RESOLUTION

My New Years Resolutions for 2012.

Take more photographs and make a short moving image.

Get more industry experience and prepare myself for graduating.

Have a minimal and wearable wardrobe.

Go to a foreign festival.

SALE RAIL

This year I promised myself to avoid sales and buying into highstreet looks which have already passed, but of course I had to take a look at what was on offer. The Topshop sale rail has been the hiding place for several of my wardrobe staples and once again the online sale hosts a few piece which would make welcome editions to my wearable collection.

Metallic Slip by Boutique £40

Ponyskin Wedge Boots £45

Sun and Moon Ponio £6.25

Dalmation Print Sailor Dress by Unique £80

Bomber Jacket £30

Silver Platform Moccasins £30

Metallic Cigarette Pants £18

Fur Clutch £15

Whilst the fun fur bag, hairband, metallic slip and parka nod to the 1990's comeback look. The cigarette pants paired with an almost sheer white tee and a beanie would be a great Spring transition look introducing s/s favourites pastel shades, with an air of futuristic sports aesthetic. Now to the Unique dress, yes I know that dalmation may well have had it's day but it made a great change from leopard print and this dress could be great for summer daytime dressing paired with Vans shoes. And finally to the heels, I just can't help myself when it comes to shoes, pair the ankle boots with white ankle socks and wear all spring, whilst the sliver platforms could be added to jeans and a tee and instantly make it look polished and considered.

Here's hoping there are still a few bargains to be had when my loan drops.

UNDER THE TREE

End of term deadlines have undoubtedly once again reflected on my blog, but now the festival holidays are upon up I endeavour to make it up to you! I felt the best, most seasonally in tune way of making my return would be through sharing my dream Christmas wish list with you...of course...it's mainly shoes.

1. Filip Pagowski Limited Edition Packaged Polaroid Film, Price Unknown, The Impossible Project.

2. 'Lex' in Oil Slick, £130, Dr Martens.

3. Burt's Bees Miracle Salve, £7.99, Boots.

4. Jeffrey Campbell Lace Up Wedges, £130, Urban Outfitters.

5. AP Parfum, £46, Agent Provocateur.

6. 'Lion' Wedge Heel Sandal, £80, Topshop.

7. Gordon's Gin, around £16.

8. Penguin Clothbound Classics, around £10, Amazon.

9. Cross Back Knit Dress in Dark Nude or Black, £64, American Apparel.

10. Ambre Gris Au De Parfum, £48.50, Balmain at Selfridges.

11. Embroidered Satin Mini, £8, Satin Triangle Bra, £18. Both Topshop.

12. Harman Kardon Speakers, £599.99. Available at Currys.

13. 'Lightning' Peep Toe Wedges in Snake, £75, Topshop.

14. Stack Magazine Subscription, £58 for a year, stackmagazines.com.

15. Dew Me Moisturising Setting Spray, £19, Urban Outfitters at Debenhams.

16. Classic Q Vertical Zippy Purse, £155, Marc Jacobs at Selfridges.

17. Chocolate Money, 75p, Thorntons.

18. 'Winona' Square Toe Wedges, £80, Topshop.

19. Cassette iPhone Cover, £12.99, Available from Amazon.

If only!!

GOT WOOD?

(Images Norwegian Wood A/W Collection shot by Matthew Kristjan, Various images from weheartit & Ditte Isager)

A visit to London is never (sad as it sounds) complete without a stroll around Topshop Oxford Circus, I adore the lower level of concessions, vintage, Wah's nail bar and of course the shoe lounge.

During my trip on Thursday I was really drawn to the concessions, i'm in a bit of a rut when it comes to buying  high street garms right now so it was great to see something different and a brand which really stood out to me was Norwegian Wood.

Despite hailing from Montreal, Canada designer Angie Johnson has an undeniable Scandi-aesthetic, and Scandinavian vibes are everywhere right now. Norwegian Wood is not the simplistic sister to Acne, or the kooky competitor of Monki, instead the collection brings a sense of Nordic Romanticism.

