LFW AW15 Day 2

I wore Markus Lupfer jacket, jumper & skirt with Mulberry Cara backpack, Sophia Webster wedges & Kite sunglasses
Image by Lord Ashbury

It’s taken me the best part of ten seasons to get my head around the fact that hitting the after parties like a bat out of hell – and by hell I mean that holiday to Zante/Ibiza/Cabo you and your pals took after finals – is not the way to have a chic and successful fashion week. But still, despite my newfound maturity there’s always the odd occasion when an extra nightcap at Soho House, or extended dance off at some random bash the other side of town gets too tempting. This is an especially stupid idea if you spent the previous night sleeping, or rather failing to sleep, on a red eye after an intense week of shows, meetings and evening activities in New York. The Soho House cocktail route was the one I took after the Bond Street cocktail soirées that followed the Sass & Bide show and unsurprisingly, all plans to kick off LFW AW15 day 2 with a health giving run in the park followed by a couple of hours work fell miserably by the wayside. I instead found myself leaping out of bed in a blinded-by-jet-lag panic, grabbing a pair of sunglasses and only just, I mean just, making my first show… Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Emilia Wickstead AW15

After careering in at the 11th hour, I could not have been more relieved to make Emilia Wickstead before it was too late. Emilia is such an incredibly talented designer, and generally wonderful human being, that I would have been devastated not to see her latest creations. They were, of course, utterly fantastic. As far as I’m concerned, no one bridges contemporary red carpet cool with timeless elegance quite like she does. The woman is a maestro of silhouette and fabric manipulation, unsurprising really since she started out with a made-to-measure business. This season’s confections saw Wickstead deftly sculpting delicate hued wools, crepes and organza to create the full skirts, wasp waisted shapes we’ve all come to so love. For AW15 Emilia looked to the dreamy world of Wes Anderson for inspiration, leading her to offer up equally dreamy chiffon gowns, two pieces and pants printed in purple lattice diamonds; marrying pleated tweeds in bright, almost cartoon shades with oil slick black PVC, delectable pastel hues and pops of scarlet too. There’s no fail safe recipe for a killer collection but flawless skill and boundless imagination is certainly a good start; Emilia Wickstead has more than her fair share of both.

Emilia Wickstead AW15

Feeling considerably better after such a beautiful show – swiftly followed by a hearty dose of caffeine – I then felt a bit rubbish once again when I realised how little time I had to fit in really quite a lot. Mad dash number one took us to the Markus Lupfer presentation, which I sure as hell wasn’t going to miss given that I adore the man and was decked out pretty much head to toe in his stuff. In a presentation space bedecked with unpotted plants and white rabbits, Markus presented the kind of collection that makes all time or exhaustion related stress instantly evaporate.

Markus Lupfer AW15

Bold black and white blooms came paired with diagonal embellished turtlenecks (as we’ve established, the only sweater style to be seen in for AW15) while moody hued jacquards in woodland motifs added playful glimmer to bombers – not dissimilar from the lips prints SS15 style I happened to be wearing – zipped up dresses and A line mini skirts. Silver quilted fabrics used for more of the same had a sporty-yet-shiny feel to them, especially when paired with glitter embellished sneakers, while graphic, jagged motifs covering matchy matchy coat and dress combos married Markus’ signature maximalism with a hint of something more sophisticated. The woodland theme extended to a leaf motif that carried across laser cut leaf patterned skirts and one seriously excellent printed parka. As for the flower power Linda Farrow sunglasses? Pure heaven.

Markus Lupfer AW15

Despite having been (sob) in and out of Markus’ presentation in the best part of 3 minutes I found myself missing Julien Macdonald’s show thanks to THE most appalling traffic. This was particularly frustrating after the event as, from what I saw on Instagram then Style.com, it was one of his finest in ages. Still no time to mope, I had another show coming up fast and, like Emilia and Markus, it was a designer I know quite well so being the sentimental sap I am felt particularly like I might cry if I missed it. Then again, perhaps that was the hangover talking. Thanks to Colin and the Rolls we made it to Somerset House with time to spare (which was obviously spent mincing around the courtyard, no shame here) before settling down to enjoy a show from Holly Fulton that was frankly one of my favourites this whole season.

Holly Fulton AW15

Not unlike my own wardrobe, Holly’s world is every minimalist’s worst nightmare and magpie’s wildest fantasy. But what some people overlook is the incredible skill, time and dedication behind her every deliciously embellished, unusually fabricated piece. For AW15 Holly looked to an eclectic array on inspirations; from the louche eccentricity of Baba Beaton to cult 80’s TV melodrama Tales of the Unexpected. The results? A party girl tastic line up of pieces so gloriously, glitteringly, unashamedly decadent I wanted to sing with joy just looking at them. From wisps of chiffon contorted into barely there tops to delicate, floral appliquéd light as air lace and baby pink PVC embellished with gobstopper gems, these were clothes for girly girls who want to party all night and look fabulous while doing so. But don’t be fooled by all that pink n’ sparkle. There is real, serious skill behind the fluff which, FYI, was excellent and came in every shade including green, hugely appealing to my human fur ball tendencies. The detailing on these clothes was really quite extraordinary; delicate crystal spaghetti straps, Tableux printed, hand pleated skirting, fully crystalized multi-stone shifts, sculpted organza blooms and a trompe l’oeil effect fabric crafted from lace trapped between bonded latex and wool. Just thinking about what goes into making this magic happen makes my head spin. The show could perhaps have done with being edited down a look or two but in my opinion, Holly Fulton’s AW15 collection was nothing short of a triumph.

Holly Fulton AW15

LFW AW15 day 2 part 2 coming soon! We’ve passed the 1000 word mark and I made an outfit change (and had a nap) after this anyway.

Love Ella. X