Sofia Coppola

Return of the Soho fashion bookshops



Idea Books London

Interesting to see Soho (London) getting its retail groove back.

I noticed it in the summer with Machine A mark II, Marc Jacobs’ Heaven and Aries (so trendy, I was too intimidated to go inside). Now the niche fashion booksellers are coming back.

Idea Books just announced it’s opening its Wardour Street space to the public. Previously ‘by appointment’ only, it’s expanding to take up a much larger chunk of the building, which is located in the epicentre of Soho. And Isabella Burley’s Climax Books has just opened in Wardour Mews (Thursday-Saturday). Dealing in collectible vintage books and avant-garde erotica respectively, they’re bringing bookish fashionistas back to the beating heart of the city.

In the days when Central Saint Martins was located in Charing Cross Road, all the fashion students would flock to Borders for their expensive style zines (often consumed FOC with a two-hour coffee in Starbs upstairs). (more…)



Trend report: what to wear for AW23



Johnny Dufort for T Magazine

AW23 is emphatically female-focussed, kicking off with supermodel mania – that Vogue cover, the Apple series and a Linda Evangelista book – and continuing with a slew of women-championing exhibitions. We’ve also got the big Phoebe Philo reveal to come, as well as a focus on revivalist classic fashion (aka gentlewoman style). For this you can easily shop your closet, or consider buying pre-loved – the quality may be better and so may the price. “The connection between instability in the economy and consumers’ desire for classic, quality pieces that retain value is certainly at play, as is the cultural zeitgeist,” Kelly McSweeney, senior merchandising manager at The RealReal, told WWD. (more…)



See this: summer watch list



Asteroid City Wes Anderson

Everyone’s talking about Barbie, the movie, but I’m probably going to give that a miss. Instead, I’m looking forward to Wes Anderson’s latest kookfest, Asteroid City (above), with its usual stellar cast line-up, and BlackBerry, a satirical biopic of the tech company to satisfy my chronic nostalgia-itis. (more…)



Coming soon: Sofia Coppola Archive



Sofia Coppola Archive book

Is it too early for holiday gift planning? Sofia Coppola’s first coffee table book is available for pre-order, landing in September.

Archive, published by MACK is a kind of time capsule of film storyboards, scripts, photos and ephemera, charting the creative life of the one-time designer, 90s It girl, influential director and all-round style icon. (more…)