2.23 // LFW 2009: Aquascutum, Chloe for OC, Jaeger London, and more…

Ah, LFW truly is in full swing now! The 80’s look has carried over across the pond, along with the monochrome and neutral looks. Let’s have a look-see, shall we?

Starting with Aquascutum.

Umm… yellow plaid? Ok…

Almost a Burberry print. Fur detaily on the shoulder. (Coat? Scarf? Live animal? Who knows)

Black, white & grey. Chic? I think so… Nice trench, which is what the classic Aquascutum was originally known for – its raingear.

Actually really love this one – all the colours blend really nicely, and the lace accent at the lapel is a wonderful touch.

Ali Stephens. Rouched white bandy skirt under a flowy, dark, dramatic cape-like coat.

Busy coat, what with the structured… wrist bits, whatever they’re called. Ah, cuffs. Structured cuffs and all that abstract plaid makes for a great coat, actually.

Cute polka dot b&w coat with a bow.

Nice lines on this one, and nice gloves as well. Love the mixing of 3 totally different, but complementary prints.

Nice floppy bow accent up top.

I’d love the coat if it weren’t for the buffalo plaid lining. I don’t know if it’s just from growing up surrounded by hicks in it, but I have acquired a strong aversion to buffalo plaid. Sorry. Myf Shepard.

Like this one. Nice colours & sleeves, and cute little skirt.

Liu Wen. Another good look – ruffles, shoulders, dramatic neckline.

Imogen Morris Clarke. All black, all layers, partially ruffly, all chic.

OK, moving on to Chloe for OC.

Part eclectic, part London punk, all very Chloe.

Keeping it simple with cool shoes and a striped sweater.

I find it a bit weird/disturbing that I’d totally wear those pants. (More disturbing, though? This guy’s ‘stache and bowl-over-the-head cut.)

Gorgeous wedges, totally 80’s hair and pants.

So cute & wearable! Seriously, I could walk away in this and not change a thing.

Ah! Gotta love the dark grey drapey, hooded top, especially with cuffed basic pants and killer shoes.

Again, very 80’s. Love this, though… in a strange way I don’t quite understand… and the Shoes. AGH.

What is it with the creeper guys???

Short & sweet, Chloe. Moving right along to Jaeger London, yumm…

Sort of a dark 80’s vibe. Nothing groundbreaking, but very cool.

Great jacket.

Karlie Kloss. Lots of black again. Nice booties & jacket.

Ah, intense fur! Katy Fogarty. Great leggings too.

Blocked, furry coat. Mmm.

More stripes. Nice skirt and boots.

Jourdan Dunn. Great shoes and very simple white tee dress.

Imogen Morris-Clarke. Love the suit, and I’m starting to really want those shoes. And have I mentioned the hat? Sort of a furry old-school cop hat?

Ali Stephens. Love the coat, the lines, the optical illusion (sort of). Boots!

Imogen again. Weird print, love the shoulders and the skirt – nice touch of green there.

Anastasija Kondratjeva. Crazy coat alert! Love! Love!

Constance Jablonski. Love the fur & shoulders, and patterned pants! Or is it a jumpsuit? …nope, pants.

Katy again. Same print, but in purple. Fierce. (Did I really just say that? …crap.)

Suit!

Katrin Thormann. Love the print, the slightly metallicness, and the crazy jeweled neckline.
Pretty nice collection. Now for Christopher Kane!

Of course, love the ruffles, the beige/nude colour, and the fur… but look at the shoes! FLATS on a runway! AHH! Ha ha. I love me a classic oxford.

Ali Stephens. Love the dress (sheer + ruffles).

Slightly different take on the look, and a change of shoes. (Note: I’ve got a few quizzes to study for, so I’ll be relatively succinct for the last 2 designers. Sorry.)

Love the geometricness and the lines and the sheer ruffles. This reminds me of an ancient bronze wall, pieced together by hand. (Not that I’ve ever seen such a wall, but hey…)

Kinga Rajzak. Lines and a corset-style waist.

More sheer, nude ruffles.
Again, pretty collection. Had a very similar feel to Jaeger’s.

A few looks from Twenty8Twelve:

Ali Stephens. This collection had a lot of flowy top and black jackets & pants. Leather, of course.

Sophie Srej. (She’s in a bunch of photos above as well). Drapey neck and 80s-style print.

Love the shoulders & neck on this one.

Liu Wen. One-shoulder, simple dress.

Constance. Love the shoes, and look: JEANS! And Balmain copycat shoulders.

Jourdan Dunn with the closing look. Great colour, but doesn’t this look so similar to Balmain??

OK, last one: Vivienne Westwood Red Label.

Red coat! I particularly like the wide, open collar.

Cute jumper, thigh-high boots (another big trend), and… if this isn’t 80’s hair, then tell me what is.

Interesting layers there. Oxfords again!

Even more layers!

80’s hair! Good dress.

Ha ha wow sorry, I totally trailed off towards the end of this post. I should probably start separating them into their own posts, by designer… eh, maybe. Ciao!

~ r

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1.23 // Trend: Belt it out

Haha I don’t know why I’ve been using cheesy titles… but whatever.

To the point: big belts around your waist – that’s high waisted, mind you – are a Thing now. Marc Jacobs & Fendi are the two most noted designers to sport the huge cinched waist look, but a myriad of others have sprung up along the way.

