"The streets that Lola played"

The Clothes Horse reminded me with her outfit (grandad cardigan+ shirt dress+socks) how great was the Jasper and Zippora Seven + King and Justine Crawford editorial in the last Vogue Paris. Definitely my favourite from the November issue.

Now that I have left my teens, I regard them with sweetness, but living them was hell. Is it just me or do you feel the same?

Song: Yard of Blonde Girls - Micah P. Hinson covers Jeff Buckley.

Winter coat

The hunt has finally come to an end. I introduce you my new winter coat.

It's from the young line U of Adolfo Domínguez. If you read this blog regularly you might remember I wanted a pea coat. But I couldn't find one that I really like.

If you know Gala, aka am_lul, and you visit her fotolog, the coat might ring you a bell.


Credit to U de Adolfo Domínguez web.


Song: Bohemian like you - The Dandy Warhols.

The simplest things in life, can possibly be the hardest to achieve.

I want a high-waisted mini skirt in black. That's all I want. In crepe de Chine if possible and with a skate shape. But I can't find an affordable one that fits all the said characteristics, so I have decided to do it myself*.

I've already drawn a sketch of what I want:

Some ideas on how to wear it:

*Plan B: Take it to my tailor.

Song: Life is a pigsty - Morrissey

You better watch your step.

"Chie Mihara was born to Japanese parents in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1968. She lived in Japan from age 18 to 22 and studied fashion design in Kyushyu Design Gakkuin. For two years after graduation, she worked for Junko Koshino as a fashion designer assistant. She then moved to New York where she studied accessories design at F.I.T., mainly shoes and handbags. She did an internship at Eneslow, an orthopedic shoe store and then worked at Sam & Libby as a shoe and bag designer. At 27, she moved to Spain where she worked for Charles Jourdan. "

With this amazing background, Chie Mihara established her own shoe brand in Spain, in 2001. Her shoes are said to be very comfortable and of good quality. Aesthetically, they are elegant but with a modern twist.

In the current collection you can find oxford booties galore, cute flats and timeless pumps in a wide range of colours.

Song: Femme Fatale - The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Les composantes

Last January Morgane et Zoé, Les Composantes, took the plunge and decided to open their own atelier. Months later, they are ready to share their savoir faire with the rest of the world.

When and why did you open your atelier?

"We are stylists/designers - Sometimes working for magazines sometimes advising people and companies -We collect vintage clothes and are in love with chic fashion since we are little girls . We decided to open for the first sale in September 2007 - It was a success . Very good experience to know what girls and women expect in Paris ."

Was the start difficult?

"We took our time , so it permitted us to collect enough money - It's always a risk , but it worths it."

Which is your favourite fashion era?

Morgane : "For a long time I loved the 60's ... but growing up and becoming a woman makes me like the 1920'/1930's more" .

"Zoé loves the 70's and the 1920's/1930' too.

Do you have any particular vintage treasure you love in your own wardrobe?

Morgane : "I've collected a lot of Courrèges treasures : original dresses and coats and I'm a vintage & luxury shoes' addict . I have more than 400 hundred pairs of vintage beautiful shoes . We hope to be able to produce some shoes soon. I also have a lot of bags , brands and not . "

"Zoé has bought less clothes but has a lot of old books about fashion . Treasures too ..."

What are we going to find in the next Vente Privée?

"It's winter, we still have beautiful Italian boots from the 70's ... a lot of dresses , gloves, bags ,vintage shoes , jewelry ... vintage clothes . A lot of things will be on sale on our blog for the ones who can't come ."

Song: Ain't got no/I got life - Nina Simone

Dirty librarian chains

I hardly ever wear jewellery, not because I don't like,I do. However, for some reason, I always leave the house in a hurry and forget tons of things.

But I wouldn't forget my dirty librarian chain if I had one. They are made of reworked vintage chains, and each piece is one of a kind.

The brand arose out of Susan Domelsmith's frustration at the impossibility of finding edgy and versatile jewellery. That's why she started to create her own pieces and launched Dirty librarian chains.

Song: Summer 78 - Yann Tiersen (For no special reason, I just love it. )

Steichen

Fashion ougths to thank a lot to photography. One of the biggest photographers in history, Edward Steichen, worked for Conde Nast Publications, appearing his images in Vogue and Vanity Fair. For this reason, he was highly criticized. People reproached Steichen the lack of coherence along his career, making a brand of himself rather than an artist.

Edward was dumped for his relationship with fashion, but after all this years, we are still discussing the shallowness of mode: Does it exist only for commercial reasons, or can it be a form of art?

Back to Steichen, I have to say I love his work as much as most couturiers did. As you can see in the photos below, everyone wanted him to capture their creations.

Cheruit dress

Vionnet gown

It comes as no surprise, "The Pond Moonlight" was sold for one of the highest prices ever paid for a photograph.

Song: Pictures of you - The Cure

Note: If you want to read an older post hearing its correspondent music, you only have to choose the right song from the music player.

