Unlikely Inspiration: Ikea Channels Christopher Kane

Whilst browsing the huge warehouse space at Ikea Croydon last weekend, I can honestly say I didn't expect to find a significant nod to Christopher Kane amongst the tea lights and pine shelves, but lo and behold there was one. In fact, a whole range of prints had sprung up, focusing on plant life and biology, in a major reference to Kane's S/S14 collection, which he had referred to as 'sterilised petals'.

 [Image via Ikea.com] Who knew walnuts were so on-trend?

 [Image via Style.com] The catwalk goes botanical.

What Christopher Kane addressed was the perfect print quality of a biological drawing, with the symmetry of the petals and the overall flower structure creating something that's easy on the eye and flattering on the figure. Plus it doubles up as revision if you're studying biology or botany in any capacity, especially as Kane referenced textbooks in the collection itself, and education in the music choice of the catwalk show.

 [Image via Ikea.com] A more traditional botanical drawing on sale.

 [Close-up image via Ikea.com]. The brain-like walnut in detail.

With Ikea bringing the scientific side of florals into the home, it's a clear sign that Kane is onto a winner. It's normal for colour trends to cross over into interiors but I've never seen a mainstream home ware brand so obviously take a cue from just one designer. The walnut print, in particular, is an unmistakeable tribute to the S/S14 range.

[Images via Style.com] Snippets of Kane's floral notes.

Perhaps in the future we should expect to see more lone design inspiration making its way onto the shelves of Ikea - Rodarte-esque sunflowers or goth weaving? Dolce & Gabbana-esque Italian domestic seaside images featuring buxom models in pasta earrings? The floor is open...

Fashion Book Review: Coco Chanel - The Legend and the Life, by Justine Picardie

Coco Chanel was, like her fashion house's logo, a mass of contradictions. Just as the interlocking but equally opposing letter 'C's could have more than one meaning, their creator often had more than one state of mind, recollection or opinion, depending on who she was addressing and why. 

 [Image via Wikimedia Commons - credited to Time/Getty].

The designer photographed in 1920.

She demanded simplicity, yet was often surrounded by ceremony and grandeur, living at the Ritz when the mood took her, or building a haven on the French Riviera, heading to Hollywood and regularly partying on her lover the Duke of Westminster's yacht - so far, so glamorous. But her humble beginnings were more like a fairy story, as the young Chanel (known then as Gabrielle rather than Coco) dealt with her mother's death and her father's reluctance to be a parent. She was placed in an orphanage, along with her sister, though later she would describe this period of her childhood as being raised by strict aunts, rather than the nuns who actually ran the orphanage and taught her to sew. 

It's clear very early on into the book that Chanel was like the classic unreliable narrator in literature, forever changing her story and her circumstances; she would regularly lie about her age and her origins, tailoring a fantastical beginning of her own that could induce jealousy or sympathy at the drop of a hat. Fortunately Justine Picardie replaces the unreliable narrator's tales with as many of the facts as she can muster, interviewing many people who were close to the great woman and her world. 

 [Image via Instyle.com].

Vintage earrings featuring the instantly recognisable logo.

Picardie's detective work and her fluid descriptions bring this biography to life, despite all of the twists and turns and the regular stumbling blocks of Chanel's little white lies that the writer encountered whilst trying to unravel the reality behind all those myths. One of the most bizarre anecdotes involves the designer's favourite childhood haunt - the cemetery at Auvergne. 'If Chanel's own account is to be believed, by the age of six she was spending as much time as possible in a graveyard... she became attached to two unnamed tombstones, decorating them with wildflowers' (p.16). Imagery like this stays with the reader and helps to peel back the layers in her personality. 

The graveyard ties in nicely with the love of wearing black that she brought to the public, taking it out of the state of mourning and into the everyday, 'wearing black as a symbol of strength and freedom' (p.85). Conversely, she also pushed white clothing as a trend, to suggest 'candid innocence' in the wake of the Great Depression (p.179), and her all-white collection of spring 1933 went down a storm. Chanel even wore white to one of her friend's funerals, though she never wore white as a bride, staying unmarried throughout her life, despite numerous all-consuming love affairs up until her 50s. She emerged from every broken relationship a stronger and more resilient person, often staying close to her ex-boyfriends (much to the chagrin of their future wives). 

