Royal College of Art MA Fashion Show 2005

 

Set in the slick white interior of the Royal College of Art – the annual MA Fashion Show opened with a 1^st year Miss Selfridge sponsored project entitled ‘Going Back to Our Roots.’ Think layering and juxtaposed textures teamed up with black and white stripes and you’ll start to get the picture.

 

The Miss Selfridge intro was followed by a special Costume Society Ruby Anniversary Project sponsored by Swarovski. This venture brought pairs of Fashion and Jewellery students together with an open design brief, the only criteria being the involvement of the colour red and the use of Swarovski crystals. The rather fabulous results ranged from the contemporary and wearable to full-on dramatic creations that featured feathers, tree branches and floor-sweeping gowns.

 

 

Entrée over, it was now time to sample the main course. Tove Christensen opened with a Twenties inspired collection in a muted colour palette. Cloche hats were worn atop softly gathered and draped dresses and simple cropped jackets. Womenswear, in general, had a subtle structured feel with attention to detail, finish and styling. Highlights included beautifully crafted dresses from Vrettos Vrettakos, enveloping forms from Philippa Lindenthal and layered ruffle knits by Antje Pugnat.

 

 

There was also a great deal of forward-thinking Menswear on display, something that was somewhat lacking at GFW Battersea this year. Inspirations ranged from Samurai costume to Victorian corsetry and kites. Rui Leonardes put the boys in high-heels that were integrated into tweed jumpsuits, a sight which brought much joy to many a long-suffering female high-heel addict. Elsewhere, Richard Taylor gave us a taste of super-slick Seventies Gucci and Marcus Wilmont toughened-up men in skirts with the inclusion of leather panels, eastern detailing and DM style boots.

 

 

Fancy taking a look at some of the 2005 RCA collections for yourself? A selection of garments by this year’s graduates is now on display – and available to buy from the Comme des Garcons store, Dover Street Market, in central London.

 

 

Students displaying their collections include:

 

Menswear:

 

Sarah Elwick (knitwear)

Carolyn Massey

Salome Wilson

Camilla Taylor

Richard Taylor

Aki Choklat (footwear)

 

 

Womenswear:

 

Philippa Lindenthal

Stuart McMillan

Koki Kang

Tove Christensen

Hannah Salfield

Illyahna Johnson

Yasmin Rizvi (millinery)

Stephanie Aman

 

 

Dover Street Market is the perfect place to present this year’s grads. A chaotic mix of creativity, display and retail – it is part store, part gallery plus a think tank to boot.

 

The pieces are available in store now until 21^st June 2005.

 

Dover Street Market, 17-18 Dover Street, London W1S 4LT.

 

 

You can also check the RCA’s Fashion grads at the college static exhibition – The Show: Two.

 

The Show: Two features work from some 232 graduating students from the Departments of Animation; Architecture; Communication Art & Design; Conservation; Design Products; Fashion; History of Design; Industrial Design Engineering; Interaction Design; Textiles and Vehicle Design.

 

When: 24th June – 3rd July (closed 1st July) 10.00am – 6.00pm daily – late night openings 24th & 30th June until 10.00pm

 

Where: Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, (next to the Royal Albert Hall) London SW7. Tel: 020 7590 4444 {mosimage}

 

 

 

 

Studio Images by Sabine Pigalle

 

Show Images by JoJo Iles

 

With Thanks to Alison Rigby – RCA

 

By JoJo Iles