poly portrait

Natasha Poly for CFDA nominee Alexander Wang by Inez and Vinoodh. The designer scooped up the prize for Accessory Designer of the Year - and was presented with his award, quite fittingly, by none other than Iris Apfel. (And for those who are stumped by the name, think: thick rimmed specs and strings and strings of beads). And, about time too; those booties and studded bags (and their chain store imitations) have been popping up on counters and Polyvore sets the world over ever since Wang's very first accessories line back in '07. The amount of times I've lusted over a Freja bootie, or a Rocco duffle - don't get me started on those Alla leopard-print wedge mules - and I still have not gone ahead and added-to-cart. Might have to change that, and this might just be the piece to do it with...

And below, the man himself.

via

inezandvinoodh.tumblr.com 

shopbop.com

And so it begins...

The first week of one of the two craziest months of the year has finally kicked off. For fashion people, that is. New York Fashion Week, and the start of the autumn/winter 2011 season. The meteoric rise continues for Alexander Wang, who almost jokingly cited his latest collection as 'ironic luxury'. Coming from any other designer, this would sound like your typical pretentious fashion babble, but for the GQ/CDFA menswear award winner, no truer words could have been spoken. With a touch of almost unfamiliar luxury (soft angora knits fading into silken satin) the pieces still retained the cool-girl factor the brand has become synonymous with. I'm not quite sure what the cool downtowners (and many wishful bloggers others) would be wearing (or wanting to) if it wasn't for the relaxed luxe of this designer. Very big fan of the cleverly combined textures - knits, sheers and silks all in the one piece, and all with minimal fuss. And another (one of many) show highlights? Natasha Poly taking her rightful place centre stage - closing the show for the infallible Mr. Wang with her newly reacquainted blonde locks. 

Speaking of infallible, it seems another young New Yorker is too walking down that very path. Joseph Altuzarra, previous Marc Jacobs design intern, is another name who will surely appear come the round up of season trends. Loving that the utilitarian look of seasons past is appearing yet again. Mixed textures (sheers, satins and knits), voluminous outerwear, delicate dresses and again, funnily enough, furry shoes, were all central features of his latest outing. Fuzzy footwear aside, I wonder if any of his sky-high leather lace-ups will be gracing the feet of editors come next season of Tommy Ton-lensed street snaps. Time will tell.

via: style.com

Simple Pleasures

Tea. Diptyque candles. Soft cotton tees. Vogues aplenty. My idea of the perfect day.

Simple pleasures indeed.

Trio of leathers, and Schoulers, and Wangs..

Two (or should I say three... cubed) of my current favourites. Shoes from Alexander Wang's resort 2011 collection: Noemi, Freja (an update of the original) and Kasia. And not forgetting the one and only pocket tee, which will always be a perennial favourite. Then we have the clutch version of the famed PS1 messenger bag by Proenza Schouler, fondly (and appropriately) coined 'the pouchette'. What I love most about these accessories however, apart from the bleeding obvious, is they seem to go with... everything. That's right, even more leather, in the way of an Acne a-line, 3.1 Phillip Lims or a Catherine Malandrino mini. And my soon-to-be delivered Michael Kors chronograph watch and (hopefully!!!) Jordan Askill heart ring don't look out of place either.

Let's be honest, these outfits aren't anything special, and they don't try too hard to be fashion-y... which is exactly why I love them. Clean, simple and minimal. Just the way I like my dressing. And proof that an overdose of leather can be done in an Australian summer. Need further convincing? Enter Christine Centenera, to the rescue once again- this time in Paris, Celine, and her new favourite Alaias. Oh yeah, and lots of leather.

via Stockholm Street Style

1 Perfect Shirt: 3 Perfect Ways

Proenza Schouler PS1, The Row Linda Farrow square sunglasses, T by Alexander Wang stretch long tank slip, Alexander Wang Freja bootie, Dries Van Noten Lora leopard print silk back gilet

Thakoon silk emroidered striped tee, Alexander Wang Diego studded bucket bag, Current/Elliott 1957 boyfriend jean, T by Alexander Wang fringed wool-blend scarf, Celine velvet sandal clogs

Celine calfskin leopard print box bag, Thakoon crepe jersey wrap pants, Bassike organic cotton t-shirt, Oliver Peoples limited edition Balmain sunglasses, Gara Danielle etched snake ring

If someone told me I could only wear one shirt for the rest of my life, this would be it. This military shirt by Current/Elliott isn't called the Perfect Shirt for nothing. A shirt is probably the staple item in layering for in-between seasons. Team with a fur gilet and a woollen scarf and you're all set for a chilly autumn. Pair it with sandal-clogs and distressed boyfriend jeans and you've got yourself a go-to outfit for when the weather warms up. Now, to work on all the other items on my wishlist...namely that Celine box bag. And the PS1.Ok, let's just say I'll have it all and call it a day.

