Bea Szenfeld

The first time I saw Bea Szenfeld was on a reality show on TV where fashion people from different parts of the world competed for an assistant's job at Versace. It was quite an odd show but I don't think Bea won. She has done well for herself anyway with Björk as one of her customers. Bea herself has a very unique way of expression with her 1950s inspired attire. I think that she is cool because she goes her own way. That is something to admire.

Her clothes and collections are a mix between art and fashion. She has no lack of creativity in that body of hers. Her particular style of clothes is one part Clockwork Orange and one part Alice in Wonderland. That is an exciting combination indeed.

There is no doubt that we are going to see more of Bea in the future and I think that we are going to see great things.

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James Smith & Sons Umbrellas

Not very far from The British Museum you find James Smith & Sons Umbrellas established in 1830. Even if it concerns such a mundane thing as an umbrella you want one that is a cut above the rest. This particular umbrella on the pictures has a handle made out of Bark Cherrywood. It also has a silver lapband where you can have your initials engraved. Prices start at £245.


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Philip Treacy

I saw a programme today where there was a segment about Philip Treacy which served as a reminder of his genius as a milliner. Philip Treacy was born in 1967 in Ireland and started his education with journalism at National College of Art and Design in Dublin. The late Isabella Blow, who was style editor for Tatler helped to launch his career as a milliner and she frequently wore his hats. He has designed for major designers like Alexander McQueen and Valentino. Philip Treacy has a unique view on style and design. His hats are nothing short of magical and works of art.





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Gul & Blå

Gul & Blå which means Yellow & Blue. A jeans brand that saw the light in Stockholm, Sweden in 1966. I think the brand name still exists but is not owned by the founders Lars Knutsson and Martina Clason This is where my mother worked way back when and I almost exclusively ran around in jeans and sweatshirts from Gul & Blå. Maria Knutsson designed the V-jeans with really wide legs that became a huge success. People queued for hours to get the jeans and they could barely manufacture them in the speed that people wanted them.

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Reiss

When I moved to London I lived close to Kings Road so that road has a special place in my heart. One of my favourite shops to saunter into was (and still is) Reiss. They don't provide jaw dropping fashion perhaps but they do have classical pieces that you can keep in your wardrobe for a long time to come. The military inspired jacket above is a nice purchase and it is one of the best colours ever, navy blue.

This blue and floral hankerchief I consider a must have.

When we already are into blue why not a navy blue suit. We can't run around in grey and black all the time.

I have a thing for sweaters with patches on the shoulders or the elbows. I wonder what that means??


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Trends

I read fashion magazines quite frequently and blogs and where ever I can find it. Inevitably I have opinions. Sometimes it seems like trend analysts and designers are struck by a collcetive oxygen deprivation when they feel the urge to put out something new on the market. Has the combination of a tailored jacket, a pair of suit pants that have been cut above the knee and a flash of hairy legs between said shorts and shoes ever looked good? This is a style that should not be tested by anyone else than a trend hungry twenty something that wants to look exactly as the models in the magazines. If you are over twentyfive it can almost be considered illegal if you wear that.

All the trends and fashion styles that are force fed upon us don't need to be embraced and digested by us. Enormous shoulder pads and leg warmers are things that we could have done without and should never again have been allowed to be taken out into the light from the wardrobe of fashion history. Just because a certain style is presented in a fashion magazine doesn't mean that it is automatically beautiful or that it should come in contact with a human body.

Another trend that leaves me dumbfounded is short suit jackets. Short jackets on people who are not sporting a bubble butt is not a hit. A short jacket could make most arses look like a battle ship out on a mission. The nerd seems to be have been some sort of inspiration, therefore the short pants where you can clearly see shoes and socks. If you are going to stand the slightest chance to pull that off you need nice shoes and some multicoloured socks that can take off the edge that you happened to have popped up from the backwaters of fashion.

All trends are not cool and beautiful and should not end up in our wardrobes. To a certain extent we should try to dress our age. Many new styles only look good on trend hungry youngsters who haven't seen that particular style before, not the rest of us. Finally for a trend that is upon us at the moment, camouflage. If you are not planning to go into the woods to hunt deer or have planned to enlist with the French foreign legion camoufalge is not for you. I don't care how old you are or what gender you are. If camouflage is in your wardrobe, burn it!!

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Iceberg

Iceberg Fall 2011

The company Iceberg does some really nice shit. Just look at these pictures. Both the collections for spring and fall 2011 are stunning. This is just right up my alley. Good style, great materials, good tailoring mixed with a bit of sex is the perfect combination. I'm going to start a love relationship with Iceberg.

Iceberg Spring/Summer 2011

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G-Star

G-Star is one of the best denim brands around. There is an edge to the designs, the style is great and in short terms sex on legs.


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Hippie

This season the hippie is one of the influences to fashion. Not the first time that has happened. The hippie seems to pop more and more regurarly. I don't mind. I'm fascinated by the era of peace, love and understanding. I wouldn't mind doing a bit of time travelling and experiencing that time.


Above we have some examples from American fashion this season that have sneaked a peak on the seventies and the hippie. Below we see examples from the Anna Sui collection and I think that they are great. I love them!!


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Karl Lagerfeld Spring/Summer 2011

Sometimes we buy clothes because of the label. We might not even like them but the image of the brand and of the designer make them into coveted items. Let's face it, something that is especially true of men's wear is that it sometimes is difficult if not sheer impossible to distinguish who is behind the designs. It all looks basically the same. It's a thought that was renewed in my mind when I looked at Karl Lagerfeld's webpage. What was especially Lagerfeld about the clothes? It could just as easily have been H&M, Reiss, Calvin Klein or TopMan.