The collection meets perfectly between earthy and urban. I'd pair the bold pieces with an oversized white tee and top knot or with form fitting black staples. My favourite piece from the collection is the Psych Out leggings, with mesh panels for a faux knee high's look, they are featured in the Topshop side line but sadly not the campaign images. 

You can shop Norwegian Wood on Etsy 'ERE or instore at Topshop's Flagship. These leggings are priced at £55, with most of the collection priced between £20 and £90 it's actually affordable!

P.S. Check out Danish photographer Ditte Isager for some gorgeous Scandi' esque interiors shoots (her webpage is 'ERE).

P.P.S....I've changed my justification, how's it working for you, easier to read and clearer hopefully but any feedback would be great.

HUD MO

Because me and my gal Mae can't go out without listening to this track at the moment.

SUPER STACK

(Images from weheartit, tumblr, Jefferey Campbell Lookbook, Stylebubble, Vans, Moonspoon Saloon)

It started out with thick soled Creepers, but now size matters and I need bigger. Completely needing a pair of super stacked converse or Jesse Jo Platform Vans. So cool, the kids in NY are visiting 'East Village Shoe Repairs' to get foam stacks added to the soles of their sneaks. I remember longing for a pair of Buffalo boots back in the Spice Girls days, so now's gotta be my time right?

SIMON PREEN

Now for something a little bit different, and a post I have been so excited for over the past few weeks. Simon Preen is a London College of Fashion graduate who’s name and collection are deservedly taking off right now. With Jessie J rocking Simon’s look at the MOBO’s, MTV’s Video Music Award AND on last night’s X Factor, Simon has also created her latest tour outfits. On top of this the young London based designer has also been hyped by Disorder magazine and created a collaborative collection for Urban Outfitters.

After falling in love with Simon’s fearless futurist East London warrior looks I decided to get in touch, so here we have it, hannabytes first ever interview with the man himself alongside the stunning new images for his latest collection.

Firstly massive credit to you for the MOBO’s exposure, how does it feel to see Jessie J in your garments? 

It’s really great, that particular outfit was something I was asked to design for Jessie especially for her performance on the night. Jessie has been wearing my stuff regularly over the last 6 months, she apparently loves what I do and I have just finished making all the costumes for her UK Tour. It’s fantastic to build a kind of a professional/style relationship with a young, current artist of her calibre; and especially one whose image fits perfectly with my brand. 

  

If you could have anybody as the face of your brand who would you choose and why? 

Im finding it really hard to choose – I would have to make this campaign a story with more that one character – really 90’s – strong women. Sandra Bernhard and Polly Harvey, I’ve never thought about this until now but they could totally be sisters. Polly Harvey is the ultimate woman, if you have never watched any Sandra Bernhard solo stuff you should see ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ it’s one of the cleverest comedy performances I’ve seen. Rose McGowan and maybe Winona Ryder too just for the iconic roles they have played in some of my favourite movies. Those 4 all together would be a dream of a campaign to me. It would be good to get Janet Street Porter in there somehow – she is another icon of mine – i’m sure she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it but it would be good to ask, even if just for her to tell me to fuck off. 

How about a sale space, what would a Simon Preen store look like and if it could be anywhere in the world where would it be? 

I would definitely like a flagship store in London, maybe in Soho, that would give me an excuse to leave East London once in a while and I like a wander into Soho of a weekday. It would be an illuminated black box with a strict music policy. 

 Who were your biggest influences when you first started realising fashion was something you wanted to be a part of, are they still important to you now? 

I’m influenced by whatever is going on around me and I always have been since I first took an interest in fashion – I rely on instinct but obviously there is a dark pull towards what I like in style – music is always more of an influence to what I do than what the rest of what is going on in fashion ever is. 

As a student, like many of my followers, what tips could you share about taking the most out of university? 

