ALL ABOUT JOSEPH ALTUZARRA & HIS TOP FIVE FALL/AUTUMN PIECES

Posted by Melanie Fashion Editor at Large

I had the pleasure of meeting up with the NewYork based designer Joseph Altuzarra this afternoon at Browns where he was doing a trunk show and meeting customers and members of the press. 

                             

Me and Mr A

Still only 28 years old,  Joseph is currently on the kind of awesome - and it has to be said pretty mental - upward trajectory which only happens to one designer every few years. Joseph (never Joe) is the current recipient of the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund and won $300,000 last year to grow his four year old business. He is also, much to his chagrin, a bit of a fashion IT boy. Well, you've gotta love a designer who poses draped over a chair in one of his own snakeskin dresses, right?  

Hawt! Joseph Altuzarra shot for W Magazine

Don't let his chair work or penchant for wearing dresses give you the idea that he is a good time boy; Mr Altuzarra is certainly no intellectual lightweight and he is a worker, obsessed with his craft and constantly pushing personal boundaries with his work.  When I ask if he is happy being in the public eye, he admits "I don't want to be 'the hot designer' because that means one day the limelight will move onto someone else. I want a slow and steady progression. Look," he says leaning closer, "doing press is part of the job, but to be honest my favourite place to be is at home with my boyfriend [Seth a property dude)]and my [Schnauzer] dog Bean, watching TV.  Joseph used his prize money extremely wisely. Both his parents are investment bankers, so he knew exactly what to do, which was to move to larger offices and hire a production manager. Smart. 

That he spent the first 18 years of his life in Paris with his Chinese American mother and French father proved the starting point for today's conversation, which swiftly took us from French parochialism onto the inspiration behind his accomplished and trend-setting Autumn/Winter 2012 collection, one of my personal highlights of New York Fashion Week. 

Joseph Altuzarra Autumn Fall/Winter 2012 

One of the best everyday fashion looks for the forthcoming Autumn, hands down.

JOSEPH ON HIS FALL/WINTER 2012 COLLECTION + FRENCH PAROCHIALISM

"The starting point for me was looking at the way France is evolving as a nation. I think there are a lot of problems relating to national identity emerging as a result of the elections. French style, for example, is heavily influenced by North Africa and Asia, but actual French society is obstinately French. I guess they are focusing too much on immigration, instead of looking at integration. In the UK and USA I see 

integration. This whole idea of integration fascinated me, which reminded me of a cartoon character from my childhood called Corto Maltese. He is an iconic figure in French culture, a quintessentially French sailor who travels the world to brings back new ideas." 

As you can see Corto Maltese also likes a pea-coat, which happens to be one of the key motifs of Altuzarra's new collection. 

Corto Maltese 

ALTUZARRA ON HIS DESIGN PROCESS 

"When I am designing I try to take the best of the European and American sensibilities. There are great ideas on both sides of the pond. The design process for me involves pushing ideas through to their ultimate conclusion. Pushing the fashion hard, you know?  I guess, though, ultimately I always start with the idea of desirability. The idea of 'If I were a woman what would I want to wear right now?'   

JOSEPH ALTUZARRA'S "IF I WERE A WOMAN" PERSONAL TOP FIVE FROM HIS FALL/WINTER 2012 

"A pea coat, buttoned up and looking strict"

"Cargo pants tucked into a knee boot."

"I loved the white sweater with the fringing and coins"

"The Indian tiered dress. This a good example of taking it to the max. We pushed it with the cut and controlled drape of this dress, then just kept pushing it further and further. We pushed shape, fabric, embroidery and print. We got there. That's where the opulence in my collection came from. I've pushed things before like our cone breast cups, and these did not work at retail, but have been popular with the press. So in the end it became a strong brand statement. You've got to push, even if you end up at a dead end. " 

"My cheongsam inspired dress with the white cravat and thigh split; I love the controlled elegance of it."

With that, the IT designer whose greatest fear is being an IT designer, leaps up to meet two customers who have booked in to see him. Tonight he is off out for dinner with his good friend and London based designer Erdem.

WHAT TO BUY FROM JOSEPH ALTUZARRA NOW: all from Browns 

 Jersey panelled skater Dress £895

Chunky cotton knit lime Jumper £540

Techno Nylon jacket £1515 

All from BrownsFashion.com

With thanks to Zoe and Sarah at Zoe Communications & Browns  

RICHARD NICOLL'S VERY MODERN TIMES

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Ask a fashion editor at the end of a busy day of attending catwalk shows what he or she enjoyed today, and you will be met with something a bit like this. "I...er...em.. Oh God, wasn't it Balenciaga this morning? Or was that yesterday? Er, sorry today is just a blur." It happens to everyone, but occasionally great or surprising fashion experiences stand out from a day of shows. Louis Vuitton's awesome steam train with the Marc Jacobs clad models and luggage laden uniformed porters trotting alongside them will stay in my mind for a long time. In London, Richard Nicoll's presentation for AW12 stood out for being totally unexpected and clever.

