Preview: Primark Spring 2010

Some quick Primark gossip: First, the pictures of the spring collection are here. This season it’s very “English rose romantic”: lace shirts, florals prints and straw bags. I like it, but I will skip the denim on denim trend in the second picture (Yes, I know it’s very Chloe ss2010, but I bloody hate it. Die trend! Die!). 

And for all Dutch Primark lovers: a second store will be opened in the centre of Nijmegen in 2013!

Roxy print playsuit (£13) worn with plastic straw chain strap bag (£6).

Denim shirt (£10) worn with matching skinny jeans (£8) and belt (£2).  

Limited Edition lace boyfriend jacket (£25) worn with matching lace shorts (£15) and cotton modal vest (£2).

Lulu rose prom dress (£15) worn with straw boater.

Rose print blouse (£8) worn with lace vest, rose print shorts  (£5) and ditzy print fabric trilby (£4).

Chambray parka -Hello 90’s!- ( £19) worn with sequin motif striped dress (£9) and jazz pumps (£8).

Rose print jacket (£13) worn with lace vest (£4), floral print shorts (£7) and rattan straw handled bag.

Vivienne Westwood Wallpaper

For all Vivienne Westwood fans out there, here’s a great opportunity to have your home in iconic Westwood-style. The great British designer has cooperated with the company Cole & Sons to create a collection of wallpaper, with prints from her previous fashion collections. The fabulous result:

The Vivienne Westwood for Cole & Son wallpapers are all based on signature designs from her fashion collections such as the iconic ‘Squiggle’ print from the Autumn-Winter 1981/1982 ‘Pirate collection’ and the more recent ‘Cut-Out Lace’ from the Spring-Summer 2007 ‘I am Expensiv’ collection.

Some examples of the prints:

‘Absence of Rose’: a print that first appeared in a recent collection of Westwood’s knitwear

‘Squiggle’: taken from Westwood’s A/W 82 Pirate collection

‘Magnolia’: inspired by a paper cut-out design, executed in a very small scale, then used as a print on silk and wool in subsequent fashion collections

‘Cut-out Lace’:  from the Spring/Summer 2007 ‘I am Expensiv’ collection

‘Paper jewellery’: inspired by the jewellery from Westwood’s Autumn/Winter 2001 collection, made entirely from paper, based on technical drawings of royal jewellery

Available from Liberty, John Lewis and Heal’s.

www.cole-and-son.com

Pearl Lowe for Peacocks

Another “famous” (hmm, maybe “notorious” is a better word) person is designing some stuff for a fashion retailer: this time it’s Pearl Lowe’s turn. She has collaborated with Peacocks to design a collection of party dresses for the Christmas season. Daughter Daisy is fronting the advertisements. The Pearl Lowe for Peacocks range is inspired by Bowie’s Hunky Dory album (?). I can see that the dresses have a sort of 70’s feeling, but I don’t really get the link with the Bowie album.

The happy Lowe family at the launch party

Lowe says, ‘Designing my collection for Peacocks has been a bit of a dream. I’ve taken inspiration from the things I love, classic vintage shapes, intricate detail, lace and wonderful textiles. I’m very proud of the designs and can’t wait to see them on the high street. It was important from the start that my designs were accessible and everything is under £40.’

Take a look at some dresses from the collection:  

 

Black/gold Lurex-lace prom dress, £40

Red lace mini-tea dress, £35

  

 

Angel-sleeve, black jersey dress with beaded waistband, £35

 

 Black sequinned wrap-dress, £40

I never been a fan of Pearl, but the dresses look great. Who cares about the tag when the dress is fabulous? And a big plus is that they’re affordable!

Pearl’s dresses will hit Peacocks stores on November 2 and will cost between £35 and £40. Available in UK sizes 8 to 16.

The online store is here: www.peacocks.co.uk, but no shipping to Europe……

Classic Wardrobe Staple: Lace Dresses

I know lace dresses were on every runway for autumn 2008 / winter 2009, but to me it’s a classic that never goes out of style. I like the versatility of lace: easy to  dress up (heels) or down (boots), suitable for summer (bare legs) and winter (black opaque tights), and it can be worn with denim or leather jackets, blazers and cardigans. Throughout the years I’ve collected really great  lace dresses. I never get bored of them and wear them again and again and again…..   

What to wear with a lace dress? Maybe lace tights?

Karen Elson wearing Prada on the september 2008 cover of Vogue UK.

Frilled lace dress from the 60’s by fashion photographer John French.

White lace, black tights – always a perfect duo.

Daisy Lowe in bright red lace.

From the L.A.M.B. spring 2008 collection: lace, mini and transparent sounds all wrong, but can look this good. 

Model Amber Valetta in innocently white.

And not so innocent in a black lacey nun outfit for POP magazine.

Lace goes grunge.

Cinematic Inspiratinos – Picnic at Hanging Rock(1975)

Long before Sofia Coppola’s portrayal of the lace nightgown clad Lisbon girls(Virgin Suicides, 1999) there were Peter Weir’s dreamy Victorian girls from Picnic at hanging rock. An overload of lace, mystery, haunting femininity, a dreamy, misty atmosphere, the theme of innocence of youth and fragility of young females make this movie a beautiful source of inspiration for many including quite obviously the talented Miss Coppola.

The movie tells a true story of the mysterious disappearance of three boarding school girls  and their teacher during a picnic at a geological formation known as Hanging Rock(in central Victoria, Australia) on Valentine’s Day in 1900. The reason for their disappearance, whether by human, natural or supernatural agency, is never discovered, but their disappearance had a profound effect upon everybody in their community. In 1975 Peter Weir made this stylish movie adaptation of the story.

oh hai cherryblossomgirl