Gold Louis shoes, leather skullcaps, boxed leather jackets and the Edwardian nude and sheer black gowns melded Gothic romanticism and S&M eroticism, made even more apparent by the monochrome palate. Think Jane Eyre as a red-light district brothel madam. Heavy fabrics like leather dominated traditional feminine silhouettes.

But while in the first look its shiny patches hardened a sailor-white jacket, in another, the feathered leather neckline on a white dress added a romantic quality. We were mesmerized by the circular evolution from childish sailor cuts to sensual, womanly forms, and finally back to virginal white. Devoted to beauty in its strangest and most exquisite forms, Meadham Kirchhoff transcended themselves this season.

Words: Elise Marraro (follow Elise on Twitter: PardonMe_Lissie)

Images: Harry Carr

The post LONDON FASHION WEEK: Meadham Kirchhoff AW13 appeared first on Wonderland.

“The pureness of Renaissance paintings,” Pescis said, when asked about the show’s inspirations. “A lot of cherubs and pictures of little cute girls. We wanted the girls to be more pretty, not just crazy.” The LFW veteran (who’d done two shows that day already) was using Fudge Matte Hed Gas to spray wax into the girls’ hair before tonging it into tight curls and stitching the buoffant right along the scalp.

“Every season with Meadham Kirchhoff is a pretty big ordeal with hair and make-up,” he told Wonderland. “We talk one, two months in advance. They bring an idea to me, we let it grow and it’s a really great thing. They would laugh at me if they heard me say that – they’re always like, “I HATE THIS” – but they’re actually really positive and cool.” Check out our backstage images for more positive vibes.

Check out our other backstage posts from LFW:

Day One: Felder Felder, PPQ and KTZ
Day Two: Moschino, Jasper Conran and Kinder Aggugini
Day Three: Philip Treacy – Special Report
Day Three and Four: Christopher Raeburn, J.W. Anderson and Pringle of Scotland
Day Five: Aminika Wilmont, Fashion Fringe and Nasir Mazhar

Words: Zing Tsjeng
Images: Mark Rabadan

The post LONDON FASHION WEEK: Backstage at Meadham Kirchhoff – Special Report appeared first on Wonderland.

(1) Aminika Wilmont

Images: Aminika Wilmont and Fashion Fringe by Hatnim Lee, Nasir Mazhar by Mark Rabadan

The post London Fashion Week: Backstage at Aminika Wilmont, Fashion Fringe and Nasir Mazhar S/S 2013 appeared first on Wonderland.

(1) Christopher Raeburn

(2) J.W. Anderson

(3) Pringle of Scotland

Check out our other backstage posts from LFW:

Day One: Felder Felder, PPQ and KTZ
Day Two: Moschino, Jasper Conran and Kinder Aggugini
Day Three: Philip Treacy – Special Report
Day Five: Aminika Wilmont, Fashion Fringe and Nasir Mazhar
Day Five: Meadham Kirchhoff – Special Report

Images: Christopher Raeburn, J.W. Anderson and Pringle of Scotland by Hatnim Lee, J.W. Anderson (last three images) by Mark Rabadan

The post London Fashion Week: Backstage at Christopher Raeburn, J.W. Anderson and Pringle of Scotland S/S 2013 appeared first on Wonderland.

Craig Lawrence’s S/S 13 moodboard glows with twisted lights and reflective bubble wrap, black and white images signalling Lawrence has abandoned colour this season. In translation, that meant phosphorescent pieces made from reflective, clear and metallic yarn, served up in the Portico Rooms at Somerset House in front of funhouse mirrors. The London-based designer told Wonderland: “My S/S 2013 collection is inspired by fairy-tales, including the Armenian folk tale of Anaeet and the weaving of secret messages.”

It’s no secret Lawrence uses texture to convey his message. The focus of the collection was on the silhouette, from tiered peekaboo knits to elegant body-skimming gowns to dresses covered with explosive silver hair.

The painting on the moodboard of the woman sat weaving is of Anaeet from Armenian folklore, which tells of a prince who weaves secret messages into brocade to save himself and his princess from an evil priest. Pretty appropriate: Lawrence, who created knitwear for Gareth Pugh for the first six seasons, is a modern day prince of knitwear. The Central Saint Martins graduate unravels tradition and consistently pushes the boundaries of his craft with wild experiments in texture.

But besides obsure Eastern European fairy tales, the real showstopper was in the final moments of the collection when Lawrence’s inspiration from luminous undersea plankton and jellyfish became clear. When the lights went down for the final walk and camera phones flashed furiously, the knit revealed its secret message – combining optic fibres with the signature Kyototex yarn, it reflects light and flash photography. Magic.

View the full collection here. www.craiglawrence.co.uk

Words: Emma Spedding
Images: Mark Rabadan

The post From moodboard to catwalk: Craig Lawrence S/S 2013 appeared first on Wonderland.

It’s been 13 years since Philip Treacy showed in London, and the milliner returned with a bang: Alek Wek busting a few Thriller moves on the catwalk, a fully-robed gospel choir and Lady Gaga in a floor-length veil opening the show by declaring Treacy “the greatest milliner of all time”. (We heard her shrieking “I’m so excited!” the minute she walked backstage – in full floral headdress – and saw the multitudes of hats.)

But let’s not forget the real stars of the show: an all-black catwalk in Michael Jackson’s old costumes that paid tribute to the extravagance of icons like MJ, Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow.

Snowden Hill, Fudge Global Session stylist, let us in on a few backstage secrets while pinning models’ hair into sleek, slicked-back barnets: “It’s the small details in hair that you can catch in a certain light. With this kind of hair, you’ve got a big hat going on, so it’s about making small heads very beautiful.”

“Grace Jones is a very good friend of Philip’s and it’s paying homage to her, as well. Big hats look great on black women – they’re very strong and they can definitely carry it off. It’s no-holds-barred here, you can do or wear whatever you like in Michael Jackson’s Neverland!” We get the feeling Lady Gaga would agree.

Check out our other backstage posts from LFW:

Day One: Felder Felder, PPQ and KTZ
Day Two: Moschino, Jasper Conran and Kinder Aggugini
Day Three and Four: Christopher Raeburn, J.W. Anderson and Pringle of Scotland
Day Five: Aminika Wilmont, Fashion Fringe and Nasir Mazhar
Day Five: Meadham Kirchhoff – Special Report

Words: Zing Tsjeng
Images: Mark Rabadan

The post London Fashion Week S/S 13: Backstage at Philip Treacy appeared first on Wonderland.

Meanwhile, Jasper Conran injected some down-to-earth style – literally – by sending models barefoot down a carpet of grass and Kinder Aggugini put out its own dainty take on nauticals with Dutch clogs and porcelain-blue print. Check it out below.

(1) Moschino Cheap And Chic

(2) Jasper Conran

(2) Kinder Aggugini

Images: Hatnim Lee

The post London Fashion Week: Backstage at Moschino, Jasper Conran and Kinder Aggugini S/S 13 appeared first on Wonderland.

The good folk over at Cheap & Chic are keeping their lips sealed about their latest collection, but they’ve assured us it’s going to be a winner. They’ve also dropped a little bit of a hint about their theme “A Beautiful Woman Is Not Without Defects” (see below) – we’re spotting a lot of hyper-coloured prints. Either way, check back on Saturday to find out.

www.moschinoboutique.com

The post MOSCHINO: Cheap And Chic livestream appeared first on Wonderland.