Lots of excitement bubbling up about the Beth Ditto for Evans shebang, set to drop on July 9th. I had a quick shifty this arvo but sadly no snaps – stealth or otherwise – there’s a massive embargo due to some exclusive or other, *huff*!
Anyway, the good news is, it will be worth the wait, Ditto was obviously the right girl for the job. My highlights:
*A purple sequin dolman sleeve T-top, brilliant slouchy shape with the necessary amount of glam-rock snazz
*A black sweater dress with 80s face graphic and huge silver sequin dots. This will surely fly out
*Cat-face print jersey tunic tee with elbow-length sleeves. The cat has crystals for eyes – sounds totally dodgy but looks fab.
The accessories offer is small. Two pairs of black and white flats including a brothel creeper-esque pointy lace-up and all shoes go from UK size 4-10 – brilliant! The black suede slouch bag with silver pyramid studs is another one set to move faster than Ronaldo on rollerskates. Luckily I got one in my goody bag – cool!
Elsewhere, there are a few safer jersey and print pieces, some good domino-print leggings and a waxed cotton crop biker jacket. The attention to detail was duly noted – domino-print linings and cute tags adorned with a cartoon of Beth akin to the 2-tone Beat girl I remember doodling over and over back in the eighties.
On the other side of the room, the regular Evans stuff was also looking strong, especially some biker-western hybrid boots, patent heels and slouchy patent bags. More dolman sleeves sweater dresses made the grade alongside a good selection of leggings including the now-ubiquitous legging-jean – I guess that was inevitable.
I’m really fascinated by this Beth Ditto collection and how it will impact on fashion for ‘big girls’. It’s still such an under-exploited market and I know Evans are keen to get the next generation of shoppers through their doors which this will definitely do. It will also get some non-typical Evans customers in which I’m sure will help break down barriers. I guess only time will tell…
Yesterday evening I went to Netaporter HQ for a trend presentation. What I expected: fifty or so fashion editors, a roomful of rails, some delicate nibbles, champagne. What I got: I was bang on with the champagne and nibbles but got much, much more than a dry old press day.
Firstly, I was given a mini- tour of the office. Netaporter’s nerve centre is on the top floor of Whiteley’s, a shopping centre at the unglossy end of Westbourne Grove. If you go to the cinema, the food court or M&S at Whiteley’s, you have absolutely no idea that operating a few feet above is a multi-million pound hive of luxury. The best bit is the spectacular glass dome that overlooks the atrium, lending a fitting air of grandeur to the proceedings and I loved that the server is so important, it sits in its own glass-walled office!
Following some gentle gossiping and canape-sampling, the twenty or so guests were ushered around a video screen for the trend presentation, but first some words from Natalie Massenet (MBE!) who welcomed us online editors and bloggers as “influential editors of the future”. As she talked to us about her passion for online and thanked us for our ongoing support, it was clear that this is one business-savvy lady. How many other retailers treat bloggers and online editors as of equal importance as offline editors? Er, none! Her understanding that today’s teen blogger is the customer of the future was underscored by the appearance of the chicest thirteen year old I’ve ever seen – Noa from Brains + Beauty.
And onto the trends. For AW 09-10, Netaporter is pushing Fierce Fashion for which the keywords are ‘confident’ and ‘sexy’ so Phi (new for fall) rubs shoulders with Balmain, Paul & Joe (insider tip – Balmain and Paul & Joe share the same stylist) and Pucci. “Pucci are doing a Balmain on us,” declared Natalie, “Take everything you knew about them and throw it away!” Thigh high boots are going to kick off in a big way and the Netaporter team are crazy about them, “think of them as like opaque tights with a heel.” OK, I’ll try.
Glossy Dynasty is a continuation of Fierce Fashion which for me translates as 80s goes power. I guess it had to happen, after plundering 80s youth references to the nth degree, designers are now all about the Dynasty decade. The power posse include Roksanda Ilincic, Michael Kors, Donna Karan and my highlight – Moschino Cheap & Chic’s cocktail dress wrapped in a collosal pouffy bow.
