MODERN LOVE

I know I should be sleeping (it’s way past my bedtime and I don’t function properly unless I’ve had 8 hours sleep) but instead I’ve been focusing on the cast of Swedish characters populating the pages of Garance, The Sartorialist, The Facehunter, Stylesightings, Stockholm Street Style, Arvida Bystrom and Nike Felldin. I’ve been interested in Sweden and its stylish hyper fashion conscious demographic for a considerable amount of time (this makes even more sense if you live in London, a city populated by a rapidly expanding number of Swedish looks and faces). Quick to build on a trend, with an eye for fashion opportunities and a reputation for being renegades, Swedish girls and boys expertly create distinct and strong styles. Like Londoners, they have the courage to push the boundaries of silhouettes and take things right to the edge. But unlike Londoners, they do it exquisitely and extremely elegantly. It’s hard to beat the Swedes. Novel ideas permeate every stitch of their clothes and their attention to detail and accessory is the same as in magazine editorials. They keep the template of a fashion spread, but something happens when they put it all together: they self-confidently embrace their natural instincts but move forward by acknowledging the links between their inner sense of style and what you see on the catwalk. With incredible precision, they develop their own hi-tech reality. As I write this, I wonder how long it will take before Swedish aesthetics become an overwhelming presence in our shops… There is already a growing cult that extends beyond industry insiders and the buzz surrounding current Swedish bloggers is phenomenal. They’ve set up a little frenzy!
PS: Sofia and Markus, you’re my own great-looking sexy Swedish style icons couple in London. I should post an image of you here. You epitomize Swedish sensibilities without screaming victim and you’re definitely reflective of a new generation in pursuit of fashion and beauty…
(Markus - Why is Mat laughing? Hehehe)

Photos taken from Garance, The Sartorialist, The Facehunter, Stylesightings, Stockholm street style, Arvida and Nike.

Most of you will probably recognize the lovely Arvida and Nike. Both have no match in independent-minded spirit, style and crazy soft youthful beauty.

<

A ROCK N' ROLL VISION

In the hierarchy of impulsive investments, buying vintage rock tee shirts is pretty high up on the list. A deeply engrossing activity which clearly started when I met my music loving husband 12 years ago! The continuous revival and disappearance of rock band tour tee shirts presents issues and objections for the serious collector: designers and high street chains have been accused of regurgitating bad imitations, stimulated by a whirlpool of vintage rock band tee shirt wearing LA girls and unfavourable talentless semi celebrities (associations gone incredibly wrong, from trendy to tragic in just a few months). The pursuit of the perfect rock tour shirt can be a very long and arduous road. Finding the right tee, the right band, the right year and the right proportions can be a memorable adventure resulting in a lethal and unique aesthetic for fashion and music aficionados alike. It might not be cool now but there will always be girls who effortlessly create a good look, masterfully mixing their vintage rock shirts with other pieces more rooted in the moment. Girls who can create a buzz wearing something which is supposedly redundant, creating their own exclusive reality. Over the past ten years, my collection has changed from a modest display to a ridiculously huge assortment in need of its own storage space!

Here are a few examples. The original concept was to model every single piece but I got extremely bored after the first three and rapidly gave up on the idea…

Prince, Fleetwood Mac, ACDC, Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band, Hank Williams mixed with a Gap stripy tee and Chloe mini skull print grey tee.

Amazing blue Jewish rosary made in Brooklyn by the lovely and hilarious Carlen Altman

REALITY TV

There is a new crop of smaller labels emerging on the fashion scene and TV is one of them. I was immediately attracted to the intriguing balance between teenage rebellion and masculine qualities of the autumn/winter 09 looks. I felt an instant connection and love the modern romantic sensibility projected by the clothes. The proportions are fluid and graceful and this particular collection feels extremely contemporary, uncomplicated, cool and young. It has a certain street energy and functionality with moments of softness and sensuality. These are beautiful, wearable and irresistible clothes that relate to my world. I’m addicted to the brand’s city warrior silhouettes. TV provides a fresh and relevant approach to design. A tremendous talent with a new notion of chic suggesting an attempt to answer the needs of the market. I personally surrender completely to TV’s ideas and cannot wait to see what they will accomplish in the future and where it will lead them. Whatever direction the brand takes, I predict a significant commercial success!

