It's
been a long time, sorry about that. I’ve been busy busy…Hopefully
this little fashion snippet will be the stuff of forgiveness?
White Drama - Rei Kawakubo
We’ve just got back from Paris.Upon arrival, the first place we headed
(after one or two patisseries) is the Cité de la Mode et du Design les Docks for
the futuristic White Drama exhibition from Rei Kawakubo at Comme Des
Garçons.It did not
disappoint.
Upon entering the cool
white space you are presented with giant bubbles which encase a
selection of 33
pieces from the designers SS12 collection. Rei
Kawakubo produces wearable art and this space is the
perfect place to house it.
Cristóbal Balenciaga: Fashion Collector
If
however, your tastes are somewhat more classic, then just next door is another
exhibition: Cristóbal Balenciaga: Fashion Collector.Here we can explore some of the pieces that served as the
designers’ inspiration, such as an antique men’s ballet jacket from the 19th
century and various sketches from the 1800’s.In this space we are privileged to see Balenciaga’s personal collections
alongside his own designs.
The
cost to see both exhibitions is a mere €6 and both are there until 7th October
2012
In case you didn't know, I am a LOVER of shoes! In particular, I love aggressive and unconventional styles. One of my favourite website stockists of such shoes is solestruck.com which considers itself, and is, a purveyor of so called 'ugly shoes'.
As part of my life long quest to covet the most unapproachable, architectural and vertiginous footwear, I am constantly on the lookout for the latest trends. So any recommendations (or gifts) are most welcome!
Below are my latest acquisitions and I love them both equally.......
This (above) is the 'Hellraiser' by Unif available from solestruck.com. A prickly head turner for sure and a weapon! Team with a vintage leather skirt and a floaty sheer calico top for a truly contrasting look.
This extremely high boot by Aketohn is not only comfortable, but it also adds about 5 inches to your height! They have the right amount of aggression to team with everything in your wardrobe. Perfect for off duty chic! Available from farfetch.com.
How are we all? Fully recovered and prepared for a great year of Fabulous Seasonal Fashions? Well I hope so, because this season is full of fun trends to wear – but here at Into-Style, we’re all about how to translate them to suit ourselves.
This month we ask: What on earth is Yoko Pop? And, how does one wear Acid brights?
Yoko Pop
This 'micro trend' is simply a selection of sports inspired pieces in bold or graphic prints often juxtaposed against deep block colour backgrounds such as Mustard, Cobalt Blue or Monochrome shades (see below). The trend takes a nod from the forth coming London Olympics and also utilises sheer Fabrics, Sequins and Plastic accessories.
Yoko Pop Inspiration by rachelabigail To shop the trend and for inspiration on how to wear, see ASOS. To shop the pieces featured above, click on the image.
Acid Brights The trend for Acid Brights is huge this season (well the seasons’ colour is Orange…). I love it and like to clash my vintage silk Acid Yellow vest with my Fuchsia Pink paper bag waist skirt and neutral shoes. To be fair, I’m pretty much a no boundaries/no fear person when it comes to fashion
However, Acid Brights can be easy to shy away from. But don't be scared, because the trend can be easily translated into your everyday wardrobe, and worn with neutral and nude tones, (see below) makes it even more wearable.
Try a pale Acid Pink cropped Tee with a nude pencil skirt, or an Acid lime vest with indigo denim and super high heels which looks pretty cool too. If that’s all still too much, a neutral bag or shoes with a neon trim like the River Island one above give an excellent yet subtle nod to the trend.
To shop the pieces featured above, click on the image.
I simply couldn't help but pap this handsome fellow when I saw him - luckily he was happy to oblige..... He was just popping in to grab a coffee, casually sporting black skinny cut off's (both top and bottom), with cult label Boy London leggings!
Loving this guys' Monochrome combo...
Boy London, revived last year, was set up by Steph Raynor in the 70's, in the heart of London's Punk scene.
Raynor now runs a vintage boutique in London's East End.
Taking this trend from AM to PM is not as difficult as you think: Try adding a mat gold A-lined sequined skirt with your black polo neck, black opaques and tanned Brogues or Chelsea boots.
Or maybe a Sequined vest in khaki or plum under your blazer for the office. For a more discrete nod to the trend, or for those who still need more convincing try a sequined collar, cuff or bow tie over over Angora knitwear.
And for the weekend? Sequined Breton stripes with your denim? Perfect to for daytime Sparkle.
Dainty little floral prints and on trend collars. These covered buttons make it all the more special.
This is from Engine Number One at 1 Cheshire Street London E2 6ED (no web site I'm afraid) I bought this T-shirt from Ark Vintage in Cambridge because it looks like Pucci (but it was only £11!).
It caught my attention because of its bold psychedelic print. What can I say, it drew me in....
I wear it all year round.
Take care with vintage though - some stains and smells never come out.....
Right now I'm all about prints! I've always been hooked. This season, why not be inspired by Nature, futuristic lines and florals in all manner of colours...
Print trousers can be hard to wear, so keep it simple with a plaid print. Otherwise choose 1 or 2 accent tones from these gorgeous H&M boots or a pair of print shoes to plan your whole outfit, that way, they’ll be the focal point. Don’t forget they’ll look amazing with indigo or black skinny denim or black velvet cigarette pants.
Also, don't be afraid to print and/or colour clash (yes, even in the same outfit!) to create a unique style statement, this can be done by adding a print jacket over a print top!
For cocktails, make an entrance in a bold print dress like this one form Oasis with its dramatic angular lines, it will be fabulous with a pair of patent shoes with the highest heel you dare to wear….
