Trouser trauma: solved!




My quest for the elusive chino proved not too taxing after all. The backstory: I have been searching for a chino for months, years even, but was especially keen having been gifted a classic Levi’s jacket for my birthday. Not wanting to go down the double denim route, I fancied that a Levi’s jacket and chino combo would be suitably fash-arty in a Jane Birkin-meets-Robert-Rauchenberg kind of way.

There was me anticipating an entire afternoon of schlepping from Zara to Banana Republic to maybe even Primark on the advice of some kind commenters but thankfully it was all pleasantly quick and pain-free. Banana Republic was my first port of call. Not a shop I frequent as it’s all a bit officy and grown up for me. But Make Do Style and Observation Mode suggested it and I like Gap so decided to give it a whirl. Hey, where were all the chinos? Not a single one did I see. The nearest thing was a wide-leg tailored beige trouser with a thick mumsy waistband. Eek, call the fashion police! Does Banana not read Grazia? Does it not realise that chinos are big fashion news at the moment (and not to be confused with the dad-chino of yore)? Missing a trick I’d say. Also, all the trousers were off-puttingly creased. Nasty. Time to invest in a steamer Banana! I must say that the accessories were lovely though, remind me to go back if I ever need a belt.

Next stop, YMC. This is more my style, I see it as the British answer to APC. Its poshed-up utilitarian classics are popular with London’s creative and media set – right up my alley then. I’d already seen a couple of promising candidates a couple of weeks ago but not had time to try them on. The store itself is lovely – all vintagy fittings in a former gallery space – in fact, YMC’s Jody Moss also sources select pieces of vintage womenswear to sell alongside the own-label collection. So I went to try on some trousers but oh dear – disaster. None in my size. But what was this? Some rather nice slouchy 3/4 mens chinos in the softest greige brushed cotton. On they went and reader, they were perfect! Who knew I would end up finding a pair of mens chinos to fit my 5’2, size 8 frame? The pockets are placed low and deep so I can put my hands in them with arms fully extended and the waist sits just above my hip-bones – i.e. they’re not so baggy that they’re sliding off. If there’s a moral here it’s to keep an open mind and always try things on. Of course the story doesn’t end there as I now have my eye on the navy colourway (above) and a dark blue indigo jean in a similar cut. Not to mention the women’s versions. Typical, nothing for ages, then a whole procession of options at once.



Winter warmers




Friday morning, trend-hunting in Portobello. Overriding the vintage haberdashery and leg-of-mutton Victoriana is fur, fur and more fur. Coats, capes, hats, tippets – you name it, there it is in all its mink, fox or rabbit glory.

“Why so much fur?” I wondered aloud. “It’s probably just, like, popular?” offered one stall-holder – approximate age, 13 – after a moment’s thought. No kidding. “It’s the cold,” suggested another, heavily swaddled in coats, scarves and gloves. “It’s the Russians,” observed a third, “you get a lot of Russian girls and they’re into the vintage furs.” Who knows the truth but we’re definitely in for a fur-wrapped winter.

[Pic: Grey Gardens]



John Lewis joins the online revolution




Wow, John Lewis is really pulling out all the stops. First the AW08 and SS09 ad campaigns with Karen Elson, then a fashion push in its online offering (fashion currently comprises only 6% of total sales, it aims for 30% by the end of the year). Online branded fashion and beauty ’boutiques’ are being rolled out with a total of 16 expected to be in place by the end of the year with Ralph Lauren, Bobbi Brown, Orla Kiely and Mulberry some of the names being bandied about so far.

On digging further, I’m told that the goal of this new push is to ‘reflect the instore experience online’. As well as translating the expertise that John Lewis prides itself on (Marie O’Riordan, ex-editor of Marie Claire, provides the trend tips), there is a focus on convenience. Customers can return their unwanted items to a branch instead of dealing with post offices (and postal strikes) and possibly – this is still being trialled – pick up purchases from a local Waitrose store. This is the kind of initiative that might get me interested as I’ve still not been bitten by the online bug.

Incidentally, Tesco has just launched its own fashion ecommerce site and Selfridges is aiming to follow suit with the full-on online fashion experience next year, so 2010 is really shaping up to be the year online fashion goes fully mainstream. But back to John Lewis. Still on the ‘expert’ tip, for the last year the store has been expanding on its personal shopping service. This month, the focus is on fashion guidance for graduates. Graduates going for job interviews will be invited to bring in interview-appropriate pieces from their existing wardrobe to be teamed with key items from John Lewis to bring them up to date. Tips on general professional presentation (nails, hair etc) are all part of the service. What a good idea. If there’s one thing the recession has done, it’s making retailers try harder and initiatives like this should help give John Lewis the edge over competitors. Let’s see what they come up with next.