Wear the line: Key Fashion Trend AW09

Autumn heralds the new Body Con, Body Con(tour). The look has finally evolved away from its Herve Leger carnation. Its focus has shifted so that it is no longer fixated around figure hugging apparel alone. Garments are still form fitting, but they now incorporate  lines that trace the contours of the body, changing in thickness and direction so that they literally map the frame.

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Top row from left to right: Julien Macdonald, Ann-Sofie Back, Christopher Kane. Middle row from left to right: Vivienne Westwood, Topshop Unique, Giles. Bottom row from left to right: Richard Nicoll, Krystof Strozyna, Josh Goot.

Edith

London Fashion Week: Print trends for AW09

Prints have been very prominent on the catwalks. Most London designers are taking their cues from nature or science fiction and the resulting patterns can be divided into two very clear trends. Winter florals and space Odyssey.

Winter Florals: Anything (or any flower) goes here. Large, small, soft, bold, bright or subtle.

Top row from left to right: Peter Jensen, Betty Jackson, Edrem. Middle row from left to right: Future Classics, Paul Smith, Kinder Aggugini. Bottom row from left to right: Avsh Alom Gur, Luella and Ossie Clark.

Space Odyssey: Think sci-fi graphic designs predominantly in reds and greys.

Top row from left to right: Marios Schwab, Danielle Scutt, Giles. Bottom row from left to right: Richard Nicoll, William Tempest, Topshop Unique

Edith

Body Con(tour)

Body conscious has evolved. This trend is now much more than figure hugging apparel. The new Body Con (as shown below by Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll and Krystof Strozyna) has lines that literally map the contours of the body.

Edith

London Fashion Week: Surprise trends

It’s only day 3 but already we’ve been thrown some trend curve balls.

Merkin embellishment:

Fancy hoods:

Fat black:

Scorched prints:

But which of these micro movements do you think will continue their reign on the catwalks to become a fully fledged trend?

Edith

visually rusty

It’s easy to over think a fashion blog and mistakenly agonise over every post, wanting it to be a few hundred well written, witty, insightful, enjoyable and observational words. Then you realise that there are a lot of really shit blogs out there and that detailed descriptions in the web world are pretty defunct, just wasted. They (whoever ‘they’ are) are right when they say that a picture can say a thousand words.

So, after pondering for some days now on what I wanted to say about the NY shows it occurred to me that I didn’t really need to say anything. By my reckoning this post contains 4111 words already, highlighting beautifully the timely and industrial, rusty hues that will become a key colour in Autumn Winter 09/10.

Edith

The shape of things to come

You’d have to be a hibernating bear (and indeed have been hibernating for quite some time) to be completely unaware of the current worldwide financial crisis. A consequence of this meltdown is that the style sections of newspapers and magazines are now devoted to churning out features on investment dressing. Hem lines! WHAT. DO. THEY. MEAN? Some say they rise, and some are adamant that they fall with the stock market.

Ddjhfjkhudsuuuuuut6y7ue eeeebdhjsssPU)cl;xz zzzzzzzzzz’. Oh, sorry! Seem to have dozed off there. Trying to keep track of what length my skirt should be and the cost per wear of any investment pieces I am thinking of purchasing has left me simply exhausted.

But, there is more to say on this subject then what’s currently being recycled in the media, which is “customers should look for investment pieces and value for money”. Well. Yes.

Jess Cartner-Morley, fashion editor at the Guardian explores this well excavated subject a little further in this article, lean times and hemlines. It’s a feature about how fashion will be affected by the credit crunch, in the aesthetic sense rather than a business one. She reflects upon the trends that emerged from the boom and bust times in recent history with a view of defining this economic crisis’ appearance. She draws no firm conclusions but she does highlight a couple of interesting theories including this one from Valerie Steele, internationally renowned Fashion Historian:

The hemlines theory was invented back in the 1920s. But it just doesn’t hold up. Take the 20s – hemlines actually began to fall in 1927, two years before the crash. They were falling by 1969, two years before the downturn of 1971

Contrary to popular belief it would seem that the ‘look’ of the great depression was actually a result of what was fashionable the two years prior to it.

Jess then goes on to quote Jo Hooper, Head of Womenswear at John Lewis. Hooper implies that the softer, sculpted, voluminous silhouette that is becoming popular will be the defining look of the recession. She identifies the current vogue for the round-shouldered look as:

cocooning, which is the feeling of wrapping up, of hunkering down. It’s a basic human instinct.

