it's fashion, jim, but not as we know it

Laura Weir, of the Sunday Times Style Section, has just said exactly what I've been saying, but - as always with this brilliant journalist - she's said it better. In the piece 'IS THIS FASHION' ('now that street style is more about attention-seeking than anything a sane person might wear, Style looks elsewhere for everyday inspiration') I saw people I know, have had lunch with, have photographed.. I saw the past four and a bit years of my life flash by, saw the trajectory from being a lone woman on the street with my dad's vintage Pentax (film, not digital), looking for normal people whose style I admired, which led to my to growth as a 'blogger', which led to being invited to fashion week, to.. this. Being a Papp for people whose career is built around going to fashion week to be shot by people like me. And no one's paying me to do it!

Which is not to disparage this sweet girl. Who I don't know. For me, it's still about portraiture, about that thing in the eyes, when one soul recognises another, for a brief flash, and moves on. It's about engaging with the subject, as they say, and then - one hopes - passing that on to you.

But it's not, for me, about what they're wearing - style is part of something, I feel, that is innate, and for me, far more low key. And the circus that's been swirling round fashion week these past few years.. okay, it's fashion, but not as we know it. Or wear it.

I had just walked out of the dark, almost spiritual quiet - that boisterous hush - of London Fashion Week, backstage after a show ('thirst', etc), when I was hit by this circus. Not to criticise this lovely girl. But it's so far removed from why I started my blog, started shooting streetstyle.. words fail me. Read hers, they're so much better. And more succinct.

the boyfriend's back (redux)

I'm getting a weird kind of deja vu: I could swear I've done a post already titled 'the boyfriend's back' but that's probably only because, like any other good on/off love affair, the boyfriend has never really left us, has he?

I mean.. I think just about every year, they tell us 'the boyfriend jean is back' and we are all like, good. Because I'm just in the mood to wear my oldest, crappiest jeans, so thank you very much for giving me permission. This year, we're being told we can pair them with court shoes, bling up the top with blouses (I wish I remembered this lovely Italian photographer's name: she shoots for Grazia, among other publications, and was just so nice).

And that doesn't even count the 'Mom jeans.' Not mUM, but mOm - which, in the UK, it's been explained to us in magazines, is being ironic. They're like the boyfriend jean, but higher waisted - like the 80s. Like someone who was cool in the 80s, but is now, you know.. someone's mother.

It's almost nearly too late to post fur coat shots, but just before we enter spring good and proper here in London, I wanted to show you a juxtaposition: I shot these consecutively, minutes apart (possibly less than a minute), from the same spot. Both women facing the street, in front of the Albert Memorial, after the Burberry show. Having grown up with Pantone colours - in the pre-digital, print design world - I didn't even realise til after, and I looked closely at the shot, what these leggings were all about.

And here, for your listening pleasure, something to sing along to. Has anyone seen Baroness Thatcher's funeral? It was absolutely beautiful. Regardless of one's politics, I felt it was the most civilised, spiritual tribute to a human being, who paved the way for women. Whatever you're doing today, girls, whatever rights, career wise, you are entitled to, whatever opportunities are coming your way, chances are Margaret Thatcher busting through the glass ceiling back then.. it didn't hurt, let's put it that way.

the way you wear your hat

For your listening pleasure, click below to accompany your enjoyment of this post:


All set? Good.

One thing I saw a lot of - besides statement hats - were these woolley mammoth coats. I mean, a LOT. But I'm not sure how much was a fashion statement, and how much was survival. Yes, it was sunny, but this is FEBRUARY we're talking about. Yes, I'd love to be showing off my tan toned legs, but baby, it's cold outside.

@burberry: black and blue

As before.. after Burberry. These are both girls who saw the show, but the shoes are from a lovely young Russian model/student - I forget her name but hopefully she'll find my card and get in touch - watching avidly with her friend. You can see her in this post - third down.

Oh btw: anyone who's on LookBible, you can also find my photography here.

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.

go ahead: make my day

Wow, what a joy to wake up this morning and see comments from yesterday's post. It is so like sending messages in bottles, and seeing replies wash up on shore! And it helps me get to know you better. Our colour preferences are so emotional, so tied up with our identity.

Yesterday I wrote that I used to hate grey because I pictured it with black and purple, and couldn't get that image out of my head. Wish I had a photo: a flash of a memory, perhaps a mannequin on a high street in London in the late 90s: cheap grey pin striped suit, on WOMEN... waist coats worn over shiny synthetic black shirts with big lapels, touches of lavender... sorry, I will never like that look.

UNTIL.. the Photodiarist pointed out: "But wait a minute . . . what if the purple is vibrant and bright? Why not with grey?" and I realised: there is ALWAYS a look that will work, if you just look at it from a different angle.



Mr. Dot & I were crossing the Wobbly Bridge, as everyone calls it, leaving the Tate, and we both saw Elizabeth (or, Effy) moving at a fast clip. When I caught up with her & asked to shoot her for my blog, she hesitated as she thought she looked bad that day. (I'm always amazed when people say that: I wonder, if this is their style on a bad day, what else they've got up their fashionable sleeve!)



