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Had this idea about the Little Black Suit a few months ago already. Perhaps influenced by the notion of dressing for the job position you want not the one you currently have. Then doing some research I came across this article from the New York Times Published: October 24, 1989 'By Design; The Little Black Suit' by Carrie Donovan. I think is an interesting read even after so many years. Despite what the article says, I was indeed thinking on how important is for me having solid black mix&match pieces that are indeed a black suit or create the idea of one. A Black Suit should be in everyone's closet just because the possibilities that provides are endless: think about the shirt, T-shirt, polloneck, strapless or even mini dress you can combine it with, and we haven´t even talk about shoes, bags and accesories... And what about a 3 pieces black suit? Possibilities are infinite. A little black suit can take you anywhere!
I know it's starting to sound a bit mono thematic, but Asos has just launch a collab with an LGTBQ+ Charity Glaad. I find this interesting and I'm eager to see what ASOS x Glaad has under the sleeve... equality no doubt, but how is it translated into fashionable items? On the same topic, but in a rather part of the spectrum I just read in Instagram and Giorgio Armani is moving forward on a great idea, to give British fashion students an opportunity to design for the iconic label, you can read all about it in I+D magazine. On the words of the Maestro: "Several years ago I realised that tangible steps must be taken in order to support fashion. From then on I began to promote initiatives that would be more insightful and give more of a sense of all that is new at fashion weeks, with a particular focus on Milan. But with this project, in collaboration with the British Fashion Council, I wanted to try out a different format, as always on an international stage." And the winners are: Dmitry Gotsfrid, who created a tailored take on a bomber jacket inspired by the Armani archive, Boyeong Lim who interpreted the famous Armani eagle into the curves of a bag, and Kameel Shah who reimagined a classic brogue in calf, suede and shimmering detail. Photos from I+D    I know, I know... I'm always late for the breaking news, well yes, these are not hot of the press anymore, but still I'm happy this "collaboration" happened.  Hello Kitty by Asos, one might argue that, at some point you are too old to have among your wardrobe items anything related to the lovely Sanrio character, but I tend to disagree, it all depends on how you decide to pull it off. Accessories or high heels, been the latest my fav from the collection. I recently did an Instagram post about this. Altough is not breaking news at all, when I finally had the time to research more into it I was so pleased. The self-taught artist Helen Downie was summond by the amazing Alessandro Michele to create some special items for Gucci. So first things first, if you haven´t been to Helen aka Unskilled worker website, what are you waiting for? GO, NOW, SERIOUSLY! You can even download one of her beautiful creations! Then please come back and finish reading here...  image from @unskilledworker Instagram I'm baffled and very much attracted to creative people, now if say, the person is actually a nice person, and then it’s an immediate crush. I don't know Helen personally, but she has replied to my queries on social media and if you already been to her website, you've seen what I'm talking about.  from The Telegraph fashion magazine If you are the creative director of one of the biggest and most highly regarded brands in the fashion-sphere, then taking a leap of faith and integrating into the collection the work of a, I dare to say, a brilliant artist who hasn´t step into the limelight, then chapeau to you, you are filling the shoes very very well. Needless to say, that Gucci has turn around their business in a 180 degrees and the brand is refresh and it spirit revalorized, I'm not the one saying it but the growth in revenue, more can be read at Vogue... Below a screen print of the pair of #trainers I hope will be my first acquisition 👣👅💜💛💚 #ocklostyle   "The oldest pair in the Levi's archives date from 1879" Yves Saint-Laurent once said that he wished he had invented blue jeans as jeans “are expressive and discreet, they have sex appeal and simplicity,-everything I could want for the clothes I design” (The Fashion Book, Levi Strauss Designer, 1998). Jeans are the camaleonic piece of clothing that has been around for over a century, from an item which only served the purpose of endure hard labor to the most eclectic and, dare to say, adaptable fashion piece, a true icon. I came up with the idea to refresh my basic knowledge about jeans and it's design history after madly reviewing street style from Tokyo Fashion Week. I cannot comment on the actual fashion week, at least not to make any original comment or explainer as I haven't been there (insert sad face here). But hey... Jeans as we know them know, have been through extreme changes over the +140 years of existence. A compelling piece of clothing created in 1873. Now here different versions of the story emerged. Below is the less popular version.  