The London Catwalk Society presents it’s inaugural show at Kensington Roof Gardens…
If the January blues were encompassing all too much a toll upon you, the last day of the month saw a catwalk show with enough atmosphere, beauty and excitement to eradicate any negativity and leave you hoping the rest of the year lives up to such hype. The London Catwalk Society– the inaugural brainchild of Kimberley Melville-Smith – the designer of Innu London – put on its first fashion show at the beautiful Kensington Roof Gardens..
With a rare, raw sense of expectancy and excitement in the air, the show had the pretence and professionalism of a more prestigious and esteemed show yet with a real sense of ‘together-ness’ which is rare within the fashion industry. There was no pretentiousness or diva-attitudes, the atmosphere was electric and everyone just wanted everyone to do well.
Situated in the beautiful roof gardens, the venue itself was enough to set the tone for the success of the evening. Easily forgetting the hustle and bustle of the city below, the beautiful botanical style decor paved way to the show in spectacular style.
I arrived early to check out happenings backstage. After an unexpected time-change from the venue, time was not necessarily in favour, but the hustle and bustle was painted with an excited sense of trepidation. The fabulous live jazz band FosseyTango set up beside the catwalk, live flowers dripped from the ceiling, and a beautiful fairytale-esque stone arch acted as the doorway between backstage and the catwalk.
I managed to grab Kim for a few minutes to ask her how it was going. “The organisation of the show was harder than expected, and trying to organise my own designs as well as every other aspect of the show was a challenge, but a fantastic one.”
And it was true, for despite the expected stress, she was glowing.
I arrived early to check out happenings backstage. After an unexpected time-change from the venue, time was not necessarily in favour, but the hustle and bustle was painted with an excited sense of trepidation. The fabulous live jazz band FosseyTango set up beside the catwalk, live flowers dripped from the ceiling, and a beautiful fairytale-esque stone arch acted as the doorway between backstage and the catwalk.
I managed to grab Kim for a few minutes to ask her how it was going. “The organisation of the show was harder than expected, and trying to organise my own designs as well as every other aspect of the show was a challenge, but a fantastic one.”
And it was true, for despite the expected stress, she was glowing.
By the time show time rolled around at 8, the sell-out show was packed, and famous names such as Liz McClarlon from Atomic Kitten and Tim Carter from Kasabian graced the front row.
The show commenced with the crowning of Miss United Kingdom, the beautiful Carina Tyrell who got passed the crown from last year’s Miss United Kingdom Kirsty Heslewood. Once photo opportunities had been completed, the show got underway, with Karen Karmody, the first designer of the night.
Beautiful glittering gowns and full-length, figure-hugging pieces, Karen’s collection portrayed glamour and sophistication, oozing style and class with a whimsical touch. Karmody often designs the pieces for the winners of Miss England, and Tyrell’s exquisitely beautiful white gown did not disappoint.
Following on from this were pieces by Gomez Gracia- a women’s British contemporary brand that oozes polished daytime chic integrated with hidden erotic tones just perfect for carrying the wearer from day to night. The dresses were littered with beautiful little detailing and contrasting textures, making it easy to see why the designs are favoured with A-listers such as Katie Holmes and Kristen Stewart.
Valour and Valkyrie- designed by Jo- was the third brand to cultivate the catwalk, her designs easily recognisable with trademark chunky black zips, contrasting materials, artisan embellishments and bold sihlouettes.
Following a short break, the final half of the show was opened by exquisite jewellery designer Sonalis Creations. I am an avid adorer of jewellery, and these chunky, statement pieces will turn even the drabbest of outfits into an instant eye-catcher. Sonali Malhotra believes in taking Indian fashion and style to the global platform.
The final designer to take the stage was Kim’s own beautiful brand. Innu London. With her Summer Fairytale collection, the models glided down the catwalk in her figure-hugging, eye catching creations. Beautiful pinks emerald greens and golden yellows hugged in all the right places, before flowing into fantasial shapes along the catwalk.
The show closed with a truly beautiful dance performance from Kim’s sister Samantha Melville-Smith. Her perfect-ballet dancer form and figure twisted and turned into a plethora of breathtakingly beautiful shapes and soft movements- a perfect way to end the evening.
We caught up with Kim the day after the show to speak to her about it the London Catwalk Society
“I cannot believe how well Saturday turned out, we had the most fantastic team Julian Bennett was an absolute star on the mike presenting to our wonderful crowd. We feel blessed that we had the most amazing response, completely selling out in just under 7 days of tickets being online, we had to even cut our VIP list down!!
The idea behind these shows for London Catwalk Society is making fashion shows more innovative with cool live music and entertaining with dance acts. We want everyone to feel involved and entertained as well as watching the new slick designs on the runway.
Our next event will be on 27th February 2015, this is a VIP event with celebrities walking down the runway. It will be held at Kensington Roof Gardens, (inside this time!) we are already reserving tickets for this event although it has not yet been put online!”
We will post details on our social media for you about the next show, but if it is anything like the first, you will need to be quick in snapping up your tickets!