Global Nomad is chunky layering gone mad with as many fat knits and shaggy furs as you can carry, while Menswear is going nowhere – still the Church’s brogues keep on coming.
The New Bourgeoisie is a trend after my own heart – think chic Parisian woman (AKA Coco Chanel) tricked out in Jason Wu, Moschino, Miu Miu, Rochas, Bottega Veneta and Oscar de la Renta. Noteworthy acessories include pearls, a chain strap bag and a pair of Tabitha Simmons shoes (Netaporter is backing her big time).
90s Minimalist also gets my vote, epitomised by Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, Rick Owens and RM by Roland Mouret. Shoewise, it’s all about pointy pancake flats and stilettos.
After the presentation, we were invited to stay and guzzle more drinks which of course we did. Natalie came and chatted while we (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just me) tried not to look like star-struck fan girls but ask some intelligent questions.
What else I learnt: An internet addict, Natalie Massenet has Google alerts for her name (include every variation of spelling) so she knows exactly what’s being written about her and when. “I’m reading what you guys are writing…as it happens.”
She is toying with an idea involving asking designers to hunt through their nineties archives for possible gems to be sold on Netaporter.
When Natalie worked as a freelance stylist for Sunday Times Style in the late nineties, she told Isabella Blow she wanted to do a shoot inspired by Olivier Theyskens. Isabella replied in cliched fashion hyperbole, “Porcelain!” Too intimidated to reply “What?”, Massenet went home and told her husband who in turn handed her his laptop. Through searching (she finally found out that the cryptic “Porcelain!” was to do with Britain’s arts and crafts movement) she discovered a world of online shopping. In those days it was mostly odds and sods of vintage with a bit of Gap thrown in. Translation: not sexy. Natalie’s eyes were opened to the possibilities of online shopping and the rest is obviously history.
What keeps her awake at night? “My dog, my kids and figuring out how to keep things moving forward.”
At the end of the two-hour soiree we were waved off with overflowing goody bags (Decleor products, Falke tights, nail polish, a Timex watch), good wishes and a fairly accurate understanding of how Natalie Massenet got her MBE. Conclusion: She’s a legend!
Major excitement at the Reiss press day where the first autumn/winter collection from new brand director Andy Rogers was unveiled. Rogers arrived at Reiss from Stella McCartney almost a year ago and he has really sharpened the focus of the brand. Not only has he fine-tuned the main range but he has also introduced a new label called 1971 for the Reiss girl to wear at the weekend. Comprising jeans (made in the same factory as Acne jeans) as well as to-go-with pieces, shoes and accessories, it has a lower price point but the same attention to design and detail as the mainline collection. I was mightily impressed.
Yummy basics – hello Reiss, goodbye Hanro…
Military details
Statement knitwear
Soft grey First lady chic – Nancy-Reagan-meets-MObama
Studded silk – the weight of this is just beautiful Class, elegance, sophistication – tick, tick, tick The piece the press went mad over Oops, how did this Karen Millen rail get in here? Foot candy Breton stripes Tasteful trinkets Suede is the new leather Love!
This Ossie Clark jacket has just resurfaced after many years and is being identified as the same one owned by Ossie himself and possibly worn by Mick Jagger. My observations? The cut is slap-bang on trend for this season with its biker connotations and diagonal zips. And how soft does that snakeskin look? Beautiful…
Websites store cookies to enhance functionality and personalise your experience. You can manage your preferences, but blocking some cookies may impact site performance and services.
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
Name
Description
Duration
Cookie Preferences
This cookie is used to store the user's cookie consent preferences.
30 days
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Name
Description
Duration
comment_author
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_email
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
comment_author_url
Used to track the user across multiple sessions.
Session
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Pinterest Tag is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
This cookie is set by X to identify and track the website visitor. Registers if a users is signed in the X platform and collects information about ad preferences.
2 years
personalization_id
Unique value with which users can be identified by X. Collected information is used to be personalize X services, including X trends, stories, ads and suggestions.
2 years
external_referer
Our Website uses X buttons to allow our visitors to follow our promotional X feeds, and sometimes embed feeds on our Website.
