Sunday 31 October 2010

Plastic Fantastic

When Vivienne Westwood collaborated with Brazilian label Melissa to produce her plastic Anglomnia shoe range in 2008, memories or should I say nightmares of the 1980's jelly shoe reared it's ugly head.
1980's jelly shoes








Vivienne Westwood £110 http://www.blueberries-online.com/ 


It was considered cool to wear these awful seaside plastic jelly shoes back in the 80's and having worn this awful shoe fisrt time round there was no way I was going to surrender to the updated version in the noughties. However, whilst window shopping I found the cutest pair of plastic, yes PLASTIC Melissa shoes. Never in a million years did I think I would be swiping my plastic in return for a pair of plastic heels.


I must admit the price tag made these shoes even more appealing as these cute peeptoe Melissa heels were in the sale at Eve on Main street, Frodsham. Once home I couldn't wait to wear my plastic heels (which by the way smell of purple pie man from the strawberry shortcake dolls) and built my outfit around them. Wearing them with these harem trousers kinda makes me feel like i'm at dance rehersals.  Mmmmm Happy Feet!

Jacket:Armani Exchange
T.shirt:H&M
Trousers:River Island
Plastic Heels:Melissa



Friday 29 October 2010

Made With Love.

Once again with time on my hands my mind turned to Christmas and the subject of gifts and stocking fillers. Amongst some of my most memorable gifts as a child was a clown doll which was hand- made for me by my nan. What made this gift so special was that my nan who i idolized for her sense of style and creativeness had put love, time and care into making this doll for me. With this in mind i rooted through my oh so messy fabric cupboard for remnants of cloth to create CHARLIE.

INTRODUCING CHARLIE!






I found the pattern from a really really old Reader's Digest sewing book & changed the scale of the pattern. Charlie didn't take to long to create but required patience matching up all those curved seams.

Verdict: He turned out well.I like him. Here's hoping my neice & nephew's do. x

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Masculine is the New Feminine



 So lets talk cigarette trousers. I desperately needed a look to go with my brogues as there was no way i was going to let them sit in a box collecting dust like so many other shoes i had purchased. After scanning numerous magazines  i decided cigarette trousers was the way forward. This particular style of trouser had cropped up in Valentino, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga & Prada's collections.

valentino Fall 2010
Stella McCartney Fall 2010

 Stella McCartney Fall 2010
 With my cropped do and masculine brogues the tomboy in me is surfacing once again. This look of course is not new and it was film actresses Greta Garbo & Marlene Dietrich that bought glamour to masculine tailoring in the 50's.

Marlene Dietrich
 Then there is the famous Helmut Newton photograph 'Rue Aubroit' where he photographed Yves Saint Laurent's 1966 'Le Smoking' tuxedo suit.
Rue Aubriot
 Growing up in the 80's i remember Annie Lenox and Madonna both sporting the androgynous look and how could i possibly forget the influence that the T.V soaps Dynasty and Dallas has on me with the power suit & those oh so hideous shoulder pads. Yep Masculine tailoring for women has been reinvented numerous times throughout the decades. So here is my take on the latest tailored style.






Please excuse photos. Can you tell I'm not a natural in front of the camera? Good old Marks & Sparks, you can't beat it. The shirt & trousers are from the Limited Collection. A mix of soft and structured.
All Marks & Spencers
All Karen Millen
This is all structure with the white tailored shirt & the pin tuck detailing at the bottom of the trouser leg.









Monday 25 October 2010

LAGERFELD

After finding myself at a loose end, twiddling my thumbs, i reached for my copy of 'Lagerfeld Confidential' that had been sat on my shelf collecting dust for a year.
One hour thirty minuets later i did not feel that i had gained an indepth insight into the eccentric designers life and was left feeling unaffected and some what disappointed by his creative thought process. I found myself more intrigued with his surroundings and the abundance of clutter and chaos that surrounded him. In the opening shot the camera follows Lagerfeld around one of his homes which resembles what can only be described as an Aladdin's Cave for creative people. His bed is surrounded by uneven stacks of magazines and books piled high, everywhere you look, in every corner of the room possible. The top of his chest of draws were spilling over with many silver rings as he searches for the three he wants to wear.I did however have to laugh when he opened a draw to reveal that it was filled to the brim with his trademark white, stiff, priest like collars.As he left his apartment he opened his draw and grabbed a collar in the same manor that we would grab our car keys. In the DVD he says that his designs come from his dreams and he fills in the rest. I watch on intrigued as he sketches a design in marker pen & tippex. TIPPEX??? He explains that tippex is his favourite drawing medium and how he uses it to convey satin. This is not something i had ever considered when deliverng the drawing unit to my 1st year fashion students. Well if it's good enough for Largerfield it's good enough for my students. All in all he came across as a very private man who regarded solitude as a victory and did not believe in making roots or getting attached to possessions. I could not relate to this in any way, shape or form ,however I did agree with his statement 'Fashion is work, not the highlife' as like many trades/jobs that are glamorised by T.V or glossy magazines, money and some clever advertising you enter the fashion industry with a very different idea to how it actually is and as i have watched and witnessed over the past seven years spent as a fashion lecturer it is only the individuals that spend every waking hour researching and independently trying to better themselves that succeed in this industry.
Witty moment of the film: A sign in the toilet that read 'Pissing everywhere isn't very Chanel'
My opinion of the film: A little clinical. I wanted to see the process of his 2D designs take shape into garments. Felt like a large chunk was missing for me. 

Saturday 23 October 2010

Who Needs A Man When You Can Have New Shoes!

They say true love only comes along once in a persons lifetime. In my case it comes along many times in the form of shoes.And after reapeted visits to Russell & Bromley staring through the window at these shoes i finally parted with £155 and purchased my new muse.
Yes, my most recent love affair is with my new Russell & Bromley brogues. The brogue, once only limited to being worn with the office suit have now found themselfs very much in fashion again and back onto the catwalk. This beautiful style shoe is being combined with pretty floral dresses or with a pair of cigarette trousers & a crisp white shirt for an androgynous look.


 How could i not fall in love with the decorative stitching on the toecap(or wingtip if your American)and the quality of this shoe. Unlike the men in my life i feel this love affair will last a lot longer than a couple of months.