Jeans were created by Jacob W. Davis, a tailor from Reno, Nevada and Loeb Strauss (he liked the name “Levi Strauss”) a pedlar, from Germany who was running the Western branch of the family dry goods business in San Francisco. In the other, more popular versions, Levy Strauss is the actual creator. But let's keep on track. Story tells a customer request Mr. Davis, pair of sturdy pants that could withstand hard work. He made them from denim that he bought from Levi Strauss & Co and made them stronger by placing copper rivets at the places pants rip the most: pockets and flies. When he wanted to patent them, he wrote to Levi Strauss, and they became partners. The unforgettable name "Jeans" comes from the city of Genoa in Italy, a place where cotton corduroy, called either jean or jeane, was manufactured. And speaking of fabric... Jeans are made of a material called denim. The name “denim” comes from the name of a sturdy fabric called “Serge de Nîmes”, initially made in Nîmes, France, hence “de Nîmes” - “denim”. Weavers of Nîmes tried to reproduce the cotton corduroy that was famously made in Genoa, in Italy, but with no luck. With trial and error, they developed another twill fabric that became known as denim. That was cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. Warp threads were dyed in indigo while weft threads remained white that gave to denim blue color on the one side and white on the other. Going back to the first design: to make Levi jeans more durable, copper rivets were added to reinforce the points of stress in strategic places such as on the pocket corners. This innovation helped to stop the weight of the gold nuggets from tearing the pockets: the two horse brand started saw the light. In 1873, rivets were placed at the bottom of the button fly to prevent it from ripping. That same year, the back pockets of the jeans were reinforced by adding stitching in the shape of a double arc design using orange thread. On May 20, 1874, Levi Strauss and his partner, Jacob Davis, received U.S. Patent 139,121, for an “Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings” (Dorner, 1974, p. 108-109; Tortora & Eubanks, 2010, p. 356; Wikipedia, Jeans). Now see below the photos from Tokyo Fashion Week SS18 (Sourced from Vogue & Getty Images). It is really mesmerazing to me that everything that comes to my mind about the street style here starts with "E": Eclectic, Excentric, Extravagant, Ebullient, Effected, also Egregious, Elocutionary and sometimes Eerie. There are some classic jeans as well as elocuent statment pieces that really push the outfit even a bit further, both extremes trully valid despite of course personal taste and comfort zone. Nevertheless I rather YOU to be the judge. And finally dear reader I would enjoy very much to know what you think about the post!
I've been in love (and I don't use this phrase lightly) with Tartan and plaid and check since I can remember... but from a knowledgeable point of view, didn't quite understand the difference between this classic patters. A few weeks ago, due to a sudden obsession with a Burberry bag that I will never own, (keep tuned for that post) I went online to review and learn more about it. While on Google I came across this useful and inspiring website Green House Fabrics if fabrics are your thing, you can spend a good chunk of the day reviewing the samples here. I digress, going back to the core of this post. Do you know the difference between these patters? Across many blogs and specialized articles it seems these are used interchangeably, so let's shed a bit of light on the matter. Tartan: pattern consisting of multiple colored criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands. The pattern of the stripes running vertically is duplicated EXACTLY on the horizontal axis. Where the different colors overlap, new colors are created. "The Celts have been weaving plaid (tartan) twills for three thousand years at least" All you can learn about it it can be found at the Tartan Authority (yes, this is a real thing). I have a thing for cross-dressing, so when it comes to Kilts... I just would have one of each and wear them everywere... Yellow being my favorite one (more to come on that in an upcoming post). Plaid: originally was actually a type of garment. In Gaelic word Plaide, means blanket, usually made of thick wool, that helped on harsh winters and the pattern for it