Category: Fashion
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
Moments in Time x
There’s one New Years Resolution I’ve slam dunked..I’ve embraced growing younger gracefully by going back to school.
Each week I’ve been studiously at my desk at Putney School of Art learning properly about Photography…and I’ve loved it.
It’s not that I didn’t like the photos I was taking..I just didn’t really know how I was doing it and whether I could do it better. A bit like our brains or computers, we now have these incredible beasts of cameras that we rarely take out of first gear..
Thinking about short term, long term, quality, light, composition…it’s such a peaceful place away from the clamour of family life and I have thoroughly appreciated the time to think of nothing else other than the moment.
Some of these photos were taken on a field trip we did as a class around the streets of London, others are from my beautiful nieces christening last weekend.
Watching for a photo is like waiting for little pockets of opportunity. Often I think – if only they’d look up. But then the sweet spot happens and it’s like the nectar of the Gods.
Is the process getting something right? Or does it go beyond that? All I know is that to break the rules, you first have to know them..and that learning as an adult is the best drug ever.
Laters, Kate x
Flutter by..
The Butterfly is appearing everywhere – McQueen, Valentino and here – with this stunning silk jacquard skirt by the New York label Tome that you just want to touch and treasure. I love the way it’s been styled with the long gloves against the short, loose v-necked cashmere jumper.
Freedom, innocence, peace, good luck, nature, femininity…the butterfly is a powerful symbol throughout the world.
(Cinemagraph from Anne Street Studio..the founders of the Art of Cinemagraph)
But there’s also it’s fragile beauty and delicate symmetry. No wonder we humans are obsessed with capturing it’s heart and soul, if only in an ethereal Cinemagraph. This butterfly was let lose after it’s photoshoot, into the wilds of Manhattan because true beauty should only be admired….
Laters, Kate x
Oh Joy! x
The thing I ask myself when looking at a Collection for the first time is ‘what is the intrinsic quality that makes my heart beat faster’? For Peter Pilotto AW14 it’s all wrapped up like a beautiful multi-layered present, a waterfall of ideas whose soul is dedicated to colour, texture and verve. Pour yourself a large glass and just revel in the visual delight of a show that sings and delights at every turn.
The colour choices are unexpected..as if my daughter has reached into her dressing up box and paint box at the same time whilst wearing a blindfold..but the patterns of dominance and submission, empathy and detachment are all so smoothly integrated that they appear utterly cohesive and complete.
The colours, patterns and proportions are perfectly balanced so the right spotlight falls on the best accent to compliment the silhouette and the feeling of movement.
When the unexpected is brought together there’s a special magic – ideas that should repel instead harmonise in union. It’s true mastery and workmanship.
This coat could live in my wardrobe for decades and I’d never tire of it. That’s great design.
Or this one. Dress it down or dress it up, it would always turn heads.
Oh. My. Heart….
There’s hardly time to breathe as the wonder just keeps coming…we should be suffocating under a sea of colour clash and texture overload. Except it feels refreshing, desirable and exciting.
(All photos from Style.com)
When I dream, these clothes are there….an now I’m off to buy a winning lottery ticket..
Laters, Kate x
Woolly Wonders..
Halfway through the winter and I’ve reached that point where my jumpers are no longer in a good place; The life and soul has been worn and washed out of their sorry, bobbly seams. And it certainly doesn’t help when I see objects of desire like these from Pringle of Scotland AW14.
Which is odd, because when I was at Secondary school we were all divided into tribes depending on what we wore, the main two being ‘Trendies’ and ‘casuals’ – Trendies were the middle class kids who wore their baggy, ripped, holey clothes as a source of pride. Whilst the Casuals – the rougher kids on free school meals – revelled in the allure of Designer labels. Their uniform of choice was a Burberry-check box-pleat skirt, Pringle twin set and knee high riding boots set off with layers and layers of heavy gold chains, worn with the same intent as medieval weaponry.
But after nearly two hundred years in the business, Pringle is moving with the times. Massimo Nicosia is pushing boundaries and experimenting with innovation whilst still retaining a relatable Collection.
He’s recruited Architect and material engineer Richard Beckett and started working with 3d printing.
(All photos from Style.com)
Weaving together heritage with modern flair he’s made a seamless leap to the future.
I think it’s time I looked ahead too….
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 