From Viktor & Rolf to Van Gogh: The Ultimate Amsterdam Fashion Week Outfit

Amsterdam Fashion Week is known for being a hotbed of talent, showcasing the best in Dutch design to a clamouring fashion pack from around the world. So, when Fashion Chick invited bloggers to dream up their ultimate outfit to wear in Amsterdam for the occasion, I couldn't resist taking up the challenge. Here's what I came up with and why I chose each piece...

[Clothing images via Fashion Chick. Background image, Van Gogh's Sunflowers, via Wikimedia Commons].

I wanted to capture the bold silhouettes of Dutch designers such as Viktor & Rolf, but also get a flavour of the Netherlands' great art scene, which is a constant source of inspiration for creative types. From vintage art legends such as Van Gogh in the newly re-opened Rijksmuseum to up-and-coming talented students, it's an inspiring place to be.

• I started with a Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Halton dress, covered with text and being a real statement piece. If you want to see more oversized text, the iAmsterdam sign is a cool place to hang out in the city - I'd have to make a pilgrimage in my fashion ensemble.
• I added a black cape by Lovarni to give a nod to the Viktor & Rolf retrospective at the Barbican several years ago, where dolls were clad in their designs, including voluminous cape-like coats.
• Accessories were Miu Miu cat's eye sunglasses, which add to the doll aesthetic, and a sunflower yellow spider clasp bag by Charlotte Olympia worthy of any Van Gogh fan with a designer budget. Of course, there had to be some real Viktor & Rolf in the mix, so I chose a waist cinching leather mirrored sphere black belt to work well with the Anglomania dress.At only €49 from Hervia (sourced using Fashion Chick), this is a real bargain.
• To continue the sunflower yellow injection of colour, I went for Topshop's Logan flared heel platforms, which add to the vintage feel of the whole outfit, perfect for taking out on the town at all those Fashion Week after-parties.

Aside from the items I've chosen, I'd also be keen to browse the city's best shops. I've done my research thoroughly and I know there are some great retro boutiques to visit, like Wini Vintage, as well as the Nine Streets, a key shopping area. To top it all off, the World Fashion Centre mall offers a huge range of stores and would keep me busy for hours.

So, that's my dream outfit to bring to the streets of Amsterdam, and an idea of what I'd get up to if I was jetting off to experience the best of Dutch design. Would you channel sunflower yellow or would you go for something totally different? Let me know what you think.

Moda Lisboa S/S14: Portuguese Labels to Love

Yes, I'm turning my attention to yet another Fashion Week around the world, and this time it's Lisbon that has managed to catch my eye. There are some really talented Portuguese designers out there, and I spent ages poring over their work on Portugal Confidential and the official Moda Lisboa website.

Here are six of my favourites, as captured by photographer Rui Vasco; firstly, three designers who relied heavily on blue as an accent colour, and then secondly, three designers striking out with very individual styles.

 [All images via Portugal Confidential and Rui Vasco]. 

Pedro Pedro's tactile collection focused on texture, right down to the glossy hair of the models.

There was an interesting clash of femininity (delicate layers, long hair, little satchels) and masculinity (flat grey caps, overcoats, the face as a blank canvas) in the clothing here. I feel that these are the kind of ensembles worn by a Burberry devotee who seeks something a bit more individual and pared down; something more authentic than the sleek trench coat.

 Ricardo Preto went for practical pieces emphasised by folds, with iridescent sheer layers underneath.

Unlike Pedro Pedro's bare models, the ladies at Ricardo Preto sported washes of gaudy eyeshadow in purple, blue and red, worn against a muted colour palette of blues, greys and greens in the clothing itself. I loved the different silhouettes created by the changing volume of the outfits - cocoon coats and slimline waistcoats vying for attention on the same catwalk.

SayMyName had an Avatar-meets-Gaga feel to its S/S14 line.

According to the notes, SayMyName was inspired this season by the robes of a Senegalese brotherhood, but (to my untrained eye) I felt like there was a distinct note of Gaga to the proceedings. I loved the oily slickness of the dresses, clinging in places and glossing over the figure in others. There was a real sense of craft and playfulness that I couldn't resist.

 Nuno Baltazar made an impression in black.

