Konversation i London, Museum of Brands: Två svenska damer i 55-60 års åldern tittade på 50- och 60-talskläder och kommenterade "Guuuuuud vad tantigt, ååh guuud vad tantiga kläder!", sade de och gick vidare i sina supertajta jeggings och Converse-skor.

Så vad ska vi dra för slutsats för denna högljudda konversation? Att höga stilettklackar och pennkjolar är tantiga? Att klassiskt är tantigt? Allt handlar förstås om passform! Om pennkjolen är för lång eller för stor, då blir den "tantig". Den ska sitta perfekt! Längden ska vara ungefär till mitten av knäna och passformen ska vara tajt.

Överhuvudtaget förstår jag inte den utspridda tantskräcken. Den existerar dessutom bara bland medelålders- och äldre kvinnor. Som om det vore en sjukdom att bli en tant? Det är ju samma som att nedvärdera sig själv och sin ålder, sin livserfarenhet och pondus. De flesta män verkar ta sitt åldrande med större acceptans och även med lite humor. Ingen av mina manliga styling-kunder är så åldersfixerade. De vill helt enkelt vara stiliga och snygga. Och de vet, att de inte blir coola i korta tajta byxor, en kort tajt kavaj, Gustav Vasa-skägg och i en söderkotlett-frisyr.

Detsamma gäller kvinnor: man ser inte yngre ut i en alldeles för kort jeansjacka, jeggings och Converse-skor. Att åldras med stil kräver mer kärlek och acceptans för sin ålder, ödmjukhet, lekfullhet och även pondus. För i den åldern vågar man ta plats! Det kan man göra med stil.

50- och 60-tals stil är inne igen. Här ett par läckra exempel från HOBBs, Nybrogatan 16.

Studiecentrum Ateneum ordnade sitt årliga modeseminarium den 17 mars. Den här gången föreläste Evelina Grandell Rosenlund om "Att åldras med stil" och HOBBs-butiken visade sin vackra och lekfulla sommarkollektion. Vilken stämning, det blev en fantastisk dag!

I vår kan vi njuta av alla de ljuvliga pastellfärgerna, som även kallas för "Ice Cream"-färger. Pastellerna har varit omoderna sedan några år tillbaka, vilket har varit lite synd med tanke på hur bra de ofta passar våra skandinaviska färger. I år gäller fina tyger med vackert fall som siden, exklusivt linne och tunnt ull. Bli inspirerad av designers som Marc Jacobs, Lanvin och Just Cavalli. Här ett stiligt exempel från Andiata.


Andiata
(förfrågningar; kontakta This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

På Stockholm Fashion Week visades mode för A/W 2012 och det var mycket givande och intressant att gå på modevisningarna. Ett annorlunda och ett av de finaste arrangemangen skedde på Finlands Ambassad, där åtta finska modeföretag visade sina damkollektioner på en mode- och festkväll. Många känner igen t ex Lapponia-smycken, Andiatas klassiska och superfeminina stil, Nansos praktiska men även roliga trikåplaggen och Joutsen-dunkappor.

Senare i veckan ordnade jag tillsammans med Andiata en exklusiv visning med inbjudna gäster. Där fick kunderna se, prova och beställa mode i förväg. Den här typen av shopping passar perfekt till den stressade karriärkvinnan som vill ha det lilla extra i form av individuell service och exklusiv stil.




 

Januari och februari är de svåraste månaderna när det gäller att handla kläder. Om det saknas något i vintergarderoben, är det för sent och nästintill omöjligt att hitta det man behöver eftersom butikerna rear ut det sista. Butikerna är redan fyllda med vårens somriga mode, som inte alls är anpassat till vårt kalla vinterväder. Ett återkommande dilemma - inte minst för en professionell personal shopper!

Om du inte alls har lust att köpa vårkläder än, kan du uppdatera din jobbgarderob med ett fint nyckelplagg för säsongen, eller med en ny accessoar. Ett tips är säsongens stiliga, fina, raka tunikor i Jackie O-stil. Dessa passar perfekt med t ex svarta byxor och stövlar. Du kan även prova en hel enfärgad outfit i t ex beige och kombinera den med någon av vårens nya accessoarer, som t ex en väska med pythonmönster.


