"More canapes, guv'nor?"

Did I dream this or was there once a time when Fashion TV was really crappy and featured fashion shows that nobody had heard of and had weird soap operas about models being forced into escort services? I swear I didn't make that up, but lately it's as if it was all some kind of ridiculous hallucination because whenever I've been blankly flicking through the channels, I've stopped on Fashion TV and found something wonderful to watch.

Today they showed some stuff from Milan Fashion Week and featured the Frankie Morello show which was frikkin' AWESOME (any fashion show that ends with a cast of fake wedding guests dancing to Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire gets an A* in my book). I've not come across Morello before so had a little look at his stuff online (weirdly, he's not on style.com but is on elle.com )

Let's just take a moment to enjoy that skirt. It's just...how did they...I wish...oh I love it! I always find it really interesting when designers do crazy things like this with fabric and folding and origami-type shapes because, from what I've seen on Project Catwalk, it's very difficult to execute such a challenging aspect of tailoring, and to do it well.

(Note - Project Catwalk and America's Next Top Model tell me everything I need to know about what's really important in the fashion industry, ie if you can't make a simple baby doll dress...you suck as a designer. If you can't smile with your eyes while balancing a bejewelled cockroach on your face...you suck as a model..).

Therefore, I have come to the (very wise) decision that Frankie Morello is an excellent designer. Frankie, I look forward to seeing more of you!

There's been a lot of clever folding and origami-ing (coz that's a word) of fabrics on the catwalks recently, the latest offerings from Viktor & Rolf were insane;

I can't even fathom how they've put these things together. The coat! It's like an armadillo but if an armadillo decided to be a really, really cool coat. And look at those skirts! I love how they're so demure, in muted tones and heavy fabrics but are so weird and brilliant at the same time.

Here's a few more origami-type pieces;

Gianfranco Ferre Spring/Summer 09, Christian Dior Spring/Summer Couture 07, Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 09 and Bruno Pieters Fall 09

While all this crazily constructed stuff is FABULOUS, it is a difficult style to actually translate into a real life outfit for when you're just going about you're daily business (unless you live in space or are a very stylish armadillo), so I reckon it's more a case of really thinking about the basics - pleats, geometric shapes, ruffles and folds. The most obvious answer is to focus on more tailored stuff - pleated trousers, shirts with ruffle details and interesting geometric accessories. Although if anyone wants to send me the Frankie Morello skirt, I'd definitely give it a try!

So today, while in a folding frame of mind, I decided to try out some origami. Not just any origami, though, fashion origami! While I knew it would be basically impossible for me to make anything that was actually wearable, I thought that maybe I could create some interesting decorative little trinkets out of pretty pictures.

Figuring it'd be best to start out with some basics, I found an "easy origami for kids" page on the internet, with step by step instructions and lots of pictures, armed myself with a magazine and a pair of scissors and got to it.

First, I made a "pleated box" out of the Louis Vuitton ad with Madonna in it -

It's supposed to be a bit more 3D than this, so that you can actually put stuff in it, but magazine pages are quite flimsy so it didn't really stand up properly. Even so, I was pleased with this as a first attempt and moved on to a basket made from a Dior ad -

Look at it! It's a proper basket!

...Except you can't pick it up by the handle because I couldn't quite figure out how to fold it so that it stayed attached...

I think it's safe to say that Frankie Morello and Viktor & Rolf won't be hiring me anytime soon...

I did however, do rather well with the origami animals - ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce -

The Easter Critters! In case, like my dad, you haven't got a clue what they are, it's a chick and a bunny, but you knew that, right?

...maybe I've found my calling in life...

(photos from elle.com and style.com)