Billy Hazel
Faustine Lara
Lola Mansil
Joana Gröblinghoff
Weronika Kumanek
Everyone knows their Marcs from their Calvins. But as fashion month kicks into gear, we'll be spotlighting the up-and-coming designers and indie brands whose names you'll want to remember.Name: Helen Louise Lawrence Need to know: Only eighteen months out of Central Saint Martins' M.A. fashion program, 26-year-old Helen Louise Lawrence has emerged as a multifaceted—if not prodigious—knitwear technician. Hailing from just outside northern England's Newcastle, the designer spent a year assisting on-the-rise menswear star Craig Green (he shows under London's MAN platform) before presenting her debut capsule collection this season with Fashion Scout. Here, Lawrence sought to bring a "bit more of a commercial angle" to her unconventional knits. That approach was gamely realized on a baby pink jumper replete with "scribble" embroideries on the sleeves. She also made use of PVC overlays and molecular patchwork—again, enlivened by her hand-drawn squiggle motif. She Says: "Up close, the knits have layers and layers. Every piece is hand-dyed in my kitchen, and then it's printed and embroidered. Oddly, they feel like rubber." Where to Find It: Visit the designer's Web site to inquire about private orders.
The Spring '14 collections are under way in London, and will be followed by the shows in Milan and Paris. Before their new clothes hit the runway, we've asked some of the most anticipated names to offer a sneak peek. Per usual, it's a busy time for all—designers and fashion followers alike—so we're continuing our split-second previews: tweet-length previews at 140 characters or less. Our entire selection of Spring '14 previews is available here.WHO: Michael van der Ham WHERE: London WHEN: Monday, September 16 WHAT: "Specially engineered fabrics, like appliqués with embossed fil coupe jacquards, Swarovski crystal embroidered brocades, and printed textiles."— Michael van der Ham. The designer sent us a glimpse at on of his Spring '14 fabrics, above.
Smythson's Panama diary has some seriously impressive cred. Launched in 1908, it's been used by everyone from Sigmund Freud and Katharine Hepburn to Jonathan Saunders and Dita Von Teese. For Spring '14, Smythson is releasing a full-on Panama collection, comprising diaries, address books, manuscript books, and beyond. In celebration of the new range, the brand has called in young British artist Quentin Jones to create a series of pretty wild works. The set of ten pieces will feature the aforementioned influencers, as well as Hardy Amies, Waris Ahluwalia, Erdem Moralioglu, Bryan Ferry, Kylie Minogue, and Laura Bailey. The works—done in Jones' signature, surreal style of mixed media—will explore the subjects' relationships with their Panamas. An exhibition of the art, as well as the new Panama line, will be unveiled during a special event at Smythson's New Bond Street store today, and the show will be open to the public from Monday. In the meantime, get your Smythson x Jones fix with a gif teasing the star-studded artworks, which debuts exclusively here.
"I think it's like a football game," explained womenswear designer Jonathan Simkhai from his brightly lit studio in the CFDA's Incubator. "They're sitting on the sides like a cheerleader, rooting you on, but it's up to you to make the goal and score the point—and they'll definitely run with you all the way to the finish line." He's talking about his experience thus far in the Incubator, the much-lauded CFDA program that each year takes ten young brands and helps them develop their businesses through rent-subsidized studio space and continuous mentoring over the course of two years. On the last day of New York fashion week, Simkhai and the others showed just how far they've run and presented their Spring '14 collections to buyers, editors, development mentors, and special guest Linda Evangelista yesterday afternoon. Collections ranged from Simkhai's own Brighton Beach mod and eighties-silhouette-inspired sexy athletica to Arielle Shapiro's St. Petersburg-influenced modernized Art Deco lingerie to Number:Lab's sporty, robotics-themed fashions (i.e., stylish men's activewear designed to go from the gym to dinner). Many, including some very clean fifties-style and Indonesian looks from Timo Weiland, were inspired by CFDA and W Hotel-sponsored trips to various locales around the world. "I chose to go to Doha in Qatar to see their culture, the desert," said jewelry designer Emanuela Duca of the original point of reference for her raw, black-and-white sterling silver collection of "primitive, sophisticated" rings, cuffs, and necklaces. "This experience has been really wonderful. There are very few months left—about seven—and I don't want to even think about it ending!"
