futuristic meltdown.
A mix of sheer fabrics and metallics formed the foundation of Bernard Chandran's Spring 2011 collection. Harsh sculpted shoulders sat beside cascading iridescent layers and the unlikely combination looked perfectly at ease next to each other. Geometric patterns in gold tones were mellowed out by an inclusion of bouncier and softer lines in light greys and blacks. This unlikely mix of elements, topped off by Princess Leia side buns, nodded to a science fiction inspired futuristic world but the collection managed to stay solidly grounded in the present. While some items were surely more editorial in nature there were plenty of gorgeous little dresses that held real street appeal. My favourites were the ones that maintained a simple shape but stood out due to their detailed construction and pattern.
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peacoat paradise.
A long anticipated Saturday morning filled with intense pastries and hot chocolates was followed by a stroll through the changing Autumn colours. It was the kind of morning where only sweat pants would suffice and, despite a lack of sunshine, sunglasses needed to cover my tired little eyes. Things have been a bit manic lately. I'm working a lot and finding it a challenge to squeeze in the time for blogging. Fear not though, I'm not going anywhere.
Wearing: J.Crew peacoat (achieve the popular faux-cape effect by pulling your arms out of the sleeves), Alice by Temperley blue tiger scarf won in Marie Claire competition, Jigsaw black a-line jumper, Nordstrom white ribbed vest, 213 Park Pants gifted by Quiksiler, Urban Outfitters sunglasses, Jigsaw chelsea boots, and Bora Aksu canvas bag from London Fashion Week.
buttoned up right.
Everything about this look is, to me, perfectly right. Neutral shades, leather, iconic accessories... worn with just the right amount of fashion know-how without appearing contrived. Whenever I see Hedvig I want to run out and buy her outfit piece by piece to recreate her look. If only bouncy curls were for sale...
{eugene.lin} the vanishing twin
Last week I ate chocolates while browsing the Spring 2011 Eugene.Lin collection in the designer's East London studio. It was a treat to have such a private viewing of his new line and to be introduced to the brand by the designer himself - not a luxury you get to enjoy everyday. His absolute devotion to quality and substance was immediately self-evident when he pulled out a folder documenting his inspiration for the collection: medical papers and x-rays of the controversial 'vanishing twin syndrome'. A slightly gruesome and graphic influence for a gorgeously feminine and ethereal collection. Each piece is crafted so as to have an element of its 'twin' or an appendage attached. Abnormalities and asymmetries in the cut reflect Lin's imaginative take on the condition: an innovative and mesmerizing source of inspiration transferred to the garments in a very wearable way. I fell absolutely in love with the to-the-floor slinky dress featuring triangular seams at the waist and the simple draped grey vest tops. I would gladly supplement my overflowing drawer of t-shirts for just a couple of those little beauties. Quality over quantity please - something Lin can certainly deliver on.
currently glued to...
My mom once told my then-boyfriend-now-husband, 'when she falls for you, she'll fall hard.' This was in the midst of a mini-crisis when I, according to her, 'loved him less than he loved me'. Girls can be fickle and uncertain creatures at times. She was right though and, as it turns out, my all or nothing personality applies to what I wear too. When I fall for an item I fall hard and wear it non-stop. Currently I can't pull my hands and feet away from the following items (as pictured above): Jigsaw chelsea boots, J.Crew fingerless cashmere gloves, Jigsaw camel skirt with exposed side zip and Quiksilver evolution jacket. These are the items that have seen me through the recent drop in temperature. What are you currently glued to? Please tell me I'm not the only one with this weird disorder.
overflowing origami.
Arctic shades and steely silvers cascaded over each model's figure at the Masha Ma show at London Fashion Week last month. The collection was enticing, with billowing elaborately constructed shapes that somehow managed to look perfectly wearable. The combination of textures brought each look to life. Sheer creams were paired with aluminum foil-esque pieces and were topped off with satin soft blues, which worked to conjure up dreams of some sort of fantasy Terminator in Antarctica remix. The construction was stunning. One part of me was left wondering how such pieces could possibly be created, while the other half considered whether starting a new savings account now might make it possible to wangle myself into one of their pieces come Spring... it's never too early to start planning for the future, right? Am adding a silver three finger ring and matching bum bag to my Christmas list pronto.
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and the winner is...
Sarah from We Shop Therefore We Are. Congratulations! Thanks to everyone that entered and apologies that I don't double as an army surplus stockist by day... if I did I'd send one to you all.
falling into the light.
Autumn is technically here but the weather in England is bizarrely warm with temperatures reaching the highs we enjoyed back in June. Despite being unable to wear a jacket or start a fire in my living room it's impossible to not lean towards fall colours. Caramelly browns, deep greens and navy are what I currently want to be wrapped up in.
