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27
March 2nd, 2010
Muchacha
This may be my first post dedicated to children’s wear but after seeing Muchacha’s designs, I felt almost compelled to post about them. I have never before wished to be young again; there were no Tom Hanks BIG moments for me as a child either. My age has always been just a number indicating my amount of time on earth. I don’t feel particularly wiser or more mature as the number steadily increases. The visible signs of my years are creeping in and age envy may join them soon but I hope my age acceptance remains.
Muchacha’s clothing contradicts my usual balanced attitude to age. On seeing their dresses I wished to be 8 again (just for the day) or for them to make their dresses in giraffe adult sizes. Pearl Lowe posted a picture on Twitter of her beautiful young daughter wearing a Muchacha dress. It was Alice in Wonderland themed (as many things appear to be of late 
and extremely unusual. A tweet back from Pearl and some further investigation led me to the Japanese brand’s VERY unusual and beautiful website. It is super kitsch and fun to play with; the only downside is my complete lack of Japanese (maybe the Felt Mistress could help me.) So if you are a miniscule adult, the proud owner of a beautiful daughter or a lover of beautiful things (the latter is me!) look at Muchacha’s website. You can also purchase some of their gorgeous designs on Alex and Alexa in the U.K. or Little Fashion Gallery in the rest of Europe. I just downloaded their super-cute desktop wallpaper – if you love cats, you’ll adore it too.
I think the main reason I’m drawn to Muchacha (apart from the overwhelming kitsch!) is the fact that they make clothes for little girls to be just that…children; not mini-adults or over-sexualised tweens. Muchacha means little girl in Spanish and that’s just what the brand allows them to be. I know that comment may come across all blue rinse and Daily Mail but I feel the rush to be a grown-up is slowly eating away at the happy, carefree days of childhood. (Sensible lady hat is on for the next few days!)
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February 16th, 2010
Identity
s I sat waiting for the new Grazia to land on my doorstep and reveal the “real” Liberty London Girl, I was left contemplating the concept of identity. I spent today sat in my flannelette pyjamas, with an old ski hoodie and M&S f-UGG slippers. Is this who the readers of my blog perceive me to be? I remember chatting to the lovely Catherine Kallon, the creator of Red Carpet Fashion Awards. At the time GMTV had asked Catherine to follow her around for a day, watching the creative process as she blogs. Catherine told me, “I don’t want them to see me get up at the crack of dawn, lumber over to my desk with a coffee and blog in my PJs all day!” I remember thinking how refreshing it was to hear that her reality of blogging was very similar to mine; despite the fact that GMTV believed it to be very different. The irony now is that Catherine now has an office from which she blogs full time and an extremely hectic but enviable lifestyle.
Anonymity in the blogosphere is quite commonplace as it allows the freedom of speech that open magazine journalism often curtails; not through desire but necessity. The last thing a magazine wishes to do is anger their advertisers. The revenue they bring in is essential to the existence of any magazine. I’ve been forced to ask myself of late if the thin veil of anonymity makes me immune to any influences and totally free to speak my mind. The answer, truthfully, is no, not really 100%. If a brand invites me to a lovely meet-up, which I subsequently write about disparagingly, do you think they’d ever invite me in my blogger guise again? If I want to remain in the loop, at times my opinions must be censored. I haven’t yet been forced into that situation as I have chosen instead to remain positive and only write about the experiences I have enjoyed.
How does knowing Liberty London Girl’s true identity change her blog for you, or does it change it at all? For me there is no difference as I do not know Sasha personally (yet.) For those who work or have worked with her, without knowing her nom-de-plume and her online persona, today will have come as a shock. I don’t think that simply because of what she has written, but because they weren’t privy to this important part of who she is. Very few people with whom I work or am acquainted know about my blog and I feel that this would be the element of shock for them. My Mum used to think a blog was a part of an online gaming community. When I sat her down and showed her the blog last week, she said, “Who does the pictures for you? Who publishes the articles? What magazine do you work for?” I think her shock lay in the fact that I could be so independently productive!
I too today was forced to verify my own identity. As a “semi-anonymous” blogger most of my work is annotated as Random Fashion Coolness. I spent a glorious 6 hours (not in a row; emails back and for) trying to prove that my real name was associated with my blog. Eventually I managed to demonstrate that I was…well, myself!
