Category: Designer Brands
Dame Viv…
(Photo by Heather Blockey/Demotix)
Dame Vivienne Westwood is a high ceiling where thoughts and dreams drift upwards and average or ordinary would be a rude word. So is it surprising that at the age of 72 she’s shorn off her trademark titian hair?
(Photo by AFP/Getty Images)
‘Vivienne cut her hair as we all must wake up to climate change’ a spokesperson said, adding ‘And secondly, she wanted to cut the red out for a while and have it white to show she’s proud of her age.’ Westwood is known as an active climate campaigner – indeed, last month she said she wouldn’t be expanding her empire in order to concentrate on backing Greenpeace’s work to protect the Arctic – but somehow, the age bit has greater resonance recognising that the way you look is a hyper-potent source of expression. More than visual bravado it says it’s not beauty in the classical sense that matters, but talent, integrity, intelligence and style.
(photo AFP/Getty Images)
Unique in a sea of sheep, she will always present the stuff that makes people feel uncomfortable..and she’ll do it smiling with mischievous pleasure. Just like those boots she’s wearing.
Of course, those of us in the know recognise the Laura Lynn effect..expect short hair to be BIG this summer!
Laters, Kate x
I Dig Kate!
Call me ignorant, but I had no idea that Kate Spade did stationery..possibly because it’s only just come to the UK – Quilllondon.com have started selling them (just so you know – they haven’t asked me to write this! I just love it!) It’s fab…utterly charming, witty..and I want some! The prices are not silly for a bit of designer magic – from £20 – £28 – which makes them the ideal gift..now it’s just a matter of choosing. And that is NOT easy!
This box sorts out all your cards so they’re no longer lying cluttered in a drawer…heaven!
There’s a similar box with ‘enclosure’ cards inside to add the personal touch to presents…j’adore!
Designer drawing pins or paper clips anyone?!
And the notebooks…divine! This one..Eat cake for breakfast..
When’s Christmas??
Laters, Kate x
They Came Out to Play…
Sarah Burton. Her time is now. Producing the eye-searing clothes that would’ve had Isabella Blow dragging on her ash-dripping ciggie with uncontained pleasure..
A femininity of drama without being frilly with the power to take us on flights of fancy away from grey pavements and cramped tube carriages.
Blurring the lines between couture and ready to wear, the workmanship is sensational – like elves and fairies have been at work.
Pushing the boundaries, McQueen’s never been ordinary or suburban. In a unique niche, it always has to be more. More than the High Street with the power to defy industry molds.
A bird of paradise brought to life in the urban jungle. You just want to stroke it’s gentle plumes and calm it’s beating heart.
The perfect Oscar dress?
Cate Blanchett?
And all this from the woman with one year old twins?…I doff my vermillion ostrich feathered Tracey to her..but I also want to give her a cuddle…and a nice cup of tea with a biccie on the side..
Laters, Kate x
Dying for Dries..
Dries Van Noten AW14. The Clothes you know Blondie would wear. No more to be said…
Laters, Kate x
Ironic Iconic..
(Photo from Marie Claire)
The Moschino AW14 show was rather over-shadowed by the tardy arrival of one of it’s models, the pop singer Katy Perry. Some say her showing up late was the behaviour of a spoilt brat. Other’s argue she was set up or let down by others and it wasn’t her fault. The audience certainly weren’t happy and made the fact known. I say, if you are late, take it on the chin and have the grace to apologies. Swearing shows a distinct lack of humanity.….although Jeremy Scott, the King of Junk Culture was probably more than happy, sitting in a dark corner chuckling to himself, lapping all the media exploitation straight up like a rich tabloid milkshake..
Once started, he proudly paraded the Macdonald’s golden arches down the runway ‘homaged’ as potent tongue-in-cheek representation of Chanel’s iconic logo.
More caricatures of Chanel statement pieces were served up in quick succession.
This was ‘fast fashion’ in a satirical multi-layered pret-a-manger sandwich with extra relish. A brilliant parody of high street and designer, bright, stand-out and ‘of the moment’ this Collection needed to hit the shop floor running – and that’s exactly what Jeremy Scott did. A soon as the first model stepped onto the runway select pieces of the Collection became available online. No six month wait. No time for copies or ubiquitous ‘interpretations’, Jeremy Scott had done all the handwork, taken all the risk..after all the mocking and the finger waving, buried underneath the crowd pleasing a slick machine was at work..with style and showmanship he triumphantly demonstrated that fast fashion can be designer fashion…and be quick as well.
There’s one thing no-one can deny – Jeremy Scott is a man who understands the fashion world through and through…and is prepared to run wild with the times…
Laters, Kate x
La Dolce Vita..
(Lara Stone, Vogue France Mar 14)
When I looked at Dolce &Gabbana SS14 for the first time I could feel the bright sun of Sicily and the shadows of a lemon tree flickering above. There was cherry blossom. luscious gold jewellery, lazy lunches, fresh homemade pasta and carafes of wine.
