Whoa the image quality of the Givenchy is atrocious, apologies. I'll update with some better one's when I find them. But in a frantic burst of "Holy wow, look at that" before I try to get some sleep; here's some amazement. I love couture. It's like beauty x art x fashion all squared with like crack or something. I was initially disappointed with lacklustre Dior but Chanel more than made up for it. & Ricardo Tisci has broken out of his white & feather phase with like chains & shit. In a basketball court gym thing. What? Need more photos. Now please. All from Style.com.

Trust it to be the one week when fashion people might be looking at my blog to be the week I post a frustrated eBay rant & then take off to Glasgow so I can't post anything else. Oh well, I guess if they can't appreciate the fact that blogging is about every aspect of someone's personality then that's not my problem. & you guys. Jeez you guys. Your comments were so lovely. & I know I shouldn't have got so worked up about it. It's just. You know. I want human kind to be nice & I don't like to be proved wrong on that. Repeatedly. Plus it just put the icing on an already bad mood I was in so...yeah... But it's all good now!

Obviously Sarah Burton's 2011 has to give way to Stella McCartney's 2012, but damn, she pulled it out the bag for the McQueen Pre-Fall. I mean can you just imagine the life you could lead in these clothes? That velvet slash neck catsuit is just...well, insane. & puts fuel on the slow burning desire I've had for a full blown all-in-one for a while. I might just have to put aside my claustrophobia fears & embrace the turtle neck. Especially now it's getting cold. It all seems to have fallen perfectly into place. My other highlights recently from Pre-Fall have been this look at Dior. & the whole collection actually. I was surprised to have my attention taken. Plus Givenchy, obvs. Riccardo Tisci is God.

What are your highlights? Need to check out the menswear...

Whilst waiting to meet Heidi for Christmas Gingerbread Lattes the other day I found myself in WH Smith. AKA the only place left in Bristol that stocks vaguely interesting or unusual magazines. So sad. Anyway, after the obligatory Dazed, Vogue, Harpers, I-D etc. I drifted over to W with Carey Mulligan on the cover. I hated An Education but I quite like her so I started flicking through, only to find a very lovely "New Season" spread shot by Emma Summerton which was lovely & had lots of weird twin shots (ok, I featured none of them here, but you can view high res shots here) plus a rather lovingly cinematic shoot with Mulligan by Michael Thompson. Anyway, in short, nice images W! Might have to re think them because they've never wholly captured by heart or attention...

Maria, Laura, Stephanie, Vanamo, Krista & Ina from Hel-Looks.

Hel-looks will always be my favorite street style blog. Because the people are a little bit weird (most of the time) & the things they say are interesting. I like that little snippet of personality. Things like simply, "I'm a hipster" or, Maria's style tip "don't wear stockings to hide your scabby knees". Here's some of my more autumnal & recent favourites. 

Lessons to take away: black is awesome, colour block dresses, men's oversized jumpers, collars & necklaces, winter colour, anything can make a dress, purple & yellow, frumpy skirts. Plus from Hel-looks generally, I wish I could really commit to the ugly trouser thing, I just put them on & think... no. If only I was Scandie.

I'm in Paris! So I've timed some posts & (hopefully) commented back enough people that someone might possibly look at those posts! I promise to take lots of photos & generally be festive & merry all over the place. Au Bon Marche here I come.

Picture heavy post because frankly Paris has been killing it. Hussein Chalayan, god of all things fashionably thoughtful put on a killer show that heightened by already epically high love of him. From the exhibition I went to this summer in Paris, to the book I allowed myself to pay lots of money for & have poured over ever since. Honestly, his words & his though process are equally as captivating as his mind bending clothes. Basically I fucking love him, & this Spring 2012 collection was just the icing on the cake.

Perhaps naivly I've never really thought of Rochas as deserving much attention but their 50s inspired show in unexpected materials really had me. & when I saw the backstage close up photos of those shoes... Mirror balls on your feet? Well of course. I like the idea of the sun hitting them & you leaving a sort of trail of light shards in your wake wherever you go. A DIY may be in order...

Anyway sorry for no gifs, gifmake.com who I usually use have some issue with their uploading (very sad). But you can view more non animated runway picks on my tumblr. & I got all the backstage photos from here, here & here.

What's been your highlight?

Runway to pavement in 11 days, beat that highstreet. Yes, I may have had some screen printing issues (ie, having to paint through the stencil on 'more' leaving all these splodgy bits) plus having to cut the t-shirt neck to make it more comfortable. But hey, it's a start. & seems more appropriate with all the part conferences happening around now. Shame it would be inappropriate to wear it to work... no? Worn with disco pants & platforms because I felt like stomping around & feeling powerful, as you do.

If anyone wants a t-shirt please e-mail me! I'd be well up for producing more once I get hold of some more t-shirts & new screen fabric. I'm sure copyright can be wavered, I mean... it's a different font!

And runway to Moleskin in 2 days, that's even better! Got inspired to do some painting & rewatch 500 days of summer (how good is that film? I mean I can pretend it's cheesy when I've been away from it, but really I can imagine watching it with my kids when it's a classic), even though I probably should have been more inspired by bagging a new lens on eBay that arrived yesterday. So now I should have better photos again! PLUS good old Curry's took my money in return for a tripod that won't throw my camera to the ground & a cable that means I can stream my laptop through my projector. Arty photos of me in front of various photos, on their way soon. Oh the suspense!

