A picnic on Temple Island for B Store

On Friday 19th September amid the neoclassical backdrop of Home House, b Store presented itsSS09 collection. Inspired by a picnic on the secluded Temple Island in Henley on Thames, the collection had a quintessentially English quality. Nostalgic straw boaters courtesy of Christine Bec for b Store, chambray denim smock tops, triple-pleat trousers neatly rolled up to the ankle and cotton shirts all look to be the new indispensible classics for men. For women, the b Store aesthetic continued with its essence in simple, elegant tailoring. High waist trousers, Peter Pan collar shirts, loose check shifts and double layered cotton shorts in a polka-dot-meets-check design were super-airy for spring. Found in a gentle colour-way of navy, grey, blue and white, the range was fresh and light, with highlights of red check to keep the look modern. The collection will be available in b Store next season.

Next up, the SOAR Spring/Summer 2009 collection at Home House

After a champagne interlude, the SOAR collection took its turn on the catwalk at Home House to present the SS09 offering. Tim Soar’s minimalist aesthetic received an injection of print with an interpretation of the classic Hawaiian shirt. Tailoring was relaxed but immaculate with rounded cuts on jackets and volume on the trouser legs, think sashaying sailor-inspired flares and ankle-tapered cuts. The all-in-one is emerging as a new trend and offers a fresh direction for men; from his camouflage boiler suits to the sharply tailored double breasted versions, this is one look that Tim Soar has certainly got the monopoly on. The collection will be available in b Store next season.

POP IN BOUTIQUE

We have collaborated with London’s legendary Selfridges store to launch the b store POP IN boutique on the Selfridges menswear floor. Opening on 17th September amidst the electrifying buzz of London Fashion Week, the POP IN boutique will emulate b store’s individuality. Five handpicked b store designers have been chosen to design a limited edition product for the area, which will be sold alongside our very own b store clothing range. Designers including Siv Stodal, Soar, Ute Ploier, Bernhard Willhelm and Hans Madsen will feature in the month-long POP IN boutique.

Get down to Selfridges from 17th September to soak up the atmosphere and you can even pick up a copy of our exclusive POP IN paper, to coincide with the POP IN store. Read on to find out more…
 

POP IN PAPER: READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Celebrating the launch of our first POP IN collaboration with Selfridges, we’ve produced a limited edition run of the POP IN paper. The newspaper is free and can be found at b store, Selfridges and selected international b store stockists. Fashion shoots, articles on b store collaborators including artists, designers and musicians plus a discussion with Paul Smith on the emergence of menswear at London Fashion Week, are featured. The 40 page publication is a must-read for fans of b store and fresh, young talent. 
 

Jo Cope, the hottest new Conceptual fashion and accessories designer sees the debuts of her forward-thinking conceptual bag installation structure at b store, for London Design Week as part of the prestigious Icon Design Trail.

Jo Cope is a hot new design talent working with visionary ideas which relate to the garment, accessory and the wearer. She translates ideas through various non restrictive means including, product design, installation and moving image. ‘Clearly a Bag’, a conceptual vision of a bag, is Cope’s latest installation making its debut at b Store from 12th September – 4th Oct 2008.

This event will form part of the London Design Week events as a select exhibit for the Icon Design Trail.  ‘Clearly a Bag’ follows the success of Copes debut installation during Frieze 07 ‘Translations of Three’ for b Store, Jo Cope comments:

“I am really pleased that the Icon design trail has embraced a challenging design project which originates from a fashion perspective”

‘Clearly a Bag’ is a conceptual vision of a bag. As a singular design object it has been created to challenge the way an item’s aesthetic familiarity may influence its end design outcome. This design concept takes the defining key elements that makes a bag what it is and configures them in a minimal form, which disregards visual preconceptions. This project is representative of Cope’s desire to make people ‘see and think about fashion differently’; it carries the hall mark of her non frivolous and strong visual design style, seen throughout her work.

Cope’s interest is to build closer relationships between conceptual work and the public, her decision to sell each bag for a seemingly inaccessible price was to push the audiences focus past the bags daily practical application in order to allow them to fully consume its concept.
 
“I feel that the concept boutique environment of b store and there ongoing affiliation with art and design based projects is the perfect setting to push new ideas” Jo Cope
 
Opening night will be on 11th Sept invitation only.

Also see Jo Cope during design week at 100% Design Earls court, stand P93 as part of 100% Futures show.

Log onto www.jocope.com for more information.

Nicholas Elliott
Presented by
B-STORE
24a Savile Row
London
14 April-10 May

B- STORE is pleased to present-- a solo exhibition of installation – The Gates of the Gods by Nicholas Elliott. The show is made up of two installations one named after the title of the exhibition and ‘Prometheus series 2008.

Prometheus one of the Titans, an immortal God of fire, (creator of man) was punished by Zeus for stealing fire, and thwarting his attempt at destroying man which is how he came to be bound and tortured.
Of Prometheus “ Not only did he give fire to humans but, according to Aeschylus, he was responsible for a host of other cultural benefits he taught man to build houses, to distinguish the seasons and understand the signs of the stars, to use numerals and letters, to yoke oxen, to tame horses, to sail ships, to manufacture medicines, to foresee the future, and to interpret dreams and other warnings, Humans previously as helpless as children, were taught by Prometheus to think and see. (Prometheus Bound 422-506)
During the day an eagle would consume his liver only for the organ to grow in time for the next dawn. The piece seeks to reinterpret this myth, the gift of fire by Prometheus to Man is seen to symbolise technology, and in the installation Prometheus is represented as a man-like machine. Prometheus is the culmination of mans technological revolution, inorganic made no longer from flesh and blood humanities complete devolution from Nature. In response we see the battle between the natural world and the machine.

