Festival Fashions

Ever since Kate Moss donned those teeny tiny denim hotpants for Glastonbury 2005, festivals have become just as much about the fashion opportunities as the musical ones. Every year scenesters across the world try to out-trend each other as the newest indie act to grace the cover of the NME ponces about a make shift stage in the middle of a muddy field. While the likes of Daisy Lowe and Peaches Gledof may find it easy to look like they've just stepped out of Elle (and with showers, stylists and hairdressers I'm fairly sure it is), the rest of us proles have to work a little harder. As you may be able to recognise I'm not a fan of festival fashion. How I see it, festivals are about the music and the booze. Even someone as obsessed as myself doesn't have the time or vanity to care about how my hair and makeup looks when I'm waist-deep in mud and bumping off thousands of sweaty drunk kids. So my advice for festival fashions?

1. Keep it simple, keep it cheap.

Do not spend anymore than a days wages on festival clothes, it's not worth it. They get completely ruined and no one actually cares what you're wearing in the end so you've wasted your money and ruined a garment that on any other occasion would be practical and beautiful.
Make like Ashleyne (Ex BB contestant for those of you with a life) and Charlie Brooker (Journalistic genius and fellow pessimist) at Glastonbury and choose practical shapes and nothing too garish.

Keep it cheap, takes on a whole new meaning, yet it works? Beats me.

There's nothing worse than seeing girls desperately trying to emulate the quirky fashion sense of Dita Von Teese and end up looking like a 12 year old at Halloween. Tutus and leg warmers are OTT and should be banned, anyone found wearing them should be shot upon sight.

Dita can do it and look chic, you will look like you've just come from Ascot, as a competitor.

2. Stick with dark colours.

Festivals are muddy. They just are, there are no exceptions. If someone tells you they were at a festival where the sun was splitting the stones, and there really were stones because the lack of moisture was so severe, they are lying. So do NOT make like Sienna Miller and wear bright colours. They will get destroyed and will be completely unwearable come Monday, even when you keep it cheap (Rule 1) it just isn't worth it.

I love Sienna's geometric pattern waistcoat and bright blue Ray Bans but give it 10 minutes in the pouring rain and it will loose all charm. Now Daisy Lowe and Lily Donaldson have the right idea here.

Dark colours and black tights-pure genius! Keeps your legs clean and eliminates the need for fake tan, killing two evils with one stylish stone. Yes, Daisy's fringing may be a little bit too much but I can't fault her colour scheme. Lily, carry on.

3. Headwear essential.

There is no way to keep your hair look clean or good for 4 days without a shower. There just isn't. Dry shampoo will only work for a day or two, as soon as you sleep or lie down any style will fall out and there's nothing you can do about it. So get a hat! Problem solved.

Berlin

I was recently on holiday in Berlin for a few days, and I have to say WOW! Berlin is amazing. It's such an original city, the people, the buildings, the markets, the history. I'd honestly move there tomorrow and never come back. Don't get me wrong, I love Dublin but I never imagined myself staying here when I "grow up" and I've only ever had a connection like that to London but now Berlin is certainly in the picture. Hey, if it's good enough for David Bowie, it's good enough for me! Everything about it is exquisite and the CLOTHES...oh. We were staying in a hostel on Rosenhaler Platz (?) and as soon as we crossed the street we stumbled across a whole street of boutiques and vintage shops, each one more intoxicatingly beautiful than the last. My friend, Karen, who accompanied me took a particular shine to one called 'Who Killed Bambi?', the name alone was inspired never mind the actual clothes which were just as cool. She bought an amazing rock-a-billy type dress with the most awesome gothic twist, it was patterned with skulls and butterflies. Very edgy (very Karen). Then we turned the corner and..... There was Ben and Fred. Across the street from eachother. Waiting for me. Mod heaven. That's Ben Sherman and Fred Perry just incase my mod obsessed rambling is confusing. Anyway, of course I went a little loopy with excitement then and spent nearly all my money in one go (so much so that my boyfriend had to top up my account from home). I think my favourite item was a navy Ben Sherman tee with a mod sign on it, just so I can label myself even more. And yes, I do team it with my red Fred Perry zip up. Might as well be wearing a giant badge...

Oh and I also found a first edition EP of The Man Machine by Kraftwerk. Needless to say, I saw God.

Anyway! Picture time!!

At the airport...

Karen likes squares...

Alana loves squares!

