Chloe's Tea Party

Harper's Bazaar Russia April 2010

Photographer: Pavel Havlicek

images from Fashion Gone Rogue

Clog LOVIN'

Sooo, when I first saw the Chanel SS10 show back in September, I was more than a little dubious when I saw Karl's choice of footwear for the show...the clog. I wasn't the only one cringing at the memory of when these were fashionable in the mid 90's.  I do believe I had a rather fetching white pair, bought for me by my mum,  from some random shoe shop in the middle of Liverpool.

But some how, inexplicably, they seem to have permeated my fashion unconscious and now I find myself scouring through pages of them in the fashion weeklies, searching for the perfect Chanel-esque pair (it's all in the thickness of the heel IMO), minus the designer price tag.

How has this happened?!  Could it be something to do with hipsters such as Alexa Chung and MKO rocking their clogs that finally made me change my mind?  Quite possibly.

Behold! The finest specimen of clog-lovelyness I have found so far- and at a fraction of the price of theirdesigner counterparts, the Charlie clog by Mr Jeffrey Campbell. $126 from Lori's Shoes.

images from TFS, Loris Shoes

Ann-Sofie is Back

After a little time away, Ann-Sofie Back returned to LFW this season. But maybe more interestingly for die-hard Back fans with pockets holier than her 'post-panther attack' creations, a whole load of her pieces from her collaboration with Swedish denim brand, Cheap Monday just landed.  Wahoo!

The collection includes lots of Back's signature shredded detailing, in the form of distressed jersey sweaters and dresses, but it was the skin-tight 'Duct Tape Dress' that caught my eye- body-con with a Sofie-Ann twist.

The selection above is available from Nasty Gal.


pictures from Nasty Gal, collage by me.

Gaga Calling

Fashion Credits (in order of appearance):

Custom made Jail Bird striped dress - Jean Charles De Castelbajac

Studded bras and pants - Haus of Gaga

Sunglasses - Mercura

Studded jacket- Search and Destroy

Vintage Sunglasses- Chanel

Custom made jumpsuit and shackles - Viktor and Rolf

Cigarette sunglasses - Haus of Gaga

Hat and Dress - Vintage Thierry Mugler

Telephone Hat - Fred Butler

Chef's Hat & Dress- Rachel Barret

Gaga's America Outfit - Haus  of Gaga
Beyonce's America Outfit - Oscar Olima

I want Antlers!

I think it is safe to say that Paris was definitely my favourite Fashion Week.  There were so many amazing collections to blog about, I had a really hard time editing down picks from my favourite collections in to manageable and readable posts.   However I could not resist posting quite a few (!) looks from Jean Charles de Castelbajac's AW 10 collection.  

I had never really seen his work till this year, and when I saw the models bopping down the runway wearing antlers and dresses emblazoned with giant Bambi prints I was hooked!  I later discovered he was the one responsible for the Kermit the Frog dress, as worn by Lady Gaga, and he has also created a number of the pieces featured in her new video.  I have a bit of a thing for Bambi/Deer prints- I think it all started last year with that beheaded Bambi dress that Lily Allen wore by Giles.  And I subsequently bought a pink tea dress with a deer print all over it...anyway I digress!

The collection was inspired Lady Godiva, with lots of medieval influences present- in the looks above it can be seen in the tapestry-like leaf print on dresses, the 2 piece suit with high-necked ruff collar and the pixie hooded coat.  Combined with the cute Bambi prints and whimsical antler headware (what is it with ears/antlers at the moment?  They seem to be everywhere? Bunny and mouse ears at Maison Michel, more antlers at Topshop Unique) antlers, the collection takes on a modern Fairytale feel.

But Castelbajac's models were no damsels in distress- rocking down the runway in multi-buckled, strong shouldered coats in gleaming silver and castle stone print.  There was hardwear-a-plenty with armoured dresses constructed from sturdy panels of acrylic and necklaces consisting of heaps of heavy looking chaining and long medieval talismans.  

Colour was injected in to the collection through the use of stained-glass window prints and rainbow jewels featured on dresses and sculpted jackets.  

A few of the more wearable pieces were some killer little LBD's (antlers optional).  Castelbajacs maidens have no use for a Prince Charming... in this collection she could be her own Knight in Shining Armour!


pictures from WWD.com, collages by me.

