The Burberry Prorsum SS13 show was one of the highlights of LFW for me - no surprise there. The surprise was that, in outerwear terms, for once I could overlook Christopher Bailey's manipulations of the classic trench coat because there's a new shape in town to supersede it - the cape. Earlier this year, slinging your coat nonchalantly over your shoulders as though you'd forgotten it had sleeves became the way to wear it. Clearly Bailey seems to have realised that sleeves are merely an obstruction of style as he's removed them altogether for next season. Where before I saw pretension in wearing my coat over my shoulders, with this you have no choice. Perfect.
Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Mia Wallace, Burberry models, writing things by hand, Miu Miu AW10. Images from style.com, Google Images, and We Heart It
The Burberry show has just been and gone, and if you managed to see it I'm sure you'll agree that it was really special. Everything from the music (Dusty, Adele) to the sweet sixties style, to the carefree ponytails tucked into coats, was really spot on. I'll most likely do a post on it tomorrow though, so I'll hold back on the gushing of adoration. I need to get on with writing something for Claire for her new blog project. It's a really lovely idea where bloggers write posts by hand and send them in to be published on the blog and I hope it develops - I'd be intrigued to see the handwriting of some the people who inspire me. I'm nostalgic for that sort of thing...
Marc by Marc Jacobs bird rings at Net A Porter, Boohoo.com lace shirt, MAC 188 brush, Topshop chunky heels, FSAugusta Piggy Ring
Yay, I finally remembered to do Wednesday Wishes! I should remember Wednesday is an important day, because Desperate Housewives is also back on - good times! My boyfriend bought me the first series boxset last week because I never saw it when it first started, and I've barely emerged from my bedroom as it's so good.
This week's Wedneday Wishes is like a double edged sword. It's good because it's a lovely collection of everything I love right now, but it's horribly bad because it serves as a reminder that I HAVE NO MONEY AND I CAN'T HAVE THESE LOVELY THINGS! :(
The other day on Twitter I checked out Wolf and Badger's blog and came across this beautiful pig ring. I have a feeling it might create a bit of a Marmite love it/hate it reaction, but I personally love pigs. I actually really want one, and not one of your cutesy, little micro pigs like Victoria Beckham. No, I'm talking a big, hairy, adorably ugly pig. But, as I don't own a farm, I think this little fella would sit pretty nicely on my hand. It's by the amazing FSAugusta, and if you haven't seen their site before definitely go and have a look now. They have some stunning, quirky pieces like Mr Pig here.
The shirt is from Boohoo, and is a deep navy, though you can buy it in black. I've been looking for one with pockets so aptly placed to recreate look 43 from Burberry Prorsum's fall '10 show. I've got my shearling heeled boots (the New Look one's in the sidebar) so I'm just looking for some great trousers to complete the look, if you know of any? Topshop has just brought in these great chunky heels, and I'm in love. I love chunky heels, yet bizarrely I don't own any. This situation probably needs to be rectified fairly promptly... To use the Topshop card or not? That is always the question on my mind. The Mac brush is just one out of the whole range that I'm coveting right now to help me come close to achieving flawless makeup, and the Marc by Marc Jacobs love birds? Well, they speak for themselves.
As a twenty year old university student, I don't tend to imagine that I'm Next's target consumer. I think my sister is more their type. A thirty year old working mum who wants to look stylish at home and work, with well put together outfits that don't take much thought and look effortlessly good. She's the one who orders their catalogue, but it was me who looked at it first when it came through the door. I was completely taken aback at the clothes they have brought in for autumn. There were so many pieces that recreated catwalk looks from Chloé to Burberry Prorsum, Celine to Ralph Lauren and the best thing of all was that they had chosen the best looks from those catwalks and created inspired pieces that were coveted by me, the twenty year old university student.
Faux Sheepskin Jacket £75
By far one of the best interpretations of the aviator jacket on the highstreet. The fitted style is definitely my preference compared to the more loose fit versions, which just dwarf my frame in bulkiness.
Lace Shirt £32
The highstreet didn't make enough of this look for me. Buttoned up to the top and tucked into some black leather shorts - perfect.
Dress £40
The camel coat edged in black silk at 3.1 Philip Lim was one of my favourite looks from his show. I need this dress to channel that detailing, and the streamlined simplicity of the dresses seen at Celine.
Maxi Dress £45
Can't wait to try out this trend. Maxi's for winter seem so good right now. From the layered boho look at Ralph Lauren, to those autumnal beauties at Erdem, I haven't seen anybody working the winter maxi yet. It needs to be done.
