lfw spring summer 2017

Huzzah! We’ve reached the final instalment of my LFW Spring Summer 2017 illustrations series! I really hope you’ve enjoyed them. I’m quite exhausted as they do take a while to finish, and that’s without the write-up on top. Let me know which was your favourite in the comments! 

~ MARQUES’ALMEIDA SS17 ~

Another collection for LFW that is heavy on the brocade front, as well as the oversized front too. That’s actually something that has surprised me for this upcoming spring/summer season – there’s a lot of heavy weighted fabrics and fits. It’s more masculine in a sense, which perhaps stems from the idea of gender fluid collections.

Marques’Almeida, just like Richard Malone, is fairly new to me, even if it isn’t to others. I think it’s always exciting to discover something new to your own eyes, because you can get a fresh take on what everyone else is already in the know of, and I’m excited to see more of what they have to offer. This was one of my favourite looks, above.

~ TOGA SS17 ~

Something which I always find interesting is when collections are all about the structure and genuine design of the pieces. What I mean by that is; you can see the structure of how things are made. You can see what should be on the inside, on the outside. It’s like a construction drawing come to life; all the lines that were originally sketches, left and not touched.

A mix of influences made up Toga SS17, and once again, the textures and fabrics were unlike the usual spring/summer choices. Everything is tough and substantial, but frills and pleating add that touch of, well, femininity.

~ WHICH COLLECTION WAS YOUR FAVOURITE? ~
Day #1 // Day #2 // Day #3 // Day #4

I’m going to be taking a quick breather from blog posts for now (I have just worked my socks off with these illustrations), so I’ll be back soon! I guess my drawing tablet and I will see you next season?

The penultimate instalment of my LFW Spring Summer 2017 illustrations are here! Featuring Burberry, ASHISH and yes, you read that title correctly – Crocs; Christopher Kane Crocs to be exact, because the idea seems so novelty to me, I couldn’t miss out on discussing it. Make sure you’re caught up on the past three days here, here and here. 

~ BURBERRY SS17 ~

I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m quite a fan of Burberry and it’s menswear, but the great thing about this SS17 season is the fact that we don’t even have to label it menswear. It’s all a part of the whole see-now-buy-now collection (another new expectation for designer collections, I suppose) – gender fluidity; all the lines blurred.

It’s a collection of comfort and Georgian styles, with curtain tassels on velvet capes, as well as 1920s influences. It’s all very soft and flowing, but of course, not lacking in outerwear. Although as I said, we don’t need to class it as menswear specifically, I do tend to gravitate towards the usual Burberry’s menswear line in general – there’s just something much more satisfying in every piece.

~ ASHISH SS17 ~

I’ve always had more respect for ASHISH than other designers, mainly because every collection is always so bold and creative, yet cohesive and wearable from start to finish; but also because of the diversity within their models and the influences and inspirations behind the shows.

ASHISH SS17 is all about Ashish’s Indian roots, and the idea of how love, devotion and faith blend into today’s world and multi-culturalism. The staging was beautiful with coloured lights above head, and a blind traditional musician playing live. It was majestic and gripping and was a true and respectful look into Indian culture. There’s so much controversy around cultural appropriation, but when it comes from the knowledge of someone who is personally involved within the roots of where it all came from, it’s always so much more powerful.

If there’s one collection you click off and take a gander at – it should be ASHISH.

~ CHRISTOPHER KANE X CROCS SS17 ~

And now, of course, the Crocs. A small addition to my illustration series, because I genuinely wanted to discuss the concept and get some feedback from you. What are your thoughts? Is it a true design collaboration? Is it a publicity stunt? Will we be seeing DIY tutorials on how to recreate the look for next summer?

In my opinion, they don’t look terrible, and I am perfectly happy with anyone choosing to wear a pair. I’m just intrigued to see how they work themselves into high fashion organically, and whether we really will be seeing the concept go further than just the Christopher Kane line. Rip-offs (as much as I hate them) are bound to happen, right?

What do you think of the Christopher Kane Crocs? Do you believe in cultural appropriation? Let me know in the comments! 

Make sure you’ve caught up on my previous LFW Spring Summer 2017 illustrations here and here! I’m illustrating two of my favourite looks per day. This time we’re taking a look at Paul Smith and Peter Pilotto…

~ PAUL SMITH SS17 ~

A collection based around photography and an English country garden, it’s quite a different style for Paul Smith, but it works just as every other season does; perfectly. Full of colour and prints, it’s bright and summery and the loose fit and cuts make for perfect pieces to run through fields of wildflowers (which lined the catwalk).

