Brighton Fashion Week 2013: Showreel

 Tracey Cochrane The Reincarnation. Mlle Yoko Kaleidoscope Dolls. Sarina Poppy Diamonds and Champagne. Curve Coutre Countryphile. Christina Pistofidou Pagliacci. Jylle Navarro Alien Invasion. Uta Bekaia & Ideal Glass New York The Purple Jester. Max Robinson Looks Dangerous You Go First (not in photos). Louise O'Mahony Nova. Katarzyna Konieczka La Beauté Terrifiante

The last of the Brighton Fashion Week photos I promise! These are from the last and final of the main shows in St Bartholomew's Church- Showreel- which was hand down my favourite show of them all. Showreel was a showcase for costume designers across the world. The slow start to the show was welcomingly broken with an upbeat show of Sarina Poppy's 1920's inspired Diamonds and Champagne collection. It then moved onto one of my favourite collections- the custom made lingerie line from Curve Couture. Very luxury, very glamorous but I don't think corsets for men will be catching on.

The most entertaining of the night was the acid trip that was the knitwear of Jylle Navarro, complete with neon knitted onesies and some bizarre dance moves. However, the highlight of the night was the performance of Uta Bekaia with costumes that look like they could have come straight out of a Doctor Who episode. Each piece was given a story behind it and narrated by a purple jester. It had the whole audience entranced as each intricately created piece worked its way down the catwalk. I had the pleasure of meeting Louise O'Mahony before the Showreel show and she is absolutely lovely. Her pieces were inspired my supernova and were very sparkly and girly. My friend and I agreed that she should get hold of Nicki Minaj as that was the first thing that came to mind .

Last but least was the dark and macabre works of Katarzyna Konieczka which was both beautiful and terrifying as the name would suggest. At times, disturbing with the use of clingy skin like fabric contrasted with surgical neck braces but also highlighting some intricate and delicate metal work and oriental inspired headpieces.

The Showreel event was highly enjoyable and entertaining, bringing some theatrical life to the occasionally dull catwalk. While many of the pieces are not necessarily wearable, Showreel was all about appreciating the time and skill that going into these works of art. And that they are indeed.

This concludes my post on Brighton Fashion Week

I hope you guys liked and normally blogging will resume shortly!

xx

Brighton Fashion Week 2013: Sustain

Rebecca Jane Taylor Gore Tex Up-Cylce. Samantha-Jane Agbontaen Fabryan A/W13. Emma Burniston Smartfolk. Anna Bykova Esoterica. Brandy Nicole Easter The Unforgiver. George May Country Life. Daisy H-B Dumpster Designs. Anja Crab Past: Present. Liora Lassalle A/W13. Jack Kindred- Boothby 2013. Henrietta Ludgate Supernova.

Friday night was the second show of Brighton Fashion Week, named Sustain. Brighton boasts being the first city in the UK with a Green City in Parliament so it was really no surprise that it was chosen as the perfect place to highlight and showcase the use of eco friendly and sustainable fashion. It showed that while you could certainly create some more 'out there' pieces such as Rebecca Jane Taylor's Gore Tex Upcycle collection or the Dumpster Designs made out of recycled materials, it also showed that eco fashion was more versatile than that and could easily be a commercial option, as shown by the understated designs of the headliner Henriette Ludgate. Taking perhaps a more modern and wearable twist on a Star Trek uniform, the collection highlighted how simple and easy eco fashion could be, and given that reason, should there be any reason why more deisgners don't follow suite? Designers such as Emma Burniston and Brandy Nicole Easter presented us a playful of recylced and patchworked creations with a focus on a mixture of texture and patterns, contrasting with the more minimal designs of Anja Crabb and George May.

During the second show, I had managed to nab myself a better seat with a more suitable angle for lighting and had mastered what settings to use on my SLR. Despite all this, the second show felt a little lacklustre compared the extravagant finale of the Zeitgeist show and I left not feeling particularly overwhelmed with any of the collections. While it's easy to appreciate the ethical issues behind the Sustain show, an explanation of resources, for example, wouldn't have gone amiss. Given that the show finished early ahead of scheduled time, there was certainly enough time to give the audience just that little bit extra.

The final show- Showreel to come soon!

