9 of Fashion's Most "WTF?" Collaborations (The Good, the Bad and the Hideous)

Over the years fashion, possibly more than any industry other than music, has produced some of the world's most talked about collaborations, though not always for the right reasons. 

With the rapid evolution of streetwear from being reserved for hip hop's elite to becoming de rigeur for basically everyone, collaborations have become an effective way for brands to target mass audiences without diluting their brand. Once looked down upon by fashion insiders, the high street is now the go-to for trend-led affordable pieces and high-end fashion brands have become quite savvy in developing mutually beneficial relationships. 

And it's worth noting that this doesn't always mean a collaboration between two fashion brands, collaborations with celebrities are a near-daily occurrence while some brands look elsewhere (e.g. home furnishings) to extend their reach. 

Some collabs result in sheer genius, others in disaster. I'm somewhat obsessed with the phenomenon so I decided to write about 9 of fashion's most WTF collaborations - or at least 9 of my favourites - the good, the bad and the hideous. Buckle up. 

POEM: New alone.

POEM: Frissons

POEM: It's been said once

4 Womenswear Designers Who Need To Start Designing Menswear- Stat!

It's blindingly obvious to say but it always needs to be said - compared to womenswear, menswear is invariably uninspired, not particularly innovative and let's face it, pretty fucking boring.

Fashion week is not solely to blame, nor are premium brands, if you've been in a high street store lately then you will have been overwhelmed by the plethora of options on offer to the fairer sex. Fashion forward separates to mix and match seamlessly into a wardrobe of classic staples, trend-led outfits inspired by (and perhaps direct copies of) fashion week looks, celebrity street style for a fraction of the price, all over a minimum of two floors. Meanwhile, us men settle for a depressing melange of dated graphic tees, ill fitting faux leather jackets and literally the same shoes that have been on sale for the past twenty years, all huddled onto one floor or perhaps a sad little corner of the kidswear floor (yes, I'm talking about you ZARA). Speaking of ZARA, can any of you dear readers help explain why their menswear is so seismically disjointed from their womenswear offering? Because I can't. I know plenty of girls who get gorgeous pieces from ZARA on a weekly basis while I struggle to find anything that doesn't make me look like an Italian barber with a sports car (not that there's anything wrong in that, it just isn't exactly the aesthetic I strive for).

I've recently Carrie Bradshaw-ly "got to thinking" about from who I would absolutely love to see a menswear offering. Brands and designers who not only show great tailoring prowess which could easily be transferred into menswear, but also a brand that has fun, brings innovation to the table and could offer something wholly new to the lacklustre world of menswear. And so here, in no particular order, are my ideal fantastic four.

Short Read: Menswear Cheers Up (Spring 2018 Review)

A few months ago you may remember me lamenting at the absolute state of recent menswear shows in my post - Menswear Needs An Antidepressant . It was a post born out of frustration and a mild cry for help. Bored of seeing drab, oversized, suffocating looks come stomping down the runway, models appearing to be riddled with angst, the clothes themselves looking as though they bear a grudge, I took to this blog to exorcise my outrage. This season, it brings me an immeasurable amount of satisfaction to say, men's fashion has cheered up! Well... a little. I'd like to think that John Galliano, Raf Simons et al are all avid readers of this blog and were absolutely distraught that I was feeling down about mens fashion so took it upon themselves to turn it around... a boy can dream.

With so many brands now showing their menswear and womenswear in singular shows, there's added pressure for designers to amp up the menswear to match the resplendence of their womenswear, and make both lines equally as Instagrammable. This season saw prints, patterns and sequins (oh my!) clashes of faux fur and stripes with florals and fringe to boot. It all sounds over the top, I know, but these things can be done tastefully when done with restraint. Excess may work for some, but it doesn't mean all brands should succumb to "Guccification" just because there's freedom to do so. 

As the winter of discontent is slowly turning into a summer of love (with J.W. Anderson literally putting hearts all over everything) I thought I'd offer up my favourite menswear looks from the season, below. Special shout outs go to Paul Smith who showed an incredible use of colour without going overboard - a stark contrast to the refined "tailoring with a twist" the brand is so synonymous with and also to J.W. Anderson who's entire collection I'm now coveting (particularly the love heart-speckled leather jacket).

Oh, and the key colour we'll apparently all be wearing next spring? Red. Not a certain obscure shade of red, we're talking red - bright, brash, unapologetic, Crayola, post box, Louboutin sole red. Just divine. Check it all out below. 