How much do I want to be a Nuno Baltazar woman? She's like one of those effortlessly cool types that I always clock at Fashion Week, strutting through the courtyard at Somerset House in vertiginous heels, without a care in the world. I picked these black and white pieces to show you, but there was some colour in the collection, however my stand-out picks reflect the power of simple pieces to really make an outfit. Barbed wire print and clever drapery? Yes, please.

 Os Burgueses delivered a collection inspired by '1960s wallpaper'. 

The power of print was evident from Os Burgueses' range for this season. A humble banana became key to the quirk appeal of these outfits, topped off by punk-lite belts and precisely wrapped head scarves. These looks had the feeling of playing in the dressing up box at first glance, but you just know they'll be worn by fashion leaders who never put a hair out of place. I'm envious.

Ricardo Dourado's range was called Drop the City and blended simple street wear with intricate dinosaur prints.

If you're seeking something a bit more streetwise from Fashion Week, you can't fail to be impressed by Ricardo Dourado's vision for Spring/Summer 2014. His ideal customer seems to be a woman who isn't afraid of fashion's chameleon potential; she wants to be someone else and is happy to experiment with ballooning fabrics, off-the-wall prints and man repelling dungaree dresses. What's more, she's proud of the way she looks.

I've definitely been inspired by the work of these designers; Lisbon is clearly one to watch on the global fashion stage.

Hellen Van Rees' S/S14 Presentation: Fuzzlayerglossbox

And so to London Fashion Week, where I began my adventures with the presentation from innovative Dutch designer Hellen Van Rees. I've previously covered Hellen's work here on the blog, and also for Running in Heels. It was fascinating to see how she's developed since then, especially as she's been garnering praise for her eco-friendly fashion stance (hello, Humanity in Fashion Award) and taking on the challenge of holding a TED talk on the theme of sustainability. This was her first solo presentation at Vauxhall Fashion Scout's Freemasons' Hall, giving her the chance to really shine.

The 15 looks she created for the collection had been influenced by 1920s-30s dressing, Boardwalk Empire and Coco Chanel. They showed a more mature side to the ideal Van Rees woman, with floor-length dresses and delicate chiffon pieces complemented by 2D cuboid panels, replacing the 3D cubes that were so prevalent in her earlier ranges.

 A minimalist all-white top and mid-length skirt combination in look 3.

 Wedge heels finished all of the outfits and really brought the looks together.

 The varying dimensions of this belt created drama at the waist. They also reminded me of city skylines, with the blocks like skyscrapers.

 The models' wispy backcombed hair and red lipstick was one example of the juxtapositions in this show.

 Here you can really get a feel for the different textures as they sat alongside each other.

 The oil slick effect here worked really well against the chiffon.

 As you can see, the setting of the Freemasons' Hall and its dark portraits added that bit more drama.

 Multiple panels made up these dresses. The bolero jacket on the right continued the cube-shaped theme.

 Just look at those threads. My instant reaction was to connect the diamond pattern to the quilted panelling of a Chanel 2.55 handbag, but also the coloured threads remind me of Bridget Riley paintings.

 Pure polished glamour.

 This was one of several halterneck pieces, with frayed hems.

 The presentation allowed press and bloggers to walk between the models, creating shots like this when us mere mortals were stood alongside the creations.

 Wandering around the room gave a great opportunity to see the designs from all angles and in different lights.

 The white fraying looked like feathers.

 Glossy white vs. multicoloured threads, and high necklines all round.

 An open back balanced out the high neckline of this dress.

 Simple buns were the order of the day when it came to hair - nothing that would be too distracting.

More of those Bridget Riley-esque threads? Oh go on, then.

Fuzzlayerglossbox shows a definite growth in Hellen Van Rees' work and I'm sure it will be a hit with buyers as well; personally I'd love to see UK stockists introducing her to their customers, so we can show our support.

Inside the BFC Showspace at London Fashion Week - A/W13

 Organised (but always fashionable) chaos.

 I popped into the BFC Showspace in Somerset House for Vodafone's Mary Katrantzou showcase, which gave us a chance to look over two of her previous collections and see what makes her designs so unique. 

As ever, the Showspace lounge was cutting-edge, with cool seating areas, vending machines full of Vitamin Water and a super-cool VIP area.

