NYFW Fall 2012: Prim and Punk Street Fashion from L.A.M.B

[All images taken from Style.com]

This loose smock dress with knee high socks over tights is a slice of 1960s cool. The shape is incredibly flattering and still manages to look girly, despite hiding feminine curves.

 I am a little bit in love with this coat (and its accompanying beehive hairdo). It's got that make-do-and-mend feel, but it still manages to be smart overall. The patches neatly sidestep the potential nightmare that was that godawful late 90s trend of patchwork denim jackets and trousers. This is how to do stitching, kids. 

I think the jumper says it all. Personally I hate the handbag but the rest of this ensemble is sharp, with very neatly tailored shapes. 

Perhaps not one for us plebs on the high street, but this look might just work if you're able to style it as L.A.M.B has presented it to us - spike platform heels and the ubiquitous beehive of the show. Just don't let this outfit be adopted by chavs, or it could go horribly wrong.

NYFW Fall 2012: Nicholas K's Cowboys and Flappers Mash-Up

[All images taken from Style.com]

What we've learned from Nicholas K: the bigger the hat, the bigger the strut. The hint of cowboy was undeniable with this kind of headwear. Exaggerated proportions made it even more fun, with rolled up sleeves and baggy boots to complement the look, and that fierce reddish orange eye make-up.

This ensemble reminded me of travel photography focusing on harsh landscapes and often inhospitable environments (I'm thinking rocky outcrops, freezing wastelands and unforgiving desert sun). The block shade of mid-grey is a nice contrast to the harsh khaki, black and white tones elsewhere in this show.

Another element of travel came through for me in this catwalk collection: the notion of layering up and wearing as many of your clothes as possible, so you travel lighter. Note the awkward hat, coat, necklace and boots that make an altogether disjointed but exciting outfit, especially when placed against the flapper wigs that all the female models wore, alongside fringed pieces and draped boyish vests underneath that celebrated the boyish 1920s body ideal.

In the sleeker menswear silhouettes later on then there's more of a 'cityboy does western' vibe coming across - everything's polished, tucked in and neat, in contrast to the earlier frenetic layering and undone buckles. This suggests that Nicholas K isn't just aiming at one type of man or dresser; you can find something in this collection whether you like to look genuinely bedraggled or you just want a hint of bed hair.

The whole collection was an interesting combination of influences that made everything appear fresh, even though many of the pieces may have looked unremarkable in their own right. It's all about the layering and juxtaposition of forms for Nicholas K, and he makes a strong case.

Magazine Snippet: Natural Beauty from Viola Davis for the LA Times

[Cover image from the LA Times Magazine, February edition]

I may be one of the only people in the world who hasn't read The Help, or seen the film (sorry, I've been too busy with books on anatomy, and raving about the amazing cinema experience that is The Artist), but I do know the star of its big screen adaptation and she looks amazing here. Instead of wearing an expensive weave or wig, as she does for films and premieres, Viola Davis is shown with her natural hair. It's great to see her not conforming to the Hollywood ideal of manageable straight (preferably blonde) hair that's been tweaked to within an inch of its life; her own short style looks great, and it really frames her face. Meanwhile that dress is brilliantly quirky -  not one for the 9 to 5, but it's perfect for creating an edge on this shoot.

[Image from the LA Times online]

Aside from the empowering hair, this shoot is also about equally powerful clothing.The ruff collar on the left is so overtly theatrical and over the top, yet Viola manages to wear it, rather than letting it wear her. As for the outfit on the right, it's the kind of ensemble that wouldn't look out of place at Fashion Week. With the petticoat peeking out and the killer Hollywood sunglasses, this is a woman who deserves to be noticed.

[Original image from the LA Times online, customised by me]

The playful use of structural clothing and a monochromatic colour palette have really made this shoot for me. It could have easily been an exercise in showing the latest spring florals or kooky prints, but then it would have detracted from the strong poses and Viola's natural look, which seems anything but manufactured. This is a brilliant example of how to let your cover star do all the talking, and not just use her as a clothes horse, but to choose pieces that really suit her Oscar nominee status.