Wearing: Jigsaw cocoon sweater and wooden necklace, Banana Republic bag and socks, Urban Outfitters jeans and Next sandal clogs.
p.s. the vintage U.S. army jacket giveaway ends at midnight so be sure to enter here if you haven't already.
the Breakfast Club...
Besides being one of my favourite movies, the Breakfast Club is an achingly cool restaurant in East London that shot me straight back to America with their stateside inspired plate fulls of pancakes. After gobbling down a ginormo sized portion we leaned back in plush leather sofas and sipped on americanos until finally being able to re-fasten the top button on our jeans. How has it taken me five years living in the UK to discover this place? Stuffed full of hipsters, there is an overflow of inspiration to soak up from retro tunes, Fragglerock wall paper, and literally the worlds smallest disco. It's a gem of a place and, while their food provides reason enough to go, the staff's laid back attitude about us hanging out for hours while applying makeup (girrrls) and playing with camera settings was much appreciated.
Photos: applying new Covergirl outlast lipstain which is my absolute new favourite - it goes on like a magic marker and stays on ages (life saver for those useless with applying lipstick); Frances' bracelets, and Kit enjoying her tea.
sleek foreign influences...
'Are we allowed to carry these in public?'
Not a knife fiend or an avid explorer, I found myself being slightly surprised by the invite to saunter down to Victorinox to gander at sharp edged objects. Do they think I'm on an actual crusade and need weaponry?! I jest, I knew the brand did more than just knives but I wasn't aware of just how much more. Their versatility was showcased by the 63,000 pound diamond encrusted swiss army knife (yes you heard me right, sixty three thousand pounds) sitting soundly in the entry way to their store. Not only that, they had crazy covetable gear that was multi-functional to the nth degree - read attached flashlights and convertible duffle bag/suit carrying contraptions that I swear could have doubled as a tent. It was enough to bring any adventure loving boy to his knees and possibly would have even made mine a bit shaky had we seen any womenswear. Nevermind that, my new swiss army knife emblazoned with my blog's name will be more than enough to make all the men in my life jealous for a good while...
going to new lengths...
Sometimes the simplest of ideas are the most inspiring. I've absolutely fallen for this 'new' skirt length...
vintage U.S. army jacket giveaway.
Army jackets never go out of style. Spotted at a variety of places, from M*A*S*H to Charlotte Ronson's Spring 2011 collection, they are iconic. When I saw this one at a vintage market in the US this summer (for less than the price of a coffee) I had to grab up a whole arm full of the little beauties. Sure, reworked lady-like versions are always nice - but nothing beats an original. The one I'm giving away is an authentic vintage U.S. army men's jacket. It's a size small and is pretty roughed up in places, though that only adds to its charm. This giveaway is open to everyone: boys and girls, UK residents or Malaysian ones... all I ask is that you follow this blog and leave a comment on this post (with a way to get in touch with you). I'll pick a winner next Monday morning (11 October). One comment per individual please but if you tweet a link to this post I'll throw in an extra entry for you. Good luck!
Wearing: US vintage army jacket, Quiksilver dress, and Frye harness boots.
they don't sell sewing machines...
All Saints knocks all other High Street retailers out of the ring in terms of buttery leathers and covetable knits. You can spot the cool kids who rock their clothes by the vintage looking skull t-shirts and asymmetric dresses they sport. On a recent perusal of their shop on Oxford Street I discovered a whole host of other gorgeous things… it turns out the brand now stocks homeware, crazy beautiful leather photo albums (the kind Indiana Jones probably would have had), and a whole host of lust-worthy footwear. There’s no denying it though, one of my favourite pieces in the store is the Stanton leather jacket. I’d wear it teamed with the Alexi Snood (which technically is a menswear item, but heck, if it’s good enough for the boys…). As the temperature start to drop I want to be covered in fair isle print and that seems a safe place to start. The Kalman shoes are pretty darn fierce too, I love the combination of leather and wood. Other items that caught my eye were the Detain Clutch, the Bex Jumper and the Skull Candle because, after all, Halloween is only just around the corner....
Please note: this is a sponsored post.
roundup...
London Fashion Week is old news by now, right? You've moved onto Milan and now Paris... I'm trying to move on as well. The truth is I haven't even looked at a single show since LFW ended. I have no idea what happened at Prada, Gucci, or any other show for that matter. I haven't touched my camera since either - that must be the longest spell of absence since I started this blog. Fashion week screws you up though man... you feel jet lagged, famished, incapable of eating, excited, exhausted, wound up, and like a recluse all at the same time. You'd have a heyday if you were a schizophrenic.
Anyway, so I wanted to introduce you to a new section on here: the photography page, located right under the header. See it? It's right there between street style and my-style. The idea is to fill it up with all sorts of images that I take throughout the week. I tend to take a lot and I don't always want to make them into a whole blog post. So, this way you can get a behind the scenes peek into what goes on outside these posts. Now, without further ado, a roundup up some of my favourite LFW moments and people.
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