Tie-dye, the Isabel Marant way

I haven’t posted for a while but that’s cos I’ve been tending to various life upheavals. And just playing The Sims loads. That’s a lie.

Anyway. Let’s get the ball rolling again and celebrate the fact that tie dye is back in fashion for this summer.

Celebrate?! Yes I was horrified too at first, because don’t tie dye t-shirts share wardrobes with ‘Fairport Convention’ jumpers and cheesecloth skirts? Yes they do, but that was before Isabel Marant tie dyed her S/S 12 collection and made it look really cool (minus the football jersey tops). So now tie-dye can share wardrobes with peplum dresses and metallic box clutches, and that’s fine.

Isabel Marant S/S 2012

…Obviously I can’t afford the above, so I’ll be moving in on the below instead:

L-R: // Religion // Topshop // River Island (top and jeans)

Bag disguises

As a kid I LOVED those boxes that were disguised as books – the ones where the pages are fake and split in the middle to reveal a hiding place for all your sweets. Well, now my adult self  has something similar to obsess over…. Olympia Le-Tan hangbags and minaudieres – BAGS disguised as BOOKS. It’s too good.

It gets better, not only are these little bags sneaky and clever, they’re also retro-looking and totally beautiful in their imitation of famous literary works.

Plus, Olympia Le-Tan seems like a fun and lighthearted brand, with a team that’s put a lot of time and love into making these little accessories – just look at this endearing digital short from their website.

Brand love: Minimarket part II

Yeah, not quite finished with raving about Minimarket just yet I’m afraid…

So, if they were going for beautifully demure and serene this Autumn, then they are shaking things up a bit with their coolios S/S12 collection. This time around, inspiration has come from the likes of Cleopatra and Aladdin! And it’s not just the wigs… you see it in the jewellery, the cropped tops and the loose and draped fabric – yums.

Gorgeous photos courtesy of Dazed.

 

 

Brand love: Minimarket

Oh YEAH man, just stumbled across Swedish label Minimarket. Sisters Sofie, Jennifer and Pernilla Elvestedt are the designers behind it and their A/W11 collection has a distinctive autumnal theme with lots of auburns and deep red hues. So beautiful…

As much as I love designers embracing brights for their A/W collections and steering clear of the conventional winter black, it’s also really nice when some reflect nature’s colours of the reason. I feel like Minimarket has done just that and done it really well. Looking at the pictures makes me wanna put my bobble hat and boots on and run outside to kick leaves!

….And if the clothes don’t impress? Juuuust take a minute to absorb these.

Anyone that manages to slip Dr Marten-style numbers into their collection has my vote automatically.

Also, they have a fairly strange yet somewhat entrancing campaign video. Sure, the horror movie-style sound effects might chill you to the bone, but it’s quite interesting to watch none-the-less:

New Season: Mini Review

Back in February I wasn’t that enamoured with the collection images that flooded the internet off the back of fashion week.  Then 3 weeks ago I bought the Elle Runway Edit and have pored over its images nearly everyday since. This happens every season; I’m not fussed by what I see online but as soon as I get my hands on a hard copy, I’m sold. I defy anyone with an interest in fashion not to obsess over the Elle collections book… with its funky layout, witty captions and above all those FANTASTIC matte pages. Let’s face it guys, that matte-ness is a major contributing factor in the buying of the Elle collections book, over say, the Vogue version (that is, if you’re not already buying both, which I did, but whatevs that’s not the point).

There’s just something so beautiful and professional looking about the Elle Runway Edit. This is why I shoot my all-things-digital-loving boyf down when he proclaims print is dead! To me, having a hard, non-glossy copy of the best collections of the season, to sit with all its predecessors and be flicked through whenever, is unrivalled.

So thanks to Elle I have been re-inspired! I am hugely excited about the forthcoming androgynous and Navajo trends for A/W11 not to mention the crazy mish-mash of prints that’s still flying around – because I still haven’t plucked up the courage to don an outrageous clashing print mix yet.

