THE CYCLE OF FASHION: TREND TO TRENDY

I don't necessarily follow trends, or at least I don't buy things solely because they're considered 'trendy', but everything is inspired by something else. Whether that be a rehashing of a previous look from decades past, a re-imagining of a time, place, culture, song, scene, movement… Fashion is cyclical, so to say one doesn't 'follow' trends is futile. 

(Image via Tumblr)

Think back to 'The Devil Wear's Prada'; Miranda Priestly chastises Andrea for thinking that her sartorial choices were exempt from the influence of the fashion industry, when in fact her cerulean jumper represented millions of dollars, countless jobs and a journey from designer to clearance bin. Like I said, everything comes from somewhere. An abstract thought spun into material existence. 

With the end of another set of world wide fashion weeks, the internet is filled with new trends and 'ones to watch', soon to be filtered down to the high street - which for an everyday clothes horse who can't afford (or even imagine) dropping the equivalent of a house deposit on a dress, is crucial. The high street's re-appropriations are our ticket to sartorial enlightenment. However, there is a difference between a trend and being trendy. 

Throughout my own perusal I have noticed recurring themes at the current shows, for example statement bows heavily featured at Moschino and Sibling, accentuated waists seen at Gucci and No. 21 and the continuation of the midi length skirt as seen… everywhere. These are trends that will be selected, dissected and will appear imminently in your favourite 'fast fashion' stores (I'm thinking Zara and H&M). Once there, and with a heavy dose of mass appeal, these 'trends'  will become 'trendy' - which rather confusingly, will mark the end of said trend for some (much like when die hard fans label their favourite band 'sell outs' for garnering popularity.) 

(Sibling SS15)

(No.21 & Gucci via ManRepeller)

Let me explain further. A prominent trend as of late is all things 90's - which is rather strange considering that it is often *fondly* described as 'the time fashion forgot' - featured in many shows and seen on the likes of starlets, namely the youngest Jenner, Kylie. What culminated was a mash up of all things lumberjack/ Winona Ryder circa all of her hits and a dishevelled Courtney Love, that exploded as the new 'trendy type'. 

There are definite aspects that I enjoyed from this resurgence, namely the button through flimsy dresses, ditsy florals and chunky platforms but whilst stuck in this sentimental haze I got carried away. I saw a plastic link chocker - my mind awash with childhood memories - I bought one. I put it on with a wave of Spice Girls nostalgia, remembering those inflatable backpacks and the theme tune to 'Sister Sister'. However this wistfulness soon evaporated as I realised that what I had thought to be 90's cool had actually been repossessed by the Post Millennium tween set. I felt like I was trying to fit in with a crowd that by all questionnaire standards, I was two age demographics away from. 

(Image via Tumblr)

I believe fashion should never be try hard and it should also never be a means of disguise and whilst a necklace isn't quite as transformative as a whole disguise, I didn't feel like myself. I had fallen into a trend and been spat out 'trendy'. I was an accidental wannabe. I pinged the necklace off immediately and flung it on to my jewellery rack where it now forlornly hangs. 

(THE offending necklace as worn by the youngest of Jenners)

After that I decided on a more subtle nod to 90's trimmings. I opted to buy a rainbow, beaded concoction similar to a bracelet that I had previously owned as a youngster and wouldn't you know it, is spookily reminiscent of the beaded fringing seen cavorting down the runway at Preen's latest showing. 

The fluidity of fashion: inspired by memories as a project of rejuvenation. An ever-turning cycle if you will. 

Wonder what will be renewed next... 

10 THINGS I LEARNT LAST WEEK

Last week proved to be one of enlightenment. This is what I discovered:

1: Miley Cyrus prefers to go bare back.

(Photo: Daily Mail)

When you've exhausted the shock factor of the high-rise leotard and lycra just isn't doing it for you anymore, what's a girl to do but remove all clothing except for two tiny and shall we say, well placed, ice-cream nipple patches. However, Miley - as acute as ever - is quick to reassure the world, that what is smothered across her chest is in fact glitter and not a rash, because obviously that is what we were looking at!

