marios schwab s/s11

this is a few days old.
/care.

imgs from style.com

i worried a little, at first. i'm a schwab fan, after all, and some looks came out looking decidedly... well, like vintage lingerie pieces i could pick up on ebay for a fiver.

but then some cut outs stepped out.

and we saw some leather dresses with lace trim and contrast panels.

and some witch-y, pentogram-y vibes, and some tattoo-esque print details, and some harnesses...

i don't think it was until the mid-blue dress with the black lace cut outs and the little belt walked out that i said "yes".

the good outweighs the questionable, and this is a great collection. it's the pieces such as said blue dress, the black number next to it, and the black gown at the end, which all straddle the lingerie/dress line really finely that work best (although the hard leather pieces with the subtle lace trims work so well, too).

really stepping away from the rest of the trends that are wafting about (although i guess the cutouts can be popped into the sheer category) but really working for me..

not the "kristen stewart in the runaways" hair, though. am i alone in thinking no one wants to look like k-stew? girl needs to cheer up.

ell dee en - fashion week roundup

This is, of course, a photomagraph heavy post.
again, again, all pics from style.com

Aquascutum

I dunno; sheer maxi goodness, yeah?

Holly Fulton

A lot of her prints were a bit too busy; a bit overwhelming for my tastes, but this maxi (HELLO, AGAIN!) was spot on. I reckon the line placement (vertical, with curves at the right places) could be really flattering too. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to try this on...

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Soz, perfect jacket alert.

Louise Goldin

I've always been like "yeahhhhhh she's 'orite, I spose" bout wor Louise, but actually, the armour-ish topstitching/seam details and the shapes here are really rather awesome, and I'm quite a fan of the styling.

Mary Katrantzou

Again, Mary's prints can often be overwhelming for not-really-print-loving moi, but I stopped and gawped at the first pic here - absolutely LOVE it, can can imagine myself wearing it. God knows what's changed... - and I can't help but love the colours in the second look.

Peter Pilotto

You notice I feature two of the...blandest(?) looks here. Subjective, of course. The least printed looks, certainly, but the tuck and drape detail, the flashes of metallic leather, and the subtle addition of print sections here made me happy. I can't decide if the legs are stripped leggings (love.) or some sort of thigh high sandal (LOVELOVE.) but either is good. Carry on.

Burberry

I. NEED. THESE. BOOTS. IN. MY. LIFE.

That is all.

Ok, for realz though. The lace shirt is a) a stunning colour and b) so designed that it could be worn sans bra. Not by me, of course. Those pockets won't cover enough; lord no. And that coat (the last look sent down the runway) is TO DIE, FEWBGOVWEFHOCEWOBGW.

Topshop Unique

Topshop, darhlin', lemme address something: no one looks good with 3 inch long monobrows. I don't care how many other bloggers are absolutely buzzing off them; the styling of your show TOTALLY distracted me from most of the clothes. Yer models shouldn't look feral, yeah? Get it sorted.

That said, I would like to make the following points.

- 'Scuse me, look 1, is that a bumbag?

?!?!?!

Cos I'm kinda loving it. It's like a mini satchel but SLUNG AROUND THE HIPS. How everyone is writing about the eyebrows and not this awesomeness is beyond me. Ohnowaitit'scosthstylingistotesdistracting,GAH.

- Hey, look 2, thigh high socks over shorts/trousers? Is this so? Cos that's kinda interesting, and mebs something I'll try out (but probs never leave the house in)

- Hi, coat in look 3, please get in my wardrobe. Kthanx.

- If those shoes are fleece-y clogs, I do not wish to know. If they are fleece-y boots, they can trudge on over here with that coat, posthaste.

Mark Fast

Mmkay, yeah, there's all this furore, and that I stick by, completely. And yes ALL the clothes could do with a size-up, AND the styling is heinous - srsly, they all look like I did on Tuesday morning they've had a heavy night and could do with a bath and a good sleep, BUT there are some interesting pieces here, and it's nice to see a little departure from the skin tight. Namely the accoutrements - the drape-ish vest top in look 2, the shoulder thing in look 3. And I could very go for the top in look 5 - in the correct size, of course.

Marios Schwab

My favourite, bar one (yeah, any standouts are getting their own posts; heyyyy Todd Lynn).

