'The Land Of Os'

Central Saint Martins graduate, Osman Yousefzada creates beautiful architectural designs which have caused much stir within the fashion world. The Afghan-British designer formed the collection for  Fashion In Motion live show which is inspired by the movement of the body.
Here we have an exclusive interview with no frills, as Osman gets straight to the point much like his gorgeous structural garments, about his experience as a designer and how he creates such innovative collections.

Sequins added to Osman's understated glamour

Have you always wanted to be a designer?

Yes, as I grew up my mother had a dress-making business, so I just took interest in fabrics from a young age, all the scraps. I've always liked fabrics.



Muted grey sci-fi ensemble



What was your favourite part of Central St. Martins?

Being basically surrounded by like-minded people, a lot of people with a lot of passion really.

 We loved the collection about the movement of the body...

The pieces fit together beautifully...

Yes, I mean, what I had to do was go through eleven collections because there was about fifty looks that were shown at the V&A, so I think it really helped me identify what I'm good at as a designer. 

The baby doll dress, paired with this Season's hottest shoe, the smoking slipper.

Who is the Woman that you design for?

She's intelligent, creative... I think with the kind of effortless style. She can just put something on, but creates a lot of drama when she walks in to a room basically.

As we'd never be able to choose, what from the collection would you put us in?

I don't know, I think I could picture one of you in the babydoll dress... and one of you in the little grey sci-fi suit.

We thought overall, the designs were minimal in shape but had real impact. Do you have a favourite piece from what you've chosen?

I don't know, there's a lot of favourite pieces. I move on really quickly, I think the babydoll dress. It's thirty metres of fabric, but due to the way it's cut, it's really reduced down.

There's always a little bit of a journey, these are pieces shown at the V&A earlier on, so they come from the last four and a half years. These are pieces that really stand out for me, they make a story really.

THE INTERVIEW: George Lamb

We're sure it's a fact that sometimes, you meet famous people and they don't live up to your expectations. However, George Lamb was definitely just as we'd hoped. He was happy to chat to us over his pizza Express Salad and Dough balls (we don't know how he resisted his bouncer's Sloppy Giuseppe pizza though), and we found that his gentlemanly ways have transferred in to fashion...

So from what you've seen today, do you think girls of Birmingham have much style? We're from Nottingham...

Nottingham girls are quite stylish then obviously! I think your generation are really lucky, my generation, girls it was alright for, there's not too much difference now between the high end fashion and the high street, they recreate and mimic. There used to be a real gap between the two. Topman today, you can find Topman ripping off Balenciaga as they all go to the shows. Whereas before, when I was growing up you'd never wear Topman, it just wasn't cool. Same with Topshop, it was doing it's own line of clothes, but it didn't bear much resemblance to what was going on in the high fashion world. But really now they're doing the same thing.You guys have got it lucky really, as before unless you saved up and bought designer gear it was impossible. I think generally, Britain's looking a lot more stylish than it did 10 years ago.



George on Osman Yousefzada: 'Osman is a real talent who shows true diversity, I was impressed, he's a talented guy for sure.'

Who are your favourite designers?

To be honest with you I've just started a menswear line with a friend of mine, it's called A.Sauvage. We showed a short film we made, 'The Art of DE' (dress easy) at fashion week.

It's a contemporary take on traditional men's elegant tailoring. The cut often is where  traditional men's tailoring will let you down. I've been wearing a lot double-breasted, normally if you ask a guy if they've any experience with double breasted is trying on their dads/grandads on whatever. It's back from when they were cut for really portly guys and so they're shlopping around all over the place. So guys are like "oh i don't like it, it's too baggy"

It's not the reality because you can get a better silhouette with a double breasted if you think about it. You get a really nice line. To be honest, I'm kind of top to bottom in our line everyday.

 You should check the blog out, it's a pictorial blog with various cats wearing our stuff. It's called thisisnotasuit.tumblr.com. I wear a bit of Acne, and there's a Japanese brand called Kolor that I quite like, B-store do great stuff.

It's harder for guys to dress isn't it? There's just more diversity for women.

Totally, we're essentially all selling the same thing, it's a focus on cut and quality.

Do you have a favourite piece from your collection?

There's one I was wearing yesterday, which when you go on the website you'll see.  It's a double breasted cream wool jacket, we call it the Dandy, and you wear it with burnt orange cords. It's quite colourful our stuff, but muted colours, as opposed to pop colours.

So how did you get into presenting?

I was managing bands and it was all going alright, then it was all not going alright. A might of mine just threw me a bone and said come and have a go at this.

What are you most proud of?

I've worked with a bunch of really interesting people, I've been all over the world, I've done some pretty cool jobs, I've got a nice lifestyle, I'm proud of what I've achieved in that perspective, so yeah, I'm quite happy with how it's all worked out.





Birmingham Style Live trends

70s Charlie's Angel

The glossy influence of the 1970s creates our favourite look of the Birmingham Style Live trends.

High-waisted leg-lengthening trousers paired with silk blouses showed that you don't have to be a Charlie's Angel to kick ass.

Romantic Lace

Winter lace made a come back in blacks and creams, dresses remained at mini length to show legs eleven.

Heavy contrasting jewellery is a must for this trend.

Grunge Glamour

Floor sweeping evening gowns create a statement even when covered with the laid back cool of a slouchy knit.

This effortless glamour with an hard edge creates a look every woman wants to achieve.

Leopard Spots

Fashion's favourite animal print was seen against reds and black to give a flirtatious wild side.

Our favourite items were the variations of leopard coats: fur or mac style.