All pictures taken from the TV website

WILD WILD WEST

Is it just me or is the fashion world being taken over once again by Western bandits? I only ask because on at least three occasions this month I have found myself staring at magazine editorials showing scenes stolen from the Western genre. My attitude has become more lenient towards so-called fashion modern classic themes such as this one. Western costumes and designs seem to unquestionably belong to our current culture of trends and keep disappearing and reappearing rapidly. Not a real novelty but still a powerful and exciting style which always convinces me to step out of my jewellery comfort zone. In my view, an abundance of turquoise and American Indian inspired bracelets and rings always looks luscious!
The styling in the first three pictures was done by Kate Lanphear of course and the rest of the pictures are from Vogue China February 2009.
I watched The Wrestler on Saturday night and Rourke’s performance brought tears to my eyes. Yes, I’m serious! I never thought that watching grown men with bad bleached blond long 80’s hair beating the shit out of each other would ever be fun but “The Ram” (for those of you who have seen the film) has a certain physicality that simply commands your full attention. The staple gun scene was totally and absolutely horrible to sit through, especially if you’re pathetically squeamish like me. Anyway, try to catch it before it’s too late.

All pictures: TSF and Elle.com

BAROQUE HEART

On Friday evening I had a look at the latest issue of Vogue Nippon and made a mental note to mention the “Baroque Heart” editorial on my blog. Katja Rahlwes’s photography bowled me over. My eye immediately caught the drama of the clothes and the unconscious connection to the fantasy and glamour of the eighties. The stylist, Sissy Vian, performs a perfect fashion punch, sophisticated and slightly ironic at the same time. A kind of energy emanates from the heavy atmosphere and the mood of decadence and disillusionment (think Guy Bourdin). The high gloss of the images only serves to accentuate a mysteriously staged narrative. Malgosia Bela hits us with her highly charged and haunting eroticism, almost making us forget to focus on the Viktor & Rolf dress, the green crystal Balmain mini, the Dolce & Gabbana oriental costume and the nude Givenchy outfit. The entire shoot is undeniably sexy, reminiscent of a Jay McInerney New York story of 80’s style decadence, a raw cinematic narrative. I love these images: they’re interesting, elaborate and while not entirely new, they project something modern and chic.
Back to listening to some jazz and cleaning the flat now!

Baroque Heart
Vogue Nippon February 2009
Photography: Katja Rahlwes
Styling: Sissy Vian
Model : Magolsia Bela

Pictures: The Fashion Spot

THE DEATH OF FASHION EXCESSES

Continuing on the same elegantly relaxed line of thought as Proenza is Nicolas Ghesquière. His ideas for the pre fall 2009 collection are a girl's dream. I could feel the excitement rising while examining his looks on Style last night! He has captured a crucial moment in time, reflecting the economic pain we are currently experiencing, his designs and creativity have flourished and display a somewhat more quiet tone. Supercharged with street influences accompanied by luxury accents like fur, the overall impression is a nod to urban culture. The drop crotch trousers, skinny jeans, motorcycle boots and gigantic platform booties (which made my pulse race) will become instant editorial successes and the silhouettes will probably be copied and found in Top Shop very soon. Beautiful looking and wearable pieces of clothing seem to suddenly be all the rage.
We can meditate on today's lack of fashion excesses, a new era!
I'm having dinner tonight with one of my best friends, a girl with one of the best fashion sense in London, and I'm looking forward to gossip, laughs and a burger.

A NEW LOVE AFFAIR

Proenza Schouler’s notoriety recently reached extreme heights with the release of their limited edition handbag collection. The functional and relaxed look of the PS1 is now also reflected in the Pre Fall 2009 collection modeled by Hanne Gaby Odiele: wool and jersey pieces, leather coats and jackets, loose tee-shirts and jumpers layered for a cool and young casual street style. The seemingly ‘basic’ clothing are embellished by the abundance of crucial elements such as the gold sequins, plum gloves, statement booties, belts worn over jackets and of course the high fashion bags. The vision of designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for this collection is incredibly precise and clear: pragmatic! The overall impression is that the looks have a genuine street energy, moving in a more relaxed and unexpected direction, while remaining chic. These clothes want to make you spend money! There’s a rightness to everything, it is wearable and, despite not making a big statement, it all seems very contemporary and exciting. A reflection of a new generation of clothes born from the evident awareness of what is happening in the streets. I feel that this is the beginning of a new fashion love affair …

But the sunglasses? Hideous!

