Style Bubble

The Pointless Story

This is a story about pleats... and gloves... and my current love of all things mid-calf... and about new bits and bobs that I've acquired.  This is the most incoherent story you'll ever know.  The gist of it is that I've got no real point to this post other than I'm liking tight Fortuny-esque pleats...and things that go past my knees... and gloves... and hats... oh here we go again... the pointless-ness of it all!  There's no way about the fact that there's nothing to this other than some brightly coloured outfits...

I wore this outfit out on Sunday to do a bit of filming on Brick Lane (all will be revealed...I think) and it comprises a few things really... gloves, mid-calf pleats etc etc...A sheer DKNY top that I bought from one of the newly focused TK Maxx stores in Putney Bridge that gets in more good stuff than others...The shoes I got from Beacon's Closet in New York that my friend thinks are the ugliest things ever and should not see daylight but I thought differently (well they saw cloudy rainy daylight which is good enough...)...a hat from Manila-based designer Mich Dulche that matches just so with...a Rika printed scarf/shawl that I will be coming with me on flights...

(Mich Dulche hat, DKNY sheer black top, vintage purple pleated dress, H&M gloves, H&M sheer ruched leggings, vintage platform shoes, Rika scarf)

Whilst out, I went to The Shop on Cheshire Street, where I got the vintage purple Fortuny-esque pleated dress and picked up another vintage pleated dress, this time with a pleat and a neat assymetrical neckline.   I also picked up some red suede gloves to match with the red knitted hat that I wore when I was about seven. Let me repeat; pleats, gloves, mid-calf... it's all making sense, no?   It's all connected and not at all randomly pulled together... right?

(Vintage red knitted hat, sheer black embroidered top from UpMarket, vintage pleated printed dress, Acne shoes, vintage red suede gloves)

Little Fruits

I'll admit it.  I threw a minor grumpy strop after browsing in Opening Ceremony in New York.  I think the strop started sometime after trying the Carol Flare coat from the Whre the Wild Things Collab (yes, I love it, and yes, it's completely impractical).    I only did it because the friends I was with were the only ones who'd understand my minor strop.  The utterly shallow and superficial "Why-don't-I-have-an-unlimited-budget?" strop.  It's a ridiculous strop because I'm not poor either...just not rich.  So really, it's just wanton and excessive greed.

I was resigned to not buying anything post-strop in New York.  Afterall, I have great food, friends to enjoy it with and my health (at least part of it).  That's a saccharine statement if ever I heard one.  Though of course, when a YSL sample sale beckons, who bloody cares about a friendly and healthy brunch.  Thanks to Refinery 29's sales notice we headed up to the sale to check it out and whilst it wasn't bargainous bargainous (YSL's S/S08 plastic star studded bubble coat reduced from $40,000 to $8,000... *fists in air* BAR-GAIN) it was perfect for rifling through.  I came out with just the pair of trews, adding to the continuing series of 'Susie's Strange Trews' though these are fairly classicly shaped with a slight twist in its sheer chiffon fabrication.  They need summer light really to diffuse through...

My other wee fruit was this Kelly Kapowski-style floral lace body from Fox and Fawn vintage (still my fave vintage haunt in NYC...)... again needs some summer light really for sheer joyful fun.  Like the sad consumer sucker that I am, of course mini-strop is a distant memory and I can only hang my head in shame, wince my eyes and rack my head in my hands thinking "Urgh... why am I such a SHOPPER?"

Antwerp Vintage Trail

Ok, so I officially sucked at the treasure hunt trail in Antwerp over the weekend, and I'll happily wear that dunce cap for a while until I redeem myself on a Hampstead Heath orienteering course.  Still the trip was not entirely without gain as once we had got the official treasure hunt out of the way, we were free to steer our own course...and naturally due to lack of funding I went down a vintage path. Now I know I'm missing some obvious addresses... Episode, FCS etc but I'm fairly happy with our chosen route...

My Ohm, Vrijdagmarkt 14 - I suddenly had a panic attack over the weekend that I had lost my vintage leather flight cap in a cab somewhere in New York and was contemplating buying another one here at My Ohm.  I was fearing needlessly as the cap was safe and sound at home squashed next to the TV. 

Jutka & Riska, Nationalestraat 87 - This is one of my favourite stores in Antwerp.  Its selection of vintage is always really really spot-on and it mixes it up with newer pieces too with the prices not being too crazy.  On this occasion, I found Sonia Rykiel, Thierry Mugler, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, Moschino... I almost bought this black Sonia Rykiel jacket AND the Thierry Mugler white nipped in jacket but decided I had been on too much of a jacket binge lately. 

Vintage by the Kilo on Nationalestraat - I only really found the sign "Sussies Stocksale" mildly amusing.  It's worth a rummage for old vintage nighties though. 

Belchique, Kloosterstraat 177 - This is another shop that buys well and is more of a designer consignment store.  Again, I nearly got swayed by another statement jacket with a YSL pleated tux but instead I got the Celine cardi below.  

