design

On “Mid” creativity, wild sincerity and the curse of the algorithm



Eric - Benedict Cumberbatch
I’m halfway through watching Eric on Netflix thanks to a few gushing Facebook recommendations.

I don’t watch many streamed series. A combination of shattered attention span and a default anti-hype setting means I prefer to wait till the fuss dies down and then I… don’t get round to it.

Anyway, I’m liking Eric (above), the 80s crime drama about a dysfunctional puppeteer whose son goes missing and the various sub-plots woven within. I’m particularly enjoying the early-80s New York setting, cultural references, cinematic colour grading and ace music score, along with the suspenseful pace of the storytelling.

Is it blowing my mind? Not quite. But it’s good enough. The New York Times has a coincidental opinion piece pondering the “mid”-ness of current TV. (more…)



Perfect pairing: office cowboy



Office Cowboy style Giedre Dukauskaite

On my radar: executive realness with a side of rodeo swagger. Niche I know, but I’m feeling the office cowboy vibes courtesy of Giedre Dukauskaite.

Maybe it’s the tension between corporate conformity and wild west rebellion. Whatever, I think the combination of power tailoring (I just copped this blazer), plus subtle saloon bar details – the belt*, the boot*, the shirt styling* – is one worth getting involved in. (more…)



Quote of the day: Michael Chow



Michael Chow studio 1973 Barry Lategan

“It’s a photograph dress, not a wearing dress. And that reminds me of a story. This man sold a thousand tins of sardines, and the buyer rang him up and said, ‘I’ve just eaten one of your sardines. It was disgusting,’ and this man said, `You fool, they weren’t eating sardines, they were buying and selling sardines.’”
Michael Chow on Tina Chow’s Fortuny dress, Vogue, 1973 (more…)



The culture of fashion: kilty pleasures



Le Kilt

It’s 30 years since Marc Jacobs’ fateful Perry Ellis grunge collection, so a good time for one revival in particular. This autumn I’m excited for the return of the kilt, the old money staple that straddles childhood nostalgia and tradition (think school uniforms and the Queen off-duty) and pop culture subversion (70s punk, 90s grunge, Cher from Clueless).

This season, Burberry has cleverly revived it as a youthful house code in an effort to ramp up Daniel Lee’s modern Brit vision. (more…)