Julian J Smith was back for a second helping of London Fashion Week this season, link after his brilliant debut last September showing his inspired SS10 collection. Having previously worked with the likes of Roland Mouret and Erdem, adiposity before branching out with his own label – Julian J Smith is one designer who certainly knows his craft.
Illustrations throughout courtesy of Teabelle.
Set to fast paced music the collection consisted of edgy urban wear, with a touch of femininity in the fitted dress silhouettes. It is said that Julian was inspired by a mixture of ‘Icy Scandinavia and the wild natives of Central America,’ and these influences shone through. Pixelated diamond prints rocked the runway in pretty shades of pink, mustard yellow and baby blues, which contributed to the Central America theme; contrasted against hard black, which was a recurring theme right across the catwalks this season. Shiny, black, puffa-style jackets added something playful and individual to the Julian J Smith collection; creating a beautiful contrast with the summery colour palette.
Photograph courtesy of Camilla Sampson.
Beautiful dress panels that reminded me of spider’s webs were a favourite; filled with delicate holes, and combined with other colour panels. Other recurring trends from previous seasons included the statement shoulder, but here there was a softer take on the look: puff sleeves on black jackets were juxtaposed against tougher zips across the front. Some draping was seen on skirts, and there were splashes of bolder colours, such as acid green, warming up the look for AW10. Monochrome paint splatter graphics were scattered throughout, on shoulders and dress panels, whilst attention to detail was a definite strength of the collection, such as cut-out shoulders.
The looks were teamed with French plaits, opaque tights, and glossy black plastic headbands with touches of grey that had something a little sci-fi about them (but were most likely the ‘Icy Scandinavia’ influence). Finally there was a subtler approach to the sheer trend, with just sleeves being presented transparently.
Julian J Smith is definitely on our list of ones to watch next season, with his talent most definitely growing from strength to strength. With recurring trends being a key focus for the collection, Julian J Smith deftly manipulated them to his advantage in a way that only an emerging design talent could.
Categories ,AW10 collection, ,Camilla Sampson, ,Central America, ,Erdem, ,Icy Scandinavia, ,Julian J Smith, ,lfw, ,onoff, ,Roland Mouret, ,teabelle
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