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18.2.13

TOPSHOP UNIQUE

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Topshop Unique's FW13 show took place in the Tate Modern basement, in a technological panopticon created in partnership with Google+. The build up to the show followed the models through fittings, behind the scenes, make up, and even down the runway giving us the feeling we were walking down the runway too.  Topshop have identified that their target market lies online, with over 2 million people watching their Spring Summer show on the internet (Indvik, 2012); here they built on this, allowing the online customer maximum access to the show.  

There were flashes of red through the early parts of the collection; a long black coat with red fur details, a patent red leather skirt and a red pea coat stood out, matched against red, white and black prints. Then came a set of looks in shades of blue, a colour which worked exceptionally well on a cropped jumper and trouser pairing. My favourite section of the collection however came when the pale pink hit the runway; a calf length, Jil Sander style coat and a perfect sequinned skirt which swished down the runway caught my eye. 

This was Unique's best outing to date. Topshop's design team have harnessed the essence of exactly how the  young woman wants to dress, and this collection was quintessentially British. The best part of these clothes was the fact that they looked so easy to wear. Crop tops paired with skirts technically shouldn't work in a Fall collection but the styling here just popped. All of this, paired with laid back yet sexy hair, and easy make up created the sort of look we all want to master. The pieces captured slouchy yet tailored comfort for the day with understated elegance for the evening, and threw us two opposing looks on Britain's current poster girls. Cara's opening cropped jumper and skater skirt, with a long coat thrown over captured the mood perfectly. That was until Jourdan Dunn hit the runway in a perfect sequinned jumpsuit which will surely be a sell out piece. These were just a few of several pieces from the collection that stuck in the memory long after the models' projections had faded from the walls.  

10.2.13

#NYFW: FUR & MONOCHROME

Jason Wu
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Fashion: First up Jason Wu, one of my New York favourites. Mr Wu's collection followed his usual and successful style; lots of monocrome interspersed with splashes of red and the odd stripe. Here the coats are always my favourite, and this was no exception; the white fur coat sashaying down the runway would carry me nicely through next winter, no? My other favourite pieces were the pleated white skirts which despite the season would be perfect for summer. One minor disappointment though; I'm still waiting for some evening gowns that steal my heart. 

Beauty: I have a feeling that despite this being the bumper end of fashion season, this swept back hair is going to remain my favourite. Currently trying to decide whether to attempt it for my ball or not. The eyes were covered in a beautiful colbalt tone with flawless skin and nude lips. Winner.

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Fashion: Under the excitement of Alexander Wang's debut at Balenciaga, I had the feeling that his own label might be somewhat sidelined this season. However this collection gave us the classic aspects of the label combined with new and innovative ideas. Those balaclava jumpers look damn itchy but I'm guessing in the current NY climate they would be perfect. The outerwear here was more impressive than I remember seeing before, and the burnout dresses really caught my eye; I would love to see these on a red carpet somewhere. I was hoping for a wider range of accessories, although there were a set of intriguing accordion-style bags, and the finale shoes were beautiful.

Beauty: When the models walked down the catwalk and turned we all got a flash of those burnt orange ponytails; what a spark. Forget the make up here (which was kept minimal), and get me a orange tail.

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Fashion: Favourite collection so far. The military outerwear which opened the show was some of my favourite military I've seen for a few seasons, and the fur detailing complimented really well. The strong tailoring made a nice break from the floaty shapes, and provided an alternative to the strong coats. My favourite look was the slashed black knit over the navy and red printed skirt, and I was impressed with the set of dresses which closed the show. This collection is the first of Gurung's for a while that have a high sense of wearability. 

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Fashion: Breaking from tradition with prints taking a backseat, this offering was all understated sexy leather, well placed slashes and classic furs. This was a new direction for Altuzurra, but one that offers us much more solid outerwear for winter. 

Beauty: I wasn't a fan of the overly smoky eyes here, but the effortlessly sexy hair was a real winner. 

So...
It looks like monochrome and fur are already shaping up to be big trends for FW13, several designers are taking new directions, Alexander Wang's move to Balenciaga hasn't destroyed his own label and Jason Wu's hair stylists need to get in contact with me ASAP.