SEMAINE DE MODE MONTRÉAL

It has been quite some time since I made a blog entry but it is all in the name of an adequate enough reason. I was busy planning my big move to Montréal the fashion hub of North America. I arrived just little over a month ago and I was lucky enough to catch fashion week here and compile my little bits of research about what’s hot in this ubër stylish city.

Fashion week was very impressive here, it was held in the beautiful Marché Bonsecours, situated in the Vieux Port of the city. The fashion week staff were very helpful and welcoming to the new Irish girl in the city! They gave me a media pass therefore I was able to gain access to Le Showroom and view the collections as well as chat with the Montreal based designers. I was also lucky enough to catch a conference about Berlin fashion called “Berlin en route to becoming a fashion metropolis” (I thought Berliners already had that one established!).

The first designer I encountered was called Valerie Dumaine, I detoured over to her collection when a very graphic print dress caught my eye. In addition, she was very welcoming and was delighted to talk me through her collection. She directed me to visit two stores in Montréal which she highly recommended as having strong concepts and cutting edge design. Reborn in the old port was her first suggestion, I had heard about this store before arriving here because it stocks a large selection of avant garde European designers. Unicorn on Boulevard Saint Laurent was her second recommendation.

Next up I checked out Eve Gravel who had a very feminine collection of floral summer skirts and tops adorned with bows, ruffles and came in a colour palette of nude, whites and stone. I will have to venture over to Unicorn store to view her current winter collection and continue my search for a super warm but equally stylish winter coat.

Barilà was next port of call, a very soft leather dress stood out in the collection. Sabrina one part of the sister design duo, informed me that it was vegan leather but it was from their current collection. The SS/10 collection was being ushered off in time for their fashion show that evening, which she kindly invited me to. I happily attended the show to see more from this wonderful collection. The Barilà show will be reviewed in my next blog entry. TBC.

SALE SPREE

Acne Duchess dress now €120

Ossie Clark(Matches) t-shirt now €52

It's that time of year again when one can't help but check out all the gorgeous new AW/09 looks appearing all over our favourite online stores. I have already written a wish list from the Acne and Matches online store alone. However it is worth diverting your eyes away just for a little longer, as there is a feast of sales cropping up across some of the most exciting, and independent online stores such as: Farfetch, Tresbienshop,Branten, Scouthestore, Matches, Doshaburi, Ok-ni and Surface to Air. There are bargains galore on all these sites with some items slashed to 70%.I have put together a little selection of treats to choose from. Browse and shop to your hearts content and remember to acknowledge the fact that you are supporting the independent designers which these online boutiques promote. I hope I have inspired some online shopping sprees.

Martin Margiela blazer (Tresbienshop) now €208

Tsumori Chisato dress (Tresbienshop) now €305

Beyond the Valley Jacket (Farfetch) now €180

JC de Castelbajac dress (Farfetch) now €70

Tsumori Chisato cuff (Farfetch) now €71

Henrik Vibskov shirt (Scouthestore) now €90

Henrik Vibskov Vest (Scouthestore) now €105

Diana Orving dress (Scouthestore) now €55

Comme Des Garconnes jacket (Farfetch) now €486

Bernhard Willhelm dress (Farfetch) now €350

A MEDIOCRE SUCCESS

Mediocre Success is designed for those of us that like our accessories to be simple, functional, and above all tactile. These days there is such an abundance of clutter surrounding our lives that it becomes useful to compartmentalise our belongings in order to be organised. Mediocre Success does just that, by providing intricately designed pieces for storing and wrapping up, all the important bits in your handbag. Mediocre Success is designed by the savvy Swiss native Eveline Erni who studied fashion design in Milan and has since worked as a stylist for various menswear labels. It is stocked in select concept stores such as The Hunter in Berlin and Vestibule in Zurich. She creates everything from wallets, travel holders, vanity bags, to i-phone holders, USB-stick holders and passport pouches. I met up with Eveline in Dublin while she was working as a costume designer on a short film. Below she tells us a little more about her design background and her decision to follow the accessories route of design practice.


