Posts tagged "AW14"
Eurgh. I hate the rain. You can keep your romantic notions of tip-tapping raindrops on roofs, thank you very much. I would much rather long, languid summer days or snow. Yep, if it's going to be bitterly cold, I say give me the good stuff. Unfortunately though, October and November invite gail force winds and downpours - the kind an umbrella can't stand up to. So before investing in my... ...READ MORE
I have a certain amount of respect for regular hat wearers. I truly believe it takes courage to leave the house in a hat - like it take balls to wear gem-encrusted lip art, tattoo your face and to commute aboard an adult scooter. Far too many times have I left the house with the most fantastic headwear on, only to take one step out the door and chicken out.... ...READ MORE
Tomboys of the world rejoice - or those of you that have a penchant for pleather, roomy sportswear and beanies, you should rejoice too! It's here! It's here! Alexander Wang has unveiled his collaboration with high street retail giant H&M. This is American sportswear, but not as we know it. Think black, angular and contemporary - that signature Wang aesthetic but loosened up for a younger demographic. If you've spent... ...READ MORE
On those languid Sundays, designed for feasting on brunch, overdosing on caffeine and strolling through quaint boutiques, do you ever find yourself encouraging your partner to make ill advised purchases? By that I mean, to spend his hard earned cash on oversized sweaters in earthy tones - because let's be honest khaki's your colour (not his). Or to invest in super skinny pleather pants that make him feel self-conscious, but... ...READ MORE
Is it a tad presumptuous to rock up at a freelance writing job wearing a sweater that says "Editor in Chief"? Er, probably. It's not the subtlest of messages to your actual Editor in Chief is it? I suppose as a general rule of thumb, going into work with your bosses job title written across your chest is a bit of a faux pas. I would like you all to... ...READ MORE
I am a marketers dream. No seriously. I can look at a shoe, and hey it's just a shoe. But then I hear a story of craftsmanship, of sustainability, a rich heritage of design fuelled by passion, and before I know it I've spunked my salary on a new pair of flats! Roll up, roll up, sales folk I'm your ticket to easy commission! That's kind of how I got... ...READ MORE
I know it's Baltic outside, but I got a slight tan in Morocco and I'll be damned if I don't get to show it off a little! So here I am, in today's look - a mixture of Fall favourites, unisex pieces and menswear inspired garbs - Oh, and Homer Simpson, but we'll get to that. There's a trend that'e been brewing in fashion for a while now - Moschino... ...READ MORE
Have you noticed that there's a trend in favour of the tactile at the moment? I feel like everything I pick up warrants a stroke. In fact the other day I went for a first meeting and found myself idly fondling the girl next to me's sleeve - not appropriate, when you've known someone for all of ten minutes! Touchy-feely fabrics come in varying guises; the chic shearling jacket that's... ...READ MORE
With the meteoric rise in popularity of mens fashion, it would seem all our favourite womenswear labels are keen to get in on the action. Whistles, of course is one of them. OR A 35year old label, that since the appointment of Jane Sheperdson as CEO in 2008, has become the exemplary of high-end, high street women’s wear - always with a tailored (or whistled if you will) edge. This month,... ...READ MORE
Say what you like about Hedi Slimane's appointment at Saint Laurent, but the brand has been reinvigortaed with relevance and is flying high on the repercussions of the Creative Director's arrival. Today something similar happened at Louis Vuitton, as Nicolas Ghesquière debuted his first collection for the fashion house. Ghesquière replaces the acclaimed Marc Jacobs bringing with him a wealth of experience acquired from 15 years at Balenciaga, but unlike Slimane, Ghesquière's... ...READ MORE
You will have most likely seen the Medusa like woolen constructions of Rei Kawakubo's AW14 MONSTER collection for Comme des Garçons, but perhaps have yet to glimpse the more wearable garments of the fashion houses Comme Comme line. Showing to an intimate audience at Paris Fashion Week, this was a show that shied away from PR frenzy in favour of presenting exclusively to buyers and a handful of photographers and... ...READ MORE
Ok, ok, I know Dolce & Gabbana are the antithesis of Girl in Menswear dressing, theirs are the ostentatious show-stopping pieces for the most womanly of women, but even this girl (with her love of sartorial styling) cannot resist featuring their whimsical AW14 collection. Dolce & Gabbana create collections overspilling with beauty and excess, so it seems only natural that AW14 should be themed around the fantastical world of the... ...READ MORE
As promised, here are a few of my shots from the London Fashion Week presentations I managed to get to. I love a runway show, but there is something special about getting to interact with the models and get right up close to the collections. MARKUS LUPFER When I walked into Markus Lupfer my first reaction was "what happened to all the sequins?" With lashings of sparkle adorning the likes... ...READ MORE
