Louise Gray

Louis Gray fall/winter 2010

Louise also studied fashion at Central St Martins. Immediately after graduating with an MA she gained sponsorship with Fashion East – the innovative project responsible for launching the careers of Gareth Pugh, Richard Nicoll and Henry Holland to name but a few – and showed 3 seasons there. Louise’s collections feature an abundance of brightly hued pieces and eccentric Trompe l’oeil embroidery. She reworks traditional stitching and embroidery and uses a variety of hand silk-screening and printing techniques to create her unique and edgy style.

Louise Gray fall/winter 2010

I think what really appeals to me about Louise’s designs are their sheer boldness and the fact that they simply could not be more different from my own personal style. With their OTT detailing and super-bright colours Louise’s pieces are certainly eye-catching but there is also real skill and craftsmanship behind their day-glo appeal. I love the contrast between the simple shapes of the individual garments and their contrasting textures, specially developed fabrics and painstakingly-crafted embellishments. Whilst I doubt you’ll see me decked out in Louise Gray’s designs any time soon (as if my bank balance could even facilitate that!) I can appreciate the care, imagination and individuality behind them and her collections are certainly some of the most enjoyable to look at.

Like the rest of the fashion world, I have fallen head-over-heels in love with hot new Turkish designer Hakaan’s AMAZING dresses after witnessing the sheer perfection of his fall/winter 2010 collection.

Hakaan fall/winter 2010 collection

Hakan Yildirim studied at Mimar Sinan fine art University in Istanbul and begun to make his name in the industry before he had even graduated, managing to win the Istanbul’s Textile and Apparel Exporter Associations’ Young Fashion Designer prize as a student. He launched his eponymous line internationally at London Fashion Week last season and the fact that the show was styled by I-D Magazine Fashion Director Edward Enniful made it clear that it would be no normal debut collection. From the fashion royalty who sat in his front row which included Carine Roitfeld and Kate Moss (probably the two most influential style icons EVER), to the bonafide ‘supers’ such as Natalia Vodianova and Lara Stone who strutted their stuff on the runway, it was obvious that the Hakaan show was the hottest ticket in town. As fellow Turkish designer Rifat Ozbeck said of Hakaan, ‘a star is born’… and judging by the riotous applause that his debut LFW collection received and the excitement with which the fashion industry has pounced on this newcomer, Rifat was clearly not wrong.