TRANSITION
It's best that I'm upfront about something. I seriously jumped the gun on the whole 'fall has arrived' thing. Ignoring all better sense, and the weather forecast that stated it was a hundred degrees outside, I embraced the new season this weekend. For me, that meant putting my skinny jeans aside and pulling on a pair of wide legged wool trousers. I also opted for a thermal t-shirt and black leather jacket. None of this made any sense. I was reminded of that fact when I edited these pictures and had to decrease the reds dramatically... because seriously my face was all sorts of blotchy from the heat.
With Labour Day weekend behind us, and the sad reality that all local pools have closed, it's time to embrace the changing season. To me, most importantly, this means weekends spent at coffee shops and wineries. Life seems to revolve around places I can go to get a drink. All the while, I plan to live in these wool trousers. In part because they remind me of ones by Charlie May and (more importantly?) because they have an elastic waist. Elastic waists are, after all, essential for fall.
Elemente Clemente trousers and Margaret O'Leary top (both available at The Clover). Treasure & Bond jacket. Vans.
MY FAVOURITE #LFW MOMENTS SO FAR...
Good morning!
It's that time again, London Fashion Week is here! To celebrate the beginning of all things fashion (sore feet, no food, wet hair) I put together a little homage to my favourite moments from past seasons. All these photos have appeared on the Style Crusader before but I love them all so much that I think they deserve to be highlighted again. First up is a selection of some of my favourite people that I've shot on the cobblestones of Somerset House.
Next up are some of favourite personal outfits. They include everything from an impeccably chic red Iro jacket to a pair of Charlie May customized platform Doc Martens.
We'll round things off with the shows because that's technically why we're all here in the first place. My favourite will forever be Inbar Spector's AW12 show. It was impossibly beautiful and completely out of this world. A close second though has to be Meadham Kirchhoff's SS12 show. The balloons, the dancers... it was all completely over-the-top and utterly transfixing. Oh, and of course, the green sequined covered model at Fyodor Golan still holds a special place in my heart.
p.s. I am aware that hashtags don't actually work in blog titles but I'm getting in the social media mood, alright? Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for regular fashion week updates throughout the day.
THE BEST OF NYFW...
New York Fashion Week is drawing to a close.
It's been a wild week with some pretty outrageous shows. Some designers successfully pushed the boundaries of what it means to put on a fashion show (Thom Browne) while others made a scene by driving their models onto the catwalk in luxury cars (Opening Ceremony). Most of the collections I quite liked - one I really didn't (Betsey Johnson). So what can we take away from New York as a whole? Well, the thing that stood out most to me was the prevalence of black and white. Some of the collections showed nothing else while others injected small bursts of bright colour (Victoria Beckham). This is a look I love and will definitely be working into my wardrobe as soon as possible. Other notable trends included the use of strong geometric lines, draping, cut out details (especially on the midriff) and exaggerated volume. Not a whole lot of florals or pastels (except at Prabul Gurung). All in all an extremely chic and sophisticated look is pervading the catwalk. This is definitely something to be celebrated.
Catwalk photos from style.com and nature photos from here.
To view all my favourite looks from NYFW click here.
GET READY FOR TOMATO RED...
New York Fashion Week only just kicked off yesterday but already there is a clear contender for colour of the season. Yep, that's right: tomato red. Bright and juicy, it's bursting with flavour and injecting a mega-watt dose of high octane flavour into your life. There were varying shades - with Richard Chai Love being the most muted of the bunch and Costello Tagliapietra inching in towards orange territory. But whichever hue you choose one thing is certainly clear, get ahead of the fashion crowd and start wearing this colour now. Pair with a matchy-matching pout (à la Creatures of the Wind) to really stand out.
photos from style.com & background art by Yangyang Pan
MIA AND NEW CHARLIE MAY...
