Colour Koma

>> Now I don't normally pander to the "Look-that's-a-celeb-wearing-xxx!" train but really Cheryl Cole wearing David Koma on X-Factor was a moment I couldn't resist commenting on.  Not least because a) I'm a die-hard X-Factor fan (please don't stone me for it, just accept it and quietly move on) and b) grudgingly I have to admit that the sort of exposure Cole brings is pretty astounding.  Just Google David Koma and Cole and about a bazillion things pop up.   That said, whilst I'm very happy that Cole picked a Koma classic to wear - i.e. a piece from is first graduate collection that first got him noticed, I thought this would be a perfect time to shed light on his second S/S 10 collection, that was shown as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout (part of the off-schedule in London Fashion Week).  I happened to be on the panel for selecting the designers to show as part of VFS and when Koma's name came up at initial panel sessions, of course it was a quadruple thumbs and big foes up for me.  Like so many emerging designers that catch people's attention, Koma took a motif and ran away with it in the best way possible.  With his first collection, it was the metal tubing.  With his second though, it's a pre-occuptation with colour blocking, inspired by the sculptures of Niki de Saint Phalle and Sole le Witt, that resulted in dresses colour blocked with precision and accented with stones and pieces of moulded glass jewellery.  I think I draw a perfect S on some of those curves and if it was any less precise, some of the dresses would have come off looking a bit shonky.  So whilst I loved his initial fascination with metal tubing, I'm looking forward to what else Koma can bring to the table and though we do have a tendency in London to blow a lot of hot air on designers that are up and coming but I do think Koma deserves all that hot fuss...Cole or no Cole.

(Photography by Kate Rodgers for Dazed Digital)

Comments

[lechicbatik.wordpress.com]

these cuts & colors are mesmerizinggg

[Retro Chick]

The structural shapes on those dresses are amazing.

I can never figure out whether I like Cheryl Cole or not, but I'm definitely not an X Factor fan (especially now they've swopped the intitial auditions with a Britains Got Talent style baying audience) I suppose there's no denying that if she wears a designer the exposure is massive though.

[glowingdoll]

These are the best clothes I've ever seen. Stained glass arm cuffs!!!!???

[Jillian]

so very cool
the structure is really something

[Caitlin]

i LOVE those accessories! I saw them on the fred butler blog I think? They just look like a fantastic stained-glass mondrian print!

[Zoe]

Susie, I am so glad you have written a piece on David. Cheryl wearing his dress on X Factor has created a press frenzy that has had its fair share of the negative. What I think we should be focusing on instead of whether Cheryl styled it up well or not, is him as a designer. And if his graudate collection and SS collection are anything to go by, he deserves recognition for more than Cheryl wearing one of his pieces. No, she did not look right in it (the hair, earrings, thigh high boots did not compliment it well), but the dress itself is amazing and looked amazing in Browns as well as in editorails. Cheryl wearing David's dress will certainly not be the most exciting thing to happen to him - I am praying he gets NewGen sponsorship and is able to grow. I was at Saint Martins with him and was so proud when I saw his SS collection - the use of colour blocking and ceramics was fresh and I can't wait to see wnat else is to come. I do think its great that Cheryl decided to support a young designer though and hope that she continues to do so! As you said, it's ceratinly made people sit up and take attention.

[Nickie Frye]

Yikes! Oh no, I hate that collection. :-( The accessories are good, but those dresses are terribly unflattering. WOOF. Sorry, normally I'm not so mean & I'm normally totally into tacky stuff, but this is too much for me.

[charlotte&celine]

Juste MAGNIFIQUES!!

bravo ;)

http://initialscc.blogspot.com/

[moi]

David doesn't have a demographic...the price combined with Browns on limited pieces that usher around an identical look doesn't bode too well to push out with a commercial enterprise. NewGen pisses me off, the wrong people always get it with more editorial lines to appease the press and continue rebuilding the 'image' around LFW. Support designers with a product that can actually sell and the furore may yet return? Too many middle-aged women past their sell-by-date calling the shots...and the blame doesn't centrally lie with people like Sarah Mower...but how can you take a journalist (no offence suz) and thrust them into a position where the required attributes are sales and enterprise?...oh yea, not what you know, who you know ;) I mean, if you must appoint a journalist, perhaps someone writing in the field of fashion business?

[Jakk]

I can't help agreeing with Zoe. Cheryl looked awful in that dress. The nasty, cheap hoops didn't help and the thigh high boots only added to the hideous, incorrigible, look. Ah, and, whilst I understand the poppy, could she not have found a more ingenious way to incorporate it into the outfit? It looks out of place here. The shapes of the dress look lumpy, and, for such a lithe and slender woman, she is in serious danger of appearing bumpy and out of proportion.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. The models above look fabulous, by the way, so it can't be that the dresses are bad!
David Koma. Wear with caution.

[Blau von T]

i bet ashley cole loved his 'girlfriend in a koma'..sorry, couldn't resist a pun

[WendyB]

All those cut-out midsections -- not for me. But I love the one that Cheryl Cole is wearing.

