Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2010 Catwalk Review: Bryce Aime, Romina Karamanea, Iris Van Herpen

Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte

Time flies past and before you know it fashion week is but a rainy memory from sometime back in February. Gosh, unhealthy it rained a lot didn’t it? And now look at all this lovely sunshine, visit web it just ain’t fair. So here, in no particular order, I offer a round up of the first few shows on Saturday 20th February, to be followed shortly by the remaining ones. From Saturday that is. I’m going slow here. Bear with me.

Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte

Bryce Aime named his show Egyptology but I thought it owed more to medieval battle wear. Or perhaps a re-envisioned Egypt more familiar to movie-goers and more specifically fans of The Mummy franchise, where historical accuracy tends to go the way of a believable plotline – I guess the one begets the other. The show featured strong shouldered shapes, big ruched hips, brusque we-mean-business banded hair and zipped leggings: perfect gear for heading straight into war, (maybe) worn over purple digital catsuits that might feasibly offer camouflage on some colourful alien shores. Though I’m not sure that brocade and draped lamme in coppery red metallics would offer much protection. The body armoured theme reached its logical conclusion in the amazing transformer-like sculpted shapes of the final three costumes, the only ones displayed with pride at the entrance to the on/off exhibition. Stunnin’ they were.

Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte

I caught up with Bryce briefly over at Somerset House later in the week, where he fidgeted nervously as if either a) desperate for a cigarette or b) desperate to get away from me. In a thick Parisian accent he described how he originally came over here to work in bars and restaurants in 1998, before deciding he wanted to study fine art. But he didn’t reckon there would be any money in it, so instead he did fashion at Central St. Martins and graduated in 2005.

The Romina Karamanea queue – I was bored alright. I quite like the lady with a ghost leg.

With a biting cold wind whistling down New Oxford Street we waited in a long snaking queue, guaranteed to irritate the casual Saturday shoppers, to see the Romina Karamanea show in the Runway Nightclub. I really couldn’t work out if this name was for real! Is it? Anyone? We were eventually guided into a cramped venue with early-comers already perched on banquettes, only to be irritated as rows of people coalesced in front of them.

The Romina Karamanea show in the Runway Nightclub.

Here I had my first sighting of baby-leg woman, a young scenester with artfully arranged fashion-forward frizzed out asymmetric hair and tight plaits (and mulitple baby doll legs dangling off every her). Doing that usual thing of looking moody when asked to pose for a photo “what, me? really? dressed like this? quelle surprise!”, she then refused all requests to sit down so that the people behind her could see the show. I mean, c’mon now, how could she? Honestly people, she had some serious extracurricular cardboard hips going on there. Be fair now.

Baby-leg Girl (and sidekick)

Finally the models began to step slowly down the runway, pausing to pose dramatically below the lights and dangling crystals. It was dramatic fo’ sure but because most of the clothing was black leather and it was dark it was incredibly hard to make out the clothes. My notes read: draped leather, cutouts, tailoring, hoods, bell shapes, spiky ankle boots: the overall impression was severe. Not really my thing. Lighten up I say!

Romina Karamanea. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Romina Karamanea by Rachel De Ste. Croix

A Romina Karamanea hairdo – snakey plaits a-go-go. Love it.

Romina Karamanea by Rachel De Ste. Croix

Next stop, I found myself sitting next to stylist Tamara Cincik at the Iris Van Herpen show over in the Freemasons’ Hall. As we waited for the show to begin we gossiped about mutual friends and she commented on what an unfortunate name this designer has. Indeed. But she has trained with Alexander McQueen (god rest his soul) and so has a fabulous pedigree.

Iris Van Herpen by Kelly Smith

Now I am going to feel a little compromised saying this, but I absolutely loved this collection. Iris specialises in cutout leather sculptures that remind me of shimmering sea creatures, christmas trees (in a good way), otherworldly goddesses. There was lots of creamy flesh tones teamed once again with coppery metallics, curling and winding into utterly gorgeous concoctions. But it was also all leather. And whilst I will happily wear leather shoes because I think they’re pretty necessary for practicality and comfort, I am not sure how I feel about a clothing collection that is so reliant on an animal product, even one that is less obviously cruel and harmful than fur. Less obvious being the operative word. I feel a little more research coming on shortly… watch this space.

Iris Van Herpen. All photography by Amelia Gregory.