Filippa K
www.filippa-k.com

Det har varit en händelserik vecka med väldigt varierande uppdrag... i måndags letade jag efter riktiga korsetter med en kund och dagen efter "snygga men bekväma herrbyxor" till en annan. I torsdags blev det en mycket trevlig dag, först med en lyckad personal shopping, sedan en intervju med Susanne Johansson, designer på Scho Collection som har blivit valt till Rookies 2012-kandidat. Efter intervjun gick vi på invigningen av Awesome Rags nya "modehus" på Hamngatan 31, med massor av unga trendmedvetna människor och Gustav Vasa-kopior. Awesome Rags är ett butikskoncept där man kan hitta många intressanta märken som Whyred, Acne, Stylein, J. Lindeberg, Nikolaj d´étoiles, Karin Säby och Ida Sjöstedt.

"Veckans plagg", med den mest udda och roligaste reklamen blev ett par gråa flanellbyxor från Meyer. "Autofahrer- und reisehose" heter de! Roligt - eller töntigt? Vem bryr sig, de var riktigt snygga och kunden blev så förtjust i dem!


Nikolaj d´étoiles



Stylein




Scho Collection, höst 2011




Pepe Jeans

Många kvinnor i mogen ålder som vill ha en ny stil har samma önskemål: den får inte vara tantig. Här kommer några tips på hur man kan undvika att hamna i tantstilträsket, i form av de vanligaste missarna!

1. För stark, onaturlig hårfärg. När man åldras, ändras den naturliga hårfärgen och även huden kan få ett annat pigment. Därför ger en för stark färg, som t ex röd eller mörk hårfärg för hårt intryck. Den värsta tantvarningen är två starka färger som man ibland ser i en dessutom alltför kort frisyr.
2. Samma stil som gubben har. Samma frisyr, samma fyrkantiga formlösa jacka, hälsoskor... bakifrån ser man inte vem som är vem.
3. För barnslig stil. Mängder av volanger, skrynkligt blekt bomull och gummistövlar passar fint på landet eller på en skogspromenad - eller på en 5-åring. De är sällan smickrande för de kvinnliga formerna eller våra egna bleka skandinaviska färger.
4. Svart, svart, svart. Få är snygga i svart. Om man väljer en mjukare färg mot ansiktet, ser man yngre ut och linjerna och rynkorna blir inte lika tydliga.
5. Nitar, svart läder, fransar och grova boots. Det är inte "tufft" (favorit tantord), det är cowboy eller kinky. Att använda märken som inriktar sin marknadsföring enbart för tonåringar känns tveksamt på en 50+:are.

Det finns inte bara tonåringar och tanter - det finns kvinnor också! Det är en lång period i livet, så låt oss njuta av den!

Vad gör man när man har fått för sig att köpa ett plagg som inte finns i affärerna? Det är ett typiskt, återkommande dilemma speciellt i mitt jobb, men det är många som känner igen sig. Det kan handla om en festklänning i en viss färg eller en kjol i en speciell modell som passar ens kroppstyp. Besvikelsen blir stor, när den inte finns, var man än letar!

Svaret är att skaffa sig en bra skräddare! Då kan du designa dina kläder själv, eller sy upp kläder enligt någon speciell modell. Bli inspirerad av trender och modeller som passar just dig. Detta har jag - och många av mina kunder - gjort med mycket bra resultat. Och sanningen är att det behöver inte kosta mer än färdiga RTW-plagg, det gäller bara att hitta en riktigt bra och samarbetsvillig skräddare!

Denna kappa är min egen design, inspirerad av en brittisk designer Helene Berman och 60-tals trenden. Tyget kommer från NK Tyger.

Förr var det klockan, sedan var det väskan och skorna. De kan vara statussymboler för många, men oavsett priset är de är viktig accessoar som kan framhäva din personliga stil. Idag använder både män och kvinnor snygga väskor. Ryggsäcken i all ära - men helst i rätt sammanhang. Om väskan känns tung och obekväm, kan kombinationen av en pytteliten axelbandsväska för plånboken och en liten trolley, sk kabinväska vara ett alternativ.

