Our World Fashion Month brains have just about stopped spinning, or at least nearly. It takes a few weeks for the looks we've gawped at to truly sink in, The street style to be blogged and the heel induced blisters to, well…heal. Amidst all the Fashion Week bonanza and bullshit, spring/summer 2012 does on the whole look like it's going to be bloody brilliant. The trends this season seem to be pretty clear cut, with great swathes of nice, but not enormously memorable drippy tailoring, nudes versus brights and cut panels, all making for great transitional wardrobe pieces.

But what we at TTR really LOVED (somewhat guiltily) about a few stand alone shows from S/S 12 international fashion weeks is the theme of the, err, 'Theme' - or rather, concept collection. It seems some of our favourite designers have been getting their PTA mum hats on, and going all out for a theme this season. Really pushing the boat out, with the effect of a haute couture summer fete. What fun.

In London we had Meadham Kirchoff. A super duper fashion moment; igniting tears in some show-goers and general joy from TTR. Marie-Antionette wigs, Courteney Love-meets-BabySpice dancers, ballerinas, crests of balloons and a early Gwen Stephani explosion of girldom that was so brilliant it hurt our eyeballs. The use of the theme to work alongside the collection; demonstrating it's intensions. The brashness highlighting the beauty. "Its a celebration of girls. Of the ridiculous artifice and expectation of female beauty." says Edward Meadham…"A celebration and disgust of it." What's not to love??

A few weeks later and we hop-skip to Paris, and the queen bee of the theme Mr Lagerfeld is hanging up the bunting and arranging the tombolla for the mama of all themes; the Chanel show. Karl's Under the sea concept did not make it's first appearance at Chanel, for one, TTR favourite Fred Butler gave a beautiful sub-aquatic presentation in London, and many collections mirrored the theme. Chanel's sea, however, looked like it was situated 100 leagues under Hollywood. With Florence Welsh getting her Botticelli on, and pearls and sea shells dripping from Karl's 80+ looks, the collection's luminosity and light made it one of the most memorable of recent years. 

The purpose of Lagerfeld's theme was very different to Meadham Kirchoff's. Although his apparent disgruntled comments on the many designers currently copying Chanel's iconic tailoring, seemed to mirror his departure from some of the more obvious 'Chanel-ly' looks, under the sea was done to compliment and illuminate the pieces, as opposed to make a statement. Its fashion after all, we don't always want a party conference, and Chanel was a pearly swirly watery delight.

After travelling through arks of balloons and a sub-aquatic paradise, we could almost taste the candy floss by the time Louis Vuitton spun around. Last year's Louis Vuitton fetish brothel had us all in a spin… so this 180 degree turn around for this season had almost the same effect. Matte white, candy pinks and yellows, and Kate on a caroussel was so sweet it hurt, sealing the candied looks of Spring with syrupy certainty. 

What we've loved about the themes of S/S 12 so much, aside from the girly swirl of playfulness and guilty fun, is the spectacle. That is after all what the fashion weeks are about. Prancing up and down, screaming from the rooftops and striking a pose. We've all done it to varying degrees, so If Karl can't do it from a huge seashell, we all may as well give up now.

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Posted on October 10, 2011 at 5:19:13 by Alice Nyong