Ziad Ghanem - Sexy sound of the sensational London underground

London Fashion Week can sometimes be a bit of a circus. Tents everywhere, people dressed to the nines, loud music, lots of activity, rushing around, balancing acts in heels and plenty of drama. But then the shows are over so much quicker than you hoped and models wearing months worth of work strut down the catwalk quick as a flash. In fact, amateur photographers occasionally can’t release their point and shoot shutters in time to capture them. There are moments after a super speed show when one feels a slight niggling of anticlimax, when one asks, where has the magic gone?

This is unlikely to happen at a Ziad Ghanem show. And it certainly didn’t happen this London Fashion Week. Ziad’s theme intertwined the fading world of glamour that emerged from 1950s couture salons represented through decadent, sweeping couture style gowns, with the vibrancy, colour and cheeky seductiveness of Brazilian burlesque.

The burlesque theme was embodied in trailing gowns that were just as delightful on the model, as they were in the dance like stages of undress they undertook to present layers of hidden seductive tailoring. A red dress blossomed to reveal a green stem like corseted piece underneath, only to be stripped off to present a tantalising cream coloured piece with a nipped in waist and cut out panels to expose the derrière.

Another highlight included the guests’ collective amazement at a male model wearing what appeared to be a dark sculptural piece, but turned out to be a second acrobat hidden underneath draped dark fabric. Indeed, the luxurious eccentricity and glamour of the Ziad Ghanem Autumn/Winter 2010-11 Collection certainly isn’t solely reserved for women and once again, men can indulge in the extravagant looks, including bold print trousers and indulgent white tailored pieces too.

At Ziad’s show the catwalk was transformed into a stage, where anything could happen; including a fabulous guest of honour performance by renowned burlesque dancer Immodesty Blaize. It was clear to see that all the magic of the circus had come to town and the designer was applauded in a standing ovation by a packed room of gushing admirers, old and newfound alike.