Dress £35, Shorts £28
I don't think anything needs to be said for that faux leather dress lovely, does it?
And to top it all off Next (so far) isn't asking for too much of our money in exchange for these beauties. I'm sold.
Top buys:
Camel dress, lace shirt, leather dress.
Take a look at...Look magazine's show featuring Next.
Do you regularly shop at Next, and if not, have you been converted?
Despite aviator jackets being seen on numerous catwalks, the one version that stands out in my mind and apparently in the minds of every fashion editor, is the Burberry Prorsum show. For the majority of people they were an instant hit and immediately became the coat to have for winter. Like the clogs of last season, I really didn't like the aviators at all. I thought they looked seriously bulky and unattractive, and associated with the not so stylish British television favourite, Del Boy. I didn't buy a pair of clogs all summer and I firmly believed I wouldn't be buying an aviator jacket either.
The other day, I went for the first day out of shopping that I've had in a long time. Going into River Island I brushed past a short, brown leather, shearling collared aviator jacket. I had to try it on, just to humour my boyfriend whose face said he thought they were equally hideous, and to confirm for myself that everyone else was crazy and that I was the only one sane enough to realise the disastrous style consequences of wearing such an item. I tried it on and did it up. I toyed with the shearling cuffs and commented that I did indeed feel like a Trotter relative. And then I walked over to the mirror and realised I was massively mistaken. This coat made me instantly 100% cooler and 200% more stylish. The cut was gorgeous - it fitted beautifully. I loved the shearling. I tried on a fake leather, black version which didn't have as much shearling adornment, and I didn't like it nearly as much. The shearling made the coat perfection.
Like the padded shoulder trench coat I bought last year, this is the kind of coat you can throw on over the most blasé outfit and it instantly makes it incredibly stylish. I kept it on as I continued to shop around the store, stealing disbelieving glances at my reflection. This coat was ridiculously, shockingly, fabulous. The price tag was £150, which is definitely worth it as it's real leather. Now I just have to wait until a certain student loan comes my way, and you just try and stop me running to River Island and bagging this beauty. I'm not in a rush to get it soon, as I'm sure they're going to be around all season, and right now it's sadly still too damn hot to wear it. It's about the only time wearing this coat would look silly.
My advice: if you've so far been against the aviator jackets, go and try one on. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised, but I warn you - you might burn a hefty hole in your wallet.
This military style coat might just make my Burberry Prorsum pea coat dreams come true. I'm loving the styling at Asos at the moment. When you first get onto the website, they seem to have started to think about taking on a new look (less cheesy catalogue, more fresh and edgy) and it is looking pretty hopeful.
The Topshop look book for a/w has recently been released and I'm pretty excited about it. They've really channelled the best looks from the catwalks (shearling from Burberry, chunky heels at Balenciaga, thick knits at Prada, alpine prints from D&G and capes at Chloé), but given them that little Topshop tweak. The grungier, darker stuff isn't really for me, I definitely want to be a part of the Chloé/Burberry group (if there is one?).
The only thing with these damn autumn look books, is I just can't wait for the season to come and I feel like I've barely seen summer! Sure I'm more excited about the a/w trends than the s/s though, are you?
One of the catwalks which summarised this season's major trends nicely for me was Burberry Prorsum. When I saw that lovely, candy shop palette coming down the runway, I knew I'd be working all my outfits around the genius of Christopher Bailey. It seems that yet again he's shaping the future of fashion with the concept of interactive (aka 3D) advertising.
He said:
"This campaign protects our authentic and timeless heritage and evolves the modern way in which we communicate that. The Burberry campaigns have always been characterized by the dynamic British cast and I wanted to express the individuality and the energy behind each of their different creative expressions. Burberry was founded on innovation and outerwear and I want anyone who sees the campaign not just to see images, but to feel a part of what we have created; connecting people through technology, music, the collections, the attitude, and the emotion captured.”
Since the blockbuster phenomenon that was Avatar, 3D has become the new 'big thing' with major films bringing out 3D versions alongside the original 2D's, and televisions being programmed as 3D friendly (the only issue I have with this is that I don't quite see families sat around the telly watching Corrie in their 3D specs). It now seems that 3D is branching out to the fashion industry. I seriously lack in any technological understanding, so to me it all seems quite confusing, but the point seems to be that “users will be able to select and control the view and perspective of the campaign, cast and products. Motion responsive images and video can be clicked, rotated, paused and dragged 180 degrees". There was something like this done by Grazia, when they created their interactive issue of the magazine featuring Florence Welch. I personally don't find all this kind of stuff that exciting. I like to just watch ads, not fuss about pausing and rotating them, but like I said I'm technologically limited.
