SHF At The Holly Fulton Show, A/W 2011

Posted: February 23rd, 2011

Holly Fulton’s A/W 2011 London show, came with the punchy, witty and suggestive title- ‘Kiss me Quick, Squeeze me Slow’ and out of all the shows I saw this season-it was by far, my favourite.

The collection was said to be inspired ‘by the period CoCo Chanel spent in Fulton’s native Scotland in the throes of an intense love affair with the Duke of Westminster’. What I loved about the show was how it was broken down into an amalgamation of different colour palettes, prints and textures and yet every look flowed effortlessly and seamlessly into the other.

The show opened with an array of bold black and canary yellow prints that came primarily in the shape of hand woven tweeds. A 60′s Carnaby street vibe was perpetuated by the 60′s inspired music that belted out, whilst models stalked down in quintessentially English, 60′s inspired silhouettes like embellished shift dresses and shaggy Mongolian fur coats. These chic and functional 60′s offerings then faded into a much harder, rock n roll look which was reflected in a window pane camel skirt in patent leather that was punched with spike detailing. More softer and glamorous pieces then followed in the shape of silk garments that had primarily petrol blue and turquoise palettes infused with 3-D trompe l’oeil prints. And here we saw easy, pajama-style wearing palazzo pants and voluminous billowing evening gowns decorated with crystal, python and patent neckpieces.

Past collections have shown that jewellery plays an integral part in Holly Fulton’s collections and this season was no different. For the 5th season, she collaborated with Swarovski which resulted in a sumptuous and opulent offering of crystal embellishments.

What resonated strongly with me was the cheeky Rolling Stones tribute which presented itself in blown-up lips emblazoned on a floor-skimming maxi dress, voluminous palazzo pants and earrings.

The statement accessories used in this show also deserve a mention as I am sure they are going to be filtered through the fashion retail tunnel, to come out in much cheaper high street stores. And what do we have to look forward to this coming autumn/winter season? Fur and leather clutch bags, shoe boots decorated in studs and spikes and accessories that razzle, dazzle and sparkle.

I also particularly liked the diversity of the models used and thought it added a richer and more interesting dimension to the collection in general.

Here are some of my favourite looks from the show-