VOGUE EXPERIENCE

So I've just had my Vogue experience at the wonderfully fashion curated Harvey Nichols and what an experience it was. Truly was a pleasure to meeting the likes of Lisa Armstrong, Franca Sozzani, Christopher Kane and Manolo Blahnik.

I'm a bit cream cheesed as you can imagine the event was rammed to the rafters and I'm now back at my desk at work plotting my next escape into fashion.

kiss.

UPTIME THE VOGUE EXPERIENCE

Jeewhizz!


What a crazy mad week I've had in which time I have managed to (in no particular order). Loose me phone. Realise Glastonbury is now three weeks away. Slung my new Cambridge satchel over every outfit since its' arrival (more of which later tonight). Blown the pennies for the Christopher Kane sample sale and taken five lively little kids to Thorpe Park for the day.

So now I return to the relative safe haven of the blog to return to some sort of normality.

And we kick start with news of an afternoon on the 8th June with Vogue Italia. That's right Franca Sozzani is going to be gracing our British shores on an afternoon of fashion advice giving and industry conversation. This is bigger than big. Want a slice of this amazing pie? Hit up host venue Harvey Nichols here. See you there.

And as if one fashion bombshell wasn't enough erm anyone going to the Christopher Kane sample sale? Yeah thought so.

Tried to upload my invite to save writing out all the deets but then realised the one I've been emailed is for the sample sale preview. So instead I leave this in the capable hands of the Style Bubble

Ah normality has been restored.

kiss.

TOPSHOP SECRETS

Whenever we are presented with a secret (okay maybe I should de-generalise that statement) whenever I am presented with a secret my Colombo trench comes on and its all systems go for mission decode the secret.

Thankfully the advent of hyperlinks means the Topshop secret that was revealed this morning was only one click away.

And call a penny a pound this is one fine secret.

Now we all know that Pamela Love has collaborated with Topshop to create a capsule jewellery collection which depending on which source you followed is/was due to hit us yesterday, today or next week.

Follow this link to find out which side the coin fell on this wager.

Talking of bets fancy taking one on which year this iD cover is from?


Now the idea here of course is that the word secret compels us to do exactly the opposite of what is intended of a secret and not keep it. Ingeniousness PR and retail ideas are usually at their best when a small speck of fashion snowflake snowballs out of control creating a buzz that can only be filled by being at the right place at the right time.

Step forward in this case a Meadham Kirchhoff curated 'Wild at Heart' flower show and you have there the very makings of a retail concept avalanche. And the addition of Michael Van Der Ham makes the print in me scream 'praise be to God'.



It's almost enough to make you pass out.


Checking into BOOOOOOOM! this morning the print on display made me wonder surely this must be some sort of affirmation from the man upstairs that this Topshop secret is just the thing I had to come across. This first example by Erling Sjovold definitely brings me back to Kirchhoffs smock dresses for Topshop which are still available to grab right about here.

Sources: Vintage iD Cover, Michael Van Der Ham SS11 from his interwebs, Robert Tepiak, Erling Sjovold, David Ligare, Bill avec Ted and Caribou.

It's all looking really fit this Friday morning yar?

Pulls face like Bill!

kiss.

DAY 4

... of the week is so close to Friday that in itself it holds a need for celebration. It has always been referred by me as "daybeforefridayday" and with the spring like weather I'm having nostalgic moments dreaming of English summer grass. Mowed and dry and having grass fights and building birds nest at a tender age on the school field.



This theme is apparent in the plimsolls that adorn my feet on my walk to work - £2 bargains from school uniform shops have been my bread and butter of comfortable walking shoes for years.

And though my childhood happiness was more dig up the garden and rummage through boot sales with ma, a Barbie is still a Barbie unless it's a Cindy or Eliza Cummings in sky blue satin and a Geri Halliwell red styled wig like featured above from Vogue Italia.

Inspired.

Primary school P.E. (hopping over benches and horses) was a real joy and those JW Anderson shoes found on the SHOWstudio blog remind me of primary days spent frolicking around doing a rolly polly with bright coloured headbands dotted around the playground.

Fashion wise sat at my desk donning chinos, a tweed blazer and primary yellow vest I'm almost certain that this representation of English childhood and schooling is something I will be investigating more regularly.

It is indeed seen in almost every styled look in circulation. Case in point the socks and shoes combo every schoolgirl in England will have definitely taken part in as part of the rigour and joy (depending which side your one) of school uniform. Never mind the Alexa bombardment over the last few years as a sign of the English school tradition invasion. So although fashion has gone grown up with sleek sophistication and fetish elements seen all over AW11 (think Mr. Jacobs) for those yearning an anecdote maybe childhood nostalgia is just the ticket.