Fashion Thoughts - Judging a Book by its Cover

[All images my own]. 

I've always been a voracious reader, but it's a bit embarrassing that I haven't managed to get through many books since I've left the title of student behind, yet I've continued to buy them. I also haven't stopped looking for all of the analytical points that my undergraduate degree hard-wired me to spot, from pathos and hamartia to the deliberate decisions behind naming characters. What I have started doing, aside from being more picky with my reading choices and not sticking with a book if it's not working out (a bit like with blokes - sometimes you just have to do the "It's not you, it's me" speech), is letting myself be drawn to the novel's artwork more than ever. Yes, I am willingly choosing a book by its cover. With this in mind, I thought I'd share the books that have caught my eye when I've been out and about on my shopping adventures, and how they have their own trends. 

High Heel Homicide, anyone? The whole pin-up look seen above is so ridiculously current, it's unreal; everyone from Prada to the film My Week With Marilyn to the singer Lana Del Rey has been channelling this glossy, uber-feminine 1950s image, with doe eyes, big bouffant hair and lashings of lipstick.

The book above was part of a display at the cash desk of the cafe at Beyond Retro in Dalston, which I visited in December. It's become a bit of a family haunt, as my cousin discovered it and now my auntie and uncle love it too. Anyway, these paperbacks are the perfect slice of retro fiction, with sensationalist names and buzzing graphic images (check out the use of CAPS LOCK on this one, just in case the title itself didn't grab you on the strength of words alone). They tap into the pop culture love of futurism and sci-fi, with the dual gut instincts of fear and excitement associated with the unknown. Similarly, fashion that looks to the future is always arresting because it has the same shock value.

This image is just a flavour of the books available at a second-hand shop in Brighton. It's one of those places that carries on regardless of the big internet sites like eBay, with a constant stream of stock and people interested in browsing. Amongst all of this was a great selection of vintage Penguins with those reliable minimalist colour-coded covers in orange (fiction), blue (biography) and green (crime) - they're a bit like the equivalent of wardrobe staples, but in the world of publishing.

Judging a Book by its Cover: If Books Were Fashion...

• The Publishing House - Penguin would be a great institutional brand with a key product, like Burberry, Missoni or Aquascutum.
• The Series - Jackie Collins' Lucky Santangelo novels would be Versace or Just Cavalli. Sky high bitch heels, cocktail dresses with thigh-high splits and lots of bling.
• The Iconic Novel - The Virgin Suicides would be Rodarte, dripping with teenage angst, hidden emotions and ethereal looks.

Has your favourite or most recent read made its impact on your wardrobe? Have you spotted any books that have fantastic cover art? Let me know.

Fashion As It Happens

[Fashion in an instant... Illustrative image collaged by me, with original images in the public domain].

It's often said that we live in a society of instant gratification, and the fashion industry is certainly not exempt from this statement. A designer may have spent months realising the dream for their latest collection, but once it's out in the public domain then it can often have a very short shelf life (luckily things are pretty cyclical, so you can be sure that most major trends will resurface within the decade, but still - us fashion lovers aren't known to hang about). Today we really do live on the cutting edge in terms of coverage, with so many ways to connect to the wider world, allowing a final year fashion student to gain a global audience in a matter of hours if their graduate show offering catches the right attention. So how do you stay ahead and keep your finger on the pulse of style when things are so hectic? Here's my guide to being in the know.

 

SHOWstudio: The Fashion Revolution

 

Since 2000 there's been an amazing broadcast tool that's on the lips of every fashion lover worth their salt: SHOWstudio. Established by the photographer Nick Knight, this is a digital platform for fashion film and its related technologies (illustration and photography) which has involved collaborating with some of the industry's most powerful names, including Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh and Lady Gaga. Often content is streamed live, which really democratises the audience and means that a teenage girl in her house gets to see the latest content at the same time as a fashion writer at her desk. 

