Hugo Boss Spring 2011

I have always liked Hugo Boss. Good fashion and good style that shoots pretty big holes through your accounts. Unfortunately. Some of the pieces from the spring collection just makes me want to crinch but the ensemble in the picture above I like alot. There is always room for a bit of preppiness in my wardrobe.

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In the Cold North a Scarf is Needed

I love my Sunday walks but they tend to be a bit more painful now then in the middle of summer. Layers and layers is the trick if you want to survive to see your next birthday. I'm wearing an extremely long scarf that I can wind around my neck over and over again. I bought it at Zara when I was in Stockholm recently.

Today the sun favoured us with its presence and the birds were chirping with a promise of a spring to come ....

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POUR

In 2001 the brand POUR was created in my parts of the woods. The designer is Robert Berggren They make womens- and meswear but recently it seems that their jewellry generate the most atention. I can understand why. I like them but then I have always had a fascination with skulls. The price of the bracelet above is approximately £320. It is also my favourite of the bunch.

Approximately £190.

Approximately £250.

I think it's quite evident that they have my name written all over them. (Wouldn't you agree, Tony?)

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Givenchy Spring 2011

The fashion house, Givenchy, has been around for quite some time. It was founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy. Today it is owned by LVMH and last year the sales ended with 176 American dollars making Givenchy the second biggest clothing division in the conglomerate after Dior.

When Hubert de Givenchy retired John Galliano took over. After Galliano moved on to Dior Alexander McQueen stepped in. Riccardo Tisci took over womenswear in 2005 and then menswear in 2009. Riccardo Tisci is influenced by space-age and goth, creating somewhat darker collections. It is a far cry from the style of Hubert de Givenchy and we will see what happens with the brand this decade. I'm ambivalent to the suits above and the S&M inspired head gear leaves me cold.

I wonder if Hubert de Givenchy is spinning in his grave just now?

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Calvin Klein Spring 2011

I have always liked Calvin Klein's clothes with their simplicity and clean lines. It is not something I would spend my money on these days. Due to pirate copying I think it is one of the most diluted brands on the market. If you are going to cough up the cash you need your money's worth and not something that is worn every Tom, Dick and Harry.


When I saw pictures of the collection that is out now my view on Calvin Clein went from luke warm to ice cold. To pay money to look like a brushed up computer geek isn't my cup of tea.

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Vagabond

Beautiful shoes from Vagabond for aproximately £90. They will look very good on me this spring.

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Ascot

The final project at The London College of Fashion, oh so long ago, was to design formal wear for Ascot. Do you remember, Irina? The first thing was to get as much research as possible and then start the actual design with working drawings and the whole nine yards. The next step was to make patterns, make a toile of calico before cutting the actual fabric and sitting down by the sewing machine transforming the textiles into the actual garments that shortly before only had existed on paper.


The adventure then continued with the actual event where the clothes we had created in two years time where to be displayed on the catwalk. Lights, music and finishing touches mingled with extensive training of walking and taking the stage as dramatically as possible. Then the day of the actual event with three seperate shows on one of the hottest days in June. Backstage packed with models, dressers, hair and make-up people with temperatures that could rival a Finnish sauna. When I finished one of my scenes I had to run to the dressing room, get out of the outfit and into this blue suit, run back to the catwalk followed by a make-up artist who covered my face in powder to mask the sweat that was breaking out in my face, then step out on the catwalk again, into the lime light, cool as a cucumber and not reveal anything of the chaos backstage.


What memories! And I made a success. Did you really think otherwise? ;-)

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Galliano Autumn/Winter 2011

John Galliano has some suprises up his sleeve as usual. This fur hat belongs to his upcoming Autumn/Winter collection 2011/2012. Looks like fox fur but if it is real or I do not know. Most likely fake. It is big and I think it is cool. Perhaps not something I would normally wear but who knows. I would get a hell of a lot of atention, that's for sure.

And if that thing doesn't keep your head warm, nothing will.

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dsquared2 Spring Collection 2011

The twins Dan and Dean behind Dsquared2 have for several years delievered us hot and sexy fashion. The spring collection for 2011 that are in stores now is no exception. Masculine, elegant and sexy neatly sums up the feel of the clothes.


There is an air of the 1970s in the collection which makes me think of the tv-series Starsky & Hutch but of course cleverly updated for the 21st century. The only negative thing I want to point out is the faded jeans which feels like yesterday's news, and pressed creases on jeans is something that should never be allowed to catch on.



If you want to raise the temperature of your hotness this spring and summer dsquared2 is the best bet.

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Beauty

Love, unconditional or not, will never go out of fashion.

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Zara Bag

I found this bag on Zara's webpage. I think it is cool and I like the black with the contrasting white. It costs about £39 which is a nice price. When I started writing this it just hit me that I have a similar looking bag from Fred Perry. Whoops!! I leave it to someone else to claim ownership of this little goodie.
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Pure Swedish Dynamite

You can say nothing else then that Anita Ekberg was and is larger than life. Of course I'm partial since I'm Swedish but I don't think that anyone can deny that she was a real bomb shell. I read in an article once that Marilyn Monroe was terrified of Anita and that she would steal the lime light.

