I’ve spent the last two weeks looking at new a/w collections. I’m a sucker for small leathergoods and pouches so these two caught my eye. The leather envelope pouches are from Armand Basi and great for my travelcard and suchlike as I can loop them round my belt loop and whip them out when needed (no matter that I already have a similar wallet from Gap that does the exact same job). The other purses are by Aussie surf label Insight. Cute, cute, cute!
I’m seriously worried. Word is that autumn/winter is going to be the season of the big shoulder. It’s been a while coming – Lord knows the eighties revival has been bubbling at a steady pace – but so far ‘Eighties’ has been more about youthful jersey, Lycra and dayglo than Dallas-Dynasty silhouettes. Well forget all that. Preen’s show had a severely defined shoulder and Margiela is already touting the tailored shoulder as the way forward. Which begs the question, what kind of bag does one wear? An oversized slouch of the type we have all grown accustomed to simply will not do. Its chunky heaviness will slice a shoulder pad in two so a sharper, structured look is what’s needed. I’m liking this look by relative newcomer Michael Teperson. This bag has already been snapped up by Natalia Vodianova and it’s a handheld affair which won’t interfere with the sacred shoulder. An oversized clutch is another option already getting a certain amount of exposure for spring. Whichever it is, it’s all about a blade-sharp chic look so don’t fight it, embrace it.
I was sent some pictures of some jewellery by a new designer (well, I’d never heard of him) this week. Luis Morais is based in Miami and his jewellery is sold in Bamford & Sons in King’s Road in the UK. I really like it and haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere else so…you saw it here first!
Today was the third or fourth time I’ve been to The Shop At Bluebird (www.theshopatbluebird.com) in King’s Road. This is a shop that seems to be forever under the radar, possibly something to do with its location, at the Worlds End end of King’s Road. It has a great mix of lesser known labels (Alexander Wang, Danielle Scutt, Charles Anastase) mixed in with well-loved labels like APC yet it’s always quiet and I kind of feel it should have more recognition. When I go to Dover Street Market, I’m impressed at the layout and the merchandise but somehow I never feel like buying anything (which is just as well, it ain’t cheap). Here, I just want everything in sight. There is also beautiful jewellery of the thin-chain-with-delicate-charm variety that I can’t resist, as well as a fabulous book section. I don’t know why I’m complaining, Bluebird is like a secret shop to me but at the same time I want it to do well. If you’ve never been I’d recommend it.