 

If, like me, you were lucky enough to visit the SHOWstudio exhibition at Somerset House in 2009, you'll have seen in the flesh just how exciting it is to learn about this huge leap forward in fashion communication.  Not only do you see the glossy finished product with a SHOWstudio piece, but you get to see the inner workings and the development of the idea. Of course, the exhibition had plenty of interactive elements to inspire you, and in 2012 the website is still continuing to reach out to its viewers, with current projects including a photo montage to be installed in the Parisian shopping mecca, Printemps, which will be streamed live from tomorrow. Knight was correct in calling the exhibition 'Fashion Revolution', because those words seem so very apt.

 

Social Networking: The Hashtag Hype

 

The great thing about Twitter and fashion is that you can find out the gossip from the catwalk before the last model has even walked. Want a backstage glimpse of the make-up? It'll be on there. Want to see the first few looks, hot off the press? Search for the designer's hashtag. Other shows were broadcast live via the designer's website or streamed on Youtube, with Twitter users quick to spread the word. Of course, the fashion event of the year in 2011 was Kate Middleton's wedding, and Twitter was ablaze with McQueen fever once we'd seen the bride's choice of dress. Facebook, meanwhile, was the go-to domain for bridesmaid Pippa Middleton supporters, as there were multiple appreciation societies set up in honour of her bum/ass/rear (take your pick) even before many of us had finished toasting to Kate and Wills.

Street Style and Blogging: Strike a Pose

 

The fashion blogosphere, as far as I see it, has two main areas: photo blogs and personal blogs. Of course, the two can overlap, but essentially the photographer tends to stay behind the camera and the personal blogger primarily uses themselves as the model. In both cases -  by analysing what people on the street are wearing, or what they're blogging about wearing - we can look at things from a grassroots level and see where micro-trends begin.

The fresh and exciting opinions of bloggers who aren't necessarily trained as journalists or photographers have, unfortunately, ruffled some feathers amongst what we might call the Fashion House of Lords - those people who have been going to the shows for years and rightly feel they've earned their seat. Obviously there's no need to call these established show attendees and photographers irrelevant, but what the blogosphere has done is added to the mix of backgrounds and viewpoints, and that should be seen as a positive thing. Bloggers do not herald the end of the fashion press, by any means; they're just making them more accountable to the public.

Magazine Installations: Grazia, Sketchbook and The Paper Eaters

 

Being an absolute magazine hoarder and clothes horse, the idea of a publication coming to life within a shopping centre or store is basically a dream come true for me. This really is the perfect example of fashion as it happens; the creation of a magazine using real people and opening up the staff's expertise for everyone to see. Grazia did this way back in 2008 with a pop-up magazine office inside a perspex box in Westfield (how they got any work done surrounded by all those shops, I'll never know), whilst Sketchbook Magazine did it in 2010 in trendy Carnaby, along with Amelia's Magazine in the same year. What's more, the Sketchbook pop-up shop was pitched to the editor by a fashion student - talk about bringing it back to the people. 

I took part in a new and bold magazine installation in Selfridges during April 2010, which was the brainchild of artist duo The Girls, a.k.a. Andrea Blood and Zoe Sinclair. They produced several issues of The Paper Eaters Magazine, which combined a love of 80s teen publications like Jackie with a love of vintage fashion, beauty and craft. As a voluntary contributor I really got stuck in and was able to interview illustrators and fashion students whilst the installation surrounding me was being explored by the public, with a video area, a dressing up section and free make-overs by Illamasqua. It was an amazingly creative experience, and something that really opened my eyes to fashion as a collaborative, live project.

 

Fashion, as it happens, is pulse-quick and intriguing to watch, but it's even better to get involved. Whether you're tweeting your views on the latest pieces from Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, helping to create a SHOWstudio masterpiece or finding your niche as a street style photographer, there's a way for you to make it happen. Jump in and join the fashion revolution.

A Decade of Topshop's NEWGEN Initiative - T-shirt Time!

[All images from the Topshop Facebook page, with stylisation of t-shirt images by me]. 

