Ukrainian talent-Vodianov

Easter is coming up and I instantly think of those intricitely decorated Ukranian Easter eggs.

Fedor Vodianov is Ukranian but his designs are the complete opposite of those detailed eggs. I read about this line in the March issue of Vogue Italia in their White and Vogue introduces section. 

Vodianov is right on trend with the minamalist look with his AW/10 collection named "closes" after the idea of "closed clothes". Cool wedges too.

photos from vodianov's website.

Microtrend: Ikat print

My favourite material are the Ikat prints from Indonesia. Ikat is a specific way to tie-dye material by binding and dyeing the thread before it is woven.
Everytime summer comes around I find something in this Ikat print to buy, it may be a scarf, or a top or a pillow. I can't resist this luxurious material, check out the V&A's article on Making Ikat Cloth it is quite amazing! Also, over on The Business of Fashion, there is a lengthy article on Indonesia's fashion industry which highlights the Ikat and similar Batik craftmanship in the country.

Dries Van Noten is a lover of this print, and this year I am coveting the "Floyd" tassle scarf at Browns focus. This costs £465, so I think I will need to find an alternative in the high street.

I also love this bowl from Anthropolgie with uses a very graphic version of the print for $14.00USD.

Pillow from the Moroccan decor shop, Sheherazade ($120USD) and a Dries street shot from Mr. Tommy Ton at Jak and Jil

Dusty pastels for Spring

This is my first collage attempt in years, I like my collages simple, but striking. I don't like too many images in one piece, although I admire the people who can fill a page with a montage of images and make it look visually pleasing.

Any feedback is appreciated!

main image from Dazed and Confused magazine Feburary 2010, showcasing Martin Margiela's paper t-shirt

Boot clogs now in Velvet!

When I was at the Micam Shoe Fair, I went to the designer hall and snuck a peak at the Opening Ceremony stand to see what was new. I couldn't take any photos but I saw that they had updated my clog boots from a couple posts back, which I ended up receiving them as a Valeversary pressie! (Valentine's day and Anniversary). I was not instantly in love with them as I am not a velvet fan. When I think of velvet, I remember an awful crinkled burgundy babydoll dress that I bought from Le Chateau back in the day.
Still, I have been looking for a photo of this boot to contemplate further and this morning Style.com's Style file blog posted it. And, well, I actually love them. I don't need the updated version but I will take a more serious view on velvet come Autumn.

Looking back

I am sitting here listening to Nirvana's Unplugged in New York, trying to get inspired to post something about the resurgence of everything 90's. I can only think of the typical topics like barely clothed Kate Moss, grunge and its Doc Martens and flannel shirts, Clueless, 90210, "the Rachel", and later minimalism. Instead, I started looking through my old idea books that I have been stacking up since '94. I used to be so into ripping apart my magazines and collaging them in blank sketchbooks along with some random doodles. I really enjoyed doing this even though no one ever saw it. Now, collage is everywhere, on every blog and in magazines. I am inspired to get back into it, but I am doing to do it my way.
Stay tuned.

Miss Marc by William Broome

London illustrator William Broome, must be sad to find out that the character he has created, Miss Marc is missing! Well, missing in Harvey Nichols for a type of Easter egg hunt to get you into the shop looking for her! Ten winners receive a cute Miss Marc tote bag. I think this is a brilliant idea! I never go into Harvey Nic's, but this really does make me want to go! I love a good treasure hunt.William Broome has also worked on a collection for Topshop and Wedgewood

Chainmail shoulders

Alright, I know I have a shoulder obsession at the moment and I debated whether I should write yet another shoulder focused post but I couldn't resist! I love this chainmail accessory that you can add over any outfit.
Made by Swedish born, London based designer Fannie Schiavoni, this piece goes for 211.50 euros on the amazing online Norweigian shop: Freudian Kicks. You can also find other of Schiavoni's peices in London at Browns Focus, Kabiri in Selfridges and 127 Brick lane.

photo: fanniesciavoni.com

My Dream Collaboration-Lanvin and Acne!

Available online now at Acne studios, Lanvin and Acne make a small 8 piece collection with lightweight denim. It is a dream collaboration.
I desperately want the lightweight Japanese denim top embellished with beads and crystals, £1140. The one shoulder denim dress is £820.

photos: acnestudios.com

The "Shoulder" Bag

The fringed shoulder trend has now cropped up on bags too. The Italian brand Trussardi 1911 has added metallic fringing to its bag's "shoulders". At 990 euro, you may want to DIY this one.

photo: colette.com

Erin Wasson-Low Lov

A friend told me the other day about model Erin Wasson's jewellry line Low Lov. I found some of her things on shopbop and her stuff is right on trend with this tribal looking scarab ring for $73.00.

photo: shopbop

Microtrend: Stripe on top, Skinny on bottom

One very French look from two different designers during Paris Fashion Week.
The first one is from Isabel Marant and the second is from Stella McCartney.
Who do you think did it best?