Höstens mode omfattar allt från aftonväskor till små praktiska axelbandsväskor till större uppseendeväckande, ofta färgglada skapelser. Här ett antal godsaker och inspiration från brittiska Selfridges.


www.selfrigdes.com

Damväskor

Lulu Guinness

Alexander McQueen




Marc Jacobs


Mulberry



Herrväskor

Hugo Boss


Ralph Lauren


Mulberry

Nu vågar man öppna dörren till grannen som vill låna socker utan att behöva
skämmas för sina hemmakläder! Glöm syrrans flanellskjortor och morsans
trasiga mjukisbyxor, Filippa K har lanserat en Soft Sport Collection.
Snygga yoga- och pilateskläder som även går att använda hemma,
som sk. loungewear. Materialerna är huvudsakligen ull och bomull,
och modellerna så snygga att du lätt kan gå till yogaklassen, till spa eller
jobba hemma i dessa härliga koftor, toppar och yogabyxor.

Jag har tidigare köpt mina i London på Sweaty Betty på King´s Road eller
på Harrods där du kan bl.a. hitta Wellicious. Skönt att det nu går att
handla även i Sverige!


Filippa K
www.filippa-k.com




Sweaty Betty




Wellicious

I senaste numret av brittiska Psychologies finns en artikel om hur vi reagerar när någon imiterar eller härmar oss när det gäller vår klädsel, bilar eller heminredning. Att någon gör det kan i princip vara smickrande, men vi behöver nödvändigtvis inte gilla det.

Enligt två forskare, dr Katherine White och professor Jennifer J Argo, är det mer som ett hot när någon väljer samma parfym som vi har, än om det skulle handla om mer triviala saker som t ex ett strykjärn. Detta gör att vi som konsumenter vill vara unika och personliga - ett behov som kan bli så stort att vi är beredda att göra oss av med saker om någon annan har skaffat precis likadana.

Förra veckan hade jag en härlig kund som tyckte att hon aldrig skulle lägga tiotusentals kronor på en designerväska. Hellre skulle hon köpa en häst. Denna roliga jämförelse fick mig att tänka, på riktigt, vad vi egentligen håller på med. Hon hade definitivt mycket sunda och friska värderingar! Bra stil behöver inte kosta så mycket och det handlar inte om pengar.

I höst kan man satsa på lyxiga material som vackert ull med detaljer i skinn, siden och (fusk)päls. Det finns olika stilar från det klassiska till det trendiga och i höst verkar de flesta märken ha både och.

Höstens viktigaste teman är bl.a. militärt med mycket detaljer och guldknappar, minimalistiskt (t ex Jil Sander), klassiskt (Max Mara, HOBBs, Andiata) och modern retro där framförallt Burberry har lyckats fantastiskt när det gäller färg, form och struktur, med influenser från 50- och 60-talet. Färgerna är ofta starka, från rubinrött till orange och mörkblått, och i den mjukare färgskalan ingår kamel, cognac, grått och vitt.

Om du vill behålla förra årets kappa, kan du lätt piffa upp den t ex med ett udda skärp och en snygg halsduk i fuskpäls eller i en glad färg; sådana hittar du t ex på Zara, Topshop, HOBBs och svenska WICO. Det viktigaste är att kappan är din stil, passar din kropp och dina färger. Då ser den ut som om den var designat just för dig.


Andiata





HOBBs




Burberry
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk




3.1.Phillip Lim
www.newyorkfashionweek.com



Carolina Herrera



Michael Kors

Modeveckan i Stockholm S/S 2012 visar att Stockholm blir mer och mer
intressant även för internationella gäster och media, och vi har mycket att
vara stolta över. Den typiska minimalistiska looken har fått mer 
internationella nyanser, som t ex den skräddade stilen som verkar
ha kommit hit för att stanna.

Det finns även de som vill jobba med mer personliga detaljer och vill
komma ifrån det minimalistiska. Ett suveränt exempel är en av de
nominerade till årets Rookie, Granfors som skapar helt egen stil med
mycket intressanta detaljer och asiatiska influenser.

Foto: Kristian Löveborg

Boomerang


Josefin Strid


Filippa K


Tiger of Sweden


Granfors

..But they are not 'swim shorts'. 

Robb Report writes about London's swimwear saviour (for, well,
perhaps other shores than those of London) today, reminding us
that the lack of sophistication in the men's beach department is
history - as long as one looks further than simply the nearest
sportswear store.

