One Two Three P.A.M

This just cropped up in an email from LN-CC. It's the 'Bambi' top from P.A.M - a collaboration between Australian duo Perks and Mini and Japanese artist Misaki Kawai. I love that it's called Bambi, it really looks like they just skinned a fawn. I love love love it. Buy it for me Cass?

Pretty much everything I could ever want.

Earlier this month Opening Ceremony unveiled the look book for their second collaboration with the Mulleavy sisters, Rodarte for Opening Ceremony AW11. Since then I have been trying with all my might to think of anything else, but with little success. For the cut, texture and colour palette, this has to be one of my favourite collections for Autumn. Shot by frequent Rodarte collaborator Autumn de Wilde, and 'inspired by the Nordic romance of Scandinavia' the collection is a beautiful mixture of understated Scandinavian femininity and Little House on the Prairie rigor.

The duck egg blue dress with Burgundy wedges (I assume they are wedges, its OC after all) has to be one of my favourite looks of the collection. Why 'slebs would wear D&G when they have access to this stuff is beyond me. Another beautiful use of this palette is in the image below, however this time with the added element of velvet and satin.

I cant decide which is more amazing, this floral jumpsuit or the Jil Sander trouser suit I was raving about last week.

Friends and Family Evening

Glaceau Vitaminwater kindly sponsored an event I put on at work recently for the lovely local folk of Portobello Road. Here is a couple of photos from the evening. Thank you very much to Exposure and Zarah Leaman and to Sarah Waring for the photos.

Friday I'm In Love LOVER

I came across this Australian brand about four years ago and it was perfect for my aesthetic; playful, girly, romantic. My taste has altered a little since then and become more simple and masculine and so Lover slipped out of my mind. I re-visited their site the other day and remembered how much I love it.
Nic Briand and Susien Chong have just celebrated their 10th year of runway shows at Sydney Opera House - a long way from the market stalls they used to sell their clothes from orginally.

Their Autumn Winter 2011 collection is filled with amazing wearable beauties:

This is my favorite look below. The colours and cut of the jacket are stunning. This looks like Autumn to me. Generally their pieces are designed for an Australian Winter - not so appropriate for London, however all their pieces are perfect for layering and transition well from Summer to Winter. Their coats are also really lovely and look really warm. I love the unusual cut of the collar on these two and the length of the sleeve.

Jil Sander AW11

The thought of skiing instils fear in me. As a person who has never grown out of teenage clumsiness, pulling on a ski jacket and whizzing down a slope covered in frozen water is possibly the last thing I would choose to do. It looks like Raf Simons feels differently though, sending his Jil Sander AW11 models out slope-ready. Bonnets, padded jackets and Christmas knits all set to a soundtrack of whistling arctic winds. However to skim Simons’ inspiration pool so lightly would be a disservice to the man. He studied Louise Dahl-Wolfe's images of women photographed in ski resorts, taking the black & white frozen-in-time images and breathing new life into them.

To avoid ski overkill Simons punctuated the collection with floral print, however for me the jumpsuit conjours images of that iconic all-in-one suit come full circle.

I particularly love the slouchy knit box-shaped jumpers and ski pants with stirrups.

Although probably not his intention (or maybe so?!) the cocoon shapes remind me of sung sleeping bags. Almost synthetic looking, and duck down padded.

Archive images from Jalou Archives via Style Bubble

Friday i'm in love.

I need to move to Sweden. Between COS, Monki and now Patouf I am spending longer each day dreaming of the nation’s aesthetic. It’s rumoured that Monki is opening a concession in Selfridges this autumn, and I hope Patouf follows suit and sets up camp in the UK soon. This Friday I’m dedicating my ‘Friday I’m in Love’ post to the brands beautiful AW11 collection. It embodies everything I love about Swedish design - clean lines, accents of detail and quiet confidence. The collection is highly feminine but in an understated and almost masculine way, there is no need for brash colours or flashes of flesh here. The colour palette is rich and autumnal, nodding somewhat enthusiastically to the trend for berry tones this winter. The simplicity and wearability of the collection is a huge success, but its Angseryd's attention to detail that makes it so special in my mind. The 60's inspired boots for example really lift the collection, as do the hip pockets. Its no wonder Angseryd was awarded the title Rookie of the Year by the Swedish Fashion Council.

Junya Watanabe AW11

Style.com has likened Junya Watanabe’s AW11 collection to the style synonymous with the Parisian student riots of 1968. It’s a link I can understand - Watanabe’s models are draped roguishly with a collection of textures, materials and structures. All black, and all worn with an air of attitude and anarchy. It’s a stark contrast the hooded rioters of London, but then isn’t it human nature to look back on events with a rose-tinted romance?

Watanabe has taken the student staple leather jacket and transformed it. Much like his obsession with stripes for SS11, he has taken apart the scaffolding of a fashion staple and rebuilt it with volume and distinction. Just the simple addition of the hourglass shape to the leather jacket has transformed it from Judas Priest fan to Torture Garden patron.

It is the mix of textures that I find so stunning about this collection. The sweeping leather underneath the oversized and over-brushed faux fur further underpins the anarchic sentiments of the collection. The models wore their hair in a similarly disheveled style, whist keeping their makeup clean and neat. The stomping boots and thin knits gave a final nod to the rioters of 60’s Paris.

Vanessa Bruno

Here is the lovely new Vanessa Bruno presentation:



LØV from Vanessa Bruno on Vimeo.

STOCKHOLM S/S 2012 NHU DUONG

This is the stunning new collection from Nhu Duong shown in Stockholm last week. It's an amazing amalgamation of aesthetics with strong hints of her Vietnamese heritage and more than a large dose of Scandinavian design. You can certainly see assisting at Acne has had it's influences. I'd happily wear it all, but more than anything, I'd like the over-sized tote with the neon strap.

LOVE.