Over before it started?

Tesco and Asda's Flying Jackets

Topshop's Flying Jacket

Burberry's Flying Jacket

Flying jackets are everywhere- from full page pictures in Stylist magazine to the front cover of Vogue’s October supplement. On every single trend report/ must have and high street store’s home page. When Topshop’s first flying jacket drop hit two weeks ago, they sold out in a matter of hours and were trading hands for double the price on EBay the same day. From the moment Burberry sent them down the catwalk in February the seemingly unanimous decision was taken that they were to be A/W 10’s MUST HAVE.

Unfortunately, the temperature has not dipped below 15 degrees and I am already bored, yes that’s right, bored of them. I have reached shearling lined aviator jacket saturation point, and its not even mid September. If I wanted one in February, I don’t now, and you know why? Florence and Fred at Tesco and George at Asda have theirs in store, the vintage stores have rails of the things, and every high street store worth mentioning has a version, and guess what? They are all the same, one for every budget, every women, no matter their income, all-walking round, looking the same. I feel for Burberry, I do- their key piece for A/W has been diluted, what should look new and exciting now looks tired, old and predictable.

The problem is, and I hate to say it, the democratisation of fashion. Before the days of live streamed shows, catwalk pics on Style.com, front row bloggers and endless real time tweets one had to wait until September to know what the trends were for Autumn- this year, by the time the magazines reported them, I knew them. And so did everyone else. Reaction had been monitored, focus groups taken and every buyer came to the same conclusion: Flying Jacket = Commercial Success.

I love that I have the opportunity to watch all the shows and see all the pictures from fashion week, I do- its just, where before I thought the British High Street maintained a safe distance from designer rip offs and trends, now I just see it as watered down, cheaper versions of the same thing, and it makes me sad.

P.S I am buying a grey or navy cape as this years winter coat. Hopefully with gold hardware.

Knickers in a twist

The M and S full brief

The illusive bikini breifs

I recently looked into my underwear drawer and saw, as I always see, a riot of multi coloured/ patterned pants- some of them have a matching bra, but most of them do not. I sigh, knowing that when that bus does mow me down the ambulance people will cut off my clothes and see ill fitting, fairly old and definitely not matching underwear.

I thought “I will bin all these childish coloured non matching underwear and replace it with endless matching underwear.” Now, I believe it a total glossy magazine myth that some, or indeed most, women wear silky matching lingerie sets at all times- its just not practical and it would be very expensive, not to mention time consuming. To combat this I had a genius idea- Only to buy black underwear and black bras- that way I would always match. Nothing fancy- just plain, cotton and sporty, a cross between 90s Calvin Klein and American Apparel- how effortlessly stylish my underwear will look!

Or at least this is what I thought…I set out to buy a basic multi-pack of black cotton briefs in a standard pant shape- I went where any person looking for basic, comfy pants would- the M&S website- I chose my shape (bikni brief) and colour (black) and, “oh the pack is mixed black and white- never mind I’ll go to the store-yes, there they are!” Very pleased I looked for my size (10) “Hmmmm only size 14 or 16, I will order them- ah, I am not able to, its ok the assistant is stock checking other stores-and…they only have them in Scotland” I have been thwarted in my quest.

I will be purchasing the black cotton full breifs- Vogue says full briefs are having a fashion moment and the comments say they don’t leave VPL, this is good enough for me. All I need to do now is buy some basic black bras. Easy…

New Shoes

My first pair of designer shoes! Well Vivienne Westwood for Melissa might not really count, but I love them all the same. I stood in the Vivienne Westwood store for what seemed like hours debating over colours (the grey version is equally stunning)and the different styles, I am still considering buying the matt beige ones with the wax seal, and if they would make my feet hot (they do, but its totally worth it)

I was unsure about the colour, I thought they might not go with anything, then I decided the complete opposite, they would go with EVERYTHING!

It's the thought that counts: in praise of homemade cards

From Grandma: handmade by lady called Clare in Whitehaven.

