Political T-Shirts

(photo from digital gravel)

I love t-shirts, I cannot get enough of them. My question is, is fashion good when it is political? are political t-shirts like the one above a faux-pas? I like messages and the art of conveying messages through using clothes is interesting because it can have an impact but it wholly depends on what the message is. It can border on pretentious but I think that depends on who is wearing the clothes.

Famous People .... Runways?

Prince showed up at the Matthew Williamson show a while back & gained a lot of attention for the show. Conversely, Rihanna opened the DSquared show in Milan and closed it too.

Does celebrity belong in fashion? Or should the models just be models? I think they mesh whether fashion purists like it or not because fame sells clothes and clothes need fame in order to gain exposure. I don't mind the celebrity in fashion but what I do mind is the over-exposure of celebrity in fashion. Case in point: that kate moss perfume. Kate Moss has been all over the place, and that is not necessarily a bad thing but does she have to embody every aspect of fashion? No and I don't believe she should because it is not monolithic.

High-waisted--necessarily high-brow?

And the craze is now in full swing...Please make way fort he new must have item, the high waisted trousers. Be it with button detailed front, like a gorgeous grey pair from H&M or even the French Coonection plain black one, these trousers are going to be hot stuff in the weeks--nay--months to come.

But can we all wear them and not feel like:
i)an oversized ballon;
ii)drowning under depths of fabric;
iii) a total idiot that just looks like a 90s geek that has just got a wedgie....


I am not a fully fledged member of the lengthening-of-my-legs-and-bum clan. Indeed, i find myself thinking that these may just be for the Keira Knightley's of the world. Discussing this with my hippie-esque friend over a non organic cup of coffee, we agreed to disagree ont his new craze. She believes that they will give you never-ending bum syndrome, whilst I tend to think that they will merely give a shapeless bum, well, more shape.

th debate has been open for quite some time, and skinnies are still crawling the streets of London, be it either in style mecca extraordinaire Croydon(thanks, Kate) or the posh avenues in Hampstead Heath....Can we really go from one extreme to the other?

Where do leggings fit in?

Is this the 'chubbier' girl's version of ludicrously tight denim?

Is this taking the mick out of my hard earned and well spent cash on last season's attire?

But most importantly, are they WEARABLE? Well, trial and error seems to be striking my heartstrings here. They can look good, but with a secretarial blouse and preferably Mary-Janes.

I think what shocks me most here is the blatant 360 o turn fashion designers have made, literally from one season to the next. Fashion has been known to be fickle at the best of times, but this is going to be one painfully expensive style ride...And will they ever make it into Chantelle's wardrobe?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to raid mum's closet for those 70s swingers.

Mr Tambourine man and his slap

Since seeing American rapper Eve's new video and its blatant endorsement of MAC beauty products, I got thinking of the state of affairs when it came to selling a product.

Throughout the x-convict's video, make up seemed to be omnipresent, coyly being zoomed in on at various intervals and making its guest appearances at every second beat. However, let us not shoot the gun—Eve is hardly the first nor the last artist to sell her soul to a particular brand.

It seems everybody is doing it—age has caught up with the best of them, and according to L'Oreal, Jane Fonda is the face to have when clocking up those seventy years. Tiger Woods and his old faithful watch, the Tag Heuer, seem to have kept his swing punctual for those crucial golf tournament semi-finals; whilst David Beckham shies away from the paparazzi flashes with his Police sunwear and wifey Vic (oh Vicky) decided that she should sport the same, as a his 'n' hers duo.

So why did I step back from Ee-Vee-Ee's video with such newfound skepticism? Because the lady that once kept it 'real' and believed in flashing her pawed baps to the world has finally done what all celebs inevitably do—come back and brought back a brand with her. I guess I for one thought you had to be in the limelight to do so, not come back from the twilight.

The argument is like the chicken and egg story; one seems inevitably linked to the other these days. The fact that proceeds go towards AIDS research does soften the marketing however...

L.A.M.B for dinner anyone?

And Volte Is Back...

It has been a while since the last post since I didn't feel like I was good at fashion writing but now, I hope the ball will truly roll! Here is a bag by Luella and i just need it to materialise and be part of my arm, instead of being on net-a-porter.com

Price -- 617pounds on net-a-porter. The question is, should I save for a car so that I won't hurt my feet whilst running around Bristol or should I be part of the Luella sack army?

British Magazines love Beth Ditto from the Gossip. She was in ELLE and Glamour's latest issues. The above scan is from the latter. What do you think of her? Is she a step forward for showing diversity in fashion? In the article she comes across very astute and clever. She also appears witty when she asked if she will have babies one day - she says no and then responds with "I call kids 'art thieves' because as soon as your favourite band/author/artist has a baby, then all they do is sing or write about or draw their baby, and it's like dude, nobody cares about your baby but you"

She sounds funny as hell! That made me laugh out loud when I read it. I like that she is getting mainstream press attention. She represents an image of women scorned by the mainstream fashion + beauty press. If you would like me to scan the whole article, just ask and I will send you the scans.

