Events

AW 09-10 trend report: Helmets, fancy boots and going for gold



Wow, what a marathon day of press days. All the big agencies decided to show on the same day (thanks guys) and even worse, three of them were on the same block so I hit the ground running at 10am and just kept going, and going and going.

Best venues
There was an arty theme running through today with Relative PR showing at the Elms Lester painting rooms where the walls are daubed with creative sploshes and Halpern PR relocating from their usual home in SW3 to the Royal Academy Schools. It was novel looking at sunglasses and knickers surrounded by easels and artists’ statues but there’s no doubt that an interesting environment helps make the press day more memorable than riffling through endless rails in a showroom.

Best discovery
Halpern came up with the goods twice. I got chatting to the charming Lisa Tstang whose luxury label LisaT is on a mission to use cashmere for every area of living and keep it (relatively) affordable. I loved the understatement of her tunic dress with all-enveloping detachable scarf.

Meanwhile, I’m finding myself fascinated by eyewear at the moment and opticians Auerbach & Steele were a new discovery for me, even though they have been in the King’s Road for 15 years. Barton Perreira is a new sunglasses name to know from two Oliver Peoples veterans, while an unusual pair of Alain Mikli visor-esque shades are evidence of their avant-garde taste. Auerbach & Steele only sell the limited edition Miklis so it’s worth a look if you’re ever in the area and fancy something different from the usual Raybans and Guccis.

Finally, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I clapped eyes on the WANT, Les Essentiels de la Vie travel range at the Harvey Nichols press day. I have some sort of weird fascination for masculine, minimalist man-baggage and these bags, ipod cases and laptop cases have all the necessary elements – slender proportions, neat compartments and classic colours – to pique my interest.

Best micro trend
What the hell is going on? In two days I’ve seen a bunch of these retro helmets in three different places – at Diesel, G Star and Bally. If that’s not a mirco trend I don’t know what is…


Best fancy boots
Now there’s no way I could just pick one so I’ve picked my top 4:
1) Raf Simons’ metallic Dr Martens are a stroke of sheer genius

2) These Willow boots are just so ugly, I love them! And I know they’d look killer on (if you could get them on, that is)…

3) These See by Chloe boots are apparently only £100. Go figure…

4) “I can’t believe I’m photographing a pair of Versus boots and liking them!” I exclaimed to my friend A, until she pointed out these jodhpur boots are the ones Christopher Kane designed for Versus. Oh.

Best Jim’ll Fix It jacket
Gotta love this Wrangler bomber – isn’t it camp?!

[Pics: Top to bottom
Elms Lester Painting Rooms
Royal Academy Schools
LisaT
WANT
WANT
Diesel
G Star
Bally
Raf Simons for Dr Martens
Willow
Chloe
Versus

Wrangler]

8 Comments , ,



Earl Grey and Architecture: inside the Le Corbusier Cabanon



Le Corbusier Cabanon RIBA 2009

To say Thursday was a whirlwind of activity would be an understatement of preposterous proportions. As well as press days, the Alexandra Shulman FBC talk, a whizz across town to a digital lab and an ICA charity gala dinner, I somehow managed to cram in tea at the RIBA.

The Royal Institute of British Architects is a building I have passed dozens of times but never had time to venture inside. Big mistake. Aside from its elegant interior and charming cafe (where we had tea and brownies surrounded by textbook architects complete with Mac laptops and Moleskine notebooks) we browsed the Le Corbusier exhibits which comprised various classic chairs, tables and sofas from the Cassina I Maestri collection.

On the first floor was a reconstruction of the famous Le Corbusier Cabanon. The architect designed and built this sexy little hut in 1952 as a holiday home for him and his wife Yvonne in Cap-Martin. The outside is pretty basic and anonymous while the interior is widely recognised as a superb example of micro architecture. (Did I impress you with my knowledge there? Don’t be fooled, I totally read that in the notes. However, I’m determined to sneak the phrase ‘micro architecture’ into everyday speech…)

After donning the comedy showercap-chic shoe covers, we explored inside the Le Corbusier Cabanon and took a few sneaky snaps. You would never think to look at this now, that it was designed over half a century ago. All its nifty nooks and crannies and built-in storage ideas are now commonplace in day-to-day living but were the height of innovation 50 years ago. The building itself is not that big (15 square metres) but you really get a sense of space and function. This Le Corbusier mini-exhibition is on until 28th April so if you like a bit of culture with your elevenses, I highly recommend the RIBA (and the bookshop is rather tasty too).





Le Corbusier Cabanon

1 Comment , , , , ,



I’ve got very beautiful lips*




Lulu Guinness showed off her lovely lips in bag form at the first proper press day of the season. I’m glad to see the perspex lips clutch is back for another innings, in fact the lips have become something of a permanent fixture and ss10 will see the introduction of a clutch of neon er, clutches. For aw09 though we saw sleek patent lady-bags, black-on-black flower pot bags (to celebrate Lulu’s 20th anniversary) and the cutest kitty-shaped bag I’ve ever seen. I literally snatched it off the PR’s shoulder to take it’s picture.


(*With apologies to Alison Steadman)

4 Comments ,



The Convenience Store




No sooner has one caught one’s breath after the razzmatazz of fashion weeks left, right and centre does launch season begin with a zillion different shop openings, high summer previews and A/W press days. In the fortnight ahead I have another Joseph shop relaunch to attend (poor me), press days for Harvey Nichols, Paul Smith, Lulu Guinness, Swarovski, Blow PR and so on and so forth. That’s not including the flood of invitations set to arrive next week for the rest of the press days or the Fashion Business Club talk with Alexandra Shulman I’m attending on 26th March.

On Thursday night it all kicked off with the launch of the clever new pop-up shop by The Convenience Store. The Convenience Store is taking a three-week sabbatical from its home in West London (next door neighbours to Rellik vintage store to be exact) and has taken up residence in the chi-chi environs of the St Martins Lane hotel.

What caught my eye? Ooh, where to start? Wonderful shoes by Camilla Skovgaard (those are her legs and sexy shoes below. If you think they look hot, you should see her face!), raunchy Pam Hogg catsuits, T-shirts and credit-crunch-friendly mugs, sequinny sportswear by Sophie Hulme, lots of lovely Ann-Sofie Back and A.F Vandevorst and plenty of Gareth Pugh including a ventilated armour dress which one commentator was overheard unkindly referring to as looking ‘like an airconditioning unit’, meow!

Everyone was networking like crazy – I have never been given so many business cards – and bemoaning the state of the industry. It was quite nice in a way as everyone is in the same boat and not bothering to hide it. There was a good flow of champagne, much gossip and laughter and a great procession of fashiony characters including Fred Butler, a rosy vision in head-to-toe pink, Pam Hogg, Steven Rellik, various mums-of-designers and handsome blogger Pelayo with the most perfect quiff ever. Topics of conversation: Blogging, men in skirts, Twilight the movie, Starlight Express the musical, soulful house clubs, street parties, press day goody bags and the price of toothpaste. You can’t buy toothpaste at The Convenience Store but you’re in for a treat if you’re after cutting edge, collectable fashion.

The Convenience Store is at the Front Room at The St Martins Lane Hotel, 45 St Martin’s Lane, WC2 from March 19th-April 9th

www.theconveniencestorefashion.co.uk








6 Comments , , , ,



«< 114 115 116 117 118 >»