Category: Designer Brands
Bill Skinner x
What’s a girl to do when faced with such gorgeousness? Possibly write a very large wish list and place it somewhere purposeful and prominent. With a begging money box on the side. Classic with a giggle, Bill Skinner has a way of capturing the essence of vintage for the modern wardrobe – this enchanting Butterfly pendant is hand carved and enamelled with even the glass dome hand blown in Kent. Makes the £90 price tag seem a bargain…
Or how about a Kingfisher? (They remind me of all things delicious – dollshouses, Victorian taxidermy..and do you remember those tiny glass bottles filled with beads that passed as fairy dust??)
Bill Skinner learnt his trade with the best: Asprey, Arpels, Garrards and Van Cleef. Followed by a polishing of Street from Butler & Wilson and the wonderful Vivienne Westwood.
Influenced by heritage but not stuck in the past his designs always have that touch of fun.
Any Shrek fans?!
Adore!
Designs of delight and a price point that works..what’s not to love? Now… where’s that credit card hiding…
Laters, Kate x
JPG Forever! x
Last week Julie (from Vintageattitude) and I met up with hopes aloft to see the John Paul Gaultier Exhibition at the Barbican in London. We walked in, immediately drawn to a collection of iconic Bretons – the stripe so representative of Gaultier, when Julie grabbed my arm…Did you see that? She whispered..I’m sure that mannequin just winked at me….
We were laughing and totally entranced….As we appraoched each mannequin they came to life and spoke to us….so very clever and such a witty touch – a bit like the man himself.
Who was in on the Act to just welcome us. That accent…..sigh.
The whole exhibition felt very intimate – possibly helped by the tube strike – but everything was open and accessible. Human.
Inspiration for espadrille competition?
Around every corner was another legendary memory – from Madonna’s underwear as outerwear tour clothes to championing skirts for men. And you began to realise how many fashion ideas this man has creatively planted over his long, long career- digital printing on the Can-can Dress aka Mary Katrantzou (which has to be the most perfect wedding dress ever. White and demur for the service…outrageous for the first dance!)
Upside down Eiffel Towers’ for heels on shoes aka Charlotte Olympia (yes, the tights had Eiffel towers too..)- Punk, Eurotrash and the first example of a skort I’ve ever seen. And worn by a man…it went on and on..
This was ingenious..a tulle skirt with the waistband being the very top of a pair of white jeans.
Despite additions such a camo, bullets and desert boots..all the outfits for women were always very feminine.
And even with sequins, furs and skirts..the men’s outfits always remained masculine.
Throughout the mannequins were like celestial beings beamed down from planet Gaultier, each one with their own unique, witty outlook on life. There’s no-one here, right? I exist because I speak. I don’t want to be here, but I can be who I want to be, I am because I am, I am a dream – They were more than sentences on repeat. They were a persona. Just like the Exhibition itself….
Laters, Kate x
Funky and Fanciful x
There’s a serendipity when things that aren’t perfect just are.
Like an unexpected marriage of colour, nostalgia and manipulation.
But then would you expect any more from Karen Walker?
(I want this bow necklace. Like now…)
The Queen of witchy powers, always willing to throw magic into the mix. And cackle with glee at the results..
Laters, Kate x
Taka Naka x
Taka Naka like to play with the eye and revel in experimenting with the unexpected. Basking in rich sources of inspiration subtle it’s not, capturing shifts in every mood..at the same time and layering them up like a rich mouth watering pavlova.
Their signature are impressive in-house prints based on paintings or photography. For AW14 they’ve taken it a step further taking the world of interiors: prints from Carpets, wallpaper, tiles and porcelain as their point of inspiration. As well as – and appropriately given the exhibition going on in London at the moment – the wonderful work of Matisse. 
The aim is an exotic clashing effect, beautifully constructed with print on print.
There’s a true fascination about how it all weaves together..helped by the incredible sets of these photos..
The Designers, identical twins Tamara and Natash Surguladze, say that by working together their designs reflect their contrasts..and yet still reveal the dual nature of the brand. 
That print on the bomber jacket..so evocative..
So Matisse..
The Collection is a new twist on relaxed dressing within luxurious symbols.
Instead of searching for a point of rest, like a Bird of Paradise, the Collection sings it’s shimmering little heart out in perfect harmony..
Laters, Kate x
Isa Arfen..
It always feels odd to be looking at AW when the pinchpoint decisions for Summer seem so much more pressing. On the flip side I still have my Winter clothes still hanging in my closet making it much clearer to see leaps of faiths, gaps, necessities, worn-outs and Objects of Desire..
