Category: jumpers
Classic Cashmere x
(Agnona cashmere sweater, Emanuel Ungaro trousers)
Classic cashmere, that into autumn staple…soft, warm..but still light. But there are two important questions: Are you a round neck or a Vee girl? And do you love your inner fifties goddess or does an inner eighties over-sized boyfriend jumper call your name?
Me? It’s eighties all the way with a tantalising vee..this one from Equipment is pretty damn perfect.
(Equipment in grey)
The essential colours: grey and camel..
But blue is cool..
And who can resist the pastels with their flower-like nod to fading summer?
And white?..there’s always white, ready and willing to make a statement…
Choices, choices, choices….
Laters, Kate x
Champagne For Rosie x
Rosie Assoulin and her Resort 2015 Collection is a bridge between the fast fashion of the street and the up in the clouds pedestal of high couture: An addict who willingly embraces everything around her, it does seem incredible she’s only been around for a year.
Rather than designing for a particular person in mind, you get the feeling her Collections reflect who she is (boarder shorts included) which we then want to buy into.
She has a magic touch with volume: How it happens is not the same as saying why it works, but ease of movement plays an important part, as does beautiful fabrication.
The cut of the sleeve..beguiling temptation…
Utterly wearable humour.
Rafia made posh, even with a baseball cap.
She’s a woman: Bra strap not a problem.
Her recognisable signature – sculptural elements, pleats, stripes and colour are all worked through.
Oh to see this at the oscars..
If I had to choose one time it would be this cape – The perfect addition to an evening out, covering that moment when you look at your array of coats and realise goosebumps are the only way to go…or to just to throw over a stripy top and a pair of jeans for a thrilling trip to the playground..
Effortless cool-girl-grace.
Laters, Kate x
Do I Fall For You? x
J.Crew is a gentle melodic voice over a Spanish guitar in a bar in Shoreditch, singing of relaxed yet crisp cottons, urban slides and pretending not to care..
In many respects they’re hitting it out of the ball-park…
But something’s not quite right, even when my heart skips a beat looking at this top.
There’s almost a computer generated skill to the precision of desire: The perfect angle of slouch, the accuracy of the turn-ups, the atomic glow of the whites..
Maybe it’s the Jean Paul Gaultier effect – I went with the irrepressible Julie from Vintageattitude on Tuesday to see his Exhibition at the Barbican and oh! how we revelled and laughed in the joy and the humour!
Now I want to throw a Banksy graffiti at this pristine grey marl sweat, fray the edges of the linen and in a pointed bra, Vogue away from the Stepford set..
But I still want this skirt…
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
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
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
Jumpers of Desire..
There’s something very special about the jumpers of the 1930s – 40s.
There’s an eye-sharing presence that’s graciously engaging.
Something softer than the mainstream with emphasis on shoulders and form.
Where the wool takes centre stage and starts the dialogue.
Of course there’s always a danger with nostalgia that is stops ideas moving forward.
But it can also be a huge source of inspiration and these jumpers and their motifs have my heart…..
(All pictures from Etsy)
So if anyone knows of anyone making modern equivalents, pray tell, otherwise I may just have to learn to knit…and then you can only pity the poor sheep that give up their wool for such an unworthy cause…
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 