A compendium of reasons to visit the afterlife.

There are more than a few days I lay. I just lay in my bedroom, the window open only just enough to allow a cold breeze sweep across the room, yet I stay still - aroused by the thoughts on my mind. Around 11:46pm all I can see are the silhouettes of trees swaying in front of traditional London street lamps. The perfect setting for the topic on my mind - death. A constant obsession for a taste lingers at the back of my head, sometimes taking a more dominant reign of my thoughts.

Very few people in this world are ecclectic and interesting enough, to appreciate the subtle presence of the afterlife. However one who did, was Lee Mcqueen. An obsessive for dark manner and spirit, this would reflect a lot in his designs, and particularly well. Skulls, contortion and deformation were all great centrepieces for quite a few of Alexander's collection and with such a dark aura, the. Though of Lee's death still gives me chills, everytime I see his last line of work.

Just after four years in from his death, and Sarah Burton does an amazing job transcending Lee's spirit season after season. The SS14 McQueen menswear collection embodies Lee's vision of a simple yet grand style, often with a dark Victorian edge. An all over monochromatic collection and one that focuses on fine details and dark prints. Black roses were embroidered over pin-stripped suits, whilst gothic lace covered full-length jackets occasionally revealing skulls amongst the gothic patterns. Alongside the beautiful tailoring and intricate print details, Sarah Burton injected a slight grungy feel to the collection with the addition of very fine, almost cobweb-like knitwear.

Oh, to be a fabulous royal.

   


When it comes to a female British HRH her image is everything, with fashion being at the forefront and centre of that. Since Queen Elizabeth I right through to our own Queen Lizzie, every appearance has been sordid by an array of very smart statement frocks.  Looking back at the beautiful Princess Diana, you of course see this trend relayed with her image being based at the heart of British fashion. This idea then transcends into our fabulous Princess - Kate Middleton. Of course by no margin of comparison between the two, she has embellished our hearts with her free reign of style and amazing eye for detail, modelling some of the best in British fashion.

In some aspects she looks like she has taken style tips from Marina Diamondis and stepped out from a castle. In others she could have just given Alan Sugar the slip back in his office.

Since her wedding to William back in 2012 - we have seen Mrs M wearing worldwide designers, with a particular emphasis on British fashion culture.  If course keeping in well order and wearing only conservative and traditional piece., she still manages to add a flare to her wardrobe we haven't seen in the royal family before or since Diana.

I always feel women should dress one of two ways to be impressive. Inspiration taken from a bloodied up, cocaine wridden, NY hooker is the first, as this is the second. A great combination of flat jackets and pencil skirts that manage to eventuate a figure without looking like a pair of curtains. Not forgetting her wardrobe of dream coats by some amazing top designers, that I'm sure a lot of us are in awe of.

A true British style icon, Kate Middletpn is certainly one to look out for in the future, that is if she divorces William - or Prince George comes out as gay. On that topic, I can surely imagine Buckingham palace bedazzled with cheap drinks on a Thursday. Needless to say, she is still a princess, and needs to dress like one, but just for once, be dating and show is a nipple?

Fashion needs Art to survive

To understand fashion, you have to understand a lot. Most importantly is the art of the human body. For this reason I have decided to combine my passion of Art and Fashion by doing a little research by getting into the 'feel' of the human form, and develop a visual aesthetic on a personal level. Here are three of my own interpretations.

End of life crisis?

An amazing designer he may be, however in my eyes this is the fashion equivalent of Paris Hilton bringing out her own line... Overrun and saturated. From an advertising perspective, it's pretty unclear to make out whether the label formulates of just accessories, or whether a full spread line of clothing has been produced.

 However if you're lucky enough to wander into a Lagerfeld (brand) store by accident, you'll come across a wilderness of I sorted and somewhat misplaced garments. The mens collection is somewhat reminiscent of the back page in a Boden catalogue. Certainly not to my taste, however the shirts are embossed by a pattern I thought died at the birth of Superdry's 'washbasket shirt'

something that could be best described as a 'Darren Shirt' (inside joke).

Staring out of the window and trying to remember the last time it rained, analysing droplets run down the window creating an ever so subtle spectrum is the best way I can describe the boredom I feel with this brand. Surprisingly Karl Lagerfeld himself didn't have complete control over what was produced, his team, know as the LAGERFELD brand pride themselves on their work and never let us forget it.

