I wish it were summer

My blog challenge fell by the wayside after about two weeks, as most of the things on the list were just not my style. But the notion of summer clothes and got me thinking – what is my summer wardrobe? Do I even have one?

In September, like many other fashion nerds, I dutifully went through the catwalk shows, noting styles I might like to sport come springtime. This is noteworthy because I went through my Spring-Summer 11 file earlier, and found that many of the styles I lusted for back in September bear no correlation to what I am wearing now. Three collections (pre-fall, fall and resort) have since swanned down the runways, meaning that naturally, I have become excited with new shapes and colours.

The pace of fashion is a really topical issue at the moment, and the rate high street knocks out new styles has received not inches but miles of coverage in the media. Whether it’s a good or bad thing is for another day, but we are creatures who value novelty. A constant need for newness is what drives innovation and stops us from getting stale, a willingness to embrace newness is what keeps us relevant and connected with society. These are both good things.

But does that then mean what we call the Spring Summer collections are intended to be absorbed, digested and excreted before spring has even sprung? A 6 month lag time would make even the most patient person bored. And with the speed of the high street turnaround, designers really can’t afford to take that long in production. It’s not really for me to say how to reorganise fashion weeks, but there is clearly something amiss.

With all that in mind then, I looked back at the trends from September’s shows to see what I still dig, and a few things that I really do not.

Chloe SS11

Still can’t get enough nude tones. Although I wear midi skirts (and knife pleats) less than anticipated; same with leather tops. Although it’s not for a change in taste, just can’t seem to find the right ones.

Viktor & Rolf SS11

If anything, my appetite for shirts has only grown since September. I have a ridiculous number of them, although none as awesome as this Viktor & Rolf number. Sheer is another trend I have thoroughly embraced, and going back to work in American Apparel is feeding that addiction at a dangerous rate!

Rebecca Minkoff SS11

Cigarette pants, cut-out shoes, big necklaces. Check. Mustard, check. However, this does not feel fresh or exciting anymore, it’s more like a go-to utilitarian look.

Jil Sander SS11

Forals & Maxis. Despite making both a massive part of my final collection in college, I am wearing both…well, not really at all…I really love the look, and this Jil Sander dress is AMAZING, but somehow I can’t find a way to fit maximal print into my wardrobe. Having said that I have a few ideas to translate my prints into more wearable garments, so stay tuned to see how I make this happen!!!

Marc by Marc Jacobs SS11

STRIPES! Ms. Prada totally ruled on the stripe front for Spring Summer 11, but I love this outfit, as it has a ’70′s theme that I am starting to embrace (I tried on a floppy hat in work the other day and I can’t stop thinking about it…). Also, I want that hair….

Costume National SS11

So this is basically what I want to look like almost all the time. All, like, designer-y and shizzz… “Black-out summer” was one of my trend folder titles for this summer – I am a demon for black on black, so it’s like they made this one for me!

Givenchy SS11

Looking like a goth is cool right? Chiffon everything to soften the look, and I really want to unpick the sleeves of one of my blazers.

Dries Van Noten SS11

And I still want a Dave Byrne-esque blazer! I love the way it has a louche line, with the lapels coming right the way down.

3.1 Philip Lim SS11

This colour palette is still going strong for me, and shorts are proving a perennial favourite. Neutrals and black and blue are like the subtle girl’s guide to colour blocking!

Moschino SS11

And finally, my old trusty favourite, mom jeans! Teamed with leather jacket. It’s as if Rossella Jardini saw me on the street or something…I kid, I kid.

Holly Fulton SS11

And finally, these pants are in the still-not-wearing category. As with the full-on floral thing, I like them, I just don’t have the balls to wear them. Although I think print and wide legged trousers are here for the next while, and I’ll be in London soon, so watch this space!

 

Forever 21? In my dreams….

For the uninitiated, Forever 21 used to be a secret, transatlantic high street store that noone else shopped in. Before the GIANT Jervis street flagship, having an F21 dress meant that you had been to the States. And so, despite the fact that the stuff is practically Penneys prices, there was a certain exclusivity that elevated it over and above your run of the mill H&M’s and Topshops. You were almost guaranteed noone would have the same dress, which is the ultimate win (imagine having a high street dress you know noone else will have!). So, when it opened here, that exclusivity was gone and part of the appeal went with it.

*Not really related point*

Also, and I don’t know how many people will relate to this, but I have a tendency to “stock up” on clothes when I’m away, as I generally have saved money to spend, whereas in real life I am always skint and tend to shop on a very infrequent, ad hoc basis. It’s much, much harder to justify a shopping spree in real life compared to when you are on holiday, when there is foreign value and exchange rates to be taken advantage of….RIGHT?!

*end of unrelated point*

Anyway, the reason I am telling you all this is because I went to the Forever 21 press day on Wednesday, curious to see what they had on offer for the summer. I don’t know why, but before Wednesday, I had been looking at F21 as a separate entity, refusing to marry it into my vernacular of high street stores. It was this other, different thing, the holy grail of cheap dresses that had been denigrated by setting up on Henry Street. Turns out, I was being a sap.

