Life Mission: Complete

FINALLY GOT ME SOME SPECTRAL SPECTACLES.

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).

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)

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)

Lennon Face

I've always had a slight aversion to John Lennon-style sunglasses.  That's less to do with Lennon and more to do with Elton John though.  He makes me associate round specs with big faces, tacky signet rings and gold teeth.  

That's why it's come as a surprise that I'm digging on (sorry, had to throw some 60's vocab in) a more spherical shape for summer this year.

I especially like the translucent floral ones and the coral pink shapes seen on the right, and in an ideal world I'd be packing both pairs into my suitcase for an immediate trip to Rio, along with a macrame bikini and some jelly shoes.

Instead, I'm sitting in my cold room researching SS11 trends for a job application.  I'm guessing the little round buggers have subliminally slipped into my subconscious from their use in the various shoots, shows and campaigns I've been coming across.  They've already managed to worm their way into my blog twice, here and here, and have had a runway presence at Bodkin and Jil Sander, as well as in various other places on the interweb.

I'm therefore going to put my proverbial money where my mouth is and forecast that these are the shape for the new season.

Slight tip: the larger versions are more flattering if you don't have the cheekbones of a model.  Plus they make you look a little more 60's 'it' girl than stoned hippy.

Bye bye last year's fake Cambodian Wayfarers - the future's bright, the future's...circular?

Lanvin ♥ H&M

As previously mentioned, Lanvin ♥ H&M is going on sale in the USA tomorrow and in the UK on Tuesday.  Unfortunately for me the nearest H&M store selling the collection is Birmingham, which sucks for my wardrobe but is brilliant for my bank account.  I'm just going to have to lust over the items online and watch this promotional video for what might be the 23rd time.

I love it, it's like a Parisian film noir version of The Shining.  With an improved costume department.  And an incongruous abundance of sunglasses.  

Which I would really like to own.  

Even though it's winter. 

And people who wear sunglasses in winter are kooks. 

Well, maybe we can all make an exception for these sunglasses.

Also, please will somebody get me this dress?

Yes I could get it myself online but I can't be bothered to go through the rigmarole of a crashing server and erratically clicking refresh, REFRESH, REFRESH.

Plus I've lost my cash card again....

Cue gratuitous picture of Lanvin ♥ H&M dresses as a distraction from my general crapness with possessions : )

Image 1 and 3 are from disneyrollergirl 
Image 2 is from Nylon 
Image 4 is from style