How are you today?

I've always had a secret love for lurex, but my problem is when I run up to touch it I'm repulsed. So when I saw this gold lurex polo neck jumper in the biggest charity shop I've ever been in, back in Berlin & it didn't feel disgusting I seized upon it. I think it's like interspersed with silk or something. I'm not sure because I cut off the polo neck & sewed it as a messy neckline losing the label along the way. I know, I know, polo necks are meant to be big this season, but I hate stuff up around my neck, especially a scratchy ribbed lurex. & because I'm in morning over the departure of my best friend, I wore it with all black.

On a brighter note, one of my favorite shows out of New York so far has definitely been Araks. I'm not keen on drop waists, just because I think they're unflattering & not impactful enough to counteract that. But with the shirt combo I'm almost won over. & the half sheer black dress? Insane. I'm getting back to blogging I swear. Right now I'm going to try & comment on all 158 of you followers, whilst watching Submarine for like the 3rd time this week...

Lovely.

Another gif? Am I trying to give you a headache. Well, no. I just like the way they look. Especially over amazing things such as politics making it onto the catwalk. Go Johnson Hartig for living up to the brand name Libertine. Disappointing though that the shirt itself will probably cost hundreds. Oh well, I feel a DIY screen print coming on. Anyone else want one? Maybe I'll sell them, just to subvert the whole idea itself. In other news I've started blogging the Spring 2012 shows so if you fancy seeing them through my filter, in a nice scrollable, tumblog manner, head over to ICBFASHION.

Not much else to say except that I am a shit blogger, I have just eaten a proper amazing pie at the pub & my best friend/platonic soulmate is abandoning me to go to Russia tomorrow. I'm pissed. But more sad. Oh well, as least I have a day off to wallow. & everyone's packing it seems like. Either to go away to uni, or on holiday, or back to where they came from for the summer or off to do something proper with their life.

Oh well.

Quick post to say I have FINALLY finished tumbling all my favorite looks from the past Resort, Spring & Couture shows over at ICBFASHION.tumblr.com. I know you can pick your own but I like to narrow down my choices for collages/inspiration/overview you know? It also gives me an excuse to flood this blog with more gifs! Mwah ha ha, this time a copycat of another seasons Christopher Kane collection because damn his clothes look good in quick succession, no?

& holy shit, whilst I was painting skirting board & watching prime ministers questions the Murdoch empire took a massive step back! Go us & our signatures & Ed Miliband who is frankly kicking ass right now, along with Gordon Brown, who personally I think should still be PM. I want sturdy moral politicians like him, not slick robotic evil PR machines like who we've ended up with. Looking forward to reading about the Guardian picking apart exactly how Cameron was lying in Parliament about them not warning him, because I am smug in the middle-class way sometimes. I'll go there. Although by pure definition I am not middle-class I read the Guardian, ergo it comes with the territory. Anyway enough of my extremely English internal class war...

It's sunny tomorrow.

You know when everything just hits at once? Breakdowns (not mine), exams & beautiful Resort/Spring 2012 collections have been getting in my way of blogging. Sorry. I've also pretty much done nothing of interest in the last few days apart from revise & stuff I don't want on the internet. So... menswear. Totally logical I'm sure you'll agree.

My main issue with menswear are the male models. Their necks are as thick as their heads & for some reason their bodies are completely out of proportion with their legs. After a while it becomes strange to look at them, as if a new species has evolved through the endless slideshows. My second issue is that in principle I think all guys should wear suits. I know, I know. But teenage boys/young men don't hold out much inspiration when it comes to fashion generally. But there is one amazing looking black man who walks around London in an endless round of gorgeous (usually checkered) suits, complete with pocket squares. Here is proof then, that suits do not mean black & white funeral wear, more bright colours & slouchy fitted than bow ties & cummerbunds. Basically, Chuck Bass. Top-Bottom: Umit Benan, Neil Barratt, Bottega Veneta & not suits but also very lovely & much appreciated 50s referencing from Moschino.

Not a menswear blog.

My collages of Resort 2012

Brights: Top left, Zero + Maria Cornejo. Bottom left, Yigal Azrouel. Top right, Jenni Kayne. Bottom right, Michael Kors.
Prim & Proper: From top to bottom, Erdem, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karen, Gucci, Doo.Ri, Jason Wu, Jason Wu, Doo.Ri, Erdem & Naeem Khan
Pucci Suits: Emilio Pucci...
Florals: Top to bottom, Jill Stuart x 6, Yves Saint Laurent x 2, Suno, Thakoon Addition & Alexandre Herhcovitch.
Prints: Top row left to right, Giambattista Valli, Pedro Lourenco, Stella McCartney, Naeem Khan. Bottom row left to right, Adam, Givenchy, Giambattista Valli & Suno.

More on the ICBFASHION tumblr. All images from Style.com. Stuck, cut & arranged by moi. One of the great things about blogging this stuff is I can just about justify the time it took me to make them. Still on course with the revision, but I have taken on other company after my *alone day*. Two weeks just two weeks left of my entire education.

Scary.