Both of these theories are very feasible. However never one to rest on my laurels, I decided to do some research of my own. Mystic Meg wouldn’t return my calls, so I settled for the next best thing: Mark Watson, the Womenswear Editor at trend forecasting agency WGSN. I asked him for his thoughts on what he felt the look of the credit crunch would be. This is the PG version of his email response:

The most obvious effect of ‘The credit crunch’ as we saw during Paris Fashion week is that most designers will march to their own tune, sticking to what they know best and satisfying customers who are loyal to their labels rather than putting their heads on the chopping block of fashion whimsies. What may be of interest is that prior to this financial crisis designers were focusing on the shoulder and the power dressing 80s particularly taking silhouettes from Thierry Mugler and Claude Montana. In times of a strong financial system there is a the ‘power’ look whilst we at WGSN are currently moving towards a more fantastical, ethereal feeling soft layers, a looser silhouette looking at Bill Gibb also Nina Ricci collection in Paris.

Reading these three very different responses from credible industry experts; it is obvious that defining what the aesthetic of the credit-crunch will be is no easy feat. Not least because there are no parallels to be drawn between ‘fashions’ from one recession to the next. Each financial crisis has been brought about by different economic factors, which therefore in turn mean consumer habits, circumstances and attitudes are unique to that period of time.

Nevertheless history will record that this recession had a ’style’ just as it has done for the 1930s and 1970s, regardless of whether it was actually the result of the downturn.

So, lets try and put this subject to bed once and for all! Vote! VOTE! VOTE LIKE YOU ARE SHAPING TOMORROW! Because you are.

Edith

All images are SS09 from Style.com. In order of appearance: Balmain, Balenciaga, Nina Ricci

Going for gold

If a tree falls in a forest but no-one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If I wear a Giles dress reminiscent of an ice-cream sundae with glitzy silver sandals and a sugar pink pacman helmet to the park but no-one sees me, am I making a fashion statement? If people are wearing fabrics constructed out of metal but no-one realises, do we have a new trend?

Apparently the answer to all of these questions is no. And so I, Ms Edith Purdy of the 82nd regiment from the 1st fashion battalion (I’ve been watching the new series of Sharpe), have come to put an end to this madness! There is a metallic movement emerging and recognise it we must!

Now before you all start sucking your teeth at me and declaring that metallic has been around for donkeys, that I need new specs (which I do) and don’t know squat about fashion, let me explain. I’m not talking about the kind of metallic that we see season after season on accessories. Or the type that strikes like a flu epidemic every winter in the form of sequins (when will they introduce a vaccination for that?). What I’m referring to is a completely different animal. It’s closer in aesthetic to the bra exposing molten gold look seen on Miuccia Prada’s catwalk this September, but in essence it is really about the technical specifications of the cloth rather than its magpie appeal.

Fabrics that are woven with a mixture of traditional fibres (cottons, linens, silks) and experimental materials (stainless steel, aluminum, etc) are becoming more widespread, no longer confined to the realms of Premiere Vision. This use of metal within cloth lends a beautiful and malleable quality, in addition to architectural possibilities and a wonderful sheen. I suspect that the stunning gold textiles that featured so prominently in Prada’s SS09 show were the result of something like brass being integrated with a natural yarn. The clothes have sculpted crinkles that can only really be achieved with that kind of textile construction.

At the moment there are a lot of clothes out there that are metallic in appearance (too many to even shake a very light stick at), but sadly most of them have no actual metal content so lack the beauty that a fabric of that nature possesses. You need to check the labels to make sure you’re getting the real deal (although it is possible to tell by the feel of the fabric) and consider the price too – materials that incorporate metal do not come cheap.

If you’re anything like me you’re reading this and thinking, “yeah well, that’s great. Herald Prada as a label of innovation. That has NEVER been done before. And I can’t afford fucking Prada. And it’s not even available until next year. And top that off with your great news that most stores don’t sell a version of it. GREAT WORK, EDITH!”. *Punch! Jab! Poke!*

Fear not, dear readers! I would never do that to you. I’ve found two options that will allow you to get the authentic metallic look now.

