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Friday, March 30

Phenomenon FW12 Favourites

Check out a selection of my favourite looks from Phenomenon which recently showed at Tokyo Fashion Week. There is a great interplay of vivid colour and print present throughout the entire collection as well as relying heavily on layering to create the looks. Really cool outerwear is present as well, ranging from bombers to  puffer jackets and everything in between. One of my favourite aspects of this collection is the dark, brooding psychedelic print they've used in the shirting and the outerwear, specifically the shorter jacket where it's used sparingly and brilliantly.





Topman giving the denim jacket new life

Mark McNairy

Topman has been embraced by the British male population like nothing I've seen before. It was, at one point, my one stop shop for looking 'cool', that has since died down but I do still venture in to see what they're doing. My interest in Topman was piqued when I discovered their Topman Design line that shows at London Fashion Week, Topman LTD and their boutique section which features a number of different brands.

From time to time this retail behemoth steps back and invests its time in creating something worthwhile and unique, the latest of these projects is the Denim Jacket Project. Topman have teamed up with 5 designers: Oliver Spencer, Lou Dalton, Katie Eary, Shaun Samson and personal favourite Mark McNairy from the USA to provide an American take as well as their own in-house design team to put a new spin on the wardrobe staple.
Topman design director Gordon Richardson says: “We all own or have owned one but this project is the perfect excuse to re-evaluate the most iconic of all wardrobe staples […] we have reinvention on a grand scale, trompe l’oeil, overprinting and mesh put the denim jacket centre stage once again.”
Mark McNairy's (pictured above) may look like a regular denim jacket but upon closer inspection you can see that on one side there is a classic jacket line and on the other a shirt-like design. Constructed out of dry raw denim this is a piece that is both quirky and built to last.

Oliver Spencer
Spencer's take comes in the form of a biker jacket in this deep blue with contrasting metallic zippers and front breast pocket.

Shaun Samson
Shaun Samson injects one of his design trademarks of unusual fabric combinations into his take on the denim jacket by using a sport mesh on the back of the garment.

Katie Eary
Katie is one of the designers who used a lighter wash of denim for her piece which also has a detachable collar and animal print lining.

Lou Dalton
 Dalton also uses a light denim wash and like Katie presents a more classic slim silhouette.

Topman Design
Topman Design's comes in a darker wash with a cool polka dot effect as well as a more workwear oriented silhouette. 

The collection will be available April 5th at a very awesome £70.

LN-CC SS12 Styled

J .W. Anderson Women's Striped Anchor Shirt | J.W. Anderson Women's Caged Neoprene Top

Haider Ackermann Women's Watts Suede Jacket | Damir Doma Women's Pag Slim Trousers

Damir Doma Women's Jona Bomber Jacket | Damir Doma Women's Front Pleat Drop Crotch Shorts

Jil Sander Men's Tonal Yarn Sweater | Lanvin Men's Overdyed Double Layer Shorts

Rick Owens Men's Jacket Woven | Damir Doma Men's Kalsoy Crew Neck Sweater | Ann Demeulemeester Men's Scamosciato Boots

J W Anderson Women's Striped Anchor Shirt and Striped Shirting Trousers | Damir Doma Women's Front Pleat Drop Crotch Shorts | Givenchy Women's Vegetable Dyed Zip Sandals

James Long bamboo shirt | Ann Demeulemeester vest top | Jil Sander high waisted shorts | Ann Demeulemeester sneakers

Garrett Leight Speedway Top Bar Sunglasses | James Long Men's Oversized Bamboo Sleeveless Shirt | Ann Demeulemeester Men's Lucian Vest Top

J W Anderson Women's Caged Neoprene Top | Damir Doma Women's Poia Front Pleat Drop Crotch Shorts

Givenchy Women's Manches Longues Jumper

Sunday, March 18

Things I can never have - Workers Floral Warden Parka

While curating the Tumblr I came across this pretty little piece. The garment is made by a Japanese label called Workers and get this, it's handmade to order. Constructed using 5.2oz cotton and flax (which is derived from the flax plant or, as it is sometimes called, linseed). Worker suggest ordering a size bigger than your usual because the jacket is washed to finish it. I am seriously in awe, I mean, it's made by hand and has this great print. I love the contrast between the orange, blue and green and the nice big pockets. It does conjure up images of the latest Supreme collection, especially the hoodie but if I'm being honest I'd prefer this. At 27100 JPY (which is about £200) you'd be hard pressed to find another jacket of this quality at that price.


