Mondrian

 I knew I'd seen that print before... Miuccia Prada seems to have borrowed some ideas from the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. He developed Neo-Plasticism back in 1917. A white base was painted with a grid of black vertical and horizontal lines. Primary colours were also added, creating a pop of dispersed colour. YSL created a dress back in 1965 that was a more direct version of the iconic print. Prada's collection, I'd argue, has come a long way from that. The colours are deeper and the lines more varied, creating a more nuanced and representation of Mondrian's original concept - an excellent job of paying homage to the original work without copying it directly... Zara, take note.

Ok, am off to Germany for a couple of days and officially done talking about Prada, I promise.

Prada

Oh, Prada. You get me every time. Each season you're unexpected and at first a bit bizarre but you mix things up and unleash new trends like nobody else. You managed to throw the predicted silhouette on its head with your 1920s style dropped waists and hip slung belts. Don't even get me started on the curved heel of your boots... it's Wonka, it's trippy, and it's so right.

Amelia Earhart seems to have made babies with Big Foot and I like it.

Images compiled from style.com and Prada.

What's up doc?

The past month has been a blur.

Four weeks spent away from home, six flights boarded, seven beds slept in, one new niece, two friends wed and countless burgers eaten. The summer has slipped by. Today I'm sitting in a flat in east London watching a thick sky of grey cloud. Tomorrow I'll be back in Zurich. For now, here's a little peek into what I've been up to. Photos taken in NY, St Louis, and London...

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The little prince...

Gimme, gimme, gimme...

Why is it that spring collections always catch me off guard? Isn't it still summer?! How are we talking about next spring already. I've barely gotten my head around AW for crying out loud. Never you mind though because the future looks bright. Whenever I get an e-mail from Patouf with the brand's latest collection I am delighted and scramble to get the file unzipped as quickly as possible. This season did not disappoint. I'm drooling over the warm colour palette, unexpected shapes (hello ankle grazing wide legs), alien-esque robotic shoulders, and cut away knit detailing...

Anna Angseryd is incredible at reinterpreting her brand each season. When I first spotted her in the courtyard at Somerset House her collection was gorgeous but far girlier than the designs shown here. Over the past few seasons she’s worked with tougher fabrics, brought in military prints, and has created silhouettes that, at first make me scratch my head, but then have me swooning.

Patouf is, without a doubt, my favourite Swedish brand - and that’s saying a lot. Talent is pouring out of the country at the moment. In the wake of Acne’s monumental success there’s a perennial buzz floating above all things Scandinavian. The country’s design aesthetic seems to have captured the zietgeist of the moment. It’s minimal and raw and yet authentically rooted in something culturally historic. Each season I fall harder and deeper in love with the brand. The 'Patouf girl' seems to be coming into herself. She might have her prim side but there’s a part that’s much darker and more refined - something that's resonating with me at the moment.

Not trash.

I learnt a lesson on this day: never leave your drink on the ground and walk away to take photos... durrr. It was so hot and the only refuge on this little wee island that the Statue of Liberty sat on was my huge Coke that I waited hours in line to get. And then, just like that, a little man came and tossed it into the bin. Oh, the misery. This incident is what caused my grumpy face in the second to last shot... it's not because I hate taking photos for you guys (I hate people who throw away my drinks).

Anyway, this dress is freaking awesome - especially on a hot day. The side vents let in a kick-butt breeze and the back blows up in the wind. Plus, the print is pretty cute and I'm currently digging the high-front-low-back style.

Wearing: UO dress, Hanky Panky bandeau, Rainbow sandals, Half N' Half One Language bag, and Super sunglasses.

Timex King

Meet the Timex Andros...

 I'm officially obsessed with this little J.Crew/Timex collaboration. One part raw durability, one part shiny faux-Rolex styling - I want it so badly. It's so perfect in all it's simplicity that I can't quite imagine how I've been living without it for all these years. Get on my wrist you little sucker and I promise we'll live happily ever after.

Brooklyn

Had dinner at my friend's apartment in Brooklyn. He has three floors, two balconies and a roof top garden... I started considering the logistics of becoming a squatter as soon as I caught sight of the incredible views. To watch the sun set over all the madness that lies within Manhattan is complete perfection. The sausages bought from the Polish store down the street weren't too shabby either...

Wearing: Weekday necklace, Hanes grey vest, and Next polkadot palazzo pants (not pictured).

J.Crew

Being in America is reigniting my love for all things clean, crisp, and preppy. I love J.Crew's simple well-cut basics in bright unexpected colours - such a refreshing spin on Autumnal dressing. The slouchy meets tailored combinations are pretty much perfection. I'd gladly take the whole lot.

