GRADUATE GALA SHOW
THIS year's
Graduate Fashion Week promised to be bigger and better than before - and it didn't disappoint. Not only were there two gala shows but there were also two winners of the prestigious River Island Gold Award, presented by Victoria Beckham. "Thank you so much for inviting me to do this," she said, dressed in a short black and white graphic print dress, before it was announced that Jasper Chadprajong from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication and Nicolas Thomas from UWE Bristol were joint winners, each receiving Ł10,000 of the Ł20,000 prize.
And it's no wonder the judges - who included Lanvin artistic director Alber Elbaz, sporting a red bowtie and
Harpers Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey - found it difficult to come to a decision. Chadprajong's collection featured oversized hoodies layered over macs and tied around the waists of voluminous trench-style coats. They were functional yet sleek in a neat palette of taupe, navy, orange and turquoise. Meanwhile Thomas' collection saw men's cosy knit cardigans revamped in metallics, spots and stripes teamed with tweed trousers tucked in to smart Wellington boots.
But it wasn't just the Gold Award up for grabs as Lilli Rose Wicks (Somerset College of Design) picked up the Visionary Knitwear Award bringing sass to the traditional craft with her batwing slinky dresses in cream and black and Jessica Clarke (Manchester Metropolitan University) won the Zandra Rhodes Catwalk Textiles Award with her magical meadow-looking prints on easy-to-wear dresses. The Womenswear Award went to Kelly Shaw (University of East London) for her witty retro-inspired collection. One model wore a beauty queen-style sash with 'Miss ASBO' written across it while others donned prom-style dresses accessorised with frilly swim caps, oversized shades and knee-high socks.
Meanwhile off the catwalk, renowned fashion journalists Suzy Menkes of the
International Herald Tribune and the
Daily Telegraph's Hilary Alexander, illustrator David Downtown and TV personalities Sophie Anderton and Louise Redknapp were all sitting front row as this year's crop of students let us in on the fashions they have planned for the future. From elaborate showgirl feather headgear, nipple tassels and body-con cat suits (SarahNowell,Northumbria University), to delicate peacock-printed ensembles (Alexis Gane, Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication) and boom boxes in place of bags (Julia Ison-Steiner, Westminster University), it's clear that Graduate Fashion Week is still brimming with creative talent. See you next year! (June 7 2007, AM)
http://www.vogue.co.uk/vogue_daily/story/story.asp?stid=45240
For now there are only pictures,no info of the winner,i guess tomorrow we will get more news.