[Image via Gawker.com]

Still glamorous in later life and getting the wear out of those pearls.

Of course, not every moment was a bed of roses, and Picardie does shed light on the most scandalous boyfriend of all - a high-ranking Nazi, albeit one who could have potentially been a double agent. Unlike many of her couturier contemporaries in the city, Chanel closed her atelier during the war, and the only German she was seen to spend time with was her lover, Baron von Dincklage, but still the rumours about her being a Nazi collaborator persisted. This was obviously a tricky area for Picardie to research, but it does feel like the weakest section of the book, given the strength of those rumours, which persist today. I would have loved to see more investigation and depth in this part of the  biography, as there are still so many unanswered questions about the designer during this period. 

Essentially, this biography provides a huge amount of insight into the complicated life of Coco Chanel, from her humble beginnings as Gabrielle, to her stellar reputation and her line of properties along the Rue Cambon in Paris. It explores the dizzying heights, but also the pitfalls that she encountered, such as the poorly received comeback collection of 1954 (the ever-strong Chanel 'faced the critics with her lips and nails in brave warpaint... the reviews were savage enough to have felled a woman less sure of herself', p.269-270). This is not a lightweight coffee table book, least of all because of its slim line photo sections at the expense of more text; it's a solid and engrossing profile of the great designer, written with Picardie's own insider knowledge and contacts in the fashion industry to hand. If you're keen to learn more about this fashion icon, The Legend and the Life is a great place to start your education.

Disclaimer: I was kindly provided with a review copy of this book, courtesy of the publishers, Harper. However, the views expressed in this post are my own.

Bath in Fashion Festival: Style in the City

This month sees one of Britain's key fashion cities celebrating its style connections with the Bath in Fashion festival. From 13th-21st April there will be a packed schedule of events and exhibitions to help you indulge your inner fashionista, whether you're into the stunning photography of Norman Parkinson or the modern super stylist Rebekah Roy. Here are some of the highlights:

Mouvements de Femmes: Roland Mouret in conversation with Susanna Frankel (Grazia's Fashion Director) - Monday 15th April, The Octagon at Milsom Place

He's known for iconic dresses such as the Galaxy, seen on A-listers and widely copied by the high street, but you'll see him in a new light here, as the curator of Norman Parkinson's photography exhibition. Obviously someone who appreciates the female form, Mouret will be grilled by the brilliant Susanna Frankel, so expect some juicy soundbites. Tickets cost £20 from Visit Bath.

 Downton's timeless painted illustrations are worth seeing. [Image via daviddownton.com]

David Downton's Illustration Masterclass with model Jade Parfitt - Saturday 20th April, The Grange Suite in the Bath Spa Hotel

I was lucky enough to hear Downton speak at the London College of Fashion a few years ago, where I sat in the audience taking copious notes and lapping up every word - I'm utterly in awe of his work and even used him as inspiration for my AS-Level Art project, back in the day. You'll know a Downton illustration for its expressive and fluid lines, celebrity subjects such as Dita Von Teese and its minimalist finish; he's also the fashion illustrator in residence at Claridges and creates unforgettable couture and catwalk imagery. Tickets have sold out for this event, so if you've managed to score one then I'm incredibly jealous.

BathVA's Vintage Fashion Fair Special - Sunday 21st April, Green Park Station

In a place with so much history, it's only right that vintage style gets a look-in here. Get your hair fixed up like a true retro lady (Marcel wave? Victory rolls? Yes, please) and browse over 50 stalls selling the very best local finds. There's even a dance troupe to entertain you as you shop - what more could you want, except a man in a classic car? Yep, they'll have them too. Entry is free and it runs from 9:30am to 4:00pm, so there's plenty of time to track down a bargain, but you may want to get there early for the best selection (of vintage, not men in cars). 

Aside from these picks, there will be plenty of exhibitions at the Holburne Museum, including 50 Fabulous Frocks and an installation by artist Julie Verhoeven, or you can pop to the famous Fashion Museum to see the Dress of the Year 2012. In between all of this, you might want to explore the Roman Baths or take a boat trip down the river, as I've done when I've visited over the years.

