Friday 22 October 2010
Friday 15 October 2010
Guess who
In three words; minimal,modern, practical.
Everything in Muji is there for a purpose, every item beautifully engineered to make your working (and lesuire) life less stressful and more good looking.
I would describe Muji as the ultimate Japenese lifestyle shop, and am increasingly surprised to discover that it is not well known amongst more people in the south.- maybe in the north as well but I've not been there to question people's stationary needs. More People should know about it, the prices are very good for what you get ( averaging £1.50- £6 for good quality sketch and notebooks to £8 - £15 for items of clothing) the stationary- pens and most drawing media are all note-worthy. Muji is big on recycling and avoiding waste from packaging, which actually works really well for them because I think the simple plain packaging is some of the best non-prententious anti-packaging I've seen. and it's really beautiful too.
There is no particular consumer profile so to speak - everyone needs filing aides, soap dispensers, slippers and a multi-functional laptop cases - though I'd like to think that Muji is favoured highly by the whole-house-painted-white designer/arty types who buy all their furniture from Habitat. It's a kind of feeling you get when you walk in. Calm colours, no backing track playing, everything's steel and white. No matter how busy the shop is, you are able to locate the item you need swiftly ( grab a few more things that catch your eye on the way to the till) pay and leave. This is due to the extreme practicality and organisation of the shop layout. Which as you can see; is practical and organised.
In some ways I'd love to see Muji becoming more of a household name, because it really is a great little shop. But then again, I'm sure the minority of Muji enthusiasts such as myself, would really really hate to see everyone decking out their new all-white houses in Muji stuff just 'because it's cool,'
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Liberty of London
Shop Report - Liberty of London, Womenswear Department
Founded by Arthur Liberty of London is recognised as not only an iconic luxury fashion hotspot and department store, but also as one of the most enchanting structures to visit in London. Visually Liberty is beautiful inside and out. The tudor interior is eloquently charming; designed to create 'the feeling of comfort, as if you were walking around your own home.' Smaller rooms of treasures lead off from the main spaces, complete with fireplaces tucked away beneath the archaic beams.
The Womenswear department can be located on the second floor. The little tiled stairwell opens out onto the main space, which houses all the current stock from a wide range of both national and international designers and brands. The Liberty womenswear department has got to be every girls' dream. Generously adorned with garments made from only the best fabrics; silks, organza, suedes, woollens, leathers, shearling and many more, make it an experience in itself it to just browse amongst the clothes to get an idea of the quality of these materials. Inhabited with a great selection of names too; Alexander Wang, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Philip Lim, Margiela - all of the previous a few personal favourites. But weave through the delicate displays and old tudor doorways to find your true calling; be it a beautifully kitted-out vintage selection, lingerie room or the more mature designer labels.
Of course there is a price to pay to call Liberty your local department store, with each customer spending around £800 - £1000 upon any given purchase. Completely rational really, if you dare to read a price tag whilst perusing the clothes you will see that most of the garment costs range from between £700 to a pricey £3000. The most expensive item - and surely the current most valuable- is the print Alexander McQueen gown, powerfully displayed in front of an eight-foot mirror looking out across the whole floor. It will set you back around £8000 to own this piece, I'm told by the highly fashion-enthused sales assistant.
The store layout caters precisely to the needs of the potential buyer. The layout is minimal, yet not overly modernistic as to suit the period style of the building. Filling the main central space and dressed up in the latest couture offerings are three mannequins; just above them hang a set of stunning chandeliers which draw your eye through the upper layers of the shop to the beautifully beamed ceiling. Tall, simple stainless steel clothes rails are geometrically arranged so that the garments are easy to view and access, with a extremely low chance of becoming agitated at fellow shoppers alike whilst leafing through the garments. The calm, classy interior definitely reflects the ideal consumer of a store like Liberty - elegant, blasé with a well stocked wallet. Such an atmosphere is created by the soft music and lighting - it is easy to slip into a dream of being the ideal consumer - making it the perfect place to spend a day floating amongst the various level of treasures and delights.
Sunday 10 October 2010
Graeme Armour
a/w 2010
i prefer this collection so much more than s/s2011
s/s2011/proportions are strange and the white shift dresses look like they have diamante embellishment.
Monday 4 October 2010
Sunday 3 October 2010
Sunday I'm in love
Once again seeing the oversize, 70's silhouette -the wide leg trouser, bright colour palette and belted dropped waist detail.
There's something more here though. The personal touch, the signature details of Ackermann; billowing fabrics, luxurious folds and appendages that have all the key elements next seasons glamour with a more than a little something extra.
Christian Dior s/s 2011
feminine, glamourous, champagne picnic by the river.
The ditzy florals, prints and ruffles has high street potential written all over it.
Thursday 30 September 2010
you had me at hello
Christophe Dercarnins' vision is all I aspire to be. Well, for the most part. Since 2006 I'm pretty sure I've worshipped the ground his 'perfect women' walk on. It seems be that Burberry had the studded jacket wrong this season. Don't get me wrong- I'm sure most people would jump at the chance to own one, but there was something a little too heavy, a little too biker chick about it. I'm not sure it worked with the prints and accessories. Step up Christophe Decarnin, brilliant colour palette, drapey but fitted, oversize but not awkward and racy cuts but not revealing. There's something about his work that makes me dream of being a Balmain girl.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
drained
calm and still like the moment you are immersed in water and everything is impalpable and perfect
an application of black
Standing alone in a S/S 11 sea of bright colours and silhouettes reminiscent of the late Yves Saint Laurent; Nicolas Andreas Taralis sticks with what he knows and loves - tough and tonal black. Referencing Old European and Far Eastern tribes, the perfect urban warrior is fluently communicated through the layering of textures, distressed fabrics and somewhat dramatic cuts. I adore this collection - sheer knits, top heavy silhouettes - each look can be taken apart, mixed up and worn so easily.
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