24 January, 2025

The aspirational familiarity of Lemaire and Auralee AW25

Auralee AW25

While the major fashion brands have seemingly gone nuts with their pricing, it makes sense that a certain demographic has shifted attention to Lemaire and Auralee. Both just showed at the menswear shows – precise (and practical) layering, easy-but-interesting silhouettes, harmonious colour palettes and distinctive accessories. Lemaire’s outerwear is particularly desirable with their gently exaggerated shoulders and I love the dopamine hits of red and green at Auralee (reminding me of Bally SS24). (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Brands, Business of fashion, Design, Designers, Fashion shows, Menswear, News Auralee, AW25, Bally, designers, Lemaire, menswear, Ryota Iwai

17 January, 2025

Intimidated? You’re welcome

Sheila Rock Young Punks King's Road Jordan

An alternative thought to last Thursday’s post about the cosy conviviality of the Alaïa cafe-bookshop.

Reading Sheila Rock’s excellent 2020 photo book, Young Punks, her photo of the decidedly uninviting facade of Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s 1976 SEX shop (above) revealed an audacious weirdness with intimidating appeal that lured people in out of sheer curiosity. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 3 Comments Books, Business of fashion, Design, Designers, Photography, Retail concepts, Trends Alaïa, books, culture of fashion, Malcolm McLaren, photography, punk, retail concepts, Sheila Rock, Vivienne Westwood, youth culture

14 January, 2025

The Toscani effect

Benetton 1984

Farewell Oliviero Toscani, a brilliant photographer and art director who changed the world through his audacious activism dressed as fashion advertising.

I became aware of him in the 1980s via his vibrant fashion shoots for Benetton using groups of racially diverse, often street cast models in simple studio settings, styled in layers upon layers by (my old boss) Caroline Baker. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Ad campaigns, Brands, Business of fashion, Magazines, News, Photography ad campaigns, Benetton, Caroline Baker, culture of fashion, Oliviero Toscani

9 January, 2025

The culture of fashion: Alaïa for foodies and bibliophiles

Alaia Violet Cakes Bond Street London

Just after New Year I treated myself to a banana bread and coffee date at the new Violet Cakes cafe in the New Bond Street Alaïa store. Food and fashion have been forging an alliance for some time and I was reminded that Azzedine Alaïa was a natural instigator of this idea as far back as the 1980s.

Unlike other luxury fashion houses with their ultra brand-coded cakes and confectioneries (hello Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami cakes) this is a somewhat more wholesome approach. The food is consumed round an aluminium communal table nodding to the original spirit of Azzedine Alaïa himself, famous for inviting models, seamstresses, editors and even passing VIP clients to join the home-made feast at the studio table. (more…)