Nobody's perfect

R.I.P screen legend Tony Curtis

I've got a soft spot for the old films of decades ago. Some Like It Hot is one of those classics. My mother is a true romancer of anything antique, especially film and so she introduced me to them early. When I was little I dreamt of being a fashion designer, and used to draw collections based on each of the classics I watched. Nevertheless back then I also thought that black and white films were so because the entire world was black and white itself, as were all the people and all the clothes. This would bode a problem for the book after book of sketches I made as I was not one for monochrome. I always thought how mad it would be to inject some colour, it would give all the stories in both the films and the costumes a lease of life and so began my love affair with design. Nowadays I still look for those sorts of emblems in my films, my constant reference to Sofia Coppola and Tim Burton for one. Today has made me reflect a little. It is sad Curtis died, though having starred in over 130 movies it is not as if his talent was wasted, but I hope it means that the romance and mystery of those vintage eras hasn't died too. Aesthetic obsession is always about in the catwalks as well as on the streets, with collections paying homage to years gone by and everyday style icons inspired by famous past figures, but it isn't always the same in spirit. Like Tony says in SLIH, the dresses don't always fit the same, but I am always going to champion the effort. Nobody is perfect but everybody is remembered and I love it.

Pain is seven words.

Thank you very much Topshop, once again, for taunting your buyers. Not only do they ALWAYS show ridiculously tasty poster adverts featuring clothes that NEVER seem to go on sale, they do not update their website, instead leaving nice little numbers such as this mesh dress in the available section for poor shopaholic young women like myself to see. Its a very clear cycle: see, want, pine for, remain broken hearted. You can so tell Topshop is run by a man.

Although short bodycon style dresses are not really my style, I do like this because it is sexy yet covers all the bits I for one do not appreciate on show. I never purchase items like this because I never think I will wear them, then I go out partying with my girls and am stuck for a suitable outfit. Every time. It may even sound a bit mad but I think this dress could even be versatile. I'm thinking black wooly tights, thick over the knee black strappy boots (I'm not at all picky obviously), a brightly coloured sheer cardi or shawl, - perhaps mustard yellow- and a Birkin. Ok perhaps not the Birkin if I want to be realistic money wise. Or realistic in the fact I don't think anyone should ever team a Birkin with nylon for simple sacrilegious reasons.

The dress also strikes me as similar to that of House of Holland's 'Football' dress from SS09.

Although I can't really decide whether I find the football dress hideous or amazing, both supermodel Agyness Deyn and then heavily pregnant singer M.I.A wore it, the former to the House of Holland Fashion Week party in 2008, and the latter at the 2009 Grammies, and both sported extremely different styles (any judgement you may have aside). Perhaps I am right in thinking the replica a worthy number.

A few of my favourite things

Only just seen this but:

Zac Posen + The Like + Gia Coppola, (infact anyone from the Coppola family, you know me) = Happiness

Oodles of doodles

Stuck in bed with a satan-worthy hangover means filling my time with perfectly useless but pretty activity: sketching.

All illustrations drawn by moi.

Chloe makes me happy

as does sepia tone.

TOTALLY obsessed with this song (and the car).

Kids clothes are so much cuter

I found this photograph again recently of my favourite dress as a little bubba. I look like a cute little milkmaid. Infact I'm actually at a farm milking cows, literally, one of the few child memories I remember vividly. Check out those lapels, too sexy. Wish I could fit into it now, size minus zero me. Anyone see anything similar in big-girl sizes, you let me know.

Me aged about 6.

*Pause for awwwww*

Don't be boring

This is a great video by David Shringley who is petitioning to save the Arts from the proposed 40-something-% cut under this diabolical coalition government. Not all politics is so serious, any of us oh so simple Arts students can understand this message now...

(Click the video to see it in full.)

Sing up to the petition now at Save The Arts.