Transcending into the womenswear and my heart somewhat lifts, seeing a Chanel-esque touch. Not so much the Lagerfeld era but what I feel could have been an Ode to CoCo, or perhaps Karl had no idea what was being approved, and by so doing purge himself of the ability to design freely for the brand again. Or perhaps I'm getting too psycho-analytical?

An urban feel dominates the womenswear, with a very slight sweep of class... Not much though. Although a damn sight better than the mens it could still be a campaign for a new River Island collection. It's a little odd in my opinion, to start your own brand and not tailor to the consumer, by producing a line you would wear yourself. Forgive me but I can't remember a time when Lagerfeld wore anything but an 8 year-old boys suit. 

An ever long bus journey reminds me of a sobering fact, and that is no matter who you are, investing in your own brand at a career mid point is a sure way to credit ultimate demise when it comes to your image. Never the less, who is to say this won't be the next big thing? Oh wait, me.

I fancy some of this man beef...

This year, three things stand out the most with mens SS14:

- A block piece consisting of heavy print.

- Double breasted blazers.

- Man Bags.

Thankfully all of which I wear, so it's nice for once to see that I'm not utterly atrocious when walking around shopping. However over the past few weeks I have seen some guys wearing utterly grotesque outfits. This is a chance to redeem yourself, for the first time in fashion history, menswear is on par with womenswear in terms of how unique and outspoken the outfits are. 

We no longer have to hide who we are, surprisingly it's actually being encouraged. So come on you homos, slap on some floral shorts, a blazer and slip the beer in a man bag and join in the sunny Calif Coast...

Most wearable trends of Summer 2014

Get your skates on bitches. If you want to look half decent this summer, don't do the usual and run down to the beach in those soccer mom jeans and baggy T-shirt, get Geometrical and put a classy spin in those day to day outfits. 

The focal point of SS14 for womenswear has seen the reinvention of the 'gym look' and of course the 'soccer mom' look. Being either a wise move or a desperate attempt to hold onto clientele, it has worked. Of course fashion is eclectic, so you may love or hate the season, or you may pull off a trending outfit or look like a whale. 

The only thing I could wish for, would be for women (and men) to be more unique. Stop sheeping trends and yes, take a spin, but me more creative. We all know that an outfit defines a woman... In particular the shoes.

Let's help Homme save the ever conformate generation...

   

           

           

Eyes shimmered in Paris last month, as Kris Van Asshe sent an array of elegant, beautifully cut yet minimalistic and straightforward. Known for their premium quality, simplistic designs which can truly 'wow' the perfect silhouette. Saying that I haven't had much experience with Dior, either due to my depressing miserable and poor lifestyle and my unflattering physique. Needless to say anyone with money and a hot body can truly feel the emotional ensemble that embraces the collection.

“ I was very interested in the idea of ‘minimal baroque’ this season. I wanted an idea of rigour, yet without so many restrictions attached to it. I wanted a lot of contrast and choice - different propositions in colour and silhouettes, something more unconventional and individual at times,” said the designer in the show’s program notes."
On the mention of 'minimal baroque' I can surely say that it is minimal, that is if there is much mention at  all. The baroque essence seems to lay in the tailoring side. Slightly embossed baroque patterns give an ever so slight pop. On the other hand, the amazing metallic colours and futuristic material give an out of this world aura. A huge plus for the designer was creating a Mondrian themed line - like mélange of blocky patchworks that used sublet color variations or alternating fabric options.
The main theme seems to focus on a slightly oversized torso with a well tailored chest and shoulder, this boxy cut gives Van Asshe a canvas tonic blocks of fabrics. Pairing with shorts or the  pleat front short is designed not to distract from the upper body where all the sartorial action was taking place.  An effective and mature colour palette was chosen consisting of port, burgundy, black and plume and shades of blue which, along with the chosen silhouette keeps the collection grounded and sober.

A lot of garments feature a sprinkle of a pop art influence, this give another edge to the aesthetic, and would defiantly appeal to both a younger and slightly older demographic. We all need to remember when it comes to SS menswear, not only how hard it is for designers to keep on designing exceptional pieces, which push boundaries and bring in headlines, but also how difficult it may be, to design for a generation which is blighted by following a conformity. Basically most kids my age have turned into trend loving twats and only want to dress or act, like everybody else does.

The line does however give a lot of contrast and choice, indeed with different propositions, colours and silhouettes, however this will be restricting with the majority if the collection being block colour. All in all Dior Homme has remarked us all again, if my daily ritual consisted of scraping for change to buy my morning coffee, I would of course be straight to Sloane Street!

www.dior.com/dior-homme