With talks, art displays and pop-up shops to check out, there really is something for everyone on the festival schedule. Well done to Visit Bath for an incredible line-up - I just wish I could be there myself!

Burberry Prorsum S/S13: Henry VIII Redux, with music by Tom Odell

When it comes to debating the S/S13 catwalk shows in real-time, it's hard to pick favourites and decide what to write about, so quite often I just end up leaving the rest in a mental 'To Do' pile and never quite getting round to discussing them. This year, one of my blogging resolutions (don't worry, there aren't that many) was to rediscover some of the weird and wonderful shows later on. So, let's begin...

 [Image via Style.com]

Tudor elegance and exaggeration made for a strong range from Christopher Bailey.

My first choice was Burberry, completely by accident, as I've recently been spending a lot of time listening to music by Tom Odell. When YouTube started auto-filling 'Tom Odell Burberry', I knew where I'd heard his song 'Another Love' before - as the opening tune for the Quality Street-esque womenswear Prorsum collection back in September 2012 at London Fashion Week. I'm going to see Tom in March when he'll be gigging in Brighton and I can't wait to hear more of his stuff. For the record (inadvertent music-related joke there), his song worked brilliantly with the collection and it hinted at some of the drama in the clothing; capes, playing with proportions, flashes of colour and unexpectedly brilliant metallics.

Here's the video, along with other music by Birdy and Ren Harvieu.

Regal Inspiration for the Collection

The most obvious thematic reference I could find from the show, which I severely doubt even appeared on the mood boards at Burberry HQ, was Henry VIII. Here's why.

 [All images via Style.com]

Exaggerated Shoulders and Arms

In portraits you'll notice that Henry was shown as being incredibly large, with huge arms and shoulders worthy of an American football player. Although he wasn't the thinnest bloke around, he actually used a lot of padding in his clothing to make himself appear bigger, therefore coming across as more powerful and domineering to his public and to any potential enemies. It's basically the equivalent of an animal puffing itself up to look more threatening.

For Burberry Prorsum the puffed up aesthetic was also used to look powerful, but it also came across as fashion-forward thanks to the beautiful metallic material and the minimalist outfits. No heavy embroidery and detail needed here, unlike the Tudors, who had a penchant for embellishment.

Capes

Ok, so Burberry went for a mixture of capelets (seen above) and full capes, but either way they looked great. Whereas the models look chic, Henry would have worn a cape for things like hunting, not hanging around at cocktail parties, but I'm sure he'd approve of these tailored numbers.

Green Sleeves

It was said that the song Greensleeves was written about Anne Boleyn during her pregnancy. Those Tudors certainly knew how to make morning sickness fun. In light of this, it would be fairly apt if Kate Middleton (the most famous 21st century royal sufferer) started wearing some olive green pieces from the collection.

 Holbein Blue

Hans Holbein the Younger was a really popular artist at the time of Henry VIII and painted royalty - including the man himself - on many occasions. One of his signature colours was this beautiful teal blue which he often used in the background of his paintings. Holbein's portrait of Henry VIII was called 'the best piece of propaganda ever' by the BBC (he portrayed the king as a strong and impressive man, rather than the ailing 45-year-old that he actually was). Anyway, Henry might not have ever been painted with this colour, but it's still something that I closely associate with him. It's also really striking on the catwalk, especially amongst all those jewel tones.

Gold

It was either fresh and impossibly shiny or burnished to perfection, but there was more than a hint of gold for S/S13. The Tudors couldn't get enough of the stuff in their castles, palaces and ceremonies, so it's hardly surprising that we should find some here. Christopher Bailey's designs were tempting thanks to clever tailoring and flattering ruched fabric. The gold jacket in the centre is particularly eye-catching, though it might not be as easy to carry off in the British suburbs than in a piece of fashion editorial.

 Ready for Battle

That nipped-in waist and those power-dressing jackets made me think of Tudors in combat, whilst the fluted material looked a bit like gauntlet gloves or Elizabethan ruffs (from the era of Henry's daughter). Again, it's about exaggerated forms and creating a silhouette that makes the wearer seem more impressive. I also loved the tailored cups on the trench coat (centre), which looked like something to be worn in a fashion battle.

