LFW – Fashion Retrospective at Bloomsbury Ballroom

In a slightly different venue for London Fashion Week, Fashion Retrospective dazzled an excited crowd at the Bloomsbury Ballroom with a late showcase on Saturday evening. Being the very first show of its kind of take place during LFW, the event was organised to celebrate fashion and style throughout our past, present and the future. Bourne and Hollingsworth, the creators of the whole event, put in two years of developing the project in order for it to be brought to life.  Alongside stylist Violet Naylor-Leyland, the team put together something completely unique and something the crowds couldn’t wait to see.

The idea behind Retrospective is to celebrate London’s amazing vintage scene, taking clothing from the likes of Vintage Modes, Lucy In Disguise, Violet’s Box and Peekaboo vintage stores and putting it onto the catwalk to display trends that still have not died today.

The show itself started with a video, displaying images and video clips from fashion’s history. A live DJ on the stage introduced the first collection, titled Gothic Beauty. Combining together the 70s, 80s and 90s, the idea behind the outfits was a combination of leather and velvet, mixed with huge feather chokers. Lace dresses ensured a vintage feel and combined with borelos and silk shorts, the garments were oozing a sense of dark romance.

A change in the music brought with it the Monochrome collection. Stating that “black and white never goes out of fashion,” separates with strips, puffballs and bold shapes came into play. Next came a display of Wild!, outfits themed around the forests of Africa. The colour palette changed to browns, khakis and creams. Metallic golds were brought through in vintage skirts and ruffled gold blouses, teamed up with leather hot-pants for added beauty. Fur coats also made an appearance, making the reference to the name of this particular showcase totally suited for purpose.

A series of silk dresses and kimonos introduced Come To Bed, a set of outfits styled from the Victorian era. Lace and silky nightwear teamed with beautifully delicate separates illustrated the height of vintage delights and allowed the models to float down the catwalk.

Last and not finally least was Showcase, a series of completely show-stopping outfits from the biggest names of fashion history.  From Yves Saint Lauren to Givenchy, models walked in dazzling outfits to demonstrate how amazing vintage fashion can be. The past looks from the past 90 years were put together in order to give the ultimate finish to the show.

The party, however, did not finish there. After show entertainment was provided with dancers from past and present eras. From break-dancers to dancers on motorbikes, the Fashion Retrospective team achieved the perfect vintage celebration and we certainly cannot wait to see what they bring for AW13.

Kellie Griffiths

Photos: Martin Evans