Advent - Day Fifteen

I'm back in good ol' Blighty after having a lovely (but oh sooo cold) long weekend in Paris and it is nice to be sitting opposite my Christmas Tree once again...if Paris wasn't so expensive (damn the strong Euro!) the tree would be accompanied with a few more presents. Whilst away, EJ sent me a link to a beautiful pair of bauble like Hi-top trainers by Alejandro Ingelmo that would like look great on or under my tree....

Alejandro Ingelmo has very few stockists (which is why I've not come across his work before, even though he has been designing men's accessories since 2006) but fortunately he is stocked at Oki-Ni and these futuristic beauties can be purchased here. If I owned these shoes I would certainly think twice about hurling them towards the deservedly downtrodden soon-to-be ex-President of the United States...they would more than likely shatter into a thousand pieces and they are just too pretty for such a fate.

The early morning Eurostar has made me sleepy so I think I'll switch on the Christmas lights and curl up on the sofa watching trashy TV...normal blogging service will resume shortly.

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Bits and bobs

Prepare for a mixed bag of a post. We had a late sketcher who we felt we should share with you, as well as a few links.

First, the sketches. These come from JP of cantilevered style. Goddamn it, is everyone taking secret drawing lessons??




Now, the links:

How much do I want these bad boys? Answer: a lot. I think I'd switch the white laces for black ones, but otherwise they'd be good to go for the winter party season (I refuse to talk about the C word yet).

How's your mustache coming along for Movember? If you are in need of inspiration, look no further than these mustache-themed wedding photos (thank Jennine for the heads-up!)

Finally, do you ever fling your shoes over power lines? (don't we all? Wait, no we don't, I love my trainers too much to chuck them even when they're veyr very dead). Read this interview as these guys would like to hear from you!

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Vans venture in neo plasticism

Back in April we posted about the Mondrian inspired Dunks and TheSundayBest proclaimed his love of the Dutch master of abstract art and even admitted visiting the MOMA just to stare at the great man's signature (this post is dedicated to you Thom). A visit to thecoolhunter has in my eyes unearthed a shoe taking the Mondrian even further...

Vans have released a Modular Authentic series which come in three different colourways (from a nice and simple black, grey and white colorway to a more vibrant red, yellow, blue, black and white colorway).

I have some time on my hands over the next week or so as Susie is away in San Francisco so I will research Mondrian further and will dedicate an outfit to one of the greatest of all modern artists. I will leave you with a quote from his essay on Neo Plasticism which has made me think about the options within my own wardrobe...

'As a pure representation of the human mind, art will express itself in an aesthetically purified, that is to say, abstract form…The new plastic idea cannot therefore, take the form of a natural or concrete representation …this new plastic idea will ignore the particulars of appearance, that is to say, natural form and colour. On the contrary it should find its expression in the abstraction of form and colour, that is to say, in the straight line and the clearly defined primary colour'.

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Style Stalking... Jeffrey Ko

You might think that we have been a bit quiet on the Style Stalking series in recent weeks but we have spent the time drawing up a list of people to 'stalk'. One fellow worth lurking in the shadows for is Jeffrey Ko. Jeffrey is an Architecture Student and Freelance Designer who lives with our good friend John Howard Little and every time we have seen him we are in awe of how he layers designer with high street as well as his impeccable use of accessories. As soon as we found out he was going on a two month break to Shanghai and Hong Kong we asked him to send us style postcards. You can thank us later for sharing them with you. Make sure you click the images to view them in a larger size- it's definitely worth it.

Day One:
Dior Homme Waist Coat, Comme des Garcon T-shirt, Local silk scarf from Shanghai, Casio Baby-G, Nike Sweatband, April 77 skinny jeans/trousers, Swear Shoes.

Day Two:
Black Shirt from Alternative, Electric blue bow from the Barbican Shop, Casio Baby-G, Nike Sweatband, Red belt from Topman, April 77 shorts, Swear Shoes

Day Three:
Shirt from uniqlo, Casio vintage gold watch, Nike Sweatband, white belt from Zara, Skinny jeans from Topman, Liberty x Nike Dunks.