Click image to discover where to buy. You will be taken to Polyvore where I create all my mood boards.
With Alexander McQueen being the last British Designer that I've chosen to focus on during Paris fashion week (Fashion weeks final week), I can now get back to why I started blogging. Frankly, I have a love of Fashion and a devotion to Style that are so immense that I cannot keep them inside! Subsequently, Into-Style was born. This is my chosen medium to broadcast my fashion views to you all.
Your recommendations, comments and suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. Please, I want to hear from you!
So now that the cooler months are on their way in and the 'Indian Summer' on its way out, my next blog will be focusing on Style (or is it Fashion? There is a difference and we will explore that). I'll show different looks and review what the high street has to offer with inspiration from designer, vintage and street style. Our current season, Autumn Winter, is my favourite simply because there is so much more! More texture, more shape, more interesting fabrics, more layers, more accessories and of course more fun!! So I can't wait for you read my next instalment. Keep an eye out for it!
Best of British
Alexander McQueen SS12
This show was a joy to watch - there is so much theatre at an McQueen show which is what makes them such a feast for the eyes. Watching it was like viewing intricate pieces of art in a gallery. Because the show is so recent, there are no individual pictures on line that I can post, but here's a link to the show pictures courtesy of nowfashion.com.
I was a huge advocate of Lee McQueen (below) as a character and of course as an artist and designer. Like so many, I was so saddened by his passing but it is lovely to see that Sarah Burton is doing such an amazing job at the helm as Creative Director maintaining Lee's vision.
The pieces in this collection were formal and feminine with precise, and at times fine pleat details on dresses and jackets. Tailoring was was immaculate to accentuate the feminine form. No trousers were shown at all, instead dresses were full length, mini and knee length.
Almost every piece was cinched in at the waist, those that weren't were A-line and a-wash with layers of silk tulle all with a limited colour pallet including shades of choral, nude, gold and gray - with a splash of red. Although beautiful, the show looked more like haute couture than ready to wear as pieces shown were more like splendid costume, so it will be interesting to see the boutique translation.
Each model however, was adorned (in addition to the clothing) from head to toe with intricately designed skyscraping footwear which maintained the theme of floral wedges, super high platforms and calf length multi strap bondage footwear following on from the AW12 collection.
In addition, to accompany each dress, each model wore a unique and delicate headpiece of lace that covered the eyes. Some of the headpieces were more dramatic and dark - with an opaque or dimensional textured finish to suggest the complete obstruction of the models vision or mouth or in some cases both.
The finale gowns were mainly full length but wearable, including a mini dress with a full length train in shades of peach, a choker detailed lace dress in gold, with a full layered skirt, and a dress in white with a heavily structured and detailed metal bodice with exaggerated hip detail worn with a Roman helmet inspired headpiece.
Vivienne Westwood’s ready to wear show ended in Milan about 2 hours ago and what a show it was!
It was a typically voluminous collection, where proportions and details were hugely exaggerated, from very wide leg playsuits with giant polka dots to wedding dresses (Ivory and Grey) of lace with an XXL all over rose design. Fabulous! Ms Westwood’s Ready-to-wear collections can be difficult to pull off but there are some separates that are easy to wear such as the strategically draped sapphire blue shirt dress, grey utility style shorts suit or the black hooded draped jacket (my favourite).
As expected, there was plenty of drama for those who like that – and as a huge fan and owner of Ms Westwood’s pieces I do – these came in the form of heavily structured and embroidered corsets and corset dresses. These pieces were theatrical, structured and of course asymmetric. Dresses were shown in many textures including knit, brocade, metallic silks, and detailed with bondage strapping across the back and restricted waistlines.
I’m looking forward to seeing it ‘live’ in store.
Sorry, no individual show Pictures, as the show is too recent! So here's a lovely picture of the lovely lady herself.
Here is a link to some show pictures courtesy of nowfashion.com
What is lovely about Alice
Temperley is that she continues to exceed expectations with beautifully
crafted clothes. My friend 'E' would like one of her wedding dresses
and you can see why. So like a postcard from the 1920’s French Riviera,
Alice Temperley certainly had one of the chicest show closes of London
Fashion Week. Her designs for SS12 are the epitome of Style elegance
and grace with flowing silks bellowing down the catwalk in floral print,
ivory and other muted shades such as peach, pale pistachio and rust. Since Art deco (one of my favourite eras) was the
inspiration for this show, long line dresses and palazzo pants in monochrome
tones were present, with Grecian style dresses (left) and striking
playsuits. Detailing included, multiple silk covered buttons on blouse sleeves,
full length fringing on dresses, with other styles being sheer and at times,
with the addition of beautiful heavy or delicate beadwork.
With Milan fashion week currently underway and today Sportsmax showing cool day wear in luxury fabrics and feminine shapes – lets take a look at a small selection of some of London’s best!
Mary is one of my favorite designers. She is all about the print be that fish bowls complete with Coy Carp, entire ball rooms viewed through a window or a pair of earrings... yes, you read it right....
This seasons collection is far removed from seasons past. Prints are still the signature element thank goodness, but this time images take more of an ordered collage effect using every shade in the colour spectrum.
The result? Superb, bold and wearable with not just jewel tones, but prints of actual Jewels! What is also nice to see is that the shift dress style for so long utilised in Mary's designs, have continued to take on new direction and almost futuristic form, with the physical addition of full length soft flowing silk trains to add additional drama to some pieces.For the full show see Vogue.co.uk: http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/spring-summer-2012/ready-to-wear/mary-katrantzou