2: Fashion-ites can't act…

(WhoWhatWear)

But Anna Wintour is fabulous. Watch WhoWhatWear's interview 'Anna Wintour Reveals 73 Things You Didn't Know About Her'. The silver tray of shades is utter brilliance. And if you need further proof of my former statement, watch Rachel Zoe's cameo on Gossip Girl to get my drift. 

3: The uncanny similarities between Tim Burton and my subconscious.

(Photo: Deviant Art)

At least in my dreams anyway… Recently as soon as my head hits the pillow the crazy is unleashed, so I did some research into dreams, why we dream, blah, blah, blah and basically learnt diddley squat. However, what I did discover was how fun it is when you *try* to interpret dreams. Whether it's latent desire, frustration or just your brain going into overdrive, trying to find meaning in the chaos that is your brain is strangely addictive!

4: A 'good girl' has gone real bad.

(Photo:WhoWhatWear)

Rihanna, Rihanna. I'm shaking my head at you. Alexander Wang is the Prince of fashion, as I'm sure you'll all agree (in succession to King Karl FYI) but just because it's got his name on it, that doesn't automatically make it a good idea. You already know my thoughts on leggings so I won't go on, but these are a pair I could potentially see myself investing in. However, the two pieces together are a shave too close to camel toe territory, it's almost too much for me to bear (I've actually had to scroll down to get the picture off the screen and save myself the fuss of a potential stroke). Worn with a thick jumper and this look could be stellar… See it doesn't always pay to lift looks straight off the runway. We'll give RiRi the benefit of the doubt, I mean kudos for actually having clothes on. Wang's collaboration with H&M hits stores November 6th and yes I am delirious with excitement. 

5: I need a cricket jumper ASAP.

(Preen Thornton Bregazzi. Photo: ManRepeller)

Thanks to those creative people over at Preen, I now have my autumnal obsession sorted for this year. The sports-luxe thing has been kicking about ever since Sporty Spice first came cartwheeling on to the scene and various takes on the look have since ensued, but Preen's recent show has rejuvenated this borderline tired look, adding new gumption. Jet black and stark white offset flashes of rainbow with space-age structuring and strong silhouettes, all with a smattering of beaded fringing. Love it!

6: My shoe obsession is pretty much out of control.

And it's all thanks to La Moda. I don't know how I managed to feed my addiction before I discovered this little beaut. Cool, on-trend and devastatingly affordable. Plus right now they have £5 off on selected autumn styles. 

7: Bridget Jones is my type of girl.

(Photo: Pheonix Mag)

After recently purchasing 'Bridget Jones' Diary' I feel a strong affinity with our leading lady. I've seen the films and they were pretty good but nothing beats actually reading the book. Maybe it's the literature nerd in me but you get so much more out of the story when looking at it in it's native form. Helen Fielding's writing is quintessentially British with her dry wit and cutting sarcasm and I love her and the book for it. Also her ability to use 'fuckwittage' whilst making a feminist stand against misogynist men and their rampant sex-drive is very commendable. (Also if 'selfie' is in the dictionary then why 'fuckwittage' isn't is utterly beyond me).  

8: Something worthwhile to distract yourself with.

(Abroad In Japan)

I have only recently discovered this young British chap abroad in Japan and I am honestly addicted. His trials in this foreign land are hilarious. Watch 'KFC Christmas Japan: A delicious alternate reality' for a culture shock and also 'LOVE Hotels in Japan' because, well, just WOW! 

9: Miracles do come true.

(Photo: Amazon)

I'd heard of this ointment beforehand but actually possessing it had always alluded me. However, on my recent trip to Australia, (in a supermarket no less!) the little red tube caught my attention. Without a second thought it was in my basket, beeping through the checkout and I was skipping out of the automatic doors. What am I talking about I hear you scream in annoyance? Lucas Pawpaw Ointment. Any sores, spots, scrapes, dry skin or any other ailments that might befall you will disappear. Honestly I don't leave the house without it. Number one travel companion for life. 

10: The joys of spooning.

(Photo: Cardboard Love)

Life is hard enough without your bread going to bits mid buttering. Ditch the knife in favour of a spoon to avoid the pit-falls of broken bread. 