Doctor Pressure: 4 ways to go easy on yourself and still get shit done

How is it July already?! More than half way through the year and already so much has happened. Firstly, I can't believe I haven't blogged in almost five months (my bad!) but in my defence, I've changed job and country, so it's safe to say that I've been somewhat preoccupied.

I'm back in the UK, Manchester to be exact, and loving it so far, but getting to this stage wasn't easy and it certainly wasn't quick. I left Berlin in March, moved back in with my parents for almost two months and only ever got out of the foetal position to eat the contents of my parents' fridge. Using my parents' house as a kind of "life rehab", I shut myself off from the world for a while and took time to re-group, recover, figure out what it is I wanted and generally get my shit together a little bit. 

Returning from the glittering promise of the life I worked hard to achieve in Berlin, I felt embarrassed, defeated, and a bit lost. It wasn't what I expected, it wasn't the life I wanted and when you have your mind set on something for so long and then it turns out to not be what you thought it was... it can leave you a little bewildered. I'm my own worst enemy, I am hard on myself and mercilessly beat myself up over the smallest mishaps. But this time, instead of convincing myself that happiness and success might just not be in my future, I took it easy for a while. I took stock of my successes, I realised that my life really wasn't that bad, that I'd actually had a pretty good life so far and I'd achieved quite a bit. And so, I dusted myself off and launched myself back into the world. How did I do that? How did I train my mind to change tracks like that? How do people "take it easy" and yet still grab life by the balls? Well I can only tell you how I did it and hope it helps someone in some way. Let's do this. 

POEM: Jaguar Shoes

POEM: Peckham Flex

POEM: In rooms.

POEM: absolution.

My First International Commission!

Dear readers, today is an exciting day for me - my first ever international commission is officially in print! My two-page article "Eastern Orientation", about the influence of modern Asian fashion on the Western world, has been published in Harper's BAZAAR Malaysia and I'm thrilled, it even got a little mention on the cover! 

As most of you know, I've been taking my writing much more seriously over the past few months, I've been committed to focusing on doing something that I enjoy and feel rewarded by and today is evidence that it's paying off!

Hopefully this will be the first of many commissions to come my way in 2017 but Harper's BAZAAR?! What a way to start! Seeing this is so incredibly encouraging and exactly the type of news I needed to stay motivated. Follow your dreams kids! 

If you can't get your hands on the print issue of Harper's BAZAAR Malaysia - you can get the digital version here -

https://www.magzter.com/MY/Blu-Inc-Media-Sdn-Bhd/Harper's-Bazaar-Malaysia/Lifestyle/

Short Read: Menswear Needs An Antidepressant

For the past few seasons I've slowly started to fall out of love with fashion week. Not only do "seasons" feel somewhat antiquated but there's seems to be an increasing level of pomp and circumstance and more of focus on sales rather than artistry, resulting in a drought of talent or as André Leon Talley would call it, "A famine of beauty!".

While many new creative directors are still easing themselves into their roles, we're still waiting for a big bang moment, which may well come next season when some of them debut their collections.

That aside, designers seem to be phoning it in a little. Not only is artistry suffering but also quality and above all - fantasy! Regardless of what you might think of their work, when it comes to the big names, designers Alessandro Michele, Jeremy Scott, Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne seem to be the only ones having fun. When did fashion become so serious?! Mens fashion in particular is in dire need of cheering up. Models are stick thin, ghostly pale and draped in ill-fitting, dark clothing, stomping down the runway looking positively mortified at what their mates down the pub would say if they saw them dressed like this.

2017: Settling Dust // A New Frontier

And so, here we are. A new year, a new chapter, a fresh start. I went through a lot of change last year, personally and professionally, and already this year the dust has begun to settle and I'm starting to see more clearly. I'm starting to not necessarily "feel" like myself again but perhaps, I'm start to get back to knowing who I am and what I want again. Last year I took some big steps, made some rash decisions, some good, some bad, but each one taught me something. Better to have lived and learned, right? 

Being caught up in a whirlwind of social media beef, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and flagrantly discriminatory politicians (not to mention presidents-elect) can take its toll on the ol' outlook on life. It's easy to feel down, and to stay down. It's easy to feel suffocated. But it's vital that we remember that above the clouds, the sun is always shining. 

