knit knack: veronika

Sometimes it seems my life is just one amazing coincidence after another. I will hear about something out of the blue and then just keep hearing it. Mark Fast, the knitwear designer, for example: the coincidences started rolling in about 24 hours BEFORE all the hoo-hah about his recent LFW week catwalk show. Even the Sunday Style section in the Times did a piece on him yesterday. (I truly applaud his courage, by the way, and feel the issue of the three 'plus sized', i.e., normally shaped models, is the least fascinating thing about him: if you look at the show as a whole, shown here, you'll see: his clothes are just gorgeous, and would look great women of any size, shape, colour, or, for that matter, age).

But I'm also just really into knitwear, now, more than ever. I could happily live purely in knitted items. If someone just put soles on socks, I'd be pleased as punch.



So: Veronika. I had just walked back from lunch at Jaks with Isabel (we're practically making it a Monday ritual), and we passed Joseph, and the one shot I took all day was another shot at Joseph of the Rodarte window (below). Then, a few minutes later, I saw this amazing girl, Veronika, kind of running down the street near the construction at South Ken tube station. Of course I just had to ask where she got that gorgeous grey open knit top.



Well, of course: she knitted it herself. It figures: I shoot one person today, and she's a future knitwear designer.

Veronika is currently a fashion student, from Hungary, and had just come back from a trip home two hours earlier. She's selling some of her work at the open markets, like Camden (where she got her fabulous belt, by the way. Her perfectly on trend Cuban heel boots are River Island. When you consider that her leggings are knitted, then the only non-knit items are her belt, boots, and ring). She doesn't have a website address but if you get in touch with me, I'll put you in touch with her.



Her name, Veronika, reminded me vaguely of an old Elvis Costello song. Then I thought, no, Jill, you silly cow, it's Alison. But he did songs for both names! Which I've sourced for your viewing pleasure, below. And on that note, I'll shut up.

feeling blue

Was walking home after meeting my fabulous & fun friend Isabel for coffee at our latest favourite hangout & trend-spotting spot, Jaks, on Walton Street. Shot all these shots in the order seen, and didn't even realise til now that I was shooting a consistent colour scheme. Even when I saw the bird, it was more like 'ooh, what a cool bird.'



The shoes are from Zanotti, of course, and right across the street, at Joseph on the corner of Brompton Cross, was this intriguing window. I went inside & spoke with a nice sales guy and asked who made those knitted creations and he said 'Rodarte'. I asked him to spell it and he started to write it down but then said 'actually it's in the window' (sure enough, it is: along with a cute little bunny rabbit). I could so see wearing the black & blue dress on the left with a pair of 80s inspired sheer black tights with little dots, and those blue patent Zanotti booties. Can't you?



I assumed Rodarte for some reason was a man, but they're two sisters, based in LA. And I like their sensibility: they were quoted as saying 'If we could dig a ditch and bury our drresses and dig them out ten years later that would be the ideal of how we'd want them to look.'



How do I know this? Because everything is connected, and I just happened to buy the November issue of Vogue, where there's a whole piece on STREET STYLE. It's really cool, if you can get Vogue UK, they chose Christopher Kane in London, Philip Lim (another designer I only just discovered - DUH - via Joseph, as a matter of fact), in NY, and Rodarte in LA. In the Vogue issue, each of the three went street style hunting for the day, with photographers, and picked out people whose style they liked. Note to Chris: next time you want to go street style shooting in London, ask me!! ; )