Well, I may not be the best example as I was a terrible student; I never went to class and when I did I just sat outside smoking and drinking coffee all day, the lecturer would just pass by every hour or so and be like “you still here!” – they never really got on at us about it. Although I didn’t really know my lecturers very well I bumped into one recently (he remembered me, to my surprise) and he said they always knew I’d do something interesting, which is nice to know. I passed my degree, not with the best honours but I don’t think that matters and nobody has ever asked me about it since I graduated. Everyone does the university thing in their own way, don’t fret about it, that’s the only advice I could give. 

  

How did you go about making the transition from student to independent designer, did internships help you to get to where you are today? 

I did a few internships and most were not that helpful but then I went to work for Pam Hogg which proved to be an invaluable experience. Pam had just returned to fashion after a ten year hiatus and it was the run up to her first show in London Fashion Week since the break, it was a pretty small operation and that meant that I got to know her really well as a person and see every angle of the business at a scale that I could understand. It was that experience as a whole, which ultimately gave me that confidence that I could do it myself, and that was when I decided to start working on my own label for real. 

Following your collection for Urban Outfitters are there any other brand you’d like to collaborate with, whether fashion or otherwise? 

I don’t know about other brands in fashion or otherwise, I never really look at any brand and think of it in those kind of terms. I would like to work on more music videos and movies – more film and photographic projects.

  

Outside of the online world of blogs and webpages, what excites your sartorial senses and inspires your creativity?

As I mentioned before music is a huge inspiration to me, I co-run a club night in east London called Reeperbahn, it’s a cold wave/synth party, the crowd it attracts are quite inspiring style-wise, very new wave, minimal, goth. It’s hard to say where exactly my inspirations come from sometimes because I don’t make mood boards, and I can’t ever focus my ideas in my head, I just try and read as much as I can (currently reading Janet Street Porters ‘Life’s Too Fucking Short’ – it’ great) and take in as much culture as time will allow and things just come together – I don’t even decide on the name or the theme of the collection is until its finished – maybe that’s because of the gaps in my education through not going to class. 

And finally, what can we hope to see from you in the near future? 

I have promised a menswear collection, which I am working on but the release has had to be put back because of issues with time and the fact that I am still a really small operation. I am planning from here on to produce smaller collections, more often, I’m not sure that I like the way fashion works, and I feel some big changes are due. Look at London Fashion Week, I don’t really know much about the fashion industry as such but it seems like it’s totally screwed, but maybe that’s actually a good thing, I like to think so. 

A great interview, so a huge thanks to Simon and I really hope you enjoyed the blog post. I think we can expect to see a lot more  from this great young British talent. You can check out more and hit up some of the amazing new pieces check the links below. Personally i’m saving up for the purple mesh skirted dress, perfect for the Warehouse Project in a few weeks.

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ASOS MARKETPLACE

TABLE DRESSING

This article really caught my eye while I was flicking through Wallpaper in search of inspiration for a university project. Wallpaper isn't a publication which I often consider when thinking about influential fashion driven articles but it's certainly a magazine I will be picking up more frequently now. This article, photographed by Marton Perlaki, features garments from luxury brands such as Prada, Hermes and Celine. The multi functional, and abstact way in which the clothes have been presented really relates to post-modernity within fashion, a theme which has been prevalent in my lectures over the past week.

Post modern meaning within the shoot comes from the subversion of conventional roles, viewing a £9k Hermes coat as a duvet undermines the heritage of the brand and the convention of a jacket. A very clever twist which produces a undeniably striking fashion narrative.

I urge you to look further at the work of photographer Marton Perlaki (you can see his website 'ERE), he's an example of a great post modern visionary working to make others view fashion as an art form and integral element of culture.

MEL OTTENBERG

Mel Ottenberg is the man behind Rhianna's latest styling success! Cherry, my fellow new recruit to the Rhianna fan club, discovered Mel's identity on Opening Ceremony's blog (check out the post 'ERE), turns out he works pretty closely with the brand and styled a previous lookbook as well as the campaign for OC's collaboration with Levi's.