Their offering was considered, they seem to have their trend directions bang on, with some really strong pieces, some really great detailing & fabrics, all with liiiitllle mini prices. I am a demon nazi when it comes to natural fabrics, and they had some great silks, cottons and linens, and even their synthetics and polycottons (half & halfs) were a really good quality.

Highlights?

The Jil Sander inspired colour blocking story, replete with acid brights and sportswear inspired cuts. (fave piece = navy silk parachute pants)

Their utility chic story -more menswear inspired than androgenous- brimming with denim and khaki to be mixed with black or navy at your own discretion. (fave piece = slightly oversize denim shirt cut juuuust right)

The ’70′s tribal hippy collection had some fun prints and paperfine knit tops to see you through the summer (fave piece = super loose tye dye tshirt)

So what have we learned this week?

1. Forever 21 is just another high street store, in a good way.  As in, it’s a great place to add to your repetoire of stores to pick up affordable pieces.

2. Wouldn’t it be great if I could get in holiday shopping mode, in Dublin.

3. I need to stop forgetting my decent camera when I go to press days. :/

Utility Chic at F21

70's tribal at F21

Image courtesy of Forever 21

Image courtesy of Forever 21

I’m getting my hair did.

Summer is a funny concept in Ireland. Mostly because our mid year months are much the same as the ones on either side of them – rainy. And not that warm. Nonetheless, we do our best to embrace summer styles as best we can, even if we have about two days that are warm enough to actually wear them. One of this summers brightest trends, literally, is WHITE. It’s fresh, clean, modern, pure, bold….oh it has lots of meanings. It’s also a very daring statement when worn on its own, or in less than sunny weather (don’t wear white after Labour Day). I am also currently in the hairdressers getting my hair back to white. so there.

Having said that, this season’s crop of white looks amazing. While it’s not really neutral, it makes a nice change from all the beige around. And you can always mix in some tan leather to add some colour in a modern minimal way. Or black, for a monochrome look.

Here are my favourite Daz whiter than white looks of Spring Summer 2011.  You’ll notice some of my other favourite SS11 trends, such as lace, sheer (chiffons, tulles, and seriously burnt out devoré abound this season), and shirts! I think I’ll probably do a post on shirts later….

Akris SS11

BCBG SS11

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana SS11

Doo.Ri SS11

Erdem SS11

Erdem SS11

Gareth Pugh SS11

Herve Leger SS11

Viktor & Rolf SS11

Viktor & Rolf SS11

Here’s hoping for some good weather! x

Bout time…

So last September I decided to ignore the SS11 shows, because it was Autumn and there was Winter on the way and I didn’t feel like looking at Summer things. But now it’s fashion week time again. Talk about missing the boat. Anyway, in the spirit of doing things arseways, here’s one of my favourite colour trends for Spring Summer 2011. I’m digging the new neutrals, heading towards reddy orangey earth tones. And blue is basically my favourite colour so I’m happy as larry.

3.1 Philip Lim SS11

3.1 Philip Lim SS11

Edun SS11

Edun SS11

Diane Von Furstenberg SS11

Celine SS11

Akris SS11

Yves Saint Laurent SS11

Tibi SS11

The biggest Fan

Fan(n.): an instrument for cooling things, also a person who admires someone or thing greatly. C/Fan is Christina Fan’s label, which I admire greatly. Her floaty printed dresses manage to be more Acne than Cavalli, which is no mean feat (trust me as someone who is trying to do it at the moment, start playing with pattern, silks and maxis and it’s VERY murky water).

Her lines are clean and her palette assured. I like that she uses LOADS of silk. I like silk. I can’t wait for the weather to get a bit nicer so I can wear it more. I also like the aesthetic she has for her look book. I think we might be friends if we knew each other.

This is what C/Fan does with her time. I wonder if she secretly wanted to be a rapper, and thought of the name ages ago. And then she discovered that she sucked at it, and became a designer instead. If that’s the case (and I have a feeling I am RIGHT ON THE MONEY here, lol), then she made the right decision.

AW10 collection

AW10 Collection

images via cfan-designs.com

You’re a Sham

I have been doing a bunch of research for college projects at the moment, which basically gives me free reign to trawl the internet to find interesting designers. Such as Leila Shams. I would describe her Spring Summer collection as tribal disco, with plenty of skin prints, feathers, floaty shapes and, eh, crocodiles. While I am not a big fan of her AW10 collection, I think she has summer just right.

Tribal disco? Yea, I know. But seriously, that’s the closest accurate description I could think of. I have a feeling that this stuff would go down very well at festivals too. Is it too early to start thinking about festivals?

Nice Ad Campaign…

*Insert gushing sentiment about Proenza Schouler here*

Proenza Schouler is a company I want to work for when I grow up (read: four months, when I finish college, eeek!). Last season they did their first advertising campaign, and it was great. Here’s this season’s one, beautifully shot images with equally beautiful clothes.

