COSTELLOE ON THE CATWALK:TRIBUTES WERE paid yesterday to the late designer Alexander McQueen at the official opening of London Fashion Week.
Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council (BFC) called for a minute’s silence “in respect and reverence to the passing of one of our greatest designers . . . who proved that this city and this industry is one of opportunity . . .”
Sarah Brown, wife of prime minister Gordon Brown, said she continued “to be filled with admiration and awe at the talent of young designers here and their fearless vision. Fashion has taken its rightful place as one of the most dynamic parts of the creative economy”.
The six-day event coincided with the announcement from the Gucci Group that the Alexander McQueen label, in which it has a majority holding, is to continue. In the BFC tent a large noticeboard was pinned with handwritten messages of sympathy from members of the fashion and design community.
These notes will later be presented to the McQueen family.
Paul Costelloe was the first of 68 designers on the catwalk with a collection that was strong in shape, colour and direction. Using lovely blue/black tweeds, leather and brocades, he defined the silhouette with squared shoulders and short full skirts giving a shapely emphasis to the waist. There were some terrific jackets, some cross buttoned, others flared and sweeping floorlength coats.
Menswear was equally commanding and confident with long greatcoats in tweed or black wool, white neckerchief shirts and black leather waistcoats.
“I’ve gone west,” he said. “It’s taken from The Assassination of Jesse James with Brad Pitt, so there’s a darkness about it. I think there’s a dark mood and people are feeling a resistance to over-embellishment”.
There was nothing dark about Orla Kiely yesterday. Her particular design aesthetic continues to propel her success and at her presentation in Somerset House she was in buoyant form. In September she will launch her first fragrance and a book with Conran Octopus called Pattern charting her use of signature prints in the last 15 years. She has also collaborated with Citroen to design the interior and exterior of their most carbon-efficient car which will also be launched in September.
Making an impressive London debut yesterday was the Turkish designer Hakam whose catwalk show in a disused dairy was a tour de force of leather and knit. His slim skating dresses and ribboned leather jackets were exquisitely finished and white knits inset with fine ribbed detailing were sexy and modern.
International models such as Lara Stone and Imogen Morris Clarke, dubbed the new Kate Moss, flew in from New York for the show. Hakan’s daywear, tight cutwork wool dresses and grey tweed swagger coats over ribbed leggings showed this designer’s appeal and promising commercial mettle.
Elsewhere Aminaka Wilmont took the concept of flotsam and jetsam for a show of twisted and draped digitial prints and long black crepe Cruella de Ville dresses encrusted with black and silver crystal. Elegant and graceful, yes. The stuff of rubbish dumps? Hardly.