Backstage vox pops at Emma Bell

Names: Samantha and Amanda
Occupation: Ex Big Brother contestants

"Oh my god we love Emma Bell. Her stuff is so exaggerated and so colourful. We are so excited to be modelling in her show."

Right:

Jodie Harsh

Left:

Name: Scottee Scottee
Occupation: Performance Artist
"I am actually Emma Bell, but it is fashion's best secret. I am giving this exclusive to you, so don't actually tell anyone!"

Name: Gui Carotti

Occupation: Model
Are you a big fan of Emma Bell?
"Definitely! This is the second show I have done for her. I love her stuff! Last time I did the show I wore these amazing shorts and I wanted to keep them but she wouldn't let me."

Name: Shabnam Naomi Spiers

Occupation: Designer & Medical Student
"Emma Bell is such a breeze of fresh air. The colours are so bright and cheerful. I like to wear something different and Emma Bell is perfect for that."

Name: Mika Doll
Occupation: Club Promoter
"I love Emma Bell. I was so blown away by the last collection I saw. Normally I wear a lot of black, and I'm all about a lot of shimmer but to see all that colour on stage is really quite exciting. She's inspired me to wear a bit more glitter than usual!"

Words: Louise Hemmings
Photos: David Coleman

Interview with Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck, Global Creative Director of Toni&Guy

Sacha Mascolo-Tarbuck, Global Creative Director of Toni&Guy has impeccable hair credentials. As daughter of the Toni Mascolo, Sacha was destined to be a big name in the industry, proving herself in her own right as the youngest ever winner of the Newcomer of the Year category at the British Hairdressing Awards in 1999, and more recently when voted the coveted "Hairdresser of the Year" winner by Hair Magazine in 2008. Her celebrity clientele list is a veritable who's who of fabulous hair: including Erin O’Connor, Helena Christensen, Jamelia, Jerry Hall, Liz Jagger, Sadie Frost and Cat Deeley. As you'd expect, her work has featured in every glossy fashion mag you can think, and (not that we're jealous) she's done shows for Calvin Klein, Prada, Versace, and Helmut Lang.

It's not just the big names though that get the Toni&Guy treatment - we caught up with her backstage after the Avsh Alom Gur show, as she congratulated her Toni&Guy team who are working hard alongside Vauxhall Fashion Scout designers to create the stunning catwalk looks for the venue's emerging designers. "I absolutely love it here at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, they're so professional and every season it gets better and better. It's so inspirational working with new talent. It ticks every box for us as sponsors, we develop and grow with new talent. No question of a doubt we'll continue our partnership with Vauxhall Fashion Scout" said the vivacious, petite brunette. And yes, she does have fantastic hair. Hannah Kane

Catch Sasha Mascolo-Tarbuck on GMTV tomorrow morning as she mentors and will judge on LK's Top Model Competition. Six mother and daughter couples will be whittled down to the final three, the winning duo will win an introduction to ‘Independent’ model agency, a year’s supply of ‘Model Me’ haircare products and a year’s worth of free hair cuts with Toni and Guy.

Image: Katie Coxedge

Interview: Emma Bell

Emma Bell has been busy: whether it’s reading Lord Tennyson poems, learning hand woven embroidery techniques in Asia or - wait for it - saving dogs, she hasn’t had a moment free. “Whilst I was in Asia, I saw so much animal cruelty; they were literally bashing dogs’ heads on walls,” she says, explaining why her latest collection is called ‘I’m saving the dogs’. Bell worked with an artist to allow the canine influence to seep into her collection, with dogs appearing as prints on the fabric.

