Wolf Whistle

Barbie's Birthday #2: Karl's Gift!

To celebrate the big 5-0, Karl Lagerfeld (perhaps you've heard of him?) shot some pictures of Barbie with model Baptiste Giabiconi as Ken. The shoot is being displayed in French store Colette from today until March 28th. One silkscreen print on plastic only per picture will be available for sale.

I happen to like creepy/cute (remember the Mommie Dearest shoot for Numero?) but the posing of a real life model with a life size Barbie is a bit weird. Especially the cuddling shot above! Oh dear. (I couldn't bring myself to post the wedding picture, eek...)

And my favourite! Baptiste as Ken as Karl. My mind is reeling.

There's also lots of Barbie related products and paraphernalia for sale, but I think most of it is pretty naff. Except this tee by Married To The Mob...

...and, my favourite: this hairbrush by Bless. Amazing.


Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Happy 50th Birthday...

...to one of the greatest style icons of our time: Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Barbie was first introduced in her famous black and white swimsuit in 1959 and is still the best selling toy in the world, according to the market research company NDP Group. The first Barbie had a ponytail and came with a stand, sunglasses and black open toe shoes. She made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9th, 1959 - hence her birthday!

Researching this post I got far too excited about the clothes that Barbie has worn. (Yeah, alright. Excited and jealous.)

I love this special edition re-creation of the original 1959 fashion Gay Parisienne polka dot dress in one of my biggest obsession colours, navy blue. Accessories include a faux pearl necklace, golden velvety clutch, veiled headband hat, navy open-toe shoes and that faux fur stole, of course. Amazing.

Loving these 80s New Romantic Barbies. Check those thigh high boots and rounded shoulders. Very now, no?

Southern Belle Barbie: too pretty!
 


 

And for those up-coming nupitals to Ken, Bridal Barbie in Vera Wang! Chantilly lace and origami-pleated organza, direct from the Vera Wang Luxe 2008 Bridal Collection. Seriously, this is one spoilt doll.

But my favourite is definitely this beautiful blue Zac Posen creation.

From the press release: "Barbie® doll wears a sweeping, belted violet blue gown of pleated china silk with a golden armband. Ken® doll is outfitted as the quintessential designer, wearing jeans, a pintucked tuxedo shirt, and shantung silk jacket. The studio “set” is crammed with bolts of fabric, sewing notions, bulletin board with pinned inspiration and the final must-have accessory: Zac’s own best friend, his black dog Tina."

The attention to detail is astonishing. And insane, a little.

Although her look today is instantly recognisable, Barbie's appearance has been tweaked many times over the 50 years. In 1971 the doll's eyes were adjusted to look forwards rather than the demure sideways glance of the original model. In 1997 Barbie's body mold was redesigned from her previous 36-18-33 (ouch) and given a wider waist, with  company Mattel saying that this would make the doll better suited to contemporary fashion designs.

And although this was a photoshop rather than a real doll, I love the slightly more accurate representation of how Barbie should be looking by now. Still beautiful!

How do you feel about Barbie? Do her ridiculously implausible measurements give the wrong ideas to impressionable children? Or do you see her as a harmless bit of fashion fun? Let me know what you think. (Also let me know if you can recreate that Zac Posen dress for me for cheap, seriously!)

London College of Fashion Exhibitions

Right now at London College of Fashion there are some amazing exhibitions. Down at Bond Street campus, there's a mixed bag in the current exhibition including butterflies exploding from books, cardboard artworks reminding us to recycle and a rather scary shelf of memorial candles to dead dictators and serial killers.

In amongst, though - and more relevant to this blog - are two beautiful pieces on recycling. Nadine Richards from the BA Footwear Design course created a recycled and sustainable pair of shoes. (Click for larger!)

The shoes are made from vegetarian tanned leather, fold down collars and laces made from a 70s vintage scarf. The heels and soles are taken from an unwanted pair of shoes.

Not only do I love the idea, but I love the finished outcome. I would definitely wear these.


Julia Roebuck from BA Textile Design created a dress made of three pairs of trousers donated to Oxfam. She says its "A comment on the increase of value and fast fashion culture that has evolved, allowing garments to become disposable."

Very All Saints, no?

 

There's a dress that releases scent at the John Princes Street campus and a gorgeous couture exhibition upstairs. Pictures of both to come shortly!

Precarious: L'Officiel Singapore Say What We're Thinking

L'Officiel Singapore have published this very tongue-in-cheek editorial called Balancing Act.
(I think this might be aimed at you, Miuccia...)







Love the shoot, but gosh... what an awful tattoo.





Scans from Pedestrian. I love you guys!

Obsession! Bargains! Vanity!

This was supposed to be an outfit post because I have a camera now!/there was no-one in the loos at uni so I could do a sneaky full length shot/I'm wearing my amazing/insane 80s dress and I wanted to show you guys. Seriously, it's worth seeing: diamonte, batwing sleeves, d-rings, over-sized silver buttons, slit skirt... It's about ten dresses in one and it was a magical 99p on Ebay.