I hope you feel as enriched as I do now that I have shared with you my knowledge. Go forth and live out my wisdom. 

INBETWEEN

My mother always told me that 'blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between'. This mantra has followed me throughout my entire childhood and well into adult life. What bothered me wasn't that blue and green weren't acceptable ensemble allies. No, what has baffled me since the age of being able to understand this supposed 'rule to live by' was: 'what the heck colour could sit flatteringly between blue and green'?!

I thought about adding a primary colour in there, but then that would dramatically increase the chances of being mistaken for a children's TV presenter or a packet of skittles… 

I feel like white is too stark, plus the resemblance to a stripe of toothpaste is just too obvious to ignore. Black is quite an edgy addition but a little safe maybe. After years of consideration I've concluded that pink is the accompaniment, and therefore answer, to this conundrum. A soft pink I feel would be a welcomed interlude to these 'apparently' warring colours. I'd like to add that the hours I've spent pondering over this have come to no fruition and that this outfit has not (and probably will not) see the light of day. Silly isn't it? But I just cannot bring myself to commit to this supposed sin against style. Plus sod's law would have it that on the day I do air my 'daring' outfit, I'd probably bump into my mum or burst into flames…

But all of this got me to thinking, with the exception of blue and green, there's no other colour combination(s) I won't, or haven't tried.

I once read that pink and red were 'finally' an acceptable pairing. Not that this had anything to do with the impending doomsday, sorry, I mean Valentine's Day. Personally I see V Day as the only day not to wear pink and red. I prefer black. I find that it compliments the lovely shade of green that my skin turns when that many balloon/heart holding bears descend upon the high street/world. (I'd like to clarify that this is not a green of jealousy but a colouring of utter sickness.) 

Also Dorothy from 'Rich Kids Of Beverly Hills' - and no I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm an avid watcher - listed wearing pink and red, along with wearing socks and sandals and blonde hair with black eyebrows, as the cardinal sins of today's youth and their inability to "be held accountable for their actions". The "scary place" that Dorothy thinks this leads to, is called 'the real world' where unfortunately she doesn't reside but her quips sure do make me lol. To get back on point here though, pink and red compliment one another (pink is only a lighter shade of red after all.) I also love turquoise and red; a colour combo I wore to my prom - on reflection this is the only statement I'll be re-living from that day, the rest will remain a distant, chiffon memory - at least I stayed away from satin. 

The more I think about it the more I come to realise that it all comes down to taste. Not good taste or bad taste but personal taste. Black and yellow will never bee (lol) okay in my mind but Jeremy Scott obviously doesn't share the same opinion after sending doppelganger Sponge Bob's down the runway. 

Clashing is a trend in itself. Some people go to the trouble of dying their hair to look like living rainbows. On the flip side others live a completely monochromatic life. Neither one is more right than the other. Whilst I find it hard to shake off my mother's warning, (mostly because the damn rhyme is stuck in my head) I do thrive off the days when I catch a glimpse of myself in a window looking like a paint box. When I was travelling it was a case of 'all on or freeze', which all too often left me looking like a crazy art teacher. Other times I'm likened to a ninja, kicking ass and looking chic all in one blacked out outfit - it might just be me that refers to me as a ninja though… 

Fashion is all about rules; black and brown together are a sin, vertical stripes are a girl's worst nightmare, cowboy boots worn in a non-ironic way will lead to mass shunning etc, etc… but really the only rules that should matter are the ones you make up yourself. After all you don't have to listen to my mother! 

(Photos: amlul, ManRepeller, WGSN)

GRAFFITI ON THE GOWN

Get your felt pens at the ready.

I feel like I'm teasing you but I have to put off any Oz/NZ posts yet again. 

(Photos: People Magazine & Hello)

Something BIG has happened. Yeah, yeah, blah, blah Brad and Angelina have finally tied the knot. Yes let's all applaud, but that's not what I'm interested in. Oh no. In true SoLou style, September 2nd 2014 will go down in history as the day of the dress.  