Nicoll, a feted member of London Fashion Week's young establishment normally presents a conceptual fashion show experience in a modern architectural space. For his Autumn/Winter presentation Richard threw out the so-called fashion show rule-book and set up a space he called "The Factory"at the Institute of Contemporary Art on Pall Mall, to show his collection monikered "Modern Times," in a tongue in cheek reference to the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film.  Before you carry on, why not open another window and click this link so you can listen to the music that was playing on the day, created by Daniel Lea at Golden Hum.

Nicoll created a fashion factory, where make-up artists, dressers, photographers, technicians
 and himself were workers producing the models

To help you decipher what is going on here, observe the rectangular runway. Models walked
 it before stopping to have their photo taken for Richard's lookbook by Jermaine Francis. 
Within the runway is the hair and make-up area and two Mac terminals to record all the
 pictures. Around the runway hangs all 24 outfits from Richard's collection, and behind 
the plywood backboard models changed before walking out again.  

A model, with earphones in, stops on the conveyor belt catwalk to have her picture taken.

Unlike at a fashion show, when generally the designer is backstage stressing out, Richard was 
out front, relaxed and chatting away. First he told me what the idea was conceptually inspired
 by,"I thought about modern work habits and looked to constructivism, Jacques Tati’s 1967 
film ‘Play Time’ and industrial factory wear for form and colour references,” he explained. 
Hence the workman orange, cobalt blue, and neon yellow coloured clothes. 


To frame the why of this happening Richard was honest, "I didn't want to do a show. 
For me, personally I have a block when it comes to the show. I think of the concept, then
 the clothes. I'm just a kid from Perth, it doesn't fit my personality to do conceptual shows.
 I want the clothes to come first. I wanted to create authentic, simple and sensible clothes 
women can wear in their daily life."

Looks from Richard Nicoll's Modern Times collection (shot by Jermaine Francis) 

"Really what this is all about is, I suppose, me making peace with my commercial side," said

 Richard. "I feel creatively fulfilled. What I am all about now is serving my customer." Then

 he gave me a quick whoosh around his Factory space, stopping at the Mac terminals for a

 gaze at the lookbook shoot...

The photography studio area which was located inside the catwalk loop

Acid colours in Nicoll's AW12 collection 

All the looks from Richard Nicoll AW12

Cards setting out the look for each model.

Nicoll collaborated with Tusting on bags.

...before coming to a standstill in front of these two bags. The one below is the bag that based a wave of hysterical fashion Tweeting because it recharges mobile phones, something I wish my handbag could do, especially during the shows.  Richard created the bag with his sponsors Vodafone, whom he has partnered with for the second time for AW12 "we wanted to create a collaborative product that fused technology and fashion," he said. "So we came up with the idea of doing a charging bag that charges your mobile device on the go, which is especially relevant because this collection is about the notion of work and all its facets in modern times."

To use the bag it must be charged from the mains power using a cable that magnetically attaches to the outside of the bag. Once the bag battery is full, it will charge handsets for at least two days.

If you are thinking Where Can I Get One?? Join the club. To find out I called Richard who is out in L.A with the British Fashion Council presenting at the London Showrooms and he told me the bag is coming in white, orange, blue and black leather and Net-A-Porter have the exclusive on it. Will update further when I get retail price and in-stock date.

Nicoll, Tusting and Vodafone created the bag (above, and below) which charges your phone for you.

LONDON FASHION WEEK: BETWEEN THE SEAMS WITH MERCEDES-BENZ

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Mercedes-Benz is one of the official sponsors of London Fashion week, and as such convey many of the major editors, buyers models and celebrities around the city from show to show in fabulous cars. In that capacity they make fashion week do-able, and we love them for it. Mercedes-Benz also have a fashion website created especially to share the stories of all the people they work with in London, me amongst them, over the five days of the shows. In my case, I literally share my stories from this blog, so most of the London Fashion Week previews published here are over on voicesoffashion.co.uk too.  My  favourite aspect of the experience over on Voices of Fashion are the slick videos; one for each day of the shows. We get to find out a day in the life of a fashion buyer, thanks to the amazing Ruth Chapman, owner of Matches - sheesh - and I thought we journalists had it hard. Not to mention the HILARIOUS films by my friend Brix Smith Start with her little black leggy pug, Gladys. I have been laughing out loud at the video of Brix taking the dogs for their fashion week outfits at Mulberry.