As well as this Ottenberg has worked with Purple magazine, Proenza Schouler, Dazed and Confused and 10 Men, frequently working alongside Terry Richardson. The two creatives both convey a sense of nonchalance and jilted ideals which produces great outcomes.

Turns out that the latest edition to my ever growing list of influencers also styled my favourite cover from i-D's Pre Fall edition featuring Miss Lindsay Wixson. I love the sense of childishness in contrast to the grown up tailoring and seduction of the garments.

JOY

Feeling this Joy Orbison cover so much more than the original track.

Getting majorly excited for Dollop tomorrow night at Stealth too, such a sweet line up and loveeeee Battle For Middle You, reminds me of summer festivals and dancing in the mud.

LILAC LIPS

Hat - Vintage

Blouse - Primark

Skirt - River Island

Creepers - Underground

Lips - Stargazer

HOPELESS PLACE

Now before I start this post I want to make one thing very clear, I cannot stand Rhianna. But suddenly her stylist has come over all Corinne Day and made what may just be one of my favourite music videos in terms of styling. From the Pretty Woman suspender crop tops, to the double stacked creepers and American flag print denim, metal collar tips and acid bleached denim, the look is pure grubby London girl cool and wouldn't be out of place in an I-D magazine shoot. I also love the cinematography of the video in terms of the compositions of the shots as well as the flower projections and the contrast they creative against the urban setting. I would love to know who was involved in making the production but have had no luck looking online, so drop me a comment if you have any ideas. On top of it all, Rhianna's co-star is delicious and she pukes ribbons, some girls just have it all eh.

I dedicate this post to two of my best friends Eve and Cherry because secretly I think we all want to be Rhianna in this video.

PARIS FASHION WEEK

I can only apologise for the lateness of this post, I have to say that although mostly beautiful, the Paris shows didn't inspire me as much as those in London, New York and Italy. Playing host to some of the most established names in the fashion industry including Chanel, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton of course the shows are still worth note so here are a few snippets of the shows which stood out to me.

Balenciaga

Balenciaga always seems to strike up a strikingly beautiful collaboration of futurism alongside luxury elegance, and for me that is what makes their collections so appealing, and also intriguing. Although obscure in shape, each item seams balanced in it's ensemble, the same can be said of the use of multiple fabrics. This collection is extremely polished eccentricity, and again nods to both art and painterly prints as well as sports inspiration.

 Balmain
Although sometimes slated, Balmain is a fashion house who's collections I am always keen to check out. This offering is unmistakably characteristic of the brand with it's studded details, low slung bottoms and crafted shoulders but I adore the softness which the 1990's style faded denim brings to the collection.

 Hermes
Reminiscent of Jil Sander's show, Hermes began with a virginal parade of the cleanest white before an Arabian theme was intensified through deep henna and cobolt blue shades. I  feel a sense of freespirited travel through the collection, the Hermes girl of both A/W2011 and S/S2012 looks as through she should be exploring in the most luxurious way.

Louis Vuitton
And finally to Louis Vuitton, featuring a second catwalk appearance from Kate Moss, although this time the leather clad dominatrix theme was totally inverted to a pearly fairytale. And here the parallels begin, more sugary pastel shades and similarly to Marc Jacob's own show all of the models appeared together riding a dream like carousel, I can't help but allude to Chanel when looking at the collection, particularly when it comes to the short and elegant jackets. Jacob's still managed to add a certain edginess to what Alexandra Shulman described as a 'fashion wedding cake' but all in all I found the affair rather sickly.






So that concludes Spring Summer 2012's shows, admittedly I perhaps should have concluded them a little sooner. A flick through Drapers earlier revealed a few of the prominent trends we may see translate to the streets for next year, but personally i'm already living in fear of a pastel takeover.

SELF SERVICE #35

YAYYY, new Self Service, my absolute favourite publication. It feels so indulgent and sleek, with beautiful cropping of images and styling by one of my icons, Venetia Scott. If anybody spies this stocked in Nottingham please let me know, and I urge you to buy a copy.