From Mum: has a handmade, intricate nature, even though its probably shop bought

From Michelle: A picture she took in Korea that reminded her of me, stapeled it to a piece of A4 and made me a card

From Pete: Handmade by some lovely girls at a New X jumble, easy to do yourself with a photo, a piece of card, and some prit stick

How the cards look stood up

It's my birthday soon and I received a lovely card from my dear mother (shown above) and as I looked around my flat I saw the other thoughtful, beautiful, handmade cards I have kept. I have received all the pictured cards in 2009 or 2010 and to me this only confirms the trend for all things craft.

Cards from Clinton Cards and Tesco are all well and good, and moonpig has been a revelation for me personally, but there is something special in selecting a card lovingly made by your own hand or by someone else's.

What you can't see very well on the first card is that it is 3D, the pictures are raised at different levels, the feathers are real , and the attention to detail is staggering. Photographs, as can be seen from the two cards featured, are a cheap and simple way to make a personal and lasting impression, and ensure that your card is kept and displayed (helping the environment too).

Cards don't have to be throwaway, they can be personal, meaningful and cheap. In future I pledge to make cards for others, because of the simple pleasure homemade cards have brought me.

Ashish Show Report + A Short Rant

So, for three days I have been trying to win the Grazia blogging competition and have failed, the winner today even reviewed Ashish, am now feeling very sorry for myself :(

It also got me thinking about show reviews and bloggers, surely my review is surplus to requirements? Grazia now has two Ashish reviews online and I have since read countless others (in order to compare and contrast my own) Does the fashion world really need a lot of people watching the same thing and then writing very similar response with varying degrees of success/ skill. Funny stories and opinions are a different kettle of fish and one that bloggers excel at, but really I think show reviews should be left to the pros.

For what it's worth, heres mine:

Best known for his sequins and sense of humour Ashish did not disappoint showing what looked to be a blue and white striped pajama set and some sequin spot trousers with a cute dog print. His humour often hides some serious commercial clout, the current high street trend for all things Paris was present (in sequins of course) at his Spring/ Summer 10 collection as was the much-copied sunset print dress. Ashish has also done a recent collaboration with Topshop that includes grey sportswear and killer gold wedges.

The models looked to me as if they were on a gap year break in South America, slouchy hats covering a disheveled plait with a flash of hair dye weaved through. Chunky cream knits and brown woolen trousers were brought alive by the bright shimmering ikat print that ran through the collection. The sportswear element was also apparent with a grey marl crop top and maxi skirt combo.

This collection felt rather more grown up than his previous efforts, even when compared to the most recent spring/ summer collection. The theme of world travel has been dealt with in a far more subtle and sophisticated manner.

Ashish has already proved that he can do low key sequins and high-octane sportswear but now also proves he can do serious tailored tweed jackets and trousers and very wearable knitwear, even if it does have sequins on.

Images from Grazia Daily

Vintage Academe at Topshop

After a minor tube hiccup and a member of Topshop staff that had no idea what I was on about I found the Vintage Academe talk at Topshop Oxford Circus at 18:15, a mere 15 minutes after it started.

There were people standing and two small rows of seats, one on the end near me totally empty, I wondered why no-one was sat there, tired from work and frustrated from the tube I decided everyone was probably just being polite so plonked myself down to marvel at the clothes and listen to Curator Judith Watt give a thoroughly entertaining and very interesting talk through the clothes on display, when she finished she made her way back to her seat…which I was sat in. oops.

Having just finished a Fashion Curation MA I was so inspired by the idea and accessibility of the garments. Vintage Academe is a great mix between museum and shop. On the course we questioned whether you could have a fashion ‘gallery’ in the same way art has galleries (where works are on display to the public but also available to buy) and Vintage Academe is about as close as you can get.