Amerie - Gotta Work

It's time for a fashion analysis of music videos. What is your verdict about the garment and accessories? I think Amerie never changes her look. I like the song and I like her as an artist yet she never changes from the shorts thing. We know you have great legs, Amerie but keep us interested with new looks! The boots at the beginning are great - she looks really great in black. I just feel like her look is just an extension of "1 Thing".

Looks of the Week: Part 2: Elie Saab

I like this glossy pewter colour that washes the dresses. It almost borders on a pale lavender yet remains pewter. This is from Elie Saab's latest Haute Couture collection.

The Purest Love for Lipstick

Lipstick is the armour of choice for me. I absolutely love it. I know many girls who prefer gloss but the way the latter sticks to your lips like superglue does not appeal to me that much: lipstick all the way. These pictures are from Elise Cosmetics.

My favourite brand for lipstick is Givenchy - I remember buying one in Martinique and the colour was just perfect for my skintone. The only problem I have with buying lipstick in England is that it is so expensive. You can expect to pay upwards of £14 for one tube from brands like Givenchy, Chanel etc! Paupers such as myself thus have to settle for cheaper options which can sometimes be less vibrant.

Would Kelis Wear These?

Plastic Lip Sunglasses - Topshop - £15 >> Someone use their credit card and get these for me please before Kelis beats me to the punch.

Looks of the Week: Luella - Autumn/Winter 2007

Luella is one of those designers that has this signature look. I cannot describe it. I have followed what she has designed for a while now and it is quirky and refreshing. I like how her clothes have punch and attitude. My favourite is the first one: it looks like it has been blasted with glossy black paint and capped off with shiny tights.

Does Wearing Heels to University Look Pretentious?

Loads of people think fashion can be barometer for deciding whether someone is pretentious or not. I love high heels even though my walking skills in them do not portray this love honestly.

University campus is the perfect platform to see certain people running around like they own the land and it is also the best environment to see what people like to wear. Many girls are made up perfectly at my university in that Sloane Ranger style (messed up hair + ralph lauren blue sweater + skinny jeans). It looks good on them but part of me is wondering, should people be dressing up to go to university? Is it under-dressing or over-dressing? Shoes are a key part of any look and they can be the deciding factor in someone labelling you as an over-dresser.

If I wore these TopShop shoes to my politics seminar, would I be pretentious by bringing *too* much fashion into the classroom? (They are £65 available from the TopShop website)




If I had the funds, I would be making my own catwalk looks of what I like to wear everyday. Wearing what you want is important because it is about free will. People will always have their opinion about what someone wears but do we want to bow down the fascist society we live in today or just wear what we want? There are somethings about the high-fashion world that I don't like but everyday fashion includes every facet of clothing & accessories. If this means that I want to wear shoes (TopShop - £55) like the one below to university then so be it:




I can understand how people think wearing heels during the daytime is pretentious but it is part of the age old debate about women and comfort. High heels due cause pain if you wear them too much -- that is an obvious argument but someone should march to down to shoe designers to tell them to stop making so delicious!

I once saw a stencil in Paris in Montmartre that was simple a foot wearing a high heel and its' subtitle was "Why Do You Torture Yourself?" -- Is this artist onto something?

Window Displays: Screaming Mimi's in NYC

I remember my experience at Screaming Mimi's in New York: the racks of clothes are tantamount to being in the Cadbury chocolate factory: they are overflowing -- it was great to see so many clothes. On their website, they have a section about the various window displays that they have had.



The graffiti and heart ones are my favourites for 2 reasons: 1) writing scribbled anywhere looks great 2) hearts are an obsession that I have so seeing them in a window display will make me enter the shop. Window displays are so important that is why H&M should step their game up. Am I the only one who thinks their window displays are bad? (I can only speak for the ones I have seen in England) Is that a sign of the bad clothes or bad management?

The SM window displays are almost as good as the ones from Selfrigdes in LDN...almost. Those ones are on another level! I will find some examples some time in the near future if security don't try and get in my face for taking pictures.

Sugar Kane

Christopher Kane might as well be a buzz word for Google judging from how famous he has become. His Spring 2007 collection had some people salivating -- is the hype justified?

Here are some looks from the Autumn/Winter 2008 collection in the first row and the second row are my personal favourites from his much-loved Spring 2007

Which one is your favourite? The Autumn collection looks like a gorgeous mish-mash of black dipped with other almost gaudy influences. I personally would not wear them because I don't think they would suit me but the look is really captivating. The electric orange and that subtlely fantastic dark dress from the spring group would make anyone want to put CCTV surveillance in a warderobe. He is trying something different with dresses and that is what we need: dresses need to look original and different.

Apparently he is rejuvenating the London fashion week scene. I don't think it ever went anywhere but I am glad he is putting it on the map. Let's see how far he goes -- is he the new McQueen?

Christopher Kane however is not a fan of Victoria Beckham aka Posh who Christopher Kane does not want to wear his clothes! I am liking how he is going about things: he obviously has a set plan and does not curb his tongue for anyone. In that same article, Kane notes "I don't want to sound presumptuous but I've worked too hard for my stuff to be seen on the front of the Sun newspaper," . From this quotation, I think Kane wants to centre his work to be more of one-of-a-kind as opposed to being a uniform.