Style-Sphere: Where did the name Mediocre Success originate?Eveline: I was looking for a name that encourages one to think about what lies beneath the brand - it had to be a name that could stand for any kind of product. Mediocre Success, sounds confusing because it has negative attributes so I figured it would be the best name ever!

Style-Sphere: What is your design background and how did you decide to enter into the realm of accessory design?Eveline: I studied fashion design and received a scholarship for a leather accessories course. Following my studies in Milan, I worked for several years for other companies in this particular area. I then realised that I had sufficient experience to launch my own label. I believe that the design process is all about your passion.

Style-Sphere: What accessories designer to you admire the most and why?Eveline: I truly admire all accessory designers who possess a strong conceptional approach to design such as, Maison Martin Margiela or Costume National.

Style-Sphere: If you had the choice to stock Mediocre Success within any store in the world, where would you choose?
Eveline: I would have to choose stores which carry a clear statement and believe in promoting a strong concept such as: Park in Vienna, Circus Store in Dublin, Frip in Milan or Merci in Paris.

Style-Sphere: What are your future aspirations for Mediocre Success?
Eveline: I would hope that Mediocre Success will become recognised as a label with a unique style and a design aesthetic that highlights individuality and functionality.

http://www.mediocresuccess.com/

ALEXA IN WONDERLAND

By a reader and fellow bloggers request I am devoting a blog post over to style icon of the moment Alexa Chung. I don’t normally follow celebrity fashionistas bar Chloe Sevigny, but I must admit that Alexa is one heck of a clothes hanger. She can transform the simplest Breton top into the trendiest piece of the season, and she is indeed the girl who revamped this trend. Her exotic looks which stem from a British mother and Chinese Father can transcend every look from grunge, classic tomboy, to quintessential British chic, and couture. She has proved herself to be quite the style chameleon and holds as much esteem in the style stakes as long standing style superiors Chloë Sevigny and Kate Moss. Below are my top 8 Alexa looks.








1st Image: Alexa graces the front page of French Jalouse magazine.
2nd Image: Attending a Chanel fashion show in an Isabel Marant Paddington jacket.
3rd Image: Sporting a Breton top and Hunter Wellingtons at a festival.
4th Image: British Chic on the streets of London.
5th Image: Preppy and perfect in a Burberry Trenchcoat.
6th Image: Supporting British fashion designers in a nude dress by Poltock & Walsh.
7th Image: Looking frou frou in a Luella frock.
8th Image: Romantic and beautiful in couture Giambatista Valli for Harpers Bazaar magazine.

OPENING CEREMONY FEVER

I have Opening Ceremony fever at the minute, I love the selection that Très Bien Shop are selling at their online site. This cobalt blue dress is a particular favourite, I love the unexpected split at the back and the simple, linear design of the dress. It would look great teamed with the Opening Ceremony flare trench and the corset tied shoe boots also featured here. It was their collaboration with style maverick Chloë Sevigny back in 1998 that sparked off my interest with the brand. The ingenious collaboration continues with Sevigny creating a line of menswear pieces for AW/09.

Unisex Menswear

Regularly I stumble upon online shops with menswear that far surpasses the womenswear collections on offer however, I was happy to discover that Swedish label Odeur define themselves as a unisex menswear collection. The label launched in 2006 and is designed by duo Petter Hollstrom and Anna Lidstrom, it is stocked in several conceptual stores worldwide including; Temporary Showroom (Berlin),Rubber Soul (Oslo), Doshaburi (Barcelona) as well as a stream of stores throughout Sweden and Japan. According to Odeur "All garments are endorsed with the scent of Odeur- an androgynous, clean, white and light scent". I reckon it was imperative that I mention their adept description of this scent which is as follows, “the aroma chosen to represent Odeur is based on a number of visual factors; the clean lines of the clothing with an almost androgynous alien look. By using aromas that stem from the higher scale, the scent of Odeur has become a light, white and clean fragrance. The scent is meant to be clean and unusual, but not a quirky sexual fragrance. It is not gender specific, and the chosen aroma covers all natural elements. It is fresh, clean and modern”-Odeur.



