A/W 10-11

Michael Van Der Ham has been one of the most talked-about designers at London Fashion Week this season (apart from the unanticipated kerfuffle over Hakaan), with almost every editor or blogger worth their salt, gushing over his super feminine, jigsaw dresses.

I had the pleasure of meeting softly spoken Michael at the exhibition and found him as utterly charming as his collections. Michael told me that the pieces were made using Liberty Art Fabric, vintage material and silks sourced from Italy.

In fact, Michael’s show has been sponsored by Liberty and with the support of Yasmin Sewell, his collection will be stocked there.

Michael’s second show at Fashion East was a flurry of bold pastel dresses created in a palette of fuschia, coral, neon pink navy and grey. He plays with the idea of decontructing dresses and reworking them with juxtaposing weights and textures, creating a patchwork effect. One single dress could include a concoction of mohair, silk, sheer jacquards, satin organza and a cluster of Swarovski crystals.

Each garment has a unique feel and has been created using a range of techniques such as curved seams, gathering and draping. This season, he has also expanded into knitwear, collaborating with CSM classmate and knitwear designer, Morgan Oliver.

The popularity of Michael Van Der Ham’s garments lies in his innate understanding of what women would love to wear. While the dresses are incredibly pretty, they have a quirky, crafted element and sometimes teeter on the borderline of garish. But you just have to look at Marc ‘Ugly Betty’ Jacobs’ success to realise that many of us like our fashion with a good dose of granny prints and colour clashing.

Michael Van Der Ham’s jigsaw colour clashing reminds me very much of Erotokritos, whose garmets are usually accentuated with with quilting, knits and sparkly panels. It also can’t be ignored that Erdem has paved the way for Michael, preparing the fashion world for ‘the new prettiness’ (coined by British Vogue’s Harriet Quick) and helping the revive florals from sartorial siberia.

Even more impressive, Michael Van Der Ham is a one man publicity machine, even handling press enquiries and sample requests on his own. Michael left The Netherlands to work with avant-garde New York label, As Four, then moved to London to assist Alexander McQueen and Sophia Kokosalaki, before graduating from the Central Saint Martin’s M.A Fashion course. With the support of Fashion East and Liberty, he is sure to be a ‘one to watch’ in seasons to come.

Jacob Kimmie’s show was one of the highlights of the Vauxhall Fashion Scout schedule and his collection was certainly the most dramatic, much helped by the spectacular Masonic Temple location.

The self-taught South-African designer’s monochrome A/W 10-11 collection, ‘Pilgrims’ was inspired by modern Aztec spirituality, Inca temples and religious rituals. The delicate ruffles and bright colours of previous seasons have been replaced with a strong, sleek and forceful interpretation of femininity.

The first section showed long, draped dresses with cut-away panels, ‘primitive’ pleats and faux layering – all in a palette of black. With plunging necklines and major leg splits, the dresses take on an unusual ‘seductive Puritan’ image.

Then came short, knife-pleat tunics with sequinned snoods and the most covetable, luxurious chunky knit, hooded coat (labelling it a cardigan seems like a big understatement). Some dresses were shadowed with veils of black tulle, giving the impression of a dark, serious bride.

The next phase was all about cream with pristine, linear wool coats adored with sumptuous feathers. Kimmie combined the ‘pilgrim’ influence with 60s minimalism, showing sober, sculptural dresses with long sleeves and luxurious draping.

The monochrome styling added to the dramatic effect, with the designer adding black cotton or sheer white tights and bare legs to transform the look. The models’ hair was scraped back into a plaited bun (another ‘primitive’ reference) and the make-up was all about heavy, black eyes, flawless skin and nude lips.

The finale saw a model in an intricately embellished silk and tulle bridal dress, carrying….a baby!! I know there’s been a lot of raised eyebrows over press and buyers bringing their kids to London Fashion Week, but this tiny tot actually made its way onto the catwalk.

Carried royally in a bespoke white leather harness, the baby was blissfully unfazed by the tribal drum music and stern-looking models, and seemed to be having a jolly old time.

Unless Jacob Kimmie is answering a calling for designing baby wear, which I very much doubt, I’d say that the presence of le bébé is rather a statement on concepts of pre-marital purity and religious ritual. This was probably lost on most of the crowd, as everyone seemed elated to see such a little cutie pie on the catwalk…and why not?

One of the most striking parts of the collection was the laser-cut leather masks and necklaces. Jacob Kimmie collaborated with leather artist, Ginta Siceva on the accessories and her incredible designs were on display at the LFW exhibition in Somerset House. Leather gloves were supplied by Aspinals of London and after the show, everyone was talking about those chunky knit arm warmers!

Jacob Kimmie’s work seems to be getting more conceptual and his A/W 10-11 collection has a much stronger impact than past seasons. It really is an exceptional collection, as it is simultaneously aggressive and romantic, striking and unified.

Kimmie has simplified certain aspects like colour and ornamentation and concentrated on texture and precision tailoring. By becoming more focused, his garments have adopted a new sophistication and significance.

All photos: JacobKimmie.com

werwerwer

Michael Van Der Ham’s A/W 10-11 Liberty loveliness!

LFW Day Two: Jacob Kimmie at Vauxhall Fashion Scout