The first film is funny and cute. The second one is super-informative. I'm in the second one for about five seconds btw, though I'm not sure I made much sense, though. I'll leave you with these, and get back to creating our summaries of fashion week, the models of the week is done (see below), to the most popular music played and of course what is trending..

Gladys In The Hood

Day Four of Fashion Week, including Tony Berardi, Christopher Kane, Matches, me, Brix and Tim Blanks

TRENDING: BLOW-UP AT LONDON FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2012

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large


One of the most interesting trends to emerge so far is the one for designers giving a high fashion spin to the humble Puffa or padded jacket. So far I am torn between choosing from these four.

J. W Anderson AW12 

Christopher Kane AW12

Peter Pilotto AW12 

Mulberry AW12

LONDON FASHION WEEK AW12 FW12 NEWGEN PREVIEW: SAY HELLO TO THOMAS TAIT

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

He had his catwalk presentation yesterday, which ShowStudio.co, described as "What Hermes should be doing." Unfortunately for me, I was turned away at the door. I dashed from Vivienne Westwood, but scheduling and traffic meant the timings didn't work. Lucky for me, I had time with Thomas last week. He has produced two critically acclaimed London Fashion Week shows already, and has ten global stockists. Yet you are probably wondering: who is he? Well, let me introduce you. He is a a 24 year old softly spoken Canadian boy who graduated from Central Saint Martin's MA course in 2010 - yup the one that has been run by Louise Wilson for 20 years, the very same one that produced McQueen, Kane, Koma et al. His aesthetic is a little but American sportwear; a little but tricksy Japanese cut, and he only makes in Britain.

Thomas Tait at his studio in Hackney 

Thomas Tait isn't like most of the MA graduates who have graduated onto the NEWGEN scheme though; rather than each collection being about about the big concept, complete with a mood board populated with images from far flung places and exotic women, his inspiration is "in my head," he says tapping it.

We are at his studios on Mare Street, in the Centre for Fashion Enterprise, (CFE) that supports young designers just starting out. Thomas has two large strip-lit rooms on the second floor.
I'm a fan of his work. It is minimalist, chic, sleek, functional and clever.  Looking at one of coats with their slightly curved-arms, and asymetric hemlines you just know it will be good, and fabulous to wear, for five years minimum. Thomas is all about cut, texture, silhouette.

My favourite jacket

Thomas points out his Japanese "plonge"

His approach is rigorous and woman friendly. Oh, and you want to see him get excited about the cut of one of his jackets, and the way the supple glove leather he has gotten corrugated by a Japanese company - ok he calls it "Japanese Plonge" -  becomes the ribbing at collar, cuff and waistline. He is like a kid being given a candyfloss when the sample becomes ready.

The jacket on yesterday's runway show, and his yellow "Buffy" trousers

"I'm about how a woman will interact with a garment. I spend a very long time developing the cut and construction of my tailoring." Indeed he developed a slim-fit trouser for his first collection,  now a permanent feature of his range, which dear readers, has a gusset! Like in a pair of tights! Hold that "eeeewww" forming in your mind because it is actually genius.
Let Thomas explain.

"I want to create a slim silhouette. When you talk to women, its super interesting. I'm fascinated by their neuroses, and how they see their bodies.What do they hate? What are they uncomfortable about? Where do they hate 'bulk'?.  It turned out to be in that area. So I put work into the cut there." And sure enough, it works. You can't see the, ahem, gusset. Or as Thomas says, "it creates a visual, but it is not present."

This gives you a clue to the Tait approach to cut. His collections so far have explored modern outerwear (last winter) and for spring 2012 he is looking at modern sportswear shapes in muted pastel tones; notably a modern riff on the T-shirt shown on the runway three weeks before Celine's almost identical one. "An American buyer called me back after Celine to tell me "you're in good company kid,"

For his Fall/Autumn/Winter collection, he has taken something of a Varsity route; a vaguely collegiate style. Cue riffs on baseball jackets and denim jackets, skater boy hats, skinny leather and silk velvet pants in off colours. even some denim, "we've created it with contrast wax thread top stitch, the jeans are high waisted and flare out slightly. We've embossed the back pockets, which makes me laugh a bit. We called the leather jeans "Buffy" The silk velvet trousers are upholstery weight." With Thomas its all there in the detail.

The 70s inspired two-tone suede jacket

The HUF hats on the drawing board

His looks are inspired by sportswear, classic tailoring which he gives his own unique twist. The shades of yellow and brown he has chosen are a bit Seventies western; he has developed hats with skatewear brand HUF. "Lots of my mates wear HUF. I have an affinity with the sense of brotherhood in the skate community."

