denim blues

 




Funny old thing, denim is: I go thru stages - in the winter, for some reason - where I don't feel like wearing denim. It makes me feel sad, long for warmth and sun. But then, when I'm tan.. I love worn, soft, faded denim, with tan skin.

The darker the skin, the better faded denim looks.  Which is why, I'm sure, Ashish chose Leomie Anderson (as before, 'little leomie, all grown up'), for this look. Which isn't an easy look to pull off, but it's just gorgeous against her mahogany skin, don't you think?





And while they're saying that it's all about flats this season (I've always been all about flats), let's face it: when you're wearing denim overalls, nothing else, no jewelry, nothing, pretty white kitten pumps, not too high a heel, are just the ticket.




Grey's the same, for me. I don't like grey when it's grey outside, but in sun, with a tan.. and flashes of white, and fun thick gold jewelry, like a gold choker chain I'm on a roll with.. anyway, I was putting together this post, playing around with music - wanted to find some kind of blues song to go with it, and found a nice one, Eric Clapton live playing Rob Johnson's Kind Hearted Woman Blues, which led me to thinking about Cat Stevens for some reason, Hard Headed Woman. That's a nice combination to strive for: Kind Hearted, Hard Headed.

But God knows why this showed up on youtube, on the right hand column, along with suggestions for other Blues songs: a video for making and cutting black raspberry Alaska Soap Cake. It's twelve minutes long, and the colours are the opposite of denim, or grey, nothing to do with the Blues, but so inspiring for spring. I could eat this soap cake, it's so yummy looking.

Rainy snowy spring morning, husband's back from an indoor swim - I just couldn't do it, couldn't get up and out by 8:00 a.m., go out in the cold, the thought of going into cold water, no matter how much it's heated.. just felt like hanging at home, being lazy. Wishing you all a lovely lazy day, wherever you are, and if you're singing the blues, hope it's something good.

little leomie, all grown up

Aw, if it isn't little Leomie Anderson, at Ashish! I didn't even put the connection together until now. Another bit of serendipity, because I mentioned her in yesterday's post ('on beauty: for lily') - I had met her - wow, is it only two years ago? - at fashion week ('model's own: leomie'). I thought she was so sweet, and then we had seen her in a documentary series on the Premier Model agency, and thought, that girl is so grounded, so lovely, she's going to go far.

But still, you never know. And sometimes, just because someone decides to model for a while, then leaves the business to do something else, it doesn't mean they weren't great at it. It just means they found something that interests them more.

And yet, I've got to say, it made me happy to see she that was her. I wasn't sure, for sure, until I did a little search, and found this. Yup: definitely her. All grown up.

high visibility

Another thing I love about Ashish: he opened the show with this look. 'What do you call this?' I asked my husband. 'High visibility vest,' he said, after glancing at the image for a second, then went back to his book.

Among the themes of his show was the idea of the working girl. I don't have many friends who do road works (okay, none), and I don't know who might wear this, but that's not what fashion - catwalk fashion - is for. This isn't Topshop. This is high concept art, and it made me laugh. And it made me think.

And it's made of sequins.

And I love it with the little kitten heels.

have a nice day

How's your day going?

ashish: tongue in check

Gotta love Ashish.. not a whisper of the iconic Burberry check on their runway, but Ashish has adapted it so beautifully, blingingly. With sequins.

Love also how he's done her hair, like she's been in a little roadster with the top down. And those kitten heels.

So much I want to show you from this show. At first I was underwhelmed.. it wasn't like his flowery collection a while back, but the more I look at my shots, the more I see. I thought this was a gloomy show at first, but his wit and sparkle is as effervescent as ever. He's just keeping his tongue firmly in cheek.

take a bow

As per previous post: the whole look from the Ashish show, and the model with the pale blue eyes from my Friday post, is wearing the big bold red/black/yellow floral maxi dress, two to Ashish's left. And can you see the girl from my previous post, peeking her head out?

i love serendipity

I love serendipity.

I watch out for serendipity all the time. Take Friday, for example: I meant to post something else (my lovely friend Fab, aka Looking Fab at any Age, it's funny you said that about 'did I catch people at Ashish wearing Ashish, because that was my intended post - and yes, I did) - but instead, I got sidetracked with shots of two models after the show ('spooky blue eyes'). Then, spent much of the morning editing these shots here: one of the two models. I can get a bit geeky about stuff like that: meeting a model, say, backstage, and then trying to figure out who she was in the show. Or like later last night, after the most AMAZING bonfire night in our garden square (I'm secretary) and the after party at our friends' house, and then after my husband was asleep, I was watching this film 'Murder by Numbers' with Sandra Bullock, and was like 'hey, isn't that guy Ryan Gosling?' (Turns out - the things I miss not living in the States anymore - they were an items in like, 2002).