In 1950 Anita Ekberg entered and won the Miss Sweden contest. In the USA for the Miss Universe final She was in the top six and earned a starlet's contract with Universal Studios. Apparently the top contestants got that back then. Anita Ekberg became a pin-up and got smaller roles in films with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

Howard Hughes was interested in signing Anita Ekberg but wanted to change her nose, teeth and name. She didn't want to do it and said that if she became famous people would learn to pronounce it and if she didn't become famous it wouldn't matter. Anita Ekberg as many other Swedish actresses didn't reach as far as they could have because they didn't want to play according to the system's rules.

Anita Ekberg is not famous for being a serious actress but as a former sex symbol. She is in one of the film history's most famous scenes. The scene where she steps into Fontana di Trevi in Fellini's film La Dolce Vita.

She seems to be a formidable woman, a true bomb shell and she had and has a style of her own.

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The Film Awards in Stockholm, Sweden

Yesterday was the time for the annual Film Awards in Sweden, Guldbaggegalan. I saw today pictures from the webpage finest. se of Swedish celebrities of different dignities. Jeans as you see above don't fly at an award ceremony. Go back home, redo and do better.

The designer Lars Wallin and his friend were the only ones I could find that resembled an ounce of glamour. I like her dress. His suit and shoes are nice but where the f**k is the bow tie?

The actress Helena looks stylish but it feels too plain and too nice. Unfortunately.

Sometimes a picture really says more than a thousand words.

Okay for a cocktail party but not an award ceremony. Not according to my opinion.

Ouch! Nuff said.

I am fully aware of that Sweden is not Hollywood but I can't escape the fact that I miss the Eton tuxedo shirts, Versace dresses and shoes from Christian Louboutin.

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Galliano

The latest to come out of John Galliano's hands is this. He seems to have taken inspiration from Charlie Chaplin and his film "The Tramp". Different and innovative. Just as we have come to expect from the finest of British designers.

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Central St Martins

Karin Malm

Central St Martins is the best fashion college in the world, according to me. Parsons and the like have to excuse. The final shows are always a treat and the creativity is large. Above we see the work of Karin Malm from Sweden from the final show 2010. You clearly see the Scandinavian simplicity and being Scandinavian I like what I see.

Anne-Karine Thorbjoernsen

Perhaps not so much Scandinavian in Anne-Karine's outfit but it is definitely intriguing and promises a hefty dose of creativity in her as a designer.

Lee Roach

I like the simplicity of Lee Roach's outfit and I have always been a sucker för black. On the other hand I don't like the sandals and the silk stockings but who says that you have to buy it right off.

Kwan Tae Kim

I like Kwan's outfit, mostly because of the sci-fi feel. Science fiction films and tv-series have always been a great source of inspiration for me and then particularily the shows from the 1960s and the 1970s.

Onez Lau

I think the outfit above is fun. Reminds me of my Space Viking collection. It is funny how influences and styles return and how some seem to be on constant repeat. Today everything is more mingled than before and different styles seem to return faster and faster.

Zoe Cheng

Zoe Cheng

Zoe Cheng's dresses are beautiful and fascinating. Perhaps not so wearable but clothes made at Central St Martins and other fashion colleges don't necessarily have so much to do with comfort and wearability. Creativity and a talent for thinking outside the box is what is of importance, and they should definitely take the opportunity because out in the real world everything is controlled by the mighty pound.

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Lookalikes

If I had got a quid for every time I have been told that I look like Andreas Lundstedt from the pop group Alcazar I would be rich by now. It is a bit odd, isn't it? We all seem to have one or several "twins" running around out there and we are not remotely related to each other. Unless our parents have done something we are totally unaware of. I am fascinated by the genetic twists that can appear and how little we really know even though we profess to know so much. When we look ourselves in the mirror, is it our own face we see or someone elses? Are we unique or just a bunch of copies.




Me and Andreas were born the same year, born the same month. But I would say that he looks like me since I am six days older than him.

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Ralph Lauren Purple Label Spring 2011

Here we have some examples of what Ralph Lauren is dishing out in stores this spring when it comes to his Purple Label. Nice, cool, wonderful, beautiful. I could go on and on with the accolades. This is so good!! Couldn't think of a better way to go bancrupt. The whole ensemble in the top picture has my name written all over it.




Shopping can really cheer a boy up.

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Winter Dress

Yesterday I took a walk, inspecting my own land. It is hard to explain but is a nice feeling wandering around in your own forest. I even have a lake, a small one but a lake. It was colder than a witch's tit and you needed to pile on the layers and ended up looking like a Michelin Man. The hat has been made by former students of mine and it has kept me warm some winters by now.



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Affliction

Great t-shirt from Affliction. A great addition to any wardrobe to be leisurely worn on warm summer nights when hunting for adventure.

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Space Viking

More sins of the past. The drawing is from a collection I drew years ago and I called it Space Viking. A long wool coat in either black or dark grey with an intricate, layered belt. The ensemble is finished of with a black turtleneck, black trousers and army inspired boots.

My inspiration was taken from The Matrix and Star Wars with a mix of Viking influences to finish of the cocktail.

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Dior Spring 2011

There are some beautiful dresses from Dior at the moment. Galliano delievers as usual. When I see the style of the models' hair the style of the 1940s and Hollywood stars like Veronica Lake, Barbara Stanwyck and Rita Hayworth spring to mind. The bright, vibrant colours make me happy and make me think of candy and Cadbury's chocolate.
It is quite a far cry from Dior's New Look that he created after the second world war. But I think that they have taken care of the label very well and goes from strength to strength.







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