The only place not depicted here is the Think Twice (Meir Lange Klarenstraat 21), which is where I found my affinity with... ridiculous trousers.  So I have never had much luck with sensible tailored trousers and instead I revel in ludicrous ones with elasticated waistbands (all the better to facilitate mahussive dinners...)... like these black balloon ones with lace frills at the bottom.  I've worn them with a Dries-jacket half-on style...which the SS/10 show perfected... and I err...haven't.

(Dries Van Noten jacket, Louise Amstrup for ASOS orange one-shouldered body, Luella shoes)

Or these polka dot ones which aren't quite so ridiculous but still could well be mistaken for being pyjama pants.  Both were bought for EUR8 each from Think Twice which would have been cheeeeaaap had the pound not decided to be all weak and feeble.

From Belchique, I bought a vintage Celine cardigan that is about as far away from Philo-era Celine (did you heart those leather tees as much as I did?) as you can get but I'm a sucker for a good chain print and some nice buttons...

(Viktor & Rolf Monsieur tee stolen from Steve who can tell you more about its Magritte collage, ASOS heels, Topshop hat)

Duh duh Leslie Hall

>>So it's back to short bursts again and this fashion week respite comes courtesy of me mindlessly watching some countdown of internet stars and I'm hanging my head in shame for not knowing who Leslie Hall, Queen of the Gem Sweater is until now, probably because my random/mindless internet browsing ceased ever since I stopped Skyping/MSN-ing.  In her words, "It's not a cardigan, it's not a jacket and it's not polyester"...  I'm missing my own Gem Sweater back home that I'm hoping will get me through a day of shows with Leslie's odes to the Gem Sweater in my head...

Pavesi Delight

I've been thoroughly enjoying the uses of different papers and breadth of editorials in the new issue of Pop (even if the website still confuzzles me...) and was especially surprised by this booklet made by M/M (Paris) that you can pull out from the issue.  It involves Manuela Pavesi, a close collaborator of Miuccia Prada, who has styled for The Pop before and was also featured a while back giving a mint quote about the question of beauty in fashion that has stuck with me ever since.

I think the last time I posted Pavesi's work, I raised some questions about children playing dress up with designer clothes, sign of the times, etc etc.  This time round, the object of this M/M Paris/Manuela Pavesi booklet editorial is a young one.  A 'young adult' if you will (an age classification that reminds me of the Sweet Valley High books sitting in the 'young adult' section of my library...).  Reading through some forum threads, the topic of 'young adults' and high fashion seems to have resurfaced in relation to kick-ass Tavi deservedly gracing the cover and this editorial seems to run in the same vein somewhat what with Pavesi's slightly ageing styling of a girl, that's probably 13-14. 

Hah!  Well if you thought I was going to delve into supposed 'issues' in this post like I did with the last Pavesis post, think again because the point is....

...I just wanted to wax lyrical about Pavesi's archive of clothes that she has used to style the girl in this shoot.  Apparently she's been collecting clothes since the early 70s and it consists of Schiaparelli, Chanel, YSL and of course lots of Prada and Miu Miu.  The point of the shoot was for this girl to discover Pavesi's wardrobe and find the pieces that spoke to her and that this editorial will form an ongoing series that will in its entirity create a different kind of portrait of Pavesi.  Frankly, I'm just going to cop out of the 'heavy issues' and declare that Pavesi's collection looks like a complete fashion gold mine to trawl through...

The Non-Sequential/Sequins/Shoes Post

After a week or so of umming and aaahing over what was disposable or not, I basically had another blast from the wardrobe past and so ensued a week of shrieking in a geeky fashion "Oh my goooood!  I wore that CONSTANTLY in 20xx!".  When I was selling my old 'tat', I kept bringing up little stories about each piece that someone was about to buy even though clearly they weren't interested.  It was like clothing regression therapy or something because by the end, I had a slosh of memories churning around in my head about first dates, rubbish dates, weird holidays and silly nights out.

So this week, I've been regressing back to really old outfits that began with DIY fraying denim skirts and vintage slip dresses yesterday to layers of vintage slips today.  It was inevitable that as soon as I get rid of some sequins, newer sequins would come rushing in.  Today, with some very very old vintage slips, on went a Reem Alasadi piece that kind of looks like it's a haltertop but is a fabric butterfly necklace...

(Embroidered circles mesh top from Sunday UpMarket, vintage black and blue slip dresses, Reem neckpiece, LD Tuttle shoes, vintage leather flight cap)

In this part outfit, part new buys, part random musings amalgamated post, I also feel I have to throw in a QVC-style review of these LD Tuttle 'The Faun' shoes, which I had ordered in advance as part of my A/W 09 shoe plan (I do believe that I made an Excel spreadsheet especially for the plan...sadness incarnated).  Why?  Because I walked a long stretch of Highgate Road uphill and down again in them with zero discomfort.  The heel isn't extreme of course and is visibly chunky so you would expect them to be comfy as hell, but I didn't realise QUITE how comfortable.  Now they're permanently attached to my feet and it's not even autumn or winter yet.  Maybe they should be stickered with some kind of cheesy "Comfy Heel Award" label.  Oh and they come with these crocodile clasps that make a very satisfying clippy noise and are entirely functional even though there's a zipper at the back to slip the shoes on. 

