What’s the best thing about Milli Millu’s DeMellier’s new Belgravia handbag store? Is it that it’s hidden up a flight of stairs off Hyde Park Corner with no chance of passing trade? Is it the expansive windows allowing for floods of afternoon light, all the better to show off the arm candy? Or is it designer Mireia Llusia-Lindh’s pefectly-proportioned handbags themselves? (more…)
There has been quite the brouhaha over River Island showing a ‘blogger-inspired’ range to the press at its AW12 press day. Consisting of statement accessories and clothes (think texture clashing, fearless colourplay, bold prints, embellished everything) a few style bloggers have taken umbrage at being thought of as people who just throw on gaudy mis-matchy outfits to get attention from streetstyle photographers or other bloggers. To this I say, lighten up! Keep calm, keep your head down and carry on. River Island (and H&M with its forthcoming Anna Dello Russo collab) are just thinking commercially with this idea. Because to achieve this look (which I’d say is a particular experimental-eclectic blogger look than a general blogger look) you do need to buy things in multiples. So River Island, H&M et al will maximise on sales of say, a top, a bag and three necklaces, rather than just one piece. It’s smart business thinking innit!
Having missed the press day and the chance to appraise the AW12 collection myself, I asked River Island’s press office for their thoughts. Senior press officer Melissa Collins says, “the blogger story is representative of a look that’s interesting, exciting, not afraid to experiment, not afraid to try looks that break boundaries and to push limits and fashion forward. Bloggers are ambassadors of street style which has become such a key element of the fashion industry today. As a brand, we are defining what real people are wearing and we feel that bloggers are the voice of the real people.”
I think the debate is quite an interesting one as it does beg the question, where does style blogging go next? I’m sure this one will run and run and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the debate discussed further in Grazia next week…
Image: River Island Instagram
H&M Magazine’s Summer 2012 issue is out on Tuesday and the feature I wrote on the magic of fashion shows has made a coverline. I’ll be hunting out a copy next week, in the meantime, watch Clare Richardson styling Edita Vilkeviciute’s cover shoot here
Who doesn’t love COS? The Swedish brand may be the high street sister company of H&M but it has all the hallmarks of a higher end designer brand. It has its own aesthetic signature, an arty, design-conscious customer base and an intelligent point of view. It feels kind of secretive though, so here’s a wee peek into the brand as it launches a pop-up shop in Milan (designed by Gary Card).
