Art Movements.

I was an ArtHistory student, and hands down it was the best 2 years of my life. I love art, I love the variety, the power of mediums  and the communication it possess. I think the above collection of art movements shows the groundbreaking moments in art, obviously this trickled into the mundane life inspiring all things.
With London Fashion Week, right around the corner I am expecting to see segments of Art, movements like Burberry did with Russian constructivism, because a fusion between art and fashion is always a delight.

Debs 

Marilyn Monroe for Chanel No5

   Blonde bombshell and timeless sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe lives on, the quirky and innocent American sweetheart speaks about her relationship with the iconic perfume, Chanel No.5...the whole 2:33 minutes are strangely mesmerizing, Chanel lock me into a world of the captivation and  power a single drop of Chanel No.5 can cause. Marilyn with her ever pursed flawless lips and her enigmatic allows me, well all women, to have a peep into the legend surrounding the perfume. I love the campaign, how they use the footage of the tape recording and how Marilyn ever so slightly makes us feel like we are in a dream, a dream only possible with the token Chanel No.5 perfume, its a brilliant campaign.

"What do you wear to bed?"....."I wear Chanel No.5".

Perfection never sounded so good.

                     

MFW SS14 : Ports 1961

Any designer who includes a limited colour palette is receiving all my love, I adore single colour pieces they look incredibly clean and sophisticated. Ports 1961, MFW SS14 showcase is flawless I want every piece...to be truthful I'm not too keen on the colour pieces but nevertheless I'm loving it. Smart looking pieces, silk fabrication and a philosophy of less is obviously is more. Look below, look at the clothes...the details the crispness of each outfit how the clothes, although lacking the an obvious outline it does have ounces of femininity to each outfit. If the colour palette does not appeal to you, no need to fear colours such as pinks and purples are available. 

Now although there were streaks of sophistication and elegance which every designer seems to be try to achieve, this set of photographs gives me a sense of more obvious femininity, the two-tone trend which is used to highlight the female form. Something I am intrigued by is the yellow sunset jumper...isn't it just stunning, I love it and I love the way it fades into the skirt, I myself would ditch the skirt for a pair of cropped trainers which ankle refinement. The all black outfit, Joan Smalls so dashing pulls off is just modernism combined with elegance, the collarless neck is beautiful I can't pull it of myslef but it is great. For all you pattern freaks the middle outfit *(which reminds me of a pretty carpet) is nice pair it with white trousers and you'll be grand. Yes, Ports 1961 has grabbed my attention and I am glad. 

To Ra. 

MFW SS14 : Max Mara

Head-to-toe single coloured outfits, hit the Italian runway an effortlessly chic austere was presented with the collection from tailored coats to the oversized tee-tucking skirts. When spectating the collection what I admired straight off the bat was the way the clothes hugged the shape of the body, I think that is a very rare aspect on the runway and it's brilliant to see from Max Mara. The colour palette...is hands down perfect I mean they are very mature expect from the splashes of Klein blue to eye-catching oranges, the colours such as the nudes and pearly greys made me melt inside.

 The colour harks back to architectural modernism, like steely buildings, kind of hi-tech we saw in the film I,Robot, the jackets are something I will certainly invest in I mean they look like they have been carved out of fabric by Michelangelo. Due to my personal preference I hated the crayon-like colours, the colours reminded me of traffic lights, I hated them I thought the collection was perfect but I was wrong, oh well I'm going to ignore that mistake. Sophistication was key to the collection and if you follow Max Mara, you will know that this motif is key to Max Mara as a brand.

To Ra. 

LFW SS14: Basharatyvan V

Basharatyan V SS14 collection "Frida" was showcased at the Freemasons Hall; it was a colourful display of yellows, reds and pearly whites, which was a build-up on AW13's colourful palette. Hugely inspired by Mexican surrealist painter, Frida Kahlo the collection reflects strong traits of her paintings and philosophies.

Unique prints that show the brands growth in confidence and experience was a delight, with bursts of neon green, coral reds and beautiful monochromatic prints.