Considering that, in the past few seasons, such brands as Pierre Balmain, See by Chloé, ICB, and Peter Som have all experimented with showing online rather than on the catwalk, Diane von Furstenberg's recent hypothesis that physical fashion shows may be made "extinct by digital substitutes within the next few years,"doesn't seem too far outside the realm of possibility. This London fashion week, Clements Ribeiro—the Natalie Massenet-mentored ready-to-wear brand designed by Suzanne Clements and Inacio Ribeiro—will be joining the crop of labels that are debuting their collections via the Internet. On Saturday at 2 p.m. GST, Clements Ribeiro's Spring '14 range goes up digitally, coinciding with the launch of its new Web site, which comes with bells and whistles that cater to industry insiders and fashion fans alike. The buyers can fill their orders (the financing of which will be neatly handled by clever software), the press can view lookbooks, and fiercely loyal customers can buy online. "It is unquestionable that fashion shows are a powerful tool for many brands—but there are just too many shows,"offered Ribeiro. "We found there is a better way to serve the entire chain. Yes, for sure, there is less adrenaline than a live runway show, but also less pressure. And from experience, this is how our clients want it—steady as she goes."The Clements Ribeiro model is one of the first case studies for the British Fashion Council's new digital department, and will also include a social media element. The designers will be available for a live Q&A via Twitter during the presentation, using the hashtag #CRSS14LIVE, and will be chilling in a Google hangout. For the brand, going online was a logical next move, since 60 percent of its sales were from the Internet anyway. The label's latest offering, an exclusive preview of which debuts here, is inspired by Ribeiro's native Brazil. Spring '14 is all about monochrome meeting pattern—the Girl from Ipanema turned bookish. The models featured in the designers' Spring lookbook are pictured leaping barefoot, which, to Ribeiro, is a perfect representation of the brand. "I feel that we too are jumping—in leaps and bounds—to our next steps."
Antipodium is a London-based label with Australian roots. Its name, according to creative director Geoffrey J. Finch (an Aussie, East London transplant himself), is "a play on Antipodean, and a nod to the democratic nature of style in our homeland. As the label has developed, the name continues to reflect our laid- back approach to fashion." Fittingly, Antipodium's East London base is ground zero for the type of person for whom Finch designs: young and hip yet professional—the working girl who loves (and pays) for her party life. In the few years since the brand launched, Antipodium has become a firm favorite of cool purveyors like Alexa Chung, Beth Ditto, Edie Campbell, Dree Hemingway, and Carey Mulligan, among others, and is stocked by international powerhouses such as Barneys, Liberty, Opening Ceremony, Isetan, and many more. The Spring '14 collection, which is previewed here exclusively ahead of this Saturday's runway show, is entitled Attention Shoppers. It is a tribute to Finch being a "shopgirl at heart. It's a mash-up of Are You Being Served?, Cher from Clueless, Miss Piggy, Romy and Michele, Pretty Woman, and Barbie—essentially the glory of retail," says the designer. The good news is that his hodgepodge of references works. A blush pink, iridescent knife-pleat skirt with a Tropicana-patterned bowling shirt takes the girl from the office cubicle to cocktails. Ditto a houndstooth jacket and a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-to-work white dress. "With SS14, we're pitching to move to the next level," offered Finch. "These are exciting times."
Everyone knows their Marcs from their Calvins. But as fashion month kicks into gear, we'll be spotlighting the up-and-coming designers and indie brands whose names you'll want to remember. Need to Know: Chris Gelinas presented his debut womenswear collection for Spring '14, and out of the gate, the emerging talent won this season's Made for Peroni Young Designer Award—a prize that comes with $40,000 and a confirmed slot to show at Made fashion week for Fall '14. Given that he spent time at such houses as Balenciaga, Theyskens' Theory, Marc Jacobs, and Proenza Schouler before breaking out on his own, it's no surprise that attention to detail and fabric innovation were key in the up-and-comer's range. Inspired by the idea that we need to be protected from the sun, Gelinas turned out pieces that were simultaneously feminine and structured, carefree and reserved. For instance, a long-sleeved tea dress constructed from navy techno shirting was trimmed with laminated, painted, and pleated horsehair that, the designer explained, was meant to recall flowers. The dress offered a copper zip down the front, so its wearer can be as demure (or as saucy) as she likes. Meanwhile, a pair of sheer, white, wide-leg trousers was crafted out of a light, spongy monofil spacer fabric. "It's the new neoprene," Gelinas explained in his studio. "And the pants just float around your legs." Cutout frocks; structured, zip-detail leather jackets; and a white and blue "beach towel" jacquard sundress were also standouts, and a digital hibiscus-print georgette shirt gown with a zip front was fresh and easy. All in all, an impressive first go for Mr. Gelinas—we'll be keeping an eye on this one. He Says: "This season started by thinking about the effects of—and protection from—the sun. This evolved into the idea of something very hard and strong, versus something very vulnerable and delicate." Where to Find It: As this is his debut season, Gelinas isn't stocked anywhere just yet, but we have a feeling we'll be seeing his tactile wares in downtown boutiques soon enough.
