Iconic designer Pam Hogg presents cheeky collection for A/W'13

Pam Hogg AW13 review by Sarah Marie.

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

Pam Hogg's Cheeky Collection Captivates Audience At London Fashion Week 2013

Cheek or Chic?

Fashion lovers teemed the city of London in February 2013, dressed to the nines and all hoping to cast their eyes on the latest pieces to parade the catwalks. Day two could only mean the eyes had been tantalisingly teased with day one’s designs and were avidly awaiting more.

If there is ever a designer that springs to mind who will guarantee to put on a show stopping performance, it is Pam Hogg. Eccentric Hogg's autumn winter 2013 catwalk was one of the most eagerly awaited shows of the season; and the anticipation was allowed to build as the hour long postponement allowed the crowd to ponder over what was in store for them inside the Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue at Freemason's Hall. The buzz leading up to one of Pam Hogg's show is unmistakable, and this season's collection 'The Emperor's New Clothes' had a captivated aura amongst the crowds.

Always one to be audacious, theatrical Pam out rightly upstaged other designers in 'shock factor value' by integrated ballet dancers from the English National Ballet and full frontal nudity into her collection at London's Fashion Week. Not unusual for a model to display a glimpse of flesh on the catwalk, Pam Hogg left extremely little to the imagination as models bared breasts and bums all before strutting the entire catwalk en-pointe!

The latest collection showcased sculptural dresses, PVC, re inventions of her own well known catsuits, latex, parallelepiped headwear and mesh creations. As the crowd snapped away taking photos, which would be later uploaded to instagram, they were absorbed in the montage of kinky teasers. Marc Jacob's topless model was almost made look demure compared to Hogg's unveiling of Alice Dellal's backside which can only really be described as cheeky chic! A tad of outrageousness was instilled into London Fashion Week with Pam Hogg's display which suggested in the fashion industry maybe the no clothes look may be the way forward! Let’s see if it catches on!

Hogging the Spotlight

The theatrical, idiosyncratic Pam Hogg is no stranger to making surprises on the catwalk; being described as from the same 1980s punk era as Vivienne Westwood, she has challenged the conformist codes in fashion, shaking up the conventional establishment since she launched her first collection 'Psychedelic Jungle' back in 1981.

Following her studies of Fine Art and Printed Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art, she was granted the Newbury Medal of Distinction, the Frank Warner Memorial Medal, the Leverhulme Scholarship and the Royal Society of Arts Bursary which consequently to further study at the Royal College of Art in London, where she gained her Masters of Art degree; then began her imposing rise to fame.

In London in the early 1980s, she was one of the new wave of designers to awake the capital's alternative outlook on fashion. Refusing to sell out to the conventional fashion industry, she sold out of Hyper Hyper in Kensington, London and then from her own shop in Newburgh Street. Her rebellious attitude to fashion stems back to her years as a 'Blitz Kid'. The rules of entry to the iconic Blitz club prompted Hogg to create her flamboyant outfits to get in. The freedom of The Blitz and Punk scene in the eighties provided Hogg with the outlet to appeal to the masses and reach the elitist ranks of the fashion industry with her self- taught eccentric, kooky designs and wild ideas; providing herself a valued place in the world of fashion, continuing to be successful with her worldwide renowned shop in the heart of London's Soho.

Her inventively named collections and outrageous creations led Terry Wogan to introduce Pam Hogg as "one of the most original, inventive, creative designers in Britain" adding, "She has reached what is called Cult Status" back in the early 1990s.

An impressive thirty two years (and counting) in the business, Hogg's DIY mentality remains. She describes crafting the garments herself with only a few students' help prior to the show 'thrilling' and 'frustrating' in equal measure. Saying it isn't ideal but her 'way of working'. Probable the reason why her unconventional clothes resonate strongly with new generations of 'defiant' taste-maker celebrities such as Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Claudia Schiffer, Jessie J, Peaches Geldof, Kelly Rowland and Daisy Lowe.

After a stint away from fashion, supporting Debbie Harry in a band, Hogg returned back, fervent as ever and today she can still produce outlandish collections and possesses a front row of which most established fashion houses would be envious.

The Show

Fashionistas know that when Pam Hogg is concerned, a show will be anything but dull. One can anticipate daring nature and bold displays, and her show in London Fashion week 2013 certainly didn’t let that image down. Copious amounts of flesh were on display as naked models made it appear relatively normal to walk the catwalk in her birthday suit with nothing but hats and billowing coats leaving little to the imagination.

