80s-tastic Jale & Ulfire

I've got that Friday feeling (at last!) and so today I am celebrating all things print.  Expect crazy colours and purrrfect patterns from some of my press days from last week.  Like these amazing(ly chavtastic) Jale & Ulfire shell-suit fabric pieces.  This material really has to be seen to be believed - it has such an unusual texture, a bit like semi-transparent shiny paper (imagine spilling oil on filter paper) and the 80s colouring is so bad it's good.  Just don't stand near any naked flames. 

And for those of you who are wondering, the name of the brand comes from the colours described in the novel A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay:

 "Just as blue is delicate and mysterious, yellow clear and unsubtle, and red sanguine and passionate, so he felt ulfire to be wild and painful [and] jale [to be] dreamlike, feverish, and voluptuous."

You never stop learning.
xxx
Duck 

PPQ - Fancy a fez or two?

Now you probably know I'm not the biggest fan of PPQ.  Not just because they like to leave me standing out in the cold on a six-monthly basis, but also because of the collections(here and here).  Having said that, I would rather like Santa to send me over a pretty little fez for Christmas... 

xxx
Duck

Snow SS11 Press Day: Fanny & Jessy

Good morning on this frosty day!  I thought I'd spice up your and my wintry week with a quick look at playful Fanny and Jessy,a brand I have heard a lot about but never really taken a close look at until last week.  The eponymous pair (who both studied at LCF) have worked for hot London stylist-cum-designer Nova Dando as well as Parisian Anastasia & Duck favourite, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.  Their young street look has a masculine/unisex edge to it which is so London right now (probably why it was picked up for the Queen of ugly-sexy herself, Lady Gaga, for her tour this year).  For next season they have gone mental with the metal chains, embellishing shell-suit type jackets and leathers trousers to the point of no return.  The trousers seriously weigh a tonne - I really think La Gaga is the only woman on the planet who could be bothered to wear them for longer than 10 minutes, but the rest of the collection is really fun and surprisingly wearable despite first appearances.  Personal favourite?  The sheer black blouse/body which would be great over a 90s crop-top/sports bra. 

xx
Duck

Snow SS11 Press Day: Joanne Hynes

Joanne Hynes is an Irish graduate of CSM who has been making waves with her designs across the water in her native Ireland.  Despite having dressed fashion celebs like Jacquetta Wheeler and Daphne Guinness I'm pretty sure you can only find her wares in Dublin right now, although I'm also guessing she'll be stocked in the UK soon since she was showing at the Snow press day.  Not all the pieces were really my kind of thing - a little bit too commercial or, dare I say it, sometimes frumpy - but there was something eye-catching about this black and gold bustier below and the one-shouldered sweep of fabric across the black lace dress.  The chunky jewellery is very different and actually quite wonderful - large statement pieces à la Marni, encrusted with gems, beading and threads galore.  I would be very happy with a necklace like that... 

xx
Duck

Snow SS11 Press Day: Pam Hogg

Another designer I was happy to see at the Snow press day was Pam Hogg, to whose show at LFW I had been very kindly invited, but had to miss because of my favourite personal development course in Oxford... Cough...  Anyway, I was certainly in for a surprise!  Pam is well known for her fluorescent and metallic catsuits but it seemed to me she had changed tack completely as I was presented with a collection of very commercial accessories in buff canvas and brown leather with gold fastenings.  Don't get me wrong, these were not unpleasant - I am actually very keen on the double-handled satchel with buckles - but it was certainly not what I was expecting.  However, going through the rest of the collection, this accessories line started to make a little more sense.  The straps, for example, also crop up on coats and jumpsuits which would be well-suited to ye olde fashioned insane asylum (did anyone else dream of being a character in Girl Interrupted or The Bell Jar as a teen?) and certainly have more of Hogg's flare for the dramatic.  There were, however, also the classic metallic pieces (here with floaty chiffon sleeves attached) and some stretchy items with a wood-like digital print.  As a whole, the collection was disjointed and lacked any cohesive thread, but I can certainly see that Pam is trying to step out of her rock-and-roll comfort zone, and I like where it's going...

xx
Duck

Wolf & Badger

On Wednesday night Anna and I headed over to a fancy dress party at a relatively new store just off Westbourne Grove, Wolf & Badger.  The theme was obviously Halloween-related, but the party really served to launch their next season of up-and-coming designers, who can change up to every three months in the store.  Some of the costumes were quite incredible, especially milliner Louis Mariette's entourage, whose extravagant headpieces were matched with expert make-up and even a full-on wedding dress.  There was also a female Uncle Karl and a piece of walking, talking roadkill.  Naturally, the store owners themselves came dressed as a wolf and a badger (who was particularly cute).  Both Anna and I wore Castelbajac; me, a duck (well, of course!) and she, a kooky clown.  We also bumped into a tipsy Amy Jackson (of Big Brother fame), an artist we studied with at Oxford and who has modelled for Anna's jewellery company.  I had never been over to the store before, which opened in February this year, but I will certainly be going back considering the wonderful mish-mash of designers, and some truly fabulous accessories including those solid metal skulls...

Many thanks for inviting us to the party!
xx
Duck

Oh My God

The event we have all been waiting for is here - H&M and Lanvin have released the video for their upcoming collaboration!  The kooky film, with a cameo by creative director Alber Elbaz, shows off what looks like a seriously large collection made up of coats, shoes, separates, dresses and jewellery (oh, and a fur jacket at the beginning that my mother seriously needs).  Just try to spot the top models they have used - there are too many to count...

Waiting until November 4 when the full collection launches on the website...

xx
Duck

Swarovski Elements turns towards the East

After the Henry Holland launch on Tuesday night, Anna and I headed a few blocks further North to the Swarovski store opposite Liberty, where a queue of fabulously over-the-top Middle Eastern women seemed to be forming.  We believed we were heading for a private view of the recent designer collaborations making use of Swarovski Elements (we went to a similar event last year), but it turned out this was actually a celebration of the brand's use in the production of more Arabic-friendly garments, including headscarves and limb-covering all-in-ones.  The store was decorated like a glitzy harem, bedecked with shimmering white veils and photographs of über rich Middle Eastern ladies posing in their designer scarves and sunglasses.  It looked like we had stepped onto the set of Sex And The City 2.  I must say, the catering for this party was absolutely wonderful, especially since we had been so let down by the lack of fondue at Beyond The Valley.  Waiters brought us spoonfuls of spiced lamb, prawn samosas and grilled fish enjoyed by Anna, while for my tastes they offered citrus haloumi, falafel and delicious aubergine bites.  Endless quantities of champagne and alcohol-free lychee cocktails were served in silver champagne flutes.  It certainly was fun to experience the glamour of somewhere like Dubai without the need for the long-haul flight.  Other guests included Elizabeth Emanuel (designer of Princess Di's wedding frock) and the socialite illustrator, Daisy de Villeneuve.  The fashion was not quite what we had had in mind, but it was still a great night out...

xx
Duck

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.