Showing posts with label fashion. Show all posts

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: Frissons



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



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/

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 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.

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?!

Kenzo x H&M: FIRST LOOKS!

























When Kenzo was confirmed as the most recent H&M designer collaboration, the twittersphere seemed more excitable than usual. While previous collaborations such as Versace, Karl Lagerfeld and last year's Balmain have been a sort of novelty for the brands from the upper realms of the fashion stratosphere to create high street clothing (emulating but of course never quite matching the aesthetic or quality of their own designs) this collab could be one to break the mould. 

REVIEW: Gucci Menswear - Spring 2017

Ever wondered what it would be like if Bryan Fuller and Wes Anderson designed menswear? Me neither, but now, we don't have to! 


In a clear digression from its Brit-punk infused Cruise collection where Britain's melting pot cultured was realised in all its kaleidoscopic splendour, Gucci's Spring 2017 Menswear show was a worldly, multicultural myriad of geek-chic and historic-looking Chinese silks. 

REVIEW: Topman Design Spring/Summer 2017





"Miami Vice meets Margate" isn't a sentence I thought I'd write when making notes on a menswear collection (or ever for that matter) and yet, here we are.

This season Topman Design showcased a brazen celebration of Britishness, the British seaside to be precise. Whether your sentiments towards British summers are that of looking out onto perfectly cloudless skies, above a glistening navy sea while you lap up a brilliant white ice cream, or of grey skies, howling winds, rickety death-defying fairground rides and eating shit fish and chips, there was something in this collection for everyone.

REVIEW: Moschino Menswear : Spring 2017



With Jeremy Scott at the helm, Moschino has gone from Italian fashion's neglected step child to one of fashion week's most talked about shows; and one of the decade's most divisive brands. Love it or loathe it, Moschino receives column inches other brands can only dream of and its divisiveness only adds to the much-hyped conversation. Better that people have a strong opinion, positive or otherwise, than no opinion at all. Right?

Fashion x Tech: Fashion, but not where you expected it







With an average London Fashion Week show costing around £200,000 and major brands like Chanel and Christian Dior spending millions each season, it's no surprise that many designers are now looking at new, innovative ways to present their collections. This is, in part, a result of brands increasingly looking at ways to save money, without sacrificing their reach and appeal. Previously living in fear of diluting their brand, or tarnishing its status, fashion houses are now looking at new, often unorthodox ways of reaching vast audiences.


Gender Fluidity in Fashion: Just the beginning





If 2015 was the year that transgenderism was thrust into the media spotlight (with thanks in part to a certain Ms. Caitlyn Jenner), then 2016 is the year that gender barriers are shattered all together.


OBEY X Keith Haring



OBEY X Keith Haring at Urban Outfitters. I want.

Check out the promo video here.

3.1 Phillip Lim A/W 2012


Chic, sophisticated with very subtle (yet still impactful) statements, Lim's latest offering effortlessly bridges together the smart and the casual to create a very editorial aesthetic, which in this context means, to look like an editor

Charles Guislain





This 19 year-old French photographer is fast becoming a style icon in his own right, look him up, you'll see why.