Therein lies what I love about the bloggersphere. It’s not who you are but the contribution you make that is judged. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a magazine editor, a housewife, a full-time blogger or a business professional. Your blog is your persona and your opinion and work is what is scrutinised and respected, not your salary or perceived standing within the industry.
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February 12th, 2010
The future is deprived…
I need to get this post down before I give in to the lure of Twitter. Usually when EVERYONE blogs about something, it’s the last thing that appeals to me. But the death of Alexander McQueen however, is something I feel I MUST write about.
I was reminded of the artistry of McQueen a few months back in the superb BBC 2 series, British Style Genius (See McQueen’s Rebel profile here.) One episode blew me away and reminded me of everything I love about fashion – the flamboyance, the drama and specifically the ART of the designers. It was entitled, “Breaking the Rules: Fashion Rebel Look” and delved back into the archives of Galliano and McQueen to chart the beginnings of their fashion rebellion. The first thing that hit me was the fact that McQueen’s work remained equally pioneering, exciting and innovative, even 10 years on. My eyes hadn’t become accustomed to his showmanship as the decades had progressed; quite the opposite, I still looked upon his work with the wonderment of a small child.
The production of his 2001 Spring/Summer collection stands foremost in my mind. Nick Knight describes it best in an interview with Grazia and I wouldn’t even attempt to describe it better myself,
“My favourite, simply because it was so clever, was the mirror box show. He put all the models inside a huge mirrored cube. Before the show all the lights were on in the auditorium and the cube was a huge mirror reflecting the audience. The shows are always about 45 minutes late to start, and I remember I was on the front row between Alexandra Shulman and Gwyneth Paltrow, so if you looked up you stared at your own reflection, if you looked sideways you stared at your neighbour, so after a short time you ended up staring at your feet. Lee had managed by the use of this simple trick to have the whole of the front row, some of the most important people in fashion all sitting, heads bowed, humbled. Once the show started, the house lights went down, and the audience were released from this. And then it was the models inside the mirrored box who could see only their own reflections. Voyeurism was swapped to vanity.” (See Nick’s full interview here)
I would have LOVED to have been there or even to find a video of the whole show. I have found a snippet here by Iconiamag on Youtube (at 41 secs)
I hope the BBC repeats this episode of British Style Genius, simply to honour the passing of a genius that had contributed so much to the industry. It is sorrowful that the future of fashion will be deprived of Alexander McQueen.
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February 10th, 2010
Scents, Smells and Hotels
Once again, idle chit-chat on Twitter has inspired a post. Marian Kihogo and Susie Erskine were discussing their mutual admiration (and Marian’s worrying obsession) with candles. I butted in, as over the last few years the importance of smell has become more apparent to me. I’m not going to quote scientific statistics proving how smells can make you feel a sense of comfort, anxiety etc but just how smells affect me.
Of late bad smells have infiltrated my existence. There are two VERY ripe camemberts in the fridge that kindly remind me of their presence ever time the fridge door opens. Their smell is not abhorrent to me but I have found it strange how they like to make themselves known. Our home (a.k.a. the building site!) has a plethora of strange, unfamiliar smells lurking around each corner. Cement, plaster, paint all tickle my nose hairs each morning.
Perfumes evoke a huge sense of nostalgia in most people. I’m not necessarily referring to fragrances alone – natural, floral scents have the same impact. The Hotel du Petit Moulin in Paris is one of the most phenomenal hotels I have had the pleasure of staying in. The hotel is a design masterpiece and I have extolled its virtues many a time on this blog. It is a hotel that holds many happy memories and I can be transported back there in an instant thanks to a smell. The first time I stayed there it was my perfume of choice, it was also their room spray of choice. No, I did not douse myself in Glade!…Jean Paul Gaultier 2 was sprayed throughout their halls and more ingeniously the lift. In the confined space there was no escape from it; the smell permeated every little corner and (I know this sounds SUPER ostentatious) and a little bit of my soul too. Please delete that last comment from your brain, especially if it made you throw up a little in your mouth!!
Smells are important, thank you for reminding me of that fact Marian and Susie. I now feel the sudden urge to go out and buy a Diptyque candle and I hold you both personally responsible!
