Tourist Magazine

Is a pretty good website if you like bipolar folk music (one part melancholy, one part ecstatic choruses), imperfect images and London Fashion Week in haiku.

Those things float my boat

Especially on Mondays

Maybe check it out.

That was a terrible two-second attempt at a Haiku, in case you didn't catch on(!)

(Image: Tourist Magazine)

Quote, Unquote.

Isabella Blow on what Alexander McQueen should have done at Givenchy:

"I had an idea that he should have a muse, and she'd live there, and she'd be at home - in her salon - as they did in the 18th century.  You'd have tea with her, she'd talk, she'd run around in the clothes.  You know, a sort of Warhol Factory thing?  But life is very corporate now, you can't do all that.  But that's what I would have done.  I just would have had a wild time."

Click on the still to view the Channel 4 'McQueen and I' documentary.

Simplicity Reigns

I don't spend much time poring over pictures of what the schlebs wear to fashion week.  It's usually the photographs of the ordinary people I watch out for, who are snapped looking extraordinary.  As a rule, celebrities lack the interest in style which is innate within the stylish girls who get photographed for their genius outfit combinations.

Kirsten Dunst is a case in point. She turned up to the Mulberry show on Sunday in the simple camel jumper and jeans combo pictured above, and later on to the Mulberry party in one of the brand's plainer pre-Fall evening dresses.  If you passed an unknown individual wearing either of these unadorned outfits in the street, I doubt you'd look twice, and if Kirsten Dunst were a not a super famous actress she would not have these images of herself broadcast on several style websites since Sunday.

Yet Kirsten with her austere outfits has struck a chord with me.  I think it's because she does look decidedly average - which isn't always a terrible thing.  You hear all about these people who look as if they've 'thrown something together', but the outfits often encompass several layers and styles, and are likely to have been laid out on a bedroom chair the previous evening.  Kirsten's are definitely thrown together - there's nothing more efficient than a jumper with matching bag and shoes, worn with jeans, or a dress with tights and heels.

Lately, I've been indulging in fashion in a dreamlike manner instead of literally wearing the clothes I would like to, throwing on jeans and a top instead of a complicated combination that could have come straight from an Urban Outfitters mannequin.  This is why I personally took note of what Kirsten Dunst was wearing.  Because she looks cool and free, wearing everyday clothes that aren't particularly 'in fashion'. They're not steeped in hyperbole, they aren't histrionic.  They're classic, easy, they're SIMPLE, and they're what I, and most girls, wear on a day-to-day basis while we get on with our hectic lives.

While occasionally daydreaming of wearing Meadham Kirchoff, Celine and Acne, of course.

LONDON FASHWAN WEEK OVERLOAD

I feel like I've binged on London Fashion Week and am about to have the sartorial equivalent of a hyperglycemic attack as a result.  I am a single catwalk-show viewing away from pledging never to wear an item of clothing ever again.

As an antidote to this, I'm reading through all of Michael Hogan's satirical '#madeuplfwtweets' (example: 'Stranger asked if I loved bags.  I replied, "Totes!"  She thought I meant just tote bags! HILAIRE!') while listening to the calming influence of Feist.

Already my threat of nakedness has been pacified.  I will instead don a Feist-inspired Breton top and wear it for the rest of my life.  And maybe avoid the internet until fashion week is over.

Canine Chic

If we live by Topshop Unique's show, it looks like the average household mutt will be replacing diamonds as a girl's best friend this AW11 (as usual, dogs were also prevalent at Mulberry, and at NYFW Isaac Mizhari dyed some REAL LIVE poodles with candy colours).  Katie Grand, stylist and editor of the biannual Love Magazine, reeled off a list of inspirations for the styling of the show, with 'dogs, 101 Dalmations and Cruella DeVille' coming in at the top.  She went on to add Bugsy Malone, Bonnie and Clyde, Showgirls, tap shoes and Art Deco posters to that very same list, which can clearly be grouped under a collective '1930's' heading.