London Fashion Week SS10: Round up

SO. Its been a hectic few days but finally London Fashion Week draws to an end. Until next season, we can feed on what I have personally viewed as my favourites of the week, and I must say, some of the best presentations I've ever seen at all. For anyone who missed the shows, here are the highlights. (Apologies for the small size of the pictures, click them individually for a closer look.)

London is often compared to that of New York, Paris and Milan, with shows sometimes being evidently better and sometimes not so much. I think it is safe to say that one of the all round winners was Burberry Prorsum - perhaps the biggest name in British fashion of the moment, with a collection that is edgy and sexy yet classic, putting a twist on old Burberry favourites.

IwantthemetallicbikerjacketbecauseOMGitissoamazing.

Secondly, the collection from one of my all time favourite designer duos, Basso and Brooke. I remember their show last season was electric and this time they were even better. I had second thoughts over the future of digital prints for some time - see Holly Fulton's almost tired looking second coming. However, the collection went from strength to strength looking more mature than last time, with classic shapes adorned with an amazingly precise and vibrant range of pictures.

Also embracing the print trend, was Mary Katrantzou. I was not all that familiar with Katrantzou until last season, after which I took an immense interest. From my selection of designers in this post you may deduct I have a certain style that I favour. I was not even aware of this myself until I collaged all the images and saw them all side by side but I suppose I do have a soft spot for unique items over the simple. Don't get me wrong, I adore classic and versatile fashion but when I am in catwalk zone I subconsciously looking for statement clothing. A lot of my friends, not so obsessed with the fashion industry, shun certain choices as they are not everyday outfits, despite being essentially 'ready-to-wear'. However, I love it, but then again I have always liked the kook. This is why I love both Katrantzou's collection. She takes inspiration from hotel rooms (seedy or glamourous?), literally recreating interior layouts by the use of chandelier dresses, and curtain-like cardigans. The skirts remind me of Georgian crinoline frocks, complimented with eastern inspired jewelled hems. Either that or your grandmother's old lampshade, either way its the perfect modern-retro love in.

One of the biggest suprises was the Unique collection form Topshop. Despite the brand's commercial growth over the last half a decade or so, it would not be unreasonable to expect an amateur attempt at couture. But with its admirable zest, it truly is increddddibleee, with sharp shapes and long lengths both guarding the leg and accentuating it. Mesh was not used lightly and other current trends to be included were fringing and digital print. Hell there was even a Yoko Ono style homage to really frame the seventies theme. An interesting inclusion of autumnal colours for a Spring/Summer collection but everything was pulled off. One could describe it as Ibiza meets the hippies. Not everyone will appreciate the flamboyancy of the materials or patterns used, almost psychedelic in nature, but still with a great deal of potential commercial success. Plus, the bigger the hair, the closer to god, eh?

Finally, I couldn't comment on London's week without mentioning Erdem. Every SS needs a floral addition; Luella Bartley did it for SS09 and now Erdem Moralioglu brings a beautiful array of absolute girliness - all frills attached - that any onlooker can just sit back, watch and not analyse. Erdem is no stranger to floral collections but he manages to put a new take on a springtime classic with every piece. The lace trend has been doing the rounds now for a number of seasons and I had tried to distance my own style from it but it works here, looking fresh and delicate rather than grungey.

Finally, having finished with LFW, I wanted to point out one other collection that struck me in particular from Milan Fashion Week: Gucci. I feel almost like a stereotypical diva looking at this collection, wishing I had a music award show to go to so I could simply borrow one of the outfits for the night. Leather, fringing, studs. Yes. I just want to touch it. And the explosion of colour from the model who opened the collection? Precisely what is running around in my head right now, trying to connect my brain to my wallet. It is what the sunny season is all about.

I must confess that this post took rather a long time to organise due to my procrastination over which pieces to choose as favourites. THERE WERE A LOT. Lets just say my scrap book is looking quite stylish at the moment.