However, 3D campaigns aside, it's nice just to have a look behind the scenes at the shooting of the campaigns. Check out the cast! I love how the Burberry campaigns have such a home-grown, organic, British feel to them. The only thing that every Burberry Prorsum show makes me wonder, is how the hell do the hairstylists make lack-lustre hair look so good? I feel my fine, flimsy hair should carry the Burberry careless-hair look well, but it just doesn't work out.
What do you think about interactive advertising? Do you like it?
What a stressful two hours. Repeatedly pressing enter on the outnet address, clicking every remotely nice outfit just to find they're all out of stock, or that there's frustratingly no server to support your link is NOT the way to spend a Friday morning. I think the only thing that got me through, was a mega bowl of Krave cereal.
I spent two hours on theoutnet.com, clicking incessantly on outfits, and not ONCE did anything make it to the checkout stage, without becoming sold out or losing server in the mammoth time it took to load the pages.
Some people out there are going to be feeling mega lucky today - a Burberry Prorsum dress for a £1 would have made my year.
So did any of you get lucky, and find an amazing bargain? Don't make me too jealous. And whilst some of us look forward to our phenomenal purchases, and whilst some realise the opportunity is OVER, let us all take a moment to appreciate the greatness that is Krave!
Hmmm. Burberry Autumn/Winter 2010. I don't know. I guess I liked it, but not as much as I expected and nowhere near as much as last season. I divided the show into three parts, and liked bits and bobs from each. For the first bit (Soldiers), I really liked the olive green tones and the heavy aviator jackets, with lacy dresses underneath. The aviator jacket might be big news for the end of this year, but I don't think they'll be on my Christmas list, though they looked great on the models.
Part two: Sergeants. This was probably my favourite part. I liked the more tailored pieces - the military, fitted blazers which finally took them out of the preppy zone. I loved that half military coat/half Burberry trench (second left), pierced from hip to shoulder with giant, gleaming buttons, and given an interesting twist with ruching detail. So chic looking - I love!
And then I kind of liked part three - maybe called the Post-War Woman. Minus the real fur (make it fake and it's all good), I was glad to see the continuation from the S/S collection, where an outfit is put together in a combination of neighbouring shades of the same colour. It looked richer with silky, ruffled evening dresses in plummy tones, and delicate lace underneath. I haven't got photos of this part, as I wasn't all that fussed about it.
The shoes and the aviator jackets stole the show for me. Amazing snake-skin thigh highs, though I preferred the black ones. So glad to know my thigh highs from last season will be a trans-seasonal purchase! And wow, those chunky part biker-part-army, heavy boots buckled all over and lined with sheeps wool; these boots I'm sure, are capable of making even a wall-flower storm into a room, and out-rightly demand every man and woman's attention.
I just wish Burberry made bags like they make clothes and shoes. They always looked like they were made by people who were never told the inspiration or direction of the collection.
...starts off London Fashion Week - best bit of all, eh? Ok, I'm biased, but really there are so many great designers to look forward to seeing. Here's a collection of my favourites :
Finally, I've got time to write about some of my all time favourite designers, that as usual have not failed in their Spring/Summer collections. To begin with, Burberry! For next season, as with A/W I think we're going to find ourselves well and truly draped. Draping has gone from the classic, modest Grecian gentle tides of fabric this season to layers upon knotted layers of thick bandaging. And what better to be draped in than the work of Mr Bailey for 2010? As I've said before, there is not a single piece that I didn't like. Every look was stunning.....I can't even get round to that sparkling trenchcoat... much too scrumptious! I have a feeling you could predict every trend for Spring from this single collection.
1. Green is sure to be big for next season, and this taste of spearmint is the way to go.
2. Shoulders are still structured, but are less about power and more about an enhanced, soft and sexy silouhette.
3. Waists are still pulled into shape...with skinny belts this time.
The fine details....
Even the socks got a little ruching detail...and I loved them with the shoes, with their equally twisted and knotted design.
With just 6 days to go to London Fashion week, I have to say I'm more than a little excited. With the eyes seemingly set to be focussed on the 4 main British names; Giles Deacon, Erdem, Christopher Kane and Richard Nicoll, I've put together a few of the names I'm looking forward to seeing. I have to say....the 'short n shoulders', 'lady-luxe' and 'Balmania' catch phrases for Autumn/Winter, are already getting a little wearsome. Here are the designers I think will offer some well needed refreshment :)
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