Category: women
Patullo-Jo Copeland x
This wasn’t the post for today..but there’s a gremlin in my computer that won’t allow me to upload new photos – one of the burdens of working by yourself is there’s no IT department to demand help from. The internet is also proving cranky..there’s a storm brewing outside and I’ve noticed when the air gets thick, so does the wi-fi. And it was a Bank holiday in the UK yesterday so everything’s a bit upside down..Charlie’s school bag never made it into school and I’m convinced today is Monday…which I’ll probably be grateful for when Friday comes..
These are photos of the work of designer Jo Copeland, working under the label of Pattullo-Jo Copeland. She worked in New York from the 1916 all the way through the major fashion decades till she closed her label in 1970 and for me, is one of fashions forgotten heroines.
She had an impeccable eye for detail and effortlessly understood the female form, knowing exactly what to exaggerate..and what to skim. These shoulders are a sculptural delight..
and make that waist look tiny.
She proves that good design stands the test of time even when the fickle finger of fame passes on..
Laters, Kate x
Big Day..
Today will see the 70th staging of the Oxford and Cambridge boat race: Iconic, exclusive, elitist sporting gold. And for the first time ever, women will be rowing their own race, on the same stretch of water, on the same day and, like the men, it will be broadcast live to millions.
The change is due to Helena Morrissey (Cambridge graduate with 9 children and no background in rowing) Chief Executive of Newton Investment Management and their sponsorship. She found it shocking that there was such a discrepancy between the men and the women..but don’t think it was plain sailing for her to introduce the change. It wasn’t.
Nina Carberry is also riding in the Grand National today (think of all the girls who have riding lessons. Now think how many female jockeys there are..) – there is Katie Walsh – she won the Irish Grand National this week…but she doesn’t have a horse to ride…says a lot. Carberry is in red-hot form having won over the National fences already on Thursday in the Fox Hunters’ Chase…it’s a tough, tough race but I’ll be backing her and First Lieutenant all the way to make history and be crowned the first lady of Aintree. It’s about time.
Laters, Kate x
Fashion Warrior x
A style icon is someone with the power to dazzle by simply being themselves and Gwendoline Christie, (best known for playing the part of Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones) is as bright and compelling as any of the celebrity fashion role models regularly spoonfed to us by the synthesised, visually generalised media. But with added spice..there’s something powerful, complex and original about her..made all the more special when you take into account her six foot three inch size..
As someone who has at times felt genderless because of her height, it interests her to challenge our assumptions of femininity and what it is to be a woman.
The role of Brienne – unfeminine in appearance, an object of scorn, clinging naively to the idealised concept of knighthood but always being treated with contempt and resentment for her gender, despite her considerable skill – is a role she relishes as a gift and the most extraordinary opportunity to portray the type of feminine outsider we rarely see in the mainstream.
It’s a part that crosses the invisible line between an actors vanity and personal vanity..you have to be prepared to be displayed as unattractive, large and masculine..and for people to believe that’s what you truly are.
When the reality is very different..
This is a lady who knows how to dress and is unafraid to push boundaries.
(All photos Google and Pinterest)
It must be rather satisfying to hear the crushing sound of misconceptions crunching under the designer soles of her stiletto clad feet every time she walks…
Laters, Kate x
Style Icon x
5 reasons to love Jamie Bochert…she’s a 30 something model who stalks all the major catwalks with ears that stick out just a little bit, proving that beauty is beauty not perfection.
She fronts a band called Frances Wolf (and even managed to land a gig playing back-up for Patti Smith..in Paris).
She doesn’t believe the hype.
She prepares for fashion week…by eating.
(All photos from Google)
She loves to dance. Wild style.
Laters, Kate x
Neuter not Neutral x
Have you heard about Selfridge’s new Agender Project? Starting in March, instead of separate departments for men and women, the shop will stock three floors of unisex clothing for browsing by both. So is neuter the new cultural shift and a serious re-thinking of fashion? Or the prophetic skid marks of car crash about to happen? Or just someone with an unerring nose for hype indulging in the need for a good, loud scream?
Selfridges says ‘We want to take our customers on a journey where they can shop and dress without limits or stereotypes.’ It can be argued there’s always been androgyny..and the men’s fall runway highlighted a further blurring of the gender lines. It was only a couple of weeks ago I was listening to a discussion on Radio 4 about a new brand of neuter pants by Play Out – a sort of boxer for boys and girls – I would’ve blogged about it, but I actually found the designs desperately ugly in a post-eighties germanic way that really shouldn’t see the light of day again. But it’s definitely a subject making waves..
(All photos Tommy Ton from Style.com)
I wonder how they’ll manage the button debate – (to the right? Or to the left? Or maybe a coalition??) – not that it’s ever stopped me nicking The Husbands clothes. But then women into men has always been so much easier – if I look in my wardrobe I’ve shoes, jeans, shirts and jumpers all from the mens departments because I prefer the heavier, straighter cut. Men into women? Why not? I love a bit of flower with my masculinity..
Whether or not this is an anathema to the wonderful diversity of gender expression and just another step towards global greyness and generalisation, it’s going to be interesting..but the truth is, it’s just an eight week project..maybe just enough to get people thinking..
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 