If you’re showing at the Savoy ballroom, you better bring class and power in equal amounts. Thankfully, Iliincic didn’t disappoint. While the designer may have been

attracted to a girly shade of icy candyfloss pink this season, the Roksanda Ilincic woman was all woman. Powerful, architectural silhouettes that harked back to 1950s power woman – Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and all the rest of those magnificent divas – predominated, with short-sleeved shirts tucked into flared skirts or pencil skirts.

There was some playful touches too, with a particularly adventurous approach to material: toying with a PVC front and a taffeta back, for instance, or patent and glitter fabrics nestling side by side, adding a contemporary touch. Amidst the sometimes willfully zany backdrop of London fashion, it takes a talented designer to remind us all of who we’re designing for: women, in all their glamour and femininity.

Words: Zing Tsjeng
Images: Harry Carr

The post LONDON FASHION WEEK: Roksanda Ilincic AW13 appeared first on Wonderland.

Sequins and studs are no longer constricted to nighttime debauchery. This season, sparkling clusters and metallic sheens meant for daytime revelry prevailed at Burberry and Jonathan Saunders. Along with diamond whites, SS13 revels in jewel tones – fiery reds, sapphire blues, deep purples and emerald greens. So remember the rule of summer: the shinier, the better.

Designers to follow: Burberry, Jonathan Saunders, Simone Rocha, Fendi, Alexander Wang

It’s time to get in touch with your untapped subconscious, because psychedelia was all over the spring/summer runway. House of Holland released a glamorous but daring collection full of hallucinogenic yellows, peace-loving purples and acid greens, while Mary Katrantzou and Holly Fulton concentrated on abstracted, Pollock-like patterns. Ditch your inner wallflower, because this trend is loud and proud.

Designers to follow: House of Holland, Mary Katrantzou, Holly Fulton, Proenza Schouler, Peter Pilotto

For the indispensable key item for this season, may we suggest the biker or bomber jacket? These jackets toughen traditionally sweet and feminine looks, plus they’ll keep you toasty in the typically freezing English springtime. Stella McCartney and Christopher Kane provide sporty, relaxed bombers while Versus biker jackets will release the beach babe badass in you.

Designers to follow: Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane, Antipodium, Versus, Daks

Of course it wouldn’t be spring without floral prints bloomin’ everywhere. But these aren’t your Grandma-on-Easter-Sunday florals; these are floral prints on acid. Vibrant colours and intricate motifs cascade down skirts at Dior, on trousers at Erdem, and on the heads of Vivienne Westwood models. But it’s not just flowers on display; garden critters litter the fashion landscape, from snakeskin to bird motifs. So take a risk on one of the most traditional spring trends in fashion; we promise you won’t be disappointed.

Designers to follow: Vivienne Westwood, Erdem, Christian Dior, Valentino, Kinder Aggugini

Don’t worry if colourful prints and metallics aren’t your thing – another runway trend is monochrome. Black and white pairings dominated the runways of Louis Vuitton, Acne, and Chanel. But this trend is anything but boring; in fact, instead of blending with the bushes or graffiti, monochrome is the standout trend here, appearing as stripes and standout checks.

Designers to follow: Acne, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Balenciaga, Eudon Choi

When we long for warm, summer days (particularly with the recent, sub-zero weather forecast), we usually envision the bare midriffs and over classic nineties coming-of-age film. Luckily, the SS13 trend of nineties sport plays perfectly to our idea of a casual summer. Topshop Unique, JW Anderson and others reveled in nineties nostalgia, from oversized cloth jumpers, neon jersey and grunge-inspired mesh jackets. So dust off those old dungarees: the nineties is, like, totally back.

Designers to follow: Topshop Unique, Ashish, JW Anderson, Richard Nicoll, Antonio Berardi

Girly to gamine is the theme of spring and summer fashion. From Michael Kors to Stella McCartney, designers mixed feminine, whimsical looks with straight-edged, androgynous cuts, allowing for day-to-day role-play. Whether you mix tea dresses with biker jackets or tailored suits with bare-midriffs, shake up those conformist gender norms, because this season it’s all about exploring the layers of modern womanhood.

Designers to follow: Michael Kors, Lacoste. Acne, Stella McCartney, Thomas Tait

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

The post 7 WONDERS: Spring/Summer 2013 trends 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.

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.

(1) Felder Felder

Check out our other backstage posts from LFW:

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
Day Five: Meadham Kirchhoff – Special Report

Images: Felder Felder and KTZ by Hatnim Lee, PPQ by Mark Rabadan

The post London Fashion Week: Backstage at Felder Felder, PPQ and KTZ 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.