Stocked in the likes of Harrods, Selfridges and Matches, Orlebar Brown 
is men's source of luxury swimwear since 2007. The philosophy is to
design shorts for swimming, not merely create 'swim shorts'.



Slightly cryptic statement, yes, but it solves the boredom of the
typical sports-material-noise-making black short (for it has to be
black; the only safe bet alongside the sophistication of your
girlfriend's beach outfits, eh?), Orlebar Brown's luxurious take on
pool proof cuts is more interesting than, say, Nike's.

At £140, the shorts represent very accessible luxury - and with its
collaboration with Eley Kishimoto for summer, the brand comes
with amplified fashion credentials.

Our favourite? The English Bulldog short. Humour is the most
attractive quality in a man, someone once said..

So no excuses - up your beach game now.

With its increasingly attention-worthy clothing line, Mulberry continues its
path toward a veritable fashion house.

Combining Britishness and no-doubts quality, the brand has grown significantly
in the past year and since the entry of Emma Hill, its new creative director, in
2007.

...And the continuously expanding range of bags reflects Mulberry's success.
This week, the 'Taylor' (below) is launched, and 'covetable' is only the second
word that comes to mind - right after 'must' and 'have.'

The distinctive zip on this carry-all gives an edge of youth onto what is too
much of a 'Kelly' shape not to mention. Meanwhile, the shoulder strap confirms
it as a satchel to those still in love with the 'Alexa' - while the mere size, clean
lines and slightly Lanvin-esque gold detail on its handles give it more of an
adult Mayfair flair than an air of East-London playfulness.

With a size range from 'mini satchels' to 'oversized' (the latter is mentally ours
already), the Taylor will be hanging on every other left arm come July.


(Photo courtesy of Mulberry)

Oversized Taylor Satchel, £950. Available now at Mulberry.com.

 

Entertainment of the day:

London is home to a collective wedding craze that is likely to shoot the tourist-stand industry's revenues through the roof (should its financial results have a legitimate reporting purpose to begin with).

Besides keeping third world manufacturers busy with "Kiss Me Kate"-type T-shirts, the memorabilia frenzy extends to the likes of William-and-Kate toothpick portraits and slightly creepy manicures...

On the fashion media side of things, Kate Middleton has become cover story of the year - and besides a royalist debate about the length of her hair, it's miss Middleton's Sloanie style that catches blog post titles as well as magazine photo captures.

Fashionista.com exercises humour in a surprisingly insightful (educated quite-familar-me) piece on Sloanie style: Read it here.

 
Fashionista.com, 20/4/2011

After a month of hectic airport sightseeing (that's what it felt like) between Monaco, Italy, London and New York, CBO Style is back on the blogging.

And back is also the warm season, with all its style challenges. With spring in full bloom, so is the need for that ever-impossible combination of comfortable and cute shoes. For in all honesty, how easy is it to describe any flats as attractive? (According to Mr Louboutin, one never can). And meanwhile, heels make a cringeworthy host to a pair of warm feet on any shopping spree or lunch hour rush.

Once again, however, the British high street saves us - and our wallets; for the ultimate truth regarding summer flats is that one pair is never enough. Be it Tod's or Target, they wear out. Inevitably. Always.

As an alternative to the boredom of ballerina flats, moreover, is the loafer. Under the now undeniable rule of eighties aesthetics, the loafer has been re-vamped to femininity - more on-trend than the ballet flat, but less life-altering than the brogue. And when done in canvas, blisters are a problem of the past.

Topshop and Office to the rescue: See our two favourite bargains below. And grab two pairs of each while you're at it.
 
Topshop.com: 'Kosy' flats, £50


Office.co.uk: The Raffle Snaffle, £30

The Milan portion of Men's Fall Winter shows turned out more interesting than expected, where it otherwise easily stands as the safe semi-glam base for jetsetter staples. While still safe and more realistically saleable than the lines trotting down Paris right now, Milan FW11 works as a checklist for key movements before we can draw the full conclusion.

Most significantly, fur made its way down nearly every runway. Besides the realistically blogger-only adoption of Burberry's Disney-esque (albeit refreshing) collars, fur is a trademark of the New Classic in menswear: Masculine in a genderless-silhouette way, yet subtly aggressive - with an uncompromising sophistication throughout (see Ferragamo's '70s status storm here).