‘The Gates of the Gods’ is the sight of ritual between two spectral skeletons. The piece is an amalgamation of different forms of worship. Shamanic ideas lack the institutional framework and the centralization that other forms of worship have and in doing so can be adapted for any place and time which is apt for the society we live in which bastardisation of culture is rife. The work conveys that death and birth are cyclical parts of nature. The Knight kneels on the back of a turtle shell. The turtle is regarded differently in a number of religions in the Far East, the shell was a symbol of heaven, and the square underside was a symbol of earth and so was seen as an animal whose magic united heaven and earth. In the West, early Christians viewed them as symbolizing evil forces during war and in Greece, turtles were once believed to be citizens of hell.  The Shaman who stands over the Knight is healing or initiating him.  The two crows are symbolic more of the spiritual aspect of death, or the transition of the spirit into the afterlife, although they have long been associated with death and pestilence and as harbingers of doom for there diet of carrion within European folklore. The scarab beetle is an Egyptian symbol for regeneration and resurrection. The installation looks at our western appropriation of variant culture for the creation of our own homogenised belief systems.

On Thursday 13 March b-store hosted the preview of Previous Arrangements, the latest collaboration between photographer Tim Gutt and set designer/art director Shona Heath.

Guests enjoyed a Japanese-themed evening.

The photographs bring together their different styles – Gutt’s minimalism and Heath’s expressive nature - in a series of iconic images that are inspired by a class in Japanese flower arranging that Gutt took at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in Regent’s Park. The clothes used in the images were selected from designer Peter Jensen’s archive, adding an extra dimension to the end result: a selection of breathtakingly strong images that have a cinematic and almost daydream quality about them.

Valentine’s Day hosted Spijkers en Spijkers’ AW08/09 show. A show inspired by Scarlett O’Hara a muse and heroine both strong-willed and dynamic.
The collection was romantic and integrated feminine shapes and textures using bold colours such as gold, red, aubergine and green amongst staples black and cream.
Strong shapes took centre stage with garments such as panelled bell-shaped coats, short wide jackets in silk, and dresses that came in at the waist echoing a strong 1940s silhouette; and classic tailoring elements were introduced in their high waisted trousers, pencil skirts and blouses made of gauze and silk. Their dresses were playful in their detailing; ruffled sleeves, removable collars and embellished trimmings.

The overall feel was one of lightness, strength and vast amounts of style.

b Clothing - Kaleidoscope

b Clothing’s presentation, Kaleidoscope, represented three ways of looking at the same thing. Repetition was reinforced by using three cameras to film and project, and was reflected in the choreography as three models, appearing together, circled the set three times.
Shapes were clean and sharp using interesting lengths, such as trousers ending at the ankle and short biker jackets worn over classic slim-fitted shirts in fun fabrics -including a red and a burgundy check. Accessories featured grey pilgrim hats, white-rimmed circular glasses and some super-slim belts ideal to complete the look.

Carola Euler - Apres Ski

Carola Euler’s show title was Après Ski and took a regular sports collection to an unprecedented level of precision and sexy style. The models and the music were fast-paced reflecting shear confidence and sophistication; and her signature use of detailing was conveyed by the use of padding, folds, and zips. The colour palette of neutral pewter, slate grey, silver and white with a splash of burgundy reflected an alpine scene and key looks included a pair of tailored ski pants and a very sharp corduroy metallic grey suit. A very hot collection to be worn on the coldest of days.

American Psycho hits the slopes

Carola Euler describes her work as strong, sharp, sexy and ironic and if she had to pigeonhole it she would define it as Nouveau Classic, as she is all about re-inventing classics in a modern way.

In her AW08 collection, the use of irony is subtle yet constant: ‘I sometimes worry that people won’t get my sense of humour, as fashion can be perceived as very serious’ says Carola. Her work is continuous - as soon as one collection has been shown, she is already planning the next one often using ideas that she didn’t get around to implementing in the one just gone.

‘Putting a show together is like creating a work of art’ she says. Her themes tend to be based on ideas or fictional characters which she then dresses up. This season she has chosen a rich boy in his early thirties who goes skiing every year and stays at his family chalet. Money is no object, he is arrogant, self-obsessed - in the American Psycho sense - and he hangs out with beautiful people. Although he might venture onto the ski slopes once or twice during the week, most of his time is spent sipping champagne and lounging around is his thermal underwear. Her favourite piece this season is the sweater.  ‘I love their intricate collars, which are technically very complex and sophisticated but look very easy. I like things that are not ‘in your face’ and that are hidden. A lot of my work is like that’. It is her effortless simplicity and sense of humour that have become her signature style and like Helmut Lang, one of her favourite designers, Euler’s quest is to find balance and to know how much you can take away before something stops working.