Clothes Show 2010

IDOL attended this years Clothes Show at Earls Court on Friday 25th and thought we'd post up a few of our favs...










Pictures by Bianca Spada

Maison Martin Margiela “20” The Exhibition

3 June - 5 September 2010, Somerset House

‘This is not fashion. Fashion are clothes you can wear and I certainly cannot wear that,’ declares a middle-aged 40 something man, while staring at Margiela’s iconic Tabi boots in disgust. Dressed in a pinstripe suit, looking like Al Capone rather than the next Alexander McQueen, we can be grateful that people like him only manage our money and not our wardrobe.

For the past 20 years revolutionary designer brand Maison Martin Margiela thrives from the production of unique, often provoking clothes by challenging the concept of high fashion and directly opposing popular trends such as power dressing. In this light the exhibition explores some of the Belgian designer’s most outrageous creations through various installations, videos and photography.

Eye catching are not only Margiela’s use of paint on clothes, second hand and flat garments, and his interpretation of the trench coat, but also the signature ‘Incognito’ sunglasses, which maintain the re-occurring theme of anonymity. This motif transpired from Margiela’s rejection of celebrity culture, from which he chose to withdraw early on in his career in order to let his designs speak for them self.

Hence why the exhibition invites to learn more about Margiela’s designs and the brands ethos – from its understated branding, customers private wardrobes, the ‘Duvet coat’, numerous ‘trompe-l’oeil’ and eccentric boutique interiors, but disappoints any dedicated fan hoping to learn about the designer himself.

Maybe in one aspect the man in the pinstripe suit was right: Margiela’s clothes are no longer just fashion, over time his creations have gradually transgressed from shocking to fascinating into a form of art in its own right. His sharp tailoring and classic silhouettes will certainly inspire and influence the world of fashion in years to come.

Sophie Everman

PROUD CAMDEN'S 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY

The hottest ticket in the city this week belongs to Proud Camden. this Wednesday 23rd. Nestled within one of the area’s trademark cobbled lanes, the club is celebrating its second year in its immensely individual setting of the Horse Hospital in Camden’s Stable Market. Promising to give the night an extra morsel of flair, beyond that of its characteristically wild interior, are live guests: Jack Peñate, Lilly Allen, Mumford & Sons, Lauren Pritchard and Professor Green.

In addition to the live acts, the night is playing host to a myriad of the clubs’ regulars, a fully flung burlesque show, with a sprinkling of theatrical vitality from club regulars Horseplay, as well as sets from the resident DJs promise to keep the party going until the early hours.

If the night isn’t already sounding suitably impressive, the club has undergone an entire revamp in May of this year and now comes complete with outdoor glass-walled café, where the melee of VIP guests can relax, take in the scene and indulge in a spot of table football before diving headlong back into the stables. Where, through a chandelier embellished living room, and a Moroccan boudoir, they can take to the pole in one of the private booths, whilst playing karaoke on one of the stationed Xbox 360s.

Not on the guestlist? Don’t panic, the club is releasing late entry tickets to the public, so if you don’t want to miss out, get there fast because this night is set to be absurdly unmissable.

Ben Schofield

Selfridges Crowned No.1 Department Store

This week brings with it the occasion for Department Stores worldwide to turn Selfridges yellow with envy. The regal London store - which protrudes, in its grandly pillared livery and revolving door finery onto Oxford Street – has been crowned the World’s Best Department store. For more than a century, the name has been synonymous with the World’s finest clothing, conjuring glittering images of high-end labels, garnished with a sprinkle of that trademark Selfridges magic. It’s hard to define, is it the setting? The atmosphere? The sheer size? Whatever it is, and I suspect it is a combination of all of those elements, there is something about Selfridges which just makes it sparkle, an indefinable quality that allows you to believe that all things become infinitely better when they come in a yellow bag.

