The magic of Mabille




That Alexis Mabille is everywhere! First he got me hooked with his bow bags/bow-ties/bow hair accessories (not to mention a link-up with Goyard to produce a darling bow-tie box), next he opened the June couture with a masterclass in tuxedo dressing and now he’s hopped into bed with Lancome to design this beautifully bonkers Lotus Splendor eye and lip compact (in store August 1st). Whatever will he do next?



L’ecole Des Femmes





School of Women is a brand new girls’ line based out of LA but originally conceived in the back seat of a black convertible spider in 1962 by Georgette Malbesee and Jean Pierre Lachemescouilles through the cold smoke of a pair of unfiltered cigarettes.

Shortly after chucking these butts, the beatnik pair gave birth to style. A new style only to be honed, not bought. Crafted, not borrowed. Sewn, not printed.

The young rebels put together a book of designs only to be worn by those who would discover it . As soon as they were through they were off to rob their final bank for pocket change.

The two were shot that day. Never to leave behind the pitter patter of a youngling. Only the legacy of a style bible which no one had seen before. Many years later…down in the dumps and sick of her job as a computer artist, Laura S. moved to France, where she spent more time running into rude people than anything else. With very little glamorous left in her being save for her bad, bad habit of stealing other people’s cars, Laura found herself doing so again. Her first choice being the tragic couple’s car, newly bought by a bourgeois on the left bank. She sped off into the country with the cool black spider for pie and grape juice, when the car had suddenly gone exhausted from her bad driving and called it quits on the side of a road.

” The trunk!” She squealed, reaching into it for more gas, only to find a heavy rancid book.

” Le Style de Georgette et Jean Pierre?” She asked… And from then on they met, and it just is. ( cue: cigarette smoke in readers’ eyes)

Okay, the above yarn may or may not be true but on a design note, L’ecole des Femmes is a label that takes great pride in its pencil skirt specialty and retro flair. Three years in the making and L’ecole des Femmes is thriving and now located on 8207 3RD street Los Angeles, Ca 90048. This boutique will be opening mid August…



Levi’s: One for the What Took Them So Long file…



I’ve never understood how Levi’s 501s came in different cuts and fits – surely 501 is the style so shouldn’t have variations went my logic. Well, now Levi’s have decided to do a standard cut worldwide which makes perfect sense. The reason cited, according to Levi Strauss CEO John Anderson is that they believe straight-leg jeans are a global fashion trend and now is the right time to establish the 501 as an obvious choice for global consumers. I say, duh, isn’t that a bit obvious? But never mind, at least they’re doing it now. Let’s hope the fit is the same across mens and womens 501s. Please understand Mr Levi’s that some of us girls want what the boys have – a nice lazy-Sunday loose-but-not-falling-down fit.

UPDATE:
To answer my ‘why are there different fits’ question, D has kindly weighed in with the following:
Okay, so the 501 is the model of the brand. The model was then adapted as trends changed, hence the different varieties of 501 over the years, with slight changes in cut: the 1947, ’55, ’63, ’67 etc. It’s similar to the way that Ford have the Fiesta model and give it facelifts to make it more appealing to changing tastes as time passes. The ’47s are quite slim, the ’55s a wider cut, the ’63s have a higher waist and the cut is somewhere between a ’47 and ’55 and the ’67s are very slim, and have a zip fly.

That told me then.



It’s back!



There aren’t many fashion blogs out there that focus (in a non-dry way) on the business side of fashion. Vogue.co.uk‘s daily news, while not strictly a blog, is good for quick snippets and Business of Fashion is definitely a firm favourite. Portfolio.com’s Fashion Inc blog was one of my must-clicks until a few months ago when it came to an abrupt end. Well it’s now returned, minus original blogger Lauren Goldstein Crowe (who has been busy publishing her book on Jimmy Choo). The new Fashion Inc will feature a variety of guest bloggers starting with journalist Lisa Marsh. She’s written a very interesting post about Hermes’ rising sales due to the current vogue for silk scarves…