Prints Please...

There are two LFW regualrs who for me define "How to do Prints" and that would be Holly Fulton and Mary Katrantzou. Both designers have always been heavily invested in print and textile design from the get go, and this is almost where the similarities end... Although their ethos is rather similar the aesthetics aren't, both seem to specialise in an innovative trompe l'oeil approach but the subjects and execution are from similar. 

Holly Fulton s/s 13

This season Holly Fulton looked to the West Coast for inspiration and style and this was prevalent in the colour palette and addition of swimwear... Far from the trendy, worn-by-Rihanna likes of We Are Handsome, Fulton's printed to pieces were beach ready in an all the more different approach, and for me that was the best way to do it. Early on Fulton was famed for her perfume bottles and art deco inspired jewellery illusion designs and as she has evolved the prints have become more abstract and there has become more of a focus on the silhouettes and pattern execution and I love this. I loved the summery blues, pinks and oranges that were boldly emblazoned all over the models, and it was an altogether edgy take on the upcoming season and nicely devoid of the usual trends, looks and themes that often trip off the catwalk and onto our backs. If there is one thing the high street can take off the catwalk it should be to invest in prints and motifs inspired by these two renegades. In an upcoming season of ditsy florals, and gentle tailoring I dream of bold prints, edgy florals and the joy of Fulton's quirky trompe l'oeil prints... it'll cheer me up and help me forget my woes. I dream of the eclectic and the so uncool it's cool. 

Mary Katrantzou s/s 13

Mary Katrantzou is one of my current faves to pop out of London, I think she is just bloody brilliant! Her approach to print is bold, intricate and verges on the couture like, and this is reflected in her prices. Even better, is that when she created a collection for Topshop she recreated images almost identical to her mainline collection and it was retailed at a fraction of the prices... She has created illussions of lampshades, underwater creatures and antique vases emblazoned onto bodies that have caught the eye of the one and only Anna dello Russo who regularly wears her pieces. For next season Katrantzou relived the idea of childhood holiday keepsakes, and emblazoned floaty silk pieces with stamps, currency and other keepsakes you fill your case with as a kid. I love that her foray into denim wasn't as you might expect, and made slinky flares the centre piece of a Greek-architecture printed sinuous fabric landscape. I adored the flowing silhouettes and balloon like sleeves printed lovingly with images that evoke memories of childhood jaunts to the Mediterranean... I dreamt of olives, deep blue seas, and salty sea air, Vespas and cobbled streets when I peeked at this collection. In a time when we are scrimping pennies ad the weather is crap, a bit of daydreaming via fashion perving is much needed.

 

It was refreshing and wonderful to see these kind of prints being used by designers, as opposed to those usually associated with summer such as dots, stripes and florals. I love a collection that is rather far removed from commerciality, and a designer bold enough to do so. I t has become quite apparent that some consumers love this to, yes classics and failsafe pieces are important in a recession, however if you aren't short of a few quid and you like to make a statement and the Eurozone crisis isn't about to bankrupt you then make a statement. 

Altogether now... "PRINTS PLEASE!"

all images courtesy of style.com