A very special invitation

So you have probably realised I'm not exactly the King (Queen...) of the Great British Highstreet, as Gok likes to call it.  Case in point, I sleep in a House of Holland slogan tee-shirt (well, what else are they good for now?), my favourite accessory is a lurid green organza Issey Miyake bow-tie, and today I am wearing head-to-toe Castelbajac to work in a theoretical materials science office.  BUT I was very very excited when I opened up this invitation to the Arcadia Group press day next week, because I am in fact a secret lover of Topshop/Topman.  When I was a teenager, Topman was full of what looked (to me at least) like cheaply-made clothes for boys with very little style (hoodies in thin fabrics, straight-leg stone-washed jeans and t-shirts with almost offensively garish prints).  But in the past couple of years, the brand has grown up and collaborations with designers like Mjolk and Carolyn Massey have completely won me over.  And then there is the Topman Ltd brand offering special capsule collections of very affordable, and yet covetable items, as well as Topman Design which shows at LFW and is starting to create, rather than follow, fashion trends.  Just this month alone I have picked up some fabulous black wool wrist warmers and some grey marl oversized long-johns.  Their website is updated so regularly that I only allow myself to look at it once a fortnight. 

Turning to Topshop, the list of successful collaborations is seemingly endless: Ann-Sofie Back, Ashish, KTZ, Meadham Kirchoff...  All this means I'm more than happy to turn a blind eye to Kate Moss's overrated collection.  And of course there is the Topshop version of Topman's Design: Topshop Unique.  A fashion article about Topshop couldn't also fail to mention the whole Topshop/NewGen collaboration with the British Fashion Council and the Topshop show venue during LFW, allowing the brand to support many of the up-and-coming designers I hold dear to my heart. 

So let's just say I more than a little keen to see what these two great brands have in store for us next season.  And who knows - maybe they'll also be able to convert me to other highstreet shops...?           

xxx
Duck

Cassette Players

So yesterday was a very exciting/tiring day of PR press days, designer launches, art-house film discussions et cetera, and do not worry - those photos will be forthcoming!  But one of the highlights was chatting to the gayest man on Twitter (it's official), Hugh Wright, who informed me Cassette Playa's Carri Munden starred in this week's The Apprentice show.  Naturally I will be watching that this evening (I can't wait to see what the 'business people' in their oh-so-stylish Reiss suits will have thought of her), but I also just remembered that I bumped into her during LFW at Somerset House and have some fluoro photos lurking on my iPhone... et voilà!  Carri had a crazy digital booth where you could make gifs of yourself playing around with her kooky neon designs and cartoon characters.  Mother and I enjoyed it very much.  If only the photo had been a little bit more flattering...

And just a little snap of Mr Wright, who also writes the hugely successful food blog, TwelvePointFivePercent:

Until ce soir,

Duck
xx

Kinder Aggugini SS 2011: Photography by Mike Lin

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to see Kinder Aggugini's show during LFW.  His PR very kindly sent me an invitation, but sadly due to a combination of fashion week flu/exhaustion and a very early morning start the next day in Oxford (as well as a complicated luggage-retrieval-situation...) I had to give up my ticket.  It really was a shame as I can now see from these great runway photographs Mike Lin sent me.  I am also distraught at the thought of having missed seeing Anna dello Russo in the flesh, sitting in the front row with a pair of giant cherries tacked onto her head...

The theme of the collection was urban safari (case in point - giant elephant tusks framed the runways at Somerset House), but Kinder took this very common reference somewhere classy, rather than reproducing the tacky connotations which safari conjures up.   The collection also felt like a synthesis of many of the trends seen on other catwalks around town.  For example, there were the beautifully coloured prints which only hinted at an ethnicity and could be worn quite happily in any sunny location.  There was an eclectic, pieced-together dress reminiscent of a more subtle Michael van der Ham or Vivienne Westwood classic.  There was fringing and transparency combined, adding a dynamic texture and sexiness to the collection.  And of course, there were the ubiquitous longer lengths.  I also rather enjoyed the neatly tailored brown jackets and coats, worn with simple chinos, a white linen shirt and a simple waistcoat beneath.  And for the eccentric who likes to make a bit more of a sartorial statement?  Then top it all off with a Stephen Jones recycled paper hat! 

Saying all this, it did seem a rather older look.  Producing clothing for the more mature lady is, of course, perfectly fine (especially since they tend to be the consumers with the greatest buying power), but for Kinder's brand to have longevity, perhaps it would be nice to offer a couple of pieces for the younder market too.