The final afternoon of London Fashion Week was the perfect moment to entice the weary fashion press to Kettners and ply them with passion fruit bellinis. Not that the cocktails were the only things that enticed us - we were also there to see the A/W 2013 presentation of Ostwald Helgason.
Online boutique Moda Operandi, who have long championed the brand, hosted the event and, fresh from the front row, its artistic director Taylor Tomasi Hill was on hand to support one of her favourites. Susanne Ostwald and Ingvar Helgason are the duo behind the brand that generally shows in New York, despite being based in London. Were based in Hackney Wick so were 45 minutes away from where were based rather than four hours which is good! Helgason told us.
So could a permanent move to the LFW schedule be on the cards? We would like to definitely do things in London, says Helgason. I dont think we want to give up on New York altogether as its been a really important part of our business. I know it sounds greedy but I would love to do something in both cities all of the time! Maybe thats just going to be my wishful thinking. I just dont like making choices!
Obviously its so important to be showing on schedule with the British Fashion Council and obviously we couldnt have done it without Moda Operandi. Doing one presentation a season is difficult enough for a small brand but doing another one would not have happened without them so were really super happy and super grateful.And then theres the clothes: from the sporty sweatshirts and woven cropped jackets, to the metallic tailored trousers and striped circular skirts, the vibe was cool, relaxed polish. And the best news? The prices are pretty affordable too.
'The whole thing is Little Shop of Horrors meets Fleurs du Mal, so its the really dark, sexually charged world of Charles Baudelaire and that whole drama, reveals Ingvar. But since that didnt really fit our aesthetic, as we havent really been known to do super dramatic things, we saw Little Shop of Horrors one night and we were like, this is perfectly in with what we want to do this season. So we kind of threw that in there and let it take its course. And we had some prints from William Morris, who was a contemporary of Charles Baudelaire too.
As we left Ingvar was being introduced to consummate clotheshorse Olivia Palermo who, if shes as taken with the collection as we were, will be sporting it before the week is out. And, take it from us, you should be too.
See all the A/W 2013 collections and read our reviews.
See what Olivia Palermo has been wearing to London Fashion Week.