Bell is renowned for her unconventional choices of models, previously casting from both the street and from London’s club scene. “For me personally it would be too easy to look in a book and say oh I’ll have that one,” she explains, “so it’s more important for me to make sure I’ve got someone who really gets it”. And with drag-queen-du-jour Jodie Harsh, and Samantha and Amanda, the twins of Big Brother fame, rumoured to be taking part in today’s show, Emma Bell is sure to be top dog. Louise Hemmings

Image: Simon Armstrong

Interview with ASOS streetstyle photography winner Sam Hiscox

"A couple of months ago a friend sent me a link to the ASOS streetstyle competition and they suggested I should enter. It was closing in a few days so I fired off an email and found out pretty quickly I was in the final. I spammed all my friends to vote for me and here I am!" explains winner Sam Hiscox. His prize includes tickets to all shows at Vauxhall Fashion Scout today where he'll reviewing the shows for his blog Dayglo-Poster, Brighton's only street fashion blog. The city's varied backdrop and colourful characters combining to create great street style. "I 'm more interested in becoming a photographer but I'm keen to do some writing as well. I'm here today doing a blog for the ASOS website." Hiscox's reviews can be read from tomorrow on the ASOS streetstyle microsite, he's got a natural eye for style so we predict they'll be good! Hannah Kane.

Image: Yumi Yoshinaga

Vox Pops at William Tempest

Name: Colin McDowell
Occupation: Creative Director of Fashion Fringe and Senior Fashion Writer for Sunday Times Style Magazine, Chairman of the Costume Society of Great Britain.
“I thought it was really nice, very sweet, very fresh, very skilled, and I loved the prints. But my car... it’s parked outside and I have to dash or I will get a ticket!”

Name: Jasmine Guinness
“Incredible! As we knew it would be. The colour, the fabric, the print; it was all just brilliant. Such a good show"

Name: Heidi Middleton
Occupation: Designer of Sass & Bide
“We’ve heard so much about him in recent months. We’re very excited to see his collection. There’s just so much energy coming from this city. We are very excited to be here.”

Name: Sophie Anderton
Occupation: Model
“I’m going to be wearing one of his dresses to the British Fashion Council party tonight. I’m going to grab him later to do a quick fitting once the show is finished. What I love is the mix of old Hollywood glamour with the rock and roll influence and even the tie dye. He’s so talented and just such a lovely guy as well.”

Words: Louise Hemmings
Images: Katie Coxedge

Interview with Blow PR Pop Up Show designer: Gemma Slack

Gemma Slack is one the trio of designers that The Fashion Scout caught up with to ask her first what was running through her head before her first show at London Fashion Week. As with the other Blow PR designers Craig Lawrence and Komakino, it was a combination of excitement and nerves - but Slack deemed the last minute rescheduling as a blessing in more ways than one "it means I’ll only be scared for like five days rather than six months."

There are a plethora of influences that have fed into the collection, the umbrella theme however is religion versus technology, and the notions of the protection and solace they offer. These are all embodied by the strong "Joan of Arc-esque" character that she has manifested, a creative process that she has perfected "I decide who it is, so it is not necessarily anyone who really existed, its just this person that I think all the ideas kind of encapsulates, it’s a bit geeky." Like Lawrence, Slack also formed part of the Gareth Pugh elite, the Fine Arts student transferred to London College of Fashion where she honed her skills during an internship she did alongside her degree. "I got a lot of confidence to do that from Gareth...you just get thrown in at the deep end." In ten years time Slack humbly exclaimed "Hopefully I’ll still be doing this...Hopefully I’ll still be making clothes and people will let me have another show." Kelly Davis

Image: from SS09 collection

Interview with Blow PR Pop-Up show designer: Komakino

Komakino will be another of the designers to take the place of Spijkers en Spijkers today at 3pm. The Fashion Scout spoke with Federico Capalbo, one half of the husband-and-wife design team to see how they were feeling about the opportunity to show at London Fashion Week for the first time. "We are pretty excited actually. We are busy working on some of the outfits, trying to sort everything for tomorrow, so a bit nervous." Capalbo and his wife Jin formed the brand Komakino in September 2007, the menswear label draw inspiration from "Soviet and fascist architecture...it has basically inspired us since our first collection."

