Fri 30th Sep: Beyond Retro opens in Dalston

What to do on a surprisingly hot September afternoon? Explore the newly opened Beyond Retro Dalston of course! Searching the treasure trove we uncovered these rainbow pieces that were crying to be purchased. In addition to the rails of retro clothing the huge space will also house a cafe' to be opened in the future.

92-100 Stoke Newington Road
10AM – 7PM all week except Thursdays (10AM-8PM) and Sundays (11Am – 6PM)

Thurs 29th Sep: Mugler via my foreign correspondant Chris Sutton, Creative Director "Void Of Course"

The Mugler s/s 2012 show (and Formichetti's second ready to wear show as creative director) opened with a collaborative film starring the label's biggest fan, Lady Gaga. The collection itself focussed on a neutral palette, with cutaway and asymetric silhouettes. Models teetered on tiny needle heels, with futuristic slicked-back hair by Sam McKnight and sparkly lips by Val Garland.

Thanks to Chris for the photos and videos live from the event last evening.
See Void Of Course here.

Thurs 29th Sep: Mari Sarai's 'Naked' exhibition

Mari Sarai's exhibition 'Naked' features portraits of close friends Daisy Lowe, Alice Dellal and Janice Dickinson to name a few. They are all shot completely nude, to celebrate women and the power of nudity. The images are also compiled into a book.
The exhibition ran from 14th – 20th Sepetmber at The Blackall Studios in Shoreditch with a second intimate exhibition from 15th September until 13th October at Door Showcase (20 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3DU).

‘NAKED’ is available to buy at Photographers Gallery London, Claire de Rouen, Magma, 3939 Shop and Collette, Paris.
To purchase the book go here.

Mon Sept 27th: London Fashion Week - Pringle

I first met Alistair Carr when he came into my University the year he was out on his placements and dedicated some time to return to help a friend with their final collection. I clocked the twinkling eyes, cheeky smile and the lexicon of his life's story tattoo tapestry winding round his forearms. He was a formidable presence and caused a stir amongst the students, commanding their attention as it was clear that he was not hanging around for long, and destined for something stupendous. However this message is transmitted in vibes on a purely subconcious level - he would never allude to any such grandeur himself as he is the most self-effacing gentle creature (almost to a degree of detriment). His talent? = a remarkable instinctive disposition to detect and experiment with trends years before the industry has picked it up its dowsing stick in such a direction. Ive witnessed this first hand since his own graduation, eponymous label launch, move to Marni, chapter at Cacharel, Chloe and latterly leverage of technological feats at Balenciaga. So it was with great pride that I attended his premier show as Design Director of Pringle and see the circus of critics sit down to be captivated by his signature subtle discerning designs sway down the runway.
With a wealth of archive at his disposal, Alistair has been digging into the depths of Intarsia patterned styles from the 1960's to layer optical prints into the innovative reinvention of the Pringle knit. Any expectation of the inclusion of the twin-set was answered and interpreted with open backs for a young sensual summer sensibility. Alistair has brought on board silversmith
Husam El Odeh to add a futuristic dimension with "eyewear" seen here in Rosy Nicholas's backstage photos and a shoe collaboration with Chrissie Morris. Graduating from Central St.Martins MA alongside peers Richard Nicoll and Marios Schwab, Alistair has reconnected with his London roots to include these designer's accessory additions to his line. I can't wait to see who else he aligns with the brand in the coming seasons working on not only womenswear but also menswear and overall identity.
If Pringle are looking to levitate their brand to a greater global omnipresence to the template of Burberry's success, they have locked into the right candidate to take the reigns from Clare Waight Keller and lead this new crusade. Having being hooked out of the hot seat to travel to NYC and attend Vogue's Fashion Nights Out shortly before this inaugural initiation show, its evident that he can take the weight of the load in multi-tasking assigned to him. This may mean that as a friend I may not be able to rejoice in his return to London by indulging in his (absence of) free time but at least I'm in closer proximity to have these proud moments such as being a spectator at his SS12 unveiling.

Mon 26th Sept: Disneyrollergirl's Harvey Nichols Secret Tees: the big reveal

You may remember that forVogue Fashion Night's Out earlier in the month, Disneyrollergirl organised a charity auction for Kids Company with Harvey Nichols. The project entitled "Secret Tees" was Navaz's selection of different fashion folk to customize a t-shirt in secret and allow the public to make bids to win their favourite one guessing the designer. Now the ballot is closed and the jury is out ........ you can see which is which. Here are snaps of mine during the prep process which consisted of colouring and cutting at my studio and then taking a trip home to be cooked up with dye on my hob. The finishing touches were an archive necklace and hair piece so the lucky winner had some versatility to pull it apart for maximum wearing and enjoying opportunities. Congrats Navaz and thanks for asking me to be involved! See the whole story on her site here

Mon 27th Sept: Behind The Scenes of my SS12 Fashion Film

1 week ago was the presentation and exactly 2 weeks ago was the shoot of my SS12 fashion film which was a very quick turn around after failing to finally find enough funds for production costs. Fortunately Crane TV granted our wish true by stepping in at the last moment to lift our spirits with sponsership to secure making my 5th film. So here is a massive shout out, props, high five, group hug and strong hand shake to the generosity and foresight of Crane TV to offer us a package to put our ideas in place. Zaiba Jabbar came on board as director, Alun Davies magic-ed up a multi faceted set with lots of different elements from our story board brainstorms. We had a great time building an underwater atmosphere to fit to Patrick Wolf's soundtrack which looped in the background of the studio to inspire Joesphine, our eager and charming model. Stylist Kim Howells had commissioned Marian Newman to design Minx nails based on the sea creature structure of my collection which you can see here and also lit to full effect in the finished film.
It was the first time that I had physically seen all the accessories and garments out of the paint splashed mess of my studio and grouped together in a comprehensive clutch of considered looks. As we dressed Josephine, it was so exciting to see the whole thing come together, especially Rosy Nicholas's barnacle shoes which she had been crafting for the collection. This was the perfect opportunity to experiment and lock down the makeup with Yin Lee and hair with Bianca Tuovi for the presentation. This whole process has been caught on film by the Crane TV documentary team to be released in conjunction with the fashion film ........... but for now here is the final feature edited by Daniel Gianini which we made to show on Susie Bubble's blog concurrently with the presentation so that anyone, anywhere in the world could experience and enjoy a slice of "Sonic Sinuate Supertemporal Sequestador".

Sun 25th Sept: London Fashion Week - Fred Butler (er, me) Presentation

This time last week I took residence in the Portico Rooms of Somerset House for a presentation of my SS12 collection at a reception hosted by Susie Bubble with a sound installation by Patrick Wolf............ lots of details to follow and full credits to expand upon ........ but for now here are some initial images from the day c/o Rebecca Hawkes