BALMAIN

I'm currently in lurvve with Balmain. Each season their jackets always amaze me. The past two collections are no exception.   Fall 2012 ready to wear  ~ this season shows leather jumpers (who doesn't want one of those bad boys), dresses, waistcoats & jackets adorned with beautiful needlework designs & hundreds of pearls. There's so much detail to each piece, they truly are works of art <3 They remind me so much of the awesome denim jackets decorated with tapestries across the back by Jervoise Jackets. (I would luv to get my hands on one of those!) http://www.jervoisejackets.com/  

The last look I've posted shows velvet trousers which look amazing and the most beautiful leather jacket that I've seen in a hell of a long time. I bet Karl Lagerfeld was envious of that one. I wish I was a French IT girl. Life must be good when you get to wear clothes like these. 

The Resort 2013 collection debuted earlier this month and is full of pastel colours. The collection reminds me of the 1980s with the wide cute trousers and heavily oversized jackets. All stunning. A particular favourite of mine are the stripes, they never fail to please me. Olivier Rousteing (designer) once again has designed a leather jacket for the new season with the look this time dedicated to an 80s biker with way more class. Style.com mentions that Rousteing was influenced by Miami Beach and with colours like yellow & mint I can see why - these clothes could be seen on a new series of The Golden Girls for sure ~ (a younger blanche would own these like no one else). 

All photos taken from http://www.style.com/

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Since The Maccabees UK January tour they've made a screenprint for each one featuring a member's childhood photo. I think they're so much better than a regular tour poster that can rip and crease; they just look so cool on a wall. Each one is so unique because they're all done by hand. Here are the ones I've managed to get my hands on...

For Record Store Day Orlando Weeks designed some screenprints in dedication to the day. There was a total of 10 different designs. I got 3 of these bad boys.. <3

                

LOCALS ONLY

I went to York for the day yesterday and decided to check out the new Urban Outfitters store that's just opened. They all seem to have a really cool edgy design aesthetic, this photo is of a window display that I just loved. 

The books on sale are always great coffee table books and a photo book by Hugh Holland titled 'Locals Only: California Skateboarding 1975-1978' really stood out since I'm a huge fan of that era and lost count how many times I've seen the film Lords of Dogtown. Despite being published in 2010 I hadn't seen it in Urban Outfitters and with a cheaper price of £13.95 (as compared to £29.95 in bookshops) I don't expect to see it much longer. Some photos I'd seen before like the 'dogbowl' shots of empty swimming pools since that's what the guys are known for, but a lot was being looked at first time and they're really cool action shots chronicling these kids' skateboarding lives. The photographs were all taken by Hugh Holland who followed the guys around for 3 years; himself not a skateboarder. The series show beautiful documentary photography and studying photojournalism at uni I can really appreciate each stunning photograph. I just love the cameras of that time and the angles Holland used & the outcome is colour is phenomenal. Looking through the book I can tell that living in 1970s Southern California would have been truly Sweet! 

DM Luv

So in preparation for the new Dr.Martens x Agyness Deyn line coming out next month (August 2012) which is bound to be nothing short of Sweet if her style is anything to by, I've decided to write about my favourite style - the Dr. Marten shoe. 

The photo above is a pair of my own, I've had them about a year and a half now and they are super comfy and look great with anything despite the bright colour. Just the other week I saw a pair in my local DM store and it was love at first sight trust me. So when I got home I decided to look on the website and I found a whole range of beautiful DM shoes from the print range. I'll post them below with my next future pair first in line. <3 A beautiful tapestry style design looks great on a shoe, how come no one thought of this before. The last two have a hand painted effect which looks really cool and  would look great in summer amongst english fields. 

In addition to the summery vibes, they look '90s vintage and i can just imagine 20 years ago girls differing from the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 & Blossom rocking these. A few months ago Liberty of London hatched a partnership with Dr.Martens to create amazing prints for the original DM boots, shoes & satchels.  For a look at prices & other products head here -  http://www.drmartens.com/

Amy Winehouse x Camden Town

Went to Camden the other week and finally saw this in person. It's a beautiful piece of urban art of Amy Winehouse - that girl will always be missed <3

The Maccabees x Ally Pally

So I'm almost a month late writing about the best time I've had in a while that was The Maccabees gig at the infamous building - Ally Pally! in LDN (8th June) I guess I just didn't want to depress myself by thinking about that wonderful night, I could only just about play their music a week ago without feeling a pang of misery HA! From all their current tours throughout the year I've been collecting their screen prints which usually feature a member of the band as a child but this date was different in using a photo of Alexandra Palace which I think is perfect to showcase their biggest show to date. 

The boys were perfect as usual and that will or could ever change (in my eyes anyway). The setlist was fantastic and they played a classic song of theirs which they've not done for years - toothpaste kisses which got a revamp. It was amazing! It was also the first time they'd played 'Heave' live which was phenomenal, songs from their latest album always seem to get a new twist live and I love it. During the support bands I also 'bumped into' Mat Horne & then The Maccabees' own Felix White who came over to say hi. A beyond perfect night with great friends, can't wait til I see them again.