Tag Archives: design
New Russian talent at Avenue32
It’s been around for less than eighteen months but Avenue32 is powering along in its quest for etail market share. It prides itself on scouting new talent, not least from further afield than St Martin’s London, New York and Paris. This is an interesting video spotlighting three of its Russian designers – Vika Gazinskaya, Vassilisa and Vilshenko (The sound quality’s not great but stick with it). Continue reading
AW13 trend report: Mich Dulce’s banana-fibre hats
How cheery are Mich Dulce’s new millinery pics from her AW13 look book? I spotted these darling hats on her stand at London Fashion Week in February, where Michelle told me about about the sustainable methods they’re made from. (They’re handmade from traditional Filipino T’nalak fabric, handwoven by women who Michelle trains as part of a social enterprise scheme.) Continue reading
Beauty buy: Tom Ford Lip Color Shine
When it comes to Tom Ford, I find myself hopelessly conflicted. The Tom Ford Gucci years did nothing for me (I mean, those ridiculous feathered jeans!), ditto his recent women’s RTW. His menswear on the other hand is impeccable, and don’t get me started on the fragrances and make-up. Continue reading
Jo Malone London’s pop art Red Roses
What do we think of the new limited edition Jo Malone London Red Roses bottle? Created by new(ish) style editor, Charlotte Stockdale, it has a neon pink pop art-esque paint drip on the bottle which is certainly striking and a departure from your average Jo Malone London bottle design.
I’m a bit divided on this one. Much as I love Charlotte Stockdale, the classicist in me secretly prefers the traditional elegance of Jo Malone London. But I suspect the brand is keen to broaden its reach to younger (or ‘cooler’) customers and this is a good start. I will add that having seen the bottle in the flesh, it’s growing on me – the neon is a really bold contrast to the trademark JML cream and black.
What do you think?
The limited edition (only 300 bottles), hand numbered Jo Malone Red Roses cologne (£120) will be available from Selfridges from 1st April.
Kilian: luxury fragrance in clever packaging
I love what the young perfume brand, Kilian is doing with fragrance and packaging right now. Combining experimental fragrance with multi-tasking accessories and an eco-consciousness, Kilian Hennessy’s (of the Hennessy cognac family) current scents come in refillable spray bottles of eau de parfum (£160) that are then packaged in white glossy cases. Continue reading
On Parisian ‘lovelocks’ and a clever interactive campaign from the British Heart Foundation
I didn’t know this ’til recently but in Paris there’s a romantic tradition of lovers clamping padlocks scrawled with heartfelt messages on bridge railings to symbolise their love. Andrew Bunney cleverly took this idea to create his sterling silver ‘lovelock’ (available from Dover Street Market), while Louis Vuitton recently did something very similar with its Lockit line of fine jewellery…
BUNNEY
LOUIS VUITTON
Rediscovering house codes and icons at Louis Vuitton pre-fall 13
“Louis Vuitton has become too common!” LVMH’s Bernard Arnault didn’t quite say last week. But the sentiment was there. Speaking at LVMH’s annual results presentation, he revealed that Louis Vuitton is scaling back on global expansion and focusing more on its high end products and superior customer service to avoid cheapening the brand.
This is a trend, not just at Louis Vuitton, but other luxury houses, who have stripped away the obvious logos and boosted product that shows off house ‘codes’. Dior recently reignited its ‘bar’ jacket and ‘comma’ heels, Gucci, the horsebit loafer (which is 60 years old this year), Chanel flagged up its pearls and Saint Laurent, its tie-neck blouses and iconic tuxedos. At Vuitton, the overexposed monogram has been sidelined for SS13 by the Damier check.
At Louis Vuitton’s pre-fall 13 preview on Thursday, my main highlight was the collection of Noe bags, a heritage Vuitton bag refreshed in new colours and sizes. Originally a carrying case for champagne bottles (what else?), the design celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.
My other highlight was the Icons collection, a capsule collection that updates pieces from the archive. I love this sheepskin balmacaan, a collarless coat that can be worn reversed with the leather on the outside. Delicious, no?
Mmmm is for MARNI’s first fragrance
Please take a look at Marni ‘s first fragrance, complete with its USB stick-holding mascot doll, ‘Bambolina’. isn’t is the funnest thing ever? I love everything about this, from the design of the bottle (incorporating playful Marni signatures like curved edges, polka dots and the red bottle cap that closes with a lovely, audible click), to the scent itself which is a delicious, fresh-but-spicy blend of ginger, cardamom, cedarwood and black rose.
I think I’ll be alternating it with Jo Malone London’s Blackberry & Bay – it has a similar grown up ‘juiciness’. It comes out next month (exclusively at Harrods) along with a shower gel, body lotion and body creme.
mini-me fragrances: Chloé and Rykiel
I adore fragrance miniatures. Not only are they sooo cute but they make sense if you’re short of space. And obviously they’re practical travel companions (my Jo Malone 9ml Pomegranate Noir comes on all my adventures with me). For Valentine’s Day, Chloé is releasing ‘My Little Chloés’, its three popular scents – Love Chloé, Chloé and L’Eau de Chloé – in mini-me 20ml bottles. They’re available from February 1st, £25.
On the subject of mini fragrances*, I finally got hold of some L’eau de Rykiel from one of those fragrance-only emporiums in Westfield that seems to sell every scent you’ve ever heard of. I’ve been wanting this for ever and was happy to find 7.5ml bottle for about a fiver. Truthfully, it’s the packaging that appealed – the classic graphics and the T-shirt-shaped bottle. The juice isn’t bad, it’s quite fresh and soapy and reminds me of something I used to wear (still racking my brains to remember what). But I’m mainly going to use it for shelf decorating… wouldn’t you?
*PS: oh looky, just discovered Miniature Perfume Shoppe, a website devoted to collectors of miniature fragrances – genius!
Fashion and tech: Frends jewellery headphones
It’s only just dawned on me that headphones have become a fashion thing. Recently I’ve been bombarded with press releases about ‘designer’ headphones, why I don’t know as I have zero interest in them. I guess it taps into the wearable technology trend so maybe I should pay more attention. Continue reading