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February 8th, 2010
Lara Stone
Indicative of the meteoric rise of Lara Stone has to be her standing in Google. This year she has surpassed Lara Croft on the search scale! LOVE magazine has forced me to choose between 8 naked icons of the industry and without hesitation I will choose Lara Stone. I had to ask myself why I was so decisive on this issue. Is it her voluptuous, every woman curves? Is it her quirky, toothy gap? (I share that gappy grin) Is it her striking resemblance to Brigitte Bardot? In short I felt her freshness, in an industry that has championed a definitive waif-like look for over a decade, was the key. Plus sized models have been offered a moment in the spotlight of late but unfortunately, once any marketing opportunities subside, I don’t believe the trend for plus sizes on the runway will endure. A look like Lara’s however, will. She is healthy and more importantly, overtly sexy, without venturing too close to the line of smut. This advert for Versus by Versace sums up her appeal for me. She is loved by men and women alike. She oozes confidence and sexuality from every pore, yet still manages to maintain an editorial feel. Jak & Jil blog and W Magazine have captured some of my favourite images of Miss. Stone, featured above. My hope now is to watch her walk at Fashion Week and see for myself if the charisma translates live on the catwalk.
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February 2nd, 2010
Marketing, Bloggers and Editors
Bloggers seem to have put a fly in the proverbial ointment of late. We have “allegedly” disgruntled magazine editors with our appearances at shows (specifically the young Tavi at Couture Fashion Week) Questions are being asked on how our heads may be turned by free products that impede our true judgement of brands. The Cut Blog cited this quote, written by Robert Johnson at GQ,
“Bloggers are so attractive to the big design houses because they are so wide-eyed and obsessed, but they don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good and what’s not. As soon as they’ve been invited to the shows, they can no longer criticise because then they won’t be invited back.”
Magazine editors have had to curb their true opinions to suit their advertising accounts for years. Do they have free reign to criticise a top fashion house’s show if that brand has a 4 page spread in the front of their magazine? The blanket statement, “they don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good and what’s not,” is so sweeping and disparaging of a whole emerging industry that it is truly insulting. Here I do not refer to myself but to fellow bloggers that are also well respected journalists. Does that mean to say that what they write in print is worthy but the stuff on which they blog is not?
Integrity and intelligence is they key. I was recently asked to take a look at some hosiery for a website. Everything was arranged the tights were on their way. I then received and email telling me which blog they like me to write my review on and how. I may have misinterpreted their email but I then felt I was being dictated to, so I declined their offer.
A brand that seems to have got it right is Stolen Thunder. Here in lies the irony and possible contradiction of this post. They asked for my address, they sent me one of their beautiful necklaces. There was no pressure, no demand, no compulsion to blog about them. For that very reason, they’ve made it on to my blog. Are they running the slickest marketing campaign out there? Their kindness, coupled with a lack of intimidation offers the most persuasive argument to post about their products. I love their jewellery, admire their marketing strategy and have therefore chosen to blog about them (in a very round-a-bout way Does that mean I lack “critical faculties” or am I promoting a product the same way that the industry always has? A sample is received, it’s looked at, reviewed and if liked, written about. Just because I blog and am able to express my opinion more freely, does that mean my view is clouded? I would say not yet…but if I feel the fog descending, I’ll try and let you know.
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January 25th, 2010
Wallpaper
I’m sorry I have neglected my little POP blog over the last few weeks. I’ve been busy with Random Fashion Coolness bits but now I am back. My thoughts have been distracted from fashion over the last few days. We are currently renovating our house while living in situ. This means my thoughts revolve around renovations and refurbishments of my home rather than any self-decoration! My evenings, post dust-busting, are spent flicking through sites searching for inspiration and trying to remember where and when I might have seen that elusive something I thought that was cool. My gorgeous street in Paris, Rue du Poitou, offered me two delights when I first stumbled upon it a few years ago. One was the little gem, L’Hôtel du Petit Moulin, the other was The Collection, a gorgeous little boutique showcasing the home design pieces of a select group of creatives. I was directed there as I fell completely in love with the wallpapers in the aforementioned hotel. They were stocked in The Collection and were by Deborah Bowness; I’ve coveted them ever since. Now, as we recreate our home, some surfaces worthy of Deborah’s designs have started to emerge. I’ve seen her bookcase designs in several places, every time feeling envious and desperate to rip a little piece off (I of course wouldn’t!) Now we’re left with the dilemma of which pieces to chose and where to put them. Take a look at Deborah’s website for yourself and let me know which one’s you’d choose and why. I shall keep you up to speed on our project. So far there are no walls on the upper floor…and we may keep it that way!