The varied inspirations meant varied outfits, which is what we've come to expect from Topshop Unique's collections.  The canine element was the predominant theme of the show, but this is what injected fun into it, with hints such as kohl-painted dog noses, dalmation-spotted fingernails and hair that mimicked floppy ears.

In keeping with the dotted theme, the beginning of the collection was very monochrome, with earthy and berry shades running through to complement.  Of the various looks, many were an appealing cross between school girl and school mistress, with Mary Jane shoes and hockey stockings contrasting with grown-up belted furs.

A decent collection overall, but I feel like Topshop Unique should be pushing for a cutting-edge status so as to prove their worth as the only high-street shop that shows at London Fashion Week.  Patterned tights, camel, fur coats and demure lengths have all been overdone in previous seasons, and I feel like the brand should have moved on from that to retain their notoriety at being front-of-field in youthful and creative fashion.  Personally, I was more taken with the minor doggy-inspired styling details I’ve mentioned (which really were so delightfully cute and quaint) rather than purely the clothing itself.  

Check the show out and see for yourself.  And let me know if you agree - I've never really taken to 1930's styling so maybe I'm being a bit of a harsh critic? 

(Images: Inside Out)

Topshop Unique Live Stream

Topshop Unique's Autumn/ Winter 2011 Fashion Show is streaming live here from 3pm today.  It's always one of the best catwalk shows in terms of young, funky and unorthodox styling, so is probably worth a watch.  I'll certainly be glued to my computer screen in half an hour's time.

Underground Style - Roath, Cardiff

If Roath is seen as the creative hub of Cardiff, and if art and fashion are synonymous with one another, can it then be assumed that the residential area has some of the city’s best shopping?  Truthfully, no.  It would be false to gush that Roath is a must-visit for traditional shopping - there are far too many uninspired retailers letting the area down.  However, Roath does have a burgeoning underground fashion movement going on that allows style-conscious residents and visitors to pick up some 

offbeat ideas and bargains - if they know where to look.

The most obvious place to start scouring for curiosities is in one of the Roath’s charity shops.  Due to the persistent popularity of vintage, the appeal of shopping in the area is heightened by the number of charity shops that can be found on both Wellfield and Albany Roads.  These shops do not differ much from one another; they are satisfyingly cheap and stock the usual books, bric a brac and used clothing, along with some gems that can be found in amongst the tat if you’re prepared to rummage.  Don’t fret if you have neither the longing nor the patience, Cardiff’s YMCA Housing Association are pioneering a 50’s and 60’s-inspired charity boutique on Albany Road called PreFab, using the public’s which groups vintage items under one roof for ease of purchase.  All proceeds go back into the charity, so the customer gets to experience a pleasant shopping environment while donating to a 

good cause.

More quality vintage can be found at one of the markets that pop-up in some of Roath’s most avant garde spaces, along with craft items, up-and-coming designs and unusual jewellery. Intriguingly, these markets are not put on in conjunction with retail spaces, but with multi-faceted venues that are associated with the arts, such as Milgi Lounge and Milkwood Gallery. Milgi’s Northcote Lane Market in particular has gone from strength-to-strength since its conception in mid-summer 2007, with stalls spilling from inside the bar to the backyard yurt to the lane behind it on ever first Sunday of the month, depending on how many sellers are contributing their wares at the time.  The market runs between 6pm and 10pm on this chosen Sunday and has the kudos of being popular with local residents and celebrities alike – actress and renowned quirky-dresser Jaime Winstone has been spotted delving through the bargain bins while wearing a rather zany Navajo-printed jacket.

Milkwood Gallery hosts a Flea Market at various times throughout the year, and has a permanent shop selling all manner of quirky (if rather pricey) items - from human-shaped beanbags to jewellery from the cult brand Tatty Devine.  Homemade fashion is also actively encouraged at Milkwood, with drop-in sewing surgeries and Make Do and Mend classes (where you learn from an expert how to shape an item of clothing out of scrap fabric, from scratch) occurring on a regular basis.  In fact, this ‘make do and mend’ attitude is clearly taking off in Roath, with The Gate Theatre launching a similar project called RE: Fash on the final Wednesday of this month, in which attendees will be given ideas on how to revamp any piece of clothing to make it look high-fashion, at the cost of £5 per class.