Liquorice All sorts

Blocks of bright colours were juxtaposed everywhere on the catwalk, creating a beautiful bold look. This trend is one of the easiest and makes a nice change to the dull weather of winter.

Dress up box

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. This trend exhibited showing off to the maximum, with luxurious furs, mega heels and sequins all round. Exquisite embroidery was paired with bold colours and big bows.

Boho Poets

Dusty hues and florals presented on paper-thin frocks. Old-fashioned romance  has been revived as long sleeve knits are layered over artist smocks. Dickie bows and knit jumpers were seen under suits on the men, whilst knee high socks were teamed with brogues for the ladies.

Ladylike/All woman

Evening dresses inspired by 1950s full skirts and beautiful floral patterns mixed with modern corset tops. The celebration of curves used emphasised nipped in tiny waists and full hips.

Lingerie

The crowds screamed as the men strutted their stuff in only boxers, all in the name of fashion, of course.

Nicky Clarke's star protege: Warren Holmes

 Warren Holmes

As a break from his career as the international creative director of Nicky Clarke's Salon, hairstylist Warren Holmes returned to his hometown to show Birmingham Style Live how hair on the catwalk is really done. 

Warren told us his mane obsession started when he was a young boy, mesmerised by his mother blow drying her hair. After imitating the action, he fell in love with the way that hair moved and could be manipulated, and by the age of 11 he was styling friends' hair.

At just 25, his ability to create such beautiful looks has already allowed him to work alongside many huge names, such as Chanel, Vogue, Tim Burton, Kate Moss,  and even The Royal Family.



Warren Holmes giving George Lamb the heads up on hair

Warren loves the realness of Birmingham, and made an appearance on stage to share his hair secrets with the public.

Our favourite was that naturally sexy hair is the key accessory to any look.

Warren experimented with textures for the show, creating a contrast between harsh scraped back gelled hair and waves, using a diffused curl brush to create an almost wrong/right look.

For Autumn/Winter 2010, Warren told us that height has been emphasised, and a plaited wrap knot is a key technique to master. However, the the 'hair tuck' style which has been seen on many of the catwalks is also set to be very popular. Channel the Jil Sandler do by tucking your hair into your coat, instant fuss-free chic. 

The side swept 1930s inspired wave appeared on the catwalk

Warren feels that the trends are becoming more about being effortlessly groomed rather than using lots of product for a perfect  glamorous look. He told us that the hair trends for Spring/Summer 2011 will lean more towards the naturally sexy styles, 70's sleekness being key, which involves long long hair with no layers, middle partings and a slight wave. Sounds good to us...

Birmingham Style Live Highlights

 The Harvey Nichols hub

Style Birmingham Live made it's mark across the centre of Birmingham last weekend, for an exciting three day event. We'll be posting everything that happened, exclusive interviews and the best places to be.

 The Mailbox offered goodie bags and the chance to get tips from the latest MAC Autumn/Winter trends. We also visited the exclusive VIP lounge where special ticket holders could take a break from shopping to sip champagne and celebrate over the more than generous VIP goodie bag, which contained a range of the best beauty products. As well as all this, shoppers could seek out the Elemis double-decker bus, which held facials and treatments for only £10!

The Bullring treated the shoppers over the weekend to 'The Show', as the Bullring magazine was brought to life to showcase the latest pallettes and looks for Autumn. The models were styled with makeup from The Body shop and high hair from Regis at Debenhams, as well as wearing outfits from the new additions to the Bull Ring: Forever 21, which is the first store to be opened in the UK, boasts a total of 3 floors of luxurious clothes, as well as Thomas Sabo the glamorous jewellery brand and the much loved Lipsy.

Selfridges also celebrated the style of Birmingham by making the department store the ultimate destination. The store offered a range of exciting events such as a exclusive fashion parade, personally customised Tshirts at Ralph Lauren, and live DJ sets from the latest up and coming artists. From masterclasses in grooming to photographing and shoe story telling to free boxes of Krispy Kremes, Selfridges really impressed us.

With a Starbucks coffee in hand, hunting down the best back-stage interviews



22 models reveal Autumn/Winter trends from over 30 of the best retailers

 The Style Birmingham Live Catwalk was held within Birmingham's Town Hall, with a total of 13 glamourous catwalk shows for the audience of fashion followers to enjoy. We saw 9 of the biggest A/W trends for women from Grunge Glamour to Boho poets, more than enough for every type of woman you want to be. The men didn't miss out on staying stylish either, as each catwalk featured well styled outfits for both sexes. There was also an exclusive collection of lingerie, the crowds went wild as the men strutted their stuff in their boxers.





                                         

George Lamb in his role as the presenter of the event

 

Honestly, we have to admit the highlight of the day was meeting the television presenter, George Lamb.  We loved his style and are excited to write up the interview, as many people have told us they're eager to read it. We chatted about his debut clothing line, his opinions on style, and most importantly, what he eats for lunch.

Osman Yousefzada

Birmingham's own Central Saint Martins Graduate, Osman Yousefzada showcased a collection formed for the Fashion In Motion live shows at the V&A museum earlier this year. Osman answered our questions about the collection, and told us about the woman he designs for, how he made it as such an inspirational designer and even what he has in store for Spring/Summer 2011.



Luckily, we caught the next big name in hairdressing, Warren Holmes, as he takes a break from Nicky Clarke's London Salon for a homecoming to Birmingham. We found that the most important part about this man is that he is genuinely incredibly enthusiastic about hair. He has styled hair on catwalks from Chanel to Armani, and we have an exclusive interview for you about the hair trends featured on the Style Birmingham catwalk, as well as the up and coming hair trends for Spring/Summer 2011.