20 March, 2009

Dashing Tweeds

Oh how I love a good coincidence. When I was doing my reporter’s stint at London Fashion Week, I happened upon a jazzily outfitted dandy-type outside the mens shows. He let me take his photo and we got chatting. It turns out this tweed-attired fellow was a photographer and our paths had in fact crossed briefly before. He told me he was now dabbling in design and handed me his business card. “Dashing Tweeds?!” I exclaimed (as that was the name of his business), “No way!” My boyfriend D is a big fan of Dashing Tweeds and we’re both regular visitors to the blog, we just didn’t realise who was behind it.

Dashing Tweeds is a brilliantly innovative modern tweed company which was set up by Guy Hills (he of the dandyish attire) and RCA graduate Kirsty McDougall. Hills wanted to do something new and interesting with tweed and discovered textile designer McDougall while visiting the RCA. A keen cyclist, one of Hills’ innovations is a reflective tweed called Lumatwill that means you can cycle to work in a suit without having to grapple with reflective jackets, tabards or sashes. Another is the tweed cycling trouser that has adjustable hems and another is my favourite – the teflon-coated tweed tailored cape, as modelled below by Iris Palmer. Dashing Tweeds is starting to get a lot of recognition but Hills is extremely low key. Despite having created that purple tartan for Henry Holland last autumn and Dashing Tweeds’ suits being sold in Savile Row, there is no hint of ego or arrogance in this affable character.

An ecommerce site is currently under construction so I predict we will be hearing a lot more about Dashing Tweeds. In the meantime, check out the blog, it’s brilliant!

Disneyrollergirl 6 Comments Bloggers, Design, Designers, Photography

20 March, 2009

Quote of the day

“Hunt down a vintage Hermes lizard-skin Thermos flask and take fresh coffee to the office.”
UK Vogue feature on thrift chic…Hmmm, see anything wrong with this picture?

Disneyrollergirl 4 Comments Quote of the day

19 March, 2009

The Sartorialist for Barneys?

An interesting article on Scott Schuman AKA The Sartorialist in the Times magazine last Saturday. The bit I liked most? This bit:

‘To launch the Sartorialist book there will be a pop-up shop in Barneys New York (“The Sartorialust,” he says, “selling great accessories that really define a look. A great watch, great pyjamas, great suspenders…”)’ – although Fashionista points out that this hasn’t actually been confirmed yet. Still, it does tie in nicely with my retail experience fantasy of stores having specially-curated areas by guest ‘buyers’, so if it does happen at Barneys, maybe it would happen in other stores…

Disneyrollergirl 1 Comment Bloggers, Books, Photography, Retail concepts

18 March, 2009

The Rock And Roll Public Library

This is turning out to be a week of scrapbook-mania, moodboard-making and ephemera-loving! Firstly, I decided to make some fashiony moodboards for my own pleasure so have started with the fun bit – namely deciding on themes and sorting all my relevant scraps into piles. To aid the creative flow, dear D came home this evening with a Waterstones carrier bag tucked under his arm. Therein was the Satchmo book, a present for us to share which is even better than I expected. Pages and pages of cut-out photos, hand rendered type and yellowing tape artfully arranged into beautiful, personal collages that tell the story of Louis Armstrong’s life. As if that wasn’t ‘WOW’ enough, an email just pinged in my inbox from PR pal R about The Rock And Roll Public Library.

This is an exhibition that opened today featuring a lifetime’s collecting of pop culture and ephemera by West London cool dude Mick Jones (otherwise known as iconic guitarist and songwriter from The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite and Carbon Silicon). Jones has collected and archived all his Clash-related videos, magazines, stage clothes, artwork and instruments as well as more personal letters and artefacts amassed in his studio over the last three (or even four) decades. The exhibition is on show for a month but Jones has longer term aims for the collection. “Ultimately I’d like to have a permanent place to exhibit the whole collection like a museum, like a library where you can come and see the stuff and maybe get a copy or sit there and read it. I also would like to bring artists there because it’s history really,” he said. It’s on until 18th April and I can’t wait to go!