Hamilton & Hare Spring Summer 2013

As well you know, gender bending is kinda my thing, right? And ever since working at Mr Porter, my peepers have been opened to the gorgeous attention to detail and subtle statements possible in menswear. More than anything, I'm fascinated by the problems and peculiarities facing boys today, and how they might be different from problems posed to girls.  

Let me introduce you to Hamilton and Hare. Label founder Olivia Francis wanted to fill what she described as a gap in the market; all things considered, it's more like a gaping chasm. Bespoke underwear for men; think about it - while we womenfolk have a wealth of choice, some might even say too much, men are kind of expected to clothe themselves with little more than something with the name of a big brand people below their waistline, but nothing where the shape or fit or colour actually matters.

So back to this new London brand. Just six months young, they focus on classic boxers; unique in focusing solely on mens underwear at all, the niche is one they command to perfection. Created by Raf Simons menswear designer Cameron Foden, their designs are shaped at the waist and in the leg, foremost to look great on the body. In particular, Olivia was not a fan of the "nappy" look most boxers have and set out to change that with success. They are sleek and effortless, inspired by and created for the City of London and the smart gents who work there.

It totally makes sense that this amount of detail should be put into a product most men wear most days. That's a whole lot of boxers. Saville Row tailor Graham Tuckett is also on the creative team, and it shows; their streamline shape also means they sit well under suits and smart trousers. Unique finishing touches taken from shirting can be seen at the hems. Mother of pearl buttons and soft cotton labels mean they are comfortable and luxurious. And why not? Women's undies have long been a retail rescue remedy for feeling low, why not have the boys feel a bit better with a pair of boxers? 

Maybe it's having a female CEO, but borrowing from the girls doesn't end there. The logo of boxing hares is evocative of the item's early history, and the shorts come with a matching pocket square, so those in the know can match their smalls, as well as giving a cheeky wink to anyone watching.

Monday Moodboard | Georgia May Jagger for H&M Spring 2013

If ever a single campaign made me want to eject all colour from my wardrobe and banish black forever, this is it. The rock and roll vibe in pristine white is almost too tight, and that it comes from uber-affordable H&M is all the better. I just need to work out what to get first but skinny jeans, pointed ankle boots and leather gilets never looked better than in this pristine shade. If I ever get married, I want to wear the exact outfit Georgia May Jagger has on below, I kid you not.

There's something about Georgia May Jagger as a model that has always slightly irritated me, and I can never quite put my finger on it, something too much about her gap teeth, especially when styled with a bright lip. Those Rimmel ads, I hear you say? Yes, those. But I dunno if its the natural shading, the beehive hair or what, but it works. Better still, this rock royalty brat is lounging around lustfully in what looks to be some very plush interior with musical instruments -that are also in white!  Oh, simple things, for simple minds, people.

Monday Moodboard | Alexander Wang Spring Summer 2013

Alexander Wang's New-York-model-off-duty chic, relaxed American sportswear with a knowing edge has made him one of the fash pack's favourite designers, whatever your walk of life. This season he took it to the next level with cutaway fabrics and suspension using a type of fishing line his design team developed themselves. In keeping with the clean, minimalist mood de nos jours, the designs were clinically precise in a delicious, covetable way that makes you want to stick a line of gaffa tape and live in pure white before you get but a minute older. Were those boots? Sandals? Who cares, we want. But it was the glow-in-the-dark finale that cinched the deal... Especially here at Electric Dress, we love a bit of technology-meets-fashion, yeah? It like totally rocks our "what does it all mean?" existentialist outlook on the what we, like, say about our bodies through our clothes. Well done, Wang. 

Images via mtv.com, jaystrut.com, showyourspark.blogspot.com. Video via Youtube.

Bernard Chandran Spring Summer 2013

Sporty yet urbane, tough yet cool. Inspired by "the rough edges of a close friend's love tale", if the muse behind Bernard Chandran's Spring Summer 2013 collection has been spurned in love, she's coming back fighting fit. Models sported graphic eyeliner and retro-futuristic shades that resembled catwalk-ready visors. Always one for mixing an interesting fabric or too, the coats that mixed silk and leather, with a raglan sleeve to give a soft but strong shoulder shape, were the combat clothes of a sophisticated fighter. A palette that mixed fresh whites with pink going to monochrome prints that oozed confidence without being shouty, through to blacks with navy, it was elegant and authorative with just a dash of girly flair.