Anyway, the serendipity: I'm doing a shoot with my lovely friend Lucie today (more of that coming up) and we met on Friday and were talking about styling long summer dresses in a way people can relate to in winter.. this all kind of came up, out of the blue, and I just happened to have spent the morning obsessed with this one look. I'm not explaining it right. I'm not making any sense. Sorry about that!

Besides that I love the whole 'dress it up, dress it down' concept - that's what I've been doing all my life - I also love the balance of summer and winter in whatever I wear. Perhaps it comes from living in a temperate climate, but even on holiday, I love wearing, say, a summer frock, then throwing thick chunky jumper or cardigan on top. Or the obvious one, leather and lace.. again, it's like cooking: there is always an element of balance at work. Hard and soft, sweet and salty, spicy and bland.





I'm determined, all winter, to wear bits of summer on me. A sleeveless dress, worn as a jumper, over a long sleeved jersey and thick tights and boots. Doc Martins - or, ideally, what I'm craving, some kind of Chelsea boots with chunky 70s heels - with long lanky dresses. Just to remind me that before we know it, green shoots will appear, and spring will be just around the corner.

spooky blue eyes (after ashish)

This is actually the first part of a juxtaposition: I met these girls after the Ashish show, on 17.09.11 (D2, LFW), and I've whiled the better part of the morning away, trying (and possibly, succeeding) in identifying them in the show. But the thing is, the clothes in the show are so bright, so bold, and what they're wearing after is so soft - the kind of muted neutrals I've been in the mood for this week - that it just didn't feel right in the same post. Besides, four shots are enough. There is so much I'd want to show you from Ashish (I have, already, but there's so much more) that I'll have to save it for another day.

After all, as Scarlett O'Hara would say, tomorrow is another day.

I love the girl on the right's spooky blue eyes.

best foot forward

Before I run out for Day Three (no.. Day Four!)I'm uploading and there's just so much I want to show you, so much and so little time. And that perfectionist head wants to get it just right, tell you about what it said in the press release about the theme behind the Ashish show, but there will be other Ashish posts from me, I promise. Instead of selecting my three 'best' shots, I simply closed my eyes and clicked on these three. And they all turned out to be the legs (I promise, I shot heads, too).

I know each season I think 'this is my favourite' but this time, I really think this is my favourite.' He had everyone in Doc Martins, strutting this great walk, with flowers sticking out of their boots that would fall onto the runway. So effortlessly cool.

Sometimes when there's a lot on my plate, I just try to put one foot in front of the other. Baby steps. I'll get there in the end.

faith in ashish

I think it was Roz and her mum, Polly, that I was talking with at Somerset House (more about that coming up) about the idea of paying homage to a designer by, wherever possible, wearing their clothes to a catwalk show. Or if that's not possible, just kind of, you know, wearing something LIKE their clothes. (KTZ is a great example of that: the audience is just SO OUT THERE).




For Ashish, each of the three times I've seen his shows, there's been this cute as a button red haired girl that always wears his clothes. I thought I didn't see her the second time but she was there, in the front row, sure 'nuff. (See her on the left?) The papps always go crazy for her and I assumed it was just cause she was wearing Ashish, but so is the dark haired girl. Turns out, she's Paloma Faith.






Shots, by me, going back in time from last week's show to A/W 2010. She seems to wear the previous season's show to each new one. What a lovely way to support Ashish.

glad rags, mad plaid

Loved your comments and messages on yesterday's post: I agree with Pearl, every industry has its moments, especially when it's mainly female. Please don't get me wrong: I looooove fashion week! And I really had a brilliant time this season, perhaps my favourite. I really just do feel it was a full moon thing. And, like with Vegas, whatever happens at fashion week, STAYS at fashion week.

While nothing will rival the impact that my first live experience of his show had on me (A/W 2010: inspired by Turkish kilims, which I used to own), this show really blew me away. It's driving me mad that I can't find the song ('excuse me') - was dancing in my spot on the floor while shooting and trying to keep that bloke from beating up Adam. Does anyone know who's singing the song in the show?