And here are three Henry VIII directions that the collection thankfully didn't take:

• Gout
• Multiple wives
• Beheading

But hey, let's leave something for A/W 2013, guys.

In all seriousness, there was so much inspiration to take away from Burberry Prorsum this season that it was hard to narrow down the selection. Though the creative team might not have been thinking of fearsome monarchs at the time, there's something decadent and definitely Tudor about the collection that I absolutely love.

A Fashion Postcard from Berlin

 A snapshot of Berlin from my travels.

I've just got back from a whistlestop tour of Berlin, Colditz and Dresden (yep, I don't do holidays by halves) and it seemed only fitting to share some of the sights of the German capital which is known for being a gathering point for hipsters. 

Local residents are so sick of trendy gangs of youths - think Dalston but with Euros instead of pounds being dropped on achingly cool fashion and overpriced cocktails - that they've told them to leave Berlin alone. Having managed to avoid most of the scenesters on my trip, I can safely say that the city is fascinating enough without paying them much lip service.

 The leaves were beautifully rusty around the city centre.

If you want a style reference, think Christina Hendricks' hair.

 A mime artist reclines by the Brandenburg Gate.

 If you want to buy authentic vintage that gives back to charity, go to Humana.

 The Humana store in Alexanderplatz is an affordable treasure trove. I loved the coats!

 The woman on the left had some amazing baggy harem pants that caught my eye.

 Someone should tell Miuccia Prada that a nail salon in the U-Bahn rather likes her name.

 A short walk from Potsdamer Platz, I spotted this man deep in hipster thought.

 How to do brand awareness, German style: dress up your workers in lederhosen and other traditional costumes. Add copious amounts of Schnapps and some fake gold bars.

 I'm pretty chuffed with how this photo of the Berlin Wall turned out.

This particular section had an almost pebble-dashed chewing gum pattern.

The poster art promoting the film museum was really interesting.

[All photos my own. Please ask before reproducing].

This is just a small portion of what I got up to on my travels, but I hope you'll excuse the absence from blogging. I did take my iPad and intended to blog but the Wi-Fi costs in hotels still remain ridiculously high (and I refuse to pay them) and also my trip was utterly packed with little down-time, so I decided to focus on photography for a bit. 

If you're thinking of going to Berlin then I'd thoroughly recommend it, whether you're into fashion or not; there's so much to see and I certainly don't feel that I've done enough.

The Future of Fashion Blogging, According to The Sartorialist

One of my photos from London Fashion Week, where street style photography and blogging was as prolific as ever.

The legendary blogger Scott Schuman, a.k.a. The Sartorialist, recently spoke to Independent Fashion Bloggers about his perspective on the blogosphere, and what he said was worth us all taking note. There's been a slight backlash against blogs recently, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way, with The Man Repeller wearing a t-shirt that states 'All blogs are the same', and it can be hard to differentiate between clumps of bloggers in the same genre if you're looking from the outside in. 

The predominant factor is 'good content', which he calls 'the thing that will set you apart'. That means not just recycling what you see elsewhere and posting images without adding insight, because what you need to provide is something unique - and I don't mean an Instagram collage of your day with a special focus on your dog. If you're writing about fashion then write about it from your own angle, whether that's a product review, a shop visit or your favourite t-shirt. 'Just because someone says something, doesn't make it interesting', as Scott puts it.

This clutch bag I spotted at LFW says it all.

What's more, you don't need to be on the front row to have that all-important eye on the world, especially in today's media-savvy age. Thanks to the slew of websites providing coverage on brands and catwalk moments, from the big hitters like Elle, The Guardian and Vogue to the indies like The Genteel, there are plenty of ways to see what's making the news and then present your own take. Even if you miss a live stream or an entire Fashion Week (because sometimes you have deadlines or perhaps a holiday to somewhere with terrible Wi-Fi), there are great quality show reports and trend reviews to catch up on. 

The crucial thing is not to retell the news exactly as it stands, because essentially you're just repeating what's already been heard, and also you could easily run into trouble for stealing people's content - something which Google, and your average hard-working journalist, certainly does not encourage. Scott believes that those who are able to 'analyze what's going on and have a point of view' will stand out amongst the rest.

The lesson to take from this? Express yourself in your blog and hone in on what you love writing about or photographing. Don't just add to the noise - bring something different.