One thing that differs from one brand to the other is the price. Of course quality and cut can be different but if I had shown the pictures without mentioning Karl Lagerfeld would you have been able to tell that he was the designer? Perhaps I need some more distintictive features of style except the label Karl Lagerfeld to cough up the money.

The webpage is cool and I had immensely fun spinning the doll of Karl Lagerfeld around and around ...

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Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin is seen on most of the female stars' feet at award ceremonies, premieres and parties. Many of them have platforms making the women taller but I suppose that it also make more difficult to use them. He's innovative, makes beautiful shoes and I absolutely love his webpage that plays in a league all of its own.

He makes beautiful footwear for women but the ones for men are not of the same calibre. I wouldn't want them even if they threw them after me.


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Filippa K

I just went into Filippa K's webpage and as usual I found it hard to find pieces that I would want. I can't put my finger on it but not much speaks to me. Just these three items, and that is not alot considering that she has quite some pieces on offer. She has a very minilastic style and that is something I usually go for, with some exception, so why aren't I there like a dog on heat rummaging through the stuff? For some reason I just find the things to be very dull. Unfortunately.

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RuPaul's Drag Race

On Sunday April the third Swedish Television will be introduced to RuPaul's Drag Race. It's about time! If I have understood it correctly three season's have been underway and the show has turned into a hit in the US. A drag version of Tyra Banks's Americas's Next Top Model with I suppose more drama and more catfights. Bring it on!

RuPaul is one of those people that looks better as a woman than as a man. I remember when he was splashed over billboards in London in the early 1990s. A stunning picture and one of my friends actually thought he was a woman. I didn't break it to him lightly.

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Needing and Wanting

I read an article about Nathalie Schuterman. It got me thinking and reminded me about something that I had been planning to write. There is a difference between needing and wanting. Nathalie runs a shop in Stockholm with designer clothes and she has a twelve year old daughter who has a successful fashion blog. They caused major controversy last year after a TV-interview where it came to light that Natalie had purchased a £1000 Balenciaga bag for her daughter. There is a difference between needing and wanting. In today's article Nathalie's explanation was that she bought an expensive bag for her daughter because she has a designer shop just as well as a banker would open a bank account for their child. Pardon me, Natalie, but your intelligence is showing. Open a bank account is something that most people do for their children no matter of their occupation. Buying Balenciaga bags is for a select few. The opinions about this are many and varied but also an effect of the society we humans have created. There is a difference between needing and wanting. In actual fact we don't need so many things. Food, a roof over our heads, a few items of clothing and some other necessities. We don't need to buy new furniture every second year and we don't need tons of clothes, but we want to. If we are poor we want to have a better lifestyle. If we are rich, we for some reason want to be richer. Some would say that it is evolution and progress but I think that our planet would have thanked us if we would have been a tad less greedy. There is a difference between needing and wanting. If you are fighting terminal cancer, have HIV, are crippled after an accident or are fighting panic attacks money can offer you better options of medical treatments but little less. When you are well and healthy you want and need so many things. When you are sick you only want and need one thing, to get rid of the disease. If you are feeling like shit you will not feel less like shit just because you are wrapped in Gucci and Versace from head to toe. There is a difference between needing and wanting. What we choose to prioritize is due to our own personal genetic make-up, if we have been born with a silver spoon in our mouths or not and what our goals in life are to just mention a few. There is a difference between needing and wanting. Nathalie Schuterman was in the article asked how she would handle poverty. She answered, no problem and that she would adapt. Personally I don't lead a life of luxury but I've never been poor. I credit myself with the ability to "walk in another man's shoes" but I don't think I could imagine total poverty or adapt to it. To say that you could adapt to poverty when you are rich shows a lack of awareness. There is difference between needing and wanting but a £1000 Balenciaga bag for a twelve year old is just stupidity. //P.

Facets of Life

I was born in the strobopscope lights, nurtured to the beat of the drums and molded in the shape of enigmatic mystery. I'm a child of the night, but still honouring the light. The dark is seductive and should be succumed to at times with the remembrance of concentrating your eye on the diamonds of the sky.


No matter in life, if you are interested in a person, the latest fashion, a hobby like painting, world domination or just something as simple as a photo opportunity you should go after it with all of your might ....


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Alexander Johansson

Alexander Johansson is from my part of the world. Twenty years old (in other words just a baby) but on the other hand the modelling business is the most youth obsessed in the entire world. Discovered a few years ago at a concert he is now ranked at fifteenth place among male models. Alexander has worked with all the big names and hope the manoey is rolling into his account with a dizzying speed. Seems to be levelheaded and strong. Doesn't want to stay in the business forever (but then which model can) and wants to stay in the little place of Sandhult.

Cute, isn't it ......




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Day After

The day after an adventure you can feel a bit fuzzy around the edges and start to think that Botox isn't such a bad idea. You are amazed that the mirror doesn't crack from side to side. Then there is only one thing to do. Eggs and bacon, coffee and go shopping. Preferably attired in some of your best friends. In my case, Pace, Identity, Ralph Lauren and a scarf knitted by my mother.

The immediate goal was Zara. I stand outside the dressing room where my friend is changing, holding her shoes. If I remember correctly she bought two tops and a dress. I came home with two pair of jeans.

Feeling much better but still a bit fuzzy.

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