Vidal Sassoon

Just watched the wonderful documentary film showing the life of the legendary hairdresser, Vidal Sassoon.

Now in his 80's the film methodically goes through his career interviewing everyone from colleges, clients, the media, friends and family. Personally I think the most interesting and informative part shows Sassoon and Mary Quant informally chatting about how life and fashions were in the 60's - you get more of an insight into how and why Sassoons style came about.

Above are the haircuts that defined him and got his career rolling.

Tommy Nutter - Rebel on the Row

Tommy Nutter - the radical tailor of the 60's/70's has a retrospective exhibition at the Fashion and Textile museum, London. His clients included Cilla Black (her suit at top) and The Stones to name a few. Precisional tailoring using amazing fabrics made his designs a success and last the test of time - my favorites are the two white suits - one of which was worn by Jagger on his wedding day to Bianca. Love the huge lapels with the silk/satin details.

Go before it finishes on the 22nd October, 2011

Totes this season...ha ha ha ha

Alexander Wang S/S 2012 (www.pollyanna.com)

Givenchy - Large Nightingale shopper - f/w 2011 (www.pollyanna.com)

Large Pandora Bag - f/w 2011 (www.pollyanna.com)

Alexander Wang f/w 2011 (www.farfetch.com)
A selection of a few of this seasons/next seasons bags of the bigger variety - the decisions!

Snakes

Burberry S/S 12

Lanvin S/S 2012 - www.anothermag.com

Lanvin S/S 2012 - www.zimbio.com

Instead of just wearing snake print - very popular for the last season, there has been a shift into having images/motifs/jewellery pieces of the animal as a whole. Lanvin's S/S 2012, shown in Paris this week is definitely the label embracing the  'full snake'.

Paco Rabanne S/S '12 show - Paris

love it

Paco Rabanne S/S 2012 - Paris

                                                  Paco Rabanne S/S 2012 - www.style.com

Paco Rabanne S/S 2012 - www.style.com

 Paco Rabanne S/S 2012 - www.style.com

                                                  Paco Rabanne S/S 2012 - www.style.com

Headpiece - Philip Treacy
Shoes - Nicholas Kirkwood

 Absolutely loved the Paco Rabanne show - showed this week in Paris. Held in the Pompidou centre the show production was amazing - making full use of the surroundings including the escalators. Above are images from the first part of the show - I'm currently researching garments which are influenced by reptiles, skin, movement etc and these pieces demonstrate this to the max (although the origninal inspiration was actually 'light'). Manish Arora has done himself proud as Rabanne's new creative director!

Novelty Knits

The novelty knit is back - most recently seen on the runway from designers such as Balenciaga, Marcus Lupfer, Moschino, Bella Freud and Haute Hippy to name a few.......

The image above is just at relevant now as it was back in the 1960's/70's - a design from one of Saville Row's top tailors, Tommy Nutter.

exhibition currently showing at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London - 'Tommy Nutter - the Rebel on The Row'

                                                     Balenciaga

                                               Marcus Lupfer

                                              Bella Freud



Corinne Day

Corinne Day at Gimpel Fils - 30 Davies Street London

A very good selection of the wonderful Corinne Days portraits are being exhibited at Gimpel Fils until early October..Mainly featuring a very young Kate Moss, each portrait extrudes the 90's glamour that Day herself founded. Her black and whites are definitely my favourites, simple styling letting the subject be the focus.

Photograph above - Corinne Day in Japan

Helmut Lang Returns

 

                           all images - www.style.com

Helmut Lang - Spring/Summer 2012 - New York

I have been waiting for this for a long long while...the first Helmut Lang show in over 5 years. Under the creative direction of Michael and Nicole Colovos the 90's theme has returned - a look back to the original Helmut Lang aesthetic.

Again, to me it the neck and shoulder lines which dramatic yet subtle, spaghetti straps mixed with thicker lines and exploration of different materials such as silk and leather.

All in all a well styled show - note the accessories.

Necklines

W Magazine - September 2010 issue 'Last Exit To Brooklyn'. Stylist Alex White

Having a look at different necklines around and about. The more unusual the better. Fur all the way along with layering and lapels.

                                      
 Gianfranco Ferre - A/W 2011 - shows at Milan Fashion Week

Sonia Rykiel - A/W 2011 (image - showstudio.com)

Peachoo + Krejberg - A/W 2011 (image - layerslondon.com)

Peachoo + Krejberg A/W '10/'11

My favourite label at the moment - Peachoo + Krejberg. First came across the design duo Peachoo Datwani and Roy Krejberg's collection at Pollyanna, Barnsley. They show at Paris Fashion Week -

lace up's

a bit of thing for lace ups -

                                                            Fendi

                                        Peachoo + Krejberg

with -

                                        Isabel Marant - http://www.net-a-porter.com/

Helmut Lang Returns

Helmut Lang - Spring 2001

Helmut Lang - A/W 2010

Helmut Lang - A/W 2010
Very much looking forward to the return of Helmut Lang at New York fashion week - I most definitely will be watching the show on Sept 10.

Above are a few of my past favourites - on my wish list are his boots - amazing

Phoebe English

A couple of pictures of the beautiful work of Central Saint Martin's MA graduate, Phoebe English.
The top design is one from her MA graduate collection and the second is her BA collection.

Specialised in fashion knit, she has experimented with a range of techniques making each piece a work of original art.

Eva Rothschild at The Hepworth, Wakefield

Eventually managed to get to The Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield. Now been open for a couple of months, it displays the beautiful sculpture work of Barbara Hepworth. It is a vast contemporary gallery located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire with very similar architectual qualities of London galleries such as Tate Modern and The Hayward.

Eva Rothschild, a sculptor who I have researched many times for my personal work is currently showing in three of the gallery rooms. All very large pieces, they work with and against the contours of the given space. The pictured piece is one of my favourites - automatically thinking of jewellery and how it could be worn on the body.

Will Self

Little people in the city : The street art of Slinkachu by Will Self

find Will Self's little people rather cute - tiny models put in city situations - they are usually backed up with the image from the perspective of a human, so the models are harly visable.

SPACE

Never have I been on a beach when there is absolutely no-one else in sight - slightly surreal.

found this beach up in Cumbria - Silecroft - got some good pictures

UAL Showtime

A link to see a few pieces of my final collection at Central Saint Martins - June 2011

http://showtime.arts.ac.uk/VirginiaWalker

lobster/crab catchers

found these rather rustic looking lobster/crab catchers whilst wandering around..love the different colours and textures - each cage was a completely different shape and design adding to the attraction