No no, don't worry. I haven't fallen into some forgotten ditch. I'm still alive and kicking, just taking a much needed break from the online world. I think it's been about three weeks since my last blog post. Quite possibly the longest blogging break I've taken since starting up this baby. I promise I haven't forgotten about you. I went on holiday to Sweden and then to the UK and, I've got to say, that ditching my DSLR and forgetting about outfit shots was seriously therapeutic. Do you ever just feel like you need a break from the online world?
Anyway, let's ignore my bad blogging techniques and instead focus on the beauty that is this pink leather biker jacket by the incredibly talented Charlie May. It's from her SS12 collection; I fell in love with it as soon as I laid eyes on it. Charlie was kind enough to custom make this one for me and, ever since receiving it, I've been wearing it non-stop. It's the perfect cropped shape and made from the softest leather. I love the zip detailing at the wrists and the edgy little studs on the collar. I feel so pleased to have such a beautiful piece of Charlie May to call mine. Thank you so much Charlie.
A BALANCING ACT...
I've been dreaming about sporty sneakers for a while now. It took me ages to decide which sort of pair to go for. There are loads of awesome variations out at the moment. With lots of websites offering the ability to customize the colour scheme the options are endless. Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sea of choices I decided to go for something classic and simple. Behold. The New Balance 420 in navy. I love the old school shape, it feels like something my dad would have worn back in the 70s. These shoes took on a mighty undertaking. Not much can tear me away from my Converse but these have done the trick. They are permanently glued to my feet now.
p.s. the winner of the YSL giveaway is Lisette! Congratulations.
IS THIS THE FUTURE OF MEN'S FASHION?
J.W. Anderson for Versace is an odd pairing. The two houses couldn't be anymore diverse; Anderson champions an androgynous look while Donatella reigns as the queen of clingy. The two came together last night though to debut the new resort 2014 collection and the outcome has left me confused. The women's collection was fine but exactly what you'd expect: lots of tight black dresses and few pops of standout colour. The men's designs, however, are nothing short of atrocious. Zebra print jeans, a bodycon dress, a white fuzzy cropped top plus a black and white geometric outfit with what looks like a one shouldered swimsuit. What were they thinking? Please, feel free to tell me if I've just completely missed the sartorial boat on this one but I'd rather hope to never see a man wearing any of these looks. I know Anderson likes to push the boundaries of men's fashion but, to me, this just looks cheap.
So tell me boys, will any of you be rushing out to buy this collaboration on June 15th?
Photos from style.com
THE MET BALL 2013: WORST DRESSED...
The Met Ball took place last night in New York and the celebrities came out in the droves for it. Many were dressed incredibly (the Olsen twins and Rooney Mara were my favourites) but a few came out looking like real shockers.
Let's start with Miley Cyrus. Apparently she is channeling the 'punk' trend but personally I think she resembles a porcupine more than anything else. Her Marc Jacobs dress is pretty chic and unoffensive - the black netting is fierce and the nude slip underneath is working perfectly. But why, God why, did she decide to spike her hair? Now for Katy Perry and her Dolce & Gabbana monstrosity. This collection was one of my favourites from Fall 2013, but this dress is not doing Katy any favours. The elbow length sleeves are too full and the mid-calf length is unflattering with the black ankle strap heels. Isn't this like the first lesson in styling? Never pair a dark ankle strap with a midi-length skirt. It doesn't look good on anyone. To top off the golden mosaic printed dress Katy chose to wear some massively oversized earrings and a crown on her head. This is direct proof that copying a look straight from the runway is often not a good idea. Sack the stylist love and the makeup artist. You look way too pale and vampy with that dark lippy. Nicki Minaj, this is quite chic by your standards. The Tommy Hilfiger dress is minimal and paired back but the cut out waist looks cheap. Paired with your bigger than life hair, it all just looks a bit dated. Let's close with a discussion on Madonna. This look is so bad for so many reasons that I don't even know where to start. Let's begin with the disturbing fact that she's only wearing a jacket. Where are her trousers? Why is she wearing a dog collar? And what's with the girly pink pointed stilettos? They don't go. This Givenchy Haute Couture jacket is fugly. The fishnets belong on a cheap stripper and it looks like Anna Wintour lent her a wig. Ladies, get it together. Last night wasn't your best performance style wise.