The political sensibility of the brand is translated into wearable garments, marrying unfinished details with sleek tailoring. The name Komakino may ring a bell, the title of a 1980's Joy Division track the German word means a Cinema of Shadows - "our collection and our colour palette is always black and white so yeah it matched perfectly our concept I guess." When asked where the design duo hoped to be in ten years Italian born Capalbo said they hoped to still be showing in London or Paris, "[London] is more open to new things and open to discoveries and risk. I don’t really want to go back to Italy to work." Kelly Davis


Image from SS09 collection by Kim Jacobsento

Interview with Blow PR Pop-Up show designer Craig Lawrence

Craig Lawrence is one of the three designers who will be showing today at Vauxhall Fashion Scout at 3pm. The slot was originally meant for Spijkers en Spijkers who had to pull out unexpectedly - while we will all be sad not to see the twins this season it will be quite a treat to see the fledgling talents taking their place. The Fashion Scout caught up with Lawrence to see how he was feeling with just over 24 hours before his first show at London Fashion Week. "Nervous, but it should be exciting I think" enthused the Central Saint Martins graduate.

Surely one of the youngest to be showing Lawrence finished his degree in Fashion Design with Knitwear last summer. The follow up to his amazing graduate show, which consisted of giant Christmas decoration-inspired ensembles, is based around cocktails and sweets. The young designer told of the giant cocktails that he used to have on holiday when he was younger and how he was always bedazzled by the colourful, swirly adornments that garnished them. It is this sense of nostalgia that Lawrence draws heavily on "[the collection is] looking at exciting things from my childhood, last time it was Christmas, this time it’s the summer holidays." When asked where he would like to be in ten years time Lawrence admitted that he hopes to be showing at London Fashion Week twice a year, in between times however, he hopes to explore his penchant for performance art, with his fingers in as many creative-project-pies as possible. Watch out for Lawrence's fashion film which will be showing at the BFC tent tomorrow and will also form the backdrop to his show. Kelly Davis


Image: Chris Moore, Catwalking

The man behind the camera: backstage with Ian Gillett

“Everyone is always jostling for the position,” says photographer Ian Gillett, “and yes, it does get tense but the joy is that you do get a position marked out when you’ve been working over the years.” Gillet’s daughter Katie has started photographing the collections this year, but hasn’t yet secured the same position in the photographer’s pit as her father. “She is at the side, but in a way you can almost be more creative by playing with the angles as you’re not working from a dead straight angle,” he admits. So how does Vauxhall Fashion Scout compare to the rest of fashion week? “I love the atmosphere and everyone is so friendly. The spirit which Martyn and John instil in everybody is amazing. I walked in and I can’t see the red carpet but I almost feel it’s there.” Gillet, we’ll roll the red carpet out for you any day. Louise Hemmings

Image: Alisa Afkhami

An Illuminated View on Blogging

“I think that the most creative designers all come from London but it’s almost the step sister of other fashion cities,” laments Diane Pernet from her blog A Shaded View on Fashion, “I don’t know understand why people keep passing London by; so many fashion buyers don’t come.”

London might not be getting the attention it deserves but blogging certainly is, and Pernet can’t help but think that this is a good thing: “it makes fashion more democratic because before it was something kept for 250 people who were privy to going into the show. It created a certain distance between fashion and the general public. Now having a blog means that anybody everywhere can see what’s going on.” Long live London, and long live blogging. Louise Hemmings

Image: Katie Coxedge

Vox pops: round 4 outside HEMYCA

Name: Nicky Hambleton-Jones

Occupation: Stylist
What did you think of the show?
"I loved the show, the cream coat and the red floaty dress which was
made for me. I loved the edgy tailoring, it's wearable and it's sexy,
it embraces the female form which is brilliant. Wearable for any age,
you could funk it up or be really classic with it, amazing pieces you
can keep in your wardrobe, they are timeless. I am wearing them today,
loved the label for three years now, I did a shoot with their stuff
recently and I just absolutly love it, it's just great."

Name: Robert De Neit

Occupation: Art Director, What Magazine
What did you think of the show?
" I really loved it, the structure and the shape. The shoulders were
amazing, it was really good, I was really in love with it."