Firstly, Mary Katrantzou, I have watched you from the side lines since your debut, and now I’m ready to come out and say it, you’re my hero (or heroine, but hero sounds better.) What an absolute feast for the eyes with that delicious explosion of colour and pattern. I would never have thought that an intricate floral pattern with a cheeky chicken’s head thrown in could be beautiful, until you came along, Mary.

Same goes for you, Jonathan Saunders … with your geometric graphical prints that are so visually entertaining they make your eyes feel funny. I love the variety too: damask and leaves and stripes and triangles printed all over bright dresses and midi skirts (yesss the midi’s still here for winter). Plus you’ve only gone and done preppy! Jonathan, thanks, I LOVE PREPPY. I can’t afford your clothes, but I will be buying all the Topshop clones of those button-up shirts with sharp collars.

Stella, great. I look forward to channelling my inner boy this year with inspiration from your collection. This season I will be more focussed on the MadMen as opposed to the ladies – braces, fedoras, oversized blazers, you better watch yourselves!

And Chloe….if I ever needed another reason to love you,  it’d be that bloody brilliant patchwork Navajo shawl (not the emerald green, shiny, shake skin skirt I’m afraid).

 

 

Milia M: Winter 2011 Trunk Show

Last week I went along to up and coming designer, Milia‘s trunk show, held at a la mode boutique just off Sloane Square. While she already has stockists across several other countries, this was her first trunk show in London, and showcased her A/W 2011 collection, which will now be stocked permanently in a la mode.

I often find that new designers who flourish in summer with colourful collections full of diaphanous fabrics and unusual shapes, lose a bit of that panache, when they’re not sure how to see it through to winter. As a result, their winter collections end up being a bit boring. However, this is not the case with Milia, whose beautiful collection has all the obligatory winter black pieces, but is also peppered with deep hues of purple and blue, gold and emerald.

What I loved the most about this collection was the inspiration behind it. Milia told me that it reflects the nightscape of bustling cities, specifically Asian capitals like Hong Kong and Tokyo, where amidst the darkness, glimmers of neon light catch your eye. It is the magic of this event that Milia has tried to evoke within the collection. If you look carefully you can see every now and then some neon orange stitching which rather than look garish (as it might sound) actually really compliments the garment and turns it into something completely unique.

Some of the other items I loved for their originality. For instance, the wool and cashmere pleated, billowing maxi dresses (seen below, belted), the cropped pink silk tank top and the gold/khaki halter neck midi.

The darker items were no less beautiful or intriguing. The snake-skin biker jacket and the silver-sequined and leather pieces served to funk and toughen up the collection.

Milia herself, standing next to her favourite piece in the collection

Brand love: American Retro

Before recently I didn’t know much about American Retro as a brand, nor was I ever particularly bowled over by their pieces when confronted with them online and in magazines. However, being able to get up close and personal with the collections, due to a recent internship with their PR agency, gave me a new found appreciation of, and almost obsession with their clothes (see previous owl maxi post). Despite popular belief, they are a French label, not an American one – the brand name / identity sprung from the minds of the AR creators after an inspirational road trip across the States, many moons ago.

Images of individual pieces I just don’t think do the collections the justice they deserve; a lot of the pieces aren’t statement items, rather staples, for instance, there are a lot of simple, but comfy and good quality items: plain, cotton tees; maxis and cardigans (mainly sold via their sister company, Zoe Tee’s [this is the actual spelling, no I don’t understand that apostrophe either…]) You almost therefore need to see and touch the clothing for yourself. I’m no seamstress, but I can say that American Retro knows good tailoring; their S/S 11 collection has such a variety of styles and the more fitted pieces are very flattering. They seem to really understand women’s problem areas and what makes us shy away from certain items of clothing, and have sought to counter that in their collections (again, see owl maxi post..)

What’s more, they may not be trend setters, but they do know what’s in this summer. American Retro’s summer collection is infused with corals, nudes and florals and they have also been careful not to abandon old favourites like lace, fringing and the trusty baggy cardi.

There are, however, some real stand out items… take these lace wedges and booties for example.