 Anyone for a spot of gardening?

 It's always easier to queue with a glass of champagne in your hand.

Unfortunately my photos of the catwalk didn't come out very well (it's the luck of the draw as to where you sit), so I'll spare you the results, but it was great to see Mary's work on the models. I've only seen it previously in the designer exhibition rooms, when it's on the hangers, but you get much more of an idea of how things hang on the body when you see them in motion.

 Manolo Blahnik's beautiful illustrations brought the courtyard to life.

Here's to a great Fashion Week.

Stockholm Fashion Week: Ann-Sofie Back's Grunge-Tinged A/W 2013

My first foray into Stockholm Fashion Week is to marvel at the Höst/Vinter (or Autumn/Winter) 2013 collection from big-name designer Ann-Sofie Back, as part of her cheaper second line, known simply as Back. There's a tongue-in-cheek grunge elegance about it, with elements of charity shop chic, mis-matched fabrics and textures and some very well-placed industrial tape - ladies with boobs bigger than a B-cup need not apply unless they're going for the Jodie Marsh effect. 

The multi-talented designer has achieved a hell of a lot in the last few years, from scoring a capsule collection at Topshop to becoming Creative Director at Cheap Monday. Here's her vision for next season:

 Acid yellow accents on tape and on baggy clothes helped to shape this collection.

[Images via Vogue.co.uk]

 There was a recurring pun on the designer's name and that of her offshoot brand, Back (not sure there was supposed to be a Take That connotation, but I enjoyed that as a bonus).

The use of bold text reminded me of Barbara Kruger and Vivienne Westwood.

Welcome to the 90s - denim cropped jackets, wide denim skirts with visible buttons; chunky zips and lashings of khaki with blinding white shoes.

This was a confident collection that has been perfectly timed to ride the wave of 90s nostalgia, with the sound of the Spice Girls clashing with Nirvana, Take That and Blur. Although Back was born and raised in Stockholm, she studied at Central St. Martins in London, graduating in 1998, most likely giving her first-hand experience of the London grunge scene, Brit-pop and Spice mania. I'm sure that her A/W designs will prove popular, especially with some of today's London IT-girls like Cara Delevigne, Daisy Lowe, Pixie Geldof and Rita Ora. Girl power!

PFW S/S13: In Paris It's Hip To Be Square (Ask Chanel)

And so Paris Fashion Week is over for another year. Arguably the most decadent of the Big Four, you can guarantee that the Parisians don't do things by halves (as my whirlwind experience of working at a PFW trade show just round the corner from the Pompidou Centre proved). Here are a few trend highlights that I've spotted so far, just from Chanel, because where this brand leads then others follow.

 You Can't Mistake My Geometry, To Paraphrase Girls Aloud

[All images via Style.com]

 I'd like to think that Karl Lagerfeld was inspired by retro gaming when he created these dresses - something between Battleships, Tetris, Simon Says (the electronic hand-held version with coloured panels you had to watch in sequence) and Scrabble - but he was probably thinking of something much more high-brow. The strapless dress on the right also reminds me of crazy paving and mosaic bathroom tiles, both of which were a major 90s trend pioneered by shows like Changing Rooms and Ground Force, but I don't think these were at the forefront of Karl's thoughts either. 

Rainbow Threads

If anyone had told me that Kaiser Karl would be waving the flag for wind turbines then I'd have laughed. They might be thin but they're probably far too commonplace for his tastes, right? Well, the new Chanel woman loves a bit of renewable energy print on her top, mixed with a buzzing colour palette that could be fresh out of an art student's mood board. When you pick out individual hues, as in the centre image with the gorgeous skinny-cut trouser suit, things really start to come alive.

 Cutting Cloth in Clashing Colours

It's a bit embarrassing how much I want a PVC raincoat in a stupidly bright colour, however naff they seem. Now that Chanel's got in on the act with this deliciously wipe-clean number in cerise then I think it's fair to say I won't be the only one wanting to splash around in puddles in something shiny, practical and yet incredibly garish. 

Meanwhile the jacket/dress (whatever it appears to be) in the middle is definitely crying out to be adopted on the high street. That shape is pure Whistles/Zara/COS and it would work brilliantly for smarter occasions when you're dying to inject a bit of personality into formal-wear.