I really love belts just under your chest – it accentuates your waist so much and gives you such a clean, streamlined silhouette, no matter what your size! Wear it over a dress, cinch in an oversize blazer or top, pair it with a great tank and high-waisted skirt and killer heels… it’s a win-win look: cute and figure-flattering.

Fendi // Spring 2009. Note the unique belt – get one (or more!) that really stand out. Of course, a basic neutral leather belt is great too.

Marc by Marc // Spring 2009

Both, Marc Jacobs // Spring 2009. Sorry, not a big fan of the straight/taper-leg floral capri… thing… but I love the kimono top (2nd) and the shoes in the first photo. His obi belts are sensational and have appeared in Vogue, Bazaar, etc… already… hit a good note with those, he did. Good news? They’re so easy to replicate!  🙂

Temperley // Spring 2009. Speaking of unique…. studs are a good way to roughen up an otherwise very girly frock. (Love the bright blue colour too – it seems to be popping up everywhere this season!)

Aquascutum // Spring 2009. Again, not a big fan of the romper/jumpsuit – although the lace overlay on the pant does set it apart from the others – but the belt helps. And is it just me, or does this model look over-tanned/just-got-out-of-a-fistfight? (Her face seems very discoloured…)

Marios Schwab // Spring 2009. Again, a little unique – the rope/chain approach. Also easily duplicated.

On the street, it’s catching on like wildfire to a petrol-soaked jumpsuit:

Love the studs + floral minidress.

Not a big fan of the maxi dress, but you see the Marc-esque obi? All you really need to do is get a swatch of cool fabric and some nicknacks/ornaments, and as long as you can tie a knot you’re all set!

Over a jacket over a dress; you can work it over a cardi too, that’s cute.

And this trend isn’t just for us girls, guys can rock it too – but you have to be seriously stylish to pull it off. Perfect example:

All street style photos via Chictopia.

If you’re in the mood to buy a fantastic belt now, check these out:

Forever21, $8.80

Forever21, $8.80

Lulus.com, $10

Etsy.com, $60. Dramatic red, I love this one – if I had $60 to drop, I’d spend it on this! PS: Etsy is a great place to find cool vintage & handmade stuff, I frequently check it out if I’m looking for something a bit out there. Great for vintage lovers such as myself.

Etsy.com, $50. A more basic leather belt, but a bit unique. This reminds me of a saddle for some reason.

Topshop.com, £25.00

Topshop.com, £22.00

So there you have it.   🙂

And random Burberry shoe that I love the heel of:

Burberry // Spring 2009

Look du jour:

Fendi // Spring 2009. So springlike and Valentine’s-y.

Ciao,

~ r

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1.09 // Mod revival (again)

Mod – style from London in the 50’s and 60’s, US 60’s – was great while it lasted. Then we moved on, never looking back.

Or not.

In the late 70’s there was a “mod revival” : you saw people once again whizzing around on Vespas, their short hair not really blowing in the wind (though their fake eyelashes might be), their bright colours stopping traffic.

Let’s take a look at THEN, LATER THEN, and NOW, shall we?

THEN: 1950’s & 1960’s

Love this minidress – next time I’m thrifting, that’s one of my goals.

Streets like this in the 60’s – particularly the iconic Carnaby Street – were where the mod revolution truly began. Little boutiques with new designers popped up left and right, with nightclubs like The Scene, The Flamingo, and the Marquee squished between them. Amp was The Drug; however, it wasn’t made illegal in the UK until 1964. It was viewed as a positive stimulant rather than a dibilating drug like pot or heroin; young mods used it was a way to go clubbing all hours of the night. One newspaper reported “mobs of mods emerging from the club at 5 a.m. with dilated pupils.” Just to give you an idea of the lifestyle.

Celebrities and icons of the time, easy: Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, and (drumroll please!) Twiggy.

Edie, Warhol’s muse, became famous for her style as well as being incorporated into W’s work.

Love the leotard + pearl necklaces, add that to my “Looks to Try” list…

Twiggy: everybody’s favourite supermodel in the 60s. Make that the only supermodel in the 60s. But that doesn’t make her any less amazing. She is the one who singlehandedly brought about a new kind of model:  lean, long, and lithe. And sticklike. And, of course, breathtakingly gorgeous.

Then, in 1979, it was back in full swing (ha ha… Swingin’ 60’s? Eh? Eh? *sigh*. Anyway…)

60’s od & punk rock bands were The Big Thing. There were tons of random little UK or UK-esque bands that would pop up, have their 15 minutes of fame, then sink back down into oblivion. Or, in the case of The Jam or Purple Heats (the code for amp, back in the day), they’d stick around for a while yet.

The Who‘s Quadrophenia album-turned-film was very popular.

The Jam.

Standard mod punk-rock band of the 60s revival.

Smart suits, and in step.

MOD NOW: revival, version 2.0

On the runway:

Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Christian Dior, Chanel, McQueen.

Balenciaga, Chanel, Stella McCarteny. Eley Kishimoto.

Dior hat, Ana Sui Boot. Musn’t forget accessories!

Armand Basi // Fall 2008

Classic 60’s black&white. Trend Les Copains // Fall 2008

Christian Dior // Fall 2008

Emilio Pucci // Fall 2008

Another staple of the 60’s – the mod minidress. Aquascutum // Fall 2008.

Wow, this is a ridiculously long post. Hope you enjoyed it  🙂

Oh, our LDJ:

YSL // Spring 2006

ciao!

~ r

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