Anonymous

Katy Grannan prints shown at the Met

In an information age where everything is linked, googled, and wiki'd it's strangely refreshing to stare into the face of something that provides no additional information. These photographs, shot in Los Angeles and San Francisco, only include the location and date in their title. I like that.

Times Square

During my time in New York I was extremely lucky. I got to stay in two incredibly beautiful hotels. The first was the Paramount... where I got to lie my head for five nights in the insanely lush Couture Suite. I had a view from my room of Times Square and all it's insanity. Since I'm pretty new to the city it was so much fun to be right in the centre of all the madness.

Of course, it was absolutely baking the entire time I was in town and the one occasion I decided to take photos in Times Square it decided to pour down with rain. Having this Elizabeth Lau dress made the heat a bit more bearable! The arms are cut super deep so you get a bit of a breeze in through the side and it's really light weight. I'm a little in love with the slight kimono feel to the shape and the crazy circular girl print. I spent the entire week in my new white converse without socks... resulting in two massive blisters on the bottom of each of my feet. Rookie error, what was I thinking?

Wearing: Elizabeth Lau Brooklyn dress (aptly NY themed, eh?), white Converse, Topshop armour ring, and random canvas bag with Elizabeth Lau heart pins attached.

CRUMBS

The reported temperature today was 107 degrees... the humidity was suffocating... the sweat was visibly dripping off everyone. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I'm in NY and I'm happy - heatwave or not. But the scorching temperature meant I sought solace in any air conditioned place I could find - namely restaurants. I popped into CRUMBS for cupcakes and my what delicious cupcakes I found. With names like Devil's Food and Blackout you know they are going to be intense but they're good - really good - and heavy. Don't go on a full stomach though because these babies are a meal in themselves. If you're in NY definitely check these guys out.

The rest of the day was spent skipping through leafy streets, commenting on Americans, and walking around the Meatpacking District - where I just so happened to walk past Scott Schumann...

Medusa

Jason Lear illustrations for Eugene Lin's AW11 collection.

Inspiration comes in all forms, from the smallest flicker of light to the loudest life changing events. For Eugene Lin, inspiration seems to come from an otherworldly mystical place. The last collection of his that I featured was, after all, inspired by the graphic and disturbing 'vanishing twin syndrome'. For AW11 the complex rage of Medusa was his muse.

One of my favourite things about Lin is the wearability of his pieces. The digitally altered prints might mimic Medusa's petrified victims while folded necklines recall her execution - but this doesn't result in pieces that are incapable of being worn daily. The collection is gorgeous. With the most stunning prints, deep green dresses, and a trench that has landed on my wish list. There's something very McQueen about this collection... and I'm liking it.

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Weakness

Oh, the infamous power of a pair of statement shoes. They have the ability to bring even the most level headed of girls to their knees with desire. Slap a trendy designer name onto even the most ill-advised grotesque looking item and it will demand instant admiration and obsession.

The more bizarre, dangerous, and elusive the better...

Shini's been looking pretty fierce in her Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony boots. Leather, laces, wood, and dangerous heights?! What more could a girl ask for.

In flight...

Yeah, I was that awkward girl on the plane shoving my dslr up against the window to snap photos of clouds.

There were two little girls sitting in front of me on the flight over to London. They kept swapping seats to sit next to the window and were so excited - totally bewildered by what they were seeing. The youngest, who was sitting in the middle seat as we landed, couldn't stop crying on the descent. She wasn't scared, she was upset she couldn't see out the window like her sister. I couldn't blame her.

Apologies for haven fallen slightly off the face of the earth. Five days without blogging?! I think that might be my longest absence since I started... I was stuck in Zurich with no laptop charger and since my little Pro is getting old it died after 2 hours. Which left me home alone for three days with no laptop or t.v. Needless to say, I had to deal with some serious boredom issues. I did read more in those three days then I probably have in the last three years... and baked a batch of peanut butter cookies (which I ate in entirety all one my own - oops). I'm in London til Wednesday then off to NY!

p.s. I realize this isn't exactly fashion related... hope you don't mind.

Timo.Weiland

It's official: this dress is pretty much perfection. I have serious love for the simple shape and trippy landscape print. I'd like to wear it every day while people watching from my roof. Timo.Weiland seems to be capturing my heart big time... more coming on his collection later.

Wearing: Timo.Weiland lanscape dress, Won Hundred shoes (both via SC) and Alexander McQueen knuckleduster.