Be the Next Victoria's Secret Angel!

If you've the looks and the body, grab your once in a lifetime chance to walk the runway during upcoming Victoria's Secret Angels Fashion Show. Check out the official guidelines and screening schedules to join Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum and other angels.

Etro Spring 2010

Etro has always been synonymous with gorgeous colors and prints, and this collection sticks beautifully with tradition. I love the '70's style dresses in billowy chiffon, the delicate ruffles, the deliciously frizzy hairstyles...Bellissima!














Photos borrowed from style.com

b...a magazine

As mentioned previously on the blog, I can honestly count the number of exciting stores in London using one hand. One of the very first fingers to be released from my clenched fist (which I shake to the heavens as I question the fall of our nation of shop keepers) is outstretched for the fashion mecca that is bstore. Despite being purveyors of some of the most forward looking designers today, the Savile Row store has always offered more than just fashion. b Store's partners Kirk Beattie and Matthew Murphy have been merging art, fashion and a particularly British sense of humour seamlessly for a number of years now whilst nurturing some of the best menswear design talent in recent times. The pair seem to always be striving forward, developing the brand and pushing that bit harder and I have to confess to being more than a little inspired...

In addition to delivering a chic, modern preppy S/S 10 collection for its b Clothing range, Menswear Day saw them dipping their toes back in to (after the success of their Pop-In Paper last year) into print publication with the launch of the first issue of b Magazine. Having run around the shows like a blogging madman all day, I missed the launch party and chose to have a quiet night in with the laptop writing up shows whilst stuffing my face with fish and chips (before my grease laden feast I had only had a shortbread biscuit and a cup of tea at the E. Tautz film screening, so don't judge me too badly). I did however swing by the store to pick up a copy for myself whilst perusing the fantastic new stock once again and I've barely put it down since.

The b store shirt and trousers combination here is just lovely. I want both pieces.

Gorgeous editorials styled by Jason Hughes and Sam Ranger sit alongside a look through the key hole of four unique homes belonging to b store favourites, including designer Peter Jensen, photographer Tim Gutt and his marvellous set designer wife Shona Heath, writer Judith Watt and artist Franis Uprictchard and furniture designer husband Martino Gamper. Thankfully, there is no sign of Loyd Grossman but there is plenty which turned my eyes a little green...

At home with Peter Jensen. The designer's small home in Primrose Hill gave me serious home envy

In addition to this home envy inducing feature, there is a wonderfully interesting interview with Tim Soar which is accompanied by a series of images of Ash Stymest styled in pieces from Soar's Aw09 collection. The interview is littered with thought provoking quotes from the designer but there is one I just have to share with you because it simply sums up what he does. "For me, clothes and fashion are interchangeable, but what I find really engaging about clothes is the way they allow you to present yourself in a different way and I play with that all of time." You have to appreciate Soar's investigative craftsmanship and the fact he is willing to take the odd sartorial risk.

One of my favourite features is entitled London Now and is a presentation of forty nine creartives from the fields of arts, fashion, film, graphic and film and everything in between. The striking portfolio of up-and-comers shot by Aitken Jolly, from actress Anna Brewster to Fashion East’s newest alumni, Michael Van Der Ham, illustrator Kez Glozier and blog favourites, Carolyn Massey, Satyenkumar and the Casely Hayford's. It supports emerging and young talent and obviously goes beyond the fashion world.

Jason wears a shirt and beaded cape both by Peter Jensen.

Created in collaboration with creative director of the b Clothing line, Jason Hughes and editor, Dal Chodha, the magazine feels like a natural evolution of the b brand on to printed paper. Like the wonderful read that ACNE Paper offers, b Magazine confirms that brand magazines can act as far more than merely a pretty advertorial for their own brand and range of products. Instead it makes the most of the editorial freedom afforded by no advertising and feels inventive whilst exploring the key facets of the brands ethics and values. I just wonder what the b store chaps will turn their hands to next...

Hello, Moto!

It took almost till the last day of September, but I've finally given up the summer ghost. That little spate of Indian summer was nice, to be sure, but as of yesterday, I've told myself no more open-toed shoes. Sweaters. Tights. BOOOOOOOOOOTS!!!!! And this means shopping. Hooo boy, do I love shopping. Here's what I picked up on two separate, very quick shopping stops yesterday. Shopping at its most efficient!


First, this awesome, faux-leather moto jacket from H&M. It has that washed/crinkly effect and I daresay it's quite good-quality faux leather.


It looks hot on, will go with lots of stuff in my closet, and was $49.99. SOLD!


Also scored at H&M (one of the last three remaining) was this great blousy print dress. It has a tiger on it.


