A GIRLY TOUCH

Like thousands of other girls, I love Charles Anastase. He is like a bright rainbow in my fashion life, never a dull moment and piquant details on all the clothes. He has deliberately placed himself slightly outside the usual confines of trends and gently woos us with his storytelling and fantasies, an essential part of his collections. He has invented a world filled with extraordinarily sweet magic, girly and timelessly youthful. His pieces always create a delightful and quaint atmosphere in stark contrast with the ideas presented by other designers. His creations are inspiring, devastatingly beautiful and always enveloped in an air of mystery while equally offering something new and fresh every time. I often find a certain nostalgia for a vanished past in his clothes but at the same time they are unexpectedly contemporary and quite often humorous. I own two Charles Anastase pieces. One is an adorable black trench coat with ¾ length sleeves which I’m completely infatuated with and the other is a long blue and white stripy cardigan with big “smiley” buttons. The latter reminds me of France and Normandy and has become a familiar and much-loved friend, worn with everything from little dresses, old 80s tour tee shirts or schoolgirl uniform shirts. I’ve been paying close attention to his work since he launched his first collection and I’ve embraced his sharp awareness of individuality and preference for a fundamentally girly and romantic look. Even his Fall 2009 show had an essence of girlishness despite being more dramatic and punky than previously. I also really like the fact that his own background has entered the score: there is a touch of impeccable French chic combined with happy English eccentricity. The kind of powerful duality I favour in fashion, especially since I’m from a mixed French/English heritage myself! Oh, I could go on and on about his clothes but it is time for my lunch break at Ginger & White. Click here to see wonderful pictures of the food on offer at this new North London café (taken by the lovely Tommy of This is Naive).

All pictures of the Charles Anastase studio courtesy of Pig Magazine