Veronica Basharatyabn was inspired by the pain and passion in Kahlo's work, her models reflected the statement eyebrows of Kahlo's trademark look. The silhouettes were sultry feminine and yet strong, channelling the fearless Frida, the uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form. 

The first impression of the collection is layers of delectable silk chiffons in a combination of both vivid and pastel colours, intriguing prints with pops of neon bright and zesty lemon/lime embellishments. 

To Ra. 

LFW SS14: Bernard Chandran

I'm a fan of Bernard Chandran, I saw him last season and I love his collection. This season was also a delight  and I got to interview him, which was lovely. Womenswear is usually fully controlled and I don't like the rules that are applied to, nevertheless Chandran pushed the boat out. Inspiration for the collection came from his home land, Malaysia and a mixture of metallics and princesses.

(ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF DEBORAH CROSSWIRE)

The traditional Malay sarongs were of obvious and important inspiration, along with the usage of native silks.  "I wanted to break conventions and give normal girls the chance to become princesses", this is what is done rather well in this collection, traditional dresses of the royal members are being modernised with a urban undertone. Oversized caped sleeves providing strong silhouettes, celebrating the female form in all it's sultriness, this seemed to be a motif throughout the show. An appearance of pinstriped -bandeau jumpsuits assembled with asymmetrical cuts gave the line a futuristic air about it. A radical re-invention of princess-wear and royal uniform is something we are embracing.

To Ra. 

NYFW : Yigal Azrouël SS14

Firstly, I just want to give a high-five to New York, I mean I never assessed New York to be key, groundbreaking or of any relevance, in terms of fashion. This sounds extremely harsh, in my mind New York was living with a stain, the stain of being a "celebrity brand" city, they took no notice of classic tailoring or key trends, all I can say is that....the stigma is no longer attached.

Nevertheless, after Rag and Bone, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang and the many more radiant designers to come I am definitely more observant and considerate towards the  fashion of New York.
Next designer, Yigal Azrouël, this designer has caught my eye and pulled my heart strings (which is not an easy task), the whole collection is flawless. Yigal, is a Israeli American, New York based designer, and I can say, hands down, he is a gift to New York and the rest of the fashion world. I think the colour palette is simple but nevertheless smooth, the tailoring is superb looks immaculate harking and boarding on futuristic...hmm maybe a modernist streak has been applied to this line. Nevertheless, I love it and the strong devotion to art expressed through the monochrome pieces, I love the detail it's slightly playful.

Debs Crosswire 

NYFW : Louise Goldin

(IMAGES COURTESY OF STYLE.COM) 

New York City, so far has showcased a dazzling collection of designers from Helmut Lang and their collection of stripped back minimalism to the flower power of the Ruffian collection. The designer who has caught my eye, is designer Louise Goldin, her collection has embraced a stunning combination of sports-luxe and simplicity. I do adore the colour palette of the collection, the use of nude has incorporated really well, the details of collage-like clothing is something I love, the input of art in the collection is liberating.  The outlining of the clothing pieces an exaggeration is brilliant, I'm not a big fan of the other colours I think they are great but I wouldn't wear them, my favourite pieces are the white pieces with the black outlining. I think the shoes and frilly socks are adorable, remind me of Catholic school girls, the socks that is, the heels are not really my thing, but they fit well with the collection. I will certainly be keeping an eye on Ms Louise Goldin. 

To Ra. 

Los Vladimirovich FW13-14

Los Vladimirovich's FW13 campaign is dazzling, I love my jackets I think they are key pieces for outfits, everybody should have that one coat which get's people's eyes raising. This collection is perfect, I love everything about it, slight grungy or rock 'n' roll laced with drops of classic tailoring. Obviously, Cole Mohr is another valid reason why this campaign is awesome, great models with a stunning collection of tattoos which is a kind of accessorie of its own. My favoruite jackets are as follow, the orange jacket I love the grey collaring and the inside, the combination of grey and orange is pretty clever and subdubed. Menswear is chillingly perfect, its not fair, I'm sorry but they look so good in it, ah menswear designers do it so well, watch the video. 