ROWR! It was $29.99. SOLD!

That was my lunch break. After work, I was headed to a happy-hour party in Williamsburg. On the way, I stopped in to Mini Minimarket. There I found the following awesomeness:


Blowfish "Willis" booties, $83 at Zappos. I've never been a big ankle boot person, as I think in general you need to have skinny-minnie legs to pull them off, but these worked on me for some reason. I think. I love the wide opening and the chunky heel and the overall shape, and the bonus-fun purple interior.


I had a moment where I thought, Maybe I should look around, see what other ankle boots are out there, if ankle boots are indeed an option for me, and then I thought, No. These are obviously the booties for me. SOLD!


I also bought a pair of skinny jeans, partly to tuck into the ankle boots and party just because Levi's fit me really well and are really well priced. I think I got these Levi's Superlow 524 Poetic Skinny jeans, $32, in the "dark sky" wash.

And then I got some Hue tights in dark indigo and medium gray. I just hope I'll be able to pack them into my already overstuffed tights drawer.

Bring it, autumn!

//Hard To Impress//

Vogue Nippon November 2009

tfs

//It Runs Through Her Veins//

Mick Jagger + Jerry Hall = a good thing.

It resulted in the beautiful Georgia May Jagger.

tfs

Pattern Cutting as Art: A study on Anansi

To coincide with the Frieze art fair Paul Smith will be exhibiting the latest body of work from Hormazd Narielwalla entitled ‘A Study on Anansi’ from 10th to 21st October at his Furnishing Gallery. The exhibition will consist of a set of ten artworks drawing inspiration from two sources, Savile Row tailoring patterns and traditional African Anansi tales to create a new body of work.

A Study on Anansi is a celebration of the popular character from West African and Caribbean folklore brought to life using the discarded patterns. "Anansi", the trickster, is the wise and clever Earth God but I have to confess to turning to my trusty friend google, for answers. Despite my ignorance, many aspects of these stories have trickled through to Western society and into children’s stories, super-hero characters and fictional literature. In some versions of the stories Anansi created the sun, moon and all the stars. This attribute of the stories makes it through into Narielwalla’s work where Anansi dances, teases and entertains himself with his most prized creation, the sun.

I first came across Hormazd Narielwalla's work at EXIT Gallery's "A Fairytale About Fashion" exhibition. Narielwalla's Dead Man’s Patterns was a design story, beneath the trappings of menswear into the book, the man, the pattern, and his images really captured my imagination. and I just had to post about it. The artists work originates from sets of bespoke patterns, which of course belonged to former customers, now deceased, from a by-gone era. These patterns have recorded a history of intimate dialogues of customer measurements and fittings over a lifetime but no longer have any practical use to the cutter and are often discarded. The talented Hormazd takes these fragile pieces of parchment out of their original context and breathes fresh life in to the creases and careful folds, along finely traced pencil marks and measurements. Opportunities are created by giving these pieces of discarded paper a chance to breathe, simply in the act of extracting, giving them a new lease of life as art objects.

For this work, Narielwalla's uses scans, photography, his own sketches and digital composition to create a set of playful artworks that have a traditional look and appeal. Creating bespoke clothes for the rich and powerful has made Savile Row iconic but in this evocative work Narielwalla is showing us tailoring patterns, as they have never been seen. The patterns are reinterpreted and resurrected; the lives of people measured through tailoring are brought back to life as works of art through even older tales from another world.

For the past year and a half Hormazd has had the opportunity to work closely with Dege & Skinner's cutters and tailors. It is in this private tailoring environment that he truly began to consider tailoring as Art. Hormazd has recently been awarded an international scholarship to read a Doctorate in Philosophy at London College of Fashion and his main focus will be on pattern cutting as Art. The artist is currently working on the memoirs of Master Tailor and Chairman of the firm, Michael Skinner. Skinner's story will be narrated through his own pattern cutting journals whilst studying at the prestigious Tailor & Cutter Academy. I can't wait to find out more information on this project and as soon as I do, I'll share it with you. In the meantime, enjoy the selection of artwork above.

MOSCHINO Dresses Coca-Cola

I thought I'd heard it all until Rosella Jardini, Moschino's Creative Director, decided to give Coca-Cola Light a fashion makeover. At least that's what I think is going on here after having to take some online Dutch courses in order to translate the full story from Vogue Netherlands (aka Dutch Vogue). Love the ruffles and polka dots, even though they make Coca-Cola look a little fat.....

Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2010

It's handsome suits, black lace, flashes of red, corsets of course, and scarlet lips for the Italian dynamic duo's Spring collection...












A corset finale!

Photos borrowed from style.com
Finale photo borrowed from coutorture.com