Whether a response to the recession or a random fad inspired by the fashion industry’s continued love of vintage, this interactive approach to fashion and style is innovative, exciting, and - in terms of the Cardiff area - completely exclusive to Roath.  There are also, of course, plenty of great boutiques (Halcyon Daze, Seven, Big Girl’s Blouse, all on Wellfield Road) in Roath which balance out the poor ones.  Yet the grassroots fashion scene seems to be bolstering Roath’s reputation as an artistic area and is a far more exciting approach to fashion.  It will be interesting to see if it can continue to develop and thrive, with or without the help of the shops.

I wrote this guest post for Wales Online's Your Cardiff website.  You can check it out here.


(Images: Peace Love and Polkadots, Milgi facebook group, discothequeconfusion, Milkwood Gallery) 

Screw A/W 11, I Wanna Wear This Now

I hated DKNY when I was younger because of those cheap and nasty looking logo tops the brand was famed for.  Ever since I was little I've had an aversion to people who advertise their (apparent) wealth on their bodies, and the brands that cash in on this by selling clothes with their name emblazoned all over them.

Cult brands with recognisable logos I can deal with.  At least an aesthetically pleasing logo has some artistic merit; merely putting your name across something actually cheapens its value.  Look at French Connection with its FCUK years as an example - I'd never go back to the brand now, even if I did think the campaign was quite clever at the time (I was 13 and had only just discovered the expletive that French Connection were punning.  Punning?  Is that a word?).

Donna Karan's managed to make me overlook ten years of dismissal with this AW11 90's Mod-referenced collection.  There's something so now about it, even though it's so 90's it still seems utterly relevant.  I love that the colours are simple, with that expensive looking navy and black palette being revived with pops of clashing reds, oranges and pinks.  The fabrics used are also luxurious, with differing textures used in the same looks so as to inject glamour into grungy street style.  With not a logo in sight.

It's one of those 'capsule wardrobe' types of collections you see in magazines, where they lay out some relevant seasonal pieces, along with some classics, and show you how to make a week's worth of outfits out of minimal items.  

I'd like the navy and black ankle boots, the black puffa jacket, the black dress with the peter pan collar, the multicoloured dress, the striped jumper, the kilt...Actually, screw the capsule wardrobe: I want it all.

What would you pick?

(Check me out getting excited about winter wear.  Makes a change eh?)

(Images: Style.com)

Primarni's Spring Summer Collection

 

Ah, funk.  Primark and my empty purse have clearly been conspiring against me.  They've come up with this collection together because they know I won't be able to resist cheap and pretty/ pretty cheap clothes.  It's not fair; I've been trying to spend less on throwaway fashion so that I can afford to eat splurge once in a while, and I've been trying to pare down my wardrobe so that it's easier to dress myself in the morning.

Guess this means that despite my best efforts my wardobe will remain bulky and I won't be able to afford that bag of oranges Stella McCartney's lemon and satsuma printed dress.

Woe is me.

SS11

I wish fashion would calm down sometimes.  Chill out a little bit.  Maybe take a break and go find itself in Thailand.  

This is purely so that I can have some time to catch up with what's going on. I mean, I'm only just easing myself into buying my SS11 pieces and it's already this year's New York Fashion Week.

Here I am, feeling ridiculous that I've been getting excited about sunglasses for weeks, and the fashion industry is getting hyped up about what everyone's going to be wearing in September.

That's why I thought I'd try and rewind time by taking us back to last AW where everyone was planning SS (this is NOW!).  Especially since I haven't actually given you a rundown of the trends you're going to be wearing in the next few months yet.  Here are some of my favourites.