Net-a-Porter is stocking this silver Anna Sui dress, which is 50% linen, 42% cotton and 8% metallic. It’s reduced to £123.75* and well worth snapping up. With carefully chosen accessories it will look incredible. However, if you are looking for something that will harmonise more easily with your wardrobe (read: not make you look like a meat joint that’s ‘resting’ before it is to be carved) than ASOS have this classic navy blue Disaya dress priced at £152* in the sale. It’s 90% polyester and 10% metallic. The metallic element is in the form of thread that is used to decorate the textile, the result is more subtle and an easier way to adopt this look.

And now a disclaimer: it is obvious to everyone that the two-tone look that these metallic materials create is not revolutionary. These fabrics have their roots in the wet look / shimmery jeans that have been popularised in recent months because of labels such as Balmain and Givenchy. But, it is important to note that the quality that woven metal lends to a finished garment is unique. Whilst silver shiny leggings will continue to appeal to the masses for some time yet, this is a sophisticated leg up from that trend; and it’s a look in its own right that shouldn’t be pigeon-holed in the generic metallic category.

This metallic must be appreciated for what it is. An innovative, underground style trend with longevity. It’s ideal for thinking fashionistas everywhere. Those who won’t settle for anything less in life than gold.

Edith

P.s I am the only one who can’t stop singing going for gold now? TUNE!

*Prices were correct at the time of publishing

The Spanish harem

Whilst frequenting the towns and beaches of the Andalusia, I noticed that the tourists there seemed to have developed a particular fondness for harem pants. They were everywhere. Wandering on the steep precipices of Ronda, lay idle on the beach at Sanlucar, loitering by orange trees in Seville, drinking amber coloured wine and gorging on free tapas in Granada, watching a shoot out in the wild west in the Almeria desert (yes really) and finally meandering between brightly coloured parasols in Nerja.

Before you cast aspersions and accuse me of wearing harem pants in all of these places, I must firstly assure you that t’was not I, then *waggle* my finger disapprovingly at you.

I first registered this foreign fad after seeing a spate of the said garment in Ronda. It seemed like a good idea (for professional research purposes of course) to keep track of how many I encountered on my journey. During a particularly lovely glass of vino rosado in the Albaicin region of Granada (all work and no play makes Edith a very dull fashionista indeed) I lost count somewhere after 20.

This of course got me musing somewhat incoherently. Few items of clothes are able to divide public opinion so venemently as the harem pant. So why has the harem pant become a hit with holidaymakers? NY, London, Milan and Paris are arguably the fashion capitals of the world and far more trend forward. And yet very few people are seriously seen rocking them on their streets. This, despite the major design houses pushing the look down the runways season after season, a flurry of bloggers discussing their merits month after month and fashion students promoting them in their graduate collections year on year. Thus far the slouchy, dropped crotch trouser that is the harem pant has eluded us, remaining inconspicuous in the street style stakes and failing to be adopted in any mainstream way.

It is obvious to most sane people (please note, I myself to not claim to be sane) why this is. As an item of clothing the harem pant is not flattering. Not in the slightest (mind you, that doesn’t always matter – the skinny jean movement it proof of that). At best you look stumpy and possibly flabby, and at worst like a dwarf with elephantiasis. The harem pant isn’t all-bad though. After all, they are definitely the prolapse friendly trouser. If your intestine happens to fall out of your arse you are definitely going to want to own a pair of these bad boys (along with a inflatable rubber ring).

However, I don’t believe that all of the holidaymakers I saw in Spain have had the displeasure of a vital organ slipping out of place. So by golly there must be another reason for this unfathomable craze!

Another 2 glasses of vino rosad0 later , I realised there is… And it’s simple! The joy of a vacation is that it’s a break from your everyday life. You don’t have to go to work, clean your house or eat your 5 a day. And that dear Watson is the crucial element to the harem pants winning formula. You see, very few people could wear this style of trouser to work and not feel self-conscious or worse, inappropriately dressed. But once abroad the harem trouser fulfills almost every holiday specification you could ever have. They are a stark contradiction to the normal working wardrobe, they are light and comfortable, and finally they couldn’t possibly make you look any worse if they crease in transit. DO. YOU. SEE. THE. PURE. SWEET. FRICKIN. GENIUS. OF. THEM. NOW?

This frankly startling realisation combined with the wise words of Queen Michelle from Kingdom of Style about the harem pant has me convinced that they truely are fashion greatness personified!

“whenever I see ladies rocking these ‘difficult’ trousers I am simply filled with awe and admiration at their balls for laughing in the face of conventional ideas of ’sexy’ and doing their own thing.”