Lady Gaga Ft. Beyonce- Telephone

Runway Edits- Paris AW10

Phew! Paris Fashion Week is finally over! And there were sooo many collections that I wanted to blog about straight away, but alas I have been working all week and now it just seems silly to do them one by one as most people have already seen them. So, I have edited together some bits from my favourite collections and categorized them very broadly in to two different looks.

There was definite retro theme throughout a number of the collections at PFW with a number of designers including Chloé, Giles, Giambattista Valli and Rochas all sending 60's inspired ensembles down the runway.

 Giles kept the association light with beehives and an orange and brown palette, but still mixed it up with his own quirky accessories, which consisted of furry monster handbags and huge sculpturual metal headdresses.

 Whilst others were more literal in their interpretations- pussy bows, and shaggy fur jackets at Chloé, huge retro shades at Vali, and bouncy blow drys and zany colour combinations of camel, turquoise and plum at Rochas.



Being an AW collection there was unsurprisingly a lot of black-but maybe more surprisingly alot of glitz, glamour and embellishment as a few designers decided to kick back against 'recession-safe' dressing. Balmain was as opulent and sexy as ever, this season with golden brocade covering the tiny form fitting dresses and jackets, all with Decarnin's signature silhouette.

Lanvin went to the Dark Side, with many well known faces barely recognisable as the models stalked down the runway in black blunt bob wigs and blackened eyes.  The theme of dark glamour was continued with the body conscious, seductively tailored pieces that Lanvin is known for, giving way to heavily embellished, gold and black evening dress shining jewels, feathers and tribal inspired accessories.

Miu Miu kept it's quirky cool with high collars, tulip shaped skirts and scalloped hems that made the models look like Russian Dolls.  Night time glamour was added to the proceedings via dresses bearing sheets of rosettes, overlays of lace and bright purple feathers.  And peek-a-boo cut-aways on the torsos of short sculpted dress, as seen in the SS10 collection, hinted at the subversive nature of the collection.

pictures from style.com, collages by me.

Gone Gaga

I went to see Lady Gaga's 'Monster Ball' Tour on Friday night at the LG Arena in Birmingham. We were really fortunate to be standing in the Golden Circle so we had a really good view of the show- which was absolutely spectacular! You can tell Gaga really loves to do what she does, and she does it very very well.

There were several set and costume changes, each one more spectacular than the last. Highlights included, the 'Living Dress' (which looks like a big star) which moved automatically, Gaga's light-up wand/sceptre which she shone in to the audience and the giant moving monster at the Monster Ball. It was a visually stunning experience, and Gaga is an incredible performer. I want to go back in May and see it all again!

pictures all taken by me. Please do not use without credit.

Shoe Candy

I wish I would see someone wearing a pair of these scrumptious shoes!

pictures from style.com. Collage by me.

'Meow-Miu'

I came across these images the other day and they reminded me of some of the cute details from the Miu Miu SS10 collection...look at those cats! (I'm a little bit obsessed with cats.) This was a very playful collection; in addition to the cats there were also little doggies and naked lady (?) prints everywhere.

The chunky girl-like plaits and painted on eye lashes also added to the lolita effect. And on top of that the campaign featured a very doll-like Lindsey Wixson.

But I couldn't help but wonder how wearable this collection would be in the 'real world'? Luckily several celebs have been spotted sporting it of late to help me make up my mind...to varying degrees of success in my opinion!

Daisy Lowe wore Miu Miu to the Elle Style Awards, and I think wears it better of the two. I was a bit dubious of the cross over front on the dress at first, but I actually think she pulls itoff= she's just that 'kooky'.

On the other hand, I was quite surprised to see Keira wearing this collection. She has gone for the 'safer' pieces unlike Daisy, in the form of a sensible blouse and skirt combo but I was still surprised to see her in this quirky ensemble- she is usually much more classic in the way she dresses. But without the accessories and naked lady print on the skirt and blouse, I think she may have been in danger of looking like a librarian but a nice change to see her in something like this.

However I have saved the best till last! As I was writing this post today, I happened to stumble upon the latest cover of Elle over on Coco's blog. It's simple fashion maths really:

Chloe Sevigny + Miu Miu SS10= match made in heaven.

Looooove it! Chloe really is the coolest girl in town.

pictures from: celebrity-gossip.net, Coco's Tea Party. Collage by me.