ROBERTS | WOOD SS17

 

Katie Roberts-Wood, award-winning graduate of the Royal College of Art, presented the debut collection of her ROBERTS | WOOD womenswear label in September 2015, after winning the Fashion Scout Merit Award. In the remarkably small space of a year, Katie has become one of London's most exciting young designers, with her label stocked internationally by the likes of Club 21 and Dover Street Market.

The SS17 collection, presented this season at the BFC Show Space, maintains the delicate structures and ethereal aesthetic that is characteristic of the ROBERTS | WOOD brand. Ruffles and frills of prodigious scale are a predominant feature across the collection, bursting from translucent ensembles of white, navy and peach. Alongside these, dresses of characoal grey fabric are tied with oversized ribbons of the same material to create striking silhouettes. The overall look touches on the avant-garde, yet it remains soft and feminine.

Arts University Bournemouth, Graduate Fashion Week

While studying at Bournemouth University, I inevitably developed an intrigue for the creative goings-on at our next door neighbour, the Arts University Bournemouth. Even after graduating with my journalism degree, I had contemplated following my interest for fashion in a more hands-on capacity than simply this blog, for which the BA (Hons) Fashion Design course at AUB would have been my first option. Perhaps if I had taken that path, I might have designed the cat-print shirts for which I have been so longing.

Thankfully, those who did actually study Fashion Design at AUB know how to produce exciting clothes beyond my not-so-subtle obsession for feline kind. Among the final-year collections presented at Graduate Fashion Week were Aimee Willsher's marriage of science fiction and cabin crew uniform, Holly Marie Anderson's tropical beachwear, and Kelsea Lea's paratrooper themed menswear. Also featured were three childrenswear collections by Sophia Brecon-Smith, Elizabeth Layte and Catherine Thompson.

Further to producing a host of design talent, Arts University Bournemouth are a frontrunner in challenging the fashion industry's overarching yet outdated ideals towards beauty and body image. The university are supported by fashion commentator Caryn Franklin MBE, whose All Walks Behind The Catwalk initative seeks greater diversity of race, age, size and body shape in fashion imagery. Accordingly, the AUB fashion show employed a variety of models to represent the true breadth of UK consumers.

City Kicks

Style and sensibility are two attributes which don't frequently go hand-in-hand. But for the hardened city commuter, the most important style essential is unquestionably a pair of comfortable shoes. Kicks, sneakers, trainers - whatever you choose to call them - dominate the footpaths on a typical London morning, as a sea of black, grey and navy suits teem past with multicoloured feet. Equally so, sneakers are my personal preference for comfort and convenience. Albeit given the only walking I do to and from work is the few steps to and from my car, a pair of my sneakers would do plenty more mileage on a weekend stroll.

Nike Roshe Daybreak sneakers c/o MR PORTER | Formal shirt c/o Hawes & Curtis
Selected Homme slim-fit trousers | Ray Ban Clubmaster sunglasses

If not purely for practicality, finding the balance between a shoe designed for sports and an outfit styled for formality is understandably a tad more of a challenge than, say, picking a pair of formal lace-ups to accessorise a new suit. I believe, however, a pair of sneakers should stand out on their own as much as they complement the full outfit. That's why I love these Nike Roshe sneakers from MR PORTER, in an orange, navy and white colourway that punches from the pavement. Even more so when they're the perfect contrast to the fifty shades of blue in my wardrobe, such as the pictured Hawes & Curtis striped shirt and Selected Homme trousers. Add the comfort and bounce of the cushioned "Roshe" soles, and we have a solid 10/10.

Before the summer, I hadn't contemplated shoe shopping with MR PORTER. However, as one of the top online destinations for designer menswear, their curated collection is enough to make a shoe lover swoon. There's even a dedicated Shoe Guide for the discerning shoe shopper, looking to find - and maintain - the perfect pair of designer footwear. Albeit I needed no additional advice or encouragement when I spotted these Nike Roshes. I wouldn't yet call myself a sneakerhead, but I was seduced. Move over Cuban heels.