London College of Fashion – MA 2011 Graduation Collections

I started following MA graduation collections when a friend of mine was showing a few years back, but it’s now become a bit of a regular thing. As much as I enjoy following established designers and look forward to the shows every February and September, there is something about these MA collections that keeps them a little bit different and special.

Every season I make a note of the names of the students whose designs have stood out and then hope that one day I’ll see their work for sale.

Here just two from this years class that caught my eye.

Sohui Huang – I find the abstract print here incredibly interesting and love the way the dress seems to drape and move.

Tim Rhys – Evans – Quite different from the above, but I love the snood/ruffle/neck-brace combined with the sharp tailored body. Not sure I could get away with it in the office, but I wonder if we’ll see it trickle down and inspire the high street in a slightly more wearable way.

Big fan of the simple, almost austere, make-up. No need for distractions, the clothes do the talking.

The remaining 25 collections can be viewed here

18 Carrot Gold

Quite amusing, non?

I’ve got a real thing for statement jewellery at the moment and this Solange Azagury-Partridge ring is beautiful and witty in equal measure.

Source

H&M Teams Up With Elin Kling

Hilary Alexander writes in The Telegraph today that Elin Kling has parterend with H&M to produce “nine fashion pieces and two accessories which show a balance between hard, tough and sculptural, and soft, draped and feminine. Silhouette and materials are more important than decoration and any details are considered and discreet, such as an uneven hem on a washed leather jacket, a raw edge to finish off wide-leg trousers, or a hidden chain at the neckline of a dress.”

The collection launches in Sweden on February 3rd, but poor UK customers won’t have access, unless of course you happen to be visiting, as the line will be sold in Sweden only.

Below are some promotional images, which look just gorgeous. Exactly what I’m looking forward to this coming season. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for similar pieces on the UK highstreet and tapping up any Swedes I come into contact with in the meantime…

 

All images and quoted text courtesy of The Telegraph

How beautiful is that dress? And those trousers in the third image?

Arm Candy

The Mulberry Tilly has just come out and I have to say< I’ve got absolutely no desire for it. The Fendi Silvana, on the other hand, I must have.

Named after the rather fabulous Silvana Mangano (who’s 1/2 Croydonite dontcha know), it’s exactly the sort of handbag I’d like to spend my pennies on. It manages to look perfectly ‘now’, whilst being completely timeless. It looks incredibly expensive but in a completely understated way. Nothing on it is superfluous, nothing is gaudy, it’s just clean, simple and utterly beautiful.

Now, where did I put my several thousand pounds?

It’s available to pre-order from Luisa Via Roma, for arrival in March

Hello blue



1. Cristian Dior 2. Jason Wu 3. Jaeger

All images from Vogue UK

I get more excited about SS 11 as the days go by. I’m sick of camel, give me blue, high street, and give it to me now please.

In search of…

…the perfect neckwear.

I have, for what seems like an eternity, been searching for the perfect snood. I wanted one with a bit of structure, simple, versatile and with enough substance to keep my neck and chinny chin chin warm. Today, I finally caved and bought the Louise Dungate one I’ve been craving for ages. I can’t wait for it to arrive (and neither can my neck).

On another note, I moved into my new flat today, which made me realise just how much stuff I actually have and how little of it I actually wear.

As I have the luxury of being able to leave a lot of my possessions back in the family home, I’m carrying out a little experiment and leaving a whole load of the clothes I wear most often behind. Now, this could be suicide, but I figure it could could inspire me to be more creative with my outfits. Bottom line is though, if I can’t find a way to wear it, off to the charity shop it goes.

I realise the irony of starting a post with a new purchase and finishing it by lamenting how much stuff I have, but actually there is some logic here. I’ve had my eye on that snood for months, it’s very much not an impulse buy and it is completely in keeping with my plans to invest in higher quality items (read less random H&M paraphenalia) that will last me a lifetime. Hopefully.

I’ll let you know what the snooooood is like when it arrives. Can’t wait!

Introducing…

Here I am, the umpteenth person full of fresh thoughts of new beginnings, starting a blog with the start of a new year.

I am the obsessive consumer and, over the course of the next however many months, will be recording the fruits of my obsessive consumption disorder here, for the world to see, accompanied by a few musings, some random thoughts and hopefully something of vague interest to someone other than myself, with the loose intention of (in the immortal words of Gok Wan), spend less and wear more. Or was that shop less? And hopefully learn how to write in shorter sentences.