To Ra. 

Words by Deborah Crosswire 

Nike Blazer Low Premium x Black Comme des Garcons.

Trainers are everywhere, normal people are wearing trainers more than athletes are wearing them, it's actually a delight to see people incorporating trainers into their outfits, from Nike Roshe Runs to New Balance, I mean it's not something I'd wear but I can certainly admire. A new pair of kicks to add to your collection is the Black COMME des GARCONS x Nike Blazer Low Premiums, the two companies have joined forces to make this slick suede trainers. 

The special edition of Nike's Blazer Low, they look extra slick with their all blacked-out color palette, suede panels with leather accenting, the laces are waxed cotton which add a soft touch to the shoe. COMME des GARCONS is only apparent on the heel and insole of the trainer, the branding is in white print in the initials of CDG. I like them, a lot of people I know are dissing them and the on the other account the other people I know love em', some people say that it's expensive just because it's got a logo on the back...but other people say Nike has reached another level of sleek...

Debs Crosswire. 

Images Courtesy of Hypebeast.com 

FASHION EVENT.

GS SHOP CATWALK. 

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the GS Shop Catwalk, at the Korean Culture Centre, in London the show exhibited clothing collections from designers at Central St Martins, the designers were as follow Lee Seung Hee, Xess Homme, Kim Jae Hwan and Han Sang Hyuk. I think Korea is certainly a big team player when it comes to global fashion and this show has proved that to me.

The first designer to have their designs waltz down the catwalk was the Alette collection by Lee Seung Hee. Seung Hee's collection was specially targeted for women who wanted garments with a sense of modernity and mystic values but obviously wearable, the colors were understated with cobalt blues, ivories and burgundies. As you can see the female sensuality is very much elongated with the use of ankle enforcement and clever layering.

The second designer was Xess Homme, the brand was launched back in 1998, this brand is inspired by slim-fit and MODS and have been very active in the expression of creative men's fashion. I adore menswear so I saw the immediate beauty in this collection, I've always admired Asian menswear and to see it raw and clean cut, presented like this was great. I also loved the details of the clothes and tortoise shell glasses. I loved the colors of this collection like the beige and the olive green, great collection.

The third designer to go down the catwalk was Kim Jae Hwan with his collection A by Jae, the concept behind this collection is to enhance the silhouette of a woman's body in harmony with both the color and material. This collection provided perfect tailoring and premium material, a delightful girlish charm and a selection vivid color.I have to applaud the female suit, absolutely dazzling, the layering of the red cardigan and the ankle cut trousers, certainly redefining womenswear.

The fourth designer to exhibit down the catwalk was Han Sang Hyuk with his collection Cadet_H.
"Rather than making clothes, it is more worthwhile to change the attitudes of the people who wear them to designer's taste in clothes" Han San Hyuk. The concept of this show and the ideology behind is very interesting, youth, sentimentality, function and honor where among the concepts behind this brand laced with color and materials of wool, cotton, navy grey and khaki. A stunning detail was a black suit that had a zipper down the back, I never seen this before, these kind of details are what make Korean fashion so innovative.

(ALL IMAGES TAKEN BY DEBORAH CROSSWIRE)

Debs Crosswire.

Event Courtesy of PopPr. 

ZARA, CAMPAIGN FALL '13.

ZARA AW13...WOMAN. 

(PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO ARE NOT MINE )

Zara has maintained their traits of being classy, avant-garde and on point with their trends, in which all have been displayed in their new fall campaign '13. The brilliant campaign was shot by Patrick Demarchelier, styled by Marie-Amelie with a cast of rising models, Mijo Mihaljcic, Julia Nobis, Caroline Brasch Nielsen, Ashleigh Good and Juliane Gruner. There is also a video of the wonderful magic Zara has cooked up, Zara has headed to the streets.