(D&G SS14 Garage UK)
So it’s always fascinating to see the magazines then take the clothes and present them to us within the spirit of their publication.
( Fioia Italy Feb 14)
They have the resources to create another glossy world…to give us the chance to hold a physical dream in our hands.
(Glamour Italy Mar 14)
(Hunger UK)
(Vanity Fair, Italy, Feb)
(L’Officiel France Mar 14)
(Marie Claire, Italy Mar 14)
(Numero France Mar 14)
(Harper’s Bazaar, UK mar 14)
(All photos from Dolce &Gabbana)
Like the Sirens on the cliffs they call us saying, just by re-mortgaging your house you too can be like me…Or…are they works of Art in their own right? Adding subtle layers of message and mystery..
It’s your call.
Laters, Kate x
The Star Stella Jean.. x
Here we go! The vibrant, eclectic, charismatic Collection from Stella Jean AW14..
Full of bohemian chic, Stella Jean draws her inspiration from her two diametrically opposite cultures.
The Wax material represents her maternal roots – her Creole heritage from Haiti, the first independent black republic in the world.
The stripes stand for her father, Italy, Turin and convention.
More than a simple apology on behalf of competing factions, she sucks the marrow from both to create a diversity that is utterly thrilling as it weaves and wefts together.
She dances away from the Dinner party generality that has rather bled our souls of colour.
Till the cold tug of winter has been burnt away.
So elegantly put together..it’s about embracing what you love and living life to the full.
Laters, Kate x
Fascinating Faustine x
Tucked away in the wilds of East London is a Studio with a difference. It’s where Faustine Steinmetz works her magic spinning, dying and weaving her own fabrics, up-cycling old textiles and turning the ordinary into the curiously exotic.
Her work isn’t about re-defining the silhouette into dramatic statements, instead she wants her clothes to have a grounded reference point. Each piece is chosen from the iconic element of our wardrobes – the pieces you reach for without thinking. It’s then the re-construction that gets taken to a whole new level.
Choices are made – like the denim will be made from mohair – and from that point, everything is handmade and hand dyed, right down to familiar red tabs and labels which are hand woven on looms in the studio.
These jeans were tapestried by hand to create the illusion of aged denim using hundreds and thousands of tiny stitches. The process took ten people 3 months to complete.
The idea behind this jacket was to create something that looked as if it had spent years floating in the sea.
(All pictures by Sanna Helena Berger)
Her concept is as far away from fast fashion as you can get, but it also challenges the thought processes of luxury brands. Many of the pieces she chooses as her inspiration, like the 501 levi jeans, were originally designed for labourers – made out of necessity rather than for beauty for the ordinary person on the street. But for Faustine luxury is not a glittering ball gown made from rare pleated silks and worn once, ‘luxury’ means somebody spending the time and talent to create something unique using pride and passion to create with integrity and heart.
Laters, Kate x
Throw on the Throws..
The stand out item on the Burberry AW14 Collection was the blanket cape thrown with nonchalant ease around the models shoulders. You just know it’s going to be a big look next winter as the perfect armour against even the thought of another onslaught from the Polar Vortex, stylishly layering layers on layers. But I do have a little confession….I thought Christopher Bailey was making a political statement against the treatment of cows in the UK..or maybe in support of vegetarians? Who knows – but I just thought..jeez..this is radical!!
You could hear the penny clang when I read later they were actually Cara’s initials..which, honest to God, is a totally awesome concept….just maybe her’s weren’t the best to send out first!
Laters, Kate x
Lighting the Way x
In my dreams there’s an Abigail Ahern chandelier hanging over my dining room table. Scrap that – we’re talking dreams..they’ll be two! (and a reinforced ceiling) This one has my heart – it’s made from tiny squares of porcelain that would gently glow on a dark winters night. But at £15,050 a light (the extra £50 tickles my sensibilities) it remains firmly on the once-I’ve-won-the-lottery-lust-list…
There’s also this one (at a mere £2,750) which makes me want to break open the kid’s air-drying clay and get creative. The truth is Abigail’s whole aesthetic has me squealing..the dark, brooding colours with the unexpected pops of colour, the quirky touches and an underlining sense of humour that spontaneously brings forth a smile of pure pleasure.
So it’s rather wonderful that she’s teamed up with Debenhams to design a range especially for them…
I laugh!
For the study?
Guarding the front door?
(This one is on her website but not on the Debenhams one yet..I hope he does appear as I love him and his dark purple lampshade..imagine on two bedside cabinets either side of a glamourous french rococo bed?..sigh)
This is when Designer versus High Street works..when there’s a symbiotic relationship that we can all feel inspired by rather than a parasitical one that destroys as it feeds.
And at £85 a light?
Bring it on!
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 