THE BEST OF STOCKHOLM FASHION WEEK S/S 15 . . . SO FAR

Cheap Monday's concept (New Doom! which reflects "a naïve and youthful direction, the positive spirit of the innocent in the face of a gloomy environment.")

J. Lindeburg's makeup

Diana Orving's dresses

BACK's knitwear and jersey pieces

and Isabell Yalda Hellysaz's outerwear

I haven't been completely blown away by any of the collections so far. So, looking forward to seeing more tomorrow (the final day).

{photos: fashionweek.se}

YOU BETCHA

I've just completed my seasonal mood board for S/S 13. Now is the perfect time of year for me to have a think/plan what I'm going to be wearing a season ahead (It's nowhere near spring in London...).


It's also pretty handy that London Fashion Week's a-going on and while I'm aware of the shows, I don't necessarily look them first. The FIRST thing I do is get my ideas down on paper (computer?) and sort out what I think is interesting at the moment. Right now, that's a combination of The Shanghai skyline, Jewels, smiles, high waisted pencil skirts, crop tops, bouncy pin curls, lipstick, Veronica Lake, Karla Deras, Bettie Page, Motel Rocks and Clothesencounters.


Since my everyday life is hugely busy, I don't have a lot of time to dress in the morning or change after work before I go out. So the options are either wear boring clothes (er, I might or might not be doing this now - depends on how much you like black I guess).

Or, I could look ahead a little. Here'sa behind-the-scenes of what I tend to do every season:

1. Make mood board - Pinterest
2. Post my fave fashion week collections (London, NYC, Paris, Milan, Stockholm)
3. Construct outfit ideas into a collection on Polyvore
4. Clean my closet and see what I've got already
5. Decide what else I need to pick up
5. Outfit of the day posts (Instagram)

Might seem like a lot of work but hey, I think it's fun and it definitely helps me to stay pulled together when I am facing a packed schedule of work, classes, more work, gym, other projects and (at some point!) a social life :)

MAKE IT FUNKY

Whyred S/S 13

And here's the fairest of them all - Whyred. My fave show of the season is randomly a brand whose style reminds me a lot of East London. 













{Photos by Kristian Löveborg}

HEADS WILL ROLL

Ida Sjöstedt S/S 13

Ida Sjöstedt put on another of my favourite shows this season in Stockholm.

The trappings are major - the fairy tale castle backdrop, candy floss coloured  hair, flowered sunnies and platform pumps all immediately give you a sense of what kind of girl these clothes are for, and get your imagination going as to the feel and story of the whole affair.

Sjöstedt also gives a nod to current trends like hi-lo dresses and an obsession for all things pastel, which is fine - perfect to keep her in the loop... for now. I do wonder though, if people are going to still be going in this direction in 8 months when it's actually time to start buying S/S 13 clothing... After all, the whole purpose of these shows is to get excited about what's NEXT, not to receive an reaffirmation of what we're already into.

There are certainly some amazing pieces - the tailoring of the trousers for example is exceptional (front AND back ladies) and I could totally see myself in many of the items - I just feel like something falls a tiny bit short in the styling of the clothing itself. Why would you send a girl down the runway in trousers and just a bra? No matter how much we love the pieces as separates, it looks like the model's taking a walk of shame home... Take away the backdrop and the staging and it becomes a bit more apparent. 



In any case,  Ida Sjöstedt knows how to stage a SHOW and fill it with some amazing clothes - a show which, for all my blustering, I am actually kind of gutted I missed.

{Photos by Kristian Löveborg}

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Stylein S/S 13

I didn't go to Stockholm Fashion Week this summer for the first time in 3 years - I've been having a pretty good time in London so I'm not complaining. BUT! I love looking at what I missed - especially since so many of my favourite brands are Swedish. 

Stylein's taste level is phenomenal - I feel this brand always gets it right. I'm a big fan of the muted palette, the tailoring, the mix of prints and fabrics, and the  shapes they create around the body. A Stylein show always looks feminine in an understated way, without EVER crossing a line into cutesy or dull or OTT. We only serve good taste here, thanks very much.

{photos by Kristian Löveborg}

GON' HEAD

I haven't been totally truthful - I actually have been to London Fashion Week this season. I was invited to EcoLuxe by the lovely designer Ilya Fisher, who makes beautiful handmade silk shibori skirts (more on her later methinks). 

I was really curious to go because EcoLuxe is full of designers who have committed to making sustainable clothing - a good cause. Also, lots of them are quite interesting; my favourites by far were the co-founders of Etrala, Emilio Portes Cruz and Maria Rodrigues Liñan. The clothes they make remind me a little of Monki - very playful, with bright whimsical details - like bright lining in the coats, pockets and hoods, as well as contrasting trim on collars. First pics below (all from their fb): 

{Maria and Emilio}

{Pieces!}

{More pieces}

KAVEKE

One of my favourite new designers, from a recent show at London Fashion Week - Kaveke. Thanks so much to the team at La Geneve North for the kind invitation to come along. All images taken by the lovely Rosie Allt.

LIKE HONEY AND TROMBONES

Jenny Grettve and Ravishing Mad had a showroom far away from the center and in that showroom, on the 2nd floor of an apartment building, I met with them and spoke to them about their collections for S/S 12. So, I went into the elevator

up the stairs

and down the proverbial rabbit hole.

Jenny Grettve is both an architect and a fashion designer, a fact which comes through in her sculptural pieces. She's got something interesting to say about eco-friendly fashion which stuck with me: "Make fashion you can wear for a lifetime."

So true - why don't we just get it right the first time?! If you produce quality, well-made and classic pieces, then people will love them for years and won't need to buy more or waste the ones they have already. Right on, Jenny! Her pieces stand up to the rhetoric; have a peek at some of my favourites (including the perfect wide-legged trousers she's wearing herself):

Also, have a look at an art video she produced of the entire collection below:

Anna from Ravishing Mad was an exercise in contrasts. Her style is irreverent and her ideas are complicated - when describing her denim she said "I intentionally do everything the denim world tells you not to do." I could see what she meant - instead of distressing her jeans, she paints directly on the fabric. Her creations have high waists and ample thighs, and she even uses denim to create sculptural haute couture pieces inspired by evolved skeletons and and rorshag tests. I only wish I'd gotten a picture of the amazing 3/4 length navy silk jersey dress she embellished - with burn marks.

My favourite piece of denim from her S/S 12 collection below:

And a few more pieces from the same collection which I found on her website:

   

A great fashion collaboration made in Malmö (pronounced "malm-oh"), the 2nd city of Sweden, which these girls hope to make as much of a fashion hub as Stockholm. They may just be on to something.

{title: From Anis Mojgani's poem "These things are how you make me feel" - like honey and trombones! This is the very first of his poems I ever heard, and still one of the most beautiful. Video above.}