London Fashion Week

Vivienne Westwood Red Label Show and Collaboration with Chivas Regal Unveiled (exclusive with video)

Vivienne Westwood is a busy Dame. Dame Vivienne, that is. The iconic London-based fashion designer is one of the rare few who shows her collections in various cities, including Milan, London and Paris. When Luxist had the opportunity to experience her work up-close on Sunday evening when she unveiled her Red Label Fall/Winter 2011 collection, it was on the third day of London Fashion Week. Earlier that day, her Austrian-born husband, Andreas Kronthaler, Vivienne Westwood's Creative Director, noted, they did a fitting with Helena Bonham Carter for the Academy Awards. A busy day, indeed.

Vivienne West's show was larger than life (see video below). It was presented at the grand Royal Courts of Justice at London's Strand, a gothic cathedral-like setting that was befitting for a designer of Dame Vivienne's stature. The inspiration behind her "Red Label" collection show was Lewis Carroll's "Alice through the looking glass" which evoked a feeling of British society and change. Models wore tartan prints, dresses with mis-matched seams, fantastic oversized hats (designed by Prudence Millinery, some were crowns), over-the-top makeup (including gold-painted faces) and hair styles that seemed to defy gravity. A video of the entire show can be seen on Vivienne Westwood's website.

Bold face names at the show included Jo Wood (ex-wife of Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood), singer Paloma Faith, Boy George, former tenns pro Boris Becker, Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes, and contemporary artist Tracy Emin. All were wowed by the show which was as magnificient a production as the Red Label Collection itself. "I am a big fan of Vivienne's, so I enjoyed the show," Nick Rhodes told Luxist backstage after the show. "She always has a few surprises. She is remarkably good at cutting things. So it has always reminds me of the Japanese, but I think they took it from Vivienne. I thought some of things were really exquisitely beautiful. There was one skirt and blouse toward the end that was quite classical. It was a black skirt with a white blouse that I thought was just exquisite---beautiful."

Former pro tennis player Boris Becker was equally impressed with the collection. "I thought, as always, she was spectacular with the different designs and the makeup--one girl was golden," Becker told Luxist. "Her creativity never stops. The Royal Court of Justice is a unique location with a very long runway. The girls did have to walk a long time, but nobody faulted and everyone did a good job."

Gallery: Vivienne Westwood's Red Label Fall 2011 Collection

Vivienne Westwood Red Label Collection Fall/Winter 2011

Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran backstage at the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Collection show

Chivas Regal 18 Year Old by Vivienne Westwood

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Livestreaming the Burberry Show From London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We aren't in London for Fashion Week but we can bring a little of it to you, livestreaming the the Burberry A/W 2011 show today. The runway event features not only Burberry clothing but Burberry Beauty cosmetics will be used to create complementary looks. Enjoy the show.

Tags: burberry, london fashion week

Grosvenor House Sold To Indian Billionaire

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

At the start of 2010 we heard that the Royal Bank of Scotland was interested in selling London's Grosvenor House, now as the year closes it appears that the luxury Mayfair hotel is finally getting new owners. The 494-room hotel, one of London's largest five-star hotels, has been bought by a conglomerate, Sahara India Pariwar, owned by Indian billionaire Subrata Roy. Earlier in the year it was predicted that the hotel could sell for between £600m and £700 million but it went for £470 million. The five-star hotel opened in 1929 and became a JW Marriott Hotel in September 2008 after a major restoration.

Tags: grosvenor house, Grosvenor House Hotel, hotels, london fashion week, mayflower

The Fashion Statement: The Flock Hops the Pond

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

New York is still recovering from fashion week and, less than a week later, London fashion week has already come and gone. There's a lot to talk about.

Jude Law sat front row at Sienna Miller's Twenty8Twelve show because he loves her, the actor told WWD. Designer Matthew Williamson also sat front row (Miller returned the favor and warmed the front row for Williamson). Miller, who designs the line with her sister Savannah, sent out lace, embroidery, prints and color designed for a girl on a journey from Mexico to Thailand circa 1950. The collection was inspired by Joni Mitchell's "Don Juan's reckless daughter" album.

Tags: Anna Wintour, Burberry Prorsum, Jonathan Saunders, London Fashion Week, Mary Kantrantzou, Mathew Williamson, Twenty8Twelve

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Masterpiece London, A Summer Spectacle Of Art And Antiques

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Events, Art

Last year we learned that London's 75-year-old Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair was no more. Antiques show Masterpiece Fair 2010 London provides a new place to appreciate art and antiques. The fair will take place at the former Chelsea Barracks from June 24-29 2010 and combines fine and decorative art with premium collectors' items. Joining the established founders of Mallett, Ronald Phillips, Apter-Fredericks and Asprey will be 113 exhibitors from around the world, including S.J. Phillips, Linley, Agnew's, Tomasso Brothers, Dickinson, Holland & Holland, Louis XIII and Andrew Bruce & Bordeaux Index.

London's Le Caprice will have a full restaurant on site. Fiskens will be exhibiting an Aston Martin DB4 GT and Coys is offering a £3 million 1932 Bugatti. Jewels and vintage watches, rare books as well as a wide selection of paintings will also be on display.

Thomas Woodham-Smith, Chairman of Masterpiece London, comments: "As June approaches, we are delighted to divulge some of the key highlights that will make Masterpiece London such an exciting and innovative event. Whether you are an established collector or just have an eye for the aesthetic, the Fair will offer an unrivalled array of pieces united by an excellence which lies at the very heart of Masterpiece London."

Check out some of the offerings after the jump.

[via Art Fix Daily]

Tags: antique fair, antique furniture, antiques, antiques fair, art fair, london fashion week

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First "Naomi for Haiti" Lotus Specials Fetching Big Bucks at Auction

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Charity, Celebrity Design

A Lotus may seem like an exotic supercar, but the superlight British machines never approach the six-figure prices you'd expect from the likes of Ferrari or Lamborghini. But even that can change in the name of good will.

The first three examples of the special-edition "Naomi for Haiti" Lotus Evoras, created in conjunction with supermodel Naomi Campbell on which we reported recently, went up for auction during London Fashion Week, fetching prices in excess of GBP 300,000, or nearly $500,000 American. Campbell's boyfriend Vladimir Doronin got his hands on the first one. The remaining five examples are up for auction now at naomiforhaiti.com, with bidding ending on February 28.

Tags: auction, charity, charity auction, CharityAuction, disaster relief, DisasterRelief, evora, haiti, london fashion week, LondonFashionWeek, lotus, lotus evora, lotus evora naomi for haiti, LotusEvora, LotusEvoraNaomiForHaiti, naomi campbell, naomi for haiti, NaomiCampbell, NaomiForHaiti, vladimir doronin, VladimirDoronin

Azza Fahmy Egyptian Jewelry

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

At London's Fashion Week something other than new clothing designs were making an impression: the jewelry and accessories by designer Azza Fahmy were not only noticed but they were loved as well.

Formerly a "British Designer of the Year" and always an Egyptian native, Azza Fahmy has been working diligently with her two daughters to market her unique jewelry designs far from home in Western markets (due to Middle Eastern tastes leaning more towards karat weights and grams of gold than art and creative design). Western shoppers are eating up the beautiful jewelry, no matter the expensive prices ($250 and up), and Fahmy hopes that popularity in the West will lead to better business in the East.

There's always a balance to be had, of course, but I have to say I'm happy to be part of a culture that values art and design over cold hard cash value. She's got some really beautiful pieces, especially the necklace above!

Gallery: Azza Fahmy Egyptian Jewelry