How London will shape your wardrobe

“There’s always so much going on at LFW: the celebrities, the bloggers, the off-duty models, the fashionistas chasing cool hunters to photograph them, etc. Such a mad array of events, that no one would blame you for simply wondering “what the heck was all that about?!”. Fear not, I have produced a quick round-up of what will most probably translate from catwalk (not runway, it is London after all) to stores.

Animal print – sorry guys! but this trend is going nowhere, as Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label featured leopard print, and Burberry joined the “dalmatian” club after we saw Unique by Topshop feature it.

 Vivienne Westwood Red Label – picture London Fashion Week

Topshop Unique – picture by PA

Vibrant colours – bright oranges, pinks, blues, blinding greens and yellows. Colour is back and the colder months will bring the most powerful hues

Burberry Prosum – picture by London Fashion Week

Sexy trims – embellishment is key. Not only is colour wanting to push aside any credit crunch vibes, funky trims want to make the party last longer, whether in fake fur finishing, leather (see David Koma below) and lace (amazingly done by Temperley London)

 

David Koma – picture by London Fashion Week

Other trends: the 50s as seen at Burberry Prosum, boho-chic maxidresses at Mulberry (see below), below the knee skirt lengths, spots and dots, wedges and platforms in shoes.

 Mulberry – picture by London Fashion Week

How about the guys? I hear you. Men get a colour injection too, tailoring resurrects 1940s looks with tweed and other retro fabrics, trousers are loose,  knitwear goes for shades such as white, light greys etc.

Topman Design – picture by Getty via Telegraph Fashion

Oh and fake fur made an appearance… for the guys too 😉

Pictures: as credited

Inspiration is good for the soul

 From the Fashion Spot – Vogue Germany April 2008 : Luca Gadjus by Vincent Peters

On Friday, February 11th, all everyone could speak about was Lady Gaga’s new single. Now, I have not much to say about it, as it sounded a lot like Cher circa Believe and Madonna’s Express Yourself, but then Lady Gaga sounds like a lot of people, a lot of the time.

What saddened me was not that we have a generation of young adults who adore nothing new, but that very few remembered that it had been a year since an actual, TRUE, genius had left us. The amazingly talented Alexander McQueen. 

Then in the evening, the news celebrated an explosion of happiness in Egypt, as Mubarak had finally stepped down. Inspirational to the rest of the world. Scary at times, power to the people chants ensued. Quite a few countries/communities are being inspired by this and we can only wait to see how the following months evolve.

Inspiration comes in so many ways. I get inspired by a song, a famous quote, a pair of shoes some model is wearing… anything, really.

A lot of time is people I don’t even know, like this girl I follow on Twitter. She expressed how me and my partner have been feeling for the past weeks, following a painful disappointment. At the end of it all, this is what friendship really is, and you should feel blessed for anyone that fits the description below.

Although I can’t afford to buy my favourite magazines every month, they are a huge source of inspiration. This January Vogue cover finally got me to wear red lipstick – I’m wearing it today, by the way.

And talking about huge sources of inspiration, how about these Louboutins? Amazing colour, right? Which begs the question, do you have a pair of “jewels” by said designer? Inspire me, please 🙂

Picture: Vogue, Twitter, Fashion Limbo, Louboutin

Real Vintage or Fake Vintage?

It’s been a quiet sunny morning. I admit I’m slightly irritable, or to be more exact, in a foul mood. I have a crazy neighbour next door that randomly shouts at her boyfriend at ludicrous night hours. This time it was before 6am, and I never managed to get back to sleep, so today I’m something between a zombie and Godzilla. Not too pretty.

I was having a quick look at Twitter, when lovey Sarah from Sarah’s Scribbles directed me to this article in the Daily Mail. The article reports on the people behind Urban Outfitters launching a vintage-inspired bridal range and “vintage-look accessories, lingerie and jewellery”. The sister brand will be called Bhldn (pronounced “beholden”) and the dresses are vintage style, but not really vintage.

This approach puzzled me, Sarah, and the creator of Maggie Angus jewellery, Anna Evans, who also joined the conversation. We all agreed that the best part of vintage shopping is the hunt, the rummage. It’s an experience in itself.

I may not be the most patient person in the world, and I do spend little time in vintage and second hand stores (in any store really!), but I do enjoy the quick look and when I find something, it is worth a lot to me. I know I have a unique and interesting piece that at times will cost me less than an H&M; purchase, like this bag I recently found at Beyond Retro in Brighton.

The price tag is a great thing about vintage, as you can find real gems without spending a fortune. I believe it to be a great way to shop on a budget. Yesterday I told you about a bangle and a pretty jumper I bought this weekend. Both second hand, the price of the entire purchase? €11 (£9). The leather bag pictured above cost me £15 (€17). In New York I paid less than €3 (£2) for a glitzy top.

The cheaper dresses at Bhldn start at $200. The bridal gowns there will cost you something between $2000 and $4000, which is even more expensive than a lot of the priciest vintage designer-wear.

Is this just a new step in the evolution of the fast-fashion phenomenon? Is this what the public is demanding? Something that looks vintage but has simply been mass-produced? Food for thought.

What do you think? Do you enjoy buying vintage? What do you think of concepts like Bhldn?

UPDATE: Great minds think alike! Click here to read Sarah’s Scribbles view on the topic and have a look at some pictures of the Bhldn collection.

Picture: Fashion Limbo

Blackheath I Love You

I haven’t written in ages. More than a week since I published anything. I’ve been on the one hand busy, and out of home.  On the other hand I currently feel ever so slightly deflated and uninspired.

I’ve been spending a week at my aunt’s in London. I needed a break from the move (did I tell you I’m leaving Belgium?), the tiring decisions, the horrid packing, etc. I also needed some time to clear my head.

With regards to the blog, I don’t know if I have much more to say. I’ve been doing this for 3 years, but it really is nothing more than an online diary. However, when I say “online diary” I’m referring to a full-time unpaid job, as I spend hours researching the posts to write, writing said posts, exchanging links on social media platforms, replying to PR emails, commenting on other blogs. Plus the Spanish version of my site doubles-up the amount of work every day. On the emotional side, I’m coping with a lot of frustration: it’s hard to write about fashion when you don’t go out much (my back injury isn’t really helping) and when you cannot spend any money, it’s difficult to hang around shops to report on what I see, or buy and review items.

As you can see I don’t have many happy thoughts populating my brain today, so I’ll just tell you a bit about my trip to London. As always, I loved it. This time, however, I made quite the unexpected discovery, a fantastic neighbourhood: Blackheath.

Sandwiched between Greenwich and Lewisham, Blackheath has quite an interesting history, and you can read about it over here. It’s quite a pricey area to live in – I tend to want things that I cannot afford, you see. It’s full of cafeterias, which makes me love it even more, and restaurants. It hardly has any shops, which makes the ones it has quite special, contributing to a lovely up-hill area that seems made up for gastro-lovers like myself. I also spotted a very interesting beer brewery and bar which I need to check out one day.

Then, I came across another of my all-time favourite things: cute back streets! Oh, and “Brigade Street” must be one of the coolest names ever.

The most striking thing about this London inner suburb, is the heath, the stretch of green land spreading in front of Blackheath. It’s quite the hilly area and this only adds to its charm.

 

This is the back window of one of the lovely stores I found in town, a bridal dress shop, with lots of gorgeous vintage frocks… and shoes. As much as I try, I cannot stay away anything fashion-related 😉

Where have you been to lately?

Pictures: Fashion Limbo