10.19.09
THAT Balmain dress
So sequins and texture are dominating the high street right now. Why? Because they also stole the show at London Fashion Week last month. But there was one key statement piece that every fashion weekly and Hollywood superstar – from the established rock veteran to the teenage ingenue – seem to be adopting as the look of the season.
THAT Balmain dress.
The frightenly low waist-skimming neckline and statement shoulder pads define it from the multitude of sequinned numbers currently pouring forth from fashion houses and retail stores alike.
Where might you have seen it? For starters, the superb giant LFW special issue of my own personal weekly fashion bible – Sunday Times Style magazine – showcased it in all its glory in a runway shot:
© Sunday Times Style
On the same weekend, Sunday Telegraph’s big monthly fashion bible – ST – also flagged the Balmain sequins in a muted colour shoot:
© Sunday Telegraph ST
And then, the following week’s Style magazine (launch issue for their new look) featured a big splash interview with rock chick Courtney Love – and guess what they put her in for one of the looks?
© Sunday Times Style
(Perhaps thankfully discarding the slashed-to-the-waist version for the more modest front cut – both can be viewed in the Automne-Hiver 0910 collection on Balmain.com)
And then, a top starlet and fashion inspiration in my world, Blake Lively, rocked up at an Emmy after party in the very same. She even changed out of her classic red Versace awards gown before the party. A clear stamp of approval if it were still needed.
But sadly, not all of us can fork out the required £6,930 for the real thing. Fear not – Warehouse have a copycat number that is guaranteed to fly off the shelves this season. For a mere £90 as well. The danger is that you are likely to rock up at various Christmas parties this winter and experience the embarrassing she’s-wearing-the-same-dress-as-me horror, but given how widely the Balmain original is being touted around, celebs will probably be experiencing the very same. So you’ll be in good company.
10.08.09
New York fashion boutiques hit London… with 20% off tonight!
October has gained official Americana status for Carnaby Street fashionistas as the Wish You Were Here cross Atlantic fashion swap officially hits our London streets this month.
Two pop-up stores in the cobbled streets of the Newburgh Quarter are, for one month only, showing off the wares of 12 specially selected Lower East Side Manhattan boutiques as part of a fashion exchange – of which the London leg hit NYC earlier this year.
Being the New York obsessive that I am, I dropped into the stores last weekend on the launch day with a few girlfriends. Despite the ‘launch weekend’ not having quite the atmosphere billed (and competing somewhat with the ludicrous crowds queuing for the Friends cafe down the road), I was really impressed with the threads on display.
And the best bit? Tonight for one evening only (5-9pm), they are offering a 20% discount across the collections. You just have to register HERE. Get involved.
Click for enlarged Google map
Top picks from me:
In God We Trust (8, Newburgh Street) – my favourite collection, from Brooklyn designer and owner Shana Tabor. Think Blair Waldorf on her first college internship at a fashion house. Highlights for me were the smart silk fitted dresses with satin finish - in black with gold button detail and a vivid purple – and a high-necked rich cream wool cropped dress that would look killer with black tights and skyscraper heels.
Ernest Sewn (3, Lowndes Court) – the denim brand bought over. Not inordinately expensive for boutique jeans, the collection showed a good range of denim hues and cuts, with a cute touch of a trademark Ernest Sewn handkerchief tucked in the back pocket. Unfortunately (at least in the range shipped over) there was no variation in leg length, but if you check out the website you’ll see the extent of cuts usually available.
Adrienne’s & Gina de Silva (3, Lowndes Court) – one gorgeous dress that I am heading to purchase this very evening (if y’all don’t get there first). Gina’s family business, Adrienne’s is actually a boutique bridal salon, hence the dress in question is reasonably bridal inspired; almost knee-length, fitted with a beautiful cream lace atop a darker underlay. Summer garden party perfect, but adaptable for smart evening do’s throughout the A/W season too.
Hairy Mary’s Vintage & Design (3, Lowndes Court) – a cute collection of vintage inspired (and sometimes genuinely vintage) dresses. Pretty, eclectic print fabrics, mostly strapless and tucked in at the waist with built in striped waistbands. And random fact: some lines and accessories appeared in the latest series of Ugly Betty.
And finally, in the basement of the 8 Newburgh Street branch, the WYWH team have installed a temporary art gallery. Not hugely inspirational, there is one piece definitely worth a visit: Julia Chiang’s giant heart installation, created from hundreds of individually wall-mounted candy rings, dripping with sugar sweetness down the wall. Literally, a labour of love:
(c) Julia Chiang
Candy rings. Seriously. Hundreds of them.
