17 February, 2009

You know the eighties are back good and proper when…

…Maria Cornejo is the toast of NYFW and Pam Hogg is the hot ticket for LFW. “What next,” spluttered my PR pal over tea and finger sandwiches in Liberty yesterday afternoon, “the return of Bodymap?” Um, actually yes. Bodymap’s Stevie Stewart has cooked up a collection with Pippa Brooks (AKA Madame) called Goldstein Attire. Not quite the graphic knits and jerseys of back-in-the-day Bodymap (above) but the spirit of the eighties is certainly there. Watch this space.

…Harem pants, leggings and jumpsuits are selling like hot cupcakes not only in American Apparel but M&S and Next.

…Marc Jacobs’ AW09 collection ‘melded together the power-dressed party posse in their brocade, power shoulders and puffball skirts with the Blitz kids in their laquered hair, brothel creepers and fishnet,’ according to Grazia Daily.

…Minder has been reimagined for the noughties complete with Glaswegian band Attic Lights’ re-recording of ’I Could Be So Good For You’. (Oh dear.)

…River Island unveiled its We Love The Eighties collection last week which is unleashed on the public in March.

All we need now is for Sara Stockbridge to rematerialise. Oh, here she is!

[Bodymap pic: Rock Pop Fashion]

Disneyrollergirl 6 Comments Brands, Designers, Trends

16 February, 2009

Roberto’s ‘up yours’ to the recession

Politically correct or no, I’m loving all the latest reports of credit crunch defying antics. From Balmain’s now infamous sell-out £1000 jeans to Christian Louboutin’s Lesage-embroidered tart’s shoes… it means I can live vicariously through those who aren’t suffering as much as me. Personally, I’m still trying to spend a wee bit to keep the economy afloat. What I do is on the days that I’m working from home I have Heinz tomato soup (not the organic one though – too expensive) or beans on toast for lunch, so the tenner-a-day lunch budget saved goes on a Wagamama/Busaba/Harvey Nicks lunch on the days I’m out and about. (Back in the days when I had an office job I was laughed at for my lavish takeaway lunches but I’m sorry, I don’t do sandwiches – too depressing – plus I need a hot meal and lunchtime is the highlight of my day!)

Anyway I digress. Roberto Cavalli has collaborated with Mastercard on a super-swanky credit card. Here’s the blurb:
‘Created for those who thrive upon excellence, elegance and quality, “The Cavalli Card” promises cardholders a host of premium benefits – each specifically tailored to their needs and lifestyle. Dedicated VIP services at every Cavalli boutique across the world; access to special sales, both in Cavalli retail outlets and online; exclusive invitations to prestigious events, fashion shows and trunk shows: these are just some of the many “deluxe” services offered to the carholders.’

Sigh. See anything wrong with this picture? My problem isn’t the at-odds-with-the-times flashiness but with the brand itself. I’d love all those benefits, just not with Cavalli. However if Acne, APC, Margaret Howell or Chloe decided to do the same, I’d sign up straight away.

Disneyrollergirl 7 Comments Brands, Designers, Retail concepts Balmain, Roberto Cavalli

13 February, 2009

Cocktails, shoes and…cocktail shoes!

Popping into the Kurt Geiger Fashionistas party at the St Martins Lane hotel last night, I was rather taken with these Luella-esque lovelies – dramatically festooned with their own fancy net veils like little cocktail hats!
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Disneyrollergirl 6 Comments Brands, Designers, Events, Trends Kurt Geiger, Luella, shoes

3 February, 2009

Millinery madness

Milliners are like buses, nothing for ages then a whole procession of them arrive at once. Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy were for a long time the only hatters worth knowing. Philip Treacy’s fashion shows were a huge fanfare with fabulous models like Susie Bick and Grace Jones cavorting on the catwalk, dynamic music and an overall party-party atmosphere. Meanwhile Stephen Jones has been busying himself for years, nay decades, without quite so much pomp, yet fashioning hats season after season for Galliano, Dior, Comme and a fleet of other designers to boot. This month he is curating his two-years-in-the-making exhibition, Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones and there is certainly a buzz around it. But there’s also a buzz around millinery in general.

When I saw Grace Jones at the Roundhouse last week it was an all-round gobsmacking experience. From the people-watching (Judy Blame wearing a bra…on his face) to the music (I literally swooned during La Vie En Rose) to the showmanship, but the star attraction was the Philip Treacy hat-fest – a different one for each outfit change. But the end of the noughties has coralled in a whole new generation of bonce-beautifiers…

Justin Smith Esquire is an ex-hairdresser whose star is on the rise. His vintage-referenced hats have more than a touch of English eccentricity about them – how special are these bespoke numbers?

I love the theatrical grandeur of Louis Mariette’s fanciful adornments. Not only does he make hats but also jewellery, belts…even eyepatches dammit!

Piers Atkinson makes sometimes-macabre-sometimes-cartoony hats. Last season he did a Mickey Mouse ears theme including a neon headpiece in collaboration with Darren West. This season I’m loving his brilliantly bonkers stuffed-toy hat. I’d wear one! Atkinson tells me he has two hats in the V&A exhibition and is currently working on the hats for the Ashish show so I’m hoping for colour and maybe a bit of sparkle.

Finally, my favourite. Soren Bach is another hairdresser-slash-hatter (how many more are there I wonder). I saw these amazing multi-coloured fur hats a few seasons ago at London Fashion Week and have never forgotten them. I think they were from his RCA graduate collection but I’d love to see more from him.