 In honour of reaching the 10 year milestone in supporting new design talent, Topshop will be releasing t-shirts created by 20 of its nurtured stars. The collection is not only an innovative way of bringing high-end creativity to the high street, but it's also a great way to challenge the designers and get them to translate their ideas onto basic t-shirt shapes. At a very reasonable £30 each, the products also raise money for the charity Centrepoint, so it's also giving something back to the wider community. Participants include Meadham Kirchhoff, who produced a wide-eyed print of a doll, and Mary Katrantzou, who used her trademark floral graphic design to make a busy and engaging blue and pink piece that will fly off the shelves. 

I've selected four of my favourite designs to give you a taste of what is to come, with each accompanied by one of the ten personal facts that Topshop gleaned from the creators. You can shop the collection from 17th February - be prepared to fight me for the Gareth Pugh number.

Erdem's design is like an old toile print. It reminded me of the Scottish design duo Timorous Beasties, who updated the toile for the 21st century by turning it into a cheeky urban wasteland narrative of syringes and concrete. Erdem has modernised the toile with the shape of this t-shirt and the lace Peter Pan collar, making it perfect for wearing with cut-off denim shorts in the summer. Although he hasn't subverted the design as Timorous Beasties did, he's still made it his own, and it feels fresh and quirky.  

Craig Lawrence opted for layers of painted gold that hang like giant threads. As he likes knitting in his work then it feels right to have gone for something chunky and substantial. It's bold, unsubtle and the design won't date. Thumbs up.

I like that Marios Schwab shared his name for the t-shirt. 'Crystal Explosion' feels very appropriate! His radical shaping of the fabric, using a buckle fastening, is interesting because it allows the tail end of the t-shirt to gather, which is more like an implosion than an explosion. I love the colours that artist Tom Gallant used in the print, as well - it's an almost Christmassy mix of red, green, yellow and orange.

I definitely saved the best til last. Gareth Pugh is one of my fashion idols and he didn't disappoint with his NEWGEN t-shirt offering. Eye-popping prints are one of his specialities, so it's only fitting that they formed the design. I like how the pattern filters down to a point and doesn't cover the fabric completely. I also love the fact that Pugh says he worked at Topshop for three months as a Visual Merchandiser but was sacked, and didn't have a meeting of minds with the store manager. It's amusing to think that the very same manager might be selling Pugh's t-shirt with very gritted teeth.

The whole collection looks fantastic and there's a wide range of styles due to the variety of designers who have taken part. Here's to another decade of Topshop's NEWGEN initiative!

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice... On the Cheap

 [Lace Cami Bra in Lemon, Coral and Black, £5.99 each, New Look].

 I severely doubt I could squeeze into one of these lace bras, but they're the perfect way to inject some sherbet colours into your wardrobe on a budget. They'd look great over a white t-shirt (ahem, maybe not for work) or under a sheer black shirt (yup, not for work either, unless you're in the fashion industry, or you might be regarded as a little inappropriate). The mixture of innocence, girliness and sluttish behaviour is quite irresistable if you're already in love with the version of Spring/Summer that Meadham Kirchhoff gave us this season.

Who you're channelling in the lace bra:

[Meadham Kirchhoff, S/S 2012 show; image via Tumblr].

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[Lime Moped Print Sweat Top, £22.00, River Island]. 

I know this isn't remotely shaped like a Prada item, or even made of the right fabric to emulate the car print, but the point is that the motif has been translated in a new way. This is the street, everyday look with the same spirit. What's more, it could work with a sheer maxi skirt and Converse or as a cover-up for the gym.

Who you're channelling in that top:

[Prada S/S 2012 ad campaign with car print chiffon shirt and dress; image via Tumblr].

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[Unicorn Sweat, £26.00, Topshop].

It has to be said: I do love a good unicorn. They're so much more exciting than horses (except for War Horse, obvs) and they look a bit more punk. That's perhaps why Lady Gaga loves them too. Topshop's adoption of the motif against this bold azure colour works really well and manages to look fresh. You could wear it over a collared shirt for office chic, or over a slip dress and lace-up boots with fishnets to release some teenage angst like it's the 90s all over again.

Who you're channelling in that sweater:

[Lady Gaga's leg tattoo, which reads 'BORN THIS WAY'; image via Tumblr].