Wang for Balenciaga

I have to say, I was a little sceptical about Alexander Wang for Balenciaga, but I think he more than pulled it out of the bag. This dress is perfection, a little Audrey Hepburn, with the classic Balenciaga emphasis on shape. Beautiful.

Caped Crusader

Let’s talk capes.

I’m not sure how it first started, but I’ve been thinking about them for a while. Capes haven’t really been ‘in fashion’ per say since the camel Chloe version of a few years ago, which was copied, and subsequently sold out, at Zara. They can have a tendency to look a little costumey, so I’ve never been able to find one I liked. After falling in love with the sixties, fur trimmed capes at the Valentino retrospective at Somerset House, I found this version at American Apparel. It’s quite a simple shape, not too long, and is AA’s California fleece material so it’s pretty practical for every day. They also do a wool version, but it doesn’t come in as many colours which put me off.  
 
A few of the designers have shown capes over the last couple of weeks, including Oscar de la Renta, pictured above. I think the trick to making them work is to pick a simple shape, with minimal detailing, in a classic colour. I personally think they look better worn over trousers, but that’s just me. Despite the obvious arm restrictions, I think this will look pretty chic for Spring, don't you?

Kenzo at OC

How amazing is this phone case?! I know the Kenzo tiger sweaters have been everywhere, but when my sister and I spotted these in Opening Ceremony, we knew we had to have one. They come in blue as well, and I think they have them in Liberty's if you can't find them in OC. The iPad cases are pretty awesome too.

London Photo Diary

 

P.S. If you haven't been to Bookmarc yet, you have to go, it's amazing!

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Valentino, Valentino, Valentino...

While I was in London, I headed down to Somerset House early one morning to catch the Valentino exhibition. Valentino: Master of Couture opened late last year, but this had been my first chance to get down to see it, and it did not disappoint.

The exhibition is comprised of three rooms. The first contains press cuttings, sketches, and the personal effects of Mr Valentino himself. The second room is the one in the photograph, a long catwalk style room, with mannequins dressed in Valentino couture from the 1950's onwards. Each model has a numbered card on her wrist which corresponds to information in the booklet about the outfit, similar to the way the old couture houses showed their clothes. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing these dresses are, the workmanship which has gone into each one is just mind boggling. The sixties styles were my personal favourites, although there was also a stunning white outfit that Audrey Hepburn had worn which I loved. Julia Roberts' famous black and white, vintage Oscar gown was also on display, as is a beautiful green gown worn by Jackie Kennedy. The third and final room contained Princess Marie-Chantal of Greeces' wedding gown, which is truly stunning. Quite similar in style to Kate Middleton's McQueen gown. The last section of the exhibition is dedicated to the pioneering techniques developed by the Valentino atelier. It was really interesting to see how the embellishments from the dresses in the catwalk are created, how painstakingly detailed they are.

Overall the exhibition was even more amazing than I had expected, and if you're in London before it finishes on the 3rd of March, it's definitely worth a visit. Despite the £12.50 ticket cost, it does get incredibly busy, so if you want to avoid queueing I'd get there early. The details are on the Somerset House website.

P.S. There's also a gift shop at the end stuffed full of Valentino goodies!

    

LFW S/S13

I haven't posted anything for a while, but I have the perfect excuse in that I've been down in London for fashion week, and my laptop is far too huge to consider carrying it anywhere.

My sister writes for an online fashion magazine, so she troops down for the shows each season and I tag along when I can. We always stay in Covent Garden which, besides being a beautiful area of London, is also super close to Somerset House, which is fashion week central. Although I don't attend the shows, there is an amazing atmosphere in London during fashion week. You see loads of fashion people around the city, and there's usually exhibitions and special events going on everywhere. I'll post some photos and things of the various things I went to see in a bit, but in the mean time you can check out my Instagram for more photos.

A Taste of Paris

I have to confess, I’m not much of a dessert person. Sweets and chocolate just aren’t really for me. Hence, when macaroons became the latest food trend I didn’t really bother. I had never tried one, and didn’t really have any desire to.

