Pringle AW 14

'Fabric innovation' was the buzz-phrase at Pringle this season, as creative director Massimo Nicosia experimented with (everyone's favourite buzz) 3D printing for a stunning result befitting of the brand's 200th anniversary. My experience of 3D printed garments so far has made me a bit skeptical; it's either purely practical and subsequently a little dull, or super futuristic in the vein of StarTrek costumes which, while impressive, doesn't push my sartorial buttons. So Pringle's new collection was something of a revelation, especially as I totally forgot about the technology involved in producing it as the sleek, minimal looks took to the beautiful Mayfair salon. Wearable, contemporary and very, very covetable, this was an example of innovation being used in a really accessible way.  As with ethical fashion (another 2014 buzzword and something I'm becoming increasingly passionate about), 3D printing and similarly techy new processes need to be secondary to the design itself - they're no less important of course, far from it, but ultimately we all want great-looking clothes that make us feel good. We're only human after all.... 

Pringle didn't disappoint; anyone like me who's automatic reflex is to reach for the grey would feel at home in this collection. And if you're into turtle-necks, layered textures and a bit of androgyny too.. well you're pretty much set with this one. Knitwear was still the central focus of the heritage brand known, once upon a time, for its argyle sweaters; ribbing, looping, appliqué and thick woven cashmere had us all itching to reach out and touch the creations walking past (the mottled black and while loop-stitch coat was particularly tempting!). The light-filled, fresco-covered salon in which the show was held was just the icing on the cake for a real highlight of the weekend, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what's in store from Pringle next season.

Ph. by myself and Pringle. All rights reserved. 

Note | While this post was sponsored by Pringle, all views, thoughts and words are my own.  

Top 10 looks from LFW

In the same vein as my New York round-up, I've pulled together a few favourites from London's catwalks - and yet again I went over and ended up with 13. Not very good at this am I. That's part of the joy of having your own blog I guess - the boss says its o.k to have 13 when the title says 10! 

Running a bit behind with this but will try and get Milan up ASAP before Paris. Fearing 10 (o.k 13) may well have to become 20 for the final chapter, already so much goodness coming out of the French capital....

Love a shirt-skirt as a you know, so this Ashish look struck a cord. The Coke-meets-raglan tee was pretty damn cool too. 

I loved the emphasis of skin on show at J.W.Anderson - this top isn't really a top at all, more a small flannel on strings which the picture doesn't really do justice too! The homely, domesticated feel to this look also feels really covetable - the simple black flat mule is clearly something to invest in next summer as well.

One of the most anticipated shows of LFW, Christopher Kane didn't disappoint (does he ever) with his petal-themed collection that drew on school textbooks and the science of flowers. While I loved the collection in its entirety, the simplicity of these delicate dresses are right up my street.

Can't you just imagine lounging around some fantastical Morroccan villa pool in this (preferably Hotel Beldi-one of the many places on my 2014 hit list)? This felt like one of the coolest, understated looks to emerge from Topshop's very flirtatious offering for S/S 14. Again with the flat slides too.

I always look forward to Simone Rocha (I remember cramming into her tiny off-schedule shows many seasons ago and falling for her PVC-meets-lace creations) and this oversized slip dress was the look that immediately resonated with me.  I really like the idea of wearing baggy, vintage satin slips with lace-up brogues or even trainers next summer.

No matter how 'a la mode' they might be, I'm not sure I will ever delve into pastels. However in terms of silhouette, I really liked Burberry's sheer slinky skirts and elegant sweaters. For someone who feels lost without a jacket or coat whatever the weather, the emphasis on summer coats was a nice direction too.

Black leather pinafore, cutaway turtle-neck and Birkenstock-style sandals tick all the boxes at Whistles. 

Again with the pastels, but I do like the tonal wide stripes and somehow the smokey eyes and slicked hair balance out any saccharine sweetness that comes from the matchy-mathcy combo. Those elongated t-shirt sleeves and flippy knee-length hemline are definitely details to recreate too. 

This is again one of those looks I don't love as a whole, but pick it apart and there's plenty of inspiration to be had. Namely the satin Bermudas, the sandals and the boxy suede jacket. Get rid of the shirt basically and you've got a goodie. 

Pyjama-dressing at its most elegant by Eudon Choi - loved the Japanese twist on the look too.There was also a beautiful backless jumpsuit but the front-on image didn't really do it justice.

