So Last Season. So What?

Fashion has a tendency to lose the run of itself. Well, actually, people have a habit of blaming clothes for their own tendency to lose the run of themselves, but to hell with taking responsibility for your own actions – let’s blame fashion. I say this is because “fashion” these days moves at warp speed. Driven in no small part by the knock off merchants, I mean the high street, the rag trade mentality seems to drive fashion in terms of sales and selling new things to people like me every two weeks. TWO WEEKS!

Sorry, but I call shenanigans. We have allowed money makers to let us replace values such as craftsmanship and design integrity with newness, constant shiny newness. It doesn’t matter that the quality of the fabric is bad, it doesn’t matter that the design is poor and that the cut is rubbish. If it is new, it is good, right??

So if new is good then old is bad, yeah? To be “last season” is the ultimate fashion faux pas of our society. I guess there are sociological reasons for this… technology moves so fast, the world we live in…blah blah blah….but I mean COME ON!!!! We are obsessed with vintage, yet we look down on last season? Not vintage enough, it’s inauthentic and it’s not new enough to be relevant. REALLY?!!

Wow, I didn’t realise I was going to have such a rant. Heh, oops! To bring things back to a more light hearted note, below are a bunch of last season’s clothes. And they still rock. It’s handy to look at our old clothes to see what can be reworked into our current wardrobes. A good trick when wearing last season (always handy around sale time) is to pick something that is classic or so completely out there that it never really fit into a season as such to begin with. Doing things like changing the belt or the buttons on clothes can update them. I know that sounds really stooopid but the difference between a shirt buttoned all the way up and three buttons down is huge!

And then there are just some things in every woman’s closet that they love so much who gives a flying fuck whether people think they are this season, last season, soooo last season its not even funny or just plain ugly. If you love it, wear it. Even if it’s just around your bedroom!

Moschino Cheap & Chic SS09

3.1 Philip Lim SS09

3.1 Philip Lim SS09

Alexander Wang SS09

Badgley Mischka

Balmain SS08

BCBG Max Azria AW09

Celine SS09 (how awesome is that necklace?!!)

Chloe SS09

Erdem SS09

Malandrino SS09

Marchesa SS09

Max Azria SS09

Prada Resort 2010 (not technically last season yet, but too good to leave out!)

Rodarte SS09

Tibi SS09

Tory Burch SS09

YSL SS09

(all images via Style.com)

Hit the Road, Jack

It’s with great sadness but also not that much shock that I heard about Road Records impending closure. Road Records, for those of you who don’t know, is a delightful little record shop just off Georges St in Dublin. It has been there for longer than I can remember, and it has always been a bastion of Irish and independent music. Unfortunately most of its followers and supporters are like me -total hypocrites- because people are not putting their money where their mouths are. They threatened closure about two years ago and public sentiment was such that they actually started making enough money to stay open again. Sadly, the demand fell off after the initial fear of closure eased and this time it’s for real. Road will be greatly missed, and it’s a sad day for Dublin.

The news got me thinking about records in general, and instead of going off on one about the music industry and the medium in which we consume our music these days, here are some of my favourite vinyls from my collection:

Hollertronix Vol. 6

The Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed

Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode

The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers

The Who – Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy

Edith Piaf

Monty Python & the Flying Circus

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tears of a Clown

Jean Knight – Mr. Big Stuff

And here is a song that has been on heavy repeat in the last little while, it’s a beaut…

Swoon.

Givenchy’s Couture collection is delectable. I don’t have an angle, or a clever point to make here, the collection is just STUNNING. If any of my friends happen to win the lotto, please buy me one of those belts…And maybe one of the jackets. But I’d settle for the belt. swoon.

(All images via Style.com)

Summer Time Blues…

A really sick part of me was a bit glad the other day when the beautiful weather we have been having came to a cold and rainy end. Only a really small, very sick part. But still, I did it. And I feel like a hypocrite and a traitor, given the amount of complaining we do about the shit weather. But, in my defence, I am useless at dressing for summer time.

I’v never been a girly girl. Floaty floral summer dresses feel alien to me.  And as everyone knows, if you are not comfortable wearing something, it will look ridiculous on you.  I don’t really know what it is. I like looking at prints, and I think they are a great way to add texture to an outfit, as well as adding drama without too much extra volume, as would be the case with a structural feature such as high shoulders or masses of frills or that……..ok sorry, too far…

What I mean is that I like prints, I just don’t wear them. Then when summer rolls around I’m unused to how they feel and i get uncomfortable and don’t bother. I guess I’v just never thought about a manageable way to work them into my (very fashun,lol) uniform of BLACK. So maybe I’l buck the trend and start wearing more print now for winter, so that by next summer* I won’t look or feel like a goth in mourning when everyone else is bloom.

Luckily, there is an abundance of great prints around at the moment to ease me into it. Well, I say that but I’m way too broke to buy the expensive version, and let’s be honest, the high street knock offs are either not as nice or so ubiquitous that you just can’t wear them. NOTE: The attention-grabbing nature of prints means that wearing the same print as ur mate is basically the same as turning up in the same wedding dress.  Morto. Even worse if your mate is better looking. Ultimate stinger.

But I digress…Here are some lovely summery prints.

Peter Pilotto SS10 (Soft textural prints are just as nice as loud florals, and good for the not-so-daring! Separates are also less full on that all over printed dresses.)

Thaokoon Resort ’10 (This is a great shape top, it would work in a block colour. Try out new colours & prints in familiar, comfortable shapes)

Roskanda Ilincic Resort ’11

Preen AW10

Matthew Williamson SS10 (A print master. A mental, genius print master. This one is defo for the brave!)

Prada SS10 (LOVE!)

Rochas SS10 (try layering chiffon over print if you are a bit shy!)

Proenza Schouler Resort ’11 (More muted than their SS10 offering but no less delicious)

(all images via Style.com)

That’s probably enough for now. I’ll leave you with this one…

*by next summer I mean those 2 weeks of sunshine we get during the Leaving Cert.