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December 17th, 2009
Holly Fulton
Sometimes, it takes a more mainstream nudge to remind me of the stellar qualities of a great designer. Holly Fulton was an accessories designer at Lanvin in a previous existence and now is a designer in her own right, under her eponymous label. ASOShave championed Holly’s designs, now harnessed into an original collection exclusive to their website. The Fashion Industry is now teeming with new names and labels to watch and sometimes the saturation of the market means a unique talent slips off my radar. Her philosophy resonates with a multi-textured direction in fashion, “I love the idea of luxury, which, to me, is having all these cracked-out materials—crystals, plastic, metal, intense color—on simple shapes.” See Holly’s ASOS collection here and view her collections (pictured above) on her website.
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December 15th, 2009
Paris, mon lieu préféré x
So, I had a HUGE, elaborate post planned here. I was ready to share the secrets of my love of Paris, the little idiosyncrasies of this beautiful city that draw me in…but then I suddenly had a change of heart. All the things I love, seemed WAY to personal to share and my post suddenly seemed too pompous and preachy to blog about! Instead I need your feedback. Things of Random Coolness and I are off to Paris this weekend and I’d like to know what you recommend. Paris, for me is a city of contradictions; I feel I know it well but then realise each time that I go, I haven’t even scratched the surface. I used to spend my teenage summers with ma correspondante in Verneuil-Sur-Seine. We used to go into Paris every weekend and explore the delights of the city but they were inevitably the expected, traditional sites/sights. As an adult, I’ve tried to dive a little deeper and find the quirky, lesser known pleasures the city has to offer. So please indulge me, help me discover new glories in my enigmatic lieu préféré…I hope that on my return, I will lose my inhibitions and be able to share all of my favourites with you too.
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November 15th, 2009
Blog Pairs
The phenomenon that is blogging is everywhere. Disney Roller Girl and I were discussing just the other week how difficult it is in to maintain your integrity in a fashion industry that is almost fully embracing the power of the blogger (I think she’s posted about that today) I mentioned to her the better part of me,
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Things of Random Coolness. He runs a beautiful blog and was the inspiration behind my initial venture into the world of blogging 3 years ago. Inspiration = He secretly began his blog and I stumbled across it one day and asked him what he was doing. I then had a childish, stamp-feet tantrum about the secrecy and moaned, “I want to do that too!”
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Random Fashion Coolness was born!
Anywhoo back to the point in hand! He endeavours to maintain integrity through his blog. He never posts for the sake of posting or because someone sends him a “gift.” That might mean no posts for a month but at least he knows that everything he blogs means something to him. I was thinking of his influence on my blog. He calls me out on things he dislikes, helps me “screen” invites etc. I do not always welcome the criticism or heed his advice and it is annoying that 9/10 times he’s right!
There are lots of blogger partnerships out there that make their work all the more endearing for me. The most famous blogging couple du jour has to be Garance Doré and The Sartorialist, Scott Shuman. If you look at their blogs, I really feel you can perceive a noticeable shift in direction and style once they became a couple (maybe less so in Scott’s work, where commentary is minimal) Another favourite blogger partnership comes in the form of
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What Katie Wore. Joe, her boyfriend, is the photographer and blogger, Katie his fashion muse. Each day Joe posts a picture of Katie’s phenomenal ensemble and a comment, giving a little insight to their daily lives together. Susie’s
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Style Bubble and Steve’s
Style Salvage blogs share their home’s balcony for displaying their newest ensemble look.
These musings on blogger partnerships led me to think of the wonderful Agathe of Styles Bytes. She was an original blogging phenomenon. I was an avid reader of her blog and marvelled as she posted about her forthcoming nuptials to Kristoffer of Trashion. Their life and relationship played out through the blog and we as readers were voyeurs to their beautiful bubble. The simplicity of their ceremony and her dress inspired my own wedding day. Then suddenly, one day in April 2008, Agathe headed to Stockholm and Style Bytes was no more. The demise of their relationship in some way lead to the end of Agathe’s musings on fashion and the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
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Kristoffer’s blog now seems to be run by a Scottish lass!!! I also miss the gorgeous
Molvin, their indoor pet pig – I used to LONG for posts about him!
I’m interested to see if there are any other blogging partnerships out there and how your accomplice contributes to what you create.
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Things of Random Coolness is a very private person; you will not find much information about him on here (and certainly NO photos!) If you blog together, how much information do you choose to reveal about yourselves? Fill in my contact form or comment on this post (adding your sites), as I’d like to see how many blogging couples are out there for a little article….