Speaking of songs, when I was thinking about how to name this post, the phrase 'glad rags' kept coming into my head. I know we all think of Rod Stewart as this kind of cringable old geezer, but when he was young and fit, he did the most beautiful song: the lines 'your handbag's only glad rags that your poor old granddad had to sweat to buy.' If you've got a few minutes click here and listen to two really beautiful songs. They don't make lyrics like that anymore. And what he's wearing would look fabulous on a young beautiful female model, don't you think?








Like with red and black, I'm not normally all gaga over plaid as a rule. (Okay, THAT's not true: I LOVE classic plaid kilts, especially worn ironically with school jackets, if there's a bit of grown up twist to it). But one Thanksgiving, my sister was wearing this really crazy Chanel-inspired giant plaid jacket - like the one above - and altho it's so not her normal style, I liked it. So when I saw her again, she gave it to me. I haven't worn it yet but Ashish has inspired me.


I can't say that Sandra (plaid blanket as skirt) or Daniela (plaid shirt as skirt) were inspired by Ashish, as I saw them both days before the show. Maybe Ashish was inspired by them? Maybe in a dream state each girl was anticipating this collection? Maybe there was a leak within the industry. In any case, this is what I love about streetstyle: tracking trends like an anthropologist with a stun gun. Like David Attenborough. And of course, I've been embracing moth holes and unravelled jumpers for a while now, so I was thrilled to bits to see this as such an integral part of his collection. Hard Times, indeed.

I love how we all influence each other, in a good way. I love it when people wear something as something else. More on Ashish, I just can't fit everything in one post.

p.s. Thank you Gunhild (aka Ediot): yes that's the show I meant! And I love the Madness song for that, too. I meant does anyone know the song he played this season? The lyrics are 'excuse me, what's the problem here, what about you can't hear all the words I say..' which can't compare to the lyrics of handbags/glad rags, IMHO.

p.s.s. Gunhild you're such a star! This is it: MIA, Listen Up. It is such a catchy tune, I'm singing it now to the cat.

into the sunset

Today in my inbox, from ASOS community was, among other things, an Ashish-inspired 'sequin sunset vest dress', below. (The above shot is one of mine, btw: A/W 2010).



I got so inspired that I pulled out some photos from our sailing trip to the Virgin Islands last February (when I missed what would have been my first London Fashion Week, incidentally), and, having some Fun with Photoshop, I produced this:



Then I realised that net a porter is currently selling the real deal.

So, okay, I've done the math. I could buy the Ashish dress today (below), from net-a-porter, for £1,070. Or, I could buy the ASOS Ashish-inspired dress, sans sleeves, for £85. Another way to look at it is, for £1070 I could buy 12.68 ASOS dresses.

That's a lot more sequins.



I wonder at what point technology made it possible to mass produce sequins. I mean, even for the Ashish dresses, they can't possibly be hand sewn, can they? The dresses are quite different, apart from the sequins and the sunset motif. I used to wear the style of the ASOS dress: fitted, same neck, but.. maybe it's back to the 'act your age' debate, but I find I'm not in a stage of my life right now where I'd be wearing that kind of 'pulling' dress. I prefer the loose feel of Ashish's original design, the sleeves, and the colours feel more sophisticated. I'm not normally a red person but I love it next to hot pink and orange. Everything, with colour, is relative.

Don't get me wrong: I adore Ashish, and I love ASOS: two opposite ends of the same spectrum. And ASOS aren't saying that Ashish designed that line, only inspired it. And I feel ASOS is a brilliant, absolutely brilliant brand, and I like how they think. It's like the print vs. online debate: I believe there is not just room, but a need, for both. And at the moment, I'm not buying either dress.



What I'd love (Ashish, are you reading this?) is a large turquoise Hawaiian shirt, like what he's shown on the S/S 2010 catwalk, but bigger: as a mini dress. In sequins. Failing that, I am looking for a vintage one. I just think it would be a gorgeous look, with black tights and heels for night, or leggings, or bare legged with brogues. I haven't seen anyone wear it yet but I am starting that trend. Right here, right now. I'm throwing down the gauntlet.

Your thoughts on the subject, as always, are most welcome. Thank you to net a porter, ASOS, me, Photoshop, the British Virgin Islands, and the British Fashion Council, for unwittingly giving me permission to make this post possible. But especially, thank you to Ashish. Your vision and your talent is so joyous, far reaching, and above all, inspiring.

what kind of fool am i

I am such an idiot.

