Put a train on it.
Since when did the train get primarily associated with wedding dresses? If the Royal Wedding has taught us anything it's that we ought to embrace this little bit of extra fabric that dangles from the backside.
I found myself unexpectedly overexcited this morning, squeezed next to Daniella and Jackie under a duvet with a burning laptop on my legs while watching the BBC stream live... but it really was sort of hard to resist. How freaking gorgeous did our new Duchess of Cambridge look all covered in lace designed by the achingly cool Sarah Burton? I'm all about pageantry especially if it comes in form of an Alexander McQueen dress. Even though I didn't manage to get my hands on a Kate and Will flag or bother to make the trek down to Hyde Park to stand and watch the carriages go by... I'll support the wedding by rocking a little baby train on the back of my dress. Personally, I think it's the way forward for summer dressing.
Wearing: Acne Black Darling Dress and Moschino Cheap & Chic belt (My Wardrobe), black Converse, and YSL Arty ring.
Photos by Kit Lee.
i like you.
Carin Wester, why are you so stinking cool? From the pom-pom topped hats to the hoof like shoes... you make me want to be the sort of girl that dresses in printed tummy baring separates and neutral ankle grazing dresses. In the meantime though, while my minions are out sourcing pieces, I'll just have to squinch up my eyes, bang my feet on the floor and screech gimme gimme gimme... while looking at these photos. A girls got to dream, right? By the way, I need to find a hat that will resemble the photo on the far left and a head-to-toe maroon outfit - totally unexpected for summer but somehow quite perfectly right.
Dog days...
Currently have wound up back in Oxford for a couple of days... quite the strange feeling but am enjoying lying in the park with my toes pushed into the grass. Seem to be currently glued to a couple of bright Moleskin notebooks I recently got, Nivea lotion and lip balm, my Samsung Wave II and Retro Super Future sunglasses.
p.s. the winner of the Flik Hall giveaway has been randomly chosen. Congratulations to comment number 16 ('N') who is the winner! Big thanks to everyone who entered. So glad you all liked the piece so much!
Flik Hall Giveaway - Now Closed
Flik Hall is one of my favourite new designers. I've gotten totally hooked on her insanely well crafted and original pieces over the last few weeks. Flik was kind enough to lend me a few pieces from her S/S 11 collection a few weeks ago and now, after wearing them, I can't quite get them out of my head.
Last night I had the first event to kick start the engine behind a new idea I've had. It aimed to bring together a small group of people to discuss their relationship with clothes, shopping, and style. I'll leave the details of it until later, but I was so excited because a few brands and designers that I've worked with in the past were kind enough to contribute to the process.
Flik offered to send something over for the goodie bags... I was totally blown away by what she had sent when I unwrapped it yesterday afternoon. Being way too generous, she created small leather pieces that are lined in fabric from her AW11 collection. They are beautiful and so cool. Perfect for carrying around your oyster card during the day or fill it with a few notes and your id when you head out in the evening.
To get your hands on a little piece of Flik Hall: leave a comment below clearly stating that you'd like to be entered in the giveaway. The winner will be chosen on Monday. Please note: this giveaway is open to international readers.
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............................................ PLEASE NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED..................................................
ckone
At the ckone party at Village Underground. Professor Green didn't make it but it was good anyway. Big thanks to MTV and ckone for the tickets. Thanks to Daniella for the photos and to Matthew for being my hot date. About to head off for a flight back to Zurich... have a good weekend folks.
Wearing: Ivory Angle Lim Dress by Flik Hall
p.s. in case your in London and don't have any plans for Saturday, you could consider dropping into the ckone pop up shop at the Truman Brewery. It's pretty trippy. They've got some incredibly soft boy fit jeans, loads of underwear (I found the most comfortable bra of my life), and a vending machine that shoots out undies...
Hey there doll face...
Spent a bit of time playing in the back alleys behind Oxford Circus yesterday afternoon...
Wearing my usual get up but with a very special addition: a half-and-half leather skirt from Flik Hall's Spring11 collection entitled Mannequin Parade. Yep, that's right, this ultra lux piece has got little chubby baby doll pieces printed right onto the front creating a geometric pattern. It's the sort of thing that is discrete enough that it's perfectly wearable in the day but has a bit of a crazy twist when it's examined up close. I definitely had a few people staring pretty hard at in while I was on the tube over. I nearly wanted to lean over and whisper, 'yes, it's what you think it is.'
Thank you Felicity and Hetty! Photos taken by Charlie.
get in My Wardrobe...
If there's one thing that will get me out of bed in the morning it's shopping. Going to a good press day is just about the second best thing to shopping because, while you don't actually go home with anything, you leave with a head full of ideas and a wish list that stretches all the way down the street (and around the corner in the case of this press day). Luckily though your visa card stays firmly planted in your purse the whole time... so no need to worry about over spending.