Day Four:
Shirt is by an unknown brand from Dover Street Market Sales, Nike Sweatband, Tissot watch, red belt from Topman, Cheap Monday jeans, Swear Shoes.

Day Five:
Topman shirt, Local silk scarf from Shanghai, Nike Sweatband, Tissot Watch, White belt from Zara, Skinny Jeans from Topman, Converse.

Day Six:
Prada Sunglasses, Dior Homme Shirt, Uniqlo sweat shirt, Nike Sweatband, Casio baby-G, April 77 Shorts, Swear Shoes.

Day Seven:
Hat from Topman. Self Designed T-shirt, Shorts from Hurwendeki, Liberty x Nike dunks.

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Fashion vs Sport

Sportswear meets fashion

Firstly, apologies for being so quiet the last week or so but I've been hanging out with the guys above (I wish, I've actually been in the process of flat hunting...a difficult and stressful time at the best of time, made worse by the fact that it is taking place in London). I will be taking a well deserved break from the antics of flat hunting over the weekend and as things return to normal top of my agenda is a write up on the recently opened “Fashion Vs. Sport” exhibition at the V&A. Fashion and sport might not have always gone hand in hand (I can recall many poorly dressed sportsman over the years and digusting sportswear) but there are so many designers working to improve this poor relationship, even the sport stars themselves have been challenging this idea aswell.

Y3 a/w 08/09 - Fashion hits the streets

From the creation of Y-3 by avant-garde die- hard Yohji Yamamoto to the fashionable appeal of Nike Dunks (an item only previously seen on the court, sportswear and fashion have created this great amalgamation of high/low and casual/formal) and this exhibition is delving deeper into this interesting relationship. What does sportswear offer fashion I hear you question? Well the curator, Ligaya Salazar, mentions one of the main reasons - "Technological innovation allows designers the freedom of new shapes and fall. There are so many new man-made fibres in sportswear. For designers, it opens doors." Which is certainly true, I recently saw a Lucas Ossendrijver interview where he discussed the evolution of his fabrics over the seasons; how at Lanvin the choice of fabric has changed from purely natural fabrics like cotton and silk are increasingly looking at methods of fabric creation. I recently talked about my respect and admiration towards Aitor Throup and look forward to seeing his work up close. Sportswear has become an essential part of the modern wardrobe. Trainers and tracksuits are often more readily worn than suits, and high performance textiles developed for competition are being integrated into high-end fashion.

Unfortunately the exhibition doesn't allow photography so when I do the full write up you will have to make do with my crazed and excited ramblings. If you are interested the exhibition runs from August 4 – January 4, 2009 which gives one and all plenty of time to go and see it.

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A magpie's loot - Silver Hi Tops

I've been on the lookout for another pair of (relatively affordable - I can't quite get away with Raf Simons and Lanvin right now) hi tops for some time now. I have far too many pairs of shoes - I have become a collector without even realising it. I seem to find it impossible to walk past shoe displays and racks of white shirts whenever I go shopping; I think I need therapy. I saw these silver hit tops on the bstore site for some time but it wasn't until I saw them up close that I really wanted (needed) them not to mention that they were a steal at £89. EJ posted about silver trainers in her Spring time post and I think there is an inner magpie in us both, how about you? I recently read Lucas Ossendrijver's style tips on men.style (as pointed out by Brandish) and like most have fallen in love with the look of Lanvin. A pair of hi tops can look great either worn with jeans or with suit trousers...I am looking for nonchalent style.

The hi tops from bstore worn with APC jeans, striped t shirt from American Apparel and People's Market DJ.

My inner shoe collector is already on to the next pair of hi tops... these Lanvin's are breathtaking... I might just have to raid the piggy bank. You can't have too many pairs of shoes... can you?

