trend watch: reflections

From the top row: Louise Gray, Peter Pilotto, Giles/Jonathan Saunders

 

One of the trends I spotted at LFW S/S 2013 was the impractical use of reflective materials, be it fragments of mirror, glass or just high-shine fabric. High fashion wouldn't be high fashion without experimentation and wacky outfits. Plus I can see some benefits from wearing a mirrored dress, you could get away without carrying a compact mirror!

These pictures really don't give the outfits justice. Under the heavy lighting of the catwalk, these girls glittered in their reflective garments, see live streaming of Louise Gray to view for yourself. While Peter Pilotto and Louise Gray opted for mirrors to enhance their print-tastic, fun collections (Louise Gray's exclamation mark earrings a personal fave), contrastingly Giles used shattered glass to decorate his stunning dresses. Shattered glass usually reminds me of the all too familiar 'crunch' of treading on a broken bottle of Vodka walking around my inner-city neighbourhood. However glass was somehow made elegant, it could almost be mistaken for Swarovski crystal. Jonathan Saunders sliver, metallic skirt also deserves a mention, a skirt so shiny it could actually cause blindness. Admittedly, I'm not so sure I'll be rocking this trend come Spring 2013 out of fear of looking like a mirrored disco ball, but I still admire the new textures these London designers have implemented into their S/S collections.

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marios schwab s/s 2013

This is the first Spring/Summer collection that has really wowed me. At the risk of sounding like Miranda Priestly, I am pretty sick of the sight of ditsy florals and white minimalism for S/S, hardly ground breaking. Marios Schwab's collection appeared edgy and cool in comparison. Vogue appropriately described the collection as a show of "Amazonian Warriors", armed with black war paint and leather fringing to boot. I can almost hear Tyra Banks screaming from the fourth row (or wherever she's placed now) at how FIERCE these girls are looking.

The first model on the catwalk really set the tone of the collection. A floaty, mesh covered dress with an underlay of red poking through the black sheer fabric. Topped off with black leather fringing and sleek styling (poker straight hair and centre partings), this is masculine chic at its best. It's all about contrasts. Leather accents with soft pleating, beading, and feminine cuts. I really enjoy the cream dress with the hexagon print, even if it instantly reminded me of the 90s board game Blockbusters. Regardless, I would wear this collection in a heartbeat, good one Schwab!

image credit: 1