Disneyrollergirl

Secret shopping: 45R arrives in London

Japanese slow fashion brand, 45R has just opened its London outpost at 6 Brook Street, selling its cult denim, lived in knits and quilted outerwear. The Americans may be the originators but the Japanese are experts at producing artisan-quality denim that you’ll keep for years. (At 45R they hover between £350 and £800 which gives you an idea of the level of quality we’re talking about.)

I don’t…

Still not bored of French girl magic

Here’s a delicious new book celebrating cool, understated Parisiennes. If you enjoyed my book, The New Garconne (here), I think you’ll love In Paris: 20 Women on Life in the City of Light. It’s full of voyeuristic intimate photo profiles of everyday Parisian women, with photos taken by the quintessential Paris babe, Jeanne Damas.

This is what I call an espresso table book, a dinky coffee table…

Transitional neutrals: camel and red

We may have experienced 23-degree temperatures and cloudless blue skies this weekend but the leaves have turned claret and the forecast is cooler. Time to shift into my autumn default mode of camel and red. Chanel is on board to ease the transition with its Le Mat de Chanel collection, including Clair Obscur, an all-matte quad of browns, complete with matte-black casing. (Is it me or is…

Julianne Moore for Porter Magazine

Camilla Akrans’ editorial of Julianne Moore in Porter Magazine is beyond breathtaking. There’s an extreme close up of an eye (I’m a sucker for an extreme close-up), an abstract portrait shot through a gauze scrim, a fruit and flower still life, and basically hardly any clothes on view.

Remember, this is Porter, the Net-a-Portercatalogue disguised as a magazine. It’s supposed to sell clothes! And…

Buy it now: Farfetch X Uniform Wares

Funny isn’t it, how despite our tech-invaded world, so many of us still prefer an old-school analogue watch over yet another screen clamped to our wrist. Or maybe not so funny. I’ve noticed that my younger digital native friends are getting fatigued by screen time and craving the simplicity of cash, books and classic timepieces.

Of course, most of us want both. That’s definitely the case for my…

Quote of the day: Frida Giannini

“I don’t wish to speak badly about the fashion world. I had great experiences and met wonderful people, but it’s very different now to what it was four years ago. There are a lot of D.J.s and fewer designers. I don’t know if I could be part of that world anymore.”

Former Gucci creative director Frida Giannini in a ‘where are they now’ article, New York Times. I’d love to read an honest account…

Positive fashion: inside the Maiyet Collective pop-up

Art, fashion and retail had a very cosy relationship last week. In particular, I discovered an ambitious London pop-up concept – with a difference. As the cashed-up art-fashion crowd descended on the city for Frieze Week, positive impact brand, Maiyet launched its monthly pop-up, Maiyet Collective in Conduit street.

It’s quite the insidery affair, hidden on the first floor of a new private…

Gabriela Hearst at Net-a-Porter – hype commerce for the chic set

Net-a-Porter is embracing hype commerce with gusto, and I’m conflicted!

These short-term ‘online pop-ups’ are a way to get people shopping instantly (deliberate and be prepared to kick yourself later), a kind of fast fashion for the luxury brigade. I’m generally against that mindless consumption behaviour, but hear me out!

Net-a-Porter’s latest pop-up is from Gabriela Hearst,whose tailoring is…

Keith Haring’s tech-art prophecy

I saw this brilliant Keith Haring painting (‘Untitled’) last week at a preview for the Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art evening auction. It was painted in 1984, the beginning of the Mac computers era, and the pyramid with the raised hands underneath is supposed to represent the idea of the false worship of technology. How prophetic!

What Keith Haringand his fellow pop artists did so well…

I didn’t go to that many London Fashion Week shows this season. Unless you’re writing daily roundups, there’s really no reason to attend back to back shows when you can watch most of them on Instagram Stories. The exception is super-dramatic shows (Ashley Williams and Burberry sound like they had the best music) and shows where I’m personally invested in the brand.

Margaret Howell ticks that box…

The DRG retail index: Topshop, Benetton, H&M, Uniqlo

Here’s ALISON FARRINGTON’S latest monthly retail round up celebrating newness and innovation on the high street. Benetton is getting a reboot with a 90s nostalgia branding fest; Topshop is also dialling up a reboot for its Boutique collection; H&M’s latest Conscious Exclusive collection drops with new closed-loop fabrications and Uniqlo celebrates its LifeWear design principle with a Paris…

It’s merino season!

It’s sweater weather! Specifically Merino sweater weather, aka the lightweight, fine gauge knits that I stockpile from Cos and & Other Stories. Merino is not celebrated nearly enough imo; did you know that superfine Merino wool has been found to be therapeutic for eczema sufferers? The Woolmark Company alerted me to a British Journal of Dermatology studylast year, which found that superfine…

The DRG Style Index: Celine, Instagram, Gucci Beauty, Joseph, The Harmonist

Here’s the latest DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands and industry stories currently buzzing on my radar…

HEDI’S DEBUT AT CELINE What are we to make of Celine 3.0? I loved Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme and Hedi at Saint Laurent, but I’m not sure how I feel about the exact same look at Celine. It all feels a bit… Sandro circa 2016 (which is kinder than the ‘H&M Divided’ comment on…

New name to know for SS19: Plan C

Happy news for fans of Marni’s famous Milanese quirk. The Castiglioni family are back with a new brand – Plan C, encompassing ready-to-wear and some great accessories. I particularly like these chunky Geta-esque shoes and the whimsical illustrated bags. Did somebody say street-style bait?

Having sold Marni to Renzo Rosso’s Only The Brave group two years ago, the new Plan Cline is creatively…

Jo Malone Christmas 2018 gift guide

There was a Very Important Player missing from the round of Christmas press days this summer. The Jo Malone Christmas gift offer was noticeable by its absence, so I was very happy to finally see it at the press day earlier this week. Jo Malone’s Christmas gift items are something of a cult. The advent calendarsfamously have customers who place their names on the waiting list a year in advance.…

Jil Sander SS19 – seen but not heard

Vogue reports that Jil Sander SS19 took its trouser suit cues from the military, the artist’s studio and sports uniforms. I think there’s still plenty of mileage in the boxy, Celine-esque silhouette that’s dominated this decade. Women really seem to like its comfort factor and it aligns with the gender fluid movement perfectly. The Voguereview ends with a caveat that designers Luke and Lucie…