At the Holocaust Monument, such an amazing place. I honestly didn't mean this to look like an advert for Adidas bags and footwear.

Can you feel the love?

Soundtrack:

Kraftwerk- Numbers

Lou Reed- Berlin

Iggy Pop- Lust for Life

Nena- 99luft Balons

"New" Nudes

Blazer: Topshop (Past season)

Top: Pennys (€9- such a find!)

Skirt: Pennys (Borrowed from my roommate- also such a find!)

Shoes: Schuh (Past season and worth more than I care to remember)

It would be an understatement to say that the soft neutral had a major presence in the spring shows, as some of the most dynamic fashion houses celebrated the nude look. At Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci turned out capes and frocks (accessories too) in pale flesh tones. Stella McCartney’s collection was chock full of delicate shades of flax and beige, while at Chloe, Hannah MacGibbon sent out gorgeously drapey paper-bag pants and scalloped blazers in the prettiest pale peach. We’ve already seen some of the Chloe pieces in the celebrity stratosphere, specifically on Kate Bosworth. The actress wore an all-Chloe outfit, including an amazing pair of Open Toe Sandals ($690), for a Blackberry Bold launch party in Beverly Hills. We’re particularly fond of her scalloped shorts—so simple, so cute. Off the catwalks, we’ve noticed that trendsetters tend to punctuate a single nude item with contrasting black pieces.

(Pulled from http://www.whowhatwear.com/website/full-article/trend-report-new-nudes/)

I've got to be honest, nude has never been a trend that appeals to me. I always found it a little too safe but when it's done well it can look amazing. My roommate, Kate, is the queen of nude. She pretty much lives in soft pinks and muted peaches and does it really well. But for me... nah, I pretty much live in red and blue.

Soundtrack:

The Cure- Close to Me

Air- All I Need

Elbow- Some Riot

Florence and the Machine- Blinding

Foreword from 'British Fashion Designers'

I felt like I had to include this foreward in my blog for many reasons. Firstly, I am a British fashion obsessive. I adore the eccentricity of London Fashion Week, the variety the of street style and the influence of street style on collections. If I had the talent I would have applied to study fashion in Central Saint Martins. In short, British fashion is my Shangri-la. Secondly, it's written by my favourite photographer of all time Nick Knight.

Gemma Ward photographed be Mr. Knight- Pure GENIUS!

And thirdly, it glorifies everything that is wrong with fashion, everything that's immoral and absolutely intoxicatingly brilliant about it.

OK, so here we go again...

I was recently told that one of Britain's most important fashion houses was originally established using profits from a brothel. Whether true or not, this anecdote sets the tone for understanding British fashion. The dominant cultural, intellectual and spiritual values in post-war British society are that of the Protestant faith. Based on Puritanism, the social characteristics that are admired are hard work and honesty, modesty and straightforwardness. Set against this, fashion is representative of all the worst human values: superficiality, vulgarity and narcissism.

However, as we all know from our physics lessons at school, every force has an equal and oppposite force acting against it. Rebellion against all these forces has fuelled British fashion. just as it has British music and British art. Perhaps inevitably, the dismissal by our intellectual and cultural establishment of fashion is much more pronounced than against the other mediums. British can feel worthy discussing and admiring art; we can understand the sense and feel the need to write about music in our Sunday papers; but to take fashion seriously, in all its ostentation and self obsession, feels just about as immoral and sinful as can be.

It is only when we realize the strength of the forces that are opposing fashion in Britain today that we truly see the strength and power in the work of designers like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan and Gareth Pugh. Then do we start to understand the incredible beauty of their work, the messages they seek to convey, and consequently their cultural importance.

Fashion is, at its most basic, the very first communication we have with each other. There has never been a society in our history as humans that has not used some form of self adornment or self decoration to communicate who we are or what we want to be, our social status, our political beliefs, our sexual availability. In my own experience some of the fashion designers that our in this book have taken that basic human expression and performed a unique and enviable feat, transforming it into one of the most exciting, powerful and often misunderstood forms of art.

Nuff said. Oh Nick!

Arguments for the importance of fashion in society

I recently aquired two new reference books on fashion, "Fifty Dresses that Changed the World" edited by the Design Museum and "British Fashion Designers" by Hywel Davis. In both books there are introductions making compelling arguments for the importance of fashion in society. Since I can't find them anywhere on the net, I'll have to copy them down... bare with me!

