Scandinavian for value

Copenhagen StreetStyle this week gives us Rebecca, aged 15. Yes, 15. Why was I not this cool when I was 15? Why am I still not this cool almost 6 years later?! I think the main answer to this question is because I am not Scandinavian.

My hypothesis is thus: being Scandinavian automatically makes you 26 times cooler fashion-wise than everyone else.

Proof #1 is Rebecca here with her cosy big scarf, messy-chic hair, wonderful fringe, simple outfit and (as far as I can tell) no need for make-up. And also just Copenhagen StreetStyle in general, see below for examples.





(another annoyingly stylish 15 year old. Totally unfair.)



Proof #2 is FashionGirl on Stockholm Streetstyle who is my style icon. She dresses in a really simple way and yet always looks totally fashionable and original.







Proof #3 is Swedish label Acne. The coolest label going, and not ridiculously expensive either. Plus you won't end up looking like a fashion victim as Acne plays by its own rules instead of enforcing jeggings on the world. (Ditto Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair)





Hypothesis proved. The End. Case closed.

P.S. I'm totally treating myself to a shopping trip to Sweden once I'm finished in France....Monki here I come!

DIY Couture

In these dark times of economic downturn, the ever-present threat of global warming and Cheryl Cole's world domination (sure she's cute, but she's EVERYWHERE now...even Loreal couldn't resist those dulcet Geordie tones) what we need is something to save us money, make us smile and be 100% stylish. Enter Maison Martin Margiela.

Want a new jacket? Easy, just re-use all those ballpoint pens you bought at the beginning of the semester when you were sure that this was going to be the year you actually did some work. A bit of sticky-back plastic here and a safety pin or two and voila, you've got yourself a pretty good replica of MMM's new look...



Remember when false eyelashes were cool? (Cheryl Cole even endorsed a pair...) Did you bulk in fear that World War Three was nigh and you didn't want to look uncool in your nuclear bunker? Need something to do with those spidery fiends? Look no further for inspiration than our dear friends at Maison Martin Margiela...



It's like Blue Peter for (super stylish) adults. Get out the glitter and safety scissors and begin creating!

Ode to Topshop

Before I arrived in France I was under the impression that the French were very chic, and I was therefore excited about the prospect of buying French clothes and returning to England 87times more stylish than when I left...I was wrong.

I am living in the city of Le Havre in Normandy, it isn't the centre of the fashion universe but it is well known for having a lot of shops. Seriously, the main thing to do here is shop. And yet I have failed to buy anything more than a beige cardigan (from H&M...I could have bought it at home). I am in serious need of a pair of winter boots, but prices here are so expensive, and tastes so dissimmilar to my own, that I fear I will be parading about in ballet pumps as the snow begins to fall.

I miss Topshop. I've been stalking a jumper on the website for about a month now, and just when I was going to take the plunge it's disappeared. Just my luck. It's saving me money, but costing me style (and more importantly warmth). I'm planning an online trolley dash sometime this week, but what to buy...?


P.S. France is amazing for food. I am addicted to pain aux raisins. I will never fit in the Topshop clothes I end up buying.

France!

Hello!
I'm in France!
I moved to Le Havre almost three weeks ago and I'm just getting my bearings.
Here is a nice photo of the coat near here to keep you going until I have time to write something fashiony...

Imagine...

...you've got a really important business meeting that you're totally unprepared for. There's good reasons for your lack of preparations, mostly involving vodka, but you are petrified that you're going to crash and burn in the boardroom. The solution? Wear an outfit that is hypnotic. This creation from Basso&Brooke will draw the attention away from whatever rubbish you're spouting and leave your fellow suits mesmerised by your fabulous taste in clothing, and ability to match (shoes and jacket, very classy, very businesslike).




...your super-hot male friend asks you to help him to move house. You need to look alluring but also be able to move about - he has a load of junk that needs boxing up and moving out. Peter Pilotto has the solution, shorts and a shirt is a simple combination but will make you look cool and show that you really are there to help. Plus short-shorts show off your legs, although pumps might be better than these heels when you're helping to lug a piano up four flights of stairs.




...you've been invited to a "bad taste party" at uni. You don't actually want to look totally hideous because, well you would be completely ashamed. This is what Henry Holland is for. You'd have to be brave to wear this outfit on a normal night out, but under the guise of "bad taste" you can show off this wonderful ensemble.




...you've been asked out by a cowboy. In the 90s. I am so in love with this from Sienna Miller's Twenty8Twelve that I'm currently developing a time machine to ensure I do find myself in that situation.




...it's your first lecture at uni, you want to look cute and clever. I would suggest that you remember to dry your hair though, you don't want to catch a chill. I love how this outfit is demure and scholarly without being drab. And the socks/legwarmers match the coat - cute as!




...you just want to look super hot! Burberry Prorsum is all you need.

