The Renaissance

Inspired by this haunting photo shoot from Dazed & Confused, I have discovered a new found love for the Renaissance. Most of the clothes in this shoot are from the AW09 D&G collection, but I can feel modern day prints taking a nostalgic nod towards the depths of history in the coming seasons.

I know skulls are everywhere at the moment, in some kind of Gothic revival, but the styling in this image is perfect...from the unfinished paint edges on the blue wall to the silhouette of her coat. Perfection.

I love the irregular pleating in this neck piece - imagine this on a skirt or as a bustle on the back of a waistcoat....oh yes!

To go with all these historical references, think dark embossed leather, gold brocades and Jacquards, heavy decorative laces and oodles of decadence - we've all had enough of the recession, so it's time to dress ourselves out of it! Of course, I couldn't do a post about Renaissance in fashion today without throwing in a few paintings from the time. Ones which I believe would make truly stunning prints, on equally stunning dresses, used hugely blown up and distorted - watch this space!

The archetypal Renaissance artist - Leonardo Da Vinci

Raphael

Botticelli

Come back Margiela!!

With the news of Martin Margiela's confirmed departure from his label of the same name, I had to post some of his truly amazing pieces. These Artisanal pieces are available to buy (if you have a spare few grand burning a hole in your bank account) exclusively on yoox.com now!

I absolutely love his use of old, recycled and found objects to create interesting and wearable garments. Come back Margiela!

The Illustrated Body

I can't go shopping for presents without buying something for myself. I'm kinda selfish like that, but hey we all deserve the odd treat right? Anyways, I went Christmas shopping the other day and wandered into the sadly closing Borders, and came out with a half price book on the illustrated history of Human Anatomy. It is AMAzing. It's curiously gruesome, and I can't stop flicking through...kind of like when you drive past a car crash on the motorway and you know you shouldn't look, but you just can't stop looking! Anywho, I am fascinated by all the beautiful drawings of the inner-most workings of the human body.

Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair

I went to check out the Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair today, and I've been debating (with myself) whether to post about it or not....but what the heck. If I'm honest, it's not really my bag. I thought it would be filled with vintage treasures and delights which would fill some kind of void in my life. It was however, a bit of a time-warp back to the 1950s. I don't want to slag it off as it was really well done, but as I said...just not my bag! There I was wondering around, taking in all the prom dresses, glittery cardigans and broches galore, snapping a few pictures here and there to post on this here blog when I got told-off. Someone actually told me off for taking pictures?! At a vintage fair. Are you scared I'm going to copy your hugely unique vintage dresses? PPft! I need to stop talking as I can see where this post is going...if you're a vintage fan, you should definately check out this bi-monthly event. However, if like me you love unique vintage garments, I'd stick with Bang Bang in Soho, and Battersea car bootsale for those dirt cheap nic-naks we all need in our life.

I did manage to sneak in the odd picture though...I wanted this BEAUTifully cut vintage Thierry Mugler suit. It's pure perfection. I obviously couldn't wear it, but just to say that I owned it would keep me happy for the rest of my days.

Saw this beautiful illustration/grafitti/murial thingy on the way home, walking through Rivington Street in Shoreditch. Lush yeah?

BTW - Paris competition ends tonight, and follow this twit on twatter.

Merchant Archive

Soooo busy busy at work, and with the burglary and all I sadly haven't had that much time (or even a computer - this is my bf's old one!) to research new trends and designers etc for the blog. I did however receive my daily fashion fix from Vogue yesterday, which pointed me in the direction of the freshly launched, online vintage heaven, Merchant Archive. The owner, Sophie Merchant already runs a boutique of the same name, and scours the globe for vintage treasures so that you don't have to. Taking away the hassle of trawling through rails of clothes in your standard vintage store to find the one gem, Merchant has made life a lot easier for collectors of all things old and beautiful. The selection of goodies on offer, ranges from haberdashery to artwork, with everything in between, and even has contemporary sections with pieces from designers like Olivia Rubin, Fleet Ilya and Zambesi. Sadly though, like most online boutiques, there is no menswear section. So for now I will only be visiting the online haven for 'research' purposes, but don't let that stop you. Below is a selection of my favourites...