Photo: Rankin
One of the challenges of motherhood is that it limits how much extra-curricular activities one can accomplish. Where I would once have spent the whole week rocking up to some event or other, now they become a luxury.
Where once I would’ve spent days poring over portfolios at Graduate Fashion Week, I now rely on the Gala Show to show me the cream of the crop, and fellow bloggers and journos to sneak a peak at the best of the rest.
Scooting out straight little boys’ bedtime, I made it to Earls Court 2 yesterday with plenty of time to catch up with my fashion crowd. Flavoursome dance act Diversity – Ashley Banjo is the face of River Island’s GFW range – opened the show which was, as ever, slightly overlong, but kept the majority in thrall, the carrot of seeing new talent first being ever strong.
Yet again, the creativity of the selected finalists shone, and there were a few ‘wow’ stand-out collections which I loved, notably De Montfort’s Anna Lee’s rich, animalistic prints on velvet and satin, with outre gold laser cut tiger head necklaces, deservedly winning her the Textiles Award, and River Island Gold Award winner Rebecca Thomsen of Manchester School of Art, whose ultra-wearable collection of harem pants, blouses and dresses in muted shades, featured enough ruffle and cutwork leather to keep it the right side of conceptual. Also coveted Northumbria’s Ludmila Maida’s clashing vibrant prints in hankerchief fabrics. Spent some time fantasising that I would own some of these pieces.
For more, I’ve been checking out Graduate Fashion Week’s official online partner Arts Thread, an international online portfolio of creative graduates’ work. Great for inspiration.
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