RUNWAY REPORT : LFDW 2013 - Samson Shoboye

 

RUNWAY REPORT : LFDW 2013 - Weiz Dhurm Franklyn "The Art"

Runway Report: Ghana Fashion and Design Week 2013 - HOUSE OF MARIE

#NYFW REPORT: Girly Chic Colours & Cuts at Kate Spade

TOP CHOICE - Alexander McQueen, PFW '13

Truly, TOM FORD is my Daddy

Matter of fact is, Tom Ford is officially my 'Daddy'. 

Yes, just the way it sounds, He is my Daddy - the man that provides my need even at this young fashion age of mine. I'm proud to be his daughter and I'm sure he is too.

Almost unlike him but very close home to him... It's known far and near that Tom Ford is all about surprises, that which makes you go : "uhhhh duhh, what's this?" After which you go: "wow, it's amazingly sexy though, in a cool way."

Tom Ford's collection at the London Fashion Week Fall Ready-to-Wear show is one that makes a man wonder how a woman can turn out looking so freaking sexy just in anything like that.  No debate, Tom Ford is the master of fierce sexiness; the mixture of sheer with print and floral in this collection is just so amazing. Fashion weeks can sometimes be boring especially when several designers repeat trends with no signature mark. 

Just Before Bed Comes BCBG MAX AZRIA - LFW Fall '13

This is a collection is full of pieces any cool lady can just throw on and just rush out of the house looking 'improper' but stylish. I mean the impression being passed is pretty simple, it goes; "well, I just kinda throw all this on and ran down here" get it? The idea is almost surreal...

Jason's Wonder

My boy never fails me, he's always on point! Five star for you mate..lol. Well, I call him - Jason Wu my  boy because hey, it's been a long time coming for both of us (laughs out loud) how many years has it been now since Fashion Fund where he left the judges (Anna Wintour, Mark Holgate, Diane von Furstenburg) stunned. Perhaps two or three years but oh dear this young talented designer has not relented an inch. He's super cute - yes cute! He creates amazing designs for every, *repeat* every woman that is chic, classy yet elegant. I love Jason Wu.

His success stories this year has not been minimal as well, Jason Wu has grown from styling top celebrities from all around the world, partnering with several fashion and non-fashion related brands to dressing the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS)... Scream!

Deducing EDUN

I do not exactly know how to qualify EDUN's collection at the New York Fashion Week. Just like the designer Sharon Wauchob said too. From punk, playful, boyish, to edgy and the likes, this collection doesn't quite click anything in my head. More like it's almost plain but in a beautiful way for that woman or man that likes to jumble up different pieces. Not particularly confusing but somehow unassuming - but still a lively collection.

"Luxury Sweet Candy" - ICONIC INVANITY MTN LFDW 2012 Collection

To fully appreciate the skills and effort involved in making a garment and an entire collection, you would have to see it up close and personal preferably before the fashion week starts or backstage minutes before the designers’ show, simply because it’s the visual impact that really matters. 

Few weeks, days before the LFDW started I visited few designers at their atelier and merging the experience gathered pre and during the show really gave me a totally different and definite understanding into the individual collections. Iconic Invanity’s “Luxury Sweet Candy” collection was one of few I previewed before the event proper. The interesting thing about such visits is that it helps sort out initial impressions, it then gives a clear view of the collection based on the designer’s aesthetics. For example, I discovered that the title of the collection couldn’t have been better to describe such an amazing collection of colourful and deliciously designed pieces. 

The sincere attention to details often revealed by the intricate beading style places Iconic Invanity on another platform from her peers. From tops, skirts, dresses and immaculate gowns, every piece from this collection have more structure and beauty than can be realized on the runway.

Photos: Lazailounge.com 

All Cut Up - Runway Review of Bridget Awosika's Collection At Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012

Few designers I anticipated at the show didn’t quite disappoint me, for example Bridget Awosika and Omer Asim couldn’t have anticipated what happened. It was one thing both shows followed each other accordingly it was another thing – not good of course – considering the two designers share the same design aesthetics which was clearly revealed in their collection. I think this was a big miss on the organizers side – or not. But for future reasons some shows should just not follow each other e.g. Bridget Awosika and Omer Asim same way Celine will not be before or after Stella McCartney. 

Aside from this misses, both designers’ collection were remarkable; while Bridget Awosika inculcated lots of clean, easy wraps, precise layering and slits that again confirmed the brand’s versatility and sexiness.

High Fashion, High Drama - LDA "Butterflies"Spring/Summer Collection At The MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012

On another level at the LFDW 2012 is the exquisite and nostalgically demure lace dresses at LDA which were elevated via cut, proportion and fabrication, as well as her keen and sincere eye for detail. According to the designer, the collection takes inspiration from Butterflies one that the brand for the last two seasons have come to adopt in its collections.

For this collection, LDA has specially designed Butterfly prints in various textures of silk fabrics. The choice of Butterflies for the designer basically symbolises many things from the hope of resurrection, to the reminder of the ephemerality of life which is also a main inspiration for the collection. Each piece in this “Butterflies” collection is best viewed as a symbol of beauty, femininity, and the ability to be ever changing. Lanre Da Silva has never come short of her standard any day and with this collection which remains one of my best styled during the Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012 – she surpassed any arguments of her being a frontier in the Nigerian fashion industry.

"Bicycle Thieves" - The Vlisco Jenz Collection by Kinabuti

Loosely Japanese shapes are an undercurrent to the season that recurred at the LFDW shows. Kinabuti’s ‘Bicycle Thieves’, a collection inspired by the simplicity of the countryside, rustic landscapes, rainbows, lushness of green vegetation, les beaux jours and nature in all its unbridled splendor featured lots of wrap-overs, high-crow necklines, waist-clinging shirts and fluid kimono pants that is the signature of the brand returns in darkly monochrome shades and influential Vlisco fabrics.

The collection is a melting pot of vibrant colours and choice fabrics, ranging from the deluxe Vlisco range, with a fuse of jerseys, soft linens, and a climax of denim. The pieces in this collection can easily fit into the wardrobe of the upwardly mobile, fashionable, yet suitable for easy going clients as it is a collection built around the versatility of personalities with a charming mix of softness and a blend of edginess. 

Photos: Lazailounge

Oriental Influences - Ituen Basi at Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2012

Ituen Basi returns to the scene with a big bang. At first glance at this collection my thoughts instantly travelled back to a particular scene in one of my favourite seasonal movies – Sex and the City (SATC) featuring my favourite fashion icon and actress, SJP – Sarah Jessica Parker where she wore the famous Dolce & Gabbana body fitting dress that made incredible impact on the media because of its fabric which was a cut out of top fashion stories on D & G from way back 80’s. While that isn’t exactly the case with Ituen Basi it was a bit similar as Ituen’s choice of fabrics related not just with her stories but other top fashion stories in Nigeria. The strict patterns and cuts on the dresses, skirts and pants created with silk fabrics and laces perfectly matched the tops thus elongating the figure and giving the appearance of precision posture.  The entire collection by Ituen Basi which seemed very practical, bourgeois and very relevant answered my question of how fashion influences art and vice versa. I discovered art definitely relates with the world in general – the accurate way to explore the world, philosophy, politics and even fashion simply through creativity.

LFDW2012 Runway Report - Beatrice Black Atari

Fabrics speak for BBA – she’s definitely all about the diffusion of fabrics that probably don’t appear to mix. While some quite look sweet, playful and wearable others aren’t practical enough for the everyday woman, if I may put it that way. It seemed a bit of trying too many fabrics and patterns with accessory. Didn't quite fit into my style of classy, perhaps low street.

Photos from Lazailounge