Let us start with the late night showings from yesterday – they were goodies too.
JONATHAN SAUNDERS
The excitement (and expectation) for this show had been building all day. So when everyone got to the 19th… yes, 19th floor of the city skyscraper with floor to ceiling windows, vertigo or hysteria threatened to take over, dizziness aside though the view was stunning. Thankfully and as we expected so were the clothes.
Jonathan Saunders A/W 12
Colour, texture and print collided with gorgeous rose print silk up against a stiff metallic tailoring and dresses – all buttoned up to the neck with a cravate, it made for a well-dressed, polished woman. ‘We started with equestrian colours and some Japanese images which I loved but we were unsure which of these directions to take it in – thankfully they came together’ said Jonathan post show.
Jonathan Saunders AW 12
To top off a fab show it had even been timed so the sun set across the London skyline as the show finished – well worth the wait for the lift.
MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
The Royal Opera House was lit up a treat and Matthew Williamson was in a buoyant mood as he started celebrations for the 15th year of his label. ‘I wanted this to be a celebration of the DNA of the brand – a fusion of ornamentation and decoration done in a pared back way’ said Matthew.
Matthew Williamson AW 12
Matthew Williamson backstage AW 12
Decadence was not in short supply as luxurious brocade fabrics, heavy embellishment in chains, swarovski crystal and sequins and glossy wet look finishes graced pieces for all occasions. As Matthew himself said ‘who doesn’t love a pair of gold brocade pants with a cuban heel – might even get a pair myself!’ Us too.
ACNE
The last show on Sunday evening saw us sipping Campari cocktails in the concrete surroundings of The Old Sorting Office for the Acne show. The collection woke us up after a long day with its clashing textures, sculpting silhouettes and flashes of unexpected, eye-popping colour.
Acne AW 12
Acne AW 12
Jonny Johansson, Acne’s creative director, drew inspiration from the body in art, the subject of the next issue of Acne Paper, that looks at the body through the eyes of an artist. And the end result? Structure and definition through super-wide waist belts, wave like volume in quilted puffa jackets and fleshy pinks and dusty hues with a flash of fluro.
ANTONIO BERARDI
‘I tend to take lots of different inspirations, chew them up and spit them out’ said Antonio backstage ‘but the end result was something based on Roccoco era and the Boston Tea Party’.
Antonio Berardi AW 12
A pallette of grey, nude and white peppered with red and turquoise paraded out in stiff voluminous tailored pieces, all sloping shoulders and snaking folds of fabric from the waist.
Antonio Berardi AW 12
The end evening looks were fluid and body skimming dresses and gowns with heavy and luxurious embellishment, it had us asking, how weighty are those pieces to wear? ‘Not heavy at all – I love the idea that the embellishment looks so grand but the material is actually a light weight plastic’ he replied with a smile.
SOPHIE HULME
Every season Sophie picks a charm which is given with each item bought, in the past there have been whistles and animals but this season it was a dinosaur. Far from a frivolous gimmick, the dinosaur, or specifically toy dinosaurs influenced the collection – sounds silly but it’s not.
Sophie Hulme AW 12
Sophie’s point is that us humans have no idea what colour dinosaurs actually are and hence toy dinosaurs are always bright colours, this led Sophie to shots of pink throughout the collection, dinosaur prints and lace cut-outs – you never know, a dinosaur could have been coated in lace. If it sounds overly cutesy, it really wasn’t, it was just gorgeous wearable pieces we want to wear now.
ERDEM
Oh this lady was a bit of a vamp – in a totally non threatening way though. Lace, lace on lace, lace print, appliqued florals, print florals, it was all there and executed to perfection as we have come to expect.
Erdem AW 12
Only there was something a little harder to this collection, maybe the rubberised finishes or acidy yellow, lime and pink colours running through – ‘our lady this season is stronger and I like taking something perfect and making it not’ said Erdem backstage, all seemed perfect to us.
Erdem AW 12
Click back tomorrow for more and don’t forget to follow us on facebook, instagram and twitter for news from shows, as we see them @matchesfashion
PICTURES BY OWEN REYNOLDS AND YASMIN COKE
ADDITIONAL WORDS BY YASMIN COKE