Gucci (Photo: GQ.com)

Spanning the collections of safe-playing Milan was Persian (don't go there - this is the only fur we are anti), mink and fox in a cascade of elegant details which were never, despite at times large-scale, tasteless. Italoglam heroes Dolce & Gabbana blast it on oversized lapels while Frida Giannini's Gucci sent down furs that would have made Jennifer Lopez envious back in 2003. Alexander McQueen did it in trademark drama, and Versace took it to the cigar room .

Often-frowned-upon-as-safe Zegna raised the bar by not only delivering a "Live-D" show but through more daring tailoring than its logo'ed laptop bags in retail would ever hint. A new 'needle-punch' stitching technique allowed the leather at little brother Z Zegna to move (actually not move) in a stiff scuba-sort of way while the main line saw boots made into a staple statement appealing even to the straight man.

Ermenegildo Zegna (Photo: GQ.com)


Burgundy was seen throughout the week, first at Zegna, and then in hues of oxblood as a central feature through Missoni and Pringle of Scotland. Top to toe, it is the one colour that does not become overwhelming and is difficult to ridicule - the key is layering. Start to get a feel for it now, because "I'll just get a knit burgundy scarf" will be a strategy too meek to be noticed.

As always, the way for menswear to go avant garde is to eat into womenswear (there is only so much rough and tough to be played with before it just becomes.. unsophisticated). Gucci's mohair round necks and Prada's glitter knits prove the point, while a few coats at Burberry became its low point; smoothly crossing the gender border of coats where it reverted in the 1960s, but dangerously resembling women's basics at Marks & Spencer (hey, it's British, at least). A slight surprise, but a positive one, was the role that velvet played - Zegna turned it into sweaters, Prada into Star Trek's jogging jumpers.

On a brighter side, the colour cascade pushed by Jil Sander last September continues for fall with Costume National and Bottega Veneta flagging especially Klein blue, and through Prada's turquoise details. Meanwhile, red in particular shines as the main colour splash at both Dolce and McQueen.

 
Bottega Veneta (Photo: GQ.com)

 

Shopping implications so far? Keep the shearling. Get an old man's suit. As for the strong colours you buy this spring; your new catchphrase, come fall, will be "Jil Sander's still doing it!".

With Paris in full spring on a significantly more aggressive note, it is both too early and too simple to let Milan speak for the menswear offer as it is laid out for fall. But the interesting starting point of this season is how Milan stepped away from being merely a safe hub for business kings with air miles. 

It is a curious balance between ultra-masculine superheroes and the fragile boy, but the most likely basis all the same for what reality's streets will display come September.

__________________________________
New: Follow our blogger Mei Grandell on Twitter !

For our Swedish readers: CBO's Top 5 Spring Business Looks for Him and Her now feature as a key article in February's 'Chef' magazine.



Read our top tips here: http://bit.ly/i0KFkc


 

Stumbling upon Acne's website in a regular fashion browse I properly discover its shoes for the first time. 

Its shoes! Acne shoes!

Bar the time I carried their three-stiletto courts to the
Harrods counter in a bid to buy them before some guardian
angel abruptly stopped me, I do not know how I have
managed to not take a thorough look before.

If I ever had to weld a pair of shoes onto my feet for the
rest of my life (theoretically speaking, of course, as any such
idea would mean cyclical fashion suicide 2 out of 3 decades
rolling), it would be one of their wedges.  

And most of these babies? On sale. Now.
http://shop.acnestudios.com/shop/women/shoes.html

  'Highway', £342 (was £570)



 'Hybria Lea', £410

 'Dystopia' needle stiletto, £312 (was £520)


..And as Spring/Summer is yet to arrive online, I am
set for more jumping up and down in my chair.
Embarrassing, but true. 'Want' is the curse of man, eh..

As H&M announces its collaboration with Swedish blogosphere
darling/'it'-girl/ex-editor/night club frequentor Elin Kling,
international blog names declare a revolution. Financial Times's
(Material World) Vanessa Friedman warns designers to 'be afraid;
be very afraid', while Fashionista raises its eyebrows over the
privilege given to a 'little-known blogger'.