I love her wonderful red suede elf shoes. I say I never like red, but shoes are the one place I make an exception. She had such an unpredictable, subtle, sophisticated colour sense. I asked if she was in fashion and she said no, she's an artist. Of course.

Effy wrote me later to say she was feeling a bit low that day, and when I asked to shoot her, it made her day. Which makes MY day.



What first caught my eye was her big blue Peony, ironically, as I'd just drank my first White Peony tea, but then.. look at this, she's got this steel blue greenish grey trench working with some kind of black net skirt poking out, and PURPLE TASSLE SOCKS!!! The very combination I said would never work.



I so love being proved wrong.

read all about it: galliano's underwear as outerwear

I didn't go to Paris Fashion Week because I had things on here in London (including my first commissioned fashion shoot as photographer! Can't wait to show you) so it was quite a delightful surprise when Mr. Dot woke me with today's Telegraph & a cup of tea (he's more of a morning person: we're talking 6:00 a.m. morning, even on weekend) & the cover story was a shot of a Dior model @ the Paris Galliano show wearing... a lace slip! Read the excellent article, by Hilary Alexander, right here.



This blogger has been reporting on this trend on the street since early last spring. I dubbed it the 'underwear as outerwear' phenomenon and noticed other bloggers wearing it, too. I'm finding creative ways to bring this look into fall, with a lot of black tights, ankle socks, over the knee socks, masculine touches like black oxfords or a long sleeved black top.. I've always believed designers get their inspiration from the street, but it's quite a thrill to see this process in action.

hampton classic (or, the case of the embarrassing pants)

Job's Lane, Southampton. I love this woman's hat & top colour - my favourite pale turquoise, like oxidized copper - but I'm not endorsing this look. Just shot it because it is SO Southampton, could be circa 1976. Or '82, or '93...



File under 'some things never change'.. I can remember being 14 with my friends on this same street, and my friend Leslie was embarrassed that her dad was wearing a similar pair of loud, plaid shorts (I've seen variations on these in London, on fit guys, who were being ironic. I suspect Leslie's dad was being ironic, too, back then, but when you're 14, fathers are just embarrassing no matter what they do).



Window shopping, Jobs Lane. We were having lunch at some place like the Back Seat or the Driver's Seat, that I realised afterwards, we went to the first summer we were together. And to make things even spookier, one of my best friends, Sherri, just happened to be out there for the weekend (we were going to meet anyway, but we didn't know we were both in Southampton that day: what are the odds!), cycling with her sister-in-law. We still can't believe we ran into each other! (She was good friends with Leslie, too, and might quite possibly have been there the Day of the Embarrassing Pants).



Self portrait, shop off Jobs Lane. Green seersucker striped shorts by Mizrahi, Target (last season) and pale pink cotton cardigan, many seasons ago, the Gap.

Sherri, by the way, was wearing a light white top, nice accessories that brought out the sparkle of her blue eyes (she's gorgeous), and light grey leggings. She wouldn't let me shoot her, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

the colour of money

Mr. Dot & I were on the King's Road at the cinema, about to see Moon (GREAT film, definitely go see it!) and Petra was queuing for a ticket with a guy I assume was her boyfriend (didn't ask). I yanked her off the queue to shoot her, I love this blue with her colouring. The funny thing is, when I looked at the shot later, I love the guy in the background, but can't remember if that's her boyfriend or not. I think it might be.



I don't only shoot people - I tend to mostly shoot non-people, actually - and I've realised that when I dress, it's just an automatic thing that I'm pulling out of my wardrobe colours that make me in the mood for places, so I"m going to start including colours I find in nature or just out & about, as a kind of colour 'palette' for your viewing pleasure.

Today's colour: blue. Not the cooler blue Mr. D & I call 'Greek blue' but more.. I don't know, is it cobalt? It's just a very pure, very primary, blue.



What I love about this season - and I hope this extends into the fall - is we have so much CHOICE. We can wear black (which still looks fabulous in summer), or the pale nudes & pinks, or pale grey, charcoal, hot pinks/oranges, yellow is big either pale or deep, and then this blue. And let's not forget white, which I'm wearing a lot this week.

What colour are you wearing today?



Anyway, I love Petra's accessories. Her sister made the Yankee dollar cuff (she's English). The seascape and puppy shot are from a recent little holiday in North Wales on the Lewellyn peninsula (GORGEOUS area, can't wait to go back there). My family are calling me from the pool on the North Fork, where I'm posting, wondering why I haven't joined them yet. I am wearing a polka dot bikini that my mom bought me at Target, (shown to the right) and over it, a faded blue tee shirt from the Gap. I am accessorising with pale pink flip flops, as Scarlett's got my white Havaiainas on her little feet.

postcards from palm beach: black and white classic

My friend Christine suggested I offer tips for today's credit crunching climate. Here's my top tip: don't shop. At all. Not even eBay. Just re- think what you've already got. Use colour (or better yet, stark black and white) to re-invent your look. Everyone's got a black cardie (and if you don't, what are you wasting your time reading this? That's the one exception: run out and buy one, the simpler the better). Everyone's got white trousers, provided you didn't give them away cause you thought they were too Chav: they're not. Let your top be in your own voice: a bright colour, a black and print, a favourite old tee.
In Felice's case, it helps that she is classically beautiful and slim, with porcelain skin and raven hair, like Snow White. And I'm sure everything she's wearing is top quality (altho, you never know: a great trick that every stylish woman knows is to wear some really good items, like a great watch, and Topshop the rest). I mean, look at Frida, the Swedish model! Total High Street. Or MK! I don't know how much she spent on that outfit, but she looks a million bucks.