Images from http://www.odeur.se/

It was the crisp white cardigan above that enticed my attention, it is so intelligently constructed with its strategically placed snap fasteners and its asymmetric drape to one side. The nonchalant styling in the lookbook suits the construction of the piece, I like how it is slung loosely over the low crotch black trousers and alternatively styled over white skinny jeans for a preppier look. I would probably wear a long black Isabel Marant linen top underneath and pop a vintage snakeskin belt around the waist for a slightly more feminine take on the look.

Powder my Nose

(c) www.elle.com

Forties-esque Hollywood glamour is painted all over the faces of Elie Saabs models for his Fall 2009 collection.The elegantly coiffed hair and the red bouches sit perfectly beside the equally elegant collection of sculpted dresses, cinched in jackets, and low cut gloves.Kudos to the hair and make-up team. All I need now is hairspray and a generous dollop of red lipstick in my pathetic attempt in re-creating this look.

The Wow in White

(c)DSM

Check out the Azzedine Alaïa arrival of white dresses in Dover Street Market.I want all four please!

Krazy for KTZ

Kokon to Zai (KTZ) is the brainchild of super talented duo Sasko Bezovski and Marjan Pejoski who collectively work in the varying fields of fashion design, buying,djing and styling.Each season brings about an even more experimental collection from the innovative London based label, and the current season is no exception taking its inspiration from Blade Runner, and tribal references.The spring summer 09 collection is mega jeweled,overly embellished,colourful, and full of the archetypal KTZ personality, they are the type of clothes that make you want to leap around the streets or dance your socks off. It's couture clubwear for want of a new genre of fashion. What's more, the label won the New Generation award this season so a few select pieces from the collection are stocked in Topshop as part of the Edit concession which also includes: Marios (Italy), Diana Orving (Sweden),Grey Ant(LA) and Starstyling(Berlin) for a limited period only.Also available from

I ordered the tubed leather jacket (pictured below) from last seasons collection and I just adore it, I haven't worn it that much because it's just one of those special pieces. It has a marvellous texture of patented leather with hard leather tubing embossed over the leather to create a 3D like effect. There is a sort of superhero effect in wearing their clothes because of the powerful design execution, every design detail is considered down to the lining of the pockets (see below green stripe lining).

Bless yourself at bedtime

Bless is a concept driven fashion and art label who are based primarily from Berlin.Their latest print offering is a bedsheet featuring a couple sleeping, so you never have to go to bed alone again!They are 100% satin and are available online from the uber cool online store Farfetch.

Bold and Beautiful Balmain

Spring/Summer 2009 Balmain directed by the also beautiful Christophe Decarnin is every fashion lovers dream wardrobe. The infamous razor slashed bleached jeans and studed sandals reference glam rock and punk, while floaty bum dipping dresses maintain the element of femininity. Decarnin suceeds in creating a collection that surpasses all Madonnas eighties dreams whilst also satisfying the palates of those who like to look pretty as well as edgy.Decarnin for Balmain is the forerunner in creating a post modernist eighties fashion movement.I left a gasp when I saw the collection on FTV, oh... I want it all.

Carin Wester for the Summer

A graduate of Beckhams College of design in Stockholm, Carin Wester launched her label in 2003. She was awarded “Newcomer Designer of the year” in 2005 by Swedish Elle magazine. Her collection has gone from strength to strength over the past few seasons and the mens collection is now well incorporated into the label.I first saw one of her lace pieces in Jalouse magazine and I have checked up on the label ever since. It was her AW/08 nautical series that I really fell head over heels for when I viewed the collection at Rendez Vous.I am the proud owner of the Ismeralda black dress and the Iris jersey dress.I will post a photo of one of these at the end of the post.The mens collection is not for the faint hearted man, it takes a brave young man to carry off pink pants but kudos all round if you can! The suiting is exceptional, I love the fact that is understated and a little sloppy, but still manages to be sophisticated in its own non-chalant way.

Weekday store in Sweden began a new project recently called Weekday Extended, whereby they hand -pick a Swedish designer to specially design a limited edition collection. Carin Wester was one of the selected and CW by Carin Wester turned out to be a fun mini collection. I would like to get my hands on the black jersey corset dress, a comfy corset, how is that possible?

My Ismeralda dress.