Like A Grecian Goddess

Leighton Meester. Lovely.

Luella Love

Finally the time as come to admit it, I am jealous of Alexa Chung.

She's breaking America without having to become a Barbie doll, has very good hair, a rock star boyfriend AND gets to wear Luella dresses still warm from the fashion show. The green-eyed monster has picked a worthy target.






In other news I am in love with the new Luella collection. The shapes are so classic and feminine, like the sort of outfits Betty Draper might wear to a fancy picnic.














The only thing that niggles me about Luella's clothing is that I think they would be shown off far better on a curvier body. The clothes have curves and the models don't, it just doesn't seem quite right. Maybe for her next collection Luella should "do a Mark Fast" and find some less bony beauties to fill out her dresses.

Here Comes The Bride

Word on the street (or rather on the blogosphere) is that Zooey Deschanel has married her beau, Ben Gibbard from Seth Cohen's favourite band Death Cab For Cutie. I am very excited about this for two main reasons; firstly because I love Zooey in a serious girl-crush sort of way so am super happy for her, and secondly because I'm hoping wedding photos will appear of her in whatever amazing dress she tied the knot.

Zooey always wears beautiful classy outfits, I reckon she will have chosen a lovely vintage wedding dress possibly lace, possibly 1940s style, no veil. Actually that's what I'd wear to get married in, but I do like to think that Zooey and I would have similar tastes. Here's a couple of her red carpet choices, proof that the girl sure knows how to pick a dress!

Armour Amour

Hannah Marshall understands the power of the little black dress. And the little black everything else for that matter. Her Autumn/Winter '09 collection is all about armour, basically meaning that the outfits look seriously fierce (as Tyra would say). The shoulder of the season is very involved, along with some very exciting poses from the models.













Much as I love the harsh angular feel of the clothes, I think I would want to soften the outfits up a bit with some wool or floaty fabrics.

It's Raining (snappily dressed) Men!

I thought I'd share a couple of photos from my favourite Jak&Jil post ever. These are from backstage (or rather the pavement outside) the Thom Browne show.







Hopefully Clara Bow style lipstick for men won't be catching on any time soon - or any sort of lipstick for that matter - but I rather like the actual outfits on show here. The tailoring is lovely, I do like a man in fitted clothes. And shorts, I am a fan of men in shorts. Well, only if they have good legs that is, what can I say, I'm shallow.

What I really love about these photos is just how absurd high fashion looks when you take it out into natural light. Some of the other shots from Jak&Jil show more absurd polkadotty outfits, but even the more tame short-suits look incongruous when everyone around is wearing variations on the same stylish theme. The traffic-warden-yellow coats are somehow wonderful and awful all at the same time, which is for some unknown reason exactly what I love fashionwise!

The Hair's The Thing

Raven hair for Agyness.....do we like?

A hat fit for Icarus

When I'm looking to buy a hat top of my list of requirements is that by wearing it I could potentially blind someone close by. Luckily for me, Maria Francesca Pepe has designed a piece of headwear perfect for that very cause.



Although I am perplexed about the wearability factor of that particular piece, the rest of Pepe's collection is simple yet effective. I like clean lines, I like block colours and I like clothing with shape. This collection has all three. Inspiration is supposed to have come from 19th century French prostitutes, but I'm sure there must have been more ruffles involved back then. The seductive fabrics are due to Pepe's Italian roots, which is lucky really since the velvets and silks stop the cuts from being overly harsh.




I'm not so sure about the lilac lipstick - it's a bit Peaches Geldof for my liking - but the combination of the simple dress and geometric brooch makes for an interesting outfit. Effortlessly cool rather than being too showy.



This season is all about the shoulder, dahling. There's still a part of me that screams "Dynasty" everytime I see a shoulder pad, but as I personally am lacking in the shoulder-department I do feel myself drawn to the sillouette - just so long as big hair and dream sequences aren't coming back too!




C for Ciara...

Love My Bones

I want this:



As seen on Yvan Rodic's non-facehunter blog. Nevermind ribcage t-shirts or even the full bodysuits kids wear at Hallowe'en, this has got to be the coolest way to show your gothic tendancies.

The bad news is the price. With a little help from Google, I've located this bracelet-ring conglomeration, it's by Delfina Delettrez and will set you back a cool € 17160.00.

Waistline Woes

I am starting to worry about the return of the midriff. I realise the issue isn't up there with American healthcare or the state of the economy but all the same it's making me anxious. What are those of us who are less than lithe supposed to do with this style? And worse still, even if I become one of the skinny crowd my new French job clearly states NO crop tops. I am doomed to a perpetual fashion faux pas until the style blows over. At least I can take heart in the fact that my midriff cannot be expected to be on show during the winter months, it and I can take a break from the stress, sit back and eat cupcakes...


Cushnie et Ochs


Yigal Azrouël