Drape me for the summer

During the last London Fashion Week there were a few shows Giulia and I attended and really enjoyed but never had the time to post about. Krystof Strozyna is one of them. This Central Saint Martins graduate won the Harrods Design Award in 2007, the same year he finished his studies in the famous uni. The award allowed him to display his collection at Harrods, exposing his work to the press, which gladly received it and promptly featured it in countless editorials. His SS11 collection coincided with the launch of his diffusion line —Krystof. Both collections share the designer's signature sculptural lines, chunky wooden jewellery and the search for a modern and understated elegance. For his main line, an overall muted colour palette was illuminated by neon violets, greens and fuchsias and a modern, almost futuristic take on flower and animal prints. The draping of chiffons and silks was exceptionally well done and contrasted beautifully with the raw-looking lace that made up skirts, dresses and leggings.

I couldn't find pictures from the diffusion line (apart from those on my lookbook) but I encourage you to keep a look out for it. It has an incredible range of day-to-night dresses in nude and black featuring Strozyna's famous drapery as well as some very versatile minimalistic separates. Enjoy our video of the main line finale!

Check out the rest of our LFW SS11 videos here.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Krystof Strozyna, lottie-loo.blogspot.com, blog.krisatomic.com]

LFW memories

It was only about a week ago but it seems as if London Fashion Week was ages ago. One of the best things about the whole experience was getting to bump into old friends. Tala (from MyFashDiary) was amongst those. All three of us shared our first year in London at LCF together some two years ago. It's nice to see that as we grow inside this insane industry you still come across familiar faces that keep you sane. Do check Tala's blog, her LFW coverage is exceptional!

I'm off.

[Picture property of soVIPzone]

Icebreaker

As we waited outside the venue in the Freemason's Hall, Giulia, Tala (from MyFashDiary.com) and I kept wondering what the Masha Ma SS11 show would be like but we also reiterated how promising the collection seemed to us from just a few images we had seen beforehand. The line self-proclaimed itself as a new way of dressing up that put the focus on the look rather than on separates while still giving each of them its own practicality.
If anything, the collection made a point of white being self-sufficient despite the odd smoky print, the dashes of silver and strokes of nude and baby blue. The designer's cutting skills were proved excellent by creating the most interesting shapes and layered compositions that showed a futuristic vision less subtle than announced. Cropped and sculptured fitted skirts were paired up with loose fitting silk shirts and tops.

Giulia and I were enamoured by the silver cropped trousers of slashed pockets and the printed sheer blouse that became a trail at the back, belted in silver over a white pencil skirt. Enjoy our video of the finale. We can't wait to see what's in store from Masha Ma for FW11.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Christopherdadey.com]

mal d'Afrique

Last night I was lucky enough to attend the SS11 Kinder Aggugini show. I first found out about him very randomly when his last summer collection came out and I was instantly attracted to his strong tailoring skills, his use of prints and his intelligent quirkiness. As I sat in the BFC show space of Somerset House going through the press release I became even more excited. The SS11 collection was announced to be inspired by 'Travels in the Interior Disctricts of Africa', the travel diary of a Scottish explorer, Mungo Park, in his journey through Africa. And Aggugini delivered. The first looks, three piece Saville Row linen looks gradually gave way to flashes of animal prints and eventually culminated in one-piece printed silk crepes. A representation of Mungo Park's journey from being a mere British colonialist to becoming part of Africa.

I particularly loved the black linen dresses with the degradé leopard details, the tiny blue cheetah prints, and the Stephen Jones hats made of cardboard and plastic but that suited the vibe of the collection completely and which looked surprisingly chic.
The music, a kind of rocky version of traditional African songs and the African inspired 'I want candy' version for the finale kept people moving to the beat and rounded up the best show I have seen at LFW so far.

To make the whole experience even more perfect, I got a third row seat by some very elegant Italian ladies (thank you to the Kinder Aguggini people!). As the show was about to start the ever magnificent Anna dello Russo walked in (cherry hair-do included) and so I made it my goal to run up to her at the end of the show and take a picture. This is the (blurry) result. What a perfect experience!

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, my own]

LFW Day 3 - What we wore

Today was a much more relaxing day. We only had a fashion show (Masha Ma, post to come) and a fashion presentation and then it's nothing until 8.30 this evening when I'll have the pleasure of attending the amazing Kinder Aggugini show! Can't wait. This is what we wore today. It seemed to go down quite well with everyone as many pictures were taken and we were interviewed for ELLE Korea's website. Hope you guys like it as well.

Iñaki -Tom Ford sunglasses, Folk shirt, Adolfo Domínguez parka, YSL belt, Acne jeans, Carolina Herrera shoes.

Giulia -Top Shop boutique jacket, Uniqlo top, Zara skirt, Castañer wedges; YSL ring, Chanel bag.

I'm off.