The girls are dressed head to toe in bohemian and youthful styles of dark florals, bold prints and clean cut angles, the girls pose on the streets of London, looking caught up in city life. I love this campaign and I can't wait to get my  hands on some of the stunning pieces, Zara is going to make me look amazing this fall, the color palette's are just sensational and so make me wish I we were already in Winter. Womenswear is back on top form and is looking sharp with the help of Zara's fall collection..

Debs.

ASOS : ABSOLUTE CHELSEA BOOTS.

I got a pair of boots, velvet boots from asos...erm I don't wear heels its not really my preference usually but I don't mind trying new things. These are my first pair of heels, ever I feel weird, I guess I'm saying hello to my womanhood (dry laugh). I love the colour of the velvet, it's a bit bright but I can live with it, the heel is a bit high it took me a while to actually try and walk in them but I'm pretty swell now I can walk like a supermodel in them (hahaha). They were on sale coming to a tidy price of £31 which is a good price for boots of this material and type, Chelsea boots are big trend, and boots with chunky heels are a top-notch trend for Autumn/Winter wardrobe.

Okay, pros and cons, they shoes are lovely, the colour the material, they are well made and they are comfortable, I wore them for 9hrs (on a shoot) and my feet did not have a single blister (miracle) I know. Cons of the shoes, I'm a size 8 the asos size came up a little bit small but after one wear they stretched out and fit me perfectly now, they have them in patent black, I personally think they are nasty but if that is the way your boat floats then get a pair! That is me in the above photograph, I styled it with black ankle cropped jeans and an blue stripy "boyfriend" sized shirt, it belongs to my Dad, thanks Daddy.

Debs.

Paradisaical Pink.

L2R : CELINE - PAUL & JOE - MIU MIU - SIMONE ROCHA. 

Pink is a colour people either love or hate, with it's strong notions of femininity, the colour has popped up numerous times on the Autumn/Winter 2013 catwalk, from a vast selection of designers. I myself don't see the delight people take in the colour pink but due to the AW13 catwalk shows, I have been slightly exposed to it's paradisaical side.

A certain extravagances is shown from the colour itself and it's spectrum, pale pinks offer an outfit a sense of purity and innocence while the catatonic neon pinks offer a rawness and vibrancy to pieces. Pink can hold it's limitations, I wouldn't normally associate pinks pale or other with Autumn or Winter pieces but designers say other, a lot of designers are using pinks for jackets and coats, the usage of pink and the combination of

I wouldn't personally wear them but due to the precise clean cut tailoring the colour becomes instantly flawless.

Debs.

& Other Stories.

& Other Stories. 

                           (ALL PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURED BY DEBORAH CROSSWIRE)

& Other Stories is a shop which is a part of the H&M branch, it is absolutely stunning....in my opinion. I visited the store today, again...and I bought enough items to complete a mini haul, there are several things I adore about the store from the presentation of items to the general ambiance. My mother also deeply approves, she said "Debs there are no other stores like this one! I must comment this is store is very much a female - orientated store.

 I bought nail polish, this was a personal test I usually buy subdued and dark colours as you can see from the picture this colour is quite the opposite and I rather like it, it was a good price and spreads across the nail really well. I also bought a double leather wallet it is a lovely maroon colour with a gold lion embossed plaque, I think it was a good investment which I can't wait to style!! Another thing I bought was a belt and some accessories, this belt is very well detailed, and I am sucker for details it keeps me on my toes, in terms of the accessories a ring and two bracelets. Pay a visit to this store, treat yourself and feel the awe of the store! 

When entering the store one is made to feel like they have been transported to a European utopia of striking clothes, accessories and shoes, and model-looking cashiers! I am always impressed when I shop at this store, I have a little thing about colour palettes, from clothing to interior decorating and the colour palette of this store remarkable, going around the store is like going round on a rainbow wheel. I love the clothing, the range of materials provided is absolutely amazing, I'm a sucker for accessories especially when they are so quirky which is what & Other Stories has provided me with! SHOES! Now, what I've learnt is that despite your sex we all love shoes, if you have good taste you love shoes, and I love shooes... the shoe selection which is a whole floor left me in bewilderment, I mean less is certainly more it's a very strong motif throughout this store. 