 BRIGHT RIOT

Paul and Joe

Proenza Schouler

Jil Sander

SUPER SEVENTIES

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs

IMPRINT ON ME

Pucci

Paul and Joe

 

Paul and Joe

ALL WHITE

Chloe

Chloe

So, I'll be wearing bright orange flares and a white t-shirt with huge floral accessories.  Until September that is.  Then I'll have a fashion-induced breakdown due to trend overload and will have to undergo therapy after constantly attempting to remove all my clothes in public spaces.

Oops!

 What will you be wearing?

(Images courtesy of Style.com).

Pretty as a Picture Collage

I'm not generally a fan of tattoos.  I find that the average person has terrible taste (sorry, different taste) and I don't appreciate most of their clothing choices, let alone the tacky marks that they often choose to brand themselves with.  I also find the concept of eternally inking your skin a little bizarre in our world of constant fads and changes.  You probably already hate the generic pattern on that dress you bought in Topshop last September, so why are you surprised that two years later you also hate the generic design that you got drawn on yourself permanently?

If I had to - and I stress HAD to - get a tattoo, I'd probably get a similar one to Top Left Corner Girl.  Perhaps one a little subtler and more whimsical though.  And then I'd never wear my hair up, ever.

Moving on, let's name Top Right Corner Girl and Bottom Left Corner Girl Sasha Pivarova.  I'm not sure if it's her so am using my amateur model knowledge in guessing.  I also don't know which magazine I got these images from as I'm useless.  What I do know is that I've started incorporating hats into my dreams of SS11 sunglass buying.  Yes, it's still woolly jumper weather, so I emphasise that these are merely fantasies and that I am not about to purchase or wear sunglasses or hats anytime soon.  

I'm particularly keen on the straw boater however, and urge you to let me know if you see a similar one floating around in your own daydreams, or on the high street.  Just for the purposes of research of course.

I leave you now with this small surprise: Bottom Right Corner Girl is in fact Savannah and Sienna Miller's Mother in Paris, in the 70's!  Clearly she's passed on the genes of awesome hair and effortless style on to both daughters.  Lucky ladies.  I'd love to show you a picture of my own Mother looking particularly debonair in France in this decade, but I'm afraid I've seen pictorial evidence suggesting that she was more into posing gawkily in South Wales (like mother like daughter then).

(Images: Tumblr, Vogue).

Sartorial Seoul

Scott Schuman from The Sartorialist (the original street photographer/ blogger extraordinaire) has recently been in Seoul, South Korea shooting some trendy locals.

I like to think that he was inspired to visit after reading my rambling posts about maybe going out there.

People don't know much about South Korea that isn't gleaned from sensationalised Western news stories about the 'war' with the North.  It's actually an incredibly advanced country which is doing better than Britain economically (although who isn't?) and is very up-and-coming in terms of fashion and street style.  I'll be proving this to you in blog form when I finally go there to live (please please please).

 (FYI, The Sartorialist also regularly documents his obsession with hipsters on bikes - a guilty pleasure I share with him as a fashion fanatic and vintage bike lover.)

(Images: The Sartorialist).

This Shit is Bananas - B.A.N.A.N.A.S

Ok, so I'm sure that title's been used before to describe Prada's SS11 collection but it's just too appropriate and easy to reference such an over-the-top, fruit-filled catwalk show with the infamous Gwen Stefani lyric.  In fact, I think it would be churlishly inappropriate not to.

I'm mostly covering the show now, three months after it happened because the marketing team at Prada have done their job a little too well with their video campaign.  I'm a sucker for a cool video campaign, and this is one of the most visceral I've seen in terms of making you really need the clothes.

I wasn't even a fan of the looks Miuccia Prada sent down the runway in Milan in September, but after the toe-tapping glory of the above video I'm now pining for clashing prints, enormous sunhats, gigantic stripes, platform boaters - and most importantly - Oompa Loompa sunglasses.

