Louise Gray
Saturday, 19 February 2011 20:35
Who… Where… What…
Saturday, 19th February 2011
Fashion blogger Susie Bubble, who was wearing Louise Gray, said: “Louise Gray is so fun and her designs always makes me feel a lot happier.”
Start Boutique Owner Brix Smith-Start said: “Louise Gray is fantastic, her creations are so happy, the styling’s crazy. She is so creative putting colours together and tartans.”
T4 presenter Jameela Jamil said: “The show was brilliant, Louise Gray is so bold and exciting. I loved the jewellery and big polka dots. Fringe events like OnOff are incredible. I also love supporting young British designers, they are the heart and soul. British fashion is so exciting.”
Blogger Susie Bubble
Backstage Buzz
Backstage at Louise Gray was a circus. Literally.
Models with polka dot-painted faces changed into the clown-inspired collection and donned larger-than-life gold whistle earrings.
Stylist helped models perform the acrobatics necessary to put on their outfits. The team hoisted girls into the air to then drop them into the spotted knee-high, heeled wellington boots they would later walk down the catwalk in.
Make-up, by James O’Riley at Premier and the Mac Pro team, was playful. Faces were dotted with colourful spots on a simple matt base.
Hair, by L’Oreal Professional, was backcombed, pulled up into ponytails and finished off with square-shaped quiffs.
After grabbing a sneaky peak of all the action, photographers and journalists were promptly ushered into front-of-house to give stylists the space to strap party-balloon headpieces to each model’s head.
Louise Gray’s fun, fresh and frenetic AW11 collection was a riot of graphic colour, tartan texture and layered fabrics. Gray said: “I took a spot, a stripe a check and then played around.”
Tartan checks, which formed the foundation of many of the pieces, came from the plaids and tartans of Gray’s home in the North East of Scotland. Garments were constructed to have a 3D effect, which was core to the collection, appearing on oversized mohair coats with gold foil spots. Layering is also strong for autumn/winter, a red bomber jacket with mohair plaid is overlaid with a pixellated print of plaid.
The shirt is a key piece for Gray’s AW11 look, not worn as a blouse or dress however, it is intended to be the perfect long layer on which to show the effect of Gray’s pixellated patterns.
Gray’s knitwear deconstructed the Aran sweater, with contrasting panels of red and green. Dresses were made from oversized circles squares and rectangles, while Indian beading added another layer to draped dresses overlaid with plaid.
The front row of the Louise Gray show read like a who's who in the fashion world including British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, internationally renowned fashion journalist Sarah Mower and world leading fashion commentator Colin Dowell.
Louise Gray, AW11 On|Off photography: Geoff Pugh
Style Hunter