The category that Isa Arfen falls straight into.
Graciously engaging it’s like cashmere from the street.
Observations both historical (those gold boots!) and contemporary.
Sharp lines with volume yet precision cut.
There will be much smiling this Autumn!
Laters, Kate x
It Stole My Heart x
The moment I clapped eyes on this Dries Van Noten shirt it sang my song. I loved it’s bold stance that still seamlessly fitted with it’s gold baroque inspired partner.
Initially I thought the design was printed – but no, it’s all embroidered aka creole style, which in my view makes it a little slice of heaven. At £590 I can understand and appreciate it’s steep price and in my minds eye I can already see it walking through my wardrobe marrying all kinds of jeans, skirts and culottes with absolute aplomb, until I fear at the school gates instead of ‘Bella’s-Mum’ or Charlie’s-Mum’ I’d be known as ‘Shirt-Girl’. I cross my fingers tightly it’ll be in the Summer Sales with a wonderful, purse-happy reduction. Until then there’s another route and I’ve been compelled to try and make a patterned shirt of my own. I found an old cream number ripe and ready for the re-cycling bin to experiment on (it’s not cotton but a sort of modern chiffon) and with a bog standard black permanent marker pen and embroidery ring I set to work..
It’s incredibly therapeutic – there’s no right or wrong, you just do…and it organically grows..it’s not finished yet, but i’ll post a pic of it when it is.
I realise it seems as if I don’t stop – and the truth is I probably don’t. But a lot of the work I do as a mum is ‘invisible’ – expected and to a certain extent, taken for granted. By making time for my ‘projects’ I see something tangible created in front of my eyes…and the joy of that is worth it’s weight in gold – I sincerely believe it’s food for the soul. One of these days I’ll write a post about how I manage my time (I do have a system – I have to) …I just need to find the time to write it…!
Laters, Kate x
Jamie Beck & Ralph Lauren x
These pictures were taken by the photographer Jamie Beck backstage at the Ralph Lauren Show.
There’s a serenity and calm to them away from the glare of front of house. Simple passions and gentle grace.
Where the details of the clothes can sing, the glass pane of the runway removed.
The rehearsal more telling than the stage production, capturing moments before the masks come down.
A designer bag now so effortless, approachable and lust-worthy..
(All photos from Jamie Beck’s Anne Street Studio Blog)
It helps that Jamie Beck always adds a sense of timelessness to her work, majestically catching the quality and movement of material she skilfully opens up the arteries to the pitfalls of desire…
I fall.
Laters, Kate x
La Vita e Bella..
Spring has really sprung in London..you can almost leave the house without a coat… it means all I want to do is pour myself into summer…
It doesn’t help that the Dolce & Gabbana Spring Summer advertising campaign has cherry picked everything my heart is yearning for…
The effervescence of the simple life – the joy of cooking with fresh ingredients, the passion of creating, the aroma of flowers and fruit ripening in the sun, blue skies and al fresco suppers in the garden…the extra long brown legs don’t help either (where I can find them and how much do they cost?!) all sharpened up with a hint of Mafia.
There’s a haunting beauty that’s still grounded in the past, capturing a time when there was time to roam and relax into natural rhythms..
There’s still laughter and fun..the fluidity of life rushing on the slow side with everything in broad strokes.
I want to hold it like a snow globe and treasure it forever..
Laters, Kate x
Penelope Chilvers x
Penelope Chilvers is an independent shoe shop based in Notting Hill offering some seriously lovely kicks to swoon over..
Founded in 2005 from the front room of her house, Penelope Chilvers, the driving force and Designer, passionately supports dying crafts and traditional methods for manufacturing in the twenty first Century. She believes this is the beating heart of the Brand and what keeps it authentic..
Her shoes are always impeccably crafted – she endeavours to source each and every component in a design which is then crafted by hand..the result is the addition of that intrinsic quality that’s impossible to fake: Love.
Each shoe is designed to walk into your life. And stay there.
Quietly rocking inspiration.
Me likey..
Laters, Kate x
Agnes and Lola x
This is one of my secrets. The website Agnes & Lola, originally born of a love of two things: independent fashion and the diverse cultures across the African continent.
It’s the perfect browse if you need a bit of spice.
Re-defined classics that offer a ready-to-wear alternative to the cloning of the High Street. And sensible prices too..I’ve just ordered these, reduced from £55 to £25…
I look at these, and all I can think of, even though I have never met her is my blogging friend Fashion Mayann! They just have her name on them!
Let colourful be your personality. Why should the men have all the fun? I want these trousers..
Just accessories with a smile!
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 