 

Alexander Wang + Abbey Lee

[Alexander Wang. Fall 2010. Campaign video. Abbey Lee. Made Infinitely better (if that's possible) by the xx, remixed by Flufftronics]

More-bidly obsessed with: Heeled Booties

Ever since I laid my eyes on THOSE Chloé boots from Fall 2009, I haven't been able to get enough of these babies. You know the ones I'm talking about; gorgeous tan seude with supple leather trimmings and cream laces. Just in case you don't (gasp) here's Sigrid Agren opening for Chloé for the Fall 2009 show where Hannah MacGibbon received (and rightly so) all that praise for.

 This is one of my favourite favourite favourite collections in a long time (yes, those booties helped), with all those belted high-waisted pants that were so effortlessly tailored, soft collared silk and cotton shirts and that leather-trimmed cape that has been the basis of many a chain store design since.

Anyway, back to the dust-kickers. I was browsing through Style.com's Fall 2010 Accessory Report (compiled by the ever-so-lucky Candy Pratt), and I came across this gorgeous pair of Thakoon suede metallic wedge booties (yes, that is their real name). These things are amazing. Double points for the wedge. And the metallic. Actually, there wasn't a single pair of boots in the entire Thakoon collection I didn't like. Too bad I can't have any...

Another mentionable pair from the Accessory Report were Burberry's leather bootie with shearling trim. They were like a footwear version of the lined Sherpa bomber jacket. Nice.

All of the shoes I bought while overseas recently were wedge booties. My favourites are a black seude pair that sit tight just below the ankle, and a tan leather pair that lace up just past the ankle (both from Zara of course).

The more I look at pictures of the latest offerings of these boots, the more I want them...all! While I was in the fashion cupboard of Harper's Bazaar last week (more on this later) I have found two pairs I pretty much haven't stopped thinking about since. One is a really cool pair of lace up open-toed Acne wedges, which are actually a great idea if you cannot wait til winter (like me) to wear your booties. The others aren't reeeally a boot (as the name "mule" suggests), but who's going to pick me up on it? I've loved these Alexander Wang Allah leopard print wedge mules from Spring 2010 for aaages, but it wasn't until I saw them on one of the fashion assistants I really got jealous. Actually, another really great collection for boots. And clothes. And hair. Loose, side-swept plaits anyone? Let's just say it was a really great collection and be done with it shall we? Oh, and if anyone with lots and lots of money is reading this wondering what sort of present they can get me for being such a cool and nice person? Anything by Guiseppe Zanotti for Balmain wouldn't go astray, thanks.

Acne Pose lace-up wedges

Alexander Wang Alla leopard print wedge mules

Photos: Style.com and Acne

Still blazing ahead of the rest...softly.

Alexander Wang SS09

Magdalena Velevska SS09/10

camilla and marc SS09/10

Photos: Style.com, Vogue and Grazia. Grazie!

Looks like the suiting trend is here to stay (for now anyway!) While the strong-shouldered blazer trademarked by Christophe Decarnin at Balmain isn't going anywhere, the sharp tailoring of last season has been diffused with softer, more feminine shapes for spring.

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Alexander Wang showcased many a blazer starting spring 2008 and his collections have been littered with them ever since. The pink number shown above, paired with equally bright softly pleated shorts, set the benchmark for our own spring/summer collections in terms of colour especially. With the barometer set to strong shoulders, soft draping and summer colours, it was only a matter of time before the shoulders started heading south: literally.

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Aussie designers have taken their cues from the greats; with the trends cropping up in the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week earlier in the year. On-trend-nowhere-near-newcomer Magdalena Velevska showcased her first independent collection combining summer colours with softly draped silhouettes, whilst still favouring "the shoulder". Dynamic duo camilla and marc continued on the success of their previous blazer-heavy collections this time following suit (no pun intended) and favouring a more delicately dishevelled aesthetic.

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The '80s fanatics can continue to rejoice; big shoulders are here to stay, and this trend has made sure everybody's suiting up.