Name: Tiffany Hsu

Occupation: Buyer, Feathers Boutique, London
"I'm here to see Louise Amstrup and I also saw Ones To Watch on Friday. Vauxhall Fashion Scout is good for fresh talent"

Words: Gemma Winter and Dal Chodha

Vox pops: round 3 in the Off Schedule Media Centre

Name: Simon Ewart
Occupation: Vauxhall Consumer PR Manager
Why Vauxhall Fashion Scout?
"The reason we support this is because it has such a varied mixture of design and ultimately, it's about style. It's the biggest off schedule venue aside from London Fashion Week [BFC tents] and going forward, obviously we want more talent and also to confirm the Vauxhall Fashion Scout as the place on the map for real emerging talent."

Name: Monica Cattorini
Occupation: Director for Istituto Marangoni, London
How should graduates view this economic climate?
"This economic climate could also be very good for students, we should be positive! It's my first time at Vauxhall Fashion Scout and I'm here to see Hemyca. They have worked with our students on a project before so we are here to support them."

Images: Katie Coxedge
Words: Dal Chodha

Vox pops: round 2 outside Horace

Name: Fiorella Bellagotti
Occupation: Executive Book Moda Magazine
What are your predictions for next season?
"Well I think there are new ideas from the young generation, they are
getting better and better. More metropolitan, using sustainable
clothing, working against the elements and pollution, making them
available for everyday use."

Name: Shelley Pick
Occupation: Writer for Fashion Calender, New York
What did you think of the Horace show?
"I liked it a lot, especially the idea how the clothes cross gendered,
it should have been done long ago. I adore the leggings and jeans with
the rouched torn front, it was a great look - and great music!"

Words: Gemma Winter
Images: Katie Coxedge

Stylist interview: Rebekah Roy

Following the Romeo Pires show this afternoon Vauxhall Fashion Scout bumped into Rebekah Roy, the show's stylist. Roy was really enthusiastic that it had all gone off without a hitch, we had to agree it looked pretty impressive from where we were sitting, "the clothes are all very wearable" explained the petite redhead in her Lichtenstein print dress. Roy is certainly busy this fashion week, she was also responsible for the styling of the Ones to Watch show yesterday, and when we stopped her today she was on her way to fittings for the Merit Award winner William Tempest's show. The eclectic array of shows that Roy has brought her magic touch to is testament to her versatility. "They are all completely different" she said "but the one thing they do have in common is that they are all perfectionists and they all live and breathe fashion." William Tempest will be showing at Vauxhall Fashion Scout at 19.45 on Monday. Kelly Davis

Image: Simon Armstrong

Model interview: Jasmine Poulton

Be still my beating heart. Forget gothic glamour, black being back or the revival of the jumpsuit, and say hello to a new trend for this season: heart shaped badges, as worn by the VFS team. “I love them,” admits model Jasmine Poulton, backstage at Romeo Pires, “where can I get one?” Having already modelled for Paul Costelloe, Central Saint Martins and due to walk in the Romeo Pires show today, Jasmine is beginning to feel the usual fashion week exhaustion, although less so than in previous years thanks to the new system for casting models. “It used to be twenty castings a day in completely different places, and you had to do them all within a few hours, so I always thought it would be a brilliant idea to have all the designers come to one place,” she enthuses. So how’s she finding Vauxhall Fashion Scout so far? “It’s really interesting to see new talent, but it’s also great to work with established names,” she explains. Her heart’s definitely in the right place. Louise Hemmings

Image: Katie Coxedge

Vox pops: round 1 outside the Julia Smith show

Name: Caroline Baker.
Occupation: Fashion Director at The Mail on Sunday's YOU Magazine.
"I'd like to see space travel, really sexy outfits as a new trend set this season."

Name: Simon Ewart
Occupation: Vauxhall Consumer PR Manager
"I really liked the geometric and patterned shift dress. There was so much variation."

Name: Denis Chick
Occupation: Director of Communications for General Motors UK and Ireland.
"It's really important for us to get into the youthful arena" commented Chick who attended with his lovely daughter Bethany, stressing that Vauxhall is a design led company.

Words: Katie Coxedge