31 Oct 2006

CAMDEN LOCK, LONDON…










Looked like a tourist - like us – catching all the action

30 Oct 2006

Saturday morning…Camden Lock

Young Italian woman interested in furniture…everything she wore was a beautiful knit or jersey even the bag was a heavy jersey…no one uses knits as well as the Italians…



For those who are not familiar this is a wonderful vintage market for everything from Furniture to gloves, with everything in between…

28 Oct 2006




A sampler of next week... Camden Lock








STYLE AND THE CITY

By the Style Scout.

LONDON and NEW YORK: Two cities: Two Styles.

WHILE reading The Sartorialist this summer, I started to understand the difference between New York and London fashion. In New York it seems to be all about super luxury and in London, fashion is more about creative self-expression. (I had a broken knee, which forced me to stay in the house giving me lots of free time to philosophize).

Perhaps because most US clothing is industrialised, made in China so inexpensively and sold very cheaply. One of the ways to distinguish and differentiate oneself in New York is by wearing the most luxurious-Italian-handmade-by-artisans clothes imaginable. “How do the Italians turn butter into tweed jackets?” asked one of my clients in New York, many years ago. “It’s soooo soft” he whispered.

Across the pond in London, individuality seems to be a big part of British culture. I have heard it stated as a sociology theory here, that "the trauma of war and the need for rationing forced the population into extreme thriftiness, and those wishing for style had to be creative ”.

Walking the streets –or hobbling on crutches--it become clear that this attitude remains imbedded in the culture still. In London there is an abundance of vintage clothes sold in street markets and stores and this constant supply allows for a personalized look at a very low cost, and many wardrobe changes. The one-of-a-kind style is extremely appealing, almost irresistible to the Brits and anyone here can make a statement on their lifestyle by the way they choose to dress. They can differentiate themselves by the use of unusual proportions or unexpected colour combinations...

It would be great to read other ideas about this comparison if anyone would care to share in the comments.






Marie-Antoinette review

My wife was happily surprised when I agreed, without too much resistance, to go to the movies in the middle of the afternoon. Of course I would like to see the new Sofia Coppola movie, especially since she has such a good aesthetic, begun her career in fashion (the brand she started, Milk Fed, is still big in Japan) and was one of Marc Jacob’s muse.

She has a great eye and because she has grown up immersed in the film industry, she can attract good talent for her movies. She was able to create a wonderful and sumptuously rich experience that I got to live for lovely two hours at the Brixton Ritzy Cinema last week...

I loved the ambient atmosphere of the movie and it felt as if I were sitting at the edge of the French court trying to eavesdrop on the conversations at the dining table. Sofia was able to convey the awkward anxiety of not being able to quite hear what your dining companions are saying. I loved the art direction, the colours, the blues contrasting with the paleness of Kirsten Dunst’s skin. She was cast perfectly as the good-hearted young Antoinette, who struggled to fit in but was never really accepted by the snobbish Bourbons.

Coppola said in an interview that she wanted to tell the story portraying the characters from their point of view, as if they were in a bubble, and in my opinion she succeeded.

The soundtrack worked for me, I couldn’t help but dance a little in my seat remembering the good times of the New Romantics. The movie was timely in that it mixed the astrosphere of so many eras so seamlessly: the late 1700s the 1980s when the UK was in social turmoil - the Thatcher Years- and now the “Bush Years”.

Four stars for stylishness, my highest rating, so thank you Sofia for a nice movie, and a nice afternoon at the French Court.
A Posh Part of Town…St. James, London…



Nice boots

26 Oct 2006

Glamour Girls…Covent Garden…


We loved the colour combinations…

25 Oct 2006

Out and About…Mayfair, LondonSupper curly hair…we also loved her jacket
Exactly the opposite straight and sleek…both great

24 Oct 2006

Time to start thinking…winter coats

The chicest stores and the chicest women in London are all mad for plaid this winter. This snap, taken at a vintage stall in Portobello…

23 Oct 2006

Getting chilly…

Scarf: got from?
“Finland and the socks from Estonia last year”



And a car to match…

22 Oct 2006

Fun in The City…

Enjoying the weekend while the weather is still nice…

Got from?
“Adiddas”

21 Oct 2006

20 Oct 2006

Could that be?“Let’s follow and see”
It might beIs that her on the left of the picture?
Or is it a PR stunt?
Yes. The evil genius at Dorothy Perkins had a pair of Celebrity Look-alikes surrounded by a swam of Paparazzi on London’s busiest shopping street lead teenagers (and us) into their store for a sale. The place was mobbed and many stayed on to shop and enjoy other events organised to keep us there until closing time.
Honestly, it was great fun.

Skinny Jeans fight back...
Got from?
"Made myself with strings"

A look we have seen many times over the weeks but never really believed it to be true so didn't register as a genuine trend: people tying up the ankles of their pants to make them "skinnier"!
Shopping at Selfridges for the weekend…

Sergeant Pepper, we loved his jacket right on trend.

Got From?
Oops we forgot to ask!

Perhaps from Diesel, just around the corner on Bond Street.

Who’s this big lad? Martin Corry, England Rugby Team Captain (UK equivalent of US Super bowl Star) attending the Eton Men’s Shirt event at Selfridges (equivalent of Saks Fifth Avenue).

Shirt: Got From?
"Eton"

This famous Men’s brand looks equally as good on girls...

18 Oct 2006

Memo

To: Style Watchers
From: Style Scout
Subject: Emerging Fashion Trend From London
Cartoon and Superheros turning up on every thing from PJs to Bags (above image provided by inthestores.blogspot.com)
Fashionistas universally adore Audrey Hepburn…

Thus, a quick post from a small enclosed London street market to keep you going…

TO SEE MORE OF OUR OCTOBER BLOG CLICK HERE.

17 Oct 2006

Fatigue Cap with a “twist” is everywhere in London …

Got from?
“Italy”


Got from?
“Spitalfields Market”


Tweed…

Decorated and personalised…


Got from?
“Barneys New York in the Penthouse department in the 1980’s, when the store was still Downtown town in Chelsea”…


Even on the covers of Magazines…
The baggy/skinny jean debate as fought out on the streets of London…

Baggy jeans continue to pop up as the new trend.
Got from?
Topshop


However, skinny jeans are holding on as the most popular…
Also note the Topshop bag as before.


Often watched over by vigilant boyfriends …

Looking best when worn with Ballerina flats…


One hip stallholder in Spitalfields, pushing what she titled as her “famous three-button-fly” pants and she insisted that we also photograph her logo for the Blog…


And I delightfully complied…
Elegant and dapper or as they used to say dégagé...



Nice Italian tourists strolling on Old Bond Street wearing gorgeous tweed jacket that seemed to have the cosiness of a cashmere cardigan. We originally thought it was from Arnys in Paris.

Got from?

“Rome” he told us but we noticed the buttons read Hermés …