Point is, Kling is little known as a blogger for a reason; the writing
is not groundbreaking and while her style - a skill per se and the
number one weapon in today's fashion pursuits - and looks are
enviable, Kling very much rides on the wave of 'it'-ism in a small-
scale environment thirsty for its own icons. In the greater blog
world however, she is no different to the likes of leading names
- and, to be fair, the language barrier cuts reader patronage to a
Scandinavian-only clique either way.

But the collection will work. It is near perfection, in fact - just 
sombre enough to be classy and white and airy enough to 
personify the SS11 season; and as super-wearable as they come.
While Calvin, Chloe, Wang, Celine and friends put 'white and airy'
on the catwalks this spring - and inevitably serve as inspiration
for most - this also forces a smile in those who recognise the 
tangibly careful and safe Swedishness of the whole thing.

What Sweden has in terms of globally viable style is an anti-
attitude to all things 'glamour' and 'too much'; meaning its
minimalism really is an unwritten law on the streets (see
Stockholm Streetstyle to prove this by a major percentage of
imagery).

What contributes to the reported trendiness of Sweden is
arguably this uncompromising adherence to trends: Uniformity
is tangible, but it is also what creates the collective trendiness
of the nation, so often quoted in international visitor accounts.
The interesting part is that it also stands as the root behind
Swedish design mentality overall: Simplicity is enviable, simplicity
is confidence. An elegant message which has the downside that
'too much' becomes a veritable sin. 

Hence Sweden has no Anna Piaggi-like figures; and hence she
who is the prettiest and pulls off Filippa K-esque minimalism
the best while tapping into key trends wins. Kling does this,
and deserves her status where she is - but a revolution? No.

Spurring headlines with a collection influenced by an 'icon' or
it-persona is not new: Besides the fact that she is foremost a
blogger, H&M's line with Kling is on relative national scale
(indeed only sold in Sweden; eBay-profit alert for those living
amid the snow right now) the same as Kate Moss's collabos with
Topshop, and in no way positioned as a key seasonal event.

While the move makes for groundbreaking headlines, it is mere 
proof of the New Celebrity Order that we see: Cool is found in
the back office of fashion. Friedman may point out that this
comes at the cost of designer status, but if anything, it is not
the icon shift but consumer acceptance which might raise
concern - and how in-house designers are the only back-office
clique untouched by this status shift. To fashion as a whole, the
threat indeed lies in the fact that non-designers' ideas suddenly
qualify for sartorial following.

It will be interesting to see how willingness to pay relates to this;
should a luxury house jump on the same wagon.

Never too late, is it..? CBO Coaching & Management can now be
found on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CBOStyle


Photo courtesy of KRISTEN / Smartgirlconsulting.com

Follow us now for the latest shopping secrets, style coaching
updates and the most interesting events in fashion, lifestyle
and luxury.

Image courtesy of TheUrbanGent.Com

Fashion Week News quotes LA Times Blog describing Choo's
coming collection as a set of 'dress shoes, moccasins, biker
boots, sneakers and evening slippers'. Everything, that is, for
the man who accompanies a female Choo-fan - but it is
the Choo sneaker that will be of greatest interest; and
perhaps the key determinant of the brand extension's viability
across markets.

Genius cut. Ugly buttons, but genius cut.


(Michael Kors; Photo courtesy of VOGUE Italia - vogue.it)

Google launches Boutique.com, and I never have to browse
past kitten heels or wrap dresses in the quest for volume
and minimal edge again (or mum for the same but reversed).
...Or do I?




As Google's entry into the online fashion world, Boutique.com
is a gateway to fashion retail online - courtesy of our era of
personalisation. It is a clear statement verifying the  web as
fashion's new home: As a form of expression, fashion emerged
as a leading force of the online networking explosion. And,
really, who better to donate fashion a search platform than the
minds behind 'googling' itself?

Rather than an e-tail space per se, the site gathers worldwide
fashion and luxury retail onto personalised user storefronts.
Based on your 'hate' and 'love' classifications in the Stylyzer
function, Boutique.com selects and prepares a personalised
stepping stone into online clothes retail - so you never have to
face a pink dress with florals again when all you really want is
a little black velvet number.




