February 12, 2014

Coming up Roses..

I am a speck of dust hanging gently in the air as I breathe in the expectation of this Collection: Rosie Assoulin AW14, eager to get close to the flame.

Waiting to feel that magic touch of satisfaction.

She doesn’t disappoint: She has a knack of designing wearable hyper-potent scene stealing pieces that ooze cool glamour like a smoking tea infused cocktail.

This I would happily waft the rest of my days in. Rolled up and poshed with kitten heels or laid back with white sneakers.

There are more pieces in this Collection than SS14 and (as Julius Caesar flashes neon in my mind) it’s not all perfect, but I tell myself: Don’t linger on the negatives…and I love the trousers.

There’s always a reference to the classics but then the heat gets turned up with unexpected references and clever tailoring.

Until I find myself dancing in a light and sun-drenched land, where puddles are figments of the imagination and umbrellas are objects of curiosity…

Laters, Kate x

February 11, 2014

Edun Mark 2 x

The most attractive thing is always talent.

Danielle Sherman Creative Director of Edun is, season by season creating and expanding the visual language of this ethical label.

Building it block by block – the inspiration Africa, the journey a clear path: Her palette is clean, simple and continuous which means that like the materials she uses, pieces can be woven together.

Take her SS14 Collection..everything can be seamlessly added as an extra, rich layer – more shapes to play with. More weather changes to adapt to. It’s clever, it’s thoughtful. It’s sustainable in your wardrobe.

She answers ‘Who am I?’ before ‘What shall I buy?

And 85% of the this Season was made in Africa.

Unlike Karl, Danielle gets the sneaker aesthetic to perfection.

Simple but with intelligent, creative twists – a juxtaposition here, the unexpected there. She’s not trendy..she’s effortless.

Laters, Kate x

February 10, 2014

The Sapeurs.. xxx

Suave and sophisticated, the title Sapeur comes from la SAPE, an abbreviation of Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes – The Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People. Over the past twenty five years it’s emerged as a brightly coloured African subculture inspired by the myth of Parisian elegance and Dandyism.

Mostly centred around Brazzaville and Kinshasa, the adjacent Capitals of the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo respectively, the Sapeurs cultivate their refined gentility amid their countries war-torn, extreme poverty.

But despite this nations history, Sapeurs are pacifists – for them style is about being respectful with a pure attitude and impeccable manners.

Creativity is paramount – although many will spend whatever they have on clothes, it’s not about the money, it’s about style and being flamboyant in oneself, despite the circumstances.

(All the pictures above by Baudouin Mouanda)

They are ordinary people, with ordinary jobs who break free by transforming their dusty pavements into fabulous fashion runways. But the truth is these characters are teachers, creatures of spirit with a powerful, requisite flair and passion.

(Photo by Hector Mediavilla)

Sharp and sly, like poetry in motion with their hearts turned to the sun, they demand that there can be great riches in small spaces..their irresistible sense of pride says you can be whatever you want to be…and sometimes we all need that fairytale.

(Photo by Hector Mediavilla)

A very short documentary – worth watching! x

To those that say their style is part of a legacy of cultural imperialism and a post-colonial carry-over they say:

‘White people invented the clothes..but we turned them into an art form’

Personally, I doff my bright yellow trilby to them.

Laters, Kate x

February 9, 2014

No Shift in the Mood x

(Photo: The Telegraph)

There’s been no let up in the UK weather – January was the wettest in 248 years and February hasn’t been much better. A 74.8 ft wave’s been recorded off Penzanze, Cornwall which, if confirmed will be the highest ever off the coast of Britain – a mere five times the height of a double decker bus..

(Photo: Solent news and photo agency)

The British haven’t lost their sense of humour. Yet.

(first photo by John McLellan, second photo by James Dadzitis)

But 25 miles of Somerset are under 3.2 billion cubic feet of water. This is Sam Notaro’s house – against the odds, he’s doing his damnedest to protect it, after all a man’s home is his castle. Literally. The moat came for free..

