London Fashion Week Day 5
21-09-2007
Those on the look out for famous front row faces over the past few days may well be, and we are being honest here, a little disappointed. Julien Macdonald may have attracted the likes of Joan Collins, Shirley Bassey and half of the pop tart group Girls Aloud but elsewhere the celeb count was rather subdued. Granted there was the odd appearance from Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Amanda Holden and Michelle Collins and while there is nothing wrong with any of these ladies they are not quite on a par with Demi Moore, Mischa Barton and Hilary Swank as seen over the pond.
That is until the Matthew Williamson show hit the schedule and kicked off with a live rendition of ‘U Got the Look’ by Mr Purple Rain himself. The collection swiftly followed but it was Princes’ performance that kept those excited fashion pack tongues wagging.
As for industry front row faces, well those fared rather well thanks to the huge pull of the Golden Age of Couture soiree and Luella, McCartney and Williamson doing the rounds. As widely reported Anna Wintour stopped by, along with checking out a few shows she dropped in at TopShop HQ for a meeting with Mr Phillip Green. Oh to be a fly on the wall in that one! The usual suspects were also in tow; Suzy Menkes, Alexandra Shulman, Hilary Alexander, Caryn Franklin et al.
Betty Jackson was unusually first up on Day 5, I say unusually as she has always shown during a lunchtime slot for as long as I can remember. Like Nicole Farhi the previous day Jackson gives a nod to current trends while maintaining her trademark style. It’s a combination that has worked extremely well for her over the years. Her wearable clean-lines arrived in a neutral colour palette and rounded-off with black.
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Elsewhere, Fashion East showcased Henry Holland, Dr Noki and Louise Gray, although not in that order. The first two provided rock inspired tees and layers of street elements, not forgetting to mention in-your-face styling, which over shadowed the Louise Gray collection somewhat. This was a shame for Gray as her double layered shift dresses and colourful appliqués did bring something new to the table.
The much raved about Giles show closed the day on the official schedule but the Fashion Capital crew were up for something new and decided to go ‘off’ and check out the Daydream Nation show at the ICA. Instead of the usual array of expressionless models marching up and down the catwalk Daydream Nation put on a live performance that was a combination of mime, dance, clever choreography and live music. While you may think that such an ambitious show could well take away from the clothes the performance was creatively arranged so that the models interacted with the garments. Most of the pieces, after-all, were multi-functional and could be worn in a number of ways. Wearable and yet quirky designs shown in a charming and amusing presentation – it was a great way to end the day.
JI