was TARTAN. Nowadays plaid refers to patterns inspired by traditional tartan designs, and the term tartan now refers to a type of plaid. Plaid" replaced "tartan" once patterns became popular with British and American textile manufacturers. The main difference between traditional tartans and other types of plaids has to do with the pattern's repeat. Check: patterns are simpler than plaids. They generally consist of two alternating colors, but not always. Checkered patterns are symmetrical, consisting of crossed horizontal and vertical lines that form equal sized squares. Each line is intersected by the same kind of line in equal intervals and widths. Check has an extensive use on shirts, think cowboy, and dresses, think 60s Black and White Gingham Check Darling dress as well as rockabilly style from the 50s. hile walking around the designers showroom at London Fashion week, I came across a rather interesting print... got closer and nearby the collection was a lady, almost hidden behind a phone, texting perhaps... My first instinct is to vanish from the situation (I know I do love my privacy when I'm doing whatever on the phone) but this time I said to myself "You are here, the moment is NOW!" So went on and ask her if she was the designer. A bit shy or annoyed (I cannot say) young lady make herself available to all my questions. I browse all the items hanging from the rail and my enthusiasm overcame the kinda awkward feeling I had due to the situation previously described...  Katie Ann explain the complete process for her creations. She has a studio in London were she designs the pattern to be print on each fabric, were vinyl has a prominent position (her favorite I believe). Then each piece is cut by hand if necessary and finished according to the designer creation. Other very light fabrics and handmade knitwear as well. On the first pic, the last dress on the right was love at first sight for me. See below her favorite!  There is more about Katie Ann here and on her website Highly recommend keeping an eye on this designer as she excels at creativity and versatile original pieces. Everything started a few weeks ago when I saw the yellow Burberry Giant Reversible Tote in Tartan Cotton from the SS18 collection. Obsession doesn't even begin to describe it! And yes the color here plays a fundamental part of what it triggered in my brain.  Getting my own is a bit out of the question, unless I'm prepared to do a finance juggle / strategy for which I don't really have time nor patience. Perhaps closer to spring? Anyhow with Google as my ally I set to discover more about the pattern, interestingly enough I found that this particular one: yellow pattern belongs to the MacLeod of Lewis Clan according to Scots Connection. Their Clan Crest is the sun in splendor, hence the color, brilliant isn't it? On a side note, Scottish Jews Have Their Own Official, Kosher Tartan and it is a fantastic combination, you can read more in Atlas Obscura. Yellow also seems to be very present on different designers creations since AW17, take designs from David Ferreira: And avoidable for this Spring /Summer event, let's take a look at Liina Stein on her LOVE collection from Paris Fashion Week SS18 Ralph Lauren Ready-To-Wear  Naeem Khan also brings some sunny palette to the equation  Molly Goddard  When it comes to my personal style I cannot argue that yellow is the best match for me, but I can't help to love it and so I will rock it!       Lee el post en español aquí :)Yesterday I discovered a really interesting artist: Phil Robson, who transforms the most accessible objects into innovative artworks, giving them a second life.
In the interview I read, this artist who describes himself as a Sneaker Freaker, unveils how he has created a collection of designs that reuses laces, soles and tabs to give new life to the old sneakers. I found his work really interesting... And I'm already haveing a new apreciation for my wore out shoes, they are potential artwork! :) Lee el post en español aquí :) Hello my dears, Is not very often that I get great advice as a blogger, since this is fairly new to me, when the team from Le Guide Noir contacted me and offer me to be part of it as one of the many many bloggers out there, I thought it was a great idea, and then I actually met with some of the people and let me tell you, they are awesome… Advice and great digital tools is a great, no, awesome advantage they provide, but if everything is also wrap up with the kindness and guidance of people showing you, or in this case me, everything related with LE GUIDE NOIR, let me tell you, it was a great experience. I highly recommend this for bloggers either you are starting or been blogging for some years, this is the place to be… I dare everyone to try it and I bet on Channel you´ll love it! Did you guys knew about LGN? |
