Alternative Fashion Week Day 3

Thu, 22/04/2010 - 8:11am

Havering College

Adel Andic

Mary Ratcliffe

Nicola Sawyer

Maartje de Man

ALQ UK Brand

Elizabeth Hamlyn

Amanda Wai Yin Ng

Think, Act, Vote

Colchester School of Art & Design

London Printworks Trust

Upside down and inside out - celebrating lost inhibitions and found objects at Day 3 of Alternative Fashion Week 2010. Report by Emma McCarthy.

From Dusk to Dawn
The amalgamated vision of Havering College comprises of work from the BA Fashion degree course, including a first year Creative Cutting project and the second year Creative Draping and Men’s Tailoring pathways. Inspirations include Edwardian silhouettes, architectural form and Dior’s 1940’s profile which manifest into a wealth of well-executed evening dresses and immaculately cut suits, featuring a range of shape, skill and technique. Wool and cashmere patterned with check, spot and pinstripe form the basis of the men’s collection, juxtaposing against billowing taffeta gowns. The black, grey and brown base is punctuated by undertones of midnight blue, blood red and citrus yellow. Pleated peg trousers with boxed suit jackets contrasted slouchy loose-fit cuts, whilst bodices hug the female form exaggerating the depth and movement produced by concealed support and netted underskirts. Velvet trims, wired structuring and detachable capes are the final flourishes to a solid, understated and progressive collection.
Adel Andic crafted an army of warrior women in styles that focus on reflection and refined elegance. Soft leathers in muted colours of slate grey, olive green, soft brown and tarnished silver, are contoured to the body using soft pleats and precise lines. The models pony-stepped out in patent leather thigh highs, chunky camel coloured courts and open-toed gladiator sandals, serving a striking and cohesive eveningwear collection.

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice
Mary Ratcliffe’s youthful collection bounded onto the catwalk in a muddle of prints, patterns and colour clashes with her cute, kitsch and playful smock dresses, skater skirts and shrunken cardi’s. The Japanese schoolgirl-esque over-styling embodied a eclectic, jumble sale quality that’s become popular with the East London crowd. With leather briefcases, plastic lunchboxes and cuddly toy backpacks - the bags are embellished with button robots, rainbow crochet and patchwork appliqué. Mary’s aim is to "challenge the wearer and the viewer" in her collection, and the eye glanced yet another cheeky nuance with every turn. Leg cuffs are banded by swatches of gingham, polka dot and lace, reminiscent of frilly primary school girl ankle socks, and capped off with mid-heels.
The circus came to town in Nicola Sawyers' collection for a ‘Ringmasters Boutique’. Inspired by the Big Top structures and Victorian circus culture, she pin-tucked and petticoated her way into a candy cane striped range of tailored jackets, ruffled skirts and trapeze dresses.

Maartje de Man took us on a credit-crunch friendly excursion to South America in her collection, the ‘Imaginary Escape’. With the tapestry patterns and figure-enhancing forms, the outfits feature technicolour waistcoats, shrugs and slouch dresses which sit against bright red tights and stripey knitted leggings. Pom pom’s and exotic flowers traditional to the continent adorned headbands and ankle boots.

All Wrapped Up
ALQ UK Brand provided a selection of men’s and womenswear inspired by Marrakesh, with colours reflective of exoticism and spice; deep burgundy, burnt orange and khaki. Layered felts, thick knits and tasselled scarves gave us Moroccan flavour for the English climate. Elizabeth Hamlyn’s abstract and contemporary knitwear inspired by Celtic Knotwork uses natural forms and interwoven cables of yarn to produce complex and elaborate constructions. These self-contained structures decorated simple and neat body-con dresses which either coordinated with or opposed the foreground colour. This simplicity aligned with the sophistication of the technique results in a demurely different collection. Gemma Wadsworth’s novel sportswear collection, entitled ‘Soled Out’, focuses on magnified and reworked cross-sections of the Adidas Tokyo trainer. With thick, white shoelaces, ribbed white jersey and perforated red leather, Gemma’s assortment of tracksuit playsuits, mini tennis dresses, hooded sweaters and gym bibs was a refreshing and innovative take on the classic. She revitalised the practicality of these clothes with fashion forward methodology, offering something quirky and unusual in today’s saturated sportswear market.

Angels and Demons
Frozen Illusion/Internal Torment is the concept behind Amanda Wai Yin Ng’s depiction of Satan and his fall from the heavens. The all-black garments carved out dynamic, asymmetrical silhouettes that give off an air of seduction, temptation and strength. The clever tailoring provides a diffusion of masculinity by mixing cotton and silky chiffon together, while keyhole cut outs flashed just enough flesh to sustain an air of enticement and desire. Amy Day and her latex costume label, Am Statik abandoned generic fashion conventions with her extravagant collection of ‘Celestial Macabre’. Her ethereal interpretations seemed, to me anyway, to divide into subcategories of fairy garden party (minty green raincoats and peachy dungarees with floral decoration), meets creature from the deep (swampy green, sea blue, rolling folds and frothy mesh), meets armoured angels (golden, crowned and uncompromising)... must be seen to be believed! Backstage, Amy chatted animatedly about her work, revealing that her intention was to quash the fetishistic and, frankly, outdated connotations of latex and place rubber attire squarely into the boundaries of the ‘acceptable’. “My next collection is going to introduce more fabric in with the latex”, explains Amy, “and have capsule collections where you could either wear the entire outfit, or wear just one or two pieces on a daily basis, so that you feel you can wear latex whenever you like. You don’t have to only wear it for a night out (or a night in!), you could wear it with a pretty dress or something.”

Diverse-City
‘Think, Act, Vote’ took to the stage with a large range of cleverly constructed and wearable separates, emblazoned with the campaign’s message, stylishly abbreviated into ?!X. From the sweet and simple to the tastefully trendy, the designers consider all styles, demographics and fashion tribes in their collection. With printed T’s and jersey dresses, through to an adorable little dollhouse playsuit with lace cap sleeves, frilly edging and decorative pink buttons, the designs offer something for everyone... and the latter has my vote!

Dismembering, disembowelling and medieval torture featured as strong themes in the Colchester School of Art & Design’s ‘Rhinestones and Gallstones’ collection of menswear. Each design that came out provided a introspective look into the character of the designer and served to strengthened the calibre of the overall collection. Rich fabrics, heavy embellishment and glossy satins lent themselves to an opulent colouring of jewel tones and metallic brocade. The theme is interpreted in a range of ways, from the decorative; with embroidered pockets, collars and cuffs and the use of supple fabrics, to the more sinister featuring shackles, buckles and straps with smeared, cracked prints. Lapels are littered with medals, brooches and studs and a thick, gold necklace in particular caught my eye, decked with a strange accumulation of found objects, from apothecary bottles to pine cones.

The London Printworks Trust drew inspiration from the movie screens for their collection, showcasing everything from trinkets, pocket watches and chains to pink flamingos and cupcakes. The painted suit jackets were a winner for me, stiff with thick white paint and patterned with printed gold and pink metallics. My favourite was a quaint little Peter Pan number, consisting of a Victorian necked white blouse, with shining gold and turquoise palm trees printed on the sleeves, complete with a dark red velvet skirt and wide brimmed beret. I was pretty gobsmacked when I discovered later that the designer was a very talented individual of just 15 years of age. I know what I’ll be looking out for in the next five years!

Photos by Emma McCarthy

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Alternative Fashion Week Day 3