IGDS (that is the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores) seems to agree with the sentiment, championing Selfridges as the World’s Number one based upon its ‘delivery of an outstanding store experience’ amongst many other factors. This one, however, seems to be the catch. It is this elusive quality, the in-store experience, that keeps central London afloat on a sea of yellow shopping bags. For everything feels that touch more special inside the grandiose setting of Selfridges, and that is what marks it out as different, as a vast playground for the fashion conscious it is a steadfastly glamorous solution to any of your shopping needs.

Ben Schofield

Faces of our time

Last week the Atlas Gallery showcased the ‘Faces of Our time Exhibition’ which featured candid portraits of influential people in the twentieth century. All in some significant way have educated, entertained and inspired a generation. From Nixon to Mandela, from The Beatles to Kate Moss, it is as titled a strong portrayal of the rise of celebrity culture and perhaps the downfall of Political prominence. Robert Freeman’s iconic and familiar portrayal of ‘The Beatles’ is still seen all over the world today, the intriguing whimsical photograph of Albert Einstein in thoughtful fashion at Princeton University in 1951 caught by photographer Ernst Haas. The natural and sometimes documentary style draws attention to aspects of the featured people that may have been unnoticed or untapped such as Nelson Mandela’s genuine playful smile whilst still in Prison in 1994, Che Guevara’s arrogant complacent style and President Clinton’s famous chrasmatic style.

Von Von Lamanu

Sony Erisson B-Boys Championships

Q – What is: Raw, Talented and Un-choreographed
A – The Sony Ericsson B-Boys Championships

The build up to this year’s Sony Ericsson B-Boys Championship has been so intense that IDOL has been almost as excited about this tournament as LFW. This is a super cool crowd with the age range from five to late forties. All have one common denominator – they can all seriously dance! These performers wooed the crowd with their body popping, directional foot work, defying gravity, spinning so fast that I was wondering how it was even possible and lets not forget the unique t-shirts and the creative trainers. All of the performers had their street names, some of my favourites were Mid-Air, Spin, Logic, T-Pop and Rokas.
All of the performers that I spoke to were apart of a larger crews with members from all around the world. Take Shuffles(aka Zack) who is 21 from Huddersfield and has been dancing for 17 years (you do the maths) he is a part of a crew called “The Dirty Mother Funkers”– IDOL loves that name. What IDOL also loves about these guys is that they all have their individual tales to tell like Rokaswho, from Newcastle and has won so many solo competitions that he couldn’t even tell me an exact number. There is also Mid-Air(aka Simon Lee) who is 22 from South Norwood, been dancing for 3 years and is apart of “The Soul Maverick Crew” who coincidently were the winners last night. Mid-Air has some serious skills (not that I’m picking favourites) because there was also Ricochet(aka Lee Putman) 21 from Watford who is an illustration student, now if his art is anything like this performances he will be a regular feature on IDOL for sure.
But guys don’t fear, this is just the beginning, the B-Boy World Championship's is coming soon and we have interviews already lined up!!

Triumph Inspiration Award 2010

Last night in II the prestigious Bottaccio’s in Grosvernor Place the Triumph Inspiration Award London 2010 took place. Each Year, Triumph International - one of the world's leading lingerie and shapewear brands - invites over 3,000 young students from world-renowned fashion schools to display their creative talents in a high calibre international design contest.

Under the slogan: “shape sensation” the 20 UK finalists from Central Saint Martins and De Monfort University presented their collections of truly sensational lingerie.

The event, hosted by style guru Nicky Hambleton Jones, accompanied by a live set by model and DJ Ben Grimes, introduced the winning design set to represent the UK in Triumph Inspiration Awards 2010. The award which this year – for the first time - will take place in the metropole of fashion that is London.

Isabella Newell from Central Saint Martins took home the crown with her sophisticated and playful take on lingerie. Her highly innovative designs allow the underwear to act as a separate entity to the body beneath, moving fluidly in response to the wearer and creating dramatic and strong outlines

Aisling Farrell’s design “sacred geometry” caught the public's attention for her use of pure forms and combinations of straight lines and curves. Kate Burreddu of De Montfort University's designs were inspirational for their derivation from the exploding structures of pods, in both plants and insect form.