There is a simplicity that runs throughout everything that Proenza Schouler do. It’s a confident and daring decision to leave so much out, but the result allows what is there (amazingly cut clothes and unreal prints) to shine through with understated elegance, modernity and, well, deadliness.

I also love the makeup in this shoot, did someone say orange lipstick for this summer? Don’t mind if I do….

images via Fashiongonerouge.com

From Kenya with Love

Suno make vibrant, wearable clothes. The prints often form the main focal point and that is what initially caught my attention. However, when you start reading the story behind the brand, it gets better. The aforementioned prints are based on founder Max Osterweis’ collection of Kenyan textiles collected over the years which explains the overriding African craft vibe from the collections. However, even better is the fact that Suno is dedicated to sustainability and ethical treatment of workers (which are by no means the same thing), and produce more than 70% of their stuff locally in Kenya. Now, to be upfront, I know Kenya is pretty huge, and I don’t know the name of one city, so I have no idea what local means in this context, but the company seems to be very focused on using indigenous talent and upskilling people to create a better local (there’s that word again) economy and providing skills and commerce to areas that are often overlooked. Which is never a bad thing.

What I especially like about Suno is that they are a fashion company first. Their ethos is built into their designs, but not on the surface of them, if you get me. I believe in working towards a more sustainable fashion industry that works along more ethical guidelines, but I think one of the main reasons that puts people off buying from companies who are heavily involved in sustainability is that design comes after their beliefs. And with the exception of slogan tshirts, very few people want to wear their beliefs so literally. I think to really enact change, companies like Suno are the way forwards, where what they are trying to do just IS. It’s almost a given, and then they focus on creating garments that the vast majority of people want to wear. By selling them as fashion, instead of a social conscience, they are giving people what they want. Just in a more responsible way on the back end of things. If bigger companies just WERE socially conscious, I imagine consumers would be massively supportive. People are lazy. I’m lazy. And I am aware of the problem far more than most. I don’t believe that people purposely buy things to spite workers or the environment, but too often the greener alternative is too difficult to access (in comparison to highstreet stuff), or the design quality just isn’t there.

So, before I rant on all day, here’s to Suno and their company and what they stand for. Great clothes, that is.

all images via sunony.com

If you want to learn more about what you can do to make a difference, no matter how small, go to re-dress.ie. The girls that run it are great, and run courses and talks and loads of good stuff, as well as providing information.

get me to the shops on time…

So, a whole bunch of my friends have decided that they are going to get married. Which is great and happy and lovely and blah blah blah. Except for the fact that now I’ve to find something to wear. Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that wedding-wear is the kind of thing that sets me into cold sweats. Karen Millen. Oasis… Coast….Pashmina.Shawls. That putrid cyan blue taffeta……..Ok I’ll stop, I’m only upsetting myself. Anyway. Weddings are a formal occasion because they are special, and while I am totes like FASHUN and stuff, I fully embrace the tradition and I’m not going to turn up in black mesh and a topknot (which reminds me, I still need to post my NYE look…). But you can stick it if you think I’m going to wear a dress from Coast. Even the thought makes me throw up a little. I want to look like ME. Only me that’s wedding appropriate, although it remains to be seen if such a thing exists.

So…..what the FOOOOK am I going to wear? Oh and did I mention that the first wedding is going to be ULTRA glam, so I HAVE to look great?? Bollox. However, I just had a little peek at Asos’s SS11 Lookbook and I spied not one but TWO looks that have potential.

source: Refinery 29.

The first one is pretty standard Jane aesthetic, I can pretty much see the outfit already. And it’s lilac, which is a traditional wedding colour, so it fits right in. So unless it turns out it’s made of some awful fabric, or that it’s just plain on the back (as happened with a friend’s new sequin-mesh…sneaky jersey back number before christmas), I’l probably get that. However, I just love the second look. It’s so fresh, and pretty and just like, wedding appropriate, but without being a bog standard wedding outfit. And it would be lots of fun for the summer.

So, I don’t know. I’l probably buy one of those, but then maybe I’ll find something better. In the mean time I need to lay off the Cadbury’s Roses. The stress. And that’s just the guests, ha!

All of the beautiful colours…

Although there are reports that there is more snow on the way (I have even bought those snow grip things just in case!), I have started thinking ahead to Spring Summer collections, and what I might wear once it finally warms up a bit.

I noticed a little bit of a colour trend in a few of the shows, and I’m really into it. A combination of tan, black and blue, it’s a development of the camel/denim that’s been going on for the last two seasons. Observe…

3.1 Philip Lim

Diane Von Furstenburg

Edun

It’s a slightly darker twist, bringing indigo in instead of the lighter denim blues. I’ve always been a fan of black and blue when it’s done right, and I love the darker sienna-y/ochre-y hues as a change from the lighter caramels and tans. I am gonna start stockpiling now.

*As a side note, shorts and no tights…I can’t wait for those two weeks we call summer to be able to wear shorts and no tights…