Posts Tagged ‘LONDON CALLING’
Saint Martins: The Final Stretch to London Fashion Week
While the rest of the college is quiet because Saint Martins has closed for term, the MA floor is alive with activity. Tomorrow is the day when all the hard work the designers have invested into the program will come to a head: It is lineup day. The womenswear designers will present their lineups for review and will find out who makes the LFW show, and who doesn't. After roaming the studios earlier today, the designers are up to their eyeballs perfecting their toiles. Toiles are a rough draft of a garment; rather than doing mock-ups in fabric, which is pricey, the toile is the place from where the garment can be taken to further perfection. When the toile is perfect, it's then used as a blueprint to create the finished garment.
Everyone is very calm, working steadily to finish their lineups. While they may still be students, only professionalism is emphasized in the course. Every student is expected to produce work that is retail quality with the idea that the garments should go right from the runway to the store or on to someone's body. Case in point, David Koma's graduate collection. It dropped last February and so far has been worn by Beyoncé and Cheryl Cole.
Who shall make the cut? We just have to wait and see!
—Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin
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Graffiti Artist Pochoir Customizes Adidas Shelltoes
Adidas has some very cool collaborations going on, and the most recent is the "City Artist" concept. They took five cutting-edge artists from five of the hottest cities around the globe (New York, London, Tokyo, Milan, and Paris) and had them customize the classic Shelltoe. Among them was the London graffiti artist Pochoir, who is a die-hard Shelltoe fan.
Pochoir helped to launch the edgy kicks here in Londontown and even spray-painted a chair for the Adidas store. Am personally loving this video where you get to see some Pochoir graffiti in action.
—Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin
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Elton John’s Highly Anticipated Closet Sale
Now this is a pop-up shop that you can really sink your teeth into: It's Elton John and his partner David Furnish's once-every-five-years closet sale to benefit (you guessed it) the Elton John AIDS foundation. From December 12 to 19, the famous couple will be filling up the Flower Cellars in Covent Garden with loads of their personal wardrobe goodies. Nothing has been spared; there will be shoes, accessories, Elton's concert costumes, David's jeans, and presumably, top-notch designer wares as far as the eye can see.
And the prices shouldn't be too, too bad: They will start at £20 and go up to £2000, with most of the goods falling somewhere in the middle.
But isn't it worth it to go just for the "wow" factor?
—Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin
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Christopher Bailey Honored by the Queen
Last Friday afternoon, Christopher Bailey was at Buckingham Palace picking up his Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) bestowed upon him by her majesty the Queen herself.
Dressed in a dapper tails tuxedo, the Burberry Chief Creative Officer was notified of the honor in June of this year, but it was just this past Friday when he was able to collect the medal itself.
At 38, Bailey has accomplished feats in fashion well beyond his years, from the very public resurrection of Burberry from a storied British label to an of-the-minute house, to the two honorary doctorates he's received from the University of Westminster and the University of Huddersfield.
Congratulations to Christopher on this great honor!
—Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin
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Target Treats NYC for the Holidays
There were days in NYC that friends and I would lament that there wasn't a Target in Manhattan. A cute store full of affordable and stylish finds that always made you feel as though you were shopping chic and not cheap. Now, with their pop-up shop, Target To Go, about to hit the corner of Gansevoort and Washington streets, and the Rodarte collection officially making its way to the shelves, this UK transplant's eyes are turning green with envy at my New York City compatriots.
Target To Go won't operate like a normal store in that there will not be shelves of products to peruse, but instead, customers will order what they want from the cashier and then the item will be brought out for you. And lucky for those who plan to shop there, because pieces of the Rodarte collection will be in stock to snag for the holidays. But definitely go for the sequined rib-cage dress and the bow belt, which comes in prints like yellow and gray leopard, along with basic black.
—Rebecca Suhrawardi Austin
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