LFW DAY 4

As I'd only planned to go to three presentations on Monday, I decided to pop to the National Portrait Gallery first for the Bailey's Stardust exhibition. I know he's a very talented man with an extremely diverse portfolio, but there's just something about his Sixties portraits.... it could be the dramatic lighting, the interesting crops, or it could have something to do with his chosen subjects.... either way he's captured the era in such an intimate, romantic and iconic way that I just love looking at his pictures.  I think his documentary background may explain his ability to capture scenes in a way that other photographers can't….

Anyway, back to London Fashion Week! After my Bailey adventure I popped to the Caslazur presentation, which was taking place in a restaurant near Covent Garden. Apologies for the poor quality of the photos.... the lens was playing up.... but as you can hopefully still see, there were some great abstract prints and cool knitted pieces too!

The Renli Su presentation, held at Freemason's Hall, showcased an organic display of neutral hues, soft, slouchy shapes and knits. Although not my style at all, I did find the 18th century influence mixed with the more modern, street inspired silhouettes rather intriguing. It was also pretty cool how the models were wearing trainers - such an interesting juxtaposition!    

The highlight of my day however, was late afternoon when I nipped upstairs in Freemason's Hall to see the Mercedes-Benz Kiev Fashion days presentation. Here I came across the most beautiful collection by upcoming Ukrainian designer Yasya Minochkina.Yasya told me that her recent work had been inspired by architecture and the sculptural work of artist Peter Alexander. I love the architectural influences visible throughout the collection!

As well as beautiful, structured shapes, her autumn winter collection featured an incredibly cool palette of black, blue, green, white and red and also innovative fabrics, some of which had been cut and then coated. The end result was chic, fresh and modern with a bit of sports luxe! I seriously find this collection so unbelievably cool…. it's difficult to get my words down.