LFW – Antoni and Alison S/S 2013 collection

Antoni and Alison celebrate 25 years of designing with a British opening to London Fashion Week.

It was 9am at the British Fashion Courtyard, Somerset House and the LFW S/S 13 was opened in true British style by designing duo Antoni and Alison. Celebrating 25 years of designing together, the pair decided not to look back at what they had previously achieved, but to move forward into their new collection for spring/summer 2013, titled New York. Antoni and Alison gave an introduction about their career which allowed the audience to learn about the journey they have been on so far, and what they had hoped to move towards. Referring to their experience to date as a long experiment that had been done in slow motion, the twosome had come to the conclusion that dresses were the answer for them.  

A procession to the left of the stage started by a small band dressed in traditional red outfits allowed the show to begin. A complete clash of music was played in the background but didn’t faze the crowds as they were intrigued by Antoni and Alison’s display of S/S 13 dresses. Maxi dresses were key throughout the whole collection, with designs taking on rendered artworks they had created with their own hands.

Dresses all featured a “handmade” look, with paint splashes, ink markings and spray can spots scattered all over the designs. You couldn’t help but feel a “playful” touch to the pieces, which all added to the celebratory feel of the collection.  Models all played along with streaks of brightly coloured eye-shadow and slick combed hair.  Bold blocks of colour featured on dresses with v and straight necks, with dresses changing shape in order to fit a perfect balance between shades and design markings. The duet wanted each dress to feature half Antoni and half Alison, something that completely shone through.

The band were able to walk the catwalk for themselves at the end of the show, ending the celebration of Antoni and Alison’s work in complete enjoyment to all of the guests.

Kellie Griffiths

Photos: Marco Carboni