Coolhunting

The spring/summer collections seem now, far away. With a bit of help from time and the perspective that it gives me, I predict what we will be wearing next season.

Nerds are taking their revenge after years consigned to ostracism. Those of us who don't need prescription eyeglasses will be praying for a pair.

From left to right : Luella and Rachel Comey.

Show your waist! It's time to train your abs. Whether you like it or not, this 90's -and also 50's- trend is coming back. But remember to follow the runway advice and wear those short tops only with skirts.

Doo Ri, Christopher Kane and 3.1. Phillip Lim.

During the different fashion weeks we saw sheer fabrics everywhere. Great for layering, this cloth will protect us from the changeable weather, typical of the spring months.

Three as four, Preen and Rodarte.

Structured shoulders. Build your own time machine, and move back to the 80's, because shoulder pads are back. Difficult to work well, the key is to keep the rest of your outfit as simple as possible.

YSL, Balenciaga and Carine Roitfeld in Martin Margiela.

Liberty prints. Don't go for the -I'm a good girl- total look and wear your liberty dress with torn tights and biker boots.

Luella, Chloë Sevigny in her clothing line for Opening Ceremony and Junya Watanabe.

Song: Woman - Wolfmother

Note: This is just an overall view; some of this predictions won't be fulfilled, and some other aren't even featured in this post -e.g. long blazers- .

Rowena Sartin

Kristin Dickson, named her clothing label after her maternal grandmother, Rowena Sartin. The line is far from minimalist, being a mixture between old and new. She takes the best old fabrics and embellishments renewing them through the silhouettes.

It's hardly surprising, she made of the trapeze dress her signature piece - it looks nice in every body type-. Always, personalizing it with ruffle sleeves, dramatic collars, drapes, and lots of volume.

Song: I saw her standing there - The Beatles

Not just for women

I have always looked at menswear with respect and admiration. Those are two of the reasons why I have never talked about it here before. Apart from my lack of knowledge...

The thing is, I LOVE menswear. Actually, at my dream job, I would style a rock band shoot. Clearly, Lasse, The Rakes' drummer, wouldn't need my help. He exudes style!

Song: Don't be cruel - Elvis Presley

Styling

I'm a procrastinator by nature. Instead of studying, I spend my days at Polyvore thinking of my dream outfits.

This is just a small portion of what I've done. If you want to see the rest, click here.

Song: Should I stay or should I go? - The Clash.

DSM

It's well-known Dover Street Market is a gold mine referring to upcoming and talented designers. Browsing the site I discovered an Ukraine-based label called Atelier 1. But the net is empty concerning the brand, hence it remains a complete mystery for me. Please, content yourselves with these pics:

Their space at DSM:

I am also fascinated by the five white shirts Daphne Guinness designed for DSM. The jet-setteuse created a collection made of "cotton pique, with pearl buttons and heavily starched collar and cuffs". As she stated in an interview for the Sunday Times style magazine "the thing about my shirts, hopefully, is that the more you wash them the nicer they'll get." 300 pounds per shirt deserve quality, don't you think?

Song: Work, work, work (pub,club,sleep) - The Rakes

Prisms

Yesterday, my Vogue-Paris arrived, along with controversy. The cause was the pic on the left.

My sister was flipping through the magazine, saw that photo and said: "oh! that dress is hideous". I agree the frock is not wearable at all, but the silhouette is, at least, original and artistic.

She argued that in a survey the 99% of people would say the dress is horrible. Which in my opinion is a ridiculous argument; just because everyone believes it does not make it true.

Anyway, the real question is: Do you see a CLEAR difference between the criteria of those who have a deep interest in fashion and those who doesn't?

Song: Déjame - Los Secretos

Gucci by Gucci par David Lynch

Natasha Poly, Raquel Zimmerman, Freja Beha Erichsen, tons of luxury and Debbie Harry singing "Heart of glass", what is it? A TV-spot in which the cult director David Lynch manages to capture the essence of Gucci.

Inspirations

I have ambivalent feelings towards Nicolas Ghesquière's work (actually there are more ups than downs). His latest autumn/winter collection for Balenciaga, totally inspired how I wear my new pair of sandals.

Song: Cemetry gates - The Smiths

Miraculous oil

Recently, I spent some time looking for the perfect moisturizer for my oily/dry (depending on the zone) skin. Three essential characteristics were needed.

• Be cheap.
• Not tested in animals.*
• Recommended for oily skins.

Stella McCartney's skin care was my first option, but at the impossibility of finding a place to buy it, I searched a substitute. About a month ago, the Dr. Hauschka and his Normalizing Day Oil came to the rescue. So far so good. You might think an oil it's not the best option for an oily skin, but I promise it works, at least on me.

*I checked it and Clinique doesn't test on animals.

Song: Fitter Happier - Radiohead. "Careful to all animals (never washing spiders down the plughole)"