Major excitement at the Reiss press day where the first autumn/winter collection from new brand director Andy Rogers was unveiled. Rogers arrived at Reiss from Stella McCartney almost a year ago and he has really sharpened the focus of the brand. Not only has he fine-tuned the main range but he has also introduced a new label called 1971 for the Reiss girl to wear at the weekend. Comprising jeans (made in the same factory as Acne jeans) as well as to-go-with pieces, shoes and accessories, it has a lower price point but the same attention to design and detail as the mainline collection. I was mightily impressed.
Yummy basics – hello Reiss, goodbye Hanro…
Military details
Statement knitwear
Soft grey First lady chic – Nancy-Reagan-meets-MObama
Studded silk – the weight of this is just beautiful Class, elegance, sophistication – tick, tick, tick The piece the press went mad over Oops, how did this Karen Millen rail get in here? Foot candy Breton stripes Tasteful trinkets Suede is the new leather Love!
So today was one of those fun days. First a 9am meeting at Fresh Britain, a brand consultancy who have had a big hand in the successful rebranding of Dr Martens. My contact alerted me to Marc Hare’s most excellent shoe blog, Mr Hare’s blog. Hare is a mens shoe designer but his background is in retail so he has an interesting take on things. Back in the day, he ran a shop called Something in Westbourne Grove where I remember having a crush on a pair of Bruno Frisoni sock-boots. Hare has a keen eye for a snazzy shoe, that’s for sure.
With a couple of hours to kill before getting a hair cut, I breakfasted in Mayfair, drafted an article and read the supermodel issue of US Vogue. Excellent Lynn Yaeger article – how did I not know about her til now?
Next up I did some retail research (Ok, shopping). I headed to Mount Street as I hadn’t checked out the Marc by Marc Jacobs shop and also wanted to have a nose round Lanvin and Balenciaga. Not sure if it’s a recession thing or maybe I just looked rich today, but I got the ultra-friendly treatment in each and every shop I entered. I can’t put my finger on why but the Marc shop reminded me exactly of being in New York. Jacobs has famously said that he would love to design for Gap and I seriously don’t know why they haven’t signed him up already – get in Gap!
I was all over the cheap knick-knacks – from heart shaped compacts (£3) to lipstick pens, condoms, Oyster-card holders, reversible rain ponchos (I got one…£10), and on and on. Then there were the little bikinis in clear ziplock bags with the Marc logo. Fabulous. And an outstanding edit of art books.
As if that wasn’t exciting enough, I came out of Marc and literally stumbled upon an Elizabeth Peyton exhibition at the Sadie Coles gallery…
(Just read on the Sadie Coles website that Elizabeth Peyton’s Live Forever show that I managed to miss in New York last year by a matter of days, is finally landing in the UK in July.)
In Balenciaga, a very jolly salesman let me have a good poke around undisturbed while he dealt with a customer fussing over a bag. Can’t wait to go back. Then to Lanvin which felt like the ultimate, expertly-curated fashion museum. I didn’t feel the urge to own anything though, just to look was enough.
Reading Lynn Yaeger’s piece in Vogue – which was all about how she had to learn to budget when she was made redundant – made me reflect on my own circumstances. Like everyone else, cashflow is slow for me, but being on a budget almost frees you from the relentless consuming bug, as you simply loosen up on the habit. It’s quite nice to be able to browse a shop without feeling the compulsion to buy. I wouldn’t want it to last forever though.
Had enough of killer heels that you can’t walk (let alone dance) in and handbags so heavy that even She-ra would have trouble lifting them? Me too. But hang in there because the totes they are a-changing. After the giant bag trend came the absurdity of the superclutch and then the even more ridiculous micro-clutch. But now designers have finally decided to give us something that we actually want: lightweight, roomy and practical bags that do a job and look good.
Mulberry’s creative director Emma Hill is at the forefront of the movement, telling Vogue, “When I pick up a bag that’s heavy when empty, I don’t want it,” and creating a line of lightweight bags for spring-summer devoid of weighty hardware. Alexander Wang’s soft-n-slouchy suede Dorothy sac (below) marries his signature laidback luxe look with a utilitarian twist – my litmus test is whether it will take a copy of Vogue as well as my umbrella, diary, sunglasses and purse without slopping out of shape like an unwieldy sack of potatoes. It passes with flying colours.
The luxury leathergoods-makers Valextra are keen to join the party. Valextra have softened the lines of their trademark bags and introduced the half-moon Namasté which weighs in at a featherweight 600g and can carry up to 15kg without putting your back out of whack. “We worked on it for months to balance it so the weight falls on your hip,” chairman Emanuele Carmiati Molina told the FT, “We threw away over 25 prototypes”. (The price is also less painful at under €1000, that’s cheap for Valextra.)
Not to be outdone, everyone’s favourite Marc Jacobs muse, Sofia Coppola has unveiled her capsule collection for Louis Vuitton consisting of predictably fuss-free day bags and classy clutches. She also rejected the first prototype for being too heavy, finally signing off a collection that is classic, chic and ultimately useful. Now to swap those plat-heels for something a little more manageable, perhaps these Sofia-for-L-V wedges for starters…
Pics:
Alexander Wang, Dazed Digital, The Fashion Spot
First lady chic – Nancy-Reagan-meets-MObama
First lady chic – Nancy-Reagan-meets-MObama
Class, elegance, sophistication – tick, tick, tick
The piece the press went mad over
Oops, how did this Karen Millen rail get in here?
Foot candy
Breton stripes
Tasteful trinkets
Suede is the new leather
Love!
Class, elegance, sophistication – tick, tick, tick
The piece the press went mad over
Oops, how did this Karen Millen rail get in here?
Foot candy
Breton stripes
Tasteful trinkets
Suede is the new leather
Love!