However, last time I was in London, I stumbled across the Laduree shop and cafe in Covent Garden. Everything about the place is so chic and beautiful. From the pretty pastel colours of the macaroons and their neat little boxes, to the tiny tarts and tea cups in the outdoor seating area. Even I couldn’t resist when I peeked inside. I bought six macaroons, two vanilla, two strawberry and two chocolate, all wrapped up in a neat, pale green box and matching tissue paper. As soon as I tried them, I was hooked. They were beautifully light and fluffy inside, gently flavoured, and just the right size for someone lacking a sweet tooth. If you haven’t tried them, you really have to. There are three shops in London, and a concession in Harrods. Alternatively, you can hop on the Eurostar and try them in their native habitat of Paris.




The Row Fall 2013 RTW

I’ll confess, I’ve never been much of a fan of so called ‘celebrity’ fashion lines. More often than not, they’re simply average looking, and poorly made, with someone famous’ name on the tags. However, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have created a number of fashion lines, aimed at various markets which break this clichéd mould.

The twins’ high end collection, The Row shows in New York, and is always widely praised by the fashion press. But this season, the clothes were exceptionally beautiful. I love that even though the twins use the best fabrics and cuts to create sharply tailored pieces, there’s always a slightly undone element to their outfits, very similar in fact to the way the Olsen’s dress themselves. For example, for Fall 2013, the twins showed exquisitely cut skirts and trousers, coupled with oversized, slouchy, thick knit jumpers. The collection was made up of muted tones of black, white and pale, golden tinged beiges, and perfectly summed up that laid back, but chic aesthetic of the Olsens signature style. This is definitely my favourite collection of New York fashion week so far. So luxurious, yet beautifully understated. Now all I have to do is win the lottery so I can buy my fall wardrobe from them!   

Thakoon Fall 2013 RTW

My sister and I were talking the other day about the differences between the four fashion cities, and we both came to the same consensus that New York tends to be our least favourite. It seems like the majority of the designers who show there, aren't the best for originality. Many of them produce beautiful clothes (I always love the collections of Oscar de la Renta in particular), however they're always quite commercial, and lacking a little in creativity.                                                                                       However, while glancing through some show photos today, I came across Thakoon, and his collection caught my eye straight away. He showed beautiful, silky dresses, which he toughened up with mesh panels and beige and blue tinted furs. This coat in particular would be top of my wish list! The collection had just the right balance of tough, utilitarian style, and stunning girly detailing. Plus it isn't many designers who could make a fur shirt and matching skirt look good.

 

 



Serpent of Temptation

How amazing are these Pamela Love bangles?! I’ve always loved animal themed jewelry like this, but it’s often enamelled and brightly coloured, which means it doesn’t go with all of your clothes. But these are perfect. Every time I see a Pamela Love collection I think she won’t be able to beat it, but she always comes out with something even better, I don’t know how she manages it!

These bangles come in silver and bronze, although Love announced on twitter that she was doing a limited edition rose gold for Valentines Day. That one is available from her own website I think, these ones in the photograph are from Bona Drag (a brilliant online boutique in case you haven’t heard of it). The silver is $368, so not the cheapest pieces from PL, but I think they’re something that you could wear every day, so you’d get a good cost per wear from them. I think these are absolutely amazing, the only question is, silver or gold?

 



A Love Letter to Little Edie

I can’t imagine there are many people who haven’t seen Grey Gardens, but if you’re one of them, you must watch it, IMMEDIATELY! It is essential to your happiness.

If you haven’t heard of it, Grey Gardens is a documentary about two reclusive relatives of Jackie O, who live in a run down mansion in the Hampton’s. Edie Beale and her daughter Little Edie, are two of the most endearing people you’ll ever see on film. Both sing, dance and argue their way through the film, but you just can’t help but fall completely in love with them. Little Edie talks constantly about her desire to run away to New York, but you know that she would never leave her mother’s side. The two are a pair, and one just wouldn’t work without the other.

Little Edie is regularly cited as a style inspiration by designers including Marc Jacobs, and John Galliano (who dedicated an entire collection to her). Edie’s genius lies in her ability to use whatever is at hand to create her outfits. She pulls her head half way through a jumper to create a headscarf, or wraps a top around her waist, secured with safety pins to make a skirt. Edie clearly hasn’t had any new clothes for years, but she creates new costumes as she calls them, from anything she can lay her hands on. My favourite scene is when she appears wearing a knitted sweater vest, which five minutes later she has taken off and fashioned into a headscarf. As Edie herself would say, “I have to think these things up!”

If, like me, you can’t get enough of Edie, check out the Little Edie Beale Tumblr. It’s marvelous!