I’m now absolutely convinced that I need a pair! These ones from Topshop fit the bill perfectly; they’re a bargainous £22. Obviously I won’t be wearing them to pound the streets of London just yet, I’ll save their first outing until my next trip abroad. But until then I am strangely comforted by the knowledge that should I manage to accidentally dislodge an organ from inside my body in the mean time, I’ll be suitably attired to deal with the situation. Edgy with medical benefits? No wonder harem pants are all the rage.

Edith

Autumn/Winter 08/09 Trends

Want to update your wardrobe, but not sure where to start? Need help figuring out which autumn trends are for you? Look no further! Some Like it Fashion is here to help! This questionnaire will help you identify your key looks for the season; because as we all know the many complex problems of the universe can be solved with a simple and clichéd survey:

Which of the following quotes do you most identify with?

1. Work is like a sport. It’s hard and we all want to win. (Harold Tillman)
2. Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. (John Lennon)
3. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. (Proverbs 31)
4. I never leave underwear at a guys place because I never see it again. (Samantha Jones, SATC)
5. I fear being a completely acceptable sheep in society (Marylin Manson)

What is your favourite colour?

1. The colour of money.
2. Brown, the shade of the earth.
3. Traditional warm shades of red and green.
4. Anything that brings attention to my tits.
5. Black. Dark black.

What do you have on your i-pod?

1. A mixture of stuff. Classical, power ballads, soft rock. I’m very eclectic. And clever.
2. I-pod? Dude, you’ve gotta get it on vinyl!
3. What’s an i-pod? Do you mean music? I have a Cliff Richard album on cassette. Mistletoe and Wine is a tuuuuune!
4. Cheesey pop, stuff I can reaaaaally dance to. Britney, Xtina, Girls aloud, Beyonce, they’re all on there.
5. Bauhaus, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees. I like bands that have black album covers.

What is your theme tune?

1. Eye of the tiger, Survivor.
2. Born to be wild, Steppen Wolf
3. A spoonful of sugar, Mary Poppins
4. I touch myself, The Divinyls
5. Ignore the machine, Alien Sex Fiend

What is your favourite part of the body?

1. My mind. The body is over sexualised by the media. I want to be appreciated for my intelligence and wit. There is more to me than my breasts.
2. Whoaaah, heavy question dude. I guess my hands. Without them, how would I smoke?
3. The womb. It gives the greatest gift. That of life.
4. The schlong. Yum.
5. Hair. It can be died black.

If you had to watch a Demi Moore film ,which would you chose?

1. G.I. Jane
2. One Crazy Summer
3. Ghost
4. Disclosure
5. The Seventh Sign. (It is dark film. Dark is like black.)

If you were an animal you’d be…

1. A crocodile. They’re adaptable survivors. They see what they want and they get it.
2. A bird. They are free of the politics of our society. They can fly and roam as they please.
3. A dog. They are loyal, loving and reliable. Just like me.
4. A monkey. They can masturbate in public and nobody judges them.
5. A bat. They are black and they like blackness.

If you were a bear you’d be…

1. A spectacled bear. I want to be taken seriously.
2. A sloth. Chillax, man.
3. A polar bear. They are the cutest by far.
4. A panda. When I have sex it’s newsworthy.
5. An American black bear. Because they’re black.

*Drumroll*

Prepare to be dazzled (and a little freaked out at how spookily accurate I am) . If you answered mostly:

1: Ambitious, driven and tenacious. That’s you that is. You work hard and you are going places. Daaaam straight. Your wardrobe reflects your desire to be taken seriously by your peers. You want to look successful yet intimidating. And riiiiich. The super-structured tailoring and sculptural trends are perfect for you. Look to YSL, Balenciaga and Jil Sander for inspiration.

2: Although you may not know it yet, deep, deep, deep, deep down you are a kaftan wearing, incense lighting, peace loving, hairy armpitted, stinky hippy. Yup. Embrace your inner tree hugger this season with Gucci, Hermes and Dries Van Noten. They will let you indulge your wandering Indian spirit with their interpretations of folk (fringing, paisley and embroidery) and tunics and trousers trends.

3: Hear that? Listen quietly. Yes, that. It´s your ovaries throbbing. You see family is your main focus. Either the one you have or the desire in your womb to have one ASAP. Clothes are secondary to this (a very important secondary mind you). This season you´ll need washable items in colours and prints that don’t show chocolate hand prints and baby vomit. Tartan is ideal for this, as is the heritage trend with its practical fabrics. Dolce and Gabanna, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith should be your starting points.