Some minimal dresses incorporate just a panel of bright colour at the throat with flowing lengths of nude and blush, a quietly chic way of doing things without using embellishment or jelweery. Sleek lines in cutaway frocks with slightly oversize shoulders gave way to intricate sequin work on dresses that turned an initial instance of a graded hem line (short at the front, longer at the back) right around (thigh skimming at the back, floor length to the front). Because if surviving the ordeals of love isn't about tearing up the rule book of who you are to come back fighting fit then what it? There was also frocks with chiffon skirts under corset tops that showed this girl hasn't lost her mojo.

Photos: Emma Creen / Kevin Chasnais

Topshop Unique Spring Summer 2013 @ London Fashion Week

Inevitably it is one of the most star-studded, talked about events at London Fashion Week, yet it is neither for an ancient heritage as with Burberry, nor for that matter relatively recently established “heritage” as at Vivienne Westwood; nor is it for a dramatic singular creative vision, as offered by the likes of Henry Holland, Mary Katranzou or Christopher Kane, that brings fashion people great and small flocking to the Unique show each season.

Instead, it is a high street chain turned high fashion factory, affordable to and indeed bought by millions of women worldwide, through an intelligent marketing strategy and all-guns-blazing approach to the market. Topshop, they of the clothing, accessories and now make-up, of fast fashion and boutique labels in one, of retail-as-experience mecca on Oxford Street, of outlets in America and soon Australia, of match-made-in-heaven designer collaborations and of sponsorship for a dozen or so up-and-coming designers through the NewGen programme; Topshop have made a credible, even covetable, ticket on the bi-annual rag trade carousel calendar. 





And directional, for the vast majority of women’s wardrobes, you can be in no doubt the Spring Summer collection will be. It was a step up and away from the boisterous prints London has been recently making a name for itself as doing best; instead, it was clean, grown-up, polished. Urban tailoring with a nineties minimalist finish. Cool, clean, put together; wholly of the moment and not a moment too soon.

Overseen by ex Vogue lady Kate Phelan, the collection was influenced by Bauhaus design, and featured as highlight a brilliant white trouser suit, shown with pointed stilettos and a tiny crop top. Coats were oversize and boxy; skirts fitted to the body, worn with oversize crops. The nineties references were lost on no-one.

There was transparent panelling too, and with powder pink makeup and a palette of largely white, with flashes of lemon and blush, the feel remained sophisticated not sticky sweet. Also on offer was a wondefuly well coordinated addition of navy and black, a delightfully sombre choice for summer.

Well played too were the touches of graphic monochrome print, or the art-on-dress piece that kept things powerful not playful, for Topshop can be known for more giddy choices (antlers in AW 2010 anyone?) but you would be forgiven in thinking this was a mood meant to suit Topshop’s thirty-something clientele, not school children and students with pocket money to spend. No longer hangers-on to the coat-tails of higher fashion oracles, Topshop is single-handedly carving a new space for retail giants on the world stage. Shown in a spage-age white space in a marquee in Bloomsbury, it certainly felt like the future of fashion.

Yet even without a glance at the clothing, it is clear Topshop makes a killer PR investment with this kind of show. Heavyweights such as Natalie Massenet and anna Dello Russo showed up; so, too, did Olivia Palermo. Then there were the crowd pleasers; Nicola Roberts, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe, and the up-and-coming such as Delilah. They even name-dropped in the show notes, citing Corrine Day’s photos of Kate Moss as inspiration. Topshop, it can be said, want to be seen with them as much as they do on a front row, and it is a happy exchange. Crowd pleasers or trend leaders, Topshop further their cause to make their name synonymous with everything good about British fashion now.

All photos Fashioning.com

London Fashion Week SS13: Saturday

With the sun amped up to 30 degrees, the fash pack replete with shades and sandals of various glittery types and the catwalks showing off summer collections, you'd be forgiven to think London Fashion Week was a season behind, clinging on to the last days of summer, not nearly a year ahead. But, as with the knowing 90s nods of camo, flatforms and the now ubiquitous round shades, we all know that's not the case.

Somerset House was, as usual, awash with fashion kids and industry insiders with more taste than you can shake a stick at.

With the sun beaming widely on all (a little too enthusiastically perhaps), it was a happy mood in the courtyards, and ripe pickings for seeing and being seen. As well as spotting some brilliantly dressed fashion birds of paradise, from London stylists to students from the sticks to designers and buyers and models, everyone who's anyone was passing through. My friend Emma and I kicked off our day with a good dose of fash pack gazing before heading to some shows. Highlight of my day? Telegraph fashion editor and all-round fairy godmother of fashion Hilary Alexander tweeting a picture of me in my new ChouChou hood!