Anna Baxter - MA Fashion Footwear

Anna Baxter showed a collection of men's footwear at the London College of Fashion MA Showtime Exhibition. This is a finely crafted footwear collection that subtly redefines classic designs with a contemporary twist. Design detailing includes brass sole inlays, tufted and hand shaved fur. The range moves from formal, midnight black, evening shoes through to light, casual, daywear.

Black evening shoe in leather with pony skin tongue and brass sole inlays (below)

Day shoe in taupe leather and brown pony skin with brass inlays to toe and heel tips (left)

Day/evening shoe in metallic bronze leather with dark brown hand shaved kangaroo fur

Asymetric shoe with rex rabbit fur detailing

Leather and suede, concealed wedge with rex rabbit seam detailing

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This is a range designed to appeal to the fashion savvy man seeking edgy statement pieces

Johhny Chin - MA Fashion Footwear

Johnny Chin showed a superb collection of men's footwear at the London College of Fashion MA Showtime Exhibition.

Knee length Derby boot with white horsehair tassel - I must admit that its the flow of the horsehair tassels that makes these for me, at this length they might not be too practical but that's not really what an MA collection is about and they certainly are a sensuous statement.

Pull-on boot with crane embroidery - Traditional Chinese emblems in traditional cross stitch but worked on leather, now that's an interesting twist!

Military boot with unicorn embroidery

Derby Shoe with cloud embroidery - Love the idea of different colour clouds

Oliver Ruuger - MA Fashion Artefacts

Oliver Ruuger showed a range of artefacts at the London College of Fashion MA Showtime exhibition. The umbrellas with exaggerated curled handles and super long horsehair tassels were truly things of beauty that would be a joy to own. A briefcase and bicycle saddle might seem unlikely companions in a display but both were exquisitely crafted and showcased Oliver's range of talents. The briefcase is covered in 'Sam Brown' studs that offer ornamentation as they catch the light but also act as protection for the fine leather skin of the case. The saddles also have a rim of 'Sam Brown' studs and in both cases appendages, which look like black fangs, can be added to the studs completely changing the look of the item.

Hanwen Shen - MA Fashion Artefact

Hanwen Shen showed her collection of 'nape pieces' as part of the London College of Fashion MA Showtime Exhibition.
As a jeweller she has noted that there is a tendancy to focus on forward vision and the wearing of jewellery on the front of the body rather than the back. To challenge this she has created a collection of nape pieces in which the sinuous curves blur the distinction between front and back, neck and hair.




Shown left is; 24k gold collar neckpiece.












Shown right is; nickel and black nickel nape piece

Wei Wang - MA Fashion Artefact

Wei Wang was one of a number of Fashion Artefact students showing at London College of Fashion MA Showtime Exhibition.

Whilst handbags are not exactly an unusual item of focus among Artefact students Wei Wang's innovative use of ceramics most certainly was unexpected. Her use of subtle Chinese crackle glaze gives these bags a visual element of fragility that belies the nature of their solidity. For me these bags are not only unique but also highly collectible.

Saida Bruce - MA Fashion and the Environment

Saida Bruce displayed a subtle range of garments from her Trace-in-Time range at the London College of Fashion MA Showtime Exhibition.
The philosophy behind the work is based on 'Object Interviews'. To quote from the web entry 'Trace-in Time mirrors and accentuates the attributes that people come to love about their clothes. Meaningful detailing and considered silhouettes are formed with strategically placed layers of printed fabrics, intending to portray the physical aging, to communicate the wearers' life experiences. The evolving piece offers surprises that mature and age in time with the owner, thereby creating a direct point of reference to the life of the garment.' - a beautiful way of saying the we should cherish the clothes in which we have been happy and allow them to continue to nurture us as we and they fade and soften with age.

Jennifer Rothrock - MA Fashion Curation

Jennifer Rothrock was one of the participants in the recent MA Showtime Exhibition from London College of Fashion. Although the Fashion Curation students had a very minimal presence at the exhibition Jennifer's statement was fascinating and so I followed it up on the web.

Her research on Mourning, Memory and Memento looks at the significance of mourning in the lives of Victorian women. The outcome of her work is the design for a three room exhibition to create an experience of Victorian mourning through dress curation. Knowing nothing about professional exhibition curation I found the room plans as interesting as the theory behind the work.