As for the last option, it's got a very flattering drop waist that appeals to my muffin top whilst not looking dowdy. The contrasting piping detail lifts this dress and makes it a bit quirky, whilst the (obviously geometric) tweed works well. It resembles a blueprint, in a good way.

 The Bold and the Shoulderful

In the two outfits either side of that unfortunately pouting model it's clear that the shoulder is definitely a new erogenous zone for Chanel; it has to be inflated, supported and dominating. Meanwhile in the centre image you can see how the un-padded shoulder still manages to upstage the ensemble, with a blank expanse of collarbone.

 Snipping Time

Definitely harking back to school with this collection (not only due to the catwalk resembling graph paper), it would be rude to ignore the pieces with more than a dash of academia about them. Firstly the shirt that looks like it's had a run-in with someone making paper snowflakes, followed by the swimsuit that adheres to the principals of a Venn diagram as well as making brilliant use of the interlocking Cs of the Chanel logo. 

Last on the register is the carefully cut-out three pocket jacket and trousers, both of which could have been crafted from Fuzzy Felt. I love the school influences and I think they make it so easily memorable, adding a personal touch because they get everyone thinking back to their time in the playground.

Just no.

However, with such a large collection to show there were always going to be duff moments ahead, even for Chanel. These three looks jarred with me because they literally had me cringing and squirming in my seat, and here were my immediate thoughts.

Left: I'm back in Tammy, circa 1999. Everything's hot and smells of Charlie and pick & mix sweets. Some twat has brought out hilarious patchwork denim pieces and for some reason everyone is going wild for them, even the ones with cowboy influences. Oh, and now there's a fad for making everything look like it's made out of denim too. Brilliant. I feel a bit sick. 

Centre: I am even younger - we're talking early 90s now. My older sister has been banned from using the scissors at her primary school as she was getting a bit violent (true story). She has had to make her collage by ripping up little squares of paper. It didn't look quite like this, but it could have done if she worked for Chanel at the time. 

Right: Ok, so now I'm about seven or eight. I haven't been banned from scissors - far from it - but I've just discovered the joys of tissue paper in contrasting colours, made into flowers. I think I will make everyone's birthday presents using bits of tissue paper or something. They will surely love it and appreciate all my hard work and not think it looks a bit scrunchy and weird. 

Now it's back to reality with a bang... so that's what I thought of Chanel. I loved the geometry and the playfulness with the playground elements and the graph paper runway. I enjoyed the puffed up shoulders and the rainbow colours; it felt like enough of an adventure without compromising on basic Chanel style. If the design team could only stop being scissor-happy right at the end or being allowed to pick up that little bit of denim then this would have been an utter triumph. As it stands, it's an almost-triumph in my book.

NYFW S/S13: Victoria Beckham Strikes Again

 Whoever underestimated VB must be kicking themselves by now.

[Images via Style.com].

Time and time again. Victoria Beckham's design skills prove that she knows what women want regarding power dressing without the shoulder pads. This collection, like those before it, showed how you can dress like you mean business without compromising on style. 

I particularly enjoyed the nods to geometric patterns and the overlaying of sheer panels, especially in the central image where you see that those panels are actually on one side of the shoulders and add an unexpected quirk to the design. 

 Angular panels of fabric (and some equally angular brogues) were juxtaposed with softer pieces like those nude sandals in the central image and the bright orange draped jacket on the right.

There's so much wearability in these pieces and it does seem a shame that they carry such high price tags, so I would like to see Mrs. Beckham creating a more affordable diffusion range in the future - I know she has her second line, Victoria by Victoria Beckham, but it still doesn't stoop to the levels of my humble purse. If it did, I'd combine the black cut-out jacket on the left with dresses from COS and vintage boots.

 This was my favourite look of the show: really simple but wearable and in trusty black.

All in all, the collection was as polished as ever but showed serious potential for inspiring the high street. She's created looks that are desirable without being gimmicky, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

Google Does Fashion: Diane von Furstenberg puts Google Glass on the Catwalk

 Diane suddenly realised she should've gone to Specsavers...

[All images via WWD, credited to Giovanni Giannoni].

