I’m officially over winter now, my head is in spring – even if I’m still wearing hiking socks and Timberland boots. To celebrate the arrival of SS10 trickling into stores, here’s a taste of Current Elliot. Boyfriend jeans are still a mainstay of the collection but I was more interested in the non-jeans offering – chambray playsuits, gingham pocket dresses, paint-smeared utility shirts and the most perfect sailor top ever. Bring on spring!
At the beginning of last year, a friend alerted me to the blog, What Katie Wore. The premise of the blog was simple, as a love letter to Katie, her boyfriend Joe would document her daily outfits but with a twist – she had to wear a different outfit every day for a year. Word spread, the blog became a cult and we have spent the past 12 months witnessing Katie’s many fine ways with coloured tights, playful jewels and a cheery knit.
Today the blog reached its 365th day and the end of the challenge. Not! Katie and Joe have had such good times with the blog that they’re carrying it on. Good decision!
I love that something as simple as playing dress up can be such a brilliant source of entertainment to so many. Katie’s style is a million miles from mine but just looking at those colourful ensembles makes me reach for the red cardigan instead of the grey. On the same subject, Susie Bubble wrote a post this week in answer to someone who had sent her quite a puzzling email. The crux of his message was the complaint that ‘fashion has turned into cries for attention rather than practicality’, and he cited ‘bizarre trinkets and bright colors’ as being major offenders.
I was completely bamboozled. In this day and age, how on earth can anyone be seriously offended by what people wear when they are simply being creative and fun? Now, more than ever, with the internet allowing fashion access to all, there is no need to wear boring clothes unless you want to. There is nothing more delightful than catching sight of someone who takes real pleasure in what they wear (and maybe stealing a little bit of their look for your own. Er, guilty!).
“We’d all wear Azzedine Alaïa, these tight belts and heels and the fashion room was full of glass tables that you were only allowed to put three things on. White lilies and nothing else.”
Venetia Scott on Vogue in Ponystep
As soon as this preposterous weather gets over I’m getting my ass down to Selfridges. I’m totally into their clever new concept store, The Nineties Are Vintage, which opens on 11th January for 3 weeks. Apparently, now that the 90s are over ten years old, they can be classed as vintage so Selfridges are cashing in and partnering with Rellik, Beyond Retro and Idea Books to celebrate the decade’s stylish offerings.
The nineties was the decade that I found my style groove which encompassed mostly monochrome minimalism – APC, Comme, Helmut Lang – as opposed to Kurt Kobain-tinged grunge. This is all making me want to rejig my wardrobe. Having despatched 2 giant laundry bags of old sweatshirts and too-short Joseph trousers to charity, I now have space to see what I’ve been missing. Specifically, I’ve been missing a black wool jersey calf-length Comme skirt circa 1995 that I unearthed in immaculate moth-free condition that I fancy wearing again with biker boots or riding boots. I think it would go nicely with a Marimekko breton and my polka dot Comme-from-H&M cardi or another relic, my black laddered Joe Casely-Hayford jumper (I do like writing my outfits down, they look so much better on paper screen!).