The World's Oldest Dress - Petrie Museum

[All photos my own.] 

A beaded dress from 2800BC.

Last week I was at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, assisting with a blogger event on the theme of #InspireTravel. I didn't expect to find many fashion connections, but suddenly in front of me was this amazing beaded outfit, which my colleague described as Madonna-esque. You can see what she means - those paltry chest coverings leave little to the imagination and the structure of the piece makes it look like an early attempt at fishnets. However it's an incredibly small mannequin that was used to pass off the pre-Madonna look, and that makes things slightly worrying. This would have been worn by a very young teenager or child who needed to secure a husband. And you thought high street childrenswear shops selling push-up bras was scary?

 An ivory comb - because even ancient women liked to look good.

It's crazy to think how long beauty rituals have been going. Acts like brushing your hair or teeth, and applying make-up, have been a part of human existence for essentially as long as civilised societies have formed. You could say that we've evolved very little in the sense that many of our carefully prepared cosmetic regimes are still as important as they were thousands of years ago, albeit without applying chemicals directly to our face - arsenic face powder, anyone? - just as Botox and specialised peels instead.

The world's oldest garment, c.3000-2300BC.

Apologies for the bad photo, but flash photography isn't allowed due to the delicate nature of this shirt. It's the oldest known example of a (relatively intact) piece of clothing in the world, which I found utterly fascinating. You could easily think that it was a peasant costume from a recent period drama, and not something that was sewn thousands of years before the Roman and Greek Empires even existed. 

How can something look so normal when it's so dated? I guess there are practical fashion considerations that really are timeless, such as the need for sleeves and also enough movement for the arms to be able to carry out full movement. The use of linen as a durable and breathable material, chosen for its effectiveness throughout the seasons. It's amazing to think that the needs of a person in a hot country are still met today by the simple linen shirt, which has never found itself as one of the modern world's throwaway garments. This is definitely the triumph of slow fashion.

The Petrie Museum isn't just full of clothing for trendspotters; it's a fascinating museum that showcases the finds of Flinders Petrie, a leading Egyptologist, and his team. Will it inspire people to travel to Egypt? Definitely. But if you can't afford a holiday then this is the next best thing.

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

Malet Place/Gower Street, University College London

London

WC1E 6BT.

Fashion Raindrops: Happy Birthday, Van Gogh

 [Images collaged and taken from Vogue.co.uk].

Rodarte's S/S12 catwalk show was pure Van Gogh sunshine and sky blue.

March 30th would have been Vincent Van Gogh's birthday, and all the sunflower fever got me thinking about the distinct impression of the great man that the Mulleavy sisters, a.k.a. design duo Rodarte, left on their Spring/Summer 2012 collection. It's not as if they were influenced by a retrospective or a big anniversary (he's only 159 this year!) but it was clear that he was in their sights when they designed these dresses, which were a mixture of flowing fabrics and stiff collars or angular sections that chopped into the print. When I originally reported on Rodarte S/S12, it's fair to say that most of the range was underwhelming compared to the girls' normal standards of sumptuous, gloomy glamour, but you can't please everyone, especially not lowly fashion bloggers from England, all of the time.

 Turquoise and purple pieces reflected Van Gogh's intense use of colour.

What strikes me, looking at these photos on reflection, is how buoyant a lot of the patterns and embellishment seems, from the evening dresses with their tiers of lace and chiffon like painted forms, to the simple skirts that were cut from buttercup yellow silk. Whereas the original Van Gogh paintings can seem more sinister or frantic - especially if you've ever studied History of Art - the clothing produced by Rodarte glossed over that and focused on blasts of colour. The only indication of something deeper was the harsh eyeliner, seemingly taken from Taylor Momsen or the emo kids that hang around town centres, worn with a confident but angry pout. Other than that, this was mainstream Vincent in positive mode, with brushstrokes and delicate forms, and Rodarte were keen to emphasise it as much as possible.

[Image from Lolroflmao.com].

Now this is how to celebrate the big day, Van Gogh-style. It's strange and unfortunate to think that he didn't achieve much critical acclaim in his lifetime, yet we're still raving about him 159 years from where it all began.

Happy 159th, Vincent - still inspiring us in 2012.