And so these dreaming moments of mine are just fine.

Happy Thursday daydreaming.

kiss.

PAMELA LOVE TALON

Err YES please ...


Pamela Love golden talon claw cuff. Until her Topshop collaboration hits stores and reverts my gaze from this beauty I shall remain fixed in trance like state.

Got the pennies and live stateside? Click here

kiss.

FASHION LOVES FILM

Stills from Forgetful Green, courtesy of the Frieze Foundation

Yesterday saw the Birds Eye View Film Festival 2011 sponsored by Vogue.com present Fashion loves Film: Art and Commerce. The event hosted for the first time at BFI Southbank provided a distinctly exclusive female panel of artists and filmmakers with a platform for us to view their works and indulge in a panel discussion post viewings.

Arriving early (lesson learned from previous fashion late debacles) I bumped into the gorgeous Richard Nicoll glowing with the post LFW success of his AW11 show – of which the fluidity of the fabrics and the draping of plush neutrals in clean and sensual lines brought many a smile.

The panel consisted of Jaime Perlman Art Director for British Vogue, Francesa Gavin writer, curator and Visual Arts Editor of Dazed and Confused and artistic filmmakers from the presentation - Ruth Hogben, Julie Verhoeven and Katerina Jebb.

There was a distinct split in the style of the films with the first half exploring a more questioning view of feminism, consumerism and personal identity via the medium of art presented in film format. The second half showed a more ‘conventional’ view of video in fashion with what seemed to be more centred on the collections of designers including Henry Holland, Vanessa Bruno and Holly Fulton – prompting the finale question from a member of the audience “what is the difference between a fashion film and an advertisement?” - One which although the panel did not have time to discuss resonated with me, in the fact that in order for fashion and film to produce the poignancy, acclamation and respect of art and independent films it must try to delve further than advertising a collection, although business wise somewhere in the spectrum of fashion advertising this will be duly noted down as an aim.

Nether the less, the films shown and discussed raised visual markers to our relationships with beauty, sexuality and consumerism as human beings and women. An aptly suitable topic in the week in which women are celebrated, discussed and congratulated through International Women’s Day.

Personal stand out films included Forgetful Green by Linder Sterling, 2010 which looked at views on glamour and distorted visions of fame. Simulacrum and Hyperbole by Katerina Jebb, 2010 (watch here) lightened the mood of the auditorium yet pressed questions on our consumer driven state of being and through satirical ‘adverts’ featuring Tilda Swinton, Kylie Minogue and a host of equally enchanting women disseminated our fears of inadequacy fuelled by clever marketing and exploitation of these make believe inadequacies. All of which powerful and thought provoking pieces of art.

Fashion statements were heralded in the form of Ruth’s captivating piece for Gareth Pugh



which stripped away sexuality and presented a platform for the garments themselves to frame and produce strong silhouettes that equalled the designs themselves having as central a role (if not more so). First seen by me on the gawjus blog of a one Lulu Kennedy. Speaking about fashion and film Ruth could not deny her love for fashion and clothing, pointing out that for her “fashion publications offer a static fantasy that film can help to bring alive”.

It would seem that although fashion and film have always shared a rich heritage and intertwined relationship, there new journey together highlighted last night, is one that is no longer confined to designers creating the garments for a film but presenting an artistic collaboration where the inner dreams and nightmares of the designer and collection are presented on a moving platform where the viewer can indulge in something that has all the artistic integrity it seeks to find.

kiss.

SIMONE ROCHA

I meant to post this last week (so apologies) but the new window displays in Selfridges as ever are a visual treat. The 'Landan' blogsphere is erupting with reports of the displays and I will leave you in the capable hands of Better Never than Late and Fred Butler to give you a more detailed report.

What I will do is bring you a little spotlight of daughter of UK designer John Rocha and currently Fashion East extraordinaire Simone Rocha.

The sport luxe, matrix feel is exactly how I'm feeling. That futuristic charm that is ultra modern, clean and uncomplicated is what I'm seeking and Simone is giving me this in spades - all with a touch of my beloved flouro. For my long term readers you will recall many moons ago I talked about my love of fluorescent and this spring I will be updating the look with huge white washes of clothing with splashes of highlighter shades. Basically I will morph into a Simone Rocha mega fan.

I recently had a huge wardrobe edit (brutal massacre) and feel clearer knowing all the things now hanging in my wardrobe are clothes I actually love, fit me and most importantly suit me.

I say all the more space for a Simone Rocha Perspex clutch.

Yum.

Shop her spring summer collection at Selfridges.

kiss.