like a rainbow: off the cuff

Help! Can anyone ID this bracelet? She told me - lovely girl - I want to do a post, and I'm totally blanking on the designer. It was someone.. Parisian. Well known. I should know better. I've even tried Net-a-Porter and while big cuffs/bangles are, well, big, it's just one of those things that I'm not going to be able to concentrate and be present until I can sort this out.

And my goal in life is to be as PRESENT as possible, at all times. Just because you never know what will happen next.

whiskers on kittens

I was saving posting about Chinti and Parker til after Christmas - because I know a lot of you are either away or trying to get away - and I will. But I just had to show you what Rachel Wood, half of the duo that are the lovely Chinti and Parker, sent me as a thank you for coming to their press day a few weeks ago. Rachel and Anna Singh are cousins and partners - the company name is their grandmothers' first names - and Kit met Anna on the same day that I met Rachel. She is so sweet, we just became friends instantly. But more about that in a future post.



Kit really said it better than I could in her post, Conscious Cloth. This brand is just so amazing on so many levels but the thing that I can't get over is, Rachel remembered which was my favourite tee - and chose that to send me! (Kit got a different one, presumably her favourite). It's a simple round neck long sleeved navy & cream tee and I am wearing it everywhere, day and night, inside and out.

Sometimes I find the best things by accident. I couldn't find anywhere the original version from the Sound of Music, but I found this BRILLIANT version, with a plug on the end for the guy's sister who sells 'Pamplamoose soap' - and how random is this, in a post about Chinti and Parker's amazing Conscious Cloth Clothes - the soap is homemade with pink grapefruit and essential oils. They've got a facebook page: Pomplamoose. I just liked it. Cause I do. Anyway - stop what you're doing immediately and play this:





Talk about Christmas coming early! We've decided not to exchange Christmas presents this year - it's just going to be a small simple Christmas in the Herefordshire countryside - and I feel this is all I could want in the present department.



Check out Chinti and Parker's beautiful blog: it's all a few of my favourite things. Some of those favourite things are also available on Net a Porter.

Hope everyone is where they want to be today - and getting where they want to get to, with ease. Merry Pre Christmas Holiday Seasonal Greetings, all! xx

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.

Kara in Zara

We're already seeing quite a bit of bold, often tribal prints on the street in London, and expect to see more. This example, by Zara, on Kara (I know!), in Spitalfields Market, works really well, which is surprising considering her beautifully pale English rose colouring. Of course this will also look brilliant with a tan, or on black or brown skin tones.
Many designers are showing bold, warm ethnic-inspired prints this season: Alexander McQueen is doing absolutely gorgeous stuff - the patterns are stunning in the flesh, and the construction is strong and very feminine, as below. This example, from Net a Porter, is in cooler tones, but he's also doing it in warm orangey browns. Prada of course has been doing this for a while, and Nicole Fahri, but the best looks we're finding, as always, are on the street.