I recently posted on the three gorgeous girls from Tank magazine, and especially went into a whole riff on Richard Nichol, who I ERRONEOUSLY claimed designed Georgie's gorgeous wacky studded jacket for Topshop. What was I thinking. It's by one of my favourite, perhaps all time favourite, designers, ASHISH. Well, it's a good excuse to print an old fashioned editorial RETRACTION. AND, to post more shots of his work.



This is from a series I shot as his recent show. Altho it's for A/W, the colours and ideas are still so perfect for now. I think it might have actually been Ashish who got me to think again about orange and tangerine tones, which I wasn't previously wild about.

Note her sequin skirt here: I had that exact pattern and colours (my all time favourite, pale turquoise/celadon) on one of three turkish kilims I bought from the creative director at Simon & Schuster in NY, when I was an art director. He was selling them from his flat file drawers, and all the girls bought some: it was a peer pressure thing. I since loaned them to my brother, and God knows where they are now. Jon, if you're reading this, I'd like them back please!



An authentic, untouched blur shot from the show. I love love love the magic of blurs.



Here's Georgie again in the jacket, and if you want to go back to the original post, you can have a real laugh at what a fool I am. Or... perhaps, inadvertently, that was my April Fish Day prank on YOU. ; D

ashish look of the day: pajamawear as outerwear

Lounging around in bed on a sunny Sunday morning, relishing the down time before Mr. Dot drags my sorry ass across town to Spitalfield's (& hopefully, lunch @ the Luxe). Just still trying to go thru & organise & compress all these photos.. like eating too much candy, I'm feeling saturated from fashion week shots & need to shoot some civilians!!

But couldn't resist another Ashish shot. Today it has to be striped PJs, because that's what I feel like wearing out. Actually, I feel like staying in bed all day in our new crisp white sheets & duvet cover with big white embroidery Indian style flowers, drinking coffee & compressing jpgs. If you're in the UK, the Times is doing their special big Style section today, it's really quite good actually, altho, frankly, nothing we haven't already seen in our collective blogs. I counted four, no five, no, SIX mentions of MY phrase 'underwear as outerwear' and told Mr. Dot, who said, 'Well, you should have patented it.' But I didn't, so let's see how far today's phrase travels. You saw it here first, girls!

I wonder how this look would go down in Tesco.

buttons to you: @ ashish

You know how sometimes you're just so tired, so delirious (in a good way) you just can't shut your laptop off? I'm just going ramdomly thru some of my photos, and I'm getting drawn into each one.

For example: some random selections from the Ashish show. I can't believe it was only this morning (9:00. A.M.!): it seems like a lifetime time ago. I wasn't even planning on going and the next thing I knew, I was sitting front row center.



People who had seen his shows before knew what to expect (lots o'sequins in amazing patterns), but for me - who really just knew him by his fabulous leopard booties in that silhouette everyone wore last fall - this was just like following the rabbit thru the keyhole. I was just absolutely giddy with delight.

I think he's just such a genius that everyone expects so much from him. And he surprised them this time: while everyone else was doing crazy heights with heels, he kind of freaks them out with brogues. That's good: that's what the catwalk is all about. Shake it up, baby.



Going thru the shots now is like savouring the candy after trick o' treating, or presents at Christmas.. I think this might be my favourite show. Ever. I so get it about how this man thinks. And the styling... it's just how I've always dressed, when my mother, and now my husband, would look @ me and ask 'Are you really going out in that?'



Buttons. Brogues with baggy socks. Knitted caps & old men's bathrobes. Classic peasant costumes, with an acid twist. Patterns remniscent of Turkish kilim rugs. All in my favourite colours: turquoise of tropical waters, orange + pink. Graphic black + white, or muted tweeds in grey.



And the minute it was over, I overheard someone say: 'That was very wearable.' I guess it depends where one wears it. I wonder, for example, how that would go down in Spokane, Illinois. I, for one, would wear every item in this collection. In a heartbeat. I can't wait to show you more!!

That's it for the women, London A/W 2010. Tomorrow it's the boys, and then most people are on to Milan, then Paris. But for this London Correspondent, well I'm still buzzed from these intense, exhausting, exhilarating few days.

What a long, strange trip it's been.