5 things the UK high street is missing this Autumn

Every season we see the hard work of the high street buyers hit the racks, sometimes we love what’s there and the link from the catwalk and couture brands is obvious, our fashion needs are well and truly catered for! However, each season, there are a handful of things that the buyers (who can never predict everything as far in advance as ordering cycles) miss, items which go on to burn fashion holes in our heads! So friends, these are my top 5 things missing from the high street Autumn 2015. Please share your views on this topic and add any others on your “must buy can’t find list!”…. Fashion and freedom, Rosielee. X

1. Waistcoats

I don’t mean the endless stream of faux fur/wool/sheepskin gillets, I mean a fashion forward, but feminine waistcoat. It could not be further from the cheesy magician type, but equally it is not fullfilled by long thin waistcoat/sleeveless blazers nor thick gillets.

2. Zips

3. 3/4 sleeve dresses

Frankly there are never enough of these in any season, but this Autumn seems to have a greater drought than ever.

4. High neck evening wear

5. Lime

Lime where are you? your seemless ability to take an outfit from day to evening is sorely missed. Please make yourself known in all feature accessory and staple top forms!

Autumn adventures in pattern

Autumn is here and i’ve fallen in love with Tartan all over again, in a big way. Surprisingly I have moved away from the more traditional red tartan patterns, for me, its all about the 90’s grunge tartan. I cannot get enough of it ladies!

Below is a recent purchase, which I now do not leave the house without. It has also been a saving grace for me in terms of last minute style touches!

I have yet to splurge on a tartan mini, which are everywhere on the high street this season. Anyone have any thoughts on the best one out there? Especially in terms of cost, fit and fabric- there’s nothing worse then a thin tartan that can’t keep shivering limbs warm!

Moving on from tartan, it isn’t autumn without a good bit of print. 2013 saw the emergence of the nordic patterns, graphic shapes and snowflakes on everything from socks to men’s pull overs. Happily, there seems to be a new print of the season, a more delicate (yet equally as seasonal) range of reds, browns, chestnuts and creams. You will have become all too familair with the many mooses, deers, hills, photographic landscapes, small repeated geographic shapes and the odd cracker. For me, the softer edge of these ‘alpine’ prints are a welcome warm up for the December celebrations ahead.

I couldn’t resist the two fabrics below, although bedding, I sewed them into floor cushions. They add a real “snug” feel to the room.

Can’t wait to hear about your autumn tartan and pattern love affairs!
Rosielee X

THE LBD black hole!!!

Retailers, designers, fashion friends, and fellow shoppers, this blog is inspired by my dearest mother and our January dress dilemma… which is: WHERE HAVE ALL THE LBD’s gone!

Specifically, we both seek black, tailored, classic dresses, not floor length dresses, nor the current trend of midi length, a nice ‘ just above-the-knee’ length. An LBD that is form fitting, not a skater dress or a structure-less bag. We are searching for one’s with sleeves (3/4 length of course) as well as bandeau style ones. After scouring websites and shops we find ourselves firmly in fashion frustration.

A classic staple that now (especially after the Christmas pinch) we seek more than ever for its versatility, wearability, and, after all that christmas food, for its ability to flatter virtually any figure!

We know its January sales season and we know that means a serious lack of conventional pieces but if we must loose our tailoring, blouses and tee’s for cut price coats, please leave us with the lifejacket of the LBD. It’s our insurance for that last minute get together, that “let’s do drinks” throw on piece and the “quick night out on the tiles” must-have.

May the LBD and its fuss-free style reappear for the benefit of all.

Embracing the lace!

Following last night’s blog i’ve decided to rock a lace collar myself, this is a navy tweed jumper with cream lace collar.

Lace is more?

Lace, I know what you’re thinking, a curtain trimming at best, a one way ticket to looking like a paper doily. But wait! Lace is making an all too fashionable return as part of the broader Victorian trend. 

Lace has a historic association with all things formal, elegant and delicate, but how can we decide if it works for the times of high speed, high energy fashion? Simple, put it too the  ‘Fashion Friendly’ test:

is it ….

a) Able to be used as both a base and feature of garments as well as in accessories? Yes.

Can it…

b) Be used in a variety of ways and inspire creativity?  Although a traditional fabric, it has enjoyed a renaissance being used with everything from silks to neons, lends itself to layering and dying alike.

Can it….

c) Make a statement? We need only to look at Rita Ora to get our answer to this

SO ….. lace appears to be ‘more’, rather than stand in opposition to some of the sharp lines, block colour and print of today, it’s been reworked, restyled and deserves it’s place on our fashion runways!

One of my favourite ways lace can be used is in collar detail, the collar has made a remarkable splash on the catwalk and runway … and it has become rather iconic, the picture below shows a more grungy take on the collar…

But lace has worked its influence here too…

This cute jumper dress is given a soft feel through the lace collar,

it has all the freshness of a feature, without the fuss.

 

So, in conclusion, lace is more !

The new accessory?

On my holiday I came across this show-stopping cottage. Of course its character and picture perfect structure stand out, but I was struck by the vast array of trinkets, bells, statues, plates, pots and plants that were scattered in, on and around it.

To me it looked like the owner had actually accessorised their house. This caught my imagination. What if we can use those areas around us as a fashion statement. Give them a personality and a flavour.

People are often critical of houses that don’t conform to the norm, and a far less quick to see the beauty in what may actually be a great piece of art and a fashionable statement. Fashion does not after all have to start on the runway.

