LONDON FASHION WEEK AW13: DO THE "CO-ORD"

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

Here's a FEAL version of what I wrote for today LFW paper, The Daily...

Matchy matchy has already been made modern. Recall way back when in Resort 2012, Phoebe Philo did shirts, jackets and joggers all styled together in the same floral print. Since then, the "co-ord", as matching outfits have been christened, has become a key component in the most wearable collections. It's an easy look, the bricks of which can quickly be taken apart to form a whole new outfit. A case in point was Zoe Jordan's Prince of Wales ensemble, or the striped set which Eudon Choi embellished with Swarovski crystals. While they look perfect together for full-on, mega matched impact, the best bit is that you could wear that check tee with a leather pencil skirt or play down the stripe trousers with a plain jumper. You might decry that surely that is what a dress is for. A total, easy-to-put-together look.  Well, yes but separates are far more modern looking and I would bet that a co-ord induces boredom at a far slower rate precisely because you can change it around.  From a designer's perspective, the co-ord is a commercial winner too because it persuades us to buy into two pieces to achieve one look (or if you're into Christopher Raeburn, you'll need the bag and boots too)

At Antipodium, there was the choice of a tweed bomber and wide leg look in either mustard or lilac checks. Creative Director Geoffrey Finch told me, "we were fed up of so much bitsiness, it's nice to have a whole look". Vogue's Emma Elwick-Bates summed up LFW's take on the co-ord, "I feel like it's really relevant in heritage fabrics now, like a modern Katharine Hepburn". We'll match to that.

 A TUMBLE OF LFW CO-ORDS

Lace at Christopher Raeburn

Striped and embellished at Eudon Choi

Checks at Zoe Jordan 

Cocktail print at House of Holland

Simply grey and sporty at Thomas Tait

Graphic print at Holly Fulton

Black and white chains at Whistles

THE LATEST, GREATEST WEBSITE FOR NEW DESIGN TALENT

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

 Eudon Choi at YoungBritishDesigners.com

After being inspired by all the amazing new talent on show at London Fashion Week, we were greeted with some great news this morning. Many of the up-and-coming designers who we met at LFW (including Charlotte Taylor, Eudon Choi and JW Anderson) are working with a new online retail project called, appropriately, www.youngbritishdesigners.co.uk.

Having been launched just over two weeks ago, the project aims to 'create the first dedicated retail environment purely focusing upon young talent working in this country' and to celebrate the risks that British designers take in order to create the world's most exciting fashion. Edited selections from the 36 designers' collections are available to purchase from the site, often in limited runs - these are future collectibles, after all.

We spoke to Julian Whitehead, one of the founders of the website, along with his partners Debra Hepburn, Adrianna Wheatley and Stuart Jackson (the latter two hit on the original concept after being inspired at LFW AW10, back in February.) They turned to Debra and Julian for some practical advice on how to get the project started, and the team's combination of experience in advertising, marketing and fashion, along with a healthy dose of youth and enthusiasm has contributed to its success. According to Julian, the YBD staff are committed to "producing something new and exciting, as well as giving something back to the UK fashion industry. We want to set people off on their chosen paths, and hope that the site will help them along the way."

This is a great platform for making contemporary fashion talent accessible to the public, at a much earlier than normal stage in a young designer's career. They  were possibly the first people to spot and stock Felicity Brown, who most recently designed for Lanvin as well as selling her collection through the youngbritishdesigners site.

 Felicity Brown at www.youngbritishdesigners.com

The roster of designers is an evolving process and the buying team hope to add new collections to the site as and they discover them. By next season, there will be a host of new names added to the website's line up. YBD should help these future fashion legends to begin building their own design legacy, and enable savvy shoppers to buy a little piece of creative history.

www.youngbritishdesigners.com