Talking Fashion

I went to a discussion last night on how fashion is being influenced in todays digital age. Hosted by Bad Idea magazine, the Future Human discussion was held at The Book Room in Shoreditch. Guest panelists were Ruth Marshall-Johnson- Senior Editor of WGSN think tank, Helen Brown-Founder of Catwalk Genius and Iris Ben David-CEO of Styleshake.

It was fun to attend something a bit different and talk about the future of fashion with people in the industry. There was a lot of talk about 3-D body scanners so that your personal computer can take accurate measurements and make online shopping easier. I'm not really sure if this will really take off, it sounds a bit gimmicky, but I suppose it would help that woman who is nervous about online shopping for fear of getting the wrong size.

Fashion today is a hybrid of influences, we take our inspiration from the past and from different cultures and mask them all up. Style blogs have perpetuated this trend by taking photos of people from across the globe and making them available for everyone to see and be inspired from.
As we do take inspiration from the past, more and more people are buying vintage clothing from the 60's, 70's, 80's and now the 90's. We also look to the high street for quick and cheap fashion that we may wear only once or twice and then go back and buy the newest trend on the street. We are a throw-away fashion generation now and Diedre, the Press Assistant for Beyond Retro asked a great question (I am paraphrasing here as I was already on my third glass of wine by then):

     What will happen in 20 years when we will try to buy the clothing from this decade?

I doubt we will be buying things from Primark in 20 years as this clothing will probably not last that long. My Primark tops don't even last one wash! I do believe that there will be a bigger shift towards clothing that is well made and long lasting in the near furture. Firstly, the environmentalists are already freaking out about the amount of clothing we throw away and secondly, we will realize that our money could be better spent on clothing that will last.

Next Future Human discussion: The Automated Nation, 14 April

Beige Craze! Love the Coats

I know I should be thinking about which pair of leather shorts I need to buy for spring but I can't get over all the beige coats from Paris! From cropped to long and flowy, I love them all! I want to find one now as it is still cold here in London and I am sick of my dark coat.

From top:
1. Oversized: Hussein Chalayan
2.Low Slung DB: Hussein Chalayan
3.Structured: Lanvin
4.Cropped: Giambattista Valli
5.High neck: Giambattista Valli
6.Fur collar: Chloe

photos: style.com

Bring back the mixtape!

I miss taping songs from the radio to make a mix tape, I even miss that second of the weather update you inevitably record because the song cut short. I miss my highschool boyfriends making me personal selections of songs as birthday gifts. It is just not the same with a cd is it?
You have to hand it to Marc to use the mixtape as a nostalgic selling point, except this time we are plugging in USB's.

Best Accesories from Paris-Lanvin!

Paris fashion is not over yet but I think I can safely say that Lanvin has the best accesories of the week, even the entire month! It is like stylemixer.com spit out the combination "Tribal Modernism" and Elber Albaz came up with these amazing accessories to contrast with the somewhat minimal clothing. I was really hard to edit my post to even just 7 photos, I love them all!

photos: showstudio.com, style.com

Best boot-Milan

I am now a little behind on the catwalk shows as I was away from a computer all week, so here is my favourite boot from MFW. Fendi's mix of casual and sexy and tough is a great combination for next year. Now, on to catch up with Paris. So far, seeing some great things at Lanvin and Celine!!

photo: style.com

The 10 Corso Como Experience

Shopping at 10 Corso Como in Milan is more like walking around a art gallery. Most things are ridiculously expensive and everything is beautiful.
The top photo if of the perfume aisle of the shop, decorated with the signature Corso Como swirls as flowers. I managed to snap a pic of these super quirky, super expensive Giles Triceratops handbags and these cool cougar accessories.
I also really love the Louis Vuitton city guides, for £35 each you can read of all the trendy places to visit in the next city you visit.

After shopping, you can sit in Corso Como cafe and restaurant and watch all of the well dressed Milanese pass by while sipping an Espresso, or preferably a Campari and soda. You can then visit the amazing bookshop upstairs and the Galleria Carla Sozzani (Carla is the owner of 10 Corso Como and sister of Franca Sozzani the Editor in Chief of Italian Vogue).
This week, there is an exhibition of photographer Tim Walker who regularly shoots for Vogue. The skeleton used in one of his shoots was displayed next to the 2 story staircase up to the gallery which was an amazing visual display in itself. Tim Walker's photos are imaginative, and a bit surreal, like walking into a dream. My favourite photo is of the dress tree lamp.
The lights are from outside the shop making the entire experience beautiful.


photos: all photos taken by me expect for the dress tree lamp found at www.designboom.com