I might have added comedy captions here (sorry, DVF) but I'm more than a little intrigued about Google's Glass technology being brought to the fashion world. The search engine giant already dominates the fashion industry in plenty of hidden ways - all those bloggers who want to rise to the top are at the mercy of Google's algorithm and the power of SEO overlord Matt Cutts, whilst new brands that need to be found online or department stores that need to be visible for key search terms above all of their competitors are also affected. This, in a way, is just a more blatant form of the big G's dominance, putting founder Sergey Brin on the front row and getting all of the models wearing his technology. I was half expecting someone from Bing to be shaking their fist angrily in the background and brandishing a pair of 3D specs, but somehow it didn't get that far.

The aim of Google Glass is to bring you connectivity without taking you away from real life, so you can record imagery and video or send messages but you're not staring at an intrusive screen throughout. To show how large companies and creatives can use it, von Furstenberg has been recording with Glass and will show how it's captured her work in a short video to be released, naturally, on Google +. Fashionistas were a little surprised at the design of the gadget but, as this is all in production stages, we can assume some modifications will be made before it hits the shops.

Aye aye, Google sets its sights on the NYFW runway. Parrot just out of shot.

Ok, pirate and optician jokes well and truly done, it's time to look at the practicalities of this thing. To be honest, I can see a lot of advantages to Glass, especially as I've often daydreamed about having a way of recording images and video in all of those places where you're not allowed to take your camera - art galleries that have crap postcard selections and demand you pay £60 for a print of a nice painting; times when you'd like to record a shop assistant being incredibly rude to you and send it to the smug CEO of the company after uploading it onto YouTube... ah, so many possibilities. Obviously with the introduction of Google Glass then those savvy shop assistants and gallery attendants will just tell you to take off your bloody tech device, but that's beside the point of the daydream, right? 

In simple terms, Glass is going to be about a personal view of the world for style mavens, whether that's used for promoting your fashion label or capturing every moment of a fabric buying trip to India. It'll keep you connected as you go, allowing you to filter ideas in something resembling a stream of consciousness. I think that, as long as they improve its slightly off-putting appearance, this will be a useful tool for everyone from designers to bloggers. Personally I can't wait to watch DVF's film and feel like I'm seeing through her eyes, if only through this new technology.

Black Light: Alexander Wang S/S 2013 vs. Viktor & Rolf S/S 1999

When I read about the amazing black light finale at Alexander Wang's S/S 2013 show, I couldn't help but compare it to the work of Viktor & Rolf. Wang's use of visual trickery to completely transform his collection is fantastic, but it's worth comparing it to what Viktor & Rolf created for for their own Spring/Summer collection of 1999. Let's hit the lights.

Alexander Wang

[Image via Style.com]

The only warning of what was to come was the announcement that flash photography was not allowed at Wang's latest show. Bewildered attendees must have wondered why, as it was only in the closing moments that the lights went down to reveal an ethereal glow from the clothing. What could have ended up like a tacky disco moment was instead made into a sleek piece of artistry because of the cut-out nature of each piece, creating bold panels of white and complemented by a single line on each model's head that marked their bodies out against the darkness. Wang referenced the futuristic film Tron to put the effect into context.

So, how was the panelled effect achieved so successfully? Using fishing line. This makes each part seem to be suspended in thin air, which adds to the artistry of the whole collection, right down to the simplistic white stilettos with thin straps that divided the legs into neat sections. Essentially the black light helped us to see each look in its own right, without distractions.

Viktor & Rolf

[Image via Google Books]. 

It's such an early moment for the design duo that V&R's Black Light doesn't even feature on Style.com (my Bible for quality catwalk images that don't look like they've been taken by someone nine rows from the front row using a dodgy Blackberry). Instead I turned to Fashion at the Edge: Spectacle, Modernity and Deathliness by Caroline Evans, to find what the author described as 'their last spectral collection before they launched themselves into the real world of embodied fashion and commerce'. The designs were firstly shown in black light, then in normal conditions, to show the transformation.

What I gleaned from the images was that Viktor & Rolf were already establishing themselves as not being easy to categorise: the designers who couldn't be neatly put into a box. This was about having original ideas and wanting to put on a show, making the wearer feel like a gallery piece rather than a sex object or a dowdy housewife. It was part-freak and part-opulent, yet somehow the aesthetic worked, down to the skeletal lines on a trouser suit.

