Lately...

...I've been contemplating getting a tattoo. I found this awesome blog, The Tattoologist and it's really been inspiring me. So, fellow bloggers/readers, what do you think? Yay or nay?

Love this as it reminds me of the paper birds that Michael Scofield made in Prison Break

White ink. From http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/2686897233_9dd768e2d8.jpg

Images are from The Tattoologist

Other things that captured a moment:

From La Beaute

From Studded Hearts

All three images above are from Fashiontography

LFW Day 6

Final day of LFW today, and it all came to a close with the menswear. I'm not very knowledgeable, or even that interested in menswear but I thought I would give it a chance as I headed over to Vauxhall Fashion Scout's Ones to Watch show this afternoon. The fact that the show was around 45 mins late didn't help anyone's mood, but, once the show did get underway there was a definite air of anticipation. These designers are, after all, being hailed as the next big thing. The first three collections were, for me, uninspiring. Dull and drab colours for the most part (apart from the first one by C/Bruerberg below which tried to brighten things up with some odd rasta-style neon coloured threads), very conventional, very man about town. Mr Lipop's cool shades, fur-trimmed hoods and gorgeous white coat and shearling-style jacket somewhat redeemed the show as a whole, but it seemed as if Fashion Scout had definitely been saving the best till last......

Just when I had started to think that menswear would never be my thing, Asger Juel Larsen stepped up and saved the day. As soon as the first model stepped out wearing a top hat adorned with crosses, I felt that this was going to be something different. Larsen's collection felt gothic, Victorian and eerie all at once. And the outfits kept becoming more and more spectacular. The culmination of the collection was a top hat with body-length fringes dropping down from it and another hat from which a darkened version of the American flag hung down, like a veil. My impression of the collection was very much a military, deathly portrayal of a dystopian society and the American flag was very reminiscent of those old American Uncle Sam posters, but those ones which have the face of Uncle Sam as a skeleton. Due to the fact that my camera battery died halfway through this collection I went on the net in search of more pictures of these pieces and, what do you know, the collection was actually called Uncle Sam so it seems like Larsen's imagery and symbolism was spot on. These were not the sort of pieces you could just throw together and walk out onto the street in, but I love how Larsen thought more about metaphors through his clothing and how there was an element of the theatrical in what he did. This designer is definitely One To Watch.

This image and the next three below are all from http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/asger-juel-larsen-fw-2011#!/photos/102386/9

Image from http://blowpresents.wordpress.com/2011/02/

Another one of my favourites from Larsen. Feathers have been used here and there for A/W 2011, but I love the concept of using them as a headpiece on a guy. Very Black Swan-esque. 

And this piece deserves another mention. So emblematic and enigmatic on so many levels. You can interpret this a hundred ways and Larsen really seemed to want to challenge our cognitive and interpretative abilities with this collection which was very refreshing.

LFW Day 5

Today was by far my favourite day so far of LFW. Only two shows but both were stunning in their own ways. 

First up, Joanne Hynes/Helen Steele. Joanne is a designer, whilst Steele is an artist. They have combined their talents to produce this "fashion label and art collaboration", Les Guerriers, which basically "supports freedom of expression within art and fashion, where both disciplines become one". Take this any which way you will, but the eclectic mix of clothes, textures, prints and colour was a sight for sore eyes. The show kicked off with a rather eerie video (the art side of things, I'm guessing), and then the models really threw in dollops of attitude as they strode confidently down the catwalk to a selection of banging tunes. I guess what I really enjoyed about this collaboration was that, aside from the interesting mix of art and fashion (which can be essentially one and the same thing), the collection didn't really feel like it hung together as a whole. Rather than being a negative thing however, this meant that I really had no idea what the next model would come out wearing and Hynes and Steele really surprised us. From massive fur pieces to hats made of what seemed like twigs to jewel-encrusted jackets, this was a collection which had a bit of everything and really just seemed to be having a lot of fun. And if this is the kind of colour we can expect from A/W 2011, then I can't wait for that season to come around!

And my outfit du jour consisted of me somewhat modifying this dress that I usually wear in the summer but putting on a black jumper and voila, it becomes a very trendy 70s skirt. A bit chilly though but oh well.

In the afternoon I was off to BodyAmr which was situated in a very weird and wonderful upstairs bit of Freemasons Hall as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout. The mood was very apocalyptic as the show started with sweeping spotlights across the podium and a recording of what sounded like a news report from the recent Egyptian turmoil. The Egyptian theme ran through the whole collection, what with the fez hats that some of the models sported, the oriental music and the long sweeping sheer gowns reminiscent of belly dancers and hot countries. I was impressed by the sharp cut of the designs and the femininity each one suggested. Almost every outfit was figure hugging or had some sort of large slits. Another theme was over the knee boots, my favourite pair being these gold tassled ones pictured below. Also interesting for me was the inclusion in the show of a couple of larger (by model standards) models. These women could have easily been a size 10-12, but it was refreshing to see them among the usual array of stick-thin girls that were on show. Whilst some pieces had a very old-school Hollywood glamour about them though, what with the deep red and white gowns and the dark red lips, other dresses were shorter and, teamed with boots and metallics, also mixed a modern feel into the collection.

The designer behind BodyAmr-I love how 5 mins before the show was due to start he was outside, having a smoke and looking totally chilled out!

Of course, today couldn't go by without me seeing my favourite ever guy from fashion week, namely half-my-face-painted-black-guy who you might remember from this post. This time however, he had opted for painting his face black the other way around, i.e. vertically. He always seems to be front row and I have no idea who he is...