Because I've been in Zurich I haven't attended a single press event this season but I magically happened to be in London today and so was lucky enough to attend the My Wardrobe preview of the Autumn/Winter collection. If I had to hand select one press event to attend it would be this one... so I was thanking my lucky stars that our dates happened to align just so.
I learnt all sorts of new and wonderful things today. 'Like what?' You might be wondering... what can anyone actually learn from a press day? Well, let me tell you...
Texture blocking is going to be massive (so items that are one part leather, one part other fabric for example... instead of colour blocking, it's texture blocking... get it?), MQ designs have been brought back in-house and there are lots of funky things on offer like a pair of hottt plaid Scotsman-like trousers, Equipment have done a silk floor skimming shirt DRESS (i know! amaazing), and there's an entire sheer black lace DKNY shirt with white silk collar that is pretty much heaven. In other news Sam Edelman has created the most covetable leopard print bootie (might be worth getting on the waiting list from now), smoking slippers are set to get even huuuger than they already are, and Merle O'Grady has continued to produce some of the most psychedelic space aged jewelry I've seen to date.
Personal favourites included a highlighter-orange fuzzy Day Birger jumper that everyone was going mental over (editiors top pick from the event I'd have to guess - expect to see it everywhere), velvet Cuban heels, and everything 3.1 Phillip Lim. Have I mentioned how absolutely obsessed I am with Phillip Lim?! The boots in the first photo are his and I literally had to hold myself back from stuffing his entire range into my bag and running through the door screaming. Phew... that would have been embarrassing.
Luckily, instead of doing that I sipped down two cups of the most incredible coffee. I assumed it was something fancy pants but apparently it was just from Sainsburys?! I'm not sure if I really believe it though, however, I did get a master class in how to make coffee with a cafetiere (hopefully in the future I wont wind up with chunks of coffee grounds). Finally, before scooting out the door I nearly drooled on Luisa de Paula's shoe because I was so in awe of her incredible Anton Heunis necklace and electric blue combination... way to be smooth Jen.
View more photos on Facebook here
Big thanks to Susie for the invite - a pleasure as always to see you. x
New uniform
We might just be edging our way into summer but seriously this is the first collection I've seen that has made me want to burrow my head into the sand until September when the temperature start to drop*. Is it too heady to say I'd be happy if my entire Autumn wardrobe consisted of just T by Alexander Wang?! These styles are so chic, so elegantly mermaid in nature... a melting pot of recreation in the everyday silhouette. Sheer, textured knits, mirrored satins, marled greys (have I mentioned I'm a serious sucker for grey?), and a take on layering that feels decidedly new. Alright Wang, let's just call it like it is... I love you.
All images sourced from Style.com
View the entire T by Alexander Wang Fall 2011 Collection
*who am I kidding? I can't deny my so-cal roots... I would never pass up summer
Whispers and Anarchy...
Sometimes being a fashion blogger makes you feel a bit like an alien... why else would you choose to wear cat print trousers, a matrix inspired jumper, bright pink lipstick, and 5 inch wedges around... in the middle of the day on a Thursday? Surely there must be something wrong... surely, I must have accidentally been dropped out of a spaceship with little clue of what is actually acceptable on this planet*?
So, when Mimco contacted me about their new campaign video where an alien-like girl finds herself all dolled up parading around Paris like a nutter in a PVC rain jacket and hiney-skimming shorts I couldn't resist the temptation to get involved... because after all I do love a pair of short-shorts and a cute girl on a cute bike never goes amiss in my books.
Wearing: Mimco Venus Wedges (Mimco), Paul & Joe cat print trousers (HPR London), Reiss backpack, and Next jumper. Big thanks to Tam at Taboo in Australia for inviting me to take part in the Mimco campaign. Thanks Dan for the photos.
* well, you'd think so with the looks I get sometimes
Hope this Mimco video, with its sweet tunes and carefree spirit, helps to get you in the weekend mood.
The here and Now...
As much as I might be a die-hard fashion lover, I've got to admit that techie things really get me excited. It might be because I was raised on Nintendo or because my Dad had a collection of DVDs 500 strong way back in 1996, but I've always been able to hold my own when it comes to electronic devices and have sent many a boy home crying because I was, and forever will be, the Donkey Kong champion.
Needless to say, when Samsung contacted me about being involved in the Now Project as part of the launch of their new Wave II phone I was pretty over the moon. The camera on the little device is seriously top notch and the phone has the coolest photo editing software and makes it super easy to upload artsy pictures straight onto facebook (or anywhere else on the web). I absolutely love the thing and have been using it ever since it was first given to me a few months back (a serious step-up as it transported me to the wonderful world of having internet on my phone - I know, sometimes I'm a bit behind on the times).