...That, at least, is the idea. Besides the visual storefront, for 
which I chose the pictures myself (from a selection of runway
and red carpet photos categorised as Romantic, Edgy, Classic,
etc), I remain thus far unimpressed.

For having filled in choices tending toward 'classic' and 'edgy', I
am looking at an awful amount of crochet hobo bags and lime-
green patent sandals.

Anything I missed? Because Google sure missed on 'precision'..

I'll keep my account on Boutique, but it stands to see whether this
new darling-of-the-fashion-press-for-the-weeks-ahead will 
actually break its way into my morning fashion scan ritual.


 

Fashion Gone Rogue just published US VOGUE's first peek
at Tom Ford's much anticipated return onto the womenswear
scene. The honour of lensing some of the Spring 2011
collection went to Steven Meisel - wisely chosen in favour of
Ford's otherwise favourite Terry Richardson, whose work really
better suits Ford's communication objectives of provocation.

Posing with Mr Ford are Liya, Stella, Amber and Carolyn;
perhaps in a nod to days past - to retain fans past - and to
reinstate the Ford Woman as a lives-on version of the
legendary Gucci Woman whom he once penned and put on
the runway.



Along with Anja (Rubik), Edita (Vilkeviciute) and Joan Smalls,
the editorial does bring to the forefront a modernised Ford:
The garments, while exuding an unmistakeable air of Ford's
trademark seductive glamour, feel very 'today'. The glamour
aspect is far more 'opulence' than 'aspirationally ostentatious',
while the sex appeal seems to have aged with the designer.

What made Ford's version of sexy so unique in the first place
was arguably its constant, underlying sense of humour; take
the just-out-of-bed look of Spring 2003 as an illustrative
example.

For Spring, he manages to still maintain a degree of quirkiness
- one which may serve to wash the Ford concept of its so-often
accused vulgarity. What was once 'so overt that it must have been
done tongue-in-cheek' is now a nod to vintage and eccentricity:
Both of which uphold confidence as the true appeal of the Ford
ideal.

Still, it is not revolutionary. Yet, Ford never sought to be. He once
found a crowd whose needs he could meet - and that clique must
have missed him, for he seems to serve it still.

Add to this the higher-than-Gucci price points of the new
collection, and the notion of the same target group ageing with
the designer feels even more of a given.

...To contrast recent praisings of private and true luxury (below), the
other side of fashion sees the non-traditional creatives continuing
its mockery. The latest designer to push the concept of 'parody dis-
play' - coined by Thorstein Veblen already in 1899 - is
Natalia Brilli, whose 'Nolex' watch bracelet is now on sale in UK's
Selfridges.




Conscious or not, this is a personification of what Veblen rubri-
cated as one of the typical antireactions by 'true luxury consumers'
when a fashion of theirs becomes imitated by the masses.
Parody display refers to individuals' desire, as a reaction to said
mass adoption, to 'dress down' his or her wealth; to wear things
which are the polar opposite of 'fashionable' or, in this case, luxury.
Essentially, Veblen argues that this is done to prove that the
individual at hand is wealthy to the extent where display of that
wealth is unnecessary; thus communicating that he or she is 'above'
having to show it off.

The Nolex is a perfect tool for this in today's world, where Rolex
is almost a generic term for a 'luxury watch' - and where it can be
bought in counterfeit versions for a dollar or two in any corner of
the world.

Now, arguably, at a mere £215 price tag, the Nolex can well also
be a 'poor man's joke'. But as a directional piece of fashion, it seems
to poke luxury in its side..

Father's Day in Sweden today; do not forget...

Somehow, Dad is always the most difficult person to buy
presents for - at Christmas, Birthday and Father's Day alike.
Mainly because the list of feasible things to give seems
rather limited (tie, socks, perfume, hobby-related artefacts
e g sailing boat models or subject-related books). And because
that list is identical to the list of Don't Buy's (tie, socks, perfume,
hobby-related artefacts e g sailing boat models or subject-
related books). 

Moreover, there appears to be two kinds of Dad, one simpler
to gift than the other. There is the Dandy Dad - or the
refined gentleman type, if you will, who will appreciate most
things under the category 'personal luxuries'. This type is
relatively easy to buy for, for anything with a heritage,
anglophile-appeal or Everyday Luxe-air to it will likely please.
(Think perfume, shaving set, humidor, fine leather desk
accessories...)

