Clio Peppiatt Spring 2015

Considering I’ve been stalking this designer for months on social media, it seems ludicrous that I haven’t had time to properly introduce Clio Peppiatt! I posted an outfit inspired by the British designer a while ago, but never really took the time to discuss her work??? Yeah, basically even I’m surprised by that gross oversight. Clio Peppiatt has been active since Fall 2014, but I decided to review her most recent collection first. While chronological order has its appeal (for very obvious reasons), since I have so much blogging to catch up on I’d prefer to have a holistic view on what’s coming out of London Fashion Week before rummaging through archives and focusing on each designer individually. There’s a bunch of amazing British designers with an insane online following and well-defined aesthetic who I find absolutely inspiring in terms of producing color, often hand-illustrated work. So, without further ado: Clio Peppiatt.

It’s not a collection which can be easily pigeon-holed within a certain motif or concept, which is kind of the reason why I like it so much. Each piece stands out on its own, with the commonalities being a pastel color palette and ruffles Carmen Miranda style. The lookbook itself is reminiscent of Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, with just a lil' bit of American Hustle through the “rose-tinted lens” of photographer Alex Prager.  The collection was in fact, shot by Nadia Lee Cohen, however, the low angle shots and heavily processed images creating distinctly surreal blue skies reminds me a lot of Prager’s narrative photo series. In much the same way, it feels like there’s a story hidden in here somewhere but we’re not seeing the full picture. The clothes however, remain the star of the show and are heavily intertwined with the creatives at Polyester Zine, particularly founding editor in chief, Ione Gamble, who owns a pair of custom knee high boots from this very collection. 

As daft as it may sound I’m always a little overwhelmed when it comes to dreaming up outfits for Summer, particularly on those 100 degree days when my entire face feels like it’s melting and my arm pits have bad breath. I had every intention of buying the ruffle shrimp top from this very collection, however, even the best laid plans can sometimes go amiss. I had hoped to buy it on sale (sometimes discount codes are announced via the ClioPeppiatt Instagram account, however, it seems like I’ve been out of luck for the last couple of months. That, and I’d also love to own that mermaid bodysuit. The colors are absolutely perfect, it looks just like something Kailey from Mermaidens would wear. I’d love to know if, like me, you have a favorite piece from this collection and how/ when you would wear it! Also since I have nothing but time on my hands and there’s a cool designer you’ve been crushing on lately I’m dying to know (hint hint, comment below!) I'd also though I'd mention that Clio Peppiatt are currently looking for interns in London between November and February. If you're interested, shoot them an email!

The Craft

Wearing: Romance Was Born dress, thrifted cardigan and J.W. Anderson shoes.

Today's outfit is equal parts craft techniques and more ethereal ~witchy vibes~. This dress is such a special piece and I always feel so potent and powerful when I wear it. Originally I was inspired by all things haberdashery but extended that metaphor to mother of pearl buttons and yarn for something warm. These are the last photos I took at Philip Island but hopefully I'll be back soon! It was so hard deciding what clothes to being and even though we were only visiting for three days I wanted to make the most of it. I can now see why packing for Fashion Week is such a big deal, and why weeks of deliberation are spent making these decisions. Packing these shoes probably took the most room, but each piece took up a considerable amount of space. In my defense, a winter wardrobe will need to have a little more weight and texture to it. I have every intention of channelling my inner witch next season, which means lots of long flowing dresses with some Stevie Nicks vibes. It's so hard not to feel influenced by the 70s inspiration that swept the runway last season, but as always I've interpreted using my own colour palette and aesthetic.

Unicorn Hair Braiding

I had the pleasure of attending another class hosted by the School of Fabulousness, an initiative sparked by Melbourne's own mermaid, Lady Petrova! I've visited Petrova's boutique a lot this year and am always welcomed by the most delicious assortment of tea and cupcakes. The classes are no different, but for two hours a group of women learn new skills such as how to start a fashion business, draping for design or how to make your own flower crown! This time I attended the Unicorn Hair Braiding class taught by the lovely Theresa Winters of Braidance where we learned to braid each others hair. I finally was able to master the fishtail braid but also learned how to rope braid (as seen on Lady Petrova) and create "the waterfall". It was so much fun- and at the end we used hair chalk and glitter as well as fake flowers to achieve the desired dreamy unicorn affect. If you live in Melbourne and are interested in attending the next School of Fabulousness class, I recommend you check them out on instagram. If you're really passionate about hair or are a mad Game of Thrones fan and want to recreate Daenerys Targaryen's hairdos visit the Braidiance website.  

Wearing: Vintage dress and coat, Disneyland sweater, Asos Heeled sandals (available here), Asos faux fur scarf.

Attending the School of Fabulousness I also got to debut my newest purchases from Asos! This outfit is my own homage to the wonderful women of Advanced Style who have shown the world that to age gracefully does not mean fading into obscurity. The scarf was on sale and has now sold out, but the shoes are new and all sizes are available now. This vintage dress and coat are my go to outfit but I cannot wait for the weather to get a little warmer and to be able to go outside without wearing multiple layers and thermal tops.