Fashions Finest Recap…

Written by: Sarah Fox

As a foreigner (pretty much), my favourite thing about London is that there is always something going on. It doesn’t matter the time of night or which day of the week it is, you can always get away from home/work/a bad date with an excuse such as ‘I have to be at a fashion show’ – a sentence that would be laughable back in my neck of the woods.

On Sunday, London took me to Jewel: a swanky little venue in Covent Garden where Fashions Finest were hosting the first of four fashion shows before and during London Fashion Week.

Fashions Finest is basically a platform for those designers who cannot, perhaps, afford to show their collection at LFW, creatives who are new to the business, or even established designers who just want to refresh our memories.

The venue itself was a great choice. Decked out with glittering chandeliers and sultry lighting, it was as perfect a place for a relaxed chat with your girlfriends as it was a runway… so I combined the two and brought along my costume-designer companion, Victoria.

We got there an hour before the show started (no judgement, we wanted to get good seats) and toyed with the idea of ordering one of the delectable platters of food sashaying over to other tables. I’m still slightly salivating at the thought of the neat spring rolls, the tray of edamame peas and pots of mini calamari. Although we decided against the finger-food, this was clearly a blip in both our characters so we promptly decided that we would HAVE to come back for the next show in order to satisfy our stomachs.

The first collection to ascend down the runway was called Aamaa Couture by Aamaa Shul, a label set up in 2009 that aims to focus on fusing modern and African culture. The fabrics are all sourced from Ghana and looked great on the models. Unfortunately I had camera difficulties at this point and didn’t manage to get any snaps, but you can check out the collection at www.aamaacouture.co.uk

I loved the first pair of tailored trousers that arrived; the fit was ideal and the tribal pattern completely changed the aesthetic of the garment. I would definitely wear them and will be on the look out of stockists.

Next up was Bob Afrique (my personal preference of the night), whose designs features eclectic yet edgy menswear. It was diverse, refreshing and focused around highlighting natural beauty, not covering it up.

A pair of harems stretched down the leg to become strips of ribbon-like material covering the calves: tres gladiator-esque.

Blue and green tunics were also picks of the night, giving the allusion of waves on the ocean as they bobbed through the crowds. The boys had their hair tied in ponytails and tight twisted buns, but my best part was when the cravats appeared.

You know I’m a sucker for a bow tie; I get this mental image of Brad Goreski and just melt. I wanted to own each and every tie featured in the show and wear them all at once, and one model even got my dream as he strutted through Jewel in a canary shirt with bows replacing the usual buttons running down the centre of the body. Must get my hands on one of those! www.bobafrique.com

At this point in the show we had a little break as a former X Factor contestant (who I feel really bad for as I have forgotten his name!) entertained us with a couple of songs whilst dressed the part in a denim shirt, sand-coloured chinos and cream fabric desert boots.

Back to show and things started to get a little more glamorous with the vibrant designs by Tina Lobondi. The feminine materials and cuts were different from anything we’d seen so far on the night. The models wore their hair scooped off the face and strutted to Rihanna’s hit ‘What’s my name?’ mirroring the ‘attitude’ of the clothes.

My two favourite pieces were a pure white tunic with a plunging neckline all the way down to the navel. But the slim slit of skin that the fabric did not manage to cover looked anything but cheap and flashy – quite the opposite. The classic designs continued with a stunning midnight floor-sweeping gown with contrasting black lace bodice. It was quite the showstopper, but if I were being picky (and I am picky), then I would have loved to see the dress made from a richer fabric such as velvet or billowing with chiffon.

Another break brought on another performance, this time by a poet (again, the name escapes me. I am BAD at this name-face-recollection thing) but he has a book called Poetry That Speaks For Itself, so I’m sure you can search that at your leisure.

For the final part of the evening we had two more designers. First, a brand that theCool is very familiar with: Me Clothing.

The label began when two friends started to connect their passions of music and popular culture. I see it as being all bout confidence, individuality and A LOT of swagger. I would love to have swag, genuinely, and I even feel like these clothes could bring me a step further to the college-drop-out look and away from my usual heels and cigarettes (that’s the trousers, not the Lucky Strike variety).

The collection had everything from their signature varsity jackets in bubblegum pink to navy hoodies, vibrant red t-shirts and a ‘black and yellow’ look; the latter of which even gained it’s own soundtrack baring the same title. I was quite surprised to see cardigans entering the mix, and they looked great with skinny jeans and high-tops. It was an illustrious, lively show.

Before curtain call, there was still the sophisticated Kamondi Couture; a label circling around sophisticated fitted jackets and tailoring. Each garment was silk lined with an eclectic print, making the clothes exciting, refreshing and very feminine.

I particularly liked a look comprised of a foliage and floral shirt tucked into 70s jeans, and also the tribal-print lines collars and cuffs of shirts. Pin-stripped shorts and cufflinks also made an appearance – all in all, very pretty.

Fashions Finest will host the next event at the same venue, Jewel, on Sunday 30^th January. To come along yourself all you have to do is look out for updates via theCool and twitter: twitter.com/sarahnfox