I wanted to show you all this beautiful and interesting house and get your views on it.. Could this be the new way of accessorising?… Is a Vivienne Westwood courtyard a possibility.. A monochrome flat bloc? In my mind fashion has no boundaries and an infinite number of canvases. But what do you think?

Fashionably Fun

I could not help but capture this little alternative fashion gem whilst out.

I currently on holiday at the coast and I’m just loving bumping into unique accessories such as the one in this picture. What’s not to love? The Heniz baked bean is a meal saviour all too close to the British heart.

But how about wearing it around your neck? Not so sure? Me neither but it certainly made me stop, caught my attention, and put a smile on face. The three step routine of a captivated shopper. I thus came to the conclusion it is fashionably fun.
That is, it is packed with all the style, popular culture, and colour of a fashion item; but an innate calm and subtle wit.

Fashion does make statements, it touches on trends and most certainly reflects culture. We ought not to be too dismissive of a fashion accessory on deploying techniques that are so commonly used in fashion clothing ( for instance the Jack Daniels spirit label t-shirts, the Pepsi logo tees).

Embracing loved foods, is cosmetically no different to embracing loved celebrities ( eg michel jackson motifs on tops, the seasame street cookie monster nightwear range) or loved patters ( tarton, the pasley leaf, gingham). It is just relatively unexplored.

I admire those taking steps to transfer a what is becoming a over-used technique in fashion clothing ( using food/brands we love) to accessories. Provided it retains its unique sense of fun.

the joy of finding

Whether it’s that mascara you used to love, that old t-shirt down the side of the drawers, a photograph of a loved one or a four leaf clover .. there is nothing quite like the joy of finding.

Why? because it is an undeniable, sometimes accidental personal achievement, rather like completing a painting or finishing a garment, it almost always elicits a “AHH” , a small gasp of exclamation. 

The only difficulty is the searching, how far must we look to “find”. 

There is no single answer,  however, when we are most open and most aware we tend to find more. Take for instance the fabric remnants box at my local fabric store… I box of “ends” in its entirety. Yet, when I am open and creative it is a box of endless “finds!” … of odd colours and textures, of incomplete patterns and ragged edges.

It is a small ante-dote but yet it can be true of so many things… “finding” a meal from odds and ends in the fridge, “finding” a funny pastime in a dull waiting room, “finding” someone who loves Elvis Costello as much as you… they all bring there own sense of joy. 

 

Finding is quite simply wonderful.

“Clothes you don’t mind getting paint on”

Date: 27th July

Dresscode: clothes you don’t mind getting paint on

A little over a week ago I received the above. After a week of mild panic as to just how acceptable that old running vest was and whether the organza top you love but still has the label is on the right lines, I could only settle on a the female failsafe; the black legging. However, Having gone to the event today I can safely say “clothes you don’t mind getting paint on’ is far, far from categoric.

Let’s start with the innuendo “who would buy that” male t-shirt, it seems this fits neatly into the clothes you don’t mind getting paint on as much as it does  the gardening or hangover wear category. Then there’s the running/sports/team/local club t-shirt , a chance to hammer home the fact you do have a life and are an interesting person all in the space of one polo and finally the on -the-beach, summer classics of both male and female vest… as expected I hear you cry? Perhaps, but none of the items just referred to are technically in their own category, they feature in others. “Its about oldness” I hear you say, True. Yet, multiple people had interpreted  ‘paint’ for ‘sweat’ and donned head to toe athletic wear .. only to realise that worse than getting paint off of chinos is getting paint off skin.

Others, more bravely, or stupidly,  had gone for everyday items which would look every bit at home on the current high street. Then there were the walkers/toolmen… those who interpreted paint as tools/protective clothing with everything from heavyweight dungarees to overcoats.

What really struck me was just how uniquely this dress code was interpreted.. and just how subjective the concept of  ‘willing to be tarnished’ is. It just goes to show one man’s trash really is another man’s holiday outfit..

More than this, how there are by implication clothes we will not ‘risk’ or those that we deem unsuitable to be ruined, perhaps we prize our clothes as we do other things in our life, we have the necessary evils (the at home jogpants, the gym shorts, the bridget knickers) the everyday duty items (tights, tops, shirts cardigans) and special ‘treats’ (the ball gown, THE shoes, the tux).  So next time you have five minutes or get a fatal blow in the form of a stain… stop and question ‘what are the clothes you don’t mind getting paint on?!’

WHEN IS TOO MUCH … too much?

 TOO MUCH?

5 weeks in London has taught me three things:

1) The importance of boots, capped shoes for tube toe protection

2) There is no such thing as colour clashing

3) More is less

The edgey feel of London fashion seems louder than ever, a welcome opposition to the red,grey, and purple get up of the olympic workers. However, I’m perplexed by the question TOO MUCH? I can’t help silently throwing this accusation at innocent fellow commuters.

TOO MUCH jewellery.

TOO MUCH beige

TOO MUCH pattern.

but when is too much TOO MUCH? is there a ‘just enough’ ? is too MUCH simply a trend in its most embryonic form? I cant help undoubtedly like  many others reading, actually admiring the too-muchers, fashion is after all bravery first, taste second.

There is something about the ‘too much’ culture that sits comfortable in the backdrop of 17 commuters in 4×4 space, 24hr shopping and instant worldwide connectivity, and I cant help but be extremely tempted to go for it.. to go TOO MUCH … and to see whether it is in fact just enough!?