4: Oh you doity, doity, doity, dooooog. You loved to get dressed up, for well, any occasion. But not to the detriment of your body mind you (you side stepped that whole sack dress debacle unlike the rest of us). You’ll love this season’s peek-a-boo (sheer fabrics such as chiffons) and tomato red trends. They’re ideal for the gorgeous exhibitionist in you. Check out Dior, Giles and La Perla.

5: Black. You love it. You wear it not because you feel safe in it like most people, you choose black because you feel it differentiates you from the masses. You wear it with an edge. If you weren’t a goth a school you almost certainly secretly fancied one. Channel your black passion using the lace and soft goth trends this season. Prada, Givency and Chanel will be right up your dark street.

Edith

The allure of the peep-toe boot

One of ‘fashion’s’ greatest strengths is its ability to make us covet things that sometimes at best can only be described as ridiculous. For example, I stumbled across these ‘vintage 80s neon leotard bandage onesie shorts’ (the sellers words – not mine) on ebay, which are evil for so many reasons. And yet I find that I desire them. I long to touch the stretchiness of this obscure playsuit. It’s absurd. But I feel myself drawn to them like a moth to a flame. Excited yet scared by the styling quandary they create. I can remember feeling like this 15 years ago. I was 11 and it was school sports day. I kept thinking that I needed to wee. It was actually nerves and adrenalin rather than a weak bladder. If I win… how will I work a gold badge / Lycra jumpsuit seamlessly into my existing wardrobe?

I feel the same way about the peep-toe boot as I do about the stretch clown suit from ebay. I first noticed peep-toe boots when they began to emerge on the catwalks last winter, I was temporarily distracted by a rather fetching boyfriend blazer though so didn’t have time to give them any serious thought. However, I’ve since refocused my mind because they’re starting to surface in stores and have been the topic of many a conversation at work. I have to admit, I want a pair so bad that I am considering going into Browns and licking this Marni pair in the vain hope that the sales assistant will take pity on the mad lady and and just comp me a pair.

Highly unlikely, I think you’ll agree (not the licking obviously, the getting a pair for free). So, as I can’t afford to buy so much as a button right now (I bid big on the neon onesie) I’m going to use this post as a form of therapy to help me through my shoe grief. It is after all a very wise action indeed for me not to purchase these divine Tory Burch boots from Net-a-Porter.
First and foremost, lets discuss practicality (blasphemous in fashion I know). Boots with holes in! Ha! HAHAHAHAHAHA! That’s just asking for trouble given that the worlds population of 2 billion cows have decided to avenge us for eating them the only way they know how, by farting. They release so much methane that they have assured the destruction of the planet by accelerating global warming (it’s definitely the cows fault, not ours). This has caused us to be plagued by rain even in August, never mind in the traditional boot wearing season! Feet that have prolonged exposure to cold, damp conditions get trench foot! I know! I’m willing to risk developing a hump back by dragging my enormous and over filled handbag around town; but a stinky fungal infection is quite a different kettle of fish. My vintage clothes hum-ding bad enough as it is, I really don’t want to add another layer of smell to the situation. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the aesthetics of these boots. The proportions are, well, plain strange. Clumpy and cumbersome.

Lastly, there is a strong chance that the peep-toe boot will be a flash in the fashion pan (like those pixie flats that turned up at the toe – remember those?). Next year everyone will snigger at them and be like “soooooooo 2008″. Hmmm? Actually, thinking about it, maybe they will smile and be like “sooooooo 2008” in a good way? Because they are iconic. You know? Instantly recognisable for their sheer brilliance, like the Balenciga floral meets American football collection. And the proportions do sorta work really, dontcha think? A bit like a screwball icecream, odd yet delightful with a weird surprise at the end.

Oh, who am I kidding? I love them. I neeeeed them! I’m not ashamed! MY NAME IS EDITH PURDY AND I LOVE PEEP-TOE BOOTS! Godammit, they look good and I can wear them with my vintage 80s neon leotard bandage onesie shorts so they are practical after all! ARE. YOU. WITH. ME?!

*tumbleweed*

OK, fine. I can live with that. The cheese stands alone. Just promise me that when I’m still wearing them next year and you say “they are soooooo 2008″, that you’ll say it with a smile and pretend not to notice the smell.

Edith