Comparing the Two

Wang's use of lighting might seem like an afterthought compared to V&R's theatrical staging, but I think we have to remember that Wang is able to take fewer risks as the creator of a highly commercial brand. What he has produced is just enough quirk to raise the stakes of Fashion Week, without alienating buyers and your middle-of-the-road fashion lover. Keeping trendsetters and trend followers equally happy is not an easy task, but he seems to have pulled it off without totally plagiarising his black light trailblazers.

Fashion Capitals: Milan vs. Palma, Majorca

This week I'm taking on judging duties (no, not a la X Factor) for the easyJet Holidays #FashionTravel competition where three lucky bloggers can win tickets to London Fashion Week and three runners-up get an amazing goody bag, and to enter they simply blog about what outfits they'd pack to visit one of two fashionable destinations. So this is how Milan and Palma, Majorca, came to be mashed up in a delicious mix of established style credentials and new edginess.

 What would you pack? 

[Image my own].

The ticket winners get to see a Felicities PR event that features the latest collection by ethical British designer Ada Zanditon, who's been on my radar for some years, and it should be an excellent opportunity to be up close to next season's clothing. Ada's been inspired by the concept of a tigress, which makes me think that the collection is going to be pretty powerful stuff. She's recently been on a holiday to Majorca herself, soaking up its culture and getting a well-deserved rest before the crazy energy of Fashion Week, and I can totally see why the Balearic island appealed.

Palma: Majorca's Capital of Cool

Palma City isn't necessarily on the radar for fashionable holidays, but I think it should be. It has a fascinating past, containing 11th Century Arab Baths and the beautiful La Seu Cathedral amongst its architectural gems, as well as a fairytale castle - the imposing Bellver - that's surrounded by a forest. By the waterside you'll find huge yachts of the rich and famous, so already I'm thinking you could create some pretty cool editorial shoots here that would grace the fashion glossies. As for the shops, designer fans can breeze around Louis Vuitton and the more affluent streets around Avenida Jaime III, or if you're more of a high street person then you'll find recognisable favourites like Zara and H&M within easy reach, as well as El Corte Ingles (a Spanish department store that is definitely worth a look).

What I'd be itching to explore is the selection of vintage and charity shops, including Kling, which is big on designer labels, and Seattle Vintage. I'd also be compelled to head to the outskirts of the city for a visit to the artist Joan Miro's studio, which has been lovingly preserved. I'd then head back into the centre to track down the famous Ginbo bar, selling over 100 types of gin - I'm not a lover of this tipple but I've heard good things about their cocktail menu, so I'd aim to enjoy one of these as the sun went down. One thing I wouldn't do is copy my dad's example; he came to Palma on a business trip and - I kid you not - attempted to get into the VIP section of a club by pretending to be Michael Douglas (who has a home on the island). Somehow, between not looking anything like a film star and being unmistakeably English, this ruse didn't work...

Milan: The Land of the Legends

If, like my dad, you need to recover your sense of cool, a break in Milan might be just the thing. This is where the Italian greats hold court and where one of my favourite magazines, Vogue Italia, is based. Everyone worth knowing in terms of brand names is here, from Armani and Prada to Versace and Valentino, which is why it's one of the big four: the fashion week capitals that dictate our style. If you're one for your history then don't miss a visit to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is one of the world's oldest shopping centres, a.k.a a valid educational reason to go to a mall. Yes, I feel that Becky Bloomwood of the Shopaholic novels (by Sophie Kinsella) would be pretty chuffed with that.

Bargain hunters will enjoy outlet shopping, which can be found just out of town, at Serravalle, Il Salvagente, or The Place. If you're really skint then don't despair, as there's plenty to do in Milan that doesn't involve spending a fortune, and you can browse amazing bookshops or head to the Brera Gallery to see masterpieces of traditional art from Raphael and Caravaggio. The Cinema Museum is also an important pit-stop for culture lovers, or you could go and be inspired by nature at the Botanical Gardens.

So, which destination would you choose to pack your imaginary suitcase for? Make your decision known with a blog post and let's get talking #FashionTravel - you have until 31/08/2012 to enter for Week 2 of the competition. I'm looking forward to reading your entries.