22 April, 2010

AW10 trend report: Matches press day

“Heels are coming down,” said my tour guide, Matches buying director Bridget Cosgrave as she held aloft a pair of Tabitha Simmons kitten heels. And these really were kitten heels, not the 7cm ‘higher kitten heels’ I’d been reading about in Harper’s Bazaar earlier that morning. Cosgrave told me they have been feeling it for a while and now designers like Marc Jacobs and Rupert Sanderson are fully backing it. Which isn’t to say long, thin heels have had their day by any stretch. There were plenty of plat-heels still on show, in particular a Burberry hiker-stiletto and Charlotte Olympia’s in-demand cocktail heels. But alongside were all manner of more managable heels – wedges, brogues and a super-wearable shearling-lined Burberry biker.

Tabitha Simmons

Burberry

A good in-between is the Celine boot with tall, stack heels – classic but sexy. Stealth sexy if you will…

Away from shoes, Bridget enthused about Richard Nicoll. His T dress is a top seller at Matches (“it has a stealth following”) and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a loose, easy shape that suits all silhouettes, but its fluidity offers a dressiness that makes it versatile for work or evenings.

Knitwear news: Lutz & Patmos are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a greatest hits collection. Matches will be selling all the Lutz & Patmos collaborations – Sofia Coppola’s dress, Christy Turlington’s poncho and Carine Roitfeld’s laddered cashmere sweater.

Matches’ vintage Chanel bags sold so well for SS10 that they are buying more for AW10. And they have added a selection of vintage jewels to the offer too.

Bridget also drew my attention to a new luxe label to Matches. Raoul is from Singapore and it has to be said, they make a pretty good handbag. The balance of clean lines with luxury hardwear is right on the money. Style.com have just written about them here.

Finally, coats. I couldn’t tear myself away from Stella McCartney’s strict masculine coat (below) but the real winner fair and square in the outerwear stakes is the shearling-lined aviator jacket (but you knew that already). Second to that, like it or not, is fur. As Bridget puts it succinctly, “fur demand is huge”.

Disneyrollergirl 2 Comments Brands, Designers, Events, Trends Aw10, Burberry, Celine, Matches, press days, shoes, Tabitha Simmons, trends

20 April, 2010

Aw10 trend report: hybrid trend – equestrian biker boots

My favourite hands-down hybrid trend of AW10 so far (and you know how I love a hybrid trend) is Beatrix Ong’s equestrian biker boot. Yep, it has the elegance of a riding boot with just a soupcon of masculinity with the buckles and rugged sole. This is reminding me of Prada nineteen ninety-something. Black sleeveless dress, bare legs, rugged riding boots and mysterious-girl sunglasses. I can do that.

Disneyrollergirl 6 Comments Trends

13 April, 2010

AW10 trend report: haberdashery chic, jodhpur hybrids and skeggings

What I did today…

1) Took a trip down memory lane at the Moschino AW10 press day. I customised a jacket with two ‘purse pockets’ when I was at school. It looked a lot like this:

2) Hyperventilated all over this poor leather Moschino jacket

3) Admired the Radley AW10 shoes at the Yellow Door press day. I hear that Rae Jones has had a hand in the design

4) Found out that Radley has done a bag collab with Harris Tweed for AW10. Sadly no pic though.

5) Found out that Nigel Cabourne has done a bag collab with Harris Tweed for AW10. Pic:

6) Overheard a PR at the Starworks press day telling a journalist that Antony Price believes ‘no-one these days is interested in his designs’. Pffft – how wrong he is!

7) Fantasised that this vintage Antony Price suit belonged to me:

8) Counted three black silk flying suits in one day (at Alice by Alice Temperley, Edun and Acne). That makes it a trend, right?

9) Pondered over some new hybrid trends. Biker jodhpurs and jodhpur chinos anyone?

Moschino :

Pinko:

How about a skegging? (‘Skegging‘ is totally an official term)

10) Got the urge to rummage in my haberdashery drawer to decorate skinny lapels with charms and buttons a la Bolongaro Trevor

11) Discovered that Acne is to open its four-floor London store in Dover Street in July

Disneyrollergirl 12 Comments Trends

12 April, 2010

Levi’s gets its groove back

Last week I blogged about the heritage of Dr Martens. This week, the heritage baton gets passed to Levi’s. I was treated to a pre-opening store tour of the refurbed Regent Street flagship a couple of weeks ago and the main message seems to be… Levi’s is keepin’ it real.

From its industrial factory-replica refit to its new name for its denim experts – ‘drapers’ and ‘artisans’, Levi’s has realised that its customers respect its roots and is capitalising on that. OK, the ‘artisans’ moniker is a wee bit pretentious but I’m prepared to let that go. For a while, Levi’s was guilty of trying too hard to compete with the Diesels of this world but – guess what? – Levi’s isn’t about ‘sexy’, it’s about utilitarianism and authenticity. Thankfully, it is now properly embracing its workwear heritage and amen to that. A particular highlight of the flagship store (along with the visible warehouse dedicated to 501s) is a 90-something-year-old pair of Levi’s on display in the basement. Unearthed from a mine in the Mojave Desert, I ask you, how many other denim brands can boast one of these?

When I previewed the SS10 collection six months ago, I was overjoyed to see so many old favourites. Hello classic denim jacket sans faux-faded patches! Hello western plaid shirt! Hello straight-out-of-CBGBs leather biker jacket! The Guardian recently reported that Levi’s will never be cool again but I disagree. Acne may be popular with fashionistas and Uniqlo with the downtown hipster set but Levi’s has its incredible heritage and that makes it relevant again (BTW, ‘relevance’, like ‘heritage’ is a key word being bandied about right now). Its latest campaign is also a bit of a looker. As a lifelong supporter I may be biased, but I think Levi’s is ready to have it’s moment once more.

Levi’s SS10