A couple of weeks ago Samsung hosted an exhibition at the Design Museum in London to showcase all the nifty pictures people had taken with their little Waves. It was such a treat to see the photos I had taken up on display (awwh, shucks). Besides just that, the event took place in a very swanky location and had views overlooking the London Bridge and all the offices in central London (whose lights never seem to go off)... which was all pretty heart warming for a girl who now is a bit of a tourist in the city.
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First two photos feature the images I took for the project: Pandemonia at the Charlie le Mindu AW11 show and Oxford Circus the night before LFW began.
Must send out a very big Thank You to Samsung for hosting the event and sending me the Wave II phone. Also, massive love to Spreading Jam for including me as a participant in the Now Project. Always a pleasure (#tipshat). Other participants in the event included the ever lovely and very talented: Daniella, Kit, Charlie, Frances and Shini (in absentia).
Hello Akris, nice to meet you.
It seems I'm discovering all sorts of new things since moving to Switzerland... that sunshine is good for the soul, a fresh pretzel can heal all wounds, new scenery is refreshingly invigorating... and that Akris should be getting a lot more attention than it currently is. Understated quality pieces are where it's at in my books. Maybe it's because I'm finally done being a student or because the thought of buying one more poor quality over priced garment from a British high street store makes me feel nauseated... but labels, trends, and what's 'popular' feels so early noughties. I don't care what the label says, which celebrity wore it where, or if it fits into Grazia's* top trends... I just want to like it, have it fit well, and be good quality. History, design, and craftmanship are what I'm looking for... cue Akris.
The Swiss luxury brand that is going to celebrate it's 90th birthday next year has taken the high road in terms of brand authenticity. You wont find a perfume with their name smeared across it or a full page ad in Vogue with the hottest young starlet modeling its goods. Rather, they simply create beautifully constructed pieces and let their desirability spread by word of mouth. Their Autumn/Winter 2011 collection ticks all the right boxes: bold yellow and red (yesss!), soft shades of grey (my favouuurite), graphic futuristic prints (oh myy), plus the most wearable footwear in a range of sumptuous colours. Word of mouth starts in 5... 4... 3...
*no offense, you are my favourite weekly magazine
Bringing you luxury on a budget...
...........crisp................iconic..........................forever.....................................
The two chosen pieces are a 100% silk Gucci cream shirt and yellow Celine small bag. These are both being listed on ebay with the starting price of 79.99. Personally, I think everybody should have a bit of luxury in their wardrobe... but think paying the insane prices for new items is insanely unrealistic for most of us (myself included). Which is why I'm starting the Gucci shirt off at 79.99 (new Gucci shirts are currently on Net a Porter for between 500-900 GBP) and the Celine bag at 79.99 as well (new Celine handbags retail at 2,000 GBP)... I have no clue what these will sell for but if I make a profit I'll put that money back into finding more pieces that I can sell again to you guys for a fraction of the price.
The motivation for doing this? At the moment I've got the time and resources to find amazing second hand pieces for reasonable prices and have been feeling disillusioned and disgruntled by the obnoxious mark ups of secondhand/vintage shops in London. Mmmmkay? So, happy bidding and do a girl a favour and spread the word about this. The more I can make from selling these the more items I can find for you... which, let's be honest, is a pretty fun way to spend a day.
Please note: this post has been amended due to the complications of selling items over Twitter (which I had originally intended to do). A link to my ebay account will be provided over Twitter and on my Facebook Page soon, incase you are interested in either of these items.
p.s. items worn in first photo are - red Sonia Rykiel skirt (left) and Akris printed dress & vintage leather belt with gold detail by a Swiss designer whose name I can't remember (right).
Issey Miyake & Balenciaga charity finds...
Issey Miyake Pleats Please skirt (purchased with matching top) and Balenciaga boots (like new) both purchased at a charity shop in Zurich yesterday. This is not a joke like last time. This is not an April Fools trick... although I do wish you all a very happy April Fools.
These items were purchased from an incredible charity in the city... clearly there are far too many people with extraordinary clothes in Zurich and far too few people who want to snatch them up (enter yours truly).
Wearing: Issey Miyake Pleats Please skirt, Balenciaga boots, American Apparel Tri-blend Short sleeve track shirt, and Madewell jacket. Drinking Lipton Lemon flavoured ice-tea... yummm... especially when fresh out of the fridge. Photos taken by the very talented photographer Louise Wing.
Please note: the colour in these photos has not been manipulated. The skirt is THAT orange in real life.