Julian J Smith
Sunday, 20 February 2011 14:45
Who… Where… What…
Saturday, 19th February 2011
Singer Beth Ditto said: “Anyone that does something different all of the time is onto a good thing. I would love the burgundy dress with the panelling – if it comes in a size that fits me. I don’t know a lot about fashion but I know what I like. One thing I love is crochet over black or lace over black, which are looks that feature in this collection. Muting his prints this season has worked. The collection features a consistent use of colour and has a strong story.”
Beth Ditto
Backstage Buzz
Squeezed-in by photographers in the corridors backstage celebrity hair stylist Lyndell Mansfield worked her magic on the stunning wigs that models were wearing for the show.
Mansfield flipped the gothic look upside-down by pairing the make-up team’s pale, powdered skin with vibrant, platinum locks. Once wigs were secured, models were rushed to the wardrobe where stylists quickly buckled them into chunky, black leather, biker-style boots.
Adding to the frenzy, singer Beth Ditto, in party mode, was backstage kicking off her 30th birthday celebrations. Ditto has been close pals with Julian for around three years.
Hanging out by make-up, she said: “The fashion item I can’t live without is my Mac liquid eyeliner. It doesn’t matter what I am wearing as long as I have my eyeliner on.” Ditto, a natural blonde, also shared her thoughts on the models’ luminous hair: “The wigs are fabulous – but it won’t be a look I’ll be copying. I make an awful blonde!”
And that marked the end of another exciting day at On|Off’s AW11 London Fashion Week event.
Julian J Smith drew an impressive crowd to his autumn/winter 11 show at On|Off this season, including American singer Beth Ditto who was celebrating her 30th Birthday that night.
The collection featured contrasting textures of leather, wool, crochet and patent which were layered against a palette of grey, black and blood wine red with splashes of teal.
Huge platform buckled biker rock boots added a harder, gothic rock edge to the look, along with patent leather panels which were used to dissect dresses in the collection. Key pieces included a floor length wine red dress, with printed front and back panels and a textured dress made of grey wool, black leather and teal panels with black crochet overlay.
Julian J Smith told On|Off backstage before the show: “I’m known for bold graphic prints, but in this collection the prints have been muted down. I have used darker tones and the collection has a gothic, twisted feel. I was inspired by films such as Sleepy Hollow and Blair Witch Project. However, I haven't gone too gothic. The collection still features plenty of colour.”
Julian Smith, AW11 On|Off photography: Geoff Pugh
Style Hunter
