Orla Kiely Autumn 2013 Presentation

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about this obsession called Orla kiely? Why we love this label so much? Is it because of her vintage-inspired, recognizable prints that could look good in the industrial environment as in the pretty house with English garden. 

Is it because of the fact these frocks and other garments remind us on some of our favourite icons of past time? 

Is it because of Orla’s ability to adorn frocks with extremely cute details and still make successful, wearable ensembles for grown-up girls that are dreamers somewhere deep inside? 

Is it because her campaigns and presentations reminds us of stills from Wes Anderson’s movies who is also another master in creating modern retro atmosphere? 

If we going to talk about Wes Anderson connection with Orla Kiely, then upcoming Autumn 2013 collection is perfect example. Inspired by our dearest heroine, gypsy royal princess from 1970s , Margot Tenenbaum and Irish artist Breon O’Casey, Orla created another pretty collection with garments that could easily replace all the others in closets of many. Leith Clark who styles Orla Liely’s campaigns, presentations and lookbooks, adorned the ensembles with white stocking, t-bar heels and 1960s chignons with hair clips. That is another reason why these pretty dresses, coats, blouses, skirts and bags in clean line and tender colors on Orla’s models had pure, simple and ladylike appearance. 

With those Cardigans adorned with squirrels and another dear creatures, we could easily join Girl Scouts. But we have to work and play by the rules of serious world. That’s are why Orla’s dreamers looked so good the office set-up where she presented them as secretaries. Isn’t that everything we are? Serious, grown up girls, earning for living with teenage hearts of dreamers. 

Why do you love Orla Kiely? 

 IMAGES VIA BETTY MAGAZINE, DASH MAGAZINE, WISH WISH WISH

Summary of London Fashion Week AW 2013

Over the last few years we have seen a rise of London as a capital of fashion. Brilliant designers, enormous number of young talent and recent graduates from prestigious fashion schools really bring fireworks of excitement during London Fashion Week. It seems that, the London’s talented fashion kids really set up the new direction in design, whether they are trying to break the boundaries with the new shapes and the design or to connect contemporary with vast history of costume we have in our heritage. Without sounding pretentious, London can really state it has it’s own new wave. Creating summary of London Fashion Week using blogger layout is really hard, because you could really publish a book every season. No matter how you try, you will hardly find even one show that is not good. 

Just look at the AW 2013 show of the “youngest”, the Central Saint Martins MA Fashion graduates. They are all brilliant and have their own fresh design and fashion ideas. This year, I found designs of Jaimee McKenna most interesting. Jaimee, knitwear designer and ex freelancer for Mark Fast, played with pleats in attractive forms using monochrome blue dress as a base. Designer’s powerful blue felt like The Blue Epoch of Yves Klien walking on the catwalk. 

Simone Rocha is one more young designer that has proved the status she earned last season with her eponymous label. The fact that she is coming from the family of designer (John Rocha) she takes to try harder. Simone Rocha’s AW 2013 show entitled Respect Your Elders had the task to respect the cut and refined details of clothes. Her connection of unconnected things, also demonstrated she did that pretty well. Risky combinations of heavily embroidered lace, faux fur, pink, leopard pattern can be dangerous for many designers. But not for Simone. Like an experienced designer, she created balance between that teenage edgy vibe and ladylike outline and created the minimalistic outcome. Accessories as loafers in velvet, patent, leopard or glitter, quirky glasses and refined headdresses were topping on the Simone Rocha’s excellent cake. 

Last season, except Simone Rocha, I fell in love with Eudon Choi’s work. The AW 2013 collection from Eudon Choi, which was inspired by Russian women who kept their families together during the Russian revolution, turned me into a big fan. Designer that is initially trained as a menswear designer has an excellent sense for romantic but still powerful womenswear. This nostalgic trip to Russia, brought also amazing collaboration with milliner Piers Atkinson, that created amazing headwear; bloom-filled scarves. 

One more successful attempt of subtle romance was Giles show. It was enough creepy for Addams family and enough romantic for medieval princess. Dramatic huge locks in combination with long shiny and silky dresses with bishop sleeves, created beautiful catwalk story. The kings of creating stories on catwalk, Meadham Kirchhoff duo, showed once again there are two meanings of the word kitschy. Their kitschy is the other one, a good word. In their magical Helter Skelter they connected almost everything; Harlequins, Rococo, Mary Poppins, Goth princesses, Louis IV and Victorian maids. And what can we say except admire them and history we have. 

More Moment to remember: Burberry hearts, Ashley Williams collection as part of Fashion East, John Rocha’s blossoms, Emilia Wickstead’s tartan ensembles.

PHOTOS VIA SHOWSTUDIO

London Fashion Week Spring 2013

open image in new tab to see full size

What happens in London, possible is just there, because there’s no order in this Big Bang explosion of creativity. Shows in London are like a huge patchwork made of thousand small pieces and they actually all look good together. This year in London, designers for spring of 2013 RTW presented us new game of trend; different colors or prints and different fabrics; all on one garment. And we enjoyed more than ever their visions of romantically science fiction with occasional travels to past. Also, PVC never looked this good. Here are misslikey’s favourite moments and collections.

Simone Rocha, ex Fashion East-er and daughter of John Rocha. If London was missing Peter Jensen (who was showcasing Spring 2013 at Copenhagen Fashion Week), it found a creatively cool and fashion forward substitute in Simone. Simone Rocha spring 2013 catwalk was consisted of everything hot right now; peplum, metallic, leather, lace, PVC-esque sheer, Codie Young, halo-like headdresses, beautiful shoes. And with front row to die for; Leith Clark, Alexa Chung and Laura Bailey.

Meadham Kirchhoff duo continues with exploring sweet ways of living of our favorite queen, Marie Antoinette. Sometimes messy-looking firework of color, every detail is carefully picked; from setting of the catwalk, the top bow on hat to nail embellishment (this time sparkly). This carrousel of colours and dresses that look like cupcakes, won’t be forgotten that soon, and garments will be base for lot of independently oriented editorials during next season.

Kinder Aggugini’s Sally goes fishing. If I need to make a favourite from the favourites, Kinder’s sweet summer of fisherman would be mine. Show was opened with sounds of Somewhere beyond the sea but the girl who went fishing experienced the different transforms of moods which found the great back up in music remixes (from Biggie’s Nasty to Coldplay). Kinder is familiar with the fact that pinafores, dungarees, skirts and shorts can be a great basic of the summer wardrobe; just these from KA weren’t basics but statement pieces with adorable prints of sea creatures. Girl that lives on sweet side of fashion, for promising summer now just needs to book a sweet cottage somewhere beside the river.