So at first glance you might think the Meadham Kirchhoff show is as far from my aesthetic as you can get. But I actually loved it and as with many of the London shows, after appreciating it for the visionary and inspiring show that it was, you can actually start to dissect it and discover incredibly wearable and beautiful separates. This skirt is case in point - so gorgeous and ornate, I can imagine it feeling incredible on. Loved the New Romantic feel to the collection and the girlish antiquity lots of the looks had too.

Back on the LFW Train

After a beautiful summer of sunshine, London seems to be having some sort of meltdown right now, and just in the time for the one weekend I can't just hide under the duvet and hibernate (as tempting as it might be).

As a result, the first day of London Fashion Week was mainly spent rushing under umbrella to show, to warm, dry coffee shop and back again. I tried to somehow balance the hot/cold mix of rain, rushing and intermittent tube journeys with the age-old legs-out-big-jumper thing. Somerset House's slippery cobbles posed no problem when in faithful old Chelsea boots that I'm having a bit of renewed love affair with right now.  And the tartan coat? Picked up for £10 at Portobello market a few weeks ago - proving properly cheap vintage does still exist.

I managed to snap a couple of shots of what I wore today outside the Eudon Choi show, just before the heaven's opened once again. Oh and those of you that follow me on Instagram will have seen the bottom photo of my new Club Monaco knit. Probably the softest, comfiest thing in my wardrobe and just the right side of sensible to team with such a skirt.

Skirt // All Saints

Jumper // Club Monaco

Boots // Vintage 

Coat // Vintage 

Rings by Natalie Marie Jewellery and Vera Meat.

Kane Close-Ups

The inimitable Christopher Kane has done it again.

Clearly feeling confident, and rightly so after his recently signed deal with PPR, Kane ticked all the boxes with his A/W 2013 collection. Admittedly it took a few once-overs to take it all in (60 looks made for a pretty meaty collection), but it pretty quickly became one of those stand-out shows that just keeps on giving in terms of detail and technical precision.

And while the camouflage kilts and fur coats are seriously covetable thanks to Kane’s wearable breed of cool, I think its when you get a little closer that those intricate details really come into their own. Take the undone loop-stitch seams on the velvet pieces for example. So perfect in their imperfection you wonder why you ever wanted a dress that didn’t fall open at the seams.

Christopher Kane

Saturday at LFW

I found this shot of me from Saturday at fashion week wearing my current favourite jeans from Zara that I did a little DIY knee-ripping job on. A little tip for adding wear and tear to jeans-use a cheese grater! It works really well at creating natural-looking rips and frayed ends.

Wearing Zara jeans and shoes, Joseph jumper, H&M leather vest, Mango coat and Celine bag. 

Thanks to Stockholm Street Style for the photos.

Thankyou Tommy

Fashion week. While it's supposed to bring out the blogger in everyone, I seem to get so wrapped up in working and running around like a mad woman, I kind of forget to take any photos of my own! So it's lucky there are some seriously talented street style photographers about taking pictures while you're happily oblivious. 

Goes without saying that one such photographer is Tommy Ton of style.com which is where I found this shot of me outside the Paul Smith show yesterday. While it's just half the outfit, it's a hundred times the shot I could produce so big thank you to Tommy for the shot.

Last day tomorrow of fashion week... how has that happened already?!

Collage Vintage

Massive thank you to Sara from Spanish blog Collage Vintage who made and posted this collage on my outfits from various fashion weeks. It's so weird seeing all my outfits in one collage-it really makes you realise how you actually dress!

The pics are a little wide but you get the jist.

Thank you Sara!

Collage Vintage

Snap Happy

A few more snaps from Fashion Week....Do I have an obsession about feet that I don't know about?  Apologies for excessive shoe shots! The jumper in the top look is from Zara and is a firm favorite already.  I never thought a polo neck was something that would make you feel good rather than wanting to curl up by an open fire, but it really delivered.  There's something really comforting about wearing something so chunky and oversizd on top when you go for a short short skirt with boots. It kind of takes the edge off as I for one sometimes feel a bit exposed when flashing a lot of leg. 

Now just catching up on Zzzs before heading to Paris bright and early on Monday.  This heat wave is throwing packing planning into chaos. As soon as you get your head around chunky knits, coats and generally wrapping up for winter, the British weather hits you with a 28 degree curve ball. I'm definitely going to be leaving a little room in the case for some vintage finds and maybe some Marant...It would be rude not to, non?

THEIF

As a bad blogger I have stolen rather than taken pics of LFW outfits so thank you to the below sources...I have some of my own pictures to post but haven't transferred from work to home sas yet but will do asap

But in the meantime thank you to the following for the shots.

Happy Because, Elle, Vogue, Stockholm Street Style