One glorious morning, I followed the ghost of Kate Hepburn down Worth Avenue. She must have been in her 80s, but she ruled the Street.

When in doubt, channel Chanel. Stick with the classics. Think Palm Beach, which after all, is really just a state of mind.

unmasked: all a twitter

Face masks: it's what everyone's twittering on about. As of this posting, no one knows which way this is going to go, and I don't want to make light of the subject. For all we know, in a few weeks time all we'll be able to do is blog because we can't leave our homes.

Was on the street with my friend Kimber, when a woman walked by in a face mask. Turns out she's a journalist: Jasmine Gardner. Read all about it in today's Evening Standard. (My friend Adrienne said 'you must have press radar' because of the Obama thing). Here's my shot of Jasmine, with a couple of cowboys snogging in the corner, seemingly unconcerned about transmitting swine flu. I've noticed a lot of black dresses this week, often with black lace tights. Let's just hope it's not a premonition. Not to make light of things, girls: remember, wash your hands often, cover your mouth with a hanky when you sneeze, and avoid the Tube, which I'd do anyway. Those double-decker buses are so much more scenic, and oh so cute!

Similar look, without the face mask. This is Jade, dotted outside H&M on a break with her friend (they work there - both absolutely charming) - just steps away from Jasmine in her mask. Which is it, girls: mask, or un?

postcards from palm beach: all the news that's fit to print

Along with this fascination with hot pink (more about that later), the ubiquitous all white/black/neutral uniform, and neon brights (especially green) with white, we're seeing a lot of pattern marching down Worth Avenue this season. Part of the reason is the classic Lily Pulitzer shift dress - she's back, got a shop in town, and is bigger than ever. This (above) is a good example of a classic print shift dress - might be by LP, but everyone's doing a version in PB.







And, of course, Tory Burch, the new(ish) kid on the block, is doing fabulous modern spins on that classic concept. I've even noticed a few rather.. large girls not at all afraid to wear big bold patterns. With confidence.

Hey: I'm not condoning the trend, girls, I'm simply reporting the news. Please, don't shoot the messenger.

new kid in town

MK had just been in Palm Beach one week when I met her on Worth Avenue. Her boyfriend writes for the Palm Beach Post. I promise you, she's going to ruffle a few feathers because she's not just tall, blonde, and beautiful, but she's also really, really nice - and smart & funny. We became instant friends.

Love her clean, confident, classic simplicity, and the whimsy of adding the white waistcoat. The menswear trend is going to be big, we predict. It's accessible - we can borrow from our men, literally - and we can be creative & make it our own style, as MK has done so successfully. (another clever interpretation is on Vicci, of Primrose Hill)

Step aside, Claudette Colbert! There's a new kid in town, and she's writing a whole new Palm Beach story.

postcards from palm beach: hot pink!

Just stopped in between swims to post this: Met Jennifer & her beau @ the beach right @ the intersection of Worth Avenue: ground zero for Palm Beach fashion. She was so much more stylish than the women roaming the streets in the noonday sun - because SHE'S having fun! They're showing a lot of hot pink in the stores (these gorgeous hot pink shoes by Guiseppe Zanotti were in Saks' window; just saw a similar pair @ Harvey Nicks) but the Palm Beach matrons would give up a trust fund or two to have Jennifer's body - and confidence - and to be able to pull off wearing this dress (by Guess).
Gotta go - I'm like a fish out of water. xoxo

a walk in the park

So I was walking in Holland Park on Sunday with Mr. Dot, checking out the daffodils & the Kyoto Garden & listening to London Walks* on our iPod, when I found myself walking thru a Kodak Moment: a lovely family, near the cafe, posing for photographs with a very young baby, and having so much fun doing so.
I don't know what I noticed first, Amanda's fabulous print dress, or her laugh. Love the shoes - and the peek of blue polish on her toes.

*See London Walks under 'nice things' - downloadable, free - and fabulous!

hello, cupcake!

The cupcake cafe - the South Ken branch of the Notting Hill 'Hummingbird Cafe' - has become something of a scene, and with the Lycee nearby, it's got a whiff of the Parisian about it. There's something about cupcakes that girls love, and where there are girls, the boys aren't far off.. even tho a bloke wouldn't normally be caught dead voluntarily purchasing a cupcake, now would he?

let it rip, revisited

Dotted way back in February. Take off the pea coat, lighten up the colours on top, and Bob's your uncle.

ballet style

Emilia & Megan, the nicest girls, dotted outside Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Love that netted skirt in this season's must have pale pink peachy colour, paired with a white tee and black leather jacket. And Megan got that gorgeous electric aquamarine blue dress on one of her trips to Africa. Fabulous!