From previous collections, it is evident Pam likes to showcase warrior women; this A/W 2013 collection was all millinery, full frontal nudity and unquestionably about female expression.

The room was a holding arena for an array of well-known people from the 1980s punk culture and 1990s club scene mixed in with the talented young minds of fashion lovers. Pam placing her nearest and dearest on the front three rows, faces that were spotted at the awaited show included Princess Julia, Jaime Winstone, Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, Sam Taylor-Wood, and Jefferson Hack. A testament to the recognition Pam has in her artistic field.

As the show progressed, the dancers and models entranced the audience with their racy outfits, naked bodies and brazen struts in front of the crowd. One would know the show would create controversy, and it did, Alexandra Shulman the Editor of British Vogue refused to upload the whole show on Vogue.com. Nonetheless, this palpably didn't affect the rest of the viewers as the atmosphere in Freemasons' Hall was described as austere, post-modern and trance like as they gazed at Hogg's latest unabashed display.

The Clothes…Or Lack Of…

What was described as an 'eerie' soundtrack played as the models/dancers paraded the (lack of) garments for ‘The Emperor's New Clothes’ on the runway, this paired with latex and mesh designs, metallic embellished pieces, statement veilings and new presentation of black outfits contributed a darker twist to the already impressive collection before plentiful white and red colours were re-introduced. The Eastern music and oriental red colour fitted the title of the collection perfectly.

Punk inspired designer Pam Hogg rectified the paucity of nudity in shows, but when she did exhibit her hand made clothes she displayed samurai inspired head-wear, full length capes, an impressive evening dress, sharp tailored jackets, over the top furs and of course, her renowned catsuits. Indeed an outfit is not complete without shoes, and some of the footwear made the models close to 7ft tall.

Focusing on her signature forte, Hogg colour palette and material focus was predominantly sterile white pieces, black and red. Leather, skin tight PVC and latex took to the stage and hues of gold, green, copper, diamante embellishment and a return outing of dusky pink sequinned fabric that was used bountifully last season.

Despite continuing to produce her notorious punk clothing, each of Pam's shows has a certain distinctiveness tone to them. This A/W 13 show saw the British designer focus on the idea of balance, putting full nudity alongside her casting of the English National Ballet dancers who balanced their way down the catwalk on their toes to perform an almost free form dance at the end of the runway.

Several separate pieces were applauded as they progressed down the runway in what was referred to as a beautifully choreographed show with a kinky twist! Following her models, and unlike most other designers, Pam isn't afraid to wear risqué numbers too, and took to the catwalk finale herself in this season's sparkly catsuit. She added the final element to this collection which has reportedly been stated as her most wearable collection to date.

Rear-ly Good or Bare-ly Acceptable?

Attracting controversy is no strange act for Hogg, as her unconventional designs and enterprising nature has raised eyebrows over the years. This AW13 collection was daring, and one that Hogg has played with before. Indubitably an intrepid move, however did it distract from the fashion?

As the curtain was drawn on her London Fashion Week Show, her audiences could only conjure the word 'wow' to describe the striking collection from the cult-punk icon. With 'The Emperor's New Clothes' a story was told as models danced from dramatic to the dark.

Those who waited an hour in the cold prior to the show's late start clearly made the correct decision of holding on in low temperatures as they witnessed a truly memorable show. The appreciation of the ideas and the skill of the dancers all contributed to portray why Hogg's show is one of the most anticipated of London Fashion Week.

Having a reputation of being 'avant guarde' there are some who would find Hogg's latest collection not so comfortable viewing, but despite the kinky nature to the show, Hogg employed tactical nudity on her catwalk. She bared all to the spectators in correct timing for them to appreciate the show, not recoil in shock. She even ensured the male dancer had something to cover underneath the ripped leather skirt; sparing one onlooker from covering her eyes in shock when a risqué leg kick was performed. If the nudity wasn't appreciated, there were plenty of other components in the overall performance in the clothes, dancing and ambience to be valued, and there was many reasons that there was an almost constant clap that echoed throughout this notable show.

Fulfilling her own fashion prophecy with her unorthodox ideas, Hogg is aware her pieces aren't to everyone's taste but she doesn't conform to the rest of the fashion world. Marky Ramone told Pam that her collections were glimpses of the 'future'.

In fashion, it is often stated we are currently in a postmodern era, looking back in order to look forward. Innovators such as Pam Hogg are to thank for this, removing boundaries of convention and imagination; contributing to London's creativity and helping make it the centre of inspiration it is.

More Images from Pam Hogg's AW13 Fashion Show