'The Season'

We are now fully in the swing of what is known in Fashwani as 'The Season'. Contrary to indication this is not weather related, in fact the opposite- ‘The Season’ is all about the clothes we are going to be wearing in a totally different time of year to the one we are currently in and refers to the period of time allocated to the selling of next year’s fashion wonders.

This entails the channeling of next year’s summer looks on a chilly autumnal day. Importantly 'The Season' is totally different to 'This season' or 'Last Season' and should not be confused with either of them. To wear ‘This Season’ during ‘The Season’ is a Fashwani Faux Pas of gargantuan proportions as ‘The Season’ is the time to show the world (all watching with bated breath as missile defence shields in Eastern Europe fade into insignificance in the face of what we will be wearing for Spring Summer 2010) that we are so ahead of the pack that we are actually wearing next summer’s trends this winter. Believe me – every outfit counts.

However it is also when the Real Business of Fashion kicks in to play and the buyers use all their nous and talent to select the best pieces from the designer’s collections and puts them together in their own vision for their stores. And so it is that we find ourselves sitting in the lovely Palladio showroom taking appointments with buyers. It is actually quite unusual for the designers to take such a hands on approach to selling as we do-especially with the support of as agency as recognized as Palladio behind them. However it is a part of the business that we-and particularly Sara’s Sister enjoy. It gives us a fantastic insight in to an area of the business that as designers we don’t see firsthand. Buying really is an art and to watch a good buyer at work is inspirational and can teach a designer who is willing to listen and learn a great deal.

Sara's Sister is an amazing people person and loves a good chit chat with all the buyers whilst I am less of a ‘communicator’ and find the art of social interaction with anyone I haven’t known for at least ten years a bit of a mine field and have ‘issues’ with remembering who is who (unless their shoes are particularly fabulous-Hen you know who you are). Usually this isn’t really a problem and I simply bob around behind Amiee’s back looking (hopefully) welcoming and engaged. However this has all been thrown entirely out of whack by our new matchy-matchy hair cuts.

The story goes as follows..... Sara's Sister (not content with 2 weeks in her luxury villa complete with hammock, day bed and private yoga area) returned to Ibiza for a final dance-off with her friend Candice the Loud and Luke the Snippy. One drunken thing led to another and Luke The Snippy shaved Sara's Sister’s hair off. On her return I fell in love with her new lesbo-chic image (so SS10) and succumbed to the clippers (grade 3) in Sara's Sister’s kitchen. The result is that Amiee and I are now utterly indistinguishable from each other and have now officially morphed into one person with an exceedingly cool haircut and a passable sense of style. This is all well and good but has led to all manner of confusion, not least that the buyers need clarification as to which one of us is which. The problem we have is that I still have no clue who anyone is...