This piece caught my eye because it’s a more three-dimensional take on plaid and checks – the pink squares on this shirt dress have a slight ruching to them which adds to the draping effect of the whole dress. I love how casual it is, and the mix-match style footwear. Really stunning and a fresh new take on Paul Smith’s usual British style.

~ PETER PILOTTO SS17 ~

Sometimes it’s nice to focus on the more fun elements of a collection, but in all; this whole Peter Pilotto collection was fun. It was a floral twist on baroque styles with gold and metallics throughout, as well as embroidered pieces, which were all set alongside bolder, tropical pieces and shapes.

I loved the ‘presence’ this dress came with, but how it still presented itself as casual and wearable with the knitwear on top. Bold colours are always fun to illustrate, and it matches the trend I’ve started to notice for SS17 – primary colours.

What do you think of LFW Spring Summer 2017 so far? Let me know in the comments!

If you didn’t read my last post, then you won’t know that for each day of LFW Spring Summer 2017, I’m going to be posting a couple of illustrations! It’s a more personal way of covering the shows which I, unfortunately, can’t attend this season, so I hope you enjoy taking a look as much as I do making them!

~ MOLLY GODDARD SS17 ~

I’m always in awe of what Molly brings to the table just because she is such a genuine talent and has so much potential and opportunity waiting for her at only 27, and this season definitely didn’t disappoint. It was slightly more wearable than previous seasons in my opinion, with patchwork style hoodies included. It was also a catwalk rather than a presentation like her previous collections have been, which brought to life certain pieces and textures used throughout, like the knitwear and graphic tees.

Although as I said, the collection is more wearable (which I prefer), there were some really eye-catching pieces like this tulle number. The hair and make-up was also really beautiful, so I thought it made for an excellent illustration. Hats off to Molly once again!

~ RICHARD MALONE SS17 ~

As I mentioned in my AW16 LFW review, Richard Malone is a relatively new discovery for me, but a great one nonetheless. Inspired by uniforms across different industries, specifically nursing (notice the NHS blues?), it’s full of simple cuts and tailoring, and lots of small details like easy to access popper closures, as well as the striking Malone stripes and fitting figures.

It was bright and colourful, but in a minimalistic and themed way, and I can’t scratch away that feeling that there’s an underlying hint of Bowie throughout too (or maybe that’s just the makeup)? I’m actually genuinely interested in seeing how many collections pay tribute to him in some way… I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

What are your thoughts on LFW so far? Which illustration is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!

For this season of LFW, I thought I would try something a little different in my coverage of the collections. I usually review the collections using images from elsewhere seeing as I, unfortunately, am unable to attend due to travelling, but I liked the idea of making it more personal to my blog, so for the next few days and for the duration of LFW Spring Summer 2017 (what a mouthful!), I’m going to be posting a few illustrations of some of my favourite stand out pieces from all sorts of designers. To kick things off, I have two sketches based upon Bora Aksu and Teatum Jones…

~ BORA AKSU SS17 ~

I don’t think I’ve actually focused on Bora Aksu in any of my recent fashion week reviews, mainly because I like to mix things up and focus on a variety of different styles, and often with designers which focus on traditional processes and fabric, things can become a little stagnant and uninteresting, but for this summer, it seems like they’re reigning me back in!

I’ve explained this before, but some collections truly are like pieces of art. One of my first thoughts was honestly just, ‘beautiful’. The textures and shapes used are so intricate, and I think that’s a huge selling point for me and designers these days. The idea that a piece can be so thoroughly thought out is actually quite inspiring because it pushes me to think more deeply about my own designs. With woodland and fairy-like themes throughout, it’s no wonder that each dress and garment feels like a fairy tale in its own right, and this yellow number is no exception.

~ TEATUM JONES SS17 ~

I’m so drawn into shows and presentations which have a deeper meaning to them, so I couldn’t not focus on Teatum Jones this season. The show started with a short film about diversity and sexuality; embracing who you are and not letting anyone stand in the way of who you define yourself as and who you love. It was genuinely interesting to listen to, especially as it was coming from real people (all from Glasgow, in a tribute to Scotland). It was interesting to see how it worked its way into the collection itself… in fact, it wasn’t until closer inspection that I saw words like ‘intersexual’ across the backs of jackets.

The collection was a mix of botanical and watercolour inspired floral prints (which I haven’t done much justice in my sketchy illustrative style), alongside primary colours and paint splatters which I can only presume was a nod to ‘painting your own canvas’ and making what you want out of what you have. The textures were beautiful, with silk and merino wool being the main focus. An interesting clash of ideas, but the message behind it all made it fit perfectly together. It’s awesome to see Teatum Jones back in the menswear realm, too!

What are you excited about for LFW spring summer 2017 so far? Let me know in the comments!