The exploration of fashion to its highest execution: FASHION CROSSOVER LONDON X Kingston School of Art

On Wednesday the 16th of October the Kingston School of Art MA students took over the impressive hall home to the quintessentially British St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. What better way to celebrate exceptional design talent than in full grandeur.

Twelve designers showcased their work under the historical arches, with each collection setting itself apart from the former, be it through excessive beading, sleek tailoring or dramatic shapes. Driven by Elinor Renfrew and Richard Sorger the Kingston Master students displayed the highest execution of fashion bringing their students to the forefront, and this under the watchful eye of the winner of the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design: Richard Quinn.

MONOCHROMATIC WOMAN

Opening the show in strong monochromatic tailored pieces was Zhengyang Zhao, abstract greyscale prints were scattered across sharply tailored two and even three-piece suits, cinched in neatly with a belt and styled with heavily layered jewellery. Powerful looks for the modern woman.

Emily Clarkson sent down eight power silhouettes exaggerating the hips, strongly referencing the hourglass body shape, giving us strong Balenciaga and Dior 'New Look' vibes. Monochromatic suits were all the rage this year, completing our list of three was Ina Hsu with an effortlessly draped look in shades of grey and cream contrasted with bright pastel accessories, as she played with proportions by introducing wasp-like waists and strong shoulders.

ON WEDNESDAYS WE WEAR PINK

Creating a true “On Wednesday We Wear Pink” moment was the Italian designer Camilla Ceccardi with her streetwear collection comprised of utilitarian outerwear jackets, finished with bold knits and eye-catching headpieces. Her collection even garnered the attention of the eight-legged audience, with a spider who happily walked among the models as they strutted past.

Cheng Cheng came in strong with sequins scattered across her collection, getting bigger with each look, reaching its full potential by attaching metallic coloured spheres to her creations. You could hear the ringing sounds of the ornaments with every strut, paralleling the loud and proud designs. From bright colours to deep jewel tones in a variety of fits, the blush cape with matching bauble mask was definitely the star, or should we say bauble of the show.

Staying in the realm of colour was Alice Horsnell who brought to life the impeccably dressed femme fatale anno 2019. We saw tight-fitting array of dresses in a patchwork of brightly-coloured leather swaying down the runway.

MY FAIR LADY

Move over Queen of dragons, there's a new Queen in town, Sebastian Martin's Queen of Birds. Heavily feathered dressed and skirts were beautifully balanced out with a crisp cape. Whether it was feather-appliquéd from head-to-toe, or there was just one simple feather accessory these eight girls were definitely the prettiest birds in the building.

Christmas came early in Aura Maria Olarean’s collection which featured Plexi-faux flowers adorned on gowns, either symmetrically placed or completing encapsulating the gowns, transforming the models into mermaids, with a touch of Christmas.

From festivities to flowers, as Magdalena Mikulicakova - quite literally - turned elegance inside out, openly displaying stitching and construction structures in her collection of gowns, culminating in the closing look of the show: a blush panelled cage-dress blossoming into lovely petals.

THE DAPPER DRAPER

At the other end of sleek tailoring and meticulously pattern-cutting was Qiuye Pan, showing off her draping skills in a monochromatic palette of whites and blacks, swinging through the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

Taking a more edgy approach, fusing hardware with tailoring was Yusun Lee with the only menswear collection of the evening. He praised contrasts through a juxtaposition of hard and soft brought to life through a fusion of down and denim, or suits and needles.

Nga X Le Pham found the middle ground between sleek tailoring and draping, with eight looks that played with proportions, in muted autumnal hues of forest green interlaced with bright red. Her final collection gave shape to the more feminine athleisure-puffer aesthetic.

Giving a much-needed surge of quality fashion in the calmer fashion months. Each student had their own signature style, from monochromatic tailoring, draping to exaggerated proportions in bright colours and elegant evening wear. The Master’s students brought the highest level of craftsmanship to the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, something we as a platform for young and graduate designer can only applaud! Please click here to apply for our Graduate Talent Programme!

Words by Lupe Baeyens

Images Courtesy of Kingston School of Art