"I am afraid of mood boards, I can never fulfil on a board what is in my head. My ideas are not static, they are flashes of light, film clips." I suggest perhaps a moving moodboard - and he laughs. That will be my show."

LONDON FASHION WEEK AW12: SIMONE ROCHA - A STAR IS BORN?

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Forgive me for that question mark. I am not one to take leave of my senses and start pronouncing a young designer a star on her first official outing as part of the NEWGEN programme at London Fashion Week. However judging by the concise, creative and inspiring outing from the Irish designer Simone Rocha this morning, I couldn't resist the question itself.

As as group of us bustled backstage to congratulate Simone following her show this morning, I overheard buyers from influential London store Dover Street Market saying: "That was good". "No, that wasn't just good, that was magic." I am inclined to agree. It is not easy to follow in the footsteps of a famous father, but St Martins MA graduate Simone Rocha has done just that.  In case you haven't made the connection yet, her Dad is John Rocha.

Simone Rocha's AW12 collection, shown today. (Photos: catwalking.com) 

From sweet collars, child-like shift dresses, and knitted tiaras to chunky brogues with thick wooden soles sandwiching glinting strips of neon, and oversized coats, this collection was a sweet boy/girl clash.

"It was inspired by Ireland," Simone told me post show, between being congratulated and all round mobbed by well wishers. "It started after I found images of a feral tribe from Papua New Guinea called 'New Ireland'  - thats where the densely tufted wools, wild mohair and animal print grey fabrics came from. I was also looking at 1930s photographs of Dublin's street children. The girls in tiny shrunken dresses and the boys in oversized pieces."

I love that she referenced Irish horse racing by getting the model's fringes swept to one side, and plaited through at the back. Apparently when done to a horse, this is called a "Connemara Forelock".

Above are my favourite looks. Personal order for the silver jacket, oversized coat and cream shift dress coming up!

You'll be seeing a lot more of this 25 year old in the seasons to come.

LONDON FASHION WEEK AW12 FW12: FASHION GEEK TIMES WITH J.W ANDERSON

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

Upon arriving in deepest Dalston (all young designers live in this district of east London) I ring the bell of a large factory building and after a few minutes a fit looking intern arrives slightly out of breath to the door. When I am lead up two sets of stairs, then downstairs, around a corner and down yet more stairs I see what took her so long. If any daring fashion thieves decided to plan a heist in this building in order to steal what may be be the most anticipated NEWGEN designer collection of the season, they wouldn't get far with it.

This shot of model Kirsten Owen is the hair and make-up inspiration for today's show

In the lair of J.W Anderson, London's most talked about young designer at present, things are quiet and appear very organised. It is a week before the show, which takes place today within the now empty former legendary St Martins School of Art building on Charing Cross Road building "I didn't go there, so this is my way of being where creativity used to be," says Jonathan, as he is better known. It seems amazing that the Irish literature graduate who started out doing jewellery, followed by menswear before being persuaded into doing clothes for girls, has come so far so soon, but he is nothing if not ambitous.

All the precious samples..

I can see his new collection (above) glistening and mutedly colourful on a rail in the corner. Stiff flared plaid skirts that appear to be Tweed, but turn out to be felted neoprene jostle with some slightly disturbing mid brown vinyl trousers and a matching V neck top and also fantastically hued bobbly fisherman-style knitwear. On the wall I spot a photograph of the Nineties most quirky supermodel, Kirsten Owen, with a very choppy asymmetric blonde bob. So far, so fashion.

The new FW/AW12 collection

Then Jonathan plops himself down. He is buoyed by his current success, (sales quadrupled after the last show, American Vogue have featured him in six recent issues) yet is allowing the pressure to produce another hit collection propel him further down the path of creativity. "I am pushing my ideas as far as they can go. People didn't expect it last season [he means they didn't expect a show so chock full of new ideas] and I got attention. So I'm taking that to another level with this collection. Its difficult top crop up as new in London and stay new; it takes a lot of stamina.

"I think we have overdosed on print, so I am using texture and shape to create a new form of decoration. Print from texture, I guess. I'm using pinstripe, quilting, the felted neoprenes and thick knits, and am working with car fabric manufacturers to develop padded fabrics. I am shuffling my vocabulary to make something the same but different; I guess my main message is the idea of monolithic shapes; you only need two pieces to make a look. An old shape meeting a new shape."