Maybe these models in their A/W 09 collection animated GIF could also endorse them with a sticker too...

Sell Sell Sell!

>> I know this is incredibly late notice but I didn't want to give sufficient notice and make it into a bigger thing than what it actually is.  I've cleared out my wardrobe and there's about 50-60 items that need to go go go... vintage, high street, a few designer bits and bobs and I just want to get rid of it all.  I'm sorry that I haven't made the effort to sell it on blog shops or eBay like most friendly bloggers would do for people not in London, but basically it's all a load of old tat and it needs to be sold in the way tat should be sold. 

So tomorrow (Sunday 23rd) I'm pitching up with a bedsheet on Brick Lane, with my iPod and my clothes from about 9-10am onwards and everything must go for a fiver.  I might even start yelling out like a veg and fruit stall holder to get rid of it all... don't be scared and say hello if you're passing by.  Buy something if you want.  Or don't.  The people who will buy something probably don't even read this blog given the amount of footfall that street gets on a Sunday...

It's Suuuuuuuuupermarket Sarah!

>> I'm REALLY hoping the name of Supermarket Sarah was derived from the fabness that was Dale Winton's Supermarket Sweep (the Brit version, not the US...). Because that would complete today's chain of being reminded of happy times and random things.  Supermarket Sweep of course took up a lot of my procrastinations time during my GCSE and A-Level revision time, with many an hour spent watching contestants trying to scoop as much generic/non-branded groceries into their trollies. 

Thankfully though it's only the name that bears resemblance to that show of yesteryear, and that Sarah is not sporting a perma tan and stiff wig like hair a la Winton and is in fact a Portobello Road vintage stall-holder who's just launched her very cute website that hits you with a plethora of things on the homepage that is styled as below.  Roll 'yer mouse over a certain item and ye can click through.  Pretty straight forward stuff...  I already spy some Clegerie Oxfords, a stunning Victoria Grant swirly dyed hat and an oversized chain embroidered cardi that I want.  The selection online is actually a mix of new, old, customised, hand-made, curios etc etc which gives Sarah more things at her disposal to style her living room wall, the space you see below in different ways according to her mood.

Flash Those Double C's

So it's a bit of a no-brainer that I'm going to catch the Coco Avant Chanel film this weekend.  According to the majority of reviews, it's supposedly not a paltry/flimsy bit of gratuitous biopic making and is also a visually stunning treat.  The sort of easy watching that the weekend requires.  Maybe with a bit of gratuitous window ogling beforehand.

I'm probably going to be bumping into a few of these Chanel aficionados who staged a Chanel Flash Mob last night at Kings Cross St Pancras International station (geddit...trains to Pareeeeeee...) to celebrate the release of the film.  The whole thing was organised by the gals behind Queens of Vintage who called for people to turn up and evoke the Chanel style with their outfits, either with actual Chanel pieces or Chanel-inspired ensembles.  Cue pearls, LBDs, tweed jackets and some quilted bags.  When I first heard about this, I was thinking there would be a bigger horde of people so that it's more of a 'mob' and less of a chic gathering.  I guess Chanel-channelers got the dates mixed up a little as even I thought it was going to take place last week.  Still, a shining effort considering flash mobs are hard to pull off unless a hefty amount of Facebook/Email/SMS activity is used as well as a slightly more accessible theme...  silent disco anyone?

(Photographs by Marina Scukina)

Finding my Dutch Feet

>> Given that I overloaded the previous post with so many pictures, I felt these 'people' ones needed a post by themselves.  Actually, that's a lie.  The jacket I'm wearing needs a whole post to itself.  And the jacket got on my back through a chain of fashionable Amsterdamites.  Firstly, bumped into Jean Paul Paula at the Undaunted exhibition, wearing a bit of awesome Margiela...

...and Ash cut-out boots.  I wanted the same ones but was put off by the ickle logo at the back of the shoe.  Jean Paul wants to get rid of the Converse-esque black stripe.  Take note, Ash!

...then he introduced me to his friend Robbie Baauw who happens to have a rather addictive photoblog.  Think we gabbed about Gossip Girl, Dutch fashion schools and homophobic English tourists (shame on ppl who go a little TOO kerazy on their weekend breaks in the Dam).  From a massive H&M bag he was carrying around...
 

...he pulled out a stunner of a leather jacket that is amazingly studded.  Not with the ubiquitous pyramid studs but with tiny silver nailhead-type studs all over one side and on the belt too.  I was going to run away with it.  Except I couldn't run (see previous post about excessive walking) and had no idea what direction I would run in... damn being lost in the Dam. 

...turns out Robbie is a flea market genius, never paying more than EUR15 for anything and having an amazing eye for everything.  He scours Waterlooplein flea market practically every day.  I suck.  Last time I was there I believe all I bought was a pair of hardcore ski tights.  Must.Dig.Harder.  Jean Paul and Robbie's friend Roel was also modelling one of Robbie's finds... a paisley velvet suit that probably only Roel (edit - AND Robbie) could pull off...