Unlike a museum the clothes were on a rack to be rifled through, touched and held. My favourites were a characteristically garish Versace pink and black jacket with the signature lion head gold buttons and a royal blue evening dress by Issey Miyake that appeared to be made entirely from loops of ribbon.

Photo of Versace Jacket courtesy of http://www.vintageacademe.com/

They also run a lovely blog at http://vintageacademe.blogspot.com

Belated MA Show Pics and Congratulations

Homemade Couture: 111 Years of Vogue Patterns by Sophie Wood (me!)

Styling and Absence by Tory Turk

An Oral History of Marit Allen by Shonagh Marshall who is also taking part in the V&A's Oral History seminar in the summer.

An exploration of the 5 senses in fashion exhibitions by Michelle Carpenter

Satirical Sartorial Jenna Rossi-Casmus, author of blog http://shatteredsilkblog.blogspot.com and winner of an LCF prize *claps*

She Wears Her Pain by Amy Bluett.Fashion and feminism meet in Amy's hand drawn version of 'The Gallery of English Costume'

It’s all over! The display at the Mall Galleries was a total success and I even got to speak to Sarah Harris, the features writer at Vogue about my work on Vogue Patterns. I am still obsessed with Vogue Patterns and dressmaking and need to decide where to take it next.

Special thankyous go to Nilgin Yusuf for introducing me to Sarah, course tutors and super curators Amy de la Haye and Judith Clarke and everyone on the course for creating such a beautiful exhibition. And CONGRATULATIONS on their results to all the MA graduates at LCF this year.

Bora Aksu A/W 2010 Catwalk Report

Born in Turkey and educated at Central Saint Martins, Bora Aksu moved on from S/S 10 with pale icy blues, cool greys, peachy nudes and flashes of bronze and gold. Silk and chiffon were draped and ruched then strapped down with knitted piping to create a fitted yet floaty shape. Black textured leggings with mesh panel inserts hardened the look for winter.

The collection focused on one dress shape, sleeveless, high neck with darts and tucks creating volume at the hip, a pared down version of last season’s popular lampshade look. Hair was worn in a simple up do and make up was pared down which only served to accentuate the clothes.

Aksu’s keen attention to detail and construction is evident, the mesh inserts, sheer fabrics and a strong silhouette only confirm it. Standing out against the pale dresses was a pair of bright gold trousers teamed with a khaki jacket and ice blue shirt.

The end of the show saw the models walk down the runway in a fierce/ pretty gang, a la the Dolce and Gabbana Menswear show, allowing the garments to complement and conflict like the roses and leather that inspired them.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: A model walks down the catwalk during the Bora Aksu fashion show during London Fashion Week at the BFC Show Space at Somerset House on February 19, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images) Copyright 2010 Getty Images

MA finished, back to blogging

After starting this blog with the best of intentions, by the end of September I realised that having a full time job, doing my MA Final Project and running a shiny new blog was a bit much.

I studied Fashion Curation pathway so my project took the form of a exhibition proposal and accompanying academic essay. Below is an introduction to my project:

"Homemade Couture: 111 Years of Vogue Patterns will be one of the very few exhibitions to privilege the paper dress making pattern as an object worthy of study and display. In order to do this I have chosen to use one of the most recognizable names in fashion, Vogue. The exhibition will take the form of a company history in order to explore the changing nature and relevance of the Vogue Pattern Company. Vogue Patterns was established in 1899 and this exhibition will be held in 2010, making Vogue Patterns 111, it doesn’t have to be a landmark birthday to celebrate a companies achievements. I chose to focus on paper patterns because of the creativity they allowed the women who use them with regard to fabric choice, skirt length etc, the fact that paper patterns, especially Vogue Patterns, show how designer styles and trends were presented to the mass population and because patterns have their own particular style of illustration which can provide a record of how women are illustrated and presented throughout the 20th Century."

The MA is not quite over yet, there is still the London College of Fashion MA exhibition which will be held at the Mall Galleries, London from 2nd-5th of Feb. So please come down to see the work.