All pictures: TFS

SHOWING OFF

For the past few months I have received numerous emails from readers asking about my style and demanding pictures of the clothes I wear. A seemingly small request for a girl like me but I wondered whether street style inspired images would truly translate my choices. I'm reluctant to have my attires scrutinized, my blog is not about appealing to everyone, this is an impossible and out of reach task. However, I am curious to see if this is an experience I will find easy and what results it will produce.
I guess some of the comments left by several bloggers made me realize that there might be a slight paradox between writing about fashion extensively yet not showing how these elements I talk about translate into real life. My life. This thought surfaced over the past couple of months and stayed on my mind. As a result, I decided to create my very own "window dressing" space. I will try to convey my style accurately and give the best possible sense of clarity to my displays but the excellence of this task might not be on the same level as the pros (Sea of Shoes, LeeseLooks, Fashion Toast, Inside Am-Lul's closet and Lulu and your mum).
This new little feature is essentially designed to bring a special insight into my world and to see my fashion opinions in a different light. Another form of discussion to fulfil the desire of some of my readers for more information.
I will attempt to post images of my favourite outfits once or twice a month but I do not intend to create a catalogue of images or a look-book. You can easily find that kind of thing elsewhere. The Internet already provides a triumphant riot of style blogs and communities.
So, that's the plan: a fashion reality challenge!
Let me know what you all think ...

Practical Saturday

Functional and super comfortable ACNE jeans belonging to the boy/husband

Frilly light blue shirt, vintage, bought in Paris for 5 euros

Old Miu Miu belt

Louboutin platforms (bought for my wedding two years ago)

Stella McCartney old men's cardigan

Faux leather clutch, vintage, bought in Brussels last summer

FASHION AND ROCK N' ROLL

Jennifer Herrema is part of a rock n’ roll tribe. She is a mix of edgy, fantasy and tomboyish sexiness and has achieved an aesthetic that is unique while not avoiding the trashy. On the contrary. She embodies an essential element of uncompromising neo rock n’ roll style that delights me. Ripped jeans, hard-edged leather and metal, turquoise Cheyenne stones, multicoloured pastel furs, she is a living homage to the seventies and early eighties rock bands. She was an original CK One girl in the nineties, shot by Stephen Meisel, and has styled shoots for i-D and Nylon. Her look makes me think of Balmain and Christophe Decarnin’s collection of acid-washed denim and Sgt Pepper jackets. There is a certain similarity there. Decarnin has identified a very interesting era of fashion and has recreated it at the right moment. Thanks to him we can all look like a mixture of Jennifer Herrema and fierce chic groupie models on the pages of Paris Vogue! Anyway, I like Herrema and I like her music. You can’t help but be riveted by her style. She is obviously inspired from the past and her rock culture but it all seems very actual.

Happy weekend... I intend to not rush things and move with Sunday slowness! Tonight I will be sitting at Chisou, loving my Tori Karaage and the company of my best girl from Marrakech, B, a tireless traveller with an energetic mind.

COLD SNAP

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas break!
I left the icy streets of Paris in the middle of a rare snowstorm (even the Eiffel Tower had to be closed after the entire city found itself covered in a thick white blanket). Our taxi driver complained about the deep winter chill from the 4th all the way to Gare du Nord while his old Mercedes skidded slowly in the snow. It was difficult to ignore his energetic monologue as he kept moving both his hands away from the steering wheel with vigorous and theatrical movements. I silently cursed and insulted him while the boy laughed. The delight of seeing Paris in so much snow was spoilt by this Frenchman exercising his tongue incessantly. But I know better than challenging the views of an irate Parisian taxi driver ...
And so, after trying to do as little as possible during my holiday, I am back in London with new ideas for July Stars and hopefully more extensive blogging!

Wearing my trusted Barbour, Etro scarf and Mulberry Bayswater tan bag