part of Stephen Jones atelier whilst finishing his own millinery studies - a name to note down! The runway show styled by Judy Blame with an excellent cast of the creme of male models with smoky smudge kohl eyes .......... I love a dude in eyeliner!! I also loved the label's own quirky hats styled with newspaper clippings, animal teeth and bones, feathers and rope tied into the band ...... topped off with badges by Pins London.
Watch this film sent over from Jago to see the highlights.........a dance-off between the tribes of the Jago from the east and the buffalo gals of Worlds End from the west.

Head to Simon Armitage and Joseph Corré aka A Child Of The Jago's famous East End flagship boutique 10 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3NT

Friday 25th Feb: Fashion East Men

In 2005 "Fashion East MAN" was established to give 3 menswear designers a runway show in addition to its main womenswear event. Now there is also an area of installations in Somerset House for 10 menswear designers to preview their collections to press and buyers. Whether its a still life of products or performance piece, its always the most fun arena to explore on schedule. Here is the mastermind behind Fashion East Lulu Kennedy sporting a spotty pair of wellingtons from Louise Gray's new collaboration with Nicholas Kirkwood for Pollini. Here is Louise herself at her space in the exhibit showing a few styles of screen printed stripey shirts in an offshoot capsule men's collection.......... perhaps a perfect addition to the wardrobe for her stylist Richard Sloan and his new lilac hair. Lulu is always the best ambassador for the organisation's supported designers, wearing their wares in the most comfortable and chic compositions. Looks like this Christopher Shannon scarf must have come straight off the catwalk as he had only just shown his new AW11 in the main tent moments before.

Keep an eye on her blog for new developments for Lulu's own line Lulu & Co. which brings together one unique design from a selection of 10 names previously supported in the 10 years of the Fashion East scheme.

Friday 25th Feb: Katie Eary AW11 - Report by Emily Beard

What do you get when you cross all American apple pie 50s sweetness with a Frankenstein's monster apocalypse? It would probably look a little like Katie Eary's newest collection 'Frankenstein's Lab'.
Like the classic film 'Pleasantville' there's an underlying sinister vein to the wholesome Yank imagery. The classic American varsity jacket was flashed with streaks of toxic green. Stripy jumpers and shirts appeared to sprout hair. T-shirts were slashed into webs. Models stomped in Nike Airs and clunky wedges fused with wood and prickly spikes. Even the tailoring wasn't safe, splattered with prints of creepy crawlies and animalistic leopard print. Not to mention the jewellery, where gold nuts bolts and stitches appeared to puncture the models' faces and necks.

The finale saw the models return with Donnie Darko rabbit masks, saluting the macarbe masterpiece. The collection was a marvellous monster mash up of all that is thrilling about London Fashion Week. A collection to both fear and covet.

Images and text by Emily Beard

Thurs 24th Feb: Husam El Odeh AW11 "Ephemeral"

For SS11 Husam created a collection "Alchemia" for which his gift at the presentation day was a little smelted droplet threaded on blue cotton to wear round the neck. This season, Husam's installation took shape in an accumulation of glass bottles and carnations for his new theme "Ephemeral". He lifted a flower head out of the display and dropped it in my hand............ the delicate petals had been pierced and strung onto a silver chain. It was a beautiful necklace that I wore all day in spirit of the concept, and is only now just wilting away like a butterfly that has spent its short life to share its sublime shine. Husam was wearing one on his lapel and looking the dashing part as he always does to calmly and methodically take you through his latest offering. A few pieces were on view with more to follow at the official launch next week in Paris. I love the silver watch bangle - classic charm in a cheeky reinvention of accessorizing!
To see the complete collection, head to the Rainbowwave Showroom.