Author: Addie

Get Your (Oversized) Cotton Shirt On

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CB_S2M0062 A - edited2The humble shirt. Classic, versatile and completely underrated. And they don’t come more versatile than the over-sized cotton shirt: easy to wear, can be dressed up or down, worn in all seasons and in a dozen different ways.  Ladies, if your wardrobe were a store cupboard, this would be the can of tuna!

 

 

Buying Tips: 1. Invest in the very best quality you can afford. In this post, I’m wearing Kit and Ace (black) and Acne Studios (white). The latter has seen many seasons and is still going strong. 2. Choose your colour carefully. White or black will work every time but a pale grey or light denim will work well too. Avoid patterns and stripes – we want a relaxed look not sleep wear!  3. Go a size or two larger than your normal size.  I know that sounds like going against the laws of nature(!) but the looser the fit the better.  4. We are talking about a shirt not a “shirtdress”, so look for a decent collar, cuffs, etc.  Basically, we want more shirt less dress. Styling Tips: Keep it simple. Pair with ankle-skimming skinny jeans (and flats) or slim-fitting trousers (and heels). For a more polished silhouette, iron crisply and wear it buttoned up, sleeves down with cuffs buttoned, over culottes (with statement flats or heels).  Of course, you can always wear it on its own like I’ve done in this post.

And here are three more easy peasy ways to wear it…

ONE  SHIRT, THREE WAYS:

Casual and tough

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Laid back and all buttoned up

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Go girly with straps!

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What I’m wearing*: Black Shirt (Kit and Ace)| Patent boots (Pied a terre)|White Shirt (Acne Studios)|Boots with laces (River Island, yes THAT River Island)|Steel-toe suede boots (Chloe)|Sandals (Top Shop)| Belt (Gucci)| Ring (Vivienne Westwood)|Watch (Tank Solo)|Sunglasses (Ray-Ban)

Photos: Curtis Benjamin and U.W. Ugbenne

*Buying wisely: The shoes in this post are three, five, seven and fourteen(!) years old, respectively. Can you guess which?

Brocade. I don’t think so.

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Dolce & Gabbana (S. 2016)

I wish people would stop trying to get me to wear brocade. Every few years,  it seems, we are told by the Powers of Fashion that brocade is the “new trend”, the “fabric du jour” with related editorials on “how to wear brocade” and so on. I’m blaming Gucci for the current brocade madness, but Prada and Dolce & Gabbana are at it too. It’s not that I have a problem with the fabric itself which is opulent and ornate (and why it works so well as upholstery and drapery). But it’s also a tad archaic (which, not surprisingly, is why it works so well for ceremonial dress and costumes). What brocade isn’t however, is wearable in any real or meaningful way, at least for those of us that live in the real world. For starters it is bulky, heavy and stiff. This does not make for the most comfortable of fabrics.  And most of us will probably end up in an acrylic/polyester mix version anyway (on account of not being able to afford the silk-woven stuff of the catwalks) which doesn’t help on the comfort front! Second, it’s extremely tricky to style. Too much volume and you risk looking like an overstuffed armchair. As you can see below, sometimes even a “style icon” can’t quite manage it….

Alexa gets it right by leaving out all jewellery except earrings in this Prada ensemble.  But the opaque tights and black accessories are a fail. A small clutch and barely there strappy heels (in muted gold) would have been better.

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Alexa Chung in Prada ( Vogue’s 100 Gala Dinner, London 2016)

Beautifully cut jacket. I could probably live with that on it’s own. But let’s not talk about the rest. And don’t get me started on those loafers.

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Alexa Chung in Gucci (Vogue Festival, London 2016)

Are words really  needed here? I respect her commitment to the look though.

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Jess Glynne in Gucci (BRIT Awards 2016)

So, here’s the thing. If you simply MUST wear brocade then the only way to do it is in small doses. Limit yourself to one (preferably small) piece at a time like shorts or a short skirt and remember to keep everything else simple.

Agree, disagree, indifferent? Let me know!

Addie x

 

 

Style Note #1: Got new shoes? Check your soles.

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AND THEN CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY PEEL OFF ALL PRICE AND OTHER LABELS. You may think why bother? After all, you can’t see them and they’ll eventually wear off anyway. True, but in the meantime, you’ll be walking around with tattered bits of paper stuck to your shoes. Whether you leave them on by default (forgot) or by design (can’t be bothered) the effect is an instant outfit downgrade. In other words, scruffy. And anyway, you wouldn’t wear clothes with the price tags still attached,, will you? The same principle applies here.  Remember, you might not be able to see those stickers when you have your fabulous new shoes on, but everyone else behind you will!

We really want to avoid this…..

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Thanks for reading!

Addie x

So what’s in a name anyway?

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Yves Saint Laurent logo on one of the first jackets he designed

“A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet”. Certainly not a sentiment that was shared by all in the aftermath of Hedi Slimane’s controversial 2012 decision to drop the “Yves” from Yves Saint Laurent. Now, following his departure from the label as creative director earlier this year and four years on, the jury is still very much out.

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Hedi Slimane

No one can deny Slimane’s major achievements during his tenure. He has undoubtedly made the brand more “rock and roll” through his music scene and youth culture-driven collections (I suspect Yves himself would have approved). Another stroke of genius was the introduction of a “permanent collection” of key pieces – including “Le Smoking” suiting and leather jackets – which are reproduced every season but never marked down. Sales soared, turning the brand into the highest performer in the Kering group‘s portfolio. And finally, there’s the house’s return to couture, confirmed earlier this month following last year’s announcement and lookbook. (But, before you start reaching for your life savings, the couture line which according to inside sources is going to be “more exclusive than couture” (who knew that was even a thing?),  is apparently only going to be available to those who have been personally approved.  As to what that entails, your guess is as good as mine.)

Inspired by the label’s 1966 Saint Laurent Rive Gauche ready-to-wear line, Slimane saw the re-branding as a way of tapping into the label’s heritage whilst continuing to push it forward. Not a bad idea considering how in need of a re-boot the label was at the time. But the problem is, there are now so many variations of the branding, that it’s frankly all a little confusing! Here’s a quick recap for the uninitiated: the house continues to be Yves Saint Laurent, the ready-to-wear line is Saint Laurent Paris and the iconic Casandre YSL logo continues to be used for the beauty line.  However, the “hand-sewn” label on the reintroduced couture collection will refer to Yves Saint Laurent Couture meanwhile, the accompanying campaign refers to it as “Saint Laurent La Collection de Paris.” You still with me?

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Saint Laurent Logo: Minimalist to some. Boring to others?

So, what next for La Maison (Yves) Saint Laurent? Well, all eyes are on new creative director, Anthony Vaccarello who will be showing his first collection in Paris in October. Will we see the return of “Yves”?  Probably not. Images released in June showing Vaccarello’s vision for the label suggest that the ready-to-wear collection will remain Saint Laurent for the foreseeable future.

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Saint Laurent – Vaccarello teaser

And what of Slimane? Unsurprisingly, speculation has been rife. Some have him returning to Dior. Others as the successor of La Lagerfeld at Chanel. Better still is the suggestion of an eponymous collection. Whatever he ends up doing, the one certainty is that we will probably all be fascinated.