Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

As I was writing this, Amelia’s review and photos from the same show popped up on twitter. Fortunately I did not end up unwittingly taking home a mink tail keying and cannot fathom why one would include that in a goody bag. I have to admit that the mink coat slipped past me as well, but bad goody bag gifts aside, here is my review of the show.

The queue was the most disorganized I’ve seen all week but the most amazing guy with a flat cap and matching cockney accent made up for it as he pulled people from the hustle and bustle and ushered them in. His haphazard methods have probably won my favour because I seemed to fit his undecipherable criteria of people who could come in.

I sat perched on the end of a row (always a good place for photos, even if you’re not in the front row), where I had a vantage point allowing me to ogle at two items whilst I waited for the show to begin. 1- Hilary Alexander’s great leopard print leggings on my left (great illustration in Amelia’s write up) and 2- an amazing pair of spike encrusted stilettos being worn on my right.

Without being bland, the Louise Amstrup collection is an entirely wearable S/S 2011 wardrobe (except for the beekeeper/sahara desert style hats). Oversized mens shirts, loose wide-leg trousers and paneled baggy dresses were all great keep-cool-in-hot-sun clothes. She has hit the nail on the head with clothes that are easy to move around in, are made from light fabrics and that look nice – seems simple, but somehow every summer I end up wearing things that leave me feeling decidedly UN-cooled.

Illustration by Kellie Black

Basic mute colours and the occasional shot of dark print made up the palette; the creams, pale yellows, blues (I refuse to say baby blue) and light pinks created a subtle but not ice creamy feel. From the press release I have learnt that this reflects the collections attempt to marry together Sissy Spacek’s innocence in the film Badlands (1973)with Marriane Sagebrecht’s character in Bagdad Café (1987). So, a mixture of feminine darkness and purity. The second theme of a traveller in the desert was most evident with the dark print (feminine darkness!), which was of thunderstorms and lightning in the night sky. Actually my favourite piece was the floor length dress made entirely of the print in question.

Illustration by Kayleigh Bluck

The mark of a well established designer is a key technique or stylistic flair evident in all their collections. As Basso & Brooke are notorious for their eclectic mixing of prints, Louise Amstrup collections are becoming increasingly known for featuring rather well placed fabric paneling. The S/S 2011 pieces use panels of leather, framed with frayed cotton, in strips on both the skirts, the trousers and the dresses. Layering too, was used extensively on the skirts, again using frayed cotton edging for a more delicate appearance on some of the lighter pieces.

Written by Florence Massey on Monday September 20th, 2010 9:37 pm

Tags:

Baggy Clothes, Hilary Alexander, illustration, London Fashion Week, Louise Amstrup, Muted Colours, print, S/S 2011, Sissy Spacek, Womenswear

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