Swamp Witch

Wearing: Romance Was Born dress (worn as skirt), thrifted bloused, thrifted cardigan, Dr Martens boots and DIY fringe cape.

As I come closer towards the end of my candidature, as well as writing applications for my PhD and completing my thesis I've become more drawn towards problem solving through words as well as experimentation. I know what tasks I have to do but can easily feel overwhelmed and paralysed at the thought of not being able to write well. Dreaming of new outfits has been my escape from academia and through creating a different set of problems has allowed me to work different parts of my brain. The DIY cape was originally a decoration I used for my twenty-first birthday last year but couldn't bear the thought of throwing it away. I was also really inspired by Patience Hodgson's outfit from Splendour in the Grass this year, designed by the lovely Rachel Burke from I make it, You wear it. I wore it with a 70s aesthetic blouse I picked up from a thrift store last year, inspired by the discussions surrounding Slimane as the creative director for Saint Laurent. This outfit has undertones of a rockstar, reimagined with interesting colours and textures. 

Funny Face

Wearing: Meadham Kirchhoff X Topshop sweater, Target trousers and hat, Nicholas Kirkwood X Meadham Kirchhoff shoes.

Today's look was partly inspired by Grimes's recent interview with The FADER Magazine in which she simultaneously tackles criticisms and everyday sexism within the music industry while looking like a total badass. Another surprising influence was the style and ease of Yves Saint Laurent and what Hedi Slimane envisions for the future of the house. Truth be told YSL doesn't consistently challenge me or embody what I like about fashion, it represents a commercial venture which more or less profits from women's insecurities. Keeping all that in mind, I can appreciate the minimalism and attention to the cut and silhouette from YSL collections which is inherently used as fodder for the high street. Unlike my glittery pink, platform boudoir heels from Meadham Kirchhoff the special pieces from Saint Laurent are more likely to be the couture dresses or leather jacket which buyers will maintain for years and years. You will also notice that my hair is now PURPLE and not orange. The change is subtle enough so that it goes unnoticed by my colleagues in academia.

White Widow

Wearing: Meadham Kirchhoff X Topshop dress, Meadham Kirchhoff X Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, POMS earrings and thrifted wedding veil.

I miss the presence of Meadham Kirchhoff collections at London Fashion Week so so much. I feel like they left the fashion industry so suddenly we were never really given a chance to protest or express our indignation and now the only thing left to do is mourn. I know it sounds childish to miss artists whose work I never experienced first hand, or met in person but I still feel a real sense of loss both for the fashion community but also teenage girls. For the latter their work was the most informative and influential, it brought together pastels and Riot Grrl movement in perfect synergy. For many it introduced the idea that personal style as well as music could express political ideologies and the self-proclaimed feminists set Instagram on fire when they announced an open casting for what was to be their last collection. I don't think we'll see anything quite like them in the future, and anything that does look similar in aesthetic will certainly miss the same stage presence brought to each of their shows.

Wild Child

Wearing: Vintage coat, Rodarte X Target dress, American Apparel socks and Nicholas Kirkwood X Rodarte Shoes.

I should have done worn this outfit sooner since I love both these Rodarte pieces so much, even though the dress is technically only a collaboration piece from Target but whatever. Owning this vintage coat has really changed how I approach style though and it's been totally liberating owning a piece that's so versatile and the perfect shade of baby blue. It was always a color that made me feel really awkward because all my school uniforms were the color blue but now I can wear it in a way which is just really comforting. None of the colors in this outfit match perfectly and there are so many different aesthetics and themes going on at once but I love it. I don't slide around in these shoes either so I thought the socks were a nice touch despite American Apparel still somewhat problematic despite the fact they fired Dov Charney in December last year. I guess I wanted to reference Style Rookie as well as Rodarte circa 2011 when the brand was still growing, as was Tavi's career. Both still have unlimited potential and I suppose that's what I want for myself.

Peter Pilotto Fall 2015

Viewing this collection made me feel like I was experiencing the various townships represented in The Wizard of Oz (1939). I watched the film for the first time with my boyfriend a few weeks ago and was so entranced by the costume designs and how they relate to fashion today. Of course Hamish was totally confused about why I was getting so worked up about it and how I could consider those clothes wearable but he's definitely not into fashion but has forged an identity through the clothes he wears. (To our friends he is easily identifiable and basically wears the same outfit all year round). Given that Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion only visited a few townships within this universe it's entirely feasible that somewhere, a town exclusively inhabited by women exists and they dress with impeccable taste. I can only hope they wear Nicholas Kirkwood shoes embellished with what reminds me of Jacks (or Knucklebones if you prefer) and wonderfully decorated sweaters and coats. Join me on a journey of discovery within the Peter Pilotto world with pop culture references abound.

Despite the wonderful shoes and the numerous colorways Nicholas Kirkwood created especially for this runway collection, style.com has not featured any closeups of the shoes and I feel so vexed about this. It's no secret that I am a huge Nicholas Kirkwood fan owning three pairs of his shoes (one Meadham Kirchhoff collaboration and one Rodarte) and a pair of Sophia Webster slides (former design assistant to Nicholas Kirkwood). Each shoe is like a piece of artwork and beautifully made- hence why I feel so frustrated there aren't many photographs of them from this runway show online. Before I continue to vent my frustration I should note that Peter Pilotto has collaborated with Nicholas Kirkwood for a number of seasons but this might be my favorite range of heels and boots to date. The introduction of gel or strange shapes always injects a kind of nostalgia, usually springing forth memories of the early 2000s but in this case the 1970s tone is irrefutable. The colors, strange geometric shapes and sporadic suede heels all lead me to the conclusion that while both identities exist within this collection the seventies is stronger.

The star of the show was definitely the fabulous and eccentric knitwear featuring designs akin to weird circuit board motifs or the alien crop circles. Even with the simple use of a few lines, colours and shapes on a plain white background I can conjure up multiple interpretations of the same design. It was definitely more intellectually stimulating than watching various 1970s inspired looks float down the runway (I mean Stevie Nicks is great and we should all aim to be like her but there's only so much suede and black sheer I can take- ya know?) Seeing so many abstract figures forced me to think about how they relate to my life or figures I knew from television and film. There was room for interpretation as well as substance behind motivating Pilotto during the creation of this collection which is always more compelling than predicting what will be the next biggest trend. I'm more concerned with which characters are brave enough to create the collection they want to as well as personal development through personal style. 

The other thing these colours and shapes remind me of are the attractions at Disneyland and to a greater extent Mary Blair's animation style. She was the art director of Peter Pan, Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland, as well as the mastermind who orchestrated "It's a Small World" with scenes designed by Marc Davis and costuming by his wife Alice Davis. Wrap skirts which seem oddly familiar yet untraceable in origin echo this sentiment of a global citizen or alien figure who exists somewhere outside of time itself. Tavi Gevinson said something along these lines about Creatures of the Wind many years ago but I think the same can be said for Peter Pilotto. Things seem both old and new at the same time like a caricature of space travel or special effects from a movie made several decades ago. What is certain that although these shapes are readily familiar there isn't anything else like it available on the market which makes Pilotto so incredibly exciting as a figure in the fashion industry. 

Photos by Marcus Tondo for Indigitalimages.com