LFW AW10: HOUSE OF BLUEEYES, the one you've been waiting for

At last I've had time to sit and do this properly, ladies and gentleman of the whisperatti. I was certainly not going to give the House of Blueeyes a shoddy half-written rough draft of a review. Not after Butters and I spent over three hours in hair and makeup less than 24 hours after landing in the UK post-NYFW. Two and a half hours spent concealing all manners of tiredness carving out lines and puffing out bags across the various regions of my sleep-deprived visage, 30 minutes for the rest.

 

This season, Johnny et al teamed up with Vauxhall Fashion Scout, to bring their message of hope and love to the center stage of fashion week. Whether or not the journos, buyers, and all the rest received said message--jaws dropped and gasps were audible when the fashionistas arrived en masse, expecting, well, something expected and instead were welcomed by us. Essentially, an army of avatars of love, glittery hybrids of the hippy movement underscored by a bit of HAIR meets Jesus Christ Superstar. 

 "Fourty years on since the last Summer of Love our world is in a dark place, we are at war and there is a deep recession and disillusionment with corporate establishments such as the banks. We feel that despite this, here in the west we are extremely privileged to be in the position we are and we need to share love in the world. Welcome  the Revolution of Love Collection to mark the end of this decade and the move to a more positive place," Johnny said before the show.


There were tye-dyed bodies and an afro-wigged love child, wearing nothing but his pink hand dyed undies adorned with butterflies and bumble bees. Ferocious feathered and peace sign bedecked disco divas graced the Masonic Building's arched window-frames, silhouettes standing out like angels of art come to life out of some sort of hand-painted, hand-crafted, Warholic stained glass Cathedral window. Some drifted through the crowd, breaking that normally impenetrable boundary of models and model-watchers, forcing the audience to interact physically with the collection as butterfly faced girls and boys of all colors, shapes and sizes, united by their surrender to color, art and love, served the bewildered guests tea and pretty pink cupcakes in delicate vintage porcelain cups and saucers.

Others lounged on the stage near their creator, Johnny, who was busy painting a portrait of the dearly departed Lee Alexander McQueen, crafting an icon which was ultimately destined to hit the streets in the style of a solemn Catholic Procession (think: Semana Santa) after the show. A parade in memory of the master, from the steps of Vauxhall Fashion Scout to the door of Punk Soho, the HOBE afterparty destination. A runway which doesn't end at the pit of photographers, but who's meaning carries on into the streets, not something many an editor has seen in her day. 

 photo by Paula Harrowing

Thrice we stormed the catwalk in revolutionary defiance (Butters nestled in my hot pink arms), at the top of each hour to the tune of Age of Aquarius--defiance of fashion as exclusive convention, defiance of its inherent commercialism. Anyone watching could take part in the catwalk, and many a runway virgin, blushed as a body-painted mostly-naked yet glowing and glittering Johnny led then by the hand, encouraging: "the runway is for everyone."

Whether they got it, and even if they didn't, after a full day living and breathing the "upcycled" collection (everything was remade or reworked from existing garments), that the revolution of love, the revolution of ART, which fashion, especially with the passing of a visionary such as Alexander McQueen, is in dire need, has at last arrived on the doorstep of Somerset House.


That it is in motion, that Johnny and his team have forced us to reevaluate the role of fashion, of art in our lives in such a world, whether we like it or not, is, in its translation into our everyday lives, much like the philosophy behind the collection itself. Just like the "upcycled" collection, of which Johnny encourages you not to partake retail-wise, but rather, to draw upon for inspiration, to help you revisit the clothes you already have in your closet and inspire you to breathe new life into them, the Revolution, whilst Johnny and the HOBE can plant that first sparkly seed, firing that shot heard round the fashion world, it's up to you to implement its lessons and manifest it in the universe around you.

 Photos by Pat Lyttle: note how beautifully composed they are, some are like portraits shot in a studio and others look like contrived and highly styled photo shoots...but they're not, that's just Pat :)

be sure to check out his website Jstreetstyle.com!

EXPECT MORE GORGEOUS' REVOLUTION AND LOVE' INSPIRED EXPERIENCES TO COME.......

LOOK FORWARD TO BEING AMAZED..INSPIRED & FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF REVOLUTION & LOVE


ART+ LOVE + FREEDOM = HEAVEN ON EARTH

JOHNNYBLUEEYES XXX '