I tried a direct translation (cough google) to see if there was any other information about it. This is what I got:
花柄パーカーにコバートのベーカーショーツ。  やはりこちらは夏です。上下共に薄く、織りが粗いのである程度風を通します。  やはりTシャツの上にこんな羽織り物が夏らしいのではないでしょうか。
Baker floral shorts Covert to Parker. This is still summer. The thin,both up and down through the wind to some extent, because the coarse weave. What is not it went her summery things like this still on top of the T-shirt. 
If you want to make me jealous for the rest of my life hop on over to their website and check out their other wares.



This is what the jacket looks like on.



Friday, March 16

UU x Uniqlo collaboration now live

The much anticipated collaboration between Jun Takahashi's Undercover label and Japanese super retailer, Uniqlo has been released in the UK. The collection went live for people to buy at midnight and I'm very impressed by what I've seen. There's an easiness about the collection and there's also an edge that is no doubt inspired by Takahashi's work with Undercover. There's a lot of cropped pants that are ideal for the warming weather, there's a lot of interesting play with shapes and patterns (see the shirting) and in line with Uniqlo's usual aesthetic - a really great range of colours. 

I'm hoping that this partnership continues because as with Jil Sander's work with the company I'm guessing that the best is yet to come. I hope that Takahashi takes more of a risk and we'll hopefully see some of the more unique designs he's done play a part in future collections. Take a look at a few of the choice pieces that I like below and peep the full collection at Uniqlo.

UU Easy Pants 


UU Hooded Blouson+


UU Sweat Full Zip Hoodie 


UU Cargo Cropped Trousers+ 


U Check Long Sleeve Shirt A+ 


UU Tote Bag

COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT x Supreme now at Dover Street Market

The new collaboration between Comme des Garcons and Supreme is now available. Unfortunately, and to my chagrin, the hoodies are sold out, the shirts are far too expensive for me and the t-shirts seem a bit of a cop out to me. I'm feeling the hats though, and they're quite cheap especially compared to some of the other items in the collection. Check the items out below.


These are the items that I want



Thursday, March 8

Adam Kimmel goes all Hawaiian

Check out these cool pieces from Adam Kimmel over at Porvocacao. Very different from all the other brighter designs you'll see nowadays this is a welcome variation on a trend that is making a very big comeback. I especially dig the trousers.



Adam Kimmel Flower Hawaiian Overdye Shirt Black

Adam Kimmel Hawaiian Overdye Button Collar Shirt Black

Adam Kimmel Hawaiian Overdye Slim Fit Pants Black

Wednesday, March 7

On my list - SASQUATCHfabrix Eototo Flower Panel Shirt

I'm not going to bore you with the whole 'y'all know I loves me some floral fabrics' spiel because you all know how much I'm into my patterns and clothes that are so loud they can't be worn in museums, so we'll skip that.

Anyway, I was perusing jamesmcnally and came across this shirt. It's by a Japanese brand called SASQUATCHfabrix who churn out some of the most maddeningly amazing stuff I've ever seen, but what else apart from praise can you give the Japanese? They are constantly somehow marrying the more refined aesthetic with psychedelic patterns and shapes and they play with proportion in a way that makes that you have to be pretty damn near exactly the same as the models that wear their clothes to pull it off. It's both frustrating and amazing at the same time. They've recently been collaborating with another Japanese brand called The Inoue Brothers and from what I've seen of that it's pretty darned cray (in the best way).




Seriously, this shirt is an amalgamation, a fusion, a marriage, the offspring of everything I love. It's a button down, one. It looks like it has some weight to it, I'm assuming it's cotton. It's quirky in that just the sleeve is patterned. But the thing I love most, especially on the off-white variant - the pattern itself. It looks like it's been painted onto the fabric with watercolour, the colours are delicate and feminine in a way which is a contrast to the masculinity of the rest of the garment. I absolutely adore this shirt.

I also tracked down another piece they did that I dig. It's this varsity-esque piece that sets itself apart with it's unique combination of materials. An outer constructed with this midnight blue wool, cowhide leather sleeves and gold quilting on the inside. Such an odd mix but it so works.



images via here and here