2016 wasn't a great year for the world at large, but it was a pretty great year for me. My boyfriend and I took a leap and not only moved in together but also moved to Berlin together. I've developed a lot as a person, I feel that I've matured so quickly through my twenties, each year I look back and barely recognise the me from the previous year. Continually surprised by how far I've come and how much can change in twelve short months. 

In order to "live in the moment" you first need an understanding of how you got to that moment. So much happened last year, too much perhaps, and only now, with the brutal gift of hindsight are we able to look back and take stock of exactly where we are and how to move forward. 

NYFW S/S 2017 New Directions: DvF, Coach and Oscar de la Renta

The fashion industry is in a complete state of flux at the moment. So much change in such little time. The revolving door of creative directors keeps on spinning and many brands are still ironing out the logistics of their newly adopted "see now, buy now" format.

Some immediate edits to the industry came to light during New York Fashion Week. Jonathan Saunders for example debuted his first collection as creative director of Diane von Furstenburg, Coach continued to cement their massively overhauled more "urban" aesthetic and Oscar de la Renta showcased their latest collection before Monse's Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia take over as creative directors next season. So let's see how these collections have set the brands up for next season.

NYFW Trend: The (Mostly) Monochrome Texture Mash-Up ft. Victoria Beckham, Christian Siriano, Prabal Gurung and Rodarte

This season's New York Fashion Week has been ridden with change. Not only has the fashion industry seen a flux of changes in creative directors but a noticeable change is apparent from merely looking at the clothes - a shift in priorities from silhouette to texture. This season is a lot more about how a woman feels in her clothes rather than how she looks in them. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to design elements, the focus has been to offer pieces which seem familiar, but in an unexpected fabric and coupled with other pieces in starkly contrasting fabrics.

TOM FORD FALL 2016 REVIEW

Lucky Blue and Gigi Hadid walk for Tom Ford - Fall 2016. Image: Vogue Runway 

Fashion month has officially kicked off to a roaring start and who better to really get things going than the dashing Jack-of-all-trades supremo Tom Ford?

Yesterday Ford debuted his first show-now-buy-now collection, and though it is still yet to be seen exactly how (and indeed how well) the immediately-available fashion week format is going to work, Ford is clearly in no way intimidated.

7.5 life lessons after 7.5 years in London

Three months ago, after seven and a half years in London, I left. With nothing but a laptop and a suitcase of clothes, I flew to Berlin to start a new chapter in my life. Last week marked three months to the day that I arrived in Berlin, not a milestone by any means, but the gravity of it has made me somewhat homesick for the past week or so. When I lived in London, I rarely got homesick. It was still Britain, everything was familiar, I had friends, and I knew that if/when any pangs for the green, green grass of home kicked in, I could jump on a train or a coach and be home in under three hours.  

This homesickness however, is different. Home is now a two hour flight then a three hour drive away, and because of that, I've been reflecting a lot on my time in London - the good, the bad, the incredibly ugly, but also the rewarding, the educational, the life-affirming and character-building things that have undeniably shaped and formed who I am today. 

I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 18 year-old from the Welsh valleys when I arrived in London, having never been away from home for longer than a week. Yes I was terrified, but my fear was overruled by excitement. I left London a more confident, determined and self-secure 26 year-old, and I can confidently say that I'd be a completely different 26 year-old now had I not done it. 

So with that in mind, (and seeing as I'm in a reflective mood) I thought I'd tell you a little of what I learned in that time. Whether you currently live in London, used to live there or are planning to live there, or any city really - I hope this is of some use! 

Movie Villains in Couture by David Murray

As you may or may not remember, last year illustrator David Murray dropped a sartorial and fairly satirical series of images, each one of a different movie villain/horror movie character wearing some of the hottest recent runway looks. Hello my two favourite worlds colliding! 

Whilst smirking to myself at the sight of Boba Fett in Astrid Andersen, Stephen King's Pennywise in Moschino (which will have me never look at Ronald McDonald in the same way again) and Darth Maul in a suitably coordinated Givenchy ensemble, some of my favourite female villains were noticeably absent. Thankfully, Murray has returned this year with a series dedicated entirely to my favourite type of on-screen persona - the female super-villain - decked out in Spring/Summer 16's finest looks.

AW16's best ad campaigns and why we need them!

While admiring this season's finest fashion ad campaigns, I Carrie Bradshaw-ly got to thinking - do we still need these?!