Fashion Week Magic Moments

During Fashion Week, episodes behind the scenes provide the funniest and most memorable moments and images.

On a hot February day just before the Fashion Week shows, Jo Phillips, Editor of Cent magazine, and the English Eccentrics team were sitting in the EE garden having lunch. We all had food on our plates but Jo, who’d arrived late, had a plate containing a Blackberry and a packet of organic cigarettes, which I realised, must be every fashion editor’s favourite lunch.

Jo Phillips enjoys her working lunch

Two days later and we’re backstage at the English Eccentrics fashion show. A cool head, last minute perfectionism and an ability to concentrate are what it is all about. In this photo the unflappable Dan Robson fits a hat with precision.

Dan skillfully fits a hat during our Fashion Week show

Just before the models went on we offered them a small bottle of champagne each: it helped ease nerves before the show started. In fact they became so relaxed that I thought they might never stop talking! All our models were at least 5’10’’ and I imagined these two were discussing the relative heights of the little men in their lives.

My boyfriend is about so tall

After Fashion Week, a good antidote to the high octane experience of cutting-edge new fashion is to go east, which is where we were on Sunday. We started our day at Columbia Road market, where we bought lots of tall flowers.

Once the flowers were safely stashed in the car boot we headed off to Brick Lane. Hundreds of cool vintage shops later and my daughter Izzi found her perfect birthday present; a full circle finely pleated peasant skirt in a red print with rick rack braid. When we got it home, she realised it was in fact more than a full circle of fabric, as the picture below shows.

Izzi's full circle pleated peasant skirt

Back at the English Eccentrics studio we are beginning work on Spring/Summer 2009.
A new season means a new ideas board. Anything in the studio can be a source of inspiration: here is something I pinned to my board which I really like.

A bit of red inspiration for Spring/Summer 09

Fashion is a life lived in the fast lane and slightly in the future, but not as far in the future as Futurologists. In Visions of the Future on BBC4, Dr. Michio Kaku presents his ideas of what will happen in the 2040s, with robots having human elements and visa versa. He asks how will people feel about having lots of artificial content in their bodies? I can think of someone who could help him out there, step forward Victoria Beckham.