Topman.

I haven't been shopping since forever, and the topman nearest to me is complete and utter shit!! They just sell all the mainstream chavvy stuff, but looking online they have some seriously decent things going at the moment, here are a few of my suggestions that I want to have a look at when I go to London:

DIY tshirt.

So this is my friend Lucy Gaunt and I had this horrid black tshirt from peacocks and I made it backless, studded the shoulders and attatched a small strap to hold it up. We went for the punk look with studs, crucifix, dark eyes and messy hair. But I don't think it's cliche or over done, just the right amount.

You can just about see the line of studs on the shoulder, it had a slight scoop neck and we rolled up the sleeves. I didn't want to sew up the edges so that it looked rough and cut and the jersey curled over. Lucy left me with a dress that she has never worn, and so my next project is to make something out of that!!

p.s. these pictures are straight out of the camera, I didn't think they needed much editing. click to enlarge if you like!

Christopher Kane Fall 10

The Christopher Kane collection for fall this year uses a combination of styles and materials and cuts which shouldn't work together, but that is the beauty of the whole thing! We see leather body cons, biker jackets, PVC skirts and a mixture of reavealing sheer lace and ebroided lace. So there is a clear base to these pieces, a solid foundation of punk, rock and roll... YAWN, that would be far to boring! So instead there are huge, brightly coloured embroideries or flowers and forest shrubs. It's all rather like something you might see in an illustrated version of fairy stories such as red riding hood or Hansel and Gretel, symbolic of innocence and beauty, which contrasts with the tough materials they are applied too, yet the style of them is undeniably like gothic, medieval tapestries. In some cases, high neck lines and china blue coloured detailing, we see a slightly oriental inspiration, which maybe be for the purpose simply to entirely throw us of track and juxtapose the whole grunge biker chick look.
Some of Kane's inspiration for his Versus for Donatella Versace, wich I featured below, has slipped in to his name brand too. We see the superman inspired underwear on the outside trend, with a bit of sexy lingerie shape around the bust on a few dresses.

Burbery Prorsum Menswear Fall 10

I actually made this ages ago but never got around to posting it. So basically Christopher Bailey is unashamed of his military inspiration, you hardly have to be a fashion-follower to get that one! This is a collection of my favourite looks.
I am in LOVE with the leather/sheepskin aviator jackets with huge collars and heavy duty buckles. It's a very quirky adaptation of the Burberry trench by adding similar, over sized lapels.
When the model with the metal plated shoulder pads came out, I gasped out-loud and said 'I've got to have that!' It's is just perfectly simple yet perfectly stylish.
The boots. Are. Amazing. Get me a pair of those leather, lace up military boots and I will die a happy man!
Other than that I think the plain skinny jeans work well to balance out the top heavy looks, they could have had a wider variety of trousers, maybe some patterns, but in this case that would have killed it.
Also the colour of the trench coat just makes me think of Colonel Mustard (with the lead pipe in the drawing room), which is another military reference perhaps?
I think this Burberry Prorsum perfectly combines military with masculine glamour, using over sized fur pieces and slim fitting, dark denims.

Damir Doma f/w10

Images from WWD
Damir Doma shows us a girl who is so far removed from typical beauty and glamour, with awkward and masculine fits on the tailoring and outerwear, slouchy fit and huge hoods and yet looks ever more stylish for it, ironically.
This designer is a new discovery of mine and definitely one to watch!

Umit Benan

Umit Benan's SS10 collection, titled: CUBA is inspired by the photography of Slim Aarons, who is noted for shooting the luxurious holidays of the glamorous and wealthy. He looks specifically at a young Cuban business man. It brings up thick imagery to me of a black and white photograph of a smokey room in which there are smartly dressed men with cigars and wiskey, perhaps from this image taken by Slim Aarons:

I know it is a very different kind of fashion to what I would normally post but Umit Benan is my style inspiration for when I get old and crazy and alcoholic. Especially his retired rock star collection which is F/W10 on this website umitbenan.com.

Rodarte Fall 10

The Mulleavy sisters were inspired by a road trip around the American border and wanted to explore their Mexican roots, this seems to come through in the first looks to come out on the runway. The incredibly bright wrap around mini skirts clashing against soft, pastel knits with fringing remind me of gypsies, poverty but with a strong sense of community and pride in appearance. The second half of the collection shows something which is visually more simplistic, but on closer inspection includes a massive amount of attention to detail. Weaving patterns and small adornments which continue to show an overload of different textures in a much subtler form. We are then slipped from this almost with out knowing, as if in to a dream, to four finale wedding dress pieces which are so exquisite and ethereal! The models appear like figures from greek mythology, the colour palate and whimsical sashes slipping across the body, although very strong and warrior like created by the shaped shoulders. Obviously not very 'wearable', especially since a lot of the beauty comes from the styling and the way the items have been pieced together. However the lace leggings in blue and gold with strange 3D flower patterns entwined around them could be worn with a simple dress to try and capture at least a small part of the magic of this collection.