Magic Carpet

I saw these and I really do, rather do, want and need them. I've been lingering too much on tapestry recently. I'm not sure if I'd ever wear shoes from a man-made material but... they're preeeeetty! Who would have thought that Miss Selfridge would actually make a wearable item of clothing...

Beauty.

The tale of Giles and the C-listers

I must say that the Giles show wasn't quite what I was expecting. On some level the stunning layout of the garments as seen above should have me in a lightly high but stoic state but I can't help but be disappointed by what one journalist called the 'taboid totty' present in his presentation, both on the catwalk and seemingly in the audience. Perhaps this is just my fashion-student-inner-bitch coming out but since when was Kerry Katona an acceptable candidate for front row?

Pride of place on the catwalk was given to none other than Kelly 'I have so much publicity for GOD KNOWS why because I'm so ridiculously average' Brook and WAG Abbey Clancy. Although both "models" by career, they hardly seem fitting for such a well known name on the LFW runway. In fact this is Giles first London Fashion Week appearance, having been in Paris for his previous two cycles. Henceforth, the explanation must be that Giles is keeping it British and chose two media treasures to showcase that. Fair enough in that respect, I just kind of resent that British fashion is ridiculed by the fact there is a serious lack of model talent this side of the border. Or rather, British model talent that would do it for under 10k. Kate Moss is getting kind of old you know.




Prejudices aside, the garments were striking with an abundance of glitter make-up and floral pattern similar to Dolce and Gabbana's Carrie dress in SATC for 'The Real Me' episode circa 2001:


Easy to say Clancy still looked better than Agyness Deyn but then again that's not hard. Amber Le Bon on the other hand looked somewhat petrified. Maybe she had seen Deyn's new haircut up close...

Yes Gaga

Pink hair and Porn. (NSFW)

Hopefully that title was enough to get you interested. It is of course referring to designer Charlie Le Mindu's show yesterday at London Fashion Week, in which he sent the models down the catwalk...


naked. I suppose it makes sense for the wig-maker to best draw attention to the always wondrous headpieces he creates by giving the viewer nothing else to get distracted by. It is a strategy that pulled through and we applaud Mindu.



Anyone who regularly follows my blog would know I am a big fan of Mindu's work, despite his label only being launched a year ago. Nevertheless he has made plenty of healthy controversy with the media, which I always like.

This season's influences were apparently 'Los Angeles, pink Cadillacs and Cher.' Mindu never lets the camp side down, though he still always manages to give it an edge. Busty Barbies were plentiful, I particuarly liked the style continuation of pink wigs. No stranger to dying my hair myself, I've always secretly desired pink, a longing I would fufill if my hair wasn't now made of straw. This is actually how I want my new look:



Dark lips, dark eyebrows, pale skin and headscarves probably already define my winter style.... except with clothes.

However, Charlie did create some non-nude styles that also bode an interest to the eye. Not forgetting his fame for headpieces some shapely ones were included. Moreover, he had a few outfits that were reminiscent of his last collection, with a whole body suit being made out of hair.








Naked bodies... hairy bodies... critics can't really complain.

Tom Ford's (not so) big secret

Leaked photos of Tom Ford's super exclusive show at Fashion Week show head shots of everyone and anyone that Tommy deemed worthy... to sign a nondisclosure agreement. He is so good he doesn't need publicity apparently. WELL, tough, he's got some, right here. What a clever plan!

Look at all the gorgeous people.

Summer Delights

So, my festival antics this summer had to be restricted due to a lack of time and money, so I narrowed my choice down to one: Bestival. Based in Robyn Hill in the Isle of Wight, Besti is in its 6th consecutive year and a music festival best known for its fancy dress tradition. This year the theme was FANTASY, meaning there was plenty of Alice In Wonderland decoration and make-believe characters in tow. Perfect mix of music and fashion for 4 days. Just look at the website for an awesome neon and eclectic fantasy land.