These beauts are the result of AR’s recent collaboration with…. (wait for it)… CLARKS!! What Clarks, as in that sort of sad brand that is only associated with school shoes for the under 10s? Yes, Clarks!

“There’s only one thing the world loves more than a beautiful girl, and that’s a beautiful girl who’s a little bit bad”

I know it’s a bit taboo, but let’s be honest, smoking can sometimes, not always, look quite cool (why else do youngsters start? It’s not because they like taste.) And I don’t think there is a better person to validate my point, than Kate Moss, the epitome of cool, smoking on the Louis Vuitton catwalk.

… Now, before there is a surge of outrage, I’m not saying it IS cool, just that I think we can all admit, that at some point in our lives, we’ve clocked an unlikely candidate lighting up for the first time, and for a split second seen them in a whole new, edgier, light..

As controversial as it sounds, I absolutely love what Marc Jacobs has done here! When it comes to smoking, I’m fairly impartial, I have succumbed the odd cigarette, but I don’t support or encourage it. However, Kate Moss casually smoking a cigarette, whilst walking for one of the most revered fashion labels of all time, in PARIS, on national anti-smoking day, after the announcement of UK plans to hide cigarette packets beneath shop counters, sends a tingle up my spine. 

She has made headlines in the past for her drug abuse and bad choice of rock star boyfriends, and has been snapped countless times pissed, falling out of taxis and smoking; essentially, she oozes rock n roll (without ever having picked up a guitar). So as bad as some of the things she has done are, you can’t get away from the fact that rock n roll is a bit cool. Kate Moss’s smoking on the catwalk is just her giving one last V-sign the system, before she goes back to a life of normality.

Louis Vuitton AW11

Whether you love or hate Kate Moss’s part in the LV show (and I’m sure there is a clear cut divide), you must be able to appreciate the cleverness of it. Not only has she jumped straight back into the limelight after 3 years off (you only have to Google Kate Moss or LV to find a host of related articles), but Marc Jacobs has potentially made one of the most memorable shows in history and placed his collection at the forefront of everyone’s mind. I have never really been a big Louis Vuitton fan, but admittedly, it was the sight of my favourite British icon that lured me to the Louis Vuitton Fall 2011 page of style.com, where I sat, clicking away for a good 20 minutes, mesmerized by some of the creations. And even if those flasher macs and maid uniforms only appeal to a select few, special, individuals (…Lady Gaga), those handbags will be everything and everywhere come Autumn.

Title quote from The Guardian’s Jess Cartner-Morley

Next Summer Sensations: D&G

Like Erdem’s collection, but slightly younger, edgier and more… Glastonbury. Old jeans cut into shorts, little tees and denim waistcoats are getting old now, so hows about some shiny red bubble shorts, gingham head scarves and off the shoulder gypsy dresses as the new festival chic? Admittedly, I did initially scoff at the headscarf pirate look, but then I thought of the 3 day unwashed hair and sweaty forehead that they will come to the rescue of! It all just screams festival which is uplifting amidst these darkening and freezing winter eves. Not one of D&G’s S/S outfits wouldn’t look good with wellies.

And if you’re not festival bound next summer, then there’s still the frilly and sweeping floral maxi dresses which are perfect for wafting through the long grass in as the sun goes down, or pirouetting in by some fountains in a French cobbled square. But seriously I do bloody love those dresses… and they’d still look good with wellies.

Next Summer no nos: Prada

Vulgar. We all love a bit of block colour for summer, but there’s block colour and then there’s bright orange hospital scrubs and Hawaiian shirts…. on girls! (Not that they’re any better on boys of course.) And what’s with the ill fitting blazers, the baggy arms, the top heavy models and the thick horizontal strips that are reminiscent of Primark’s sportswear section?

I don’t understand those cuts at all, and I don’t understand the collection’s tag line: ‘minimal baroque’. Not that I’m an art buff or anything, but if this is how designers understand the baroque style then that’s worrying… thankfully, MiuMiu did baroque too, and did it good:

Yum.