mr hare spring summer 2010 "hot steppers"

two weeks ago i went for a preview of mr hare's spring summer 2010 collection. his debut collection "the purest form" garnered such rave reviews, surely it must be difficult to triumph that. for his second collection, he decided to take us on a musical journey, naming all the shoes after dancehall legends. none of that difficult second album stuff, this is one collection that truly excites. i probably talk about mr hare too often on this blog, but his shoes bring happiness, and that's a good thing.

when i was at the showroom i took pics of the shoes that i really like. turns out there were 13 of them. how am i supposed to narrow down my wishlist? i'm also going to hazard a guess who these shoes are named after...

victor boa, the gorgeous tasseled loafer, after the afro-panamanian jazz pianist and composer victor everton mcrae.

fela, after the nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, fela anikulapo kuti. the vachetta leather is similar to those used in louis vuitton's "nomade" range, so the shoe will develop a lovely patina as it ages. gorgeousness.

aw2009's popular kerouac is making a come back in ss2010, with a few slight tweaks. the soles are now made of leather, and the body made from vachetta leather, again giving that patina as it ages.

quite possibly the best pair of blue suede shoes i've ever seen, a hybrid between a smart casual shoe and sneaker. a befitting name too, king tubby, after osbourne ruddock, a jamaican electronics and sound engineer.

now red suede or blue?!

or jil sander-sque grey suede sir coxsone, after jamaican record producer clement seymour dodd.

seriously now, if you think i'm an expert in musical legends, all bow to wikipedia!

suede boots spector. am not sure if it's named after the phil spector in the news lately...

if you're a keen follower you would have known i have a thing for saddled oxfords. the gorgeous jerry lee is named after jerry lee lewis, an american rock & roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist.

the very handsome dilla, named after james dewitt yancey, an american record producer. man this wikipedia thing is hot!

the beluti-ish cachao, named after cachao lópez. i am already melting at this point...

the mind bogglingly insane capote. come to daddy now, both of you!!


and last but not least, the business shoe worthy pacheco.

now tell me how to narrow down my selections. we have to work a little harder and stand a little taller come spring 2010. shoes, we l00o00ve. click here to see a selection of his fall winter 2009 collection.

now did i score 13/13 for my musicians blagging...

sale time shopping

it's scary when you receive emails about mid season sales. i was so bogged down with the trials and tribulations of life, that i somehow did not notice the fleeting of time. it's going to be october tomorrow, we are really in mid season. trauma trauma! anyway, with the flurry of emails about mid season reductions, here are a few of my favourites:

church's suede derby, was £170 now £85!

opening ceremony buckled and laced boots, was £180 now £108!

blaak homme pony skin lace up boots, was £260 now £130!

jil sander sandals, was £220 now £58!

jil sander lace ups, was £370 now £118!

raf simons for eastpak bag, was £240 now £168!

raf simons messenger bag, was £330 now £198. i would cut away the fringes though...

acne pleated shorts, was £118 now £38!

and while browsing, i came across this ostrich skin drinking and gaming case. totally frivolous, was £1,940 now £1,164! bargain! boys & their toys, now who's up for a game of poker...

casely-hayford spring summer 2010

back in may i featured casely-hayford's fall winter 2009 collection, and i was totally wowed by their exquisite tailoring, not to mention drool worthy shoes too. as one of the participants of last week's "fashion east" installations, casely-hayford showcased what's to come for spring 2010.

the nice tailored pieces remains, and they also introduced more colors and prints. i can see the layering but it feels a lot lighter than the previous season.

this was my favourite look of all. i love the silver shimmery cardigan, paired with the crisp white shirt and amazing waistcoat. i really like the lapels of it. the colors on the neck and the shimmer on the cardigan breaks the otherwise monotonous look. really like this look.

and the shoes! last season's olive green "bentley" quilted loafer makes a comeback this season in a nice shade of chocolate brown. de-li-cious!

very excited about their spring offerings, i hope they'll do well with this collection.

portrait of a shoeist

mr hare, at the white cube gallery, 18th september 2009

the problem with bloggers

london fashion week came and gone in a swift. i'm actually really tired from all that rushing around between shows, and making small talk with people i hardly knew or with those that shudder when i mentioned that i'm a fashion blogger. and i've only been to a few selected shows, how do the pros do it?

i love fashion, that's the reason why i set up this blog. fashion celebrates individualism and i pride myself for not coming out from the same cookie cutter. but because i am not from print journalism and i operate an online independent operation, i am classed as a blogger. can i be a freelance online writer instead i wonder?

and those who jet set and loan clothes (or gets gifted) to attend shows, those who gets recognised and mobbed on the streets and who happen to have a blog, are not bloggers. they are mini celebrities now, who happen to have a blog.

and then there are online only webzines, whom we know nothing about the authors but they feature a selection of what's cool and hip, sometimes a repost of press releases. they are classed as bloggers too. so the term "bloggers" really do cut pretty widely.

several fashion houses have gradually warmed up to the idea of "bloggers". i'm not exactly complaining, i get invited to shows which i never dream of being able to do so a year ago. it's new territory and we all tread carefully, bloggers and fashion houses alike. it's almost like free publicity if i come back and blog about an event that i've been to. but the downside is that the fashion houses have little control over what is the end product on the blogs. the wrong association could be damaging.

emma watson and gwyneth paltrow at burberry prorsum spring summer 2010 / getty images

of course i find it exciting to be at the shows. but i want to be a respected member of press, not a fan. to get recognition or control the onus of censorship lies within the blogger itself. "should i really post that unflattering picture of that designer/celebrity, yea i'll do it anyway as people will know i'm there and i met so & so!". magazines go through several stages of close examination before it gets published, so any double chins or unflattering pics get airbrushed or removed. the onus of self examination lies with the blogger.

