Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.04.2012, Blaðsíða 28

RAGNHEIÐUR AXEL
ALÍSA KALYANOVA
prime people Watching
While the Fashion Festival is about
Iceland’s top fashion designers show-
ing off their new lines, fashionistas,
too, show up to strut their own stuff.
The most worn look was a popular
look from last season: black skinny
pants, Jeffrey Campbell platforms
and big coat, preferably made of fur.
That look, which was on repeat ev-
ery night, is getting so boring. It’s
almost as much of a faux pas as wear-
ing leggings with open stilettos. And
fifty percent of women wearing those
platform shoes have serious difficulty
walking in them, which makes them
look like they should be on crutches
or using a cane.
Meanwhile über-talent fashion
designer Bernhard Willhelm gave fan-
cy the finger and dressed like a house
painter in white overalls with a leather
cape, looking a little bit like a char-
acter from an Ole Lund Kirkegaard
book, but with far more sex appeal.
While some might call these
events superficial and self-conscious,
it’s a great time to stare, and fashioni-
stas love to have their ego boosted by
being asked what they are wearing or
having their photo taken. Next time,
don’t be shy to go up to some colour-
ful person and get all the details. The
worst they could say is “No,” and then
you can use your blog to vomit your
annoyance.
28
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 4 — 2012
Fashion | Festival
The Skinny On Reykjavík’s Fashion Fest
Reykjavík’s third annual Fashion
Festival was more ambitious than
ever. The two-day event, which
took place at Harpa, was truly a
fashion feast.
Day one
Day one began with Mundi’s runway
show set in a cold industrial parking
garage in Harpa’s basement. It was a
perfect location for his show, which
started with a short film shot on a
snowy mountain with a hipster explo-
ration group. Mundi managed to tell a
whole story with his models—mostly
dressed in his knitwear with geomet-
rical patterns—by having them carry
props from the film. It has been nice to
see him mature as a designer and he is
definitely taking his design to the next
level of professionalism.
Next up, Hildur Yeoman’s mushroom
sculpture adventure garden was set in
Silfurberg Hall. Hildur put on a wild
show including GusGus singer Daníel
Agúst, dancers, kids and gorgeous
colourful models. As one beautifully
embroidered showpiece after another
came out, and the dancing crowd grew,
I thought how much fun it must be to
wear one of Hildur Yeoman’s outfits and
be part of that wild party. She knows
how to surprise and get the audience’s
attention. Can’t wait to see what she
does next season.
KronKron followed with their can-
dy-like stockings and shoes. They have
a keen eye for colourful prints and their
products are selling to various ages.
The Kalda melancholy line reminds me
of early Undercover Jun Takahashi de-
sign, minimalistic prints and soft silhou-
ette.
Then came Ýr, an emerging talent
with an interesting and dramatic flair.
She gave her models the power lady
aura with a hint of masculinity.
Kormákur & Skjöldur ended the
night with a bang. Designer Guðmun-
dur Jörundsson has a refined but comi-
cal outlook on menswear. Masculine
butcher male models wore tweed suits,
leather items and canes. My old saying:
“there is a tree in my backyard that has
more personality than this model” did
not apply to this group of models.
Day two
Kicking off day two, Ella brought sexy
and slick, embodied by the lady every-
one wants to work with at the office.
She turns day into night in a heartbeat
and probably has her passport in her
pocket at all times because she is going
places. The balance in styling of gar-
ments and accessories was perfect.
Milla Snorradóttir showed off a su-
per cute and quirky line. If Wes Ander-
son were a fashion designer, this is what
he would be designing. She is inspired
by Reykjavík and its landmark buildings
from architect Guðjón Samúelsson. The
show made me want to be a quirky girl
wearing Milla’s outfits and her wooden
glasses, and to enroll in art school.
Birna had the difficult task of show-
ing after two home runs by Ella and
Milla. The styling was a bit scattered,
but there were some wearable items.
Ziska featured black magic and tra-
ditional Icelandic runes. Krummi, the
singer of Mínus and Legend, carried
out a huge animal skull and then went
down on his knees and moaned a mys-
terious mantra. The show was brilliant
and Harpa was surrounded by magic.
REY closed the event with an easy
fit feminine line. Her strength lies in
knitwear and draped jersey. As a young
upcoming designer she has a bright fu-
ture.
All in all, I have to say “bravo!” to the
RFF team for a great event promoting
Icelandic fashion design.

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