It was with great anticipation I found myself awaiting Chelsea Rebelle's Monday night's show at Concept Fashion Week. Chelsea Rebelle a label created by designer Sarah Brannon has stayed with me since last season and I'd been disappointed to hear she had no plans to show this season. That was until the team behind Concept stood up heroically…well, maybe not heroically but definitely with chivalry and presented a space..and a 'concept' for designers in LA that were feeling a lost and a little pushed out.
"Yay" I said in a quickly scribed email to Sarah…so it was with this build up combined with the excitement of having some *real* shows to attend thanks to Concept, that I sat down, front row, to see one of my fave Los Angeles designers.
Predictably I was not disappointed. There is something about the 'Chelsea Rebelle' aesthetic that lends itself perfectly to a Fall/Winter collection. Sarah Brannon kept her signature Punk Princess vibe but this season we saw the addition of a sophistication, that perhaps I just haven't noted previously being a newer fan, an incredibly beautiful coat and cape strutted out and it was love at first sight…I'm a huge fan of the cape, and only wish for a colder climate to wear them. The military style jacket was structured but still retained a 'swingy' movement, giving it just enough of a vintage vibe. Very beautiful work and a true testament to the skill of this young designer.
The pants and shirt combo (pictured middle) also caught my eye for many of the same reasons, structured, tailored, modern and sleek are the adjectives immediately springing to mind but look a little closer and the playfulness is still there, the ascot bow, the pleating, the zip detail.
There are two things that remain synonymous with Chelsea Rebelle, for me at least. The Peter Pan collar and the dress (I'm still sighing over the amazing voluminous bow and sparkle dresses from the Spring/Summer season) and they were here again, Peter Pan collared blouses in beautiful sheer fabrics and silks and an interesting twist on tie dye brightened up the looks in the details. I'm particularly enamored with this gorgeous dress (first picture) complete with Peter Pan Collar… so sleek but with that perfect amount of femininity, the finale dress was stunning also, a gorgeously structured bodice floated out into a ballerina meets boho skirt with the tie dye esque print evoking that rocker gorgeousness we know and love.
And yet again I find myself waiting with baited breath for more to come.
Some personal shots from the runway.
Other runway pictures by Volker Correl, stop motion video by Kelsi Smith.
Article by Kelsi Smith