THREE IS A TREND: ALL ABOUT NANNA

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Crunching through the substance and hot air of London Fashion Week post-event is a task almost equal to attempting to do the thing itself. Despite spending half of my time in a car (thanks Mercedes, I worship at your altar) crawling in traffic between Somerset House, Tate Modern and grand avenues behind Pall Mall I did manage see a lot before getting home to put baby Horatio to bed. And then I was able to watch live streams. Ahhh. Loved them. My favourite kitchen table shows were J.W Anderson and Simone Rocha who I will be seeing in person with their clothes this weekend in Paris, and I can't wait. With an uninspiring Milan Fashion Week just wrapped, I am still discovering layers of London Fashion Week that gave me goosebumps.

One recurring theme was that of young designers looking to their grandmothers way of dressing for inspiration.  Henry Holland named his AW13 House of Holland range 'Nana Rave' inspired by a fictional teenager from 1989 who herself gets inspired by her grandmother's wardrobe of funny patterned skirt suits, clunky shoes and tunic dresses; a sort of 60s fashion hangover viewed through the eyes of a bored teen from the 80s. How a guy born in 1983 can channel this fashion vibe in 2013 gives it (intentional) ncomedy value; his is just an idea of a perceived memory and that pretty much sums up modern fashion ideas, even the best ones.

Brazilian NewGen designer Lucas Nascimento (whom Bethan recently interviewed)  is obsessed with old women in general. "I love watching them walk down the street," he told her when she previewed his AW13 show, "what fascinates me is the proportions of the clothes, the way their skirts hit below the knee, how they colour block peculiar colours and generally the way they put their outfits together."

Simone Rocha said this of her collection for Autumn/Winter 2013. "The collection is inspired by my grandmothers: my Irish granny Margaret Gleeson and my Chinese grandmother Cecelia Rocha, my relationship with them and my relationship with clothes. It is a story of respect that is rendered in the fabrication, the consideration and understanding of cut and detail."

Her words made me think of my own Irish nanna, Janie Clynch of Lathaleere, Baltinglass, County Wicklow, a mother of seven and independent woman whose catchphrase was "Don't vex me child" said with a loving smile and a discreet whisht motion with her hands. "Out of my way. Go and play." She was never a fashion plate, but she loved a periwinkle blue cardigan and a sensible skirt, always worn with her St Christopher medal, a discreet crucifix and very often a jazzy hat and well tailored coat.  I can't help seing shades of Simone Rocha's show when I look at Nanna in this photo with my cousin Marita. Miss you Nanna.

Janie Clynch circa 1971

Simone Rocha AW13

Simone Rocha AW13

Lucas Nascimento AW13

Lucas Nascimento AW13

House of Holland  'Nana Rave'

HENRY HOLLAND VS THE 90S

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

In the run up to my getting the hell out of London, I missed quite possibly the best pre-collction lookbook of the Resort 12 season, by Henry Holland. Ok, so its not quite a look-on-look display, and you don't feel you get the measure or feel of the collection but damn if its not the most perfect expression of the House of Holland brand possible. Fashion Film viewed via the Internet is shaping up to be the best way forward for young brands to express themselves. As evidenced by the beyond sexy British model Eliza Cummins (who really can dance)working it to Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance (I like, know every word)in the style of the Groove Is In the Heart video by Dee-lite, this House of Holland lookbook is my favourite bit of fashion fluff right now.

PRE COLLECTION SS12 from House of Holland on Vimeo.

P-P-P-PICK UP A POM POM (ESPECIALLY IF ITS BY HENRY HOLLAND)

 Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Backstage at Henry Holland by Jason Lloyd Evans

Laura Atkinson, the very brilliant features editor of Grazia magazine happens to be one of Henry Holland's best friends, (they used to work together at Sneak magazine, which was upstairs from us at Grazia). I met Henry in 2006 when he still worked at Sneak after seeing Gareth Pugh wear one of his T-Shirts that said "Get Your Freak On Giles Deacon". Next I wrote a story about him in Grazia (the photos featured his flatmate - some girl called Aggy) and brought him to a Giles Deacon show.  Since then Henners has become the online darling of British fashion, and the poster boy for poppy cool and we are proud of the be-quiffed one at Grazia. So it's always nice when he remembers his homies as he did today by pressing two boxes into Laura's hands and instructing her to dispatch one to me and the other to Angela Buttolph, Grazia's most excellent web editor.

Having pom-poms dangling from ones ears is almost as good as swishing ones skirt (well, Laura was a bit allergic..), yet Laura, Angela and myself felt the need to record the moment for all time by posing in the corridor of the stairwell at the oh-so-glam Bauer Media HQ on Shaftsbury Avenue.

Angela, Laura and me in our pom-pom earrings of many colours - happy times!  (Laura's flecky jumper is new season House of Holland too)

The trend for novelty was number six of my top 10 trends of spring/summer 2011 because of wonderfully silly and fun creations like these large marabou clip-on-with-a-giant-diamante-pom-pom-earrings. Luckily for you, these earrings were not "show only" styling accouterments, but have become buyable schmutter. I have just found out that Internet entrepreneur Henry is selling them on his website. I told you he was smart!  

