Cross Your Fingers

Brighton Frocks are currently holding a competition to find a writer for Brighton Fashion Weekend 2009. With much encouragement from Bobby, I sent through my entry this afternoon. And voila. Give me your verdict folks.


"Burgeoning British fashion label, Preen, have managed to encompass all things covetable in the AW09/10 shows into one beguiling ensemble. Cutouts? Check. Body-con? Check. Leather? Hell yes. The only thing missing was strong shoulderpadding which, lets admit, isn't all that flattering anyway. Preen's collection, like many others of the season, was dark; colour peeping through in only a fraction of outfits. A palette that is sure to have pleased the colour-allergic It Girls and fashion editors of today. The Preen muse, it feels safe to assume, was the beautiful misfit who sat at the back of class, smoking a cigarette. Now, all grown up, oh my, how she has blossomed.

With more than a nod to Sean Young's character in Blade Runner, this '80s-reminiscent, thigh-skimming dress hugs the body so tightly it probably has restraining orders against it. The cut and fabric lends a futuristic edge that screams androgony and brings out the Pinocchio in you. Only, in this case, you're not wailing to be a real boy, you're wailing to be an android. The leather chest panels let way to exposed skin and the twist of fabric at the midriff is a style also seen in Alexander Wang's SS09 collection and will be, no doubt, a major trend with girls in the know come Autumn. The tight neckline of the dress and long sleeves help to reinforce the power-woman image and balance out, well, everything else. While it makes little sense, when you throw all these features - generally best left to dominatrix types - into the pot, what you get is a painfully cool, dark, motorcycle riding woman.

If the top fashion blogs and next season's trend forecasts are anything to go by - which, obviously, they are - by the time the SS10 shows roll 'round, we'll be bombarded by bold colours. So, while it's in fashion, I recommend you leather up, strap on the studs, cut a few holes into your top and put some L.A. Guns on. Actually, that's not a bad idea regardless of the fashions."


So, basically, now I'm asking you to cross your fingers on both hands, wishing that I win a beautiful felt hat AND a job reporting on behalf of Brighton Frocks for Brighton Fashion Weekend. I hope, for your sake, that I don't enter any more competitions, or I might ask you to cross your toes too. And we wouldn't want that because then you couldn't walk properly. And when I asked you to come up to the stage during my acceptance speech you wouldn't be able to without looking a bit weird, and that would be sad.