February 2009 Archives

Yes. Just as we ladies (apparently) like our men in uniform, our men (apparently) like us ladies in School uniform. And never one to disappoint, the fashion genius that is Vivienne Westwood has inspired our soon to be Autumn/Winter 2009 wardrobe with a naughty dose of St Trinians style dress.

Forget Britney Spears boys, soon you'll find the streets laced with sexy ladies in uniform. But don't go mixing this up with the innocent little student look, as please remember, Westwood was a pioneer of punk fashion. Of sexy, but sexless fashion... or anti-fashion as she originally started out with... but don't go getting that mixed up with any overly kinky ideas either!

...giant multicoloured pom poms to outline your silhouette of clashing leopard/zebra/multicoloured abstract print.

How does that sound?

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The thing with London Fashion week... or any 'Fashion' Week for that matter, is that it is not just a showcase of the biggest and newest designers alike's predictions on next seasons trends, it is a showcase for their wild and wacky talents, from incredibly structured or intricate detailing, to the most beautiful and elaborate creations... to the most ridiculous, impractical showpieces you have ever seen in your life. Either way, they are there to showcase themselves as true artists and out do their competitors. Massive generalisation there you understand but you get the jist.

So Ashish. As a fan of tights (in the winter at least), I am certainly impressed with his use of leopard and different coloured zebra/tiger print pairs. I am also impressed with the range of shoeboots. As for the giant pom poms.... maybe we should just translate those into hats, or just a couple to finish off tassles, ties, thick woolly scarves or as a statement detail on a coat or chunky knit. I can't imagine a spectrum of pom poms widening your silhouette by approximately 4 inches on each side really taking off can you?

Before I begin, I have joined facebook as Lady LaDiva (apparently 'Diva D' couldn't possibly be a real person)so please find me and add me - you can keep up with my newest blog postings and what I'm looking at on a daily basis... or perhaps give me an issue to discuss!

I mentioned the 'Metrosexual Male' last week in my blog... and consequently appeared to inspire an entire blog devoted to it: Metrosexual Monologue (written by my lovely friend Jaymeetee).

Now, Jaymeetee read my blog and thought 'Crikey! Am I Metrosexual male? After all I take care of my appearance, I love shopping, I own several manbags, I wear so-called winklepickers, teamed with semi-skinny jeans (mens), I diet and work out to look good...'
But this then got me thinking, OK, so we have this apparent new breed of Metrosexual Male that appears to have gained popularity throughout the noughties. But what actually is a Metrosexual man? And why is that only over the last decade 'he' appears to have emerged?

Hello darlings!
So, I've decided to give my recent rantings and frustrations with the lack of fashion opportunity in this, the second city, a rest for a while. And this week I'm concentrating on a new subject....

MEN!

Men and style, and to be precise, the MANBAG!

Now, I'm pretty sure there was a time when the concept of a man carrying a handbag(!) would have been unheard of;
"What? A man with a handbag? Why that's absurd! Ridiculous! He'd have to be gay!"
For no real man would prance around with a handbag, right?

Aaaaaah. How times have changed!

This is the era of the 'Metrosexual Male' afterall: no longer is it just women who use face creams, body creams, pluck their eyebrows, wear make-up, claim their favourite pastime is shopping...

Monday 02 February 2009, Birmingham Post:
"Birmingham's fashion talent needs more opportunities"

Well there's a revelation.
They're certainly not wrong, but I could have told you that years ago... in fact, the Post probably did, but no doubt a few people went " Yes!" then didn't do anything about it.

As you may (or may not know) I completed my BA (Hons) Fashion Design degree in Birmingham, with great designs on becoming a stylist. In fact I was aiming at 'stylist to the stars' status, and I reckon I would have done a darn good job of it too. But there were just a couple of hitches in my plan:

There was nothing in Birmingham other than my short (but nonetheless successful!) stint as Style Advisor, aka Personal Shopper in the fashion retailer I worked at to pay my way through university.

Nope - the best way to begin as a fashion stylist is via starting as a fashion assistant at a fashion or lifestyle magazine and working your way up... and most of these are based in London.

So London. That's fine right? Well, if you can afford to live in London in anything better than a cardboard box AND eat for a year whilst you do a year's full-time unpaid work experience at said 'glossies' before they offer you a pitiful salary then yes.
My answer was no.

I could go on but I don't think I really need to elaborate much further: in a nutshell, university left me broke, in debt (even more now - thanks Gordon), and living in a city where the only viable opportunity in fashion for me personally was the degree course I'd just done, or working in a retailer, which with no disrespect to those that do, does not exactly require a degree to qualify.

Welcome to Birmingham: the real world.