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This one's for J

Ok, ok, so maybe Puma DO do some pretty nice trainers after all. I read about this new collaboration via the ever lovely Sneaker Freaker (I have to avoid reading too often as we already have a slightly ludicrous number of Adidas boxes in the flat housing half of my CD collection). Just to mix things up, it's a three way collaboration between Puma, trainer retailer Atmos and (here's where it gets weird) wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago. Odd. Each is inspired by an endangered animal... seriously, I can't believe I'm writing this about a blinking trainer; this must be one of the oddest trainer collaborations and concepts that I've heard of in a while

They're, shall we say, variable in the style stakes. The one below, based on... well, a seal I guess, is my favourite. I love the blue base which is just see through enough to evoke the icy waters. I'm also a sucker for spots and dots of all kinds.




I quite like the penguin ones too, but can't quite work out what you'd wear them with to show them off. Short perhaps? The Ibis pair are pretty cool, but I suspect you wouldn't really be able to appreciate the delicate pattern when wearing them. Plus, I'm aware that some people just aren't that into pink. The Panda pair though? Meh. Just meh.

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In the Market for Spring

Susie posted about our afternoon trip to Dover Street Market where we watched the biannual transformation of the store, out with the old and in with S/S 09., but I just two add my two pennies worth. If I wasn't longing for someone to hit the fast forward button on this grey, dull winter enough already, this visit to Dover Street Market was the straw which broke this camel's back. I no longer long for Spring, I demand it!

As always the third floor is my favourite, as Alber Elbaz knows how to put on a good show and his space, in particular his menswear space is encroaching and indeed taking over other areas. The Lanvin show held joint first placed (in my mind) with Burberry with creating the menswear that I'd love to wear and seeing the collection in person only confirmed my choice. The mix of fabrics, textures and subtle tones helped create an almost perfect Spring collection. I just wanted to run off with the chap mannequin who was watching over the web chat scenario because it was styled so well....

As amazing as the third floor was, it was great to see these blinding accessories by Raf Simons up close and personal...I could actually see my face in the reflective surface. EJ posted a link to them over on our twitter last week and the most common reaction was simply 'Wow!' I have to say, that when I saw them in the store, my subconscious mutterings echoed that reaction. They certainly are statement accessories and if they are blinding in the middle of a grey January, I can only think that once worn in July as the sun crashes (hopefully) down us they will create an Antony Gormley 'White Light' world...Just imagine what would happen if a cyclist wore the hi tops at the height of Summer, it would certainly end in bloody tears...

I have said it before but if you are ever in London, my advice to you is avoid the usual, over crowded department stores and take a walk through Dover Street Market and you can thank me later.

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Accessories for the Spring I long for

Just as their Autumn/winter accessories left a lasting impression on me...oh I still dream of having my very own feather tie...Lanvin’s Spring/Summer 2009 accessories collection (as shown on Selectism) comes along and all I want to do is press fast forward and skip the day after day of grey and embrace a new, brighter, warmer season. Lucas Ossendrijver's vision of Spring accessories includes a denim shopping bag (refer to our denim post), a sky blue tote which will hopefully soon be mirroring the sky and a collection of textured ties with intricate detailing. Of course, there are new variations of the accessories we have come to expect from the brand which in my mind and many of yours leads the pack, with new hi tops, belts, hats, belts and sandals to marvel at.

One pair of hi tops in particular have caught my eye. The theme of texture created by intricate detailing is continued from the ties and into the pair on the very left, which come in a mouth watering light purple. All in all this is a smart and varied collection and there really should be something for everyone. Of course the price takes them out of my eager reach but that has not stopped me from being inspired to shop around and even think about a little modification project.


I've never been attracted to straw hats before but the Lanvin SS09 show changed all that. I loved how the distressed and beaten up hats were given a new lease of life dressed up in silk ribbons and flowers. Surely this has to be one of the easiest little modification projects around...the search for a battered straw hat will begin shortly. There might be a small chance of looking a little silly in such a hat but I need to give it a go and I want to be more adventurous this Spring. Even if it is a disaster, I will certainly have fun making it and any embellishment detailing can be re-cycled in to a lapel detail. I can't lose and neither can you if you decide to give this a go.

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