Trashable Fashion.

Dad's battered Levi's 505s.

It is a truism that fashion turns the old into the new. Magazines and newspaper style sections often proclaim that 'the [insert decade here]'s are back!' and I have no doubt that these are correct observations. One need only check out the latest acid-washed denim, wayfarer sunglasses or bouffant hairstyles for confirmation.

The States and the Union.

Obama on the cover of Ebony, August 2008.

Marmite vs peanut butter, football vs football, monarchy vs republic...it is clear that the pond is not the only thing that separates the UK and the USA. Recently, with the British elections approaching, the inevitable comparison has been drawn between the nations' leaders. 

Bucking the Trend

Clogs circa 1890.

I think one of the most important elements of personal style is the ability to say 'no.' Nowadays it's easier than ever for brands and retailers to bombard us with images of a trend. Before long, as magazine editors, fashion gurus, and tween bloggers and their peanut galleries proclaim its coolness, we find ourselves unable to tell the difference between what we like and what we're told to like.

Mystics.

Mammoth and oxidized sterling silver cuff, a BS + PS collaboration with Pamela Love.

I have always believed that jewelry should be deeply personal. It's very different from clothing for me--there's something about how it interacts with and draws warmth from the body. As long as you're wearing it, it's a part of you. By that logic, you shouldn't wear jewelry unless it means something to you or says something about who you are and from whence you've come...I admire pretty things, naturally, but I rarely buy them. Jewelry for me has to have history, mystery, magic.

The Power of Fashion.

Sketch of cape for Chanel F/W 2009.

We might have expected a return to minimalism. Simple lines, earth tones, basics. After all, simplicity is often associated with lean economic times. It was no coincidence that during the 1990s, the height of fashion minimalism coincided with five major international financial crises. The domino collapse of asian currencies in the late 90s may have been the best thing that ever happened to Helmut Lang, and Cathy Horyn certainly had a point when she said that 'to some extent, we associate minimalism with failure'. When an economic crisis hits, minimalism makes sense: it's fairly obvious that when you're living from paycheck to paycheck, you're not going to blow your budget on crystal knuckledusters.

Fake it till you make it.

My paper Chanel cuff.

Couture is pricey. If you've ever wondered why, you need to watch this video about the Chanel Maisons d'Art from the Paris-Shanghai series. With every miniscule golden stitch, every hand-trimmed feather and every gorgeously rusted paillette, you can almost hear the retail cost racking up. 

Farewell, Winter!

Agathe in Balmain, photographed by Garance Doré.

It happens to me every year. When the air loses its sharp edge and the sunlight lingers a little bit longer, I emerge bleary-eyed from the comfort of an indoor winter and am suddenly walloped by neutrals! nauticals! and (gag) pastels...