A round up of my chosen news items from the fashion world from last week
Haiti is a major manufacturing centre for the clothing Industry and naturally a lot of the factories have been devastated by the earthquake. Lets not let Haiti slide to the back of our minds in the coming months and endeavour to keep helping in whatever way we can.
One of the clothing factories in Haiti last week
Tavi the 13 year old blogger was at the Couture Shows in Paris last week. A large gift from Milliner Stephen Jones adorned her head. Unfortunate for anyone sitting behind her, reminds me of weddings and the races where instead of seeing either bride or horse I had views of various adornments perched on top of elaborate head wear. Enough to make the blood boil. Read an Interesting article here from the Independent on the whole bally hoo. Paula Reed who is the Fashion Editor of Grazia magazine and a thoroughly nice (by all accounts) woman (this is from one who knows these things) was pretty annoyed about it.
Image courtesy of The Moment
It’s always interesting to take a peek into the making of an advert or campaign and this video is from Louis Vuitton’s Spring Summer one.
A frosty, cold day in Dublin but there was a blue (very welcome ) sky so things are looking up. I headed to the organic food market today in Temple Bar. A regular Saturday Dublin fixture that sees the same faces week on week. There’s something lovely about routine and so It was lovely to eat oysters, sip a glass of wine and catch up with my oyster mates. Camera at the ready I kept spotting great bags which were the main event coupled with really simple outfits and so here are a few that caught my eye today.
Cross body Bags are hugely on trend and the matching hat turns this one into a complete look
This bag is a show stopper
A fun bag with shoes that pick up the colour give this a young thought out trendy vibe
A big thank you to everyone who said yes to me and for agreeing to let me post this blog
Having scoured all the catwalk shows and collections I thought it time to pick a favorite. It was Vivienne Westwood last season and Diane Von Furstenberg before that but one that I have been watching for a long time and have grown into so to speak is Donna Karan. I never take into account what is in Fashion because that just translates to ‘In the Moment’ and is transient. I am much more interested in style and look at the clothes as if I was about to make an expensive purchase. Here are my favorites from the Spring/Summer Ready to Wear collection. I love the beautifully cut fluidity and the gentle yet strong look, especially the glorious jersey’s and soft linens. The colour pallete was neural but not without depth. There is something very elegant and timeless about the collection and if I was in the market for something from one of the top women designers (who are few and far between) it would definitely be Donna Karan.
Wardrobe Staples are having a ‘fashion moment’ or more realistic a fashion endorsement. I said I would write about those pieces that I never used to get pleasure buying but are the ‘must have’ anchor pieces in every woman’s working wardrobe. This present season is one where the world of fashion is having an attack of inertia. The world economic downturn has everyone including the fashion world running for cover ( or should I say Trench coat) and it’s not entirely bad news. It is time to take care of the basics, to spend our money on good quality timeless pieces and no better place to start than with a classic Trench coat. This is not the time to buy a cheap copy, if you are going to invest in a Trench then I would go no further than a Burberry whose name is like Biro is to pen. After all you are going to wear it and wear it and wear it again and again and again……..
The Catwalk for Spring Summer 2010 was a Trench affair
Bermondsey is a stones throw from London Bridge. It’s where old London meets new, you get a real sense of history just being there, you can almost imagine yourself back in time, a timeless oasis within a big city. Even though it was Monday when I was there, the quietest day of the week ( I suspect), I felt a vibrancy from renewal and a sense of community. If you are visiting London this is one area I wouldn’t leave off my list of places to visit.
Looking up in Bermondsey
One of the small shops that was open and caught my eye was boutique Pussy Willow. The name was a familiar one, I remembered an article in Vogue magazine from last year and this months Vogue features a beautiful Pussy Willow blouse and one that I remembered noticing.
Amanda Thomson is an actress who whilst waiting for her next job and craving beautiful clothes taught herself the art of tailoring and dressmaking from scratch. Soon friends were asking her to make for them and soon she had a following. Just over a year ago Amanda found Bermondsey (or was it the other way around?) and she opened her own unique boutique/studio. Her clothes are wonderfully sumptuous in fabulous fabrics, cut impeccably and’ made to measure’. All designed and made in her studio at the back of the shop. Samples on the rails feature silk blouses, coats, dresses both day and evening and great skirts and coats. In fact you could have a whole capsule wardrobe from this collection. From Day Wear to Bridal, to Red Carpet, it is all here. Couture clothing at really reasonable prices given the bespoke nature of the work. Amanda started her business in a downturn and is very busy and very happy in Bermondsey, she has built up quite a following for her timeless contemporary collection. Getting on with doing what she has found is a labour of love that has turned into a thriving business. This is one designer I will be watching and visiting again.
