Mary Katrantzou's Wild 2014 F/W Collection Is A Big Departure for The Greek Designer.

When I first introduced you to fashion designer Mary Katrantzou in 2008 - 2009, she had barely broken into the fashion world. At that time her clothes had printed textiles which emulated chunky jewelry and perfume bottles and were accompanied by jewelry of her own design:


In 2011 I showed you that Mary's work had progressed to combine her digitally printed textiles with lots of embellishments and structured shapes inspired by home decor. Again, her own chunky jewelry was incorporated in to the collection:


As time passed, Mary simplified her designs in terms of silhouettes and materials, but mainly stayed with the photographic textiles as recently as her 2014 Spring/ Summer Collection. You will notice her jewelry designs seem to have disappeared from her work:


Mary is currently best known for her bright figure hugging dresses with digitally printed landscapes, like those shown below:


Now, considered one of the top designers in fashion, her work has continued to evolve.

Mary Katrantzou Fall/Winter 2014 Collection:



In a big change from her usual digitally printed textiles, the 2014 Fall/Winter collection from Mary Katrantzou is a very tactile, highly embellished and unique collection. The silhouettes are a big departure from her previous collections, fabrics are varied and mixed (even patches are woven together to create a textile) and the imagery shifts from photographic and cheerful to a darker, more serious, three dimensional style. Pleats, asymmetry, applique patches and metal hardware embellishes the collection.



Here's a look at a few of the more unusual pieces from the collection which debuted this week in London:













Mary Katrantzou

Darth Vader Appears At London Fashion Week - On Dresses and Blouses By Preen.

In the Fall/Winter 2014 Ready-To-Wear collection from Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, there was an unexpected appearance from Luke's Father on the runway during London's Fashion Week. The image of Darth Vader's head was integrated into 7 pieces from the new collection, appearing printed on geometric print dresses, atop dark busy patterns and on one crisp white blouse amongst the orange, lace, knits, furs and metallics in the rest of the collection.

My Little Pony + Origami = Fred Butler's Womenswear for Autumn Winter 2012.

Accessories designer and prop stylist Fred Butler just showed her latest collection at London Fashion Week. Crazy and colorful, it pushes the envelope with fashions and accessories I'd never consider wearing, but might make great props and styling for an editorial or event. With wacky origami-like structured textiles and colorful knitware, it's a bit like My Little Pony meets Fractals.








The following designer profile and interview is courtesy of London Fashion Week

Designer name: Fred Butler

Origin: Colchester, Essex, England.

Career highlight: “Winning New Gen sponsorship!”

Design background: Fred studied at the University of Brighton and worked with Shona Heath and As FOUR (New York), before setting up her own label.

What are your design signatures? “Wearable sculpture, intricate textures, material manipulation, graphic shape and pattern, strong colour contrast with black and white highlights, iridescence and metallics.”

How would you describe the Fred Butler woman? “Anyone who enjoys enhancing their look with an exciting addition to an outfit.”

Three autumn/winter 2012 inspirations: “Getting cosy, quilting and layering.”

What does 2012 hold for your brand? “Spreading the colour further.”

What is your favourite decade in fashion? “The sixties.”

Where do you go in London to seek artistic inspiration? “I go to my yoga class because it's a chance to switch off; that's when I find my inspiration.”


above: fashion and accessories designer Fred Butler (photo by Mishkin)

www.fredbutlerstyle.com
83-84 Berwick Street
London
W1F 8TS

Making Scents Of Fashion: Meet Mary Katrantzou

Chances are you are not yet familiar with Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou. But you will be. Her third collection, a Ready-To-Wear line for Autumn and Winter 2009/10 is both unique and beautiful and sure to get her lots of attention.