Here's a little secret for you. Most fashion bloggers have jobs or are studying too, it's quite unusual for a blogger to be able to take five days out of their schedule to attend shows and presentations, unless they work in publishing/fashion/are freelance, and consequently get to double up for their day jobs. In my case, I work for a Scandinavian brand that was presenting in a showroom during London... ...READ MORE
There's something very special about viewing a designer's menswear collection, and then soon after seeing what they have up their sleeves for the ladies. London Collections Men has given a fantastic platform for menswear, but as London Fashion Week draws to a close I find myself wishing I could see both the men and women take to the catwalk together (just once) for a complete look at the designer's visions. At... ...READ MORE
I wrote a few posts in the run up to London Fashion Week about the new (debatably more commercial) arrivals to the catwalk this season. Unlike New York, London has limited the high street attendance to Topshop Unique, preferring to showcase contemporary and premium brands during their catwalk calendar. However, Hunter, Joseph and Whistles all pulled in a crowd for their LFW debuts and here's how it went down. Hunter... ...READ MORE
The lovely David Nyanzi shot me on my first day of Fashion Week as I dodged the rain and gale force winds - for God's sake English weather, could you not lay off for just one season!?! Regardless of the downpour it was a great day of shows and presentations hosted at the BFC show space, the Fashion Scout building and offsite locations scattered around London. I wore a Topman... ...READ MORE
Not so long ago I wrote a post about Michael Kors' pre-fall collection for women, lusting over the masculine tailoring, bloated silhouettes and luxurious fabrics. It seems appropriate then that I should share with you their AW14 menswear line, which is equally refined.Michael Kors creates clothes that look and feel luxurious, but are easy-to-wear, understated and, above all, comfortable. Like British designer Nicole Farhi, there is no room for fussy... ...READ MORE
DAGMAR is known for looking to the Art Deco movement for colours and patterns for their collections, but for AW14 the fashion house drew inspiration from the Godfather of Cubism, Pablo Picasso. The brand has had a great year, with their AW13 line getting into prestigious multi-brand retailers such as Net-a-Porter and Harrods - if ACNE Studios paved the way for Swedish brands on an international stage, then DAGMAR will almost... ...READ MORE
MAYLA was founded in 2010 by designer Marlene Abraham, but for a comparatively young brand MAYLA is a Stockholm Fashion Week veteran. The brand is best known for their feminine silk dresses and blouses, and for being favoured by Sweden's princesses and more latterly local actresses. MAYLA's collections draw inspiration from cult-films and their heroines, last AW14 we had Hitchcock's "The Birds" and SS13 "Breakfast at Tiffany's, and for AW14 the... ...READ MORE
Cheap Monday is the brainchild of Stockholm designer Örjan Andersson, who felt that their was a gap in the market for affordable denim in Sweden. In 2005 the brand extended its offerings from jeans to full a collection of casual clothing, and in 2008 H&M bought the brand. Last season, their Stockholm Fashion Week show was the most hyped on the schedule, with artificial snow dusting the audience as ethereal models zig-zagged... ...READ MORE
If everything is hunkydory, it means everything is going fine . It's going well, but not spectacularly, nor terribly either. Hunkydory's AW14 collection exemplified the brand's name - it was a pleasant, collection of wearable pieces for a young clientele, but it hardly blew you away (nor perhaps intended to).Loosely themed around Ziggy Stardust (Bowie kept cropping up in various guises at Stockholm Fashion Week), the show was set in... ...READ MORE
I really like Carin Wester. She is a champion of the androgynous aesthetic and always presents a clean look made up of interesting shapes and distinctive prints. Every Scandi in town owns one of this seasons fox-tail print dresses, and her SS14 collection of voluminous bomber jackets, wide lapelled suit jackets and boxy shirts will inevitably be worn with equal enthusiasm. This season though, Carin Wester has elevated herself above... ...READ MORE
WHYRED market themselves as a brand that marries art, music and tailoring - like so many fashion brand these days, they've elevated themselves from "fashion brand" to "art collective", offering consumers a lifestyle in addition to clothing. The Swedish brand create collections for both sexes, often featuring unisex pieces and sharing fabrics, prints and cuts across their menswear and womenswear lines. WHYRED has had a turbulent few years, yo-yoing financially... ...READ MORE
My first show of Stockholm Fashion Week was BACK, the brainchild of designer Ann-Sofie Back. Ann-Sofie Back is somewhat of a Swedish fashion Demigod. She set up her own label Ann-Sofie Back in 2001, then launched BACK (her more affordable line) in 2005. In 2009 she became joint creative director of Cheap Monday (another of Sweden's retail success stories) and somewhere along the way she also found time to edit... ...READ MORE