I write this in the frantic aftermath of a busy work day, typing in one hand and stirring chicken noodle soup in the other,
so I warn you now- spelling mistakes and grammatical errors await!
I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon frantically flailing around London alongside my fellow pack of
Harvey Nichols photographers and stylists, on the hunt to discover the most stylish London has to offer. Sadly
day 3 of LFW wasn't giving us the talent we so craved, and so instead we headed over to the Toga presentation
for a much needed reassurance that yes, London fashion is still pretty good...
Yasuko Furuta as always did not disappoint. Although her aesthetic is generally a little more chaotic than my own,
there was still something about it that gave me that same sense of calamity. Whether it was the warmth and high
ceilings of the St Pancras renaissance hotel in which we were gathered, the live orchestral band or
maybe the collection itself I don't know, but either way there was something there that made me feel I
(at that moment) could just maybe belong amongst the throng of Toga enthusiasts and sophisticated hotel guests in the next room.
With textured panels of painterly brushstrokes I expected the prints through this collection to drastically
overpowered the structure of the garments. How enjoyable then to find that actually I still noticed the elongated
power shoulders of her tunics and delicate sheer trousers.
What surprised me most though is how much I utterly fell in love with the accessories. Never did I think
I'd be the type to flock to mesh trimmed box totes and teeny (are they shoulder bags- are they clutches)?
Who even cares I love them! And who knew foam flatforms covered in what I only compare to fishing net
could leave me in a salivating mess?? Not only was is it this unexpected use of textile, but also a number of other little surprises
in the form of mirrored tiles, pleated organza collars and organic effeminate ruffles that had me circling the room
least twenty times. Lastly and worthy of a mention was the real sense of interaction we had with the collection.
One thing I love about presentation spaces is the real sense of personal connection you have with the clothes
and the models- something the catwalk really lacks. Here the model can gauge the mood of the audience and react
to the camera. It was even relaxed enough for them to occasionally stoop from the podium to direct their
attention to adorable little Sergio (the shoe hunter).
All in all a collection that contains all the elements of a chaotic art installation but with subtle hints of the complex, strong
(and occasionally pretty sexy) woman who'll most definitely be sporting head to toe Toga come spring/summer 2015...
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