Category: Couture

May 21, 2015

Bags of room..

Another summer 2015 obsession..finding a large, bright yellow shopping tote in soft, malleable leather..the type of bag you fill with all the detritus the sweet summer heralds..sun tan lotion, cotton scarves, umbrellas, sunnies, flip-flops..a picnic to feed the 5,000…a vat of gin..

This one by is top of the picks so far..by Modalu, hand cut and stitched in Somerset by highly skilled artisans it justifies it’s over three hundred pound price tag..but….it’s hard leather..and I can’t justify the expense as I want to change it..but that deep blue interior..mwhahaa!

The inspiration is Anya Hindmarch’s new 2015 sticker bag which is pure giggle and wink.

In homage, I’ve been collecting various patches (do you call them patches??) to make my own.

I just need the bag in a sensible price bracket – why’s it so hard to find a very simple leather bag like this..but in yellow?..you wait..next year the shops will be full of the buggers..until then, the hunt continues..

Laters, Kate x

May 19, 2015

The Essex Taj Mahal x

Grayson Perry

When was the last time you were touched by someone so brilliant they made your head start sub-dividing?

Stand back and welcome previous Turner Prize winner and national gem, Grayson Perry and his new project, a House for Essex: a collaboration with Charles Holland and the architecture studio FAT. Built in Wrabness this huge marmite piece of art is a monumental shrine to a completely fictional character, a lady called Julie May Cope and is dedicated to the ‘Single mums of Dagenham, hairdressers in Colchester and the landscape and history of Essex’. The house holds testament to Perry’s visions of Julie’s life, through her birth in Canvey Island in 1953 to her two marriages, her children, her work all the way to her sudden death at the hands of a pizza delivery moped on Colchester High Street at the premature age of 61.

On the outside there’s a shining copper roof and 1924 glazed terracotta sigils of St jules.

Inside, the main room is in the style of a chapel to pay homage to the life of an ordinary woman.

There are biographical tapestries and pictures over the ceilings with snap shots of her history.

In pride of place and hanging as a chandelier is the very moped that killed her.

Upstairs, the two bedrooms are dedicated to her two marriages..the second of which was a story of true, tender love which permeates through the whole building and draws it together.

Kitsch, ebullient and eccentric it may be, but the joy of Perry is that in his work, as in his life, he describes the truth as he sees it. Underneath the undeniable humour, there’s a deeper, thicker message running through. This is a celebration of a modesty of aspiration and acquisitions that uses high art to pay homage to the notion of hard work and normality. It’s one mans couture shrine to the silver linings and special moments that bless every single life, no matter how hard or down trodden. Which ties up nicely with why it was commissioned in the first place: It’s part of philosopher and critic Alain de bottom’s (great name hashtag-childish-sense-of-humour) Living Architecture programme to allow members of the public – that’s you and me – to stay in buildings by world class contemporary designers. Click here for more details for your own personal taste of Julie’s life.

Imagine…a weekend away…here??

Laters, Kate x

January 30, 2015

Game of Thrones x

I think I have a genetic disorder that reacts to Valentino..every time I see the work of Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri my heart starts pounding and I start reaching for my credit card..and mortgage statements..

Their Valentino couture show was exquisite, drawing on references from across the board: Byzantine, monastical, peasant, ecclesiastical and more, then tying them all up together with a beautiful cohesive ribbon.

This shirt for the summer with a pair of faded shorts..

The achingly wonderful workmanship: It’s not avante garde, pushing the boundaries of wearability. It’s time and craftsmanship with a quiet, deep down confidence.