In London we’re OK – the Houses of Parliament will be under before we are. But that doesn’t mean everything is rosy…The River Thames is under serious stress and our local Commons have turned into swamps (let Molly off the lead and you’re lucky to see her head) and new rivers and springs keep oozing out of the sodden ground.

I can’t let the kids out in the garden either as it’s seriously awash with Molly’s sloppy poos transformed into puddles of filthy fluids that are nigh on impossible to pick up. I fear the only solution is to invent a liquid hydrogen gun and zap the buggers (the poo’s guys..the poo’s…).

Hmmmmmm I can almost smell a money spinner…sort of…

Laters, Kate x

February 8, 2014

Relaxed Rachel x

If Rachel Comey and I met we’d be BFs. Seriously.

Her latest AW14 Collection is full of laid back loucheness that manages to sing of both ease and statement.

Neoprene? No. Let’s beautifully quilt everything that moves.

The masculine elements lured away, replaced by feminine curves.

(NB: Wearing brogues without socks is an art form..get it wrong and an unfortunate sucking sound echoes with you down the street frightening small furry animals….just saying)

The colours..

The coat..

It takes nerve to be so every day, but this Collection packs a punch and leaves a powerful sense of self.

Laters, Kate x

February 7, 2014

Celine v Primark

Celine SS14, September 2013.

Primark…WHAT THE?

The meteoric rise of the UK High Street has meant we’ve come to expect, even accept the inevitable seeping of ideas into the mainstream. Call it ‘homages’ ‘interpretations’ or ‘rip-offs’ they’ve become a part of every day life as we all try to find ready to wear alternatives to haute couture. But when is the creep beyond acceptable? When does it become insidious and sleazy? I’m no splatter blood expert but surely Primark are taking the piss with this latest offering…

The excuse often used is that copying is the sincerest form of flattery..it’s copied because it is relevant, well-liked and successful…but please explain this to the artisan seamstresses when they lose their jobs to virtual slave labour and industrial machines as these retail giants reduce all around them to lowest common denominator in their drive to make money.

They say they can’t steal away customers because the Designer Brands are something us mere mortal people can’t afford….So go on..make it un-special for us for those rare times when we can make the stretch and buy less but buy better.

But more to the point…this is a ‘rip-off’ of a current Celine Collection, one that’s only arriving in the shops now for a Spring that has yet to happen – will image-conscious women honestly want to buy these designer pieces if they think they’re going to be mistaken for wearing Primark? Take a step back..a Designer Fashion label is not a chorus of reverential whispers, it still has to make money to survive. The high prices it charges represent financial and emotional investment, labels using their money to grow the best talent with that rare ability to look at things in a thousand new ways and push boundaries. They also support teams of highly skilled individuals who are Masters of their Craft in sewing, embroidery, beadwork and much more besides (you only have to look at a behind the scenes video of Valentino to see what I mean) Skills that could be lost for ever if they aren’t valued and nurtured. Which means that if Celine’s sales are hit by ‘interpretations’ then these ‘copies’ are not only thieves in the night but they potentially damage future creativity as well.

Meanwhile Primark has no interest in being a brand with a proud sense of Self, they have no wish to win prizes for originality or innovation but instead act like a selfish adolescent: What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine, greedily sucking the life-blood from creative hearts like commercial vampires, their only concern being the ripe size of their profits.

So what’s a luxury brand to do? Is a raised eyebrow tempered with sarcasm enough? No. They really need to stand up and stop the ripping-off-machine raping the risk-takers and the blue-sky thinkers. As much as it’s a feminine label, I’d love Pheobe Philo to grow balls and slap an injunction on Primark for their pure audacity and say enough is enough. Which sounds great. Except for the slow, complicated, highly expensive legal system that makes this a virtual impossibility.

Is there another solution?

Yes – Change the outdated, outmoded spectacle of the ‘Season in advance’ of the Fashion Show Timetable that spectacularly hands over, tied up with the most beautiful bows possible, every designers hard fought for ideas and effectively gifts them to their parasitic enemies with a clear six months to ‘homage’ at leisure the very best of the best. There is no other industry that would put up with this outrage – so why does the Fashion Industry?