Photos from US Magazine.
p.s. as a couple of you rightly pointed out on Twitter, Kim Kardashian was also amongst the worst dressed at the Met Ball. If you haven't seen her floral horror check it out here, complete with matching gloves.
A LITTLE RED DRESS...
We spent a day in St Paul de Vence wandering around the old cobblestoned pathways when I was in France last week. It's a gorgeous medieval town and is definitely worth a visit if you ever happen to find yourself in southeastern France with nothing to do for a day. I wore this new little red dress from River Island. I love the simple shape and little floral details . Worn with old battered Converse it feels a little grungy, which I like.
Wearing: Red ditsy print dress from River Island, Amberly Light Horn sunglasses by Hardy Amies, Converse and Banana Republic bag.
MONOCHROME...
I'm currently crushing big time on monochrome. Simple black and white feels so fresh. All these items are currently sitting in my imaginary shopping basket. I just need to decide which to go for. I'm thinking the jumper and the dress on the far right...
All items from Zara
CASPER&PEARL...
I just discovered this adorable brand casper&pearl. It was started by an eighteen year girl in Adelaide and was established in 2011. I'm obsessed with the dreamy vintage feeling separates. My favourite piece from the collection are the pocket full of posies shorts (last image). They remind me of something my grandma would have worn in the '70s while exploring Mexico. They are definitely being added to my birthday wishlist. Mom, are you reading this?
Photos snatched from here.
OSIRIS AROUND MY NECK...
I'm completely in love with Moxham. My favourite piece from the new spring/summer collection is the Osiris necklace. It's massively chunky and quite heavy but such an awesome statement piece. Here I'm wearing it over one of my favourite t-shirts that I picked up on ebay.
Wearing: Moxham Osiris necklace, Somewhere Nowhere embellished hat, Paul & Joe Sister jacket, wolf tank top from ebay and Topshop jeans.
ON LOVING YOU SOLELY...
This is the only photo that really matters from the Topshop Unique show - it displays all the best bits of the collection. A swingy full pink sequined skirt bounces around and hits at mid-calf. There were lots of trousers that were exactly the same length (I want a pair, desperately). You can just see a hint of the jacket on the model's arm. It's an oversized slouchy number with sleeves that have been turned up. Cropped and wide, it's a shape that showed up on many looks from the collection and will undoubtedly be a popular fit come next autumn. Last, there's the shoes. Oh, the shoes. I love them dearly and have made a mental note of adding them to my imaginary shopping basket. They would do rather nicely on my feetsies comes next Autumn. I like the idea of wearing baby pink in the fall. Normally it's more of a spring colour but Topshop shows it deserves a place in winter too. I couldn't agree with them more on this.
Topshop, you've rocked my world once again.
IT'S SO FLUFFY...
Meet one of my favourite cardigans. By Swedish brand DAGMAR, it's super fluffy and soft with a multicoloured pattern from the waist down. It's so warm that when I was in London I could wear it without a coat or a jacket. Love.
Wearing: DAGMAR cardigan, Joseph trousers, Aila bag, Muriee scarf and Ash shoes.
MICHAEL VAN DER HAM AW13...
Shooting backstage at Michael van der Ham was serene. Everything was clicking away like clock work. The models had fake half fringes clipped into their hair and had dark moody eyeliner applied to their lids. I love seeing the clothes hanging on the rail and then seeing them come to life on the catwalk...
The collection was absolutely gorgeous. There were tops (see top right) with holes cut out of them. It almost looks as if some super powerful moths went to work on the fabric. My favourite pieces were the sheer tops (see top middle) with embroidery on them and the brocade pencil leg trousers. The show closed with three stunning dresses that would look killer on any red carpet. Michael van der Ham isn't a designer that I was familiar with before the show but since seeing this collection he's become one of my favourite London designers. *Collage photos from style.com*
Massive thanks to ebay for getting me backstage and for inviting me to the show.