Escape into the Other World

>> Presentations for presentation's sake (or more specifically, for finance's sake) aren't always as exciting as the prospect might sound.  For financial reasons, a lot of designers opted for the presentation format this season, but not that many really exploited it, to take full advantage of the fact that you're eschewing the conventional mode of models trotting up and down a catwalk. 

Last week at Peter Jensen's presentation, for about forty minutes so enchanted was I with the presentation held at the Carlton Terraces overlooking Pall Mall that I completely lost track of time.  Actually, it was speaking to Peter Jensen and his collaborator/muse for the season, artist Laurie Simmons that really took up the time and I'm glad I did because as Jensen explained, there are things that can be a bit lost in translation on the catwalk and that he's glad he can speak in person at a slower pace at the exhibition (Vogue.com have a good set of presentation pics that I far prefer to the official lookbook on Style.com)

From Jensen's collection of Sindy garments, he then came across Simmons' surreal and often subersive use of dolls in her photography work which led to quite an amazing collaboration where Jensen made his collection in miniature and sent it over to Simmons in New York, who then photographed it all in a built set with the miniature clothes super-imposed on live-models. Even in real life, the retrogazing clothes have a slight play on proportion about them that mens that there's a bit more exaggerated volume.  Though I'm never really fond of clothes that references one epoch and one epoch only, I do like that Jensen has made a return to that dream-like and whimsical aesthetic that his clothes have always evoked for me.   

Here's some of my favourite examples of Laurie Simmons' work… best to browse through her extensive online portfolio me thinks… having already collaborated with  Thakoon on prints and now Jensen… I spy more fashion collabs for Simmons…

Oh, and I'm also hoping that Peter Jensen will perhaps venture into homewares and do something with this ever-cut print that he has worked on with Tim Walker for the Dover Street Market installation that went up today… cushion covers, duvet covers and pillow cases…shower curtain?