Debs.

Feather.M SS14 Event.

 (Pictures taken by Deborah Crosswire)

On Thursday, Pop PR revealed their new client, a handbag brand, Feather.M’ Spring/Summer 2014 collection, it was unveiled at Wolf and Badger’s Dover Street store. The collection exhibited a vibrant range of handcrafted clutches, from day bags to evening clutches, although crafted in London a selection of worldwide fine materials are used, such as snakeskin, suede and leather.  

Feather.M is a company which holds ethical standards of being simplistic, contemporary and classy; a use of classic of patterns such as leopard print combined with a fine clean-cut leather outline provides the clutch with a sense of simplicity. In terms of the colour palette of the clutches and bags, yesterday bright fuchsia pinks, mustard yellows were the choices of colours; this approach really does give the bags an avant-garde air about them.

To Ra.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER COUTURE AW13.

Meooow! Jean Paul Gaultier is playing with the big cats, the big female cats, for his fall couture collection. 

A celebration of the female as a predator is an evident motif of this collection, through the figure-hugging pieces and catwoman motifs. Women in this collection are seen to be totally female and totally animal...the dominant and almost animalistic aspects of the  female sexuality are fully exploited through the choices of fabric and colouring on Gaultier's part, I love the harking back to key symbols such as Grace Jones, Madonna and Bjork. The names of the pieces are surrounding the subject of women being man eaters “Pussy Faster” which despite its name is a leopard-print biker jacket with over defined should pads. Gaultier paraded down his runway nostalgia from the era of the eighties, broad shoulder pads, over sized hips, body defined outlines; the exaggeration of the female form through silhouettes is evident from this collection.

The hair I thought was a stunning touch, sprayed on cheetah spots with sometimes nodding cone -quiffed hair, as well as the clothes this really embodied the presence of the female inner animal! As well as the eighties being of inspiration to Gaultier, David Bowie was of inspiration to as we see from the wedding dress at the end; songs from David Bowie albums were also used as the name of some of the outfits. Suffragette City was the black velvet dress which incorporated a fiery orange petticoat and matching cheetah prints tights and shoes. 

To Ra.

PARIS FASHION MENSWEAR: JUUN.J

South Korean mastermind Juun.J has graced the Parisian runway with his breath-taking designs, again. I love Junn.J  he caters for the male wardrobe incredibly well, he has a proper talent when working with fabrics, from the images above we can see the diverse choice of execution of materials and fabrics. This collection combines over-sized silhouettes and evokes futuristic notions such as the use of neoprene type materials, the transparent jock-shirts and the marble like material are stunning. 

First thing that caught my eye was the colour palette and the graphic tees, which seem to be a popular trend across the board. I love definite colours that's just how I roll, from the royal blues and marble whites I can say I love the choices of colour and their combination,bold and classy. Now the shorts, I love it of course if you have a good pair of legs for this kind of attire, do it if you dont hit the gym!! Obviously some men would not wear the short shorts but if you can work it, do it, it's edgy and looks great if pulled off right like shown above. The pinstripe coats, are lovely too, the numbers on the tops are brilliant they make the shirts look completely 3D, the graphic tee with the antler children look stunning too, neoprene has this effect. I love this collection, I have a soft spot for Junn.J, this collection is simply stunning. 

Debs.

London Collections Mens: Matthew Miller SS14.

(I DO NOT OWN THESE PHOTOGRAPHS) 

I am a sophisticated young lady in every way nevertheless, I have a soft spot for menswear from the clean cuts to the cool color pallets. So therefore I held an interest in London Collections Men's and with a intrigued and keen careful eye I observed, every detail and I can say that  I was very excited by what I saw. I have to hand it to the all the LCM designers, pretty much every designer knocked the nail on the head when it came to the runway. Gentlemen I hope you know how lucky you are , designers put so much effort into menswear, guys have no excuse to dress badly at all, for us females, we have to work a little bit harder.  Miller's SS14 runway, for me establishes the essence of the modern-gentleman's wardrobe, detail and precision of an outfit is completely defined, that's my humble opinion, of course this may not be to your liking...but it should be.