The world watched with bated breath, stiff with inhalation at the expectation of what would adorn the body of Miss Jolie. On first glance it's nice - a word I rarely use because it's so meaningless, 'oh you look nice' is just another way of saying 'you look so uninteresting that only the most basic of adjectives is befitting'. The dress features a ruched bodice, elegant spaghetti straps and a full skirt that spills to the floor. Not jaw-dropping but not awful either. 

Designed by Atelier Versace, the dress is really a masterclass in quality but in true Billy-Ray Cyrus style, the party really is in the back. The ever provocative, newly named Mrs Pitt, had doodles drawn by all six of her children embroidered on to the train and veil of her wedding gown. Yep, just like fellow bad gal Gwen Stefani, Jolie couldn't do the whole traditional white dress thang. Despite previously playing Mrs Smith, Jolie ain't no plain Jane.

During her previous relationship to Johnny Lee Miller, Jolie wore a white t-shirt; chic, carefree, totally cool, right? not exactly considering that it was apparently smeared with her blood. It spelt out his name which *apparently* made it romantic and therefore (in some alternate universe) kept it out of the realms of the perverse. She also wore her second husband Billy Bob Thornton's blood in a vial around her neck, so maybe this playful scattering of her children's scribbles isn't just a show of her abiding maternal love. Maybe this marks a stedfast move away from, what can only be described as yuck, to an infinitely less sinister rendition of a rather infantile means of expression; show and tell.  

(Photo: via DailyMail.com)

As the old adage waffles on about 'wearing one's heart on one's sleeve' so Jolie wore her children's drawings on her dress and as long as all blood remains within the confines of her ever shrinking body (side note: bring back the Lara Croft bod please Ange) can we really complain? 

For the haemophilic in me I think not.     

IT'S BEEN A WHILE...

Long time no write ey?

I've been away visiting Australia and New Zealand for the past month (I'm struggling to find a more worthwhile reason for taking a hiatus and frankly I can't) and whilst this trip has fuelled multiple blog posts (all to come) it kinda threw my blog timeline out. 

(Photo: Oxfam)

Before Oz (I'll hilariously refer to it as B.O from now on) I'd taken a trip to Bristol with the boyfriend. We planned to go away for a long weekend, that's four days and three nights. Comparatively speaking, packing for this should not have been an issue, after all for the next month I was planning on living out of a 60 litre rucksack (you know it's hardcore when bags are measured in litres FYI). But if I'm honest it almost broke me.

I don't like to think of myself as hard work. I live in a world where I would describe myself as low maintenance, fuss free. I have now recently come to realise that this is a delusion and I am in fact utterly deluded. I would love to be care free and live by my mother's rule: "all you need is a toothbrush and a couple of pairs of underwear", but I can't. I have a wardrobe full to the brim and as much as I would love a curated wardrobe of staples, I cannot lie anymore. The 'less is more' philosophy just ain't me honey. (Side note: I recently spent more time than I'd care to admit, transporting my clothes from plastic hangers to thin wire hangers in a bid to fit all of my clothes into one space. Some would say I have a problem. I would say that I have a fabulous wardrobe.)

When it came to whittling my wardrobe down to a weekender bag I did the thing that I always do. The same thing that I vow to never do again. (I've made this vow countless times.) I packed outfits. I have very few rules but this one is a biggie. NEVER PACK IN OUTFITS. I dress based solely upon how I feel. One day I might be feeling my legs so daisy dukes are the perfect idea, however one forgotten razor or a rain cloud and my stems aren't seeing the light of day. And this is the thing, no matter how good you are - and you could be really really good - clothes are an outward sign of an inward feeling, a means of self-expression, how on earth can you know what you want to express or how you're going to feel days in advance? 

Bristol was great, however an impromptu heat wave was not so appreciated (I'd packed for wind and rain. How was I to know the great British weather would desert me so heinously?) Drastically reducing my wardrobe to the size of a carryall already imposes serious limitations so why on earth do I further limit myself with ready made outfits that I most definitely will not be ready or willing to wear come a few days time. Yes that top looks fabulous with that skirt today, but tomorrow that might not be the case.

Even after living out of a rucksack for the last few weeks I still don't know the magic formula to a well packed suitcase but going off from the wise words of my mother, a toothbrush and underwear (preferably clean) seems like a good place to start.