how it’s made

On archives and exhibitions: Balenciaga, Jessica Ogden, Cartier, George Rodger



Balenciaga Shaping Fashion exhibition at V&A

London is enjoying a golden age of art and fashion exhibitions. You could easily do nothing else all day but soak up one multi-sensorial orgy after another. I made Hockney at Tate Britain by the skin of my teeth and I’m currently gearing up for Matisse in the Studio (more…)



Take your time: the bespoke shirt



Turnbull and Asser bespoke shirt for women

The French may have Charvet, but we have Turnbull & Asser. In matters of sartorial excellence, a bespoke shirt has to be one of life’s great not-so-little luxuries. So in the name of research, I took up the offer of trying out the service.

Shirts factor big in my book, The New Garconne: How to be a Modern Gentlewoman and they’re also enjoying a major fashion spotlight moment, especially those of gargantuan, deconstructed proportions. And yet here’s a fascinating fact: only about 1% of Turnbull & Asser bespoke shirts are made for women. (more…)



Positive fashion: Fashion Revolution and London Craft Week



London Craft Week and Fashion Revolution

On Monday I’m going to Gloucester for one of my favourite blogging activities; I’m off to watch my very own bespoke shirts being made. I now have quite a stash of How It’s Made features in the vault (see them here), from field trips to the Dr Martens factory, the Chanel embroidery workshops, the Smythson bookbinding workshops and – one of my most visited posts – the Hermes handbag workshop just outside Paris. It’s always an amazing treat as I love getting insider access to these places and geeking out at all the processes. (more…)



Retail report: Come on over to Coach House, London



Coach House London flagship store

If you’ve strolled through Oxford Circus Station lately, you’ll know there’s a new Coach store in town. The giant billboard and video ads along the tunnel walkways and up the escalator are a good giveaway. If not, the neon dinosaurs lighting up its Regent Street windows may well lure you in. (more…)