GIRL ON LEFT:

"SO WHERE DO YOU GET THOSE CRAZY POM-POM EARRINGS FROM - I WANT SOME!"

GIRL ON RIGHT:

"WHAT THESE? OH YEAH, THEY'VE JUST GONE ON SALE AT WWW.HOUSEOFHOLLAND.CO.UK AND THEY ARE A HUNDRED QUID."

Photos: Jason Lloyd Evans/Fashion Editor at Large

THE CAR BOOT-IQUE

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Look at all these fabulous pieces by the members of the young British fashion fraternity. There is work from Christopher Kane, Holly Fulton,  They are all one-offs. Would you like one? Thought so...

If you want one you have two days left to bid for them on eBay. They are all part of Mercedes-Benz's Car Boot-ique, a car boot sale type affair hosted by eBay, in which all the funds raised go directly back to help the next generation of British talent through Lulu Kennedy's Fashion East scheme.

I cannot think of a more satisfying way to shop. If you make a successful bid, you gain a one off item at a less-than-retail price, and the money helps the incoming talent onto the London Fashion Week. I asked Mercedes to send me the lots being released today and tomorrow. And here they are.

Christopher Kane

Goodone

Hannah Marshall

Hasan Hejazi

Hasan Hejazi

Holly Fulton

Holly Fulton

House of Holland (these are blingy car-dice, quite large)

Jonathan Saunders

Margaret Howell

 

Maria Francesca Pepe

BID!

http://donations.ebay.co.uk/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=40449

SWAROVSKI LFW PREVIEW: FFS, its HENRY HOLLAND!!

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Henry

Henry is a busy man. Fresh from a trip to New York last weekend where he hosted a Fashion's Night Out party with ASOS.com (for whom he designed a special maxi dress) and Teen Vogue, he bounded into his studio to meet with us having just been at the gym. "I saw Erdem and I often see Richard Nicoll, now all we need is Chris and Tammy Kane to make it a fashion happening," he quipped before skipping off to spruce his famous quiff back into place with some Elnett. 

He seems weirdly calm, I tell him, for a man with a catwalk show in four days. "I am weirdly calm. We're organised. There's ten people working here, at this stage we're taking delivery of something new every day from our various suppliers. It's like Christmas every day," he says and as if to prove his point his gorgeous production manager Anna signs for a large box and flourishes it in our direction. It turns out to be T-shirts in various cuts (cropped tops, Y back vests, trad T-shirts) featuring the banana print shown below in various colours. The cerulean blue is my favourite.

Then he tells me and the fashion junior about his latest two discount cards; we all love a discount card in the fashion biz. Henry Holland has a Woolworths.co.uk pick n mix card, (oh lawdy how I would love one of those) "the sweets come within three hours!!" he marvelled while chugging down a cola bottle. He is also the proud recipient of a Nandos card. Nandos feed him and five interns once a week or so. Here's a thing: Nandos is every fashionistas secret favourite fast food restaurant.

                                                 Banana leaf print Henry has developed for his SS11 HOH collection

SS11 INSPIRATION

"It started with the 70s, Studio 54, and the (1980) film Xanadu, and progressively got more and more Joan Collins and Joan Rivers. It's glitzy...but I hate the word glitzy...sophisticated is better The collection is bright, fun and young with it, but not as young as before. We're getting a bit more grown up; there's a bit of Jackie O in there. The main print is the banana leaf, which we have Swarovski'd. The banana leaf print is part inspired by the wallpaper of the restaurant Indochine in New York and part inspired by the episode of Friends when Monica is in the Bahamas and has to get her hair braided because of humidity."

He then shows me some great bustier dresses hung with fringing - take it from me, London designers are TOTALLY OBSESSED with fringing this season - and says "I'm getting my hairdresser to do some looks with the fringing." We approve.

The House of Holland studio on Charlotte Road

As you can see from the board below, Henry's shapes are cute and girlie and verging on terribly chic, but the fun in them makes them young and cool. There is copious use of gold chainmail - another Xanadu connection - and a lot of Swarovski encrusted stars, as well as darling dresses and jackets.  "I have definitely used up my Swarovski allowance this season," he says. 

The look-boards for the SS11 collection. Love how their "girl" is a mini Anna Wintour

FASHION SHOW GOSSIP?

"I'm working with BlackBerry again. Look," he says whipping out his new BlackBerry Torch, "I've got a BlackBerry Torch." Henry is such a show off.  While I seethe with jealousy (sort of) he reveals the fruits of his latest collaboration with them. "I've created a BlackBerry Torch cover that has an ear on the back of it, so when the phone is to your ear, you've got an ear on show!! We've made a hole in the ear for an earring, and we have made small versions of the House of Holland earrings for SS11 which are a Swarovski stud leading to a chain hung with a giant fluffy hoop. Next year we are hoping to create a rubber ear that is 3D." He has also collaborated for the first time with Charlotte Olympia, and the shoes look divine. To see his novelty ear thing for BlackBerry go to his sponsored blog, or rather look at this hilar photo of Sienna Miller from the blog....  

...and this one - with a better view of the ear/earring - modelled by accessories designer Katie Hillier

Now on with the show, which takes place tomorrow at 4.15pm.