Natalie Born

Some years ago now I met a Swiss-Armenian girl who quickly became one of my closest friends in London.
Her irresistible enthusiasm, thirst for fashion knowledge and individualistic approach to clothes are the first things that attracted me to her (although I should point out that she can also bring the house down with her childish sense of humour, late night dance sessions in my hallway and incredible culinary skills).
Her real capabilities and expertise lie in tailoring, design and illustration. For a long time she focused on her own brand but later became a teacher at the celebrated St Martins School of Art.
Yesterday, she quickly sketched a drawing which brought me immeasurable happiness! I instantly fell in love and thought I'd share it with you. Visual excitement...
You should also read her blog. It reminds me of a small inventory punctuated with many lovely things, including some of her exquisite illustrations. A generous selection of extracts from her own journal.

Ginza Magazine

I'm so happy to have been featured in the June issue of the incredibly popular and wonderful Ginza magazine.
As a huge fan of all things Japanese (notably fashion and food), it's pretty safe to say that this was a somewhat overwhelming opportunity and this issue was most eagerly anticipated!
There's no ignoring the fact that I don't understand a word of what is said in the article but it doesn't matter. I just feel privileged to have one entire page dedicated to the blog...
Thank you Natsumi

Katie Grand

Wi-Fi is wrecking my mini breaks in the countryside. I recently stayed two nights at Cliveden House, location of the legendary Profumo affair, and spent a disproportionate amount of time on the Internet while thunder and rain battled each other outside. The weather had dampened my enthusiasm for a long walk in the extensive and magnificent grounds and instead I found myself lying on the sofa of our living room (we had generously been upgraded to a suite) engrossed in the new Katie Grand website. She is best known for her work at Dazed, The Face, Pop and Love but her reputation as a creative genius has been considerably enhanced by her collaborations with Bottega, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. The site is simple, fun, with lots of singular and entertaining details (animated hearts, coloured bubbles etc) but its main attraction is that it claims to present almost everything Katie Grand has ever worked on! A vast enterprise.
If you’re hungry for some magical imagery, uninitiated to her world and haven’t yet discovered the website, go here.
Gratuitous visual indulgence…

Image courtesy of Katie Grand for Self-Service.

Crystal Lee

It used to madden me when I couldn’t update the blog as regularly as I would like and I frequently wished that I could swing the July Stars machine into action every day. My little book of ideas and things I want to talk about here is constantly growing but I’ve realised that whingeing will come to nothing. I have to point out that I have a day job. Despite my devotion to writing about fashion and photography it does not pay the bills! There are not enough hours in the day to both work and focus on the blog. I’ve simply been defeated. The heady early years are over and I’ve come to the conclusion that I have to radically reformat July Stars if I’m planning on continuing this little project without feeling the frustration and distance mount. I’ve reassessed my whole approach and the first option under consideration is to create a sort of diary: more visuals, short updates and the usual writing whenever possible. I think it’s the right choice and hope it won’t be an unpopular proposition.
In the last year I’ve been completely caught up in the atmosphere and stylistic choices made by Crystal Lee, a fascinating 31 year old girl from South California. I’ve genuinely thought about keeping her blog a secret because I enjoy it so much and regard it as my own personal source of inspiration but that would be terribly selfish of me! She’s an oddity among a sea of dull “style” endeavours. It’s extraordinarily difficult to find someone who can really play with clothes the way she does. The difference between her and the infinite number of other blogs showcasing clothes is that she’s equipped with a deep understanding of fashion history and is rescuing from the penumbra amazing vintage pieces with love and affection. Her posts are like collections of treasures with ample helpings of nostalgia. She definitely exercises a pulling power over me with her committed interest in vintage clothing, her efforts into showing us the underlying essence of California through her pictures, her sense of humour, her exquisite beauty and her regular dispatches. She’s been a resident of LA for 10 years now but distinguishes herself from the local clichés with her strong personality and individuality. And if she admits to sometimes following the language of shoots or runway shows she will only do it if it facilitates her own natural aesthetics. She’s clearly a no-nonsense kind of gal and I love her even more for it. I’m sure that one day she will achieve her dream of opening a vintage shop and will pack it with a captivating selection of fine pieces mixed with 80s skate and surf brands (Vision Street Wear is a brand which merits our attention in her opinion and I would have to completely agree with that)! In the meantime, I would urge you to visit her blog and enjoy it in all its glory!



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