Hope you guys liked

xx

Brighton Fashion Week 2013: Zeitgeist

St Bartholomew Church. Inside the church. Aimee Matthew-John Trousers. Belles Bejeweled This Is Exile. Magnea Einardóttir Still Attracted To Opposites. Major London 05 A/W13 Misunderstood. Tata Christiane Comet Club Collector

Brian Chan- The Fusion of Fine Art and Fashion. Katie Jones- Slab City S/S14

Frances O'Leary Time and Lines S/S14. Jovana Markovic A/W13

Jess Eaton- Parachutes and Birds. Roadkill Couture

Last night saw the arrival of the first show for Brighton Fashion Week, held in the stunning St Bartolomews Church in Brighton. The name of the show- Zeitgeist- and with a focus on time, it acknowledged ' inspiration from the past and pushing it into the future, all the while remaining rooted in the present'. The venue itself was amazing, with some of the highest ceilings I've seen in a church and with decor that fittingly seems to have succumbed to effects of time also. Zeitgeist showcased 12 currents designers including Dioralop, Hyungtae Kim and Faye Baldwin in addition to those mentioned above with the photos.

My favourite collections were the ones I expected that I would like- Aimée Matthew- John showed a collection of of on point tailoring with clean cut trousers and backless suits with . Initially inspired by menswear, she took the classic suit silhouette and adapted to a more feminine figure, teasing with small glimpses of flesh.

Belles Bejeweled was colourful yet simple in order to keep the focus on the intricate geometric laser cut jewellery. Combined with the vibrant headscarves, it was almost Middle Eastern with a modern twist.

Onto my two favourites- Jovana Markovic showcased her Autumn/Winter 13 line and it was everything I hoped it would be with the use of black and oxblood leather contrasting with lighter and lacier fabrics. Of all of the collections, this is one which I could see being transferred into high street fashion, ideal for the upcoming autumn season. It's the perfect balance of gothic and girly which I could see many people falling for.

Along with Jovana, I also loved the work of Frances O'Leary with a collection named Time and Lines. Printed onto a silky almost sheer fabric, there was a mix of whispy linear patterns, reminiscent of tree tops, and softened tie dye/ batik print resembling space images. Again this was one of the collections that I could see being sold into the 'Great British Highstreet'. I nod my head to the use of silver glittery jelly shoes as footwear, a throwback to 90's childhood for myself.

A honourable mention has to be made to Katie Jones who featured neon crocheted sugar skull balaclavas and indeed a very bright collection over all and Brian Chan, who perhaps drew the most murmurs in the crowd with his bizarre yet colourful creations- it was aptly named the Fusion of Fashion and Art. They were kooky and certainly unusual but we wouldn't expect anything less.

Last but not least was the highlight of the Zeitgeist show- Jess Eaton and her Roadkill Couture collection. Despite an unexpected 20 minute wait, it was worth it to see how she used recycled parachute fabric and the feathers of dead birds  and antlers to create some truly outstanding creations. They ranged from perhaps more wearable looks with feathered details to the beautiful final pieces- one-a meringue of shredded fabric that looked ethereal coming down the catwalk and the second an almost religious, golden winged dress complete with feathered halo. Full props to Jess Eaton for creating what must have been a time consuming and skilled work of love. To the people who left during the wait, I'm sure they regret it.

The next show is Sustain with a focus of eco and ethical fashion

I hope you guys like
What has caught your eye?

xx

Brighton Fashion Week Press Event

If you've been following my on Twitter recently, you might have seen that I was thrilled to be accepted as press for Brighton Fashion Week. I'm coming home just in time for it next weekend but when Rosa, who manages the PR for BFW e-mailed me about a beauty press event, I jumped at the chance. So with the sun shining and the wind blowing everywhere, me and my friend Hannah from uni hopped onto a train down to Brighton.

The event was hosted in Hotel Pelirocco, a hotel which could not be more Brighton with a rock n roll theme decor and some very vibrant patterned wallpaper. Many people clocked eyes on the amazingly decorated cupcakes by Sada at the Flutterby Bakery, a Brighton based cake company that also specialises in wedding cakes. The one I picked up was a coconut rum creation and yes, there was rum in the cake and the flower on top was made out of dried pineapple! Very yummy, I can tell you. There was also a stall by Cat A Cake Creations featuring some very cute hand designed laser cut jewellery. My friend Hannah treated herself to a complimentary manicure and I had my hair done by The Beauty Artist, who bravely tackled my curls into two victory rolls. I absolutely have to learn how to do this because I really liked how it looked and it's also a handy hairstyle if I don't want my hair in my face however I feel it'll need a fair bit of practice (I'm quite cack-handed.)

There was a quick eyelash extension demonstration but mainly the event was a chance to mingle. I got chatting to some lovely ladies behind various Brighton based magazines and even chatted to one of the designers but didn't bump into many bloggers- I'm hoping I'll see more of you at the shows next weekend- Tweet me if you are going!

I'm really looking forward to going to the Brighton Fashion Week shows!

Hope you guys are having a nice weekend!

xx