But my cameras batteries decided to die just as I tried to take a picture, so you just get this rubbish phone camera shot of me and my token screw-face and my £2 Topshop PVC bow that I. Cannot. Stop. Wearing. It's a brooch really so I have to make a little ponytail and push the brooch through the elastic, but that way it sticks up from my head like Minnie Mouse. Win!

Also unseen in this outfit: 50p black leather patchwork bumbag, £1 purple tights and £5 brogues. Whole outfit for under a tenner! I'm such a bargain master that I even I impress myself.

I deliberately frizzed my hair. And that's the light - even my under eye-bags aren't that terrible. (Right, justification over!)

P.S. If anyone wants to be my outfit photographer, let me know...

 

Let's Swish!

Got a very nice email from a lady called Helen asking if I'd be interested in writing about her free Swishing event at Old Spitalfield's Market, this coming Saturday March 7th. And you know what? I would!

The Swishing events are basically giant swap shops, where you can bring from 1-5 items to trade for something new. I've still got a bin liner full of goodies that I didn't sell when I did a vintage fair before Christmas so I'm planning to swap what doesn't suit me for something that does, hopefully!

Click for bigger!

How it works is this:

12noon - 2pm Clothes drop off:

        Bring your clothes, shoes or accessories to the swishing area and drop them             off, you will receive a stamp for each item (minimum 1, maximum 5)

2.30pm Browsing time:

Take time to browse the goodies on display - look, but no touching until the Swish begins

3.00pm Swishing officially opens:

There will be a brief introduction to the Swish and it will then be declared open for you to start swishing.

The Rules

Bring at least 1 good quality item of clothing, shoes or accessories that you no longer wear but would be proud to pass onto a fellow Swisher - no rags please!

You can bring up to 5 items, you will recieve a stamp for each, so feel free to take as many items as you brought along.

You will have time to browse the rails and look at the fantastic free goodies on display - but remember, you cannot claim these items until the swish is officially open!

Once declared open, swish to your hearts content! Remember, be kind to your fellow Swishers...no scratching, spitting or biting!

I have the feeling that girls who see something they really love in the browsing time will end up loitering around in order to pounce when it's time to swap. I love this idea, especially as its free.

See you on Saturday!

London Fashion Week: Wolf Whistle Top Three

It took me a while to decide this, because I got so excited by lots of what I saw at London Fashion Week. But finally! A little belatedly! Wolf Whistle's Top Three for Autumn/Winter 09.

3. Nathan Jenden
(View full collection here.)

I don't know how much of Nathan Jenden was actually newnewnew but I really, utterly don't care. Yeah, it was 80s inspired like everything else so far has been, but I was still in love with every look. Tailored suiting with bondage straps (re-evaluating my vendetta against trousers as we speak... errr, type), fierce colour block pencil skirts, exposed over-sized zips, sheer panels, pleating (oh gosh, such pleating!), origiami folds: it was basically a list of things I like to look at. Yes, there was rather a lot of black, but it was a focused and well thought-out black. And it was sexxxy!

As much as I love fashion, I'm no-ones ideal customer because I'm a broke student. But if I had money, there would definitely be a few things from Nathan Jenden working their way to me. It's not a perfect collection but I want to wear it. And isn't that the point, ultimately?

 

2. Erdem
(View full collection here.)

In a season full of sexy bandage dresses and sly (and not-so-sly) winks to the 80s, it was refreshing to see a collection that defined femininity in a different way. A little girl's empire waist silhouette paired with a grown womens idea of decoration meant the dresses were cutesy without being sickening and adult without being too serious. 

Love black lace over red duchesse satin, love tiny flowers hand-embroidered, love sharp shoulders and billowing skirts. It's just so beautiful!

1. Christopher Kane
(View full collection here.)

Part and parcel of being in a recession means that some designers will automatically look towards a new austerity, whilst others will get louder and brighter to compensate. Christopher Kane started out in a neon glow of bandage dresses and has now toned it right right down, to sheer and neutrals and just flashes of sparkle, but it's still something amazing. It doesn't feel another attempt to make sense of the times but rather a worthy progression of his talents.

Sheers tamed, ruffles to flatter and a new take on the motorcycle jacket made being Kane's "twisted sister" a very attractive prospect indeed.

 

This collection for me was a grower, in the same way that an album you're not sure about slowly turns into one of your all time favourites. At first I thought it was lovely,but not supersonic, until I found myself going back to look at that appliqued organza ribbon dress again, and then re-scrolling through the whole collection. He is right at the top of my "Can't Wait For" list every season.

 

 

Highly commended (i.e. Spent ages deliberating which to include or not!):

Basso & Brooke



Holly Fulton



Louise Goldin

Milan next!

Loulou Loves DavidDavid for LFW

I love Twitter. I know people are constantly writing everywhere about how much they love it in magazines and newspapers and err, on their Twitters, but I don't care. I agree! Especially when  I get to read about Stephen Fry being stuck in a life or getting crafty gives me sneak previews of the knickers of my dreams. Geometric brights + sheer ruffles = win!

