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One of the winners of the British Fashion Council’s 2011 Fashion Forward sponsorship, Canadian-born designer Todd Lynn showcased his razor sharp, androgynous rock-style tailored designs at Royal Ascot for the first time. Eclipse Magazine’s Fashion & Beauty Editor Karen Grace was on hand to grab him for a quick chat:
Royal Ascot is different from your usual rock music environment. Why here?
“I was given the opportunity to participate through BFC [British Fashion Council] and thought it would be a great way to show my designs to a broader age range. I believe that fashion consumerism has changed for the better since 20 years ago. Women in their 40s and 50s now want to wear much more interesting clothes than their mothers could. People work longer, have kids and responsibilities, but they still want to have more fun, and clothes are a part of that.”
Congratulations on your Fashion Forward Award. Has it changed anything?
“It’s great to be recognised and the extra cash flow is good but they are not the main changes I value. The more valuable change is the mentoring by Coutts. They provide advice on finances and introduce you to people who are interested in your designs and want to invest.”
Does Canada have a Royal Ascot equivalent?”
No, I’m sure there are horse races in Canada but all I can think of are the races with horses pulling carts and everyone mainly in jeans.”
[I later looked it up on the internet and found the All Pro Canadian Chuckwagon & Chariot races. Dress code hat: cowboy.]
“I love the idea of the British way of dressing up for events and was really excited when I met The Queen at Buckingham Palace through the BFC industry in 2010.”
Which celebrities have you dressed?
‘A lot! Courtney Love, Janet Jackson, PJ Harvey, Bono, Rihanna in her Russian Roulette video and Beyonce in her ‘Run the World (Girls)’ teaser music video where she is all in white on a black horse.”
If you were asked to design an outfit for next year’s Royal Ascot what would it be like?”Traditional but stepping outside the boundaries. I’d tweak my signature designs by giving a nod to tradition.”
Describe the ideal hat to be worn with your SS11 collection.
“Probably a Stephen Jones or Philip Treacey hat. More constructive and organic shapes rather than soft floral designs.”
Alas the interview came to an end too soon when Todd (on first name terms now) was whisked away for a BBC interview…. however, pictured above are a few of his SS11 collection designs shown at Royal Ascot.
Pictured top left to right:
- Light grey stretch linen blend Venter jacket with pale gold leather panels across the front and shoulder blades. Padded shoulders, diagonal zip fastening with long V-neck collar.Super skinny Sanger trousers in light grey stretch linen blend with exaggerated sculptural leather trimmed slanted pockets.
- Figure-hugging light grey Matthaei coat with high-neck collar, zip sleeves and structural pockets. Fabric is a blend of linen and ticking stripe cotton with leather shoulder panels. Worn here with McClintock shorts.
- Asymmetric concrete grey Mendel short dress with wide darker grey snakeskin panel trim at the top. Fabric – Ramie blend twill and snakeskin.
- Mendel embellished dress in collaboration with jewellery designer Shaun Leane. One-shoulder flesh-coloured stretch linen blend with pale gold metal panels.
- Pale gold metal half jacket also in collaboration with jewellery designer Shaun Leane, Morgan Top, and Baltimore cigarette pants.
The snakeskin skyscraper shoes are Christian Louboutin.
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Karen Grace studied Personal Styling at the London College of Fashion and is Eclipse Magazine’s Fashion & Beauty Editor.
You can read more of Karen’s fashion advice at: www.frumpytofunky.com
For personal shopping and styling services you can reach her via frumpy to funky on contact@frumpytofunky