I usually write a round up of the weeks fashion news on a Sunday but I’m totally off the point today. Perhaps because The Sunday Times Style Magazine used to be my must have newspaper fashion insert of the week and I’m oh so fed up with it. I used to rip off the plastic ( with the same thought each week -what a waste of plastic) before I even glanced at the newspaper such was my shallow need for fashion news. How disappointing then to pick it up this week and see two items featured that I and many other Bloggers wrote about weeks ago. The Big Girls feature in this months V magazine and theJimmy Choo/ Ugg boots collaboration., I’m sorry Style Magazine but you are oh so late. We bloggers have written to death about both items. I expect I should be a little flattered but I can’t help thinking how immediate the Internet is, how unique the bloggers are and how much more the expensively run magazines and print media will have to work to keep me excited.
Back to the subject of this Post. I wrote some time ago in a piece about the Noughties that the It bag was dead. Well the fact is that it’s alive and well it’s just not called an ‘It’ bag . The new name is ‘Very Expensive Bag’ ( or VEB) and I guess that’s what it always was in the first place.
Alexa bag from Mulberry named after Alexa Chung
This ( I do admit to loving it) Bag from Mulberry comes with a price tag of £800 if you can get on the waiting list that is.
Note to self last week. One pair of boots need stitching, one pair of new Jimmy Choos need a rubber sole added before I wear them. Two dresses for dry cleaners. One dress to Alterationist to have sleeves let out (I have fat arms apparently). Total Cost = 70 euro. Wow I’m just realising how important taking care of clothes and shoes is and how I extend the life of them.
Buying good clothes and shoes that have to last mean that I am constantly taking good care of them so here’s a few bits of advise from one who gets multiple wear out of timeless pieces.
First Find the best alterationist and make friends with him or her. A bad one will ruin a garment a good one can transform it. Second find the best cobbler and make friends with him. Third find the very best Dry Cleaner. That may seem very simple but believe me there’s a huge difference between a mediocre shoe repair shop and a really excellent one. I have fat calves which means that often I find fabulous boots which won’t zip up. C&D in Donneybrook can let out the boots and add an elastic insert which looks like it was part of the boot from the outset. They can also take a long boot and turn it into a short one should you decide that you are fed up of the knee high.
Always get rubber soles added to shoes before you wear them and never let the heels wear right down to the ground before re heeling them. Check at the beginning of each season and bring a few in. You can usually make a deal with the cobbler on the price and save money this way.
There are several really great Tailors and Alterationists and they are all doing a roaring trade at the moment. Waffa in Harold’s Cross and Upstairs in Jenny Vander come to mind but don’t leave it until the last minute because these ladies are very busy. You can change a neckline, narrow lapels, change shoulders, turn a straight skirt to a pencil, take a wide trouser leg and taper it to a more fashionable slim shape. You can take that older piece from the back of your wardrobe and give it a new lease of life.
Now I’m off to pack for flight to London in the morning. Blogging from there for the next few days!
I am one of these people who when shopping for clothes tend to go for the interesting or dramatic piece, often overlooking the Wardrobe basics and so it’s time to start addressing those gaps. I thought I would start with the Breton top. Not because it was inspired by Chanel and not because it’s become an ‘On Trend’ look for this Spring but because it is one of those timeless pieces that should be in every woman’s working wardrobe. Great with either Jeans or trousers, topped by a Boyfriend Blazer or Jacket. Great with flat pumps or high heels in fact an easy piece to fit into any outfit. Easily bought at a reasonable price and easily overlooked.
Erica Devine called into the showroom today to have a chat. She had some of her beautiful bags with her and I was excited to see them up close. Three months ago Erica brought together her love and deep knowledge of Ancient History and Decorative arts and her skills with fabrics to design and make a small collection of special occasion clutches and purses. Erica has spent all her working life surrounded by fabulous and very beautiful items. Her amazing career so far saw her in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and the National Trust in the UK and then with the National Museum in Ireland. Surrounded by Oriental collections, French and English Court Costume all combined to become her inspiration and passion for hand-making these beautiful bags.
Working in silk and doing all the quilting, smocking, pleating and beading in beautiful Roisin Cross silks each individual bag is unique and takes hours of painstaking work to complete. Erica makes to order and also sells from her ready to wear collection. These are handbags that would make any woman feel good, a precious’ jewel on the hip’ and there to enhance. I’m in love with the Obi bag which can be made in any size and colour way but the pink and red is incredibly striking.
Beautiful Obi bag
Erica Devine can be contacted on m. 00353 85 149 8831 or e. collectioncare@hotmail.com http://www.ericadevine.com
I keep coming across the website Etsy and really before now hadn’t taken a good look at it. Etsy takes ‘home-made’ to a new level. You can buy or sell or just browse here and I defy anyone not to find something that looks good, is reasonably priced and comes with a feel good factor in the knowledge that this is small business in a very big way.
I loved these dresses from shebycindy’s based on my favorite TV series Mad Men, they certainly look the business and are $135 each
As I have an IPhone addiction this gorgeous cover looks just what I need and at $23 from yummypocket will be in the post shortly.
This month I will be giving away a pair of Italian leather gloves by Paula Rowen. All you have to do is register and leave a comment. The competition is open to anyone, anywhere and will run for three weeks.