[Tomorrow]

This has certainly aroused an amount of lengthy opinionated commenting and I think I shall join the Cole debate and give my own unnecesary opinion!
Love David Korma!
Love his collection!
Love Style Bubble!
Love this post!
Love Xfactor! (you are not alone, susie!)
Love the Korma dress!
Hate Cheryl!
I hate to say it but its there it isn't in your face, it's not noticable to start with, to start you see class but as you get to know her (or know the 'her' she wants you to know!) you realise something is bothering you and then you figure it out... Chav!
Harsh, I know and I think that the world is to disagree with me and ofcourse, Chavs don't wear Korma and also once-chavs should be forgiven for their previous chavness and be allowed to move on and have an attempt at fashion (because theres no denying that the early cole was the biggest chav in the universe!) but it's still there, things are too short, too much skin! I'm not a modest freak and don't get me wrong, I wear mini skirts but I am not a fan of some of the things she wears!
O yes and the poppy could of gone in the hair or something (do models go down the runway wearing poppies on rememberance day, no I don't think so) I am direspecting the poppy appeal obviously there are a fantastic thing but wrecks that dress!
On the whole not sure on the cole look, hope that came accross in my anormously extensive rambling paragraph of pointlessness! and I hope you don't feel I have destroyed your blog by writing an essay on 'the effect of cheryl coles dress on the general public, how it gave David Korma deserved coverage and whether or not it was styled correctly!'
Still what a collection from Korma and I know this is a useless responce because it is he who deserves the praise where critisism of Cole's dress sence can be left out!
Hope readers of this comment are still awake!

[tanya]

^above comment just made my day! :)^

[Sabine]

Cheryl or no Cheryl (mother Theresa of the British), the clothes are exciting and beautiful, to me a mix of Mondrian and Hundertwasser.

[Pearl Westwood]

Well they do say all publicity is good publicity! I love X factor too, but would love to push Cheryl's stylist off a cliff. I would be happy to style her for free, for the good of the nation! Bless she is so sweet, maybe thats why she can't bring herself to sack the stylist. She so almost gets it right.
Anyway I LOVE Korma and this will only propel him into more of a house hold name, the tabloids etc who dont 'get it' are the ones that dont get any fashion. My pet peeve 'whats the point of catwalk collections, you cant even wear them....' blah blah. Ok am appear to be ranting too now LOL.
I really need one of those arm cuffs.
Sabines comment above is hilarous, mother Teresa LOL!!

[Pearl Westwood]

OOOps I meant KOMA not KORMA - must be time for dinner!

[Acai]

These are the best clothes I've ever seen. Stained glass arm cuffs!

[biba]

I also love the x factor. Cheryl looked awful in that dress, definitely the last person that should have touched it. Gosh I would love to make that woman disappear from our screens.

[Brigadeiro]

Love the colours, and for some reason, they remind me of a Rubik's cube...

[aine]

i got three texts during the first 5 mins of the show from people asking wtf is she wearing? i think most people were just baffled about it, baffled and bemused. it just looked so out of place and so completely contrary to her normal image, she should never have touched it. and i hope lloyd gets kicked off soon, the twins to win!

[Saoirse]

It seems Beyonce is in on the act too. I'm pretty sure she was sporting a David Koma dress at the EMAs.

[Pandora]

I love xfactor too ;-) the dress looked bad on many levels. Firstly it's not a dress to wear when sitting behind a desk. Then it wasn't styled right. Thirdly and mostly it's just not her style. Do we blame Alexander Wang if a curvaceous girly girl wears it and looks terrible? No we don't, so I hope Cheryl will stick to designers suiting her more soft beauty. Other girls wearing Koma dresses looked amazing, Lady the Gaga ;-) and the chick from the Noisettes. Saying that I hope that the next collection will be cut as well as this one was, as somehow the pieces seem ill-fitting even on the models? Or maybe that's just me...
Ok. My bet for this Saturday for Cheryl: 3.1 philip lim

[KD]

He deserves the hype! That is one awesome collection.

[raspberrykitsch]

i think he deserves the publicity but she's made it look like some trashy dress from quiz or rebelrebel...typical of a north east lass? saying that i'm from the north east and i've got a lot of respect for her and what she's managed to achieve, but cheryl cole in koma? nope nope nope. unless someone tells her how to wear it but then i'm not sure she's even got that right look for the dress if you get me?

http://raspberrykitsch.blogspot.com/
xx

[Jane H.]

Pretty colors.......*am mesmerized*

[Frances]

Seems like Beyonce likes him too! http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/x-factor/beyonce-wears-cheryl-coles-david-koma-dress-at-mtv-european-music-awards-2009/

[Jean Daniel Jacques]

I saw a Koma dress on Beyonce, last night!

[Martyn]

Susie - we loved having you on our selection panel. David was a great choice for the Merit Award. Everyone if you want to see more have a look at his catwalk video on our site http://www.vauxhallfashionscout.co.uk/video . Love the Vauxhall Fashion Scout team x

[Closet Cravings]

The designs are nothing short of amazing.

[Beth]

Thanks for sharing these photos, his designs look fantastic!
But I have to admit that even though I also watch X-Factor (LOVE IT!) I dont think that Cheryl looks good in it. There I said it. Sorry Cheryl. Sorry Susie.
xx

[Julian Vogel]

Susie, thank you so much for setting the record straight about David. We have been helping him since he graduated from St Martins. Last week was an amazing moment for any designer - the press coverage was incredible - to be worn by Cheryl and Beyonce in the same week! But for a designer in their first season - unheard off. We are very proud to be working with him and can wait to see what happens with the new seasons collection. Record turnout at our Press Day last week - thanks to everyone who came by. Hope to catch up soon. The Modus Publicity team x

[Winnie]

I loved the dress but I agree with some of the readers that it wasn't the best dress to wear sitting behind the desk!

[English Rose]

Strangely enough I hated Cheryl's dress on X Factor (I too am a secret fan) but I love his other stuff. I just didn't think it was appropriate but it totally succeeded in bringing him exposure. So glad someone commented on this - I was going to but couldn't find a picture of it anywhere - great blog!

http://iamanenglishrose.blogspot.com

[le fist]

Saw these up close the other day at a press day and thought they were quite good. Nicely made and a step up from the hardware store of the previous collection.