Mooi en Lief X Tolly Dolly Posh

Last month (yup, it's been that long) I won a pair of socks from Tolly Dolly Posh, the blog of a fifteen year old who spends her time in the UK and France, with an amazing blog. She's collaborated with Dutch brand Mooi en Lief to create a chic range of socks suitable for wearing with wellies! While it'll soon be too hot to wear knee high rubber boots, I still had the immense pleasure of unboxing these bad boys which came with a hand-written note, and some other goodies!

It felt like I was receiving a package from a pen pal, not a company, which was the most endearing experience of winning. Along with bragging rights. I maintain those are still very important. The socks were inspired by roller skate rinks of the 1970s and are aptly named, 'Electric Blue'. Their namesake comes from the David Bowie song, Song and Vision. Simple in design, but a striking shade of blue I admit I'm struggling to figure out what to wear with these- but I'll think of something!

Caitlin Price Fall 2014

London Fashion Week is nothing without a bit of controversy and it seems that Fall 2015 was unfortunately not an exception to the rule. The collection which had the most lasting affect for me was Caitlin Price. From the outset it looked wonderful and the clothes were this amazing blend of sportswear luxe and runway carpet dress but ugh, we just have to talk about the gelled baby hairs first. Now, Susie Bubble defended the creative choice and mentioned something along the lines of white people doing this long before it became the Internet sensation that it has now but when I tried to research about styled babyhairs in a historic context, I couldn't find anything. Which leads me to believe that it's all bullshit and in any case, its very clear what aesthetic Price used as her inspiration. In any case it does not seem correct for someone who is white to profit off a subculture or hairstyle which was created out of necessity by women of colour. It's also worth mentioning that the opinion of someone who is Chinese, regarding cultural appropriation or the social struggles of black women is inconsequential.

While I was impressed with the pleated silk ribbons and intricate spirals on tracksuits and dresses alike, I can't help but feel guilty about liking this collection. I am in love with the idea of Princess Leia out jogging in some of these crazy outfits with her signature buns. However, I'm disappointed that not more people were calling out cultural appropriation for what it was, and that people were willing to actively defend it. If you are confused about this, or do not see what the issue is I highly recommend watching this video by Amandla Stenberg. Also, just on a final note, I was also grossed out when scanning the comments section on instagram that two users were arguing over who could do the best babycurls? Like literally two girls were stroking each others egos, AS IF YOU SHOULD COMPETE OVER WHO CAN PERPETUATE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION, LIKE WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

*Images via Fashion Glossary UK

Snug

Wearing: Cotton On beanie, Sweater from Disneyland, Vintage coat, Meadham Kirchhoff X Topshop skirt, American Apparel socks and Nike shoes.

We're well and truly in the middle of Winter now but I refuse to wear anything which will keep my legs warm and remain fiercely opposed to the notion of Melbourne CBD business culture. For those who are unaware there's this awful cliche about everyone wearing black in Winter which is awful because it's so true? Basically I wanted to challenge myself to dress in a way that contested these preconceived notions, but wear comfy clothes as well. I mean sure my makeup isn't threatening to melt off my face and I'm not sweating in front of an air conditioner but I still want to be relatively comfy. I realise that a glittery pink PVC skirt with pastel blue faux fur trim is not what everyone immediately thinks of when they think athleisure but I couldn't resist wearing Meadham Kirchhoff. It matched my vintage coat and wearing shades of blue and grey made me feel like I was the embodiment of a cloud which seemed fitting on this overcast day.  

Athleisure

Comfort and style have been brought together in perfect synergy as part of the athleisure trend. The trend, introduced to me by Freshpair varies from that of sport luxe which seemed to prevalent throughout 2013 in its shapes. Tracksuit materials and puffer jackets create a bulky silhouette shrouding the female figure, followed by a loose skirt or trousers and culminating in a pair of chic heels or simple runners. Wearing something comfy underneath, such as a supportive bra is also an integral part of this trend.  Athleisure also seems to differ in that brands are not splashed across jumpers or sneakers but the style of say the shoe seems to speak for itself. Its much more versatile and understated and sure to be a big hit amongst street style photographers. Warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere means the inclusion of more mesh materials and the normalisation of basketball shorts as part of everyday life. But for those who can't bring themselves to align directly with sportswear it means wearing comfy sneakers.

1 & 15- Street Royal. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 10- Sporting Life via Rookie Mag. 4- Photo by Petra for Rookie Mag. 9- Untitled by Claire Milbrath via The Ardorous. 11- Models backstage at the Jacquemus spring/ summer 2014, photo by Lea Colombo for Dazed Digital. 12- Photo via Gabifresh. 13- Patwa, Geordie Wood. 14- Miranda Kerr for Vogue Korea July 2013 by Eric Guillemain.

Sadie Williams Fall 2015

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Sadie Williams has silhouettes echoing vintage sportswear with the strange science of Japanese floral arrangements to create a strangely satisfying and cohesive lookbook. This includes crushed velvet flare pants and matching parking jackets as well as odd metallic panels floating on sheer dresses. All this in spite of being kicked out of her studio at two weeks notice no less (ouch) but her work didn't show a hint of being rushed or compromising the execution of her ideas. Like a magpie of the Internet something shiny is enough to grab my attention but it's the meticulously created and artificial bouquets that I really enjoyed. It's quite normal for me to marry some kind of pop culture reference or visual with each collection but in this case Williams has done it for me and in spectacular fashion. These strange shapes mirrored the silhouette of the model as well as the shapes and designs etched into the clothes she created. To put her work in context I've also included some of the videos she's created for previous collections in collaboration with other companies to reinforce her enthusiasm for all things sparkly is a reoccurring theme in her work and not just a one-off event.

Photography by Eddie Wrey, art direction by Jamie Reid