To Colour or not to Colour?

To colour or not to colour? This is the question every season at every Stockholm Fashion Week. This year’s Autumn Winter is no exception. I personally love colour because I think it adds so much beauty to the world! So accordingly, my favorite designers this January are the ones who had many splashes of colour!

I love also mingling with designers, photographers, writers, bloggers, PR people. So many interesting stories! As for the street style – this January was a bit chilly in Stockholm so kind of hard to stay super stylish at -10 degrees Celsius! We did our best, however!

Image: Grand Hotel Stockholm

SFW has a new venue since August 2017 – Grand Hotel Stockholm. The hotel was a lovely host and the halls for the catwalks simply beautiful! Spegelsalen or The Mirrors Room is a fairytale gilded room as if taken out from Versailles, inaugurated in 1899. Bolinderska room has venetian renaissance style and some Carl Larsson paintings, the press lounge was cozy and we got to play around in some of the suites too.

So let us see our tops of the top this Fashion Week AW2018.

Naim Josefi

Hands down, Naim Josefi is one of the best additions to SFW! The young designer shows so much fantasy and craftsmanship! The new collection INSECTS had all the fascination – colour-changing garments, beautiful hats like horns, insects broaches in a beautiful, effortless, fairy tale way!

Bea4IKEA

Bea Åkerlund created a fanciful Alice in Wonderland like collection for IKEA – lip shaped cushions, upside-down rooms, cylinder hat vases. Bea is a Fashion Activist and has worked for many years styling celebrities for photo shoots and videos, such as Madonna, Katy Perry, Beyonce, etc. I had a lovely time hanging out in the very secret bar where normally the king and the queen of Sweden go to. I sipped champagne, patted the objects, spoke to Bea and talked to a few German bloggers shipped to Sweden especially for the event.

STAND

STAND presented colourful leather and faux fur collection. Sweeping belts, short skirts, lacquered black coats all combined in a very sassy, rock chic way!

Emelie Janrell

Emelie Janrell wowed everyone in August 2017 with her fanciful lace creations. This collection has all the beauty of the colours cognac brown, orange, plum, midnight blue with the addition of satin, velvet, transparent materials and fringes. The culotte satin pants are re-interpreted in a very cool way so may be something to add to your wardrobe this summer ladies?

RAVE Review and K-OURAGE at Swedish Fashion Talent

RAVE Review had newspaper prints, colourful side cut skirts but best of all they recycle second-hand clothes and work with sustainable clothes! Crocheted dresses, leather cut out pants and jacket, tartans and even your grandma’s blanket have never looked better! Way to go RAVE review!

K-OURAGE stands for…..well, courage – the courage to be who you are, stand for your opinions as a woman. Their garments are made to fit the real female shape – pear-shaped or hour-glass. We loved the attitude!

Rebecca Björnsdotter shoes

Rebecca Björnsdotter has some of the most amazing shoe creations, which adorn the legs of lady Gaga, Liz Hurley, Julia Styles and other celebrities! My fascination is with the jewel adorned heels and have been promised they are super comfortable!

Guest Estonian Designers

Some guest Estonian designers showed at one of the suites at Grand Hotel. I loved the jewelry by Tanel Veenre featuring tiny winged and crowned seahorses, ear berries – wood earrings and lovely colours. Riina Poldroos had brought with her some laser cut velvet and tule beautiful ball gown dresses. I was tempted to buy a dress right there and then!

Image: Riina Poldroos

HI ON LIFE party

Remember Malin Busc that we wrote about last January? She is back with a new collection for her label HI ON LIFE after showed in Milan in the beginning of the month. Teamed up with a tattoo studio for the party – R&B and street wear, plus it was some great dancing.

Image: HI ON LIFE

Johannes Adele

Johannes Adele consists of two parts – Johannes is Swedish and Adele is French. They got together and started their own label and their own republic. French twist. Their collection is tough and vulnerable, funny and sad at the same time. Very French in a way! I met both designers at the afterparty and talk to them – super sweet and lovely people! They had their fathers walk on the catwalk which was super sweet too!

All my old and new African origin friends

I met Andrea a year ago but we started hanging out properly at this Stockholm Fashion Week. Andrea is a Jamaican American photographer from New York and started her own online magazine here in Stockholm to bring alternative perspectives of black culture. She introduced me to some her of contributors and I loved spending time with them!