Hot on the Highstreet Week 50

In a variation on the theme of last week’s hot on the highstreet, I introduce to you some of my other favourite highstreet spring collaborations. Get your very own little piece of designer with these much cheaper collections.

Antoni and Alison are a dynamic duo, British designers with a very British flair. Their clothes are quite art-based and sometimes use a ‘stupid’ concept to present garments with silly quirky slogans. I have visited their dizzy little shop on Rosebury Avenue, and was fascinated by it all, a museum of exciting and bizarre artefacts amongst their wonderful clothes.

This season Antoni and Alison have contrived some witty remarks for UniQlo, and together they’ve made some hilarious bright t-shirts, casual and very easy to wear. Bold statements such as ‘I hate my hair’ and ‘I can play the piano’ are used on the front, and there are about twenty different illustrations to collect. I hadn’t noticed this collaboration until I saw my trendy little sister sporting one the other day. If it’s as popular as the Jil Sander partnership I’m sure it will sell out in no time. At the moment there are still quite a few online, buy here (£12.99 or two for £19.99, bargain!)

Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff are the designers behind London’s most talked about, up-and-coming label, Meadham Kirchhoff. The clothes are girly, candy floss tinted with a touch of mystery - ethereal garments unlike any other. The prices are painfully steep though making it hard for most of us to afford these charming gems. Meadham Kirchhoff presents its second collection with Topshop this spring, featuring incredible layered skirts and dresses that are beautifully dishevelled and amazingly flattering. See the whole collection and buy here.

And finally Matthew Williamson has teamed up with charity Too Many Women (raising funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer) to create a fun neon beach bracelet that will be sold in Accessorizes all over the country for £15. Featured in this month’s Vogue.

Dior Illustrated and Matthew Williamson exhibitions at Somerset House

Dior Illustrated is the latest offering on show at Somerset House, in a space previously used for the Margiela show which I enjoyed there a few months back. This is not a fashion show, or a show of clothes, although there are a few on display. Instead this exhibition celebrates the work of Rene Gruau, specifically his brilliant illustrations for Dior. Here we can see examples of how a book cover can alter the way we perceive things, especially in a business as fickle as fashion.

John Galliano importantly said of the artist:

‘To be inspired by Dior is to be inspired by Rene Gruau. His sketches capture the silhouette and spirit of Dior and a new era of fashion and femininity. His illustrations are timeless, ever youthful, ever faithful to the moment he saw; they capture the energy, the sophistication and daring of Dior, and equally are tokens of an enduring friendship.’

Gruau and Dior were great friends and this connection can be seen through the work shown, produced through bouncing off each others creativity, but with a central shared vision. There are certain themes that recur throughout the exhibition: flowers, attitude, line and silhouette. I found this show quite discreet and quietly relaxing to look round. The dainty pictures are hung in one large hall so it is easy to wander calmly without the pressure of a crowd behind you.

The work on display is simple and beautiful, though a little repetitive. Most of the pictures are drawn for the advertising of Dior’s perfumes, seductive and passionate, luring you into buying the scent. There are also some comical drawings for the men’s range, poking fun with risque nudity and suggestive poses.

The final part shows the work of other contemporary artists taking on Gruau’s main motifs. For me this rather ruined the exhibition, the pictures are verging on tacky, completely different in mood to the elegant Dior drawings and don’t fit with the show at all. Why curators feel they must modernise exhibitions baffles me.

As a bonus, afterwards I spent twenty minutes looking at the free Matthew Williamson show. A bijou exhibition celebrating the English Fashion designer's significant influence on the fashion world. It is nicely arranged and consists mostly of bright photographs taken from his first catwalk show or from magazine shoots. Definitely worth a peek.

Dior Illustrated continued until 9 January, Matthew Williamson is on until 30 January.