London Fashion Week Getting the Proverbial Shaft When It Comes to Models

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

Damn you, Marc Jacobs. The acclaimed designer had to move his show at the last minute — damn you, Hurricane Irene — causing a whole gaggle of girls who were supposed to fly to London Fashion Week to miss their flight. Then Gucci — damn you, Frida Giannini — pulled a cattle of catwalkers to Milan for early fittings, leaving London designers strapped for supers. All this negligent behavior and diva antics has some London-based model agencies threatening to boycott next season’s London Fashion Week if the British Fashion Council doesn’t get its shit together.

Christopher Kane Wins the 2011 BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund Award

Edited by Amanda Gabriele

The young, bright designer Christopher Kane was announced the 2011 winner of the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund Award by British Vogue‘s editor Alexandra Shulman and the British Fashion Council. Kane is receiving a little more than $300,000 to further his already successful business. He defeated very stiff competition including designers Richard Nicoll, Charlotte Olympia, Nicholas Kirkwood, Jonathan Saunders, Peter Pilotto, E. Tautz and Osman Yousefzada.

AND THE WINNER IS: British Fashion Council Awards

Edited by Rebecca Alexander

Christopher Bailey was named Designer of the Year and Burberry won Designer Brand of the Year. Georgia May Jagger was named Model of the Year. Karen Elson presented the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator to Grace Coddington.

London Fashion Week: The Inside Scoop

Edited by Kirby Marzec

 

For those travelers expecting to see dinosaur exhibits and stuffed jaguar carcasses at London’s Natural History Museum this week, they are in for a rude (but pleasant!) awakening. Instead of specimen collections, the museum is home to various British designers, models, press and buyers. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the second round of Fashion Week hits Europe. Goodbye New York…Hello London!

So London Fashion Week isn’t exactly hard to get into (yes, anyone can purchase admittance, catwalk and goody-bag tickets on the London Fashion Week website) but the Brits are whipping up designs just as innovative and stylish as New York Fashion Week.

This year’s London Fashion Week is rumored to have some of the best styles to date. Similar to the New York Fashion week craze of jumpsuits, London’s first day alone unveiled their take on these flight suits. Unlike New York’s distressed denim and pastel colors for Spring 2009, London designers are whipping up looks using loud colors like hot pink and bright yellow.

And for those designers who need an extra boost getting their collection out there, the British Fashion Council has a sponsorship program helping designers promote their looks. New Gen has launched the careers of British designers Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald and many others. Who wouldn’t want a £5,000 – £10,000 cash sponsorship, free utilization of the tents and recognition as a “must-see” designer at London Fashion Week?

London Fashion Week keeps the catwalks bopping until Friday, September 19th. If the Brits can whip up more killer looks (like the ones above), then I am skipping tea and biscuits, grabbing my rain coat and heading to London!