the best of the rest of london a/w 2009

so at this point, you've basically discovered the best of london through the eyes of yours truly (20/20, if you ask me). i want to wrap up this amazing season for london with a couple note-worthy designs by old favorites as well as up-and-comers.

mark fast
the breakdown: cutouts, knitwear, surrealism.

(more)

ann-sofie back
the breakdown: slashed knitwear, classic colors, zombified make-up, dreamcatchers? (love it)

(more)

mary katrantzou
the breakdown: optical illusions a la bridget riley, body con silhouettes, embellishment.

(more)

richard nicoll (i had a hard time editing the looks. it was a 40-something-piece collection)
the breadown: photographic screenprinting, architectural bodysuits, pinks/grays/metallics.

(the rest)

wow. what an excellent season for the brits!

louise goldin, london, a/w 2009

if i haven't made this clear on my various networking profiles, i will repeat myself and say that i love louise goldin. from her debut collection in spring 2007 to the present, she has constantly impressed me with her utilization of knitwear as a garment for all seasons. her exoskeletal creations have garnered a bit of press recently (rightfully so), being featured on british websites like topshop.com and recieving their much-coveted new generation funding. as a CSM graduate, nothing suprises me about her rapid succession towards fashion reverence. as for goldin's a/w collection, i was a bit disappointed by her limited use of color (actually, i think she used black exclusively), since she typically chooses tasteful and refreshing hues for her clothing, but in the words of karl lagerfeld in his recent interview in harper's bazaar, "black is the best color!" (more on that nauseating interview later).



view the rest here.

"I want to push knitwear to a future vision."
- louise goldin

julien macdonald, london, a/w 2009

i'm a huge supporter of knits and wovens, and anybody who can successfully combine the two materials is the star of my liquid dreams. julien macdonald's fall collection is the perfect example of luxury knitwear. i see visible resemblances from balmain's spring 2009 collection and the fall collection of CSM branchild simone shailes. what i love most about this collection, though, is his ability to make a gown look chic, slimming and modern. so many gowns these days are incredibly over the top (i sometimes think marchesa falls under this category). these full-length dresses with the sexy slit down the front-side are perfection. i just realized that some of his pieces have an almost optical illusionistic effect. excellent.



view the rest of the collection here.

christopher kane, london, a/w 2009

mr. kane's design sensibility always errs on the side of the fantastic, whimsical (and at times questionably unwearable) end of the spectrum. i can't help but think he played it safe this season (compare this to, say, 3 seasons ago; remember that fabulous snakeskin?) i don't think his accounting for taste ended when he put down the shredded chiffon, though. the went-a-little-crazy-with-the-organza-hem-tape look fared well in the storm of hideous plaid and dowdy wool materials. oh, wait. is that plaid and wool i see in the first 10 looks? my, my. one can't have it all. but these dresses are beyond fantastic. i saw similarities between this collection and one of his fellow Central Saint Martins graduates, kinga malisz (who graduated in 2008, with a fabulous M.A. show under her belt), but i think kane edited himself to a more communicable degree.



view the rest here.

josh goot, london, a/w 2009

i fucking dig Australians. the quality of life they claim to posess reflects in the quality of ready-to-wear they produce. josh goot is a perfect example of this; although he moved from down under to the big apple and then big ben, the surf and turf still seem to be evidenced in the construction of his meticulous sportswear. and this season, i'm proud to announce, he finally gave me something i've been craving for the past couple seasons, which is a successful nod to 60's mod. i can't help but find the entire idea a little far-fetched and tired, but he blocked his blacks and whites in a manner that suggests a leap past contemporary, far far away from modern. the looks towards the tail end of the show also suggest a rugged sensibility that wasn't as evident in the first portion, and i think we can all agree that range is really our friend.



view the collection in its entirety here.

ozman yousefza, london, a/w 2009

ozman yousefza is underrated, but never overstyled. his overall design aesthetic seems stripped-down and uncomplicated, but it's his attention to slight detail that lends complexity to everything he does. i'm a bit upset about his lack of coverage in the nymag.com and style.com sects, but the trusty London Fashion Week site is always there when you need a soon-to-be staple to wear. i'm not suggesting the guy is a total unknown; i choose not to reiterate his design history, but to instead direct you to his LFW rap sheet here (warning: pdf format).

a few looks i found myself lusting after:

feel free to check out the rest of his show.