The gorgeous Loulou of Loulou Loves You Lingerie collaborated with designer DavidDavid to create Loulou loves DavidDavid (see what they did there? Best name ever...) and posted it on her Twitter. Genius!

 
This promo shot for the collection is gorgeous. Can't wait to see the rest of the lookbook!



Go to Loulou's blog Sailorette for more news about the collaboration.

London Fashion Week: Central Saint Martins

I'm sure no-one wants to graduate in the midst of a major recession (as I may well do next year), but happily the graduates of Central Saint Martins at University of the Arts London didn't let the economic climate get them down. The show is the pick of the graduates from one of the world's most famous fashion institutes and it never fails to disappoint.

These were my favourites, but the whole collection was incredibly strong and showed some amazing new talent. It's a hostile environment for anyone graduating right now, but I'm sure these strong designers will be snapped up very soon. I'm proud to be a UAL student right now!

Unfortunately, these were unlabelled on Style.com and I'm unsure of which designer created what. Let me know if you know so I can credit these up and coming talents.

London Fashion Week: 10 Yes Dresses

10 dresses from London that lit my proverbial fire. Yes!

Kinder Aggugini's pretty dresses are perfect for a lazy summer. Wait, which season are we in again? I imagine the polka dotted and floral dresses sitting in fields by rivers eating picnics. Which, thinking about it, might be a nice little bit of escapism for A/W!

 

There's something about Topshop that makes me massively proud to be British. Ok, so they're not perfect by a long shot - accusations of sweatshops, anybody? - but I get the feeling that they're trying, at least. And god, was this an excellent collection for Topshop Unique. There were one hundred million references - rave, crop circles, sci-fi, acid house - and somehow it's the most delicious mess. Unique gets stronger with every collection... I love it!

Another (upper end) high street institution going from strength to strength is Jaeger London. After a great S/S 09 collection (which I raved about back in September) the design team presented another awe-inspiring collection of graphic tailored clothes for a clever working woman. In the same way that I enjoy Top Gear even though I don't care about cars, I can appreciate and even covet Jaeger's clothes even though I know they are not aimed at me in any way. And that to me proves its credentials.

 

Danielle Scutt's show was strong, sophisticated and um, inspired by cocks. Cockerels, obviously: her suits had red lapels like a cock's red coxcombs.

It felt a little 80s - what didn't this season? - but it felt relevant and strong and the black, white and red prints were gorgeous. I wouldn't at all mind being one of Scutt's empowered women.

 

Peter Pilotto's clothes are a subtly beautiful fit and are apparently selling well amongst early fashion adopters - A/W is only Pilotto's and his partner Christopher De Vos' second on-schedule season - but this thoughtful collection could well send their dresses mainstream. Inspired by the Big Bang and natural history, the silk tufted dresses (I thought it was feathers!) are printed with digitalised versions of fur and animal skin.

I keep wanting to say beautiful, because I  just honestly really think it is.

 

This opening dress from a collection of - wait for it - yet more bandage dresses with cut-outs proved to be the most exciting thing on Mark Fast's agenda, but that's not to say it wasn't a good show. It was strong and sexy, but I felt slightly exhausted by it all. Can I really look at yet more 80s inspired clothing?

 

Simplified images of perfumes bottles adorned Mary Katrantzou's womanly dresses for Fall, teamed with oversized collars, huge jewelry and slicked back quiffed hair. I find that when I'm looking at the shows, I divide the things I like into two categories - things I like but wouldn't wear personally and things I like and would kill to wear, if you'd give me half the chance! Karantzou's feminine dresses have moved on from her simple shifts and sheaths of last season to become more draped and elegantly twisted. This branching out  on style whilst puts her firmly in my latter category. The more I look at this, the more I love it - right down to the styling and gorgeous make-up.

 

I agree completely with Style.com when they say that an up side of the recession is that designers are thinking more closely and carefully about exactly what individuality they bring to the table. Sinha-Stanic are one of those brands that seem to have gotten more themselves since the pressure is on and it's working beautifully. This  marabou trimmed purple marbelled dream dress is my favourite and although the whole collection didn't exactly work, there were some amazing gems in there, including some amazing rock and roll studded dresses.

 

I don't know what to say about this outfit except: It's grey, it's purple, it's gorgeous. It's Giles: what is there not to love? I want it and ultimately, isn't that the goal?

 

 

Fashion East has been bringing amazing designers to wider attention since 2000 and has showcased many designers that are now household names when they were just starting: House of Holland, Richard Nicoll, Marios Schwab and Jonathan Saunders (who I lovelovelove), to name just a few. I know I can trust the taste of Fashion East and I look forward to being educated by them each season!

For A/W they presented three designers, one of whom, Natasha Stolle, created the amazing outfit below. I love the slouchy, attitude-y sexiness of it and those twisted sheer knee highs. WOW. Please please please donate me this outfit? I'll wear it til it falls apart, seriously.

Pictures from Style.com, except Natasha Stolle from Elle UK. (The whole Fashion East show is definitely worth checking out, if you haven't already seen it!)