Matthew Miller's SS14 runway collection was flawless, from the European male models to the raw hemmed cuts, every piece of detail was so well fragmented together that every model seemed to be wearing a piece of art . Although I do congratulate Miller's male line, this runway did contain two female models so if you can work the androgynous style then Miller has catered for you.  From the collage above you can see the industrial color palette of steel, white and off white, and even though the painted chest piece is for the runway it was a lovely touch, therefore establishing his runway from the rest of the pack. Through the industrial and architectural type cuts, the complexity of clothing is removed from menswear and Miller establishes a clothing line of complete unity and harmony between color and material as well as this Miller acquires a sense of uninterrupted simpleness.

To Ra.

TREND :MONOCHROME, SIMPLICITY NEVER LOOK SO GOOD.

(PHOTOGRAPHS AND GIF ARE NOT MINE)

London, Paris, New York and Milian SS13 have exhibited a collection of trends from metallics, monochrome, neon, geometric prints to snakeskins. I am always excited to see the trends of the shows, it is always lovely to see how each designer re-works each trend. Trends are essentially a helping hand from designers to us, their beautiful ideas are condensed and coined to a piece of clothing or aesthetic that one can use. A particular trend has caught my eye, ladies and gentlemen that trend is Monochrome/ Monochromatic, i'm watching this trend take the fashion world by storm, again and I'm loving every bliss moment.

Monochromatic is something I can fully aesthetically relate to. I dress in a similar style, my wardrobe does incorporate the monochromatic trend, I love the perfection of it,  the perfection of simplicity. This trend's aesthetic value is perfect and is solely appreciated, even if you don't like this trend you can appreciate what the monochromatic trend achieves. Monochrome is a trend which is not new, it has been around forever, it has appeared on the catwalk numerous times. Some of the greatest designers have established their presence with the use of Monochrome the simple palette has erupted all over the major city catwalks. From Yohji Yamamoto's SS13 collection we can see this trend, which works rather well with his perfect aesthetic and tailoring. 

Nevertheless, some do think as the monochromatic simply as a trend which is boring and is just lacking in colour, if you think about it, this trend is not lacking in anything. The Monochromatic trend is timeless and it's an exhibition of tones that exist together in perfect harmony, the most important and successful trait of the monochromatic trend is that it eliminates all unnecessary details and acquires a perfect realm of sheer perfection. This trend has manifested itself as stripped dresses, with large or little stripes, black trousers with white panels, which are eye catching. Panels, work well with monochromatic clothing the blocks of color do look perfect and create a statement. Whenever I do see monochrome on the catwalk it always reminds me of some type of uniform due to the order and structure of the two tones beside each other. This is something no other trend quite accurately achieves in the same way. 

A number of designers have received the Monochromatic trend with open arms, from Chanel, Viktor & Rolf and Prada, Victoria Beckham to Alexander Wang, London, Italy, Paris and NYC have endorsed the monochrome trend. Jil Sander herself has also adapted the monochromatic trend, nevertheless Jil Sander is a designer which acquires the atmosphere of minimalism so well that monochromatic for her is a perfect trend. Alexander Wang, himself is always a gem of a designer who's creations are breathtaking, he also uses monochromatic well, for him monochrome is a blurring of two tones.

Black and White have been placed together to create a harmonious and completely coherent statement of perfection. Monochrome is a beautiful and stunning trend, it is both complex and simplistically minimalist two tones of black and white, the two tones can be manipulated into blocks, panels, stripes and of course checks. I personally adore Monochrome, it is forever avant-garde and it is also the simplest trend to wear, I love the clean-cut traits of the monochrome trend. One must let the clothes do the magic and this is one thing this trend achieves. Coco Chanel, herself is a perfect example of the stunning qualities the monochrome trend holds, it is chic but yet eye catching. The white gives the overall outfit an air of crispness and sharpness the black brings out the edginess the two together create an effortless atmosphere for one's wardrobe.

To Ra.

D.