He gestures to one wall, which has the looks for today's show drawn up; sure enough it all about two-piece looks. Jumper/skirt; trouser/top. Colours are in single blocks of burgundy and beige, cream and red with plaids and padded fabrics thrown in. The knits will become fashion hits in five seconds flat. I don't fancy squeaking around town wearing JW vinyl, but I know a few girls who will.

The imagery created by stylist Joe McKenna and photographer David Sims dominates the J.W Anderson moodboard 

We look at the other wall (above) - oh how I love wall-gazing with designers! - and begin to ooh and ahh over his main visual inspiration the work of the stylist Joe McKenna and photographer David Sims. "Its the idea of conflicts,"he says, but as a fan-girl of their work myself, all I see is the beautifully off kilter intelligence of the imagery. It suits Jonathan. 

The spring summer collection of J.W Anderson is available at www.brownsfashion.com among others. 

For further information http://j-w-anderson.co.uk/

The AW12 J.W Anderson collection is taking place today at 1pm, at the former site of St Martins School of Art in London 

LONDON FASHION WEEK AW12 FW12 PREVIEW: DOMINIC JONES

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

When Dominic Jones started out in 2009, he was a 23 year old with an inspiring talent and a brilliant idea that no one had thought of before. He wanted to create fine jewellery his generation could afford.  To that end he plated brass renditions of his sculptural work with gold and created punky-chic  fashion jewellery that was more affordable than its shiny golden exterior suggested.

Dominic Jones at his Dalston studio with a painting by flatmate Tom Campbell in the background and his collection of jaws and skulls on the racks beside him

Fast forward to today and Dom, now on his sixth collection, is an older, wiser person and also a wildly successful young designer who has built an excellent business with global stockists - net-a-porter.com is his biggest retail customer - and a dedicated fan base of cool women and men of all ages. "I've cracked Europe, Japan, Italy and my next step is the States," he says. He has new projects too; a diffusion line "DJ" is due to launch next month, and in September he will debut a collaborative collection with Lady Amanda Harlech. Wow.

Polishing up the samples

I'm over at his Dalston studio which he shares with the two Toms: Tom Campbell, a painter who is in the only light-filled area of this basement apartment, and Tom Beard, a photographer and film maker who regularly works with Florence + the Machine. So how did he get from there to here? "Its funny, I have learnt my market now and it is not the customer I originally thought it would be," he says. "The woman I'm selling to is more like you - (he means a thirty-something career woman) - than Alice (he means Alice Dellal, the young punky model who gave him the seed money to get his business started)."

So, now onto the new collection for Fall/Winter or Autumn/Winter, which goes on show at lunchtime today alongside a short film by Rafael Diallo starring Jessica Brown Finlay (Lady Sybil, from Downton, no less). This is significant,  because also this morning a new jewellery initiative launches at London Fashion Week named Rock Vault, and Mr Jones is not taking part. Why? Dominic has made the decision to be a fashion jeweller; he wants to create two collections a year alongside the clothing collections, and show them at the London Fashion Week shows. "I was the first jeweller on the London Fashion Week schedule, and I'm proud of that."

Dominic Jones AW/FW12 moodboard

So what's the story for the Autumn/Fall range? Dominic works with his hands and his heart. He is not one to spout words to deliver meaning or inspiration. A glance up on the walls of his studio tells one story. I see ancient images of Indian jewellery; Islamic Art, gnarled golden horns, spiralled antlers and Moorish architecture. Then I spot some new ink on the designers forearm.  Its a narwhal, one of those incredible whales with a spear  (well, actually a corkscrew shaped long tooth) for a nose. "My favourite film when I was a kid was "When The Whales Came", he says by way of explanation. Sure enough one of the spiral horn rings (worn between the fingers) closely resembles the narwhal tooth.

Dom's latest tattoo, the narwhal inspired by his favourite childhood film "When the Whales Came"

"I'm loathe to mention specific references because in the end the work is more organic," he says. "I free form each piece by sculpting it in wax, I make it up as a go along." The tiny wax sculptures he shows me are beautiful; little works of art that instantly tell you they are by Dominic Jones.

A section of the Fall/Autumn Winter 2012 range by Dominic Jones

From these miniatures develops the collection, which for the Fall/Winter 2012 season includes crenellated miniature dome rings and matching earrings; Moorish graphics transposed into pendants, grooved horn rings and simpler corkscrew spiral bands. Making a return, albeit in spikier form, are his mini daggers that serve as pendants and dangle from fine chained necklaces. Just looking at it is enough to make me want several pieces, and I'm sure I am not alone in this.

Dominic Jones is available at www.net-a-porter.com
Dominic Jones shows his collection and film today at The Library, Two Temple Place, London WC2.


ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, COPYRIGHT: FASHION EDITOR AT LARGE