I'm always a bit of a Schwab fan, though he's not my favourite, his is certainly one show that I look forward to. The unusual necklines interest me, as do the cutouts - very interesting placements, and as such, interesting take on the whole done-to-death cutout malark. Also note the awesome fleece-y coat + awesome neckline, the cropped and curvy hemmed jacket (needwantneed), the corseted drape (look 4), and the asym skirt (look 5). Yes.

Notable absences from the normally wonderful CKane (really not a fan of either your fabric choices nor embroidered florals (MAJOR ACHHHH), sorry dude.) and other folks I look forward to in the form of Jonathan Saunders, and of course, sad for there to be no Luella.

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Previous AW10 posts at:

new york roundup
loved: 3.1 philip lim

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S/S 10, Part Cinque

It's the big hitters, people!

Not just on the London circuit, but in general - Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Luella, etc....some of my favourite designers. Although; not feeling Luella this season! So no inclusion here.....

OK, so maybe not *the biggest* hitters; I'm thinking Balenciaga and Balmain are the shows most are now looking forwards to since they've been so influential in recent seasons....but anyways.

There are A LOT of looks to get through today, so I shall get cracking.

Christopher Kane

Looks 1, 2, 4 and 6 here are the ones which stand out to me as something quite special - I mean, gingham looking almost classy?? Beautiful. Plisse pleats and interesting splits combined with panelling, some of it sheer, make a wonderful combination and another stellar collection. Which is to be expected, of course; this is Christopher Kane we're talking about! Man, I wish I'd gone on placement there, even if just for this week. Hrmph.

Meadham Kirchhoff

I adore the play on proportions here - the crops in the 1st and 5th looks are epicly cute, as are the perfect layer lengths on the 1st look in general.

I really, REALLY am not a fan of the pink sparkly tees; but the boxy shape over the jumper and flowy skirt is a hot look. As are all the twisted and manipulated dresses, IMO. I love the super sheer polka dot dress too ♥

Pringle

J'adore the shoes, for starters. The higher, 4-strap ones, more so, but YUM.

Not usually a fan* of the handkerchief hem, but as Pringle went for a "back to our roots" feel with the knitwear, the way the skirts fell and the mix of textures really brought me round to the idea, and I'm currently covering the gorgeous pleated layers of the first look, or the gorgeous grey in look 7.

Yellow and grey is a stunning combination, too. I think I'm going to have to incorporate more of this super bright (but not quite neon...) yellow into my wardrobe, which already houses a multitude of greys...

Paul Smith

Let's ignore the irony that I was listening to Maximo Park** as I viewed this collection and look at the gorgeous mix of brights! Of course, this is what Paul Smith is known for but all the same, that mix of candy pink shades in look 1 just WORKS.

Again, not usually a massive proponent of PSmith, but look 5 sold me on this collection - I love how that skirt sits. And the mixed polka dot dress is SO cute.

Todd Lynn

Hot tailored suits with a futuristic edge accompanied my draped gauzy tops? Pretty much sums it up. I could post one picture and you'd get the idea, but each of these looks is so well done that they deserve an airing. J'-ACTUAL-dore.

FYI, Chris March on Project Runway totally used hair as an adornment a couple of years back. The world wasn't ready for it.....apparantly it is now. It was at Martin Margiela last season too, yeah? The ribbon (?) jacket in look 9 is stunning....

Also; the metal shoulders? FIERCE. And I rarely use that word. Anymore.

Marios Schwab

Well, yesterday I said I was excited to see this collection after the Topshop blog posts, and I can't say it disappointed, really....I mean, there were some clunkers, and the look in the backstage pics that stood out most to me didn't look as good on the catwalk, but the styling was a bit "when it was good, it was very very good", and some of the pieces are highly covetable on there own.

The skirt in look 1! The double layered blazer under the cropped blazer! (if this isn't the case; it should be. Extra thin, gauzy layered blazers would be a good look....*notes for future reference*)

The cropped sheer shirts! The cropped chainmail style tops! The pleated silk crop over the gauzy shirt! The gorgeous colour mix in look 10! Everything about looks 11 and 12!! Wheeeeee! (FYI, it was look 4 I had singled out in the backstage pics, but yeah, somehow it doesn't seem to work as well under the harsh lights of the catwalk. Bad craic.)

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*I've been saying this a lot lately. I guess you can tell the designers I like and the ones I didn't realise I liked, I guess....hmm.

** For those unaware, Maximo Park's lead singer is also called Paul Smith. And he is ALWAYS hanging around Newcastle City Centre. Love for this.