bloggers get a lot of bad press because of the inaccuracy of information on their blogs. phillip lim is often misspelled as philip lim. can you blame him if a request for an invite to his show gets rejected? i raise my hand, i am guilty of that, i recently incorrectly spelled the name of a designer whom i had a giveaway organised recently.

christopher shannon spring summer 2010

at a recent show in milan, a few "bloggers" were sat front row and were given laptops to blog and tweet instantaneously. i witnessed first hand, a few bloggers were on their phones texting non-stop, presumably tweeting. what the fuck?! are we not supposed to enjoy the show, take in the moment and absorb it all? what's with the obsession in letting the world know which is the opening look, and while tweeting we ignored the 2nd and 3rd look? what's with the idea of letting people know we are at the shows/party just because?

seating arrangements within the show gets even more political. at a recent show i saw a blogger sat front row, while editors from a well respected magazine gets bumped to 3rd. and there i was throwing an imaginary hissy fit that i was allocated a standing ticket! ok i did get front row seats for a few shows i went to this year, i am thankful for that. but there's also no reason why the mag editors have to be bumped.

topman design spring summer 2010

credibility is difficult to earn, and i'm not on a crusade to change the opinions of everyone. i'm guilty of some of the things i mentioned anyway. blogging is cited as the next big thing, and like all bubbles it will burst. i am truly thankful for the things i've been able to achieve with this blog but i don't want to be called a blogger because of the sweeping generalisation, but that's like spitting in my soup.

fashion should be fun so we also shouldn't take everything too seriously. ok i'm kinda lost now, but there seemingly is a problem, and i'm raising it.

model or human

supermodel carmen kass was spotted on yesterday's emilio pucci show, in a bit of a hairy moment. i kid you not, those weren't photoshopped pics. according to the grapevine, carmen has a strong opinion when it comes to shaving, much like julia roberts and bjork.

a reader commented that "it makes her more human". i have no problems with her as a person sticking to her beliefs. but pucci employed her as a model to make the products look good, so i am struggling to come to terms with pucci's decision, not carmen. gosh this is a hairy topic, much like the discussion of having colored or plus sized models on the runway.

click here to see the complete emilio pucci spring 2010 collection, and here and here for the pics in question from style.com.


controversy.

at 23 savile row

manhattan socialite and fashion entrepreneur tinsley mortimer, at graeme black spring summer 2010

thank you!

my commentary about lady gaga's outfit at the marc jacobs aftershow party in nyc got published in the times! my original commentary was actually longer, i said i much preferred the red lace bodysuit that lady gaga wore, as compared to amber rose's leopard bodysuit at the VMAs.

click here to read the original article from timesonline!

graham norton in christopher kane fall winter 2009

british comedienne and chat show host graham norton was a guest on jonathan ross's chat show 2 days ago. he went on the show in a brown velvet jacket, with the ever popular christopher kane gorilla print t-shirt. i couldn't find a full length pic, but he wore the t-shirt tucked into this trousers, much like a normal t-shirt.

the t-shirt is actually longer in length, and despite seeing it on several guys, this is actually from the womenswear fall winter 2009 collection. i think it takes a certain kind of guy to work that print and cut. graham's flamboyant personality makes the look work well.

the t-shirt is also available online at matchesfashion.com.

out & about - topman browsing edition

topman recently refurbished their oxford circus flagship in london, which more than doubled what was the previous menswear space. i went along to have a look see, and picked a few items that caught my eye:

topman does a lot of the skinny fit blazers now, which i think is great as it fits better. i really like this navy blazer. the slightly shiny fabric gives it an expensive yet understated finish. the blazer retails for £70, and it seems reasonable to me. it's also available online here.

i also tried on the fitted and cropped navy double breasted jacket with gold buttons. i love the navy and gold pairing, and slim fit double breasted is a flattering look. but it's a bit tight when i button it up. the jacket retails for £85, also available online here.

the nautical striped top theme seemed to be going strong this season. and with my never ending love affair with the balenciaga fw07 navy striped top, i decided to get this. i like the contrasting pocket details, and at £16 it seemed frivolous. a similar version in baby blue is available online here.

i've been looking for a pair of skinny or fitted non-denim trousers for a long time. these skinny ones is just a little too tight on my calves, and rather demoralising that i have to go 2 sizes up. i quickly put that back onto the shelves. the trousers are available online here, and i would suggest taking next available size up.

overall, i really like the refurbished and expanded topman. there's lots more variety to choose from. but, and it's a big BUT, i felt very let down by the fitting rooms. it's tiny, and they have 2 huge light beams shining mercilessly at you. it makes the room very hot, and i can't wait to just take off the jackets. not good, as they should encourage customers to layer up and buy more stuff.

and so i left, with just the striped top...

backstage at graeme black spring summer 2010

i always wondered what it's like backstage before the shows. there must be a huge team, working around the clock to get everything perfect. i wandered backstage before the show started to have a nose around...

and you can just about see my reflection in the mirror!

the man himself, mr graeme black

click here to see my pics from the show!

sibling spring summer 2010

i've not heard of "sibling", but i chanced upon their knitwear at wednesday's "fashion east" event. i love my bling, so this sequined sweater completely floats my boat!

i thought their take on the sailor striped top was interesting. it featured a 3D skull effect. but i think the effect will make the wearer appear to have a tummy though. but i still like both pieces nonetheless.