Second, there is the Dad-Dad. The one who's more interested
in fun, family, and food. The one for whom you buy a fine
fragrance, watch him use it - and then revert right back to
buying the first one at hand in the first department store shelf
at reach. And yet, there is only so many bottles of whisky and
nice cheeses to surprise a man, and having particularly ex-
hausted the 'hobby-related' category of presents, 
the key here is probably experiences. This Dad type is probably
very much part of the growing 'Experiencer Consumer' segment
of today, for whom 'material' does not mean 'luxury'. (And yes,
one may indeed argue that any good present involves some
degree of luxury experience, tangible or not; for what a
present partly is is a between-the-lines expression of how much
you value someone. This, then, depends on each person's
definition of luxury, and notably does not require wealth; just
some knowledge of What Is Luxury To Him).

Get him a boat ride in 'the latest beauty in the whicheverboat-
categoryhashisheart', a fine dining experience - or, (in some
cases) better yet, cook for him; matching the wine, a hearty
starter and a soundtrack of whatever best personifies Your Dad's
Music Taste (biting your tongue if you have to).

...Or, dive into new material categories - to surprise the
first type, and finally succeed with the latter:

Esquire hinted this week about shoe shine kits. According to
the old world, a good pair of footwear lies as one of the key
tools to success (a view which finds a patron even in the
much-at-contrast world of hip hop; reflecting a widespread
argument and logic which one would be dumb to reject - good
shoes is a bit like clean nails, and as such a crucial part of our
subconscious self-branding). And while this view is perhaps
less valid today, yet still true, this is at least a new type of Dad Gift,
and a Moment to Himself - probably the most luxurious thing to
give anyone today.



John Lobb shoeshine kit, from £480. For less capital intense options, see
KIWI's Shoe Shine Valet, from £40, or turn to Nautica for a sailor-inspired
set; starting at a mere £20.


...For Daughter/Son of the Year Award, read the instructions, 
and do the first session yourself.

Strolling through Dover Street Market the other week (which
deserves a praising all on its own - fabulous retail concept for
luxury fashion), I could not help but freeze my gaze onto 
Lia Di Gregorio's rings as a subtle statement at the back of the
jewellery cabinet.



Namely, the statement of modern luxury. The 'Touch' ring
(pictured) is the perfect physical depiction of what luxury is
today - private, subtle, minimal; yet with an air of exclusivity
that here lies embedded in the very fact that it is all but
conspicuous. 

The pearl in this 'reversed' ring is visible in the piece of
jewellery itself - and thus a contributor at the stage where the
ring becomes an object of desire. From inside the band it
induces a sense of luxury into the purchase - but as soon as
worn, resorts to an intimate space between the wearer and
its observers.

Only visible at closer look when worn, the pearl is there physi-
cally, via touch; making it in essence a pioneer of a new
potential route for jewellery as an artform; Hitherto only
enjoyable to the eye. 

As such, it becomes the height of private luxury - the
culmination of 'the Me-ring' as it is called; the object in the
notion of the modern woman's ability to purchase
jewellery for herself.

Yet the 'Touch' is also, and this is what struck me as the
most amazing aspect, in theory the most romantic luxury
gift imagineable. For what is more of a thing 'for just the
two of us' than a gift of which, indeed, only you two know
the beautiful part?

Conveniently stripping the ostentatiousness off luxury
jewellery as a romantic gift (for this is still priced at over
€2,000), Di Gregorio thus creates an object of love which
actually, perhaps for the first time, makes the words 'it is
the thought that counts' also applicable to luxury.

..Now, if this could be done with a yellow diamond too,
I would start giving Somebody a hard time...

 

This just on the ELLE UK website:

 


..Now, what I'm wondering is - whose 6-year olds, exactly, get the
chance to speak the editor-in-chief of a major fashion magazine?

Another piece of evidence regarding fashion's vertical spread.
Or, one might say, of its spread beyond limited cliques on the one
hand, yet on the other, a reinstatement of the old eliteism: For whose
six-year olds are these, really?

The concept of "getting a head start" was just raised a few notches
(say, 12 years?).