No Show by C.S Leigh, in his absence at b store

No Show, by C.S. Leigh

The White Horse

So after a perusal of LFW and a groovy gothic punk knitwear show by Alice Palmer at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout, I am here on Savile Row at the b store.

Now you can never accuse the b store boys of being lazy lads. Not only have they carved out a nice niche in supporting some of the most innovative and well-cut menswear and putting on sale here in Savile Row (and prior to this shop, the weeny one on Conduit Street), but they also go for obscure and weird installations. Hence tonight.

It is, ostensibly, a book launch, but this is no ordinary, fashion-of-the-mill offering. 'No Show by C.S Leigh, in his absence' is the result of a year-long correspondence between photographer Laurence Ellis and a gentleman who approached him vis email to undertake a shoot.

900 emails later, here we have it. A book and a launch at b store. The shop window hails forth a black and white photo, made to fade. The essential element here is that after this intense online and photographic relationship ended in the Paris shoot, C.S Leigh disappeared.

Gone. The images by A.J Abualrub, capture the strange encounter. LBN design came on board and so the book was thus born. The press release claims that C.S Leigh has had several incarnations, including fashion designer, art curator and film director.

Tonight, I am sitting amongst dozens of gathered b store fans to check out the even, two photos by and Laurence Ellis (which should be faded out entirely in a week) and 'White Horse', an installation by Tony Hornecker made from card, tape, wooden dowel and string. The 'White Horse' was apparently, a sculpture commissioned by C.S Leigh in June 2009 for a book and performance which never hapopened.

b Store
24a Savile Row
London