14 November, 2011

SS12 trend report: My-Wardrobe

According to PR director Lauren Stevenson, the My-Wardrobe buyers have worked very hard to make sure 95% of the buy is under the £350 mark and 75% of the buy is under £250. Which is great news if you want ‘everyday luxury’ (the My-wardrobe tagline) at accessible prices. The key SS12 labels for me are Smythson (the stationery has been understandably popular so for SS12 there are bags as well), Carven (who doesn’t love Guillaume Henry’s couture-lite aesthetic?), APC (a new name for SS12), Joseph (on a roll), DVF, Anya Hindmarch and Sophie Hulme.

I had a good nose at My-Wardrobe’s SS12 highlights at their press day, where I also discovered Hermione de Paula, an ex Alexander McQueen print designer whose surreal prints in easy shapes are causing a bit of a stir.

Smythson

Printed denim by Current Elliot and J Brand’s Maverick jean – a skinny cargo pant that My-Wardrobe predicts to be a sell out

Bionda Castana shoes … the new Manolo?

Star Mela’s global-craft bags – I expect these crafty totes will be everywhere by May in some guise or other

D & G floral blouse – print on print whether matched or mismatched is summer’s mega-trend

Hermione de Paula

Preen’s ‘couture tee’. “The couture tee is a trend for all our customers to get into,” says Eleanor Robinson, womenswear designer buying manager. “It’s ageless, flatters most body shapes, and fits into the wardrobe easily”

Scarf prints – no explanation needed

Sophie Hulme’s embroidered bag – more global-craft influence

Anya Hindmarch’s city-to-beach colour-block bags and Comme Des Garcons’ playful pochettes

I also love DVF’s neutral bag with a flash of pink that can be zipped according to whether you want to show it or hide it

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Brands, Designers, Events, Shopping, Trends Anya Hindmarch, APC, Biona Castana, Hermione de Paula, J Brand, My-Wardrobe, online shopping, Smythson, Sophie Hulme, SS12, trends

11 November, 2011

Peroni Collaborazioni: The big reveal

Last week saw the unveiling of the final pieces from my Peroni Collaborazioni project. Jessica De Lotz’s bicycle bell ring/bracelet was beautifully quirky and it turns out both Maarten van der Horst and Shaun Samson made long, labour-intensive shirts – although they couldn’t have been more different. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Bloggers, Design, Designers, Events collabs, Fashion Foie Gras bloggers, Maarten Van Der Horst, Peroni Collaborazioni, Shaun Samson, Susie Bubble

11 November, 2011

Fred Butler opens her closet

Gorgeous, gorgeous Fred Butler video on Stylelikeu* about her unique personal style…

Fred Butler Closet Interview With StyleLikeU from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Bloggers, Designers, Films Fred Butler, Stylelikeu, video

3 November, 2011

On collaboration and the creative process

Having never designed anything before (because, hello, I’m not a designer) or even worked on a designer collaboration, it has been a truly fascinating experience working with Shaun Samson on Peroni Collaborazioni.

To recap, this project began back in the summer when Peroni approached me (along with Susie Bubble and Emily from Fashion Foie Gras) to take part in this project where we would each design a unique piece that represented a new vision of Italian style together with our choice of emerging designer. When I put Shaun Samson’s name on the shortlist, I really wanted him to say yes but actually expected him to say no. The recently graduated MA designer had already won the highly coveted International Talent Support Prize in Trieste, wowed the press with his accomplished graduate collection and was down on the LFW schedule for the SS12 Man show in September. So why would he want to overload his to-do list by collaborating with someone he had never heard of?

Ah but he did say yes and so we embarked on this journey together. What has been most rewarding is witnessing a designer’s process. Unlike many creatives, Shaun doesn’t work much with visual references, he prefers the hands-on approach, playing with materials, techniques and chemicals to create his own fabrics. For our project, he has literally worked through the night experimenting before doing a day’s filming where we’d bat ideas back and forth and make decisions. And what drives him is the creativity and curiosity of the process itself which is a joy to experience. Through our meetings, phone chats and texts, I have also witnessed the reality of a young emerging designer who has to constantly juggle shows, shoots, showroom appointments, trade shows, orders, balance sheets, interviews and on and on, pretty much single handedly – although of course with friends, mentors and interns chipping in. So this journey has been enlightening not just from the point of view of how something gets designed (let me be clear, I have not picked up a single pin or thread, all the physical work has been Shaun’s) but how one keeps everything else ticking along as well.

This evening will see the culmination of the nine week Peroni Collaborazioni project (see Susie’s here and Emily’s here) as all our finished pieces are unveiled to a gathering of guests. Until then, I will leave you with this video that shows a final glimpse of the work in progress, including Shaun’s awesome nine-layered fabric…

By the way, if you’re interested in Italian style as a subject (and as I mentioned in a previous post, Italian style is totally having a moment right now), this Guardian webchat by Anna Battista is well worth a read, especially the comments on Italian manufacturing …