Laters, Kate x

February 6, 2014

Anything Goes..

There’s no getting away from it – part of the breathless anticipation of any Fashion Week are the Street Style photos of the good, the bad and the fabulous pretending they’re unaware they’re the players in their own performance.

An unfortunate accident? Or the latest accessory?

Because ultimately, even with this small number of elite beings, they’ll only be a select few who can really tick the boxes and dress the way you want to feel.

But they still all know to carry themselves with extreme confidence, no matter what they feel like inside..and as perception becomes more important than truth it makes these some of the most interesting, schizophrenic moments to secretly observe.

We’re no longer in the land of princesses. What we wear, even to posh events is becoming more generalised, more ‘every day’. Which is why these flashes of inspiration are so important – they’re within our grasp.

But innovative and desirable is still the holy grail.

(All photos by Tommy Ton from Style.com)

The pictures tell us: To change our spots, all we need to do is change our skins. Essentially, they give us hope.

Laters, Kate x

February 5, 2014

Gucci SS14 x

This sinks into your bones like fairy dust.

A flavour of the eighties except the more conventional ending flashes past.

A silky intensity exuding pure class, you get a sense of high..and those shoes certainly help…

It’s like catching fire..

Laters, Kate x

February 4, 2014

Isa Arfen x

A mixture of new and found, Isa Arfen is the London-based label started in 2011 by Serafina Sama.

Serafina graduated from Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design in 2006 and has since built up an impressive portfolio of experience: Marni, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Chloe, Louis Vuitton, Acne and Charlotte Olympia. It shows.

The label captures and enhances the subtle shift in the fashion mood – Soft but with feminine confidence..A walking statement of drama without causing offence.

Serafina says: ‘To me, fashion is about desire, beauty and fun. It’s not about dressing up in a costume. Isa Arfen is about a real woman dressing for her real life and really enjoying it.’

Edible..

Charismatic, eclectic, elegant and exuberant…it lights me up like a Lee Broom light.

Laters, Kate x

February 3, 2014

Dr James Barry x

Last week I was very fortunate to visit The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret just by London Bridge with the wonderful Julie from Vintage Attitude. Hidden away, up a steep spiral staircase and nestled in the dark timbers of the attic of an old church the museum is caught in a sleepy, rather delicious time warp.

It was part of St Thomas’s hospital – a hospital that was described as ancient way back in 1215…

On one side is the herb garret and apothecary. And on the other – the oldest surviving operating theatre in Europe.

What stories these walls could tell.

But what really caught my eye was this picture of James (Miranda) Barry, an amazing woman who overcame the general prohibition on women studying Medicine by disguising herself as a man to become the first female British surgeon. Barry qualified in Medicine in 1812 and went onto train as a surgeon at St. Thomas’s. In January 1813, she qualified as a Regimental Surgeon at the Royal College of Surgeons and over the next fifty years she rose through the ranks to become Inspector General of the Hospitals in the British Army. No mean feat – and she must’ve been good because in Cape Town in 1826 this vegetarian, teetotalling surgeon performed the first documented successful Caesarean Section where both mother and baby survived. Barry even met Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War, who noted in her memoirs:

‘He kept me standing in the midst of quite a crowd of soldiers, Commissariat, servants, camp followers etc every one of who behaved like a gentlemen during the scolding I received while (she) behaved like a brute…After he was dead, I was told that (she) was a woman..I should say that (she) was the most hardened creature I ever met.’

Barry spent most of her laters years with her constant companion and manservant John (in the picture with her above) and it was only on her deathbed that she was finally discovered to be a woman. Barry was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London in 1865.

What a truly remarkable human being with an incredible story of which this must only be the very tip of the iceberg..an unsung heroine who surely should at the very least share the same historical podium as Florence Nightingale?…I am desperate to know more and now feel compelled to visit Kensal Green Cemetery to find her grave…I can’t help but wonder which name is on her headstone?…and what it might say?

Laters, Kate x