"Fifty Dresses that Changed the World" Introduction by Deyan Sudjic, Director, Design Museum

Meryl Streep's character in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) makes a powerful pitch for understanding the significance of fashion, especially to those who see in it nothing but the frivolous and the self-indulgent. 'The colour of the sweater,' she says, 'made in the Far East, on an industrial scale, providing work for poor families, and putting a developing economy on the road to the First World, is the afterglow of a couture collection.'

Fashion can be understood in many ways. It is both an industrial and a cultural phenomenon, one that goes to the heart of what we understand as design. The Industrial Revolution in Britain was fuelled by technical innovation in manufacturing textiles. Contemporary fashion is a huge and extremely vigorous industry, of which the catwalk collections provide only a glimpse. That is why fashion continues to be an important part of the Design Museum's programme.

The collection of iconic dresses included in this book provides an introduction to the path fashion has taken in the past century. It is a story that embraces social and economics change and radically fluctuating positions on gender and sexuality. These are dresses that have encapsulated particular moments in time in a particualry powerful way, and that have provided fascinating insights into the people who wore them as well as the people who designed them.

What I find interesting about Sudjic's introduction is his argument that fashion is a reflection of a moment in time. As any art form, fashion is influenced by social change. For example, in 1965 London people were still living in the shadow of postwar auserity in a city scarred by bombsites, the youth were more than ready to explode into a brand-new era far from the memories of the the early 20th century. They demonstrated this youthful irreverence by hitting the grey streets of the capital in bold colours and modern shapes best demonstrated in the brilliant clothes of Mary Quant.

The dress's clean-cut, nursery-influenced style, ideally topped with an androgynous Vidal Sassoon five-point haircut, suggested a playful innocence as well as heralding the dawning of a new age.

This is quite a hard look to accomplish in modern times as it is so synonymous with 1960s London. If you do it right it can look really chic but it does require some genuine pieces to work. Even just a pair of Mary Quant earrings can give any outfit that retro edge.

Introduction from British Fashion Designers will be the next post so stay tuned!

Nautical

Top: Pennys

Cardigan: ?

Jeans: Zara

Shoes: ?

Hat: ?

This is Kate, my room mate. We like her :) and you'll be seeing alot more of her cause she's got some good garments!

Top: Misc.

Waist cardigan thingy: Pennys €9

Jeans: Topshop €61

Jewellery: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Office €90

The nautical trend is a sure thing every spring so it's worth investing in a few pieces because they will never go out of trend. Last year Dolce and Gabbana led the pack with their collection of sailor favourites. Katy Perry rocked the look at several award shows with her kooky twist on fashion's favourtie sailor look, outstripping Alexandra Burke's attempt by yards if I do say so myself. This season's Chanel Resort collection epitomises the nautical trend to a tee; red, navy, white, strips, pure summer

Nuff said.

My look is very casual and not very daring but if I were in warmer weather I would team the tee with a lovely pair of bright blue shorts with gold buttons I got in Topshop years ago and my patent red ankle boots from Barretts, also a few seasons ago! I'll edit the post when I get that outfit together :)

Soundtrack: "Summer Crane" The Avalanches

"Wouldn't it be Nice" The Beach Boys

"Horchata" Vampire Weekend

"Girl and the Sea" The Presets

Clear Winner...

Spring Parka

Parka: Topshop €40

Jumper: Pennys €13

Jeggings: Topshop

Shoes: Pennys €9

Jewellery: Assorted Topshop and Accessorize

Bag: Thrift :)

The parka, over the decades, has become a signature look of the mod. It came to the forefront of fashion during the 1960s and 70s with the rise of bands like The Kinks and The Who becoming unlikely fashion icons. The release of "Quadrophenia" in 1973 raised the parka to new heights in the wardrobes of the youth with the entire cast sporting the look. It moved onto the catwalks quickly for both spring and winter seasons. Houses such as Burberry have embraced the look from season to season for it's style and practicality. The parka is extremely wearable and versatile. To dress up a parka, I would team it with a floral summer dress and a thin gold waist belt, or a crisp white shirt and a pair of city shorts (as seen in Rag & Bone S/S 2010). So make like Liam Gallagher and don a parka.

Soundtrack: "Live Forever" Oasis

"My Generation" The Who

"Ghost Town" The Specials

"Victoria" The Kinks

Rag & Bone Spring/Summer 2010

Liam Gallagher- World's most unlikely fashion icon

Poor kids dressing like they're rich, MODS!