Minimalism In London

Yesterday morning (9am on a Saturday) I went to Somerset House for the Daks SS11 show. After queuing for a bit and happily find out that I could actually take (quite a good) seat the models started coming out. Light weight garments in crisp whites and dashes of mustard fit in perfectly in the brand's concept of a British traveller traveling through India. The minimalist clothes, very much in the line of what we saw in New York, mixed the masculine and the feminine -pleated skirts and prominent shorts with boyfriend jumpers and maxi dresses made like a men's shirt. An elegant and timeless collection that went perfectly with London's morning sunshine.

Later that day Giulia and I were supposed to attend the Osman show but were unable to because of lack of organisation, which was a shame. The collection, also in the same of simplicity we spoke of before, relayed almost completely on the shape. Trapeze dresses and tops, circular tails and some really good classic tailoring of straight lines. The colour palette went from earthy linens to muted neon silks but progressively gave way to more black. All in all, a modern with a tiny bit of drama and a stroke of elegance.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Vogue.co.uk]

LFW Day 2 - What we wore

Today was really intense! Mostly because we had quite a few shows to go to and because we missed a lot of them due to the monumental lack of planning when sending out invites. But he had a good day. It started with the (great) Daks show, about which you'll see a post tomorrow, and the British weather smiled on us in the shape of sunshine. This is what we wore today.

Iñaki -Zara blazer, H&M shirt, Adolfo Domínguez tie, Uniqlo trousers, Massimo Dutti desert boots, Louis Vuitton folder.

Giulia -Miu Miu coat, Zara dress, Miu Miu shoes, Chanel bag.

I'm off.

LFW Day 1 - What we wore

Giulia and I are finally back in London! We said a quick ciao in Milan on Wednesday but we properly caught up today for the kick-off of London Fashion Week. Alas, our lack of sleep made us miss Paul Costelloe and Maria Grachvogel but we will have a look at them online. We'll be reporting as much as we can starting tomorrow.
We have realised we rarely show you pictures of ourselves so to celebrate that it's fashion week (our version of Christmas) we'll post the pictures of what we wear every day to the shows. This is day 1.

Giulia - Top Shop boutique jacket, Ella Moss dress, Castañer wedges, Chanel bag.

Iñaki - Zara jacket, Uniqlo shirt, Zara trousers, COS shoes, YSL bag.

I'm off.

Introducing: Irwin & Jordan

Last London Fashion Week, Laia (the beautiful girl in the header) and I paid a visit to the LFW showrooms at Somerset House. We were surprised by how boring most collections were and quickly decided to leave led by disappointment. As we did, a few camel and grey pieces caught my attention from inside a room labeled 'Irwin & Jordan'. It turned out to be a very young British brand which defines itself very aptly as a mixture of "Savile Row tailoring, contemporary cuts and heritage fabrics". Their FW10 collection is, in fact, all of that. Jersey, leather and lace mix with unbelievable tailoring and beautiful silk creating very interesting juxtapositions. The restricted colour palette makes the line cohesive but doesn't limit diversity. Nudes, greys, camel and black are mixed the odd navy and metallics to, again, create super interesting results.

My favourite pieces were the amazing grey suit on the right (make it for men, please), the lace pieces and the grey jersey dress with the leather front that I'm holding at the bottom left. Laia and I also loved the metallic sequinned tunic I seem so amused about. We emulated all the I die's and it's perfection's Giulia would have screamed had she seen a piece so her.

Check out their awesome SS10 collection on their website for more comfortable edgy clothes where you can purchase them as well.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Laia Bonastre, Irwin & Jordan]

the three Burberry musts

I know these are tough times we live in but I can't help but say it again: Burberry was a tad disappointing. If any of you remember this menswear collection when you watched the show today, you know what I mean. There were plenty of beautiful coats and jackets but I wasn't surprised or moved or even disgusted. It was rather unoriginal to create two identical collections for men and women, no matter how the inspiration might be the same. But I still love Bailey and there were three specific aspects about his collection that really captivated me.

1. Chunky cropped jackets - Shearling is all the rage for FW10 and I get the feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of these jackets in a few months time. Did anyone else notice Mary-Kate's big smile when she saw the first of these?

2. Sexy orthopaedic shoes - Models seemed to be struggling with the booties a couple of times but these Burberry shoes look as cool as they look tough. I smell loads of Jak & Jill.

3. General fluffiness - It amazed me how many visually pleasing textures can been achieved without using fur. I just wanted to stroke the model's arms. (Sorry if it sounds somehow pervy).

[Screen captures from live.burberry.com]

Did you like Burberry?

I'm off.

round LFW

I am not going to have time to update much around here until after Sunday. I am currently doing some intern work at Luella during London Fashion Week and I have anything but spare time. However, I can find a moment to share with all of you one of the top moments of today. I was working at the Luella fashion show this morning and, apart from being mesmerized by Tim Blanks, Kate Lanphear, Scott Schuman, Suzy Menkes and so on, I took a picture with the man of the moment. Fair enough, he is too aware of the fact that he is cool but even so I would like to think I now share some of that coolness. Behold.

Kanye West et moi

I'm off.

PS. He said my shoes were cool. OM*G!