What is it with me and sunglasses?  Someone recently asked why my blog is so summery when the weather outside is ridonkulously cold.  I gave the rather saccharine answer, 'because it's always summer in my head'.  Which is probably the lamest thing I've ever said, but it's completely true.  I fall to pieces in winter as things seem so lacklustre, to the point where I often try to make myself feel better by pretending it's summer, whacking up the heating and wearing a bikini to lounge around on the sofa.

I don't really.  I've tried it, but it's too cold in my house not to layer up, even with the boiler on full blast.

 

I love a bit of a paradox, so the fact that Mrs. Prada (as Miuccia is so often referred to) has termed this collection 'Minimal Baroque' fills me with a certain delight.  In that, 'that term really doesn't make sense but I still get what she means, me and this really famous designer are sooooo on the same page.'

Check out the actual video by the guys behind the Prada soundtrack song too.  The song's called Mirando by Ratatat and the video is proper visceral as in it's devoid of fashion-forward brights and finger-clicking models and is full of explosions and people being shot.

I'm still a little bit addicted.

(Images: Style.com)

Saturday

Lazy day.

This Saturday I have been:

Discussing - VBS videos with my little brother.

Drinking - Plenty of water to try to help me through my hangover. 

Eating - Homemade Thai Red Curry and Cadburys chocolate (so much for cutting down).

Dreaming - About going away.  Have started filling in my Korea applications!

Reading - Elle Collections.  Which is a beautiful and inspiring read.

Feeling - Pretty iffy. That hangover's fault.

Listening - To Broken Bells.

Nice day.

(Image: Antique Neon Signs).

Project Arcade

 Photographer Amy Davies is in the fledgling stages of a visual project documenting Cardiff's Victorian Arcades.  It's a really different project, borne out of an inadvertent photograph and an unassuming tweet, which you can read all about in her blog.

My personal favourites out of the inital collection are the pictures taken using the hipstamatic iphone app, the simplest of digital camera equipment. I love these images because I think the old-fashioned effect created by the technique are perfect for this project, almost giving a nod to the shops I prefer in the arcades - independent vintage ventures like Looby Loos and Hobos. 

The antiquated nature of the pictures remind the viewer that the Arcades could become a mere relic of Cardiff's past rather than the functioning spaces that they currently are. I don't want to scaremonger, but like Amy I've noticed the vacant shops and worried about the future of the arcades and the businesses within them.

 

Many of the images convey with clarity the tiny details that can be missed when you’re rushing through the arcades, like the handmade marketing ploys in the shop windows (above) and the pure architectural beauty of the Victorian buildings themselves (below).  These photos that are void of the hipstamatic effect with all its blurs and quirks are taken with a more traditional digital camera.

 

The people who own the shops and who work tirelessly to keep their businesses going in the face of recession, interfering roadworks on St. Mary’s Street and the evil capitalist venture that is St. David’s 2 (sucking the soul out of shopping and independence - and I say that only half in jest dear reader) also need to be recognised as integral elements of the arcades.

That’s why I’m looking forward very much to the upcoming portrait shots that Amy has planned in the coming weeks of owners on their premises, along with seeing how the project develops altogether.  Watch this space.

(Images: Amy Davies).

Edit: Blogger Lucy Sherriff of Vintage Cardiff has explored issues surrounding why Cardiff's Arcades are facing trouble.  Read her interesting and informative posts here.

Do's and Don'ts

Do - Choose one statement piece that you love (like this incredible structured Miu Miu dress) and fashion the rest of your outfit around it.

Don't - Think you can't get away with wearing an outfit like this. This woman is Anna Dello Russo, Editor of Vogue Japan, who is fast approaching 50.  If she can make this look good, so can you.

Do - Wear some funky sunglasses.  Taking a less overworn style like these cat-eye glasses gives the outfit an edge. 

Don't - Go matchy-matchy with accessories.  The watch is cool but with the metallic edged bag, shoes AND belt, the outfit begins to look dated, a little bit posh WAG.  Mix it up a bit colour and style-wise to stop the outfit from becoming passé and a bit...blah.

(Image: Anna Bernecker)