The new issue of HERO magazine is out, along with its new website. To celebrate, JW Anderson has designed a special limited edition dip-dye tee (only 30 available), with all profits going to Anderson’s chosen charity, Mind. (Note: the tees are made to order so delivery may take a few weeks.) Also, don’t miss the story on JW Anderson’s SS11 collection, including his thoughts on his design process and the business of fashion. It’s a gripping read.
I shouldn’t really be lusting after bags, having just taken delivery of a naughty little Celine tote, but what to do when PRs keep bombarding my inbox with treats like this? Margaret Howell‘s stealth satchels are beautifully made in England by Whitehouse Cox, a Midlands factory specialising in saddlery. The bags are made from vegetable tanned bridle leather which will soften and age with wear. Mmmm… *inhales dramatically*… you can just smell it, can’t you?
These bags are a limited edition, available in all stores in two sizes: £455 for the medium and £255 for the small.
Just in at My Flash Trash, these frankly bananas icon pendants by Défilés from Paris. Choose from Anna, Karl, Azzedine, Sonia, Alber, Suzy or Yves… Prices from £50 for Suzy Menkes to £217 for Swarovski-bedazzled Karl Lagerfeld.
The last day of LFW is menswear day. Some see this as not worth bothering with but I beg to differ. As much as I appreciate good design and admire the work of our young womenswear designers, most of them are far too polished and feminine to appeal to me as a consumer. Being all about the perfect jean and a well-cut sweater, when I look at the mens shows, I look at them with a female ‘what can I steal for myself?’ eye. Thankfully, some of the menswear designers also show womenswear (thank you J.W. Anderson), while others come up small enough for women to steal (Topman and Mr Hare). Sibling tell me that their imminent womens line for Topshop will still have the boyish flavour of the menswear, but to suit girls.
Another plus point of the mens shows is it’s a generally smaller, friendlier, less stressy affair. The Fashion East hut was like a full-on garden party by lunch time, with scorching sun, booze and a live jazz band in the midst of it all. My favourite bits:
*Sibling designer Sid’s Mr Hare cuban heel boots. Their knitwear wasn’t bad either, with its signature pop-art graphics and a new collab with art stars Tim Noble and Sue Webster. There was also a rather fine accompanying Alasdair McLellan video…
*Katie Eary’s riot of mohair stripes, animal-print, tartan and studs, all wrapped up in a live boxing match with Olympic gold medallist boxer James Degale. Bruce Weber shoot, anyone?
*J.W.Anderson’s layered, embellished, pinned-together, youth-obsessed collection
*Marc Hare’s dandyish footwear (which starts at a size five, so with the help of an insole or two I reckon I could just about pull off). SS11 is heavy on ‘replenishable skins’, including ostrich, salmonskin and eelskin
*Boyo fanzine pop-up shop. Pardon me for not being au faitwith Boyo, a fanzine created by Patrick Waugh, the very affable creative director of Pop. His vanity project resulted in a one day pop-up shop showcasing the fanzines, his T-shirt collection and some bandanas. Because, well, why on earth not?
CHECK OUT THE REST OF MY LONDON FASHION WEEK COVERAGE ON THE STYLECOMPARE BLOG