Since launching in 1994, London-based label AllSaints has built a sturdy reputation around its luxe-but-tough-edged leather jackets. However, under the creative direction of Wil Beedle—who has been with the brand just over a year—it offers some pretty spiffy ready-to-wear, too. This season, AllSaints took its show on the road and for the first time revealed its new collection via an installation during New York fashion week. "The collection felt ready," said Beedle when asked why he chose Spring '14 for his NYFW debut. "We felt like it was time to show it in line with the fashion calendar, and share [our clothes] with a global community," he added. Indeed, Beedle had lots to present to the international press and buyers who came to visit AllSaints' largely black-clad mannequins, which were lined up inside a sprawling abandoned garment factory on Mercer Street.
As part of the brand's ongoing digital push, the multifaceted, two-day event included everything from a film shoot (a promo for the label's new focus on footwear) to a live illustrator—whose floral drawings will later be printed on limited-edition T-shirts—to photo shoots, which took place on the warehouse roof. Much of this was live-streamed to the AllSaints Web site. And while the spectacle made for interesting online viewing, it was a little complex for those of use who were there—in real life—to see the clothes.
Speaking of the clothes, they were great. A paper-thin knee-length bonded-leather vest—worn with an easy gray tank and a black-and-white floral-print skirt—was a clear standout, while a pair of chiffon basketball shorts, shown with a crisp white blouse and the house's signature black bomber, seemed an upmarket take on the streetwear styles we've been seeing of late. Playing with the concept of transparency, Beedle layered a hand-beaded silver vest over a white oxford, turned out a shirtdress in sheer black lace, and covered a saucy nude frock with a translucent chiffon en noir. The silhouettes combined soft draping (like relaxed silk trousers that tapered at the ankle) with razor-sharp lines (coats were clean and oversize) for an effect that felt hypermodern—and wearable.
It takes a lot for anything to stand out in fashion week's frenzy of parties and press releases. But a collaboration between Converse and Maison Martin Margiela does just that. The classic All-Star and Jack Purcell kicks have been generously coated in Margiela's iconic white paint. With time, the paint wears away to expose the color beneath.
Last night, despite the general sense of fatigue permeating every single human interaction, a crowd turned out to fete the marriage of the all-American and the French avant-garde at the Swiss Institute. Guests snacked on Brooklyn's Dough doughnuts and spring rolls—served in appropriately irreverent Chinese takeout containers—and danced to the deejay beats of Glenn O'Brien. The downtown paragon clued us in on his playlist: Jean-Michel Basquiat with Rammellzee, Spoonie Gee, and Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P."—a crowd favorite.
Across the space, Nicola Formichetti marveled at one of the many pieces of installation art: Converse All-Stars floating in a canal of white paint, laces frozen midair. "I was like, How did they do that?, so I touched it…I thought they chopped the shoes [off]. You don't get surprised so often. We see so much stuff online and at shows and events, and I really get like—whoa!—but they've still got it, the house of Margiela and Converse. They've still got it."
When it comes to hair color, model Heather Marks has run the gamut—from blond for Resort 2013 to auburn for Fall 2012 and brunette for Fall 2009. Only hours ago, I spotted her backstage at Proenza Schouler making a last-minute shade change (a direction given by the designers).
"They've got a little section with two or three girls with red hair," said hairstylist Paul Hanlon. (The other gingers on the runway included Irina Kravchenko and Magdalena Jasek, all wearing crimson—whether it was a suede dress, cropped trousers, or threaded throughout a shaggy jacket.) Although many girls have gone for varying shades of platinum and champagne for Spring 2014, I'm excited to see someone finally venture into more fiery territory.
