Agnes B

Discoveredd: Curated fashion and style



Do we need any more curation in our lives? It seems the answer is yes, lot’s more. eBay has just launched its new look ‘curated’ interface in the States which will be rolled out internationally over the next three months:

Meanwhile, every other day I’m emailed a press release about a new ‘discovery commerce’-based start-up or an existing site gets a Pinterest-style layer added to it. Well why not? We love discovering new things, especially when there are ‘tastemakers’ involved. I did a bit of tastemaking for Discoveredd last month. The site launched by Oliver Walsh lets you create a profile to add your discoveries to and also has a section called Spotlight where it invites the likes of Caroline Issa, Amanda Harlech, Cozette McCreery (I just discovered she sat for Lucian Freud) and me to share our finds.

Mine are here. It’s actually quite hard to choose your favourite things at any one time (I have hundreds of favourites!) but mine included Bill Bernstein’s photography, J.W Anderson’s shirts,  Dinh Van jewellery, RSVP Berlin, 1STDIBS.com and Agnes B tees.

In fact, the Agnes B tee was a rediscovery. They were my uniform in the 90s and I started wearing them religiously again this summer. Agnes B have carried on selling the same style for years. Here’s me with Corrine Day in my Agnes B tee and a funny hat…

These tees age really well. They shrink slightly so I buy them in a size bigger but even the really old ones are still wearable. But I digress. I think the best thing about sites like Discoveredd is when the curation is ‘meaningful’, i.e, the recommendations are true recommedations that the user wants to share, rather than just streams of ‘I want this’. I find it more useful and meaningful when people recommend beauty/fashion products that they actually use and swear by, or a cafe, book, shop etc that they genuinely love. What’s your view on discovery and curation sites?



The L.A. DIARIES Part 1



You may have noticed I have a bit of a rollerskating ‘thing’. Not being the sporty type, I can only guess it must hinge on the seductive Californian, 70s imagery that accompanies anything rollergirl/boy related, although there’s also some amazing imagery that goes back beyond the 70s. (more…)



On Helmut, Jil, Joseph, Juergen, Corrine, Kirsten and Stella










As Jen at Mahalo fashion bemoans, every drop of interest has been squeezed out of the ’70s so what’s next on the retro rehash front? I hate to say it but the fact cannot be ignored, it’s time for the nineties revival proper. It’s had a couple of false starts, the latest being nu-rave, but I think we can start looking at the 90s revival from a grown-up point of view. As Fashionista reports that 1990s finest alterna-models Kirsten Owen and Stella Tennant are rumoured to be the faces of Marc Jacobs’ fall campaign, I’m thinking the following will start looking fresh now:

Skinny black suit trousers and pointy black ankle boots -very Helmut Lang/Jil Sander, very Alison Mosshart

Spiky kitten heels – Remember when Dolce & Gabbana did these? I can totally see Vicky Beckham working a kitten heel and sheath dress combo

Non-trashy silver: Who can forget Jean Colonna’s silver jeans, silver leather jackets, silver-sprayed Cons?

McQueen’s ‘ugly’ aesthetic – think edgy tailoring, angry walks, intricate details, elaborate shows

Tom Ford for Gucci’s smoky eye and liquid jersey dresses with punky patent boots (wow, was that really 10 years ago?)

Isaac Mizrahi’s AW04 ballskirt and tee combo – legendary!

Joseph – when did it all go wrong with Joseph? I used to lust after those big black slouchy knits like a junior fashionista possessed, not to mention the boyish trouser suits, luxe hoodies and flat-front trousers with trademark stripe up the side

Patrick Cox loafers – I’m still regretting that I could never afford the gold ones. With news that Patrick Cox has been bought by Eddie Davenport, may I suggest they revive these pretty sharpish?

Camel: AW 94/95 = Camel suits at Calvin Klein (complete with chignons and 60s eyeliner), camel Crombie-style coats at Helmut Lang, camel dresses at MaxMara and Ann Demeulemeester (with aforementioned black ankleboots)

1990s models – Supermodels aside, who doesn’t miss the golden greats: Emma Balfour, Bridget Hall, Lorraine Pascale, Kiara, Veronica Webb, Kirsty Hume, Cecelia Chancellor …

1990s photographers: Ellen von Unwerth, David Sims, Juergen Teller, Corinne Day

CK Jeans: That iconic ad is imprinted on my brain!

Agnes B garconne look – admittedly I never stopped rocking this look but I reckon it’s time for it to resurface. Agnes B has been under-the-radar for most of this decade so let’s hear it for the stripy tee, Black picot-edge cardi and beatnik sunnies. PS, old Agnes is opening up shop in Spitalfields Market soon too.

Pics:
CK One
CK One
Emma Balfour in iD
Juergen Teller for Katharine Hamnett Denim
iD cover with Lorraine Pascale
Milla Jovovich wears Alberto Biani in iD photographed by Bob Richardson
Elle