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You, my dear devoted reader, may recall my post about the delights of fascinators and simply headwear in general. I am now very happy to inform you that I appear to have pre-empted a new fashion trend. Note the very exciting hair decorations being worn by the models in Luella's Spring 2009 show, for example.
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I mention Luella first because, and I do intend to boast here, just weeks before she unveiled the veils, so to speak, I invested in a UFO hairpiece and veiling. I like to think that this means that I am so cool that I am ahead of fashion, it is far more likely, however, that by pure chance my ecclectic taste has coincided with what is considered on trend. Either way I am very excited about wearing my new UFO out and about in Edinburgh.
This brings me to my question of the moment: is it possible to wear crazy headwear without looking like a prat? I ask this in all seriousness because here in Edinburgh a lot of folk do tend to be rather conservative about their atire (I use conservative with a small c but as many of the men do sport outfits somewhat similar to that of David Cameron I believe that a Conservative dress sense would be an equally apt description) When all around you are wearing bland, drab and "normal" clothing, putting something on your head and proclaiming it fashion would, on the whole, be considered mad, be it a watermelon or an oversized bow that you are balancing on your bonce.
Now, I am never one to be ashamed of my fashion, but neither do I appreciate the looks of "what on earth is that girl wearing?" so I have been trying to create low key outifts which can be given that extra punch by way of one of my headbands or scarves or the UFO. This sort of outfit is along the same sort of lines as wearing a prom dress for everyday atire - another feat which I am hoping to pull off this semester without looking totally OTT. I love fashion, but I have no wish to look like a fashion victim.
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Perhaps one day I will go all out and dress Harajuku-esque...I do have a hair bow bought from that very Tokyo district...
I am well aware that I have just minutes ago posted about a clashing collection, but still I feel that I need to tell you about another. This time the look is oriental rather than tribal but still the clashing aesthetique is prevalent. I'm talking about Basso & Brooke's Spring 2009 collection shown in London Fashion Week.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, loud colours appear to be imminently becoming in vogue, and this particular collection encompasses all the hues you may wish to don this coming season, the twist being that they all appear together in burst of crazy colour.
Many of the pieces in this collection do seem to be rather shapeless - the dresses especially - and accentuate the waiflike structure of the models. I don't think that this is a fashion than should be copied by those of us who eat enough to be visible from a sideways view. In terms of fashion as an art form, however, it does not detract from the beauty of the fabric and cut of each dress.
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For some of the more extravagant outfits I feel that someone with a bit more flesh would give a bit more (for want of a less ridiculous term) va-va-voom to the overall look.
The items I am coveting most fervently from this collection are the belts. I can just imagine how they could bring a bland outfit up to being (once again I am failing to think of a non-ridiculous term to convey my feelings) super-wicked-brilliant. The quirky shape and mix of colours and shapes reminds me of the stereotypical image of modern art, which makes me want to wear the belt with an ironic red beret (and perhaps a curly, pensive moustache).
All in all I'd say that clashing couture is a style from the catwalks that definitely needs to be brought into my everyday live...all I have to do is channel some of the sophistication to prevent the colours from giving me a kids-television-presenter look.
I used to be a big fan of clashing prints. I still do like to dabble in a bit of mix and match but I am more afraid of looking like an explosion in a paint factory than I was a couple of years ago. The Spring 2009 collection by Duro Olowu has the wow factor of clashing, yet at a closer look does not clash at all.
The patterns are loud, as are the colours, but instead of a crazy juxtaposition Duro Olowu manages to make the outfits look both co-ordinated and somewhat debonair.
Overall the look is more tribal than I tend to go for, but I feel that the pieces could easily be worn without being accompanied by clunky wooden jewellery and conversations about elephants and giraffes.
Although it may not always be evident by the way I dress, I am a big fan of simplicity. In this collection the fabric speaks for itself by way of the fantastic swirling patterns so the clothing does not have to be outrageous, but instead is subdued and sophisticated.
It seems that colour is back. For Spring 2009 we must ditch that gothic look we've been cultivating and replace it with hues which may make us look somewhat like an ice cream sundae. Happy colours to help us through the credit crunch, perhaps.
The stand-out shade making itself known from show to show is orange. Don't recoil in horror, I'm sure orange can be wearable...somehow.
Christopher Kane's latest collection is still allowing us some of the doom and gloom with a smattering of black pieces, but wearing a monkey on my chest (go look at the collection and you'll see what I mean) seems just as happy and fun as wearing bright bright colours, so I figure that depression really is out.
