The Sunny Side of the Street

Well today in Dublin was, insanely enough, really warm. Like 20degrees or something, which for us pasty, pale dark dwellers who shrink from the first sign of sunlight, let's just say it was a huge shock. I almost thought about wearing sunglasses. Almost. 

But I did go for a lovely pint in town with DJ (from "The Good, The Bad Ass and The Ugly" fame) and seeing everyone enjoying the summer-ish weather in the beer garden really got me thinking. 

Not thinking about how relaxing and brill it was to be in the sun with a cold pint of Guinness. No, freaking out about the horrendous state of my summer wardrobe.

Which in turn got me trawling through websites, manically looking for clothes (which I can't afford, but that is completely beside the point) and coming up with my Dream Summer Wardrobe (* Hint * if you click that link you get to listen to a summery song. I'm so good to you really). 

Clothes

TopShop Mid-Length Tie-Dye Dress.

Nice, casual day dress.

Not much else to say about it really.

What else can you say about a day dress?

Well, it made my list so I must like it.

Ivory Jar Three-Tone Tie-Dye Embellished Denim Jacket.

I LOVE IVORY JAR.

Seriously. 

I have one of their studded denim jackets with a leather cross on the back that I got on my trip to London for Christmas and I really wish I'd bought more or their stuff.

I got the worst case of Not-Buying Remorse.

I still think about it to this day. 

True Story.

Nasty Gal Spliced Light Dress

If I ever got over my intense fear of buying stuff online I would do serious damage to my bank account on NastyGal.com. So it's probably a good thing that the thought of buying any clothing item over 30euro online causes me to break out in a cold sweat.

You can't see it in this photo but  this dress has a really slick cut-out back too.

I'm not even going to discuss the tassel things.

They pretty much speak for themselves.

I'm such a lazy fashion blogger really...

Ivory Jar Heart Shirt With Contrast Collar

For my inane ramblings on Ivory Jar as an overall brand, please refer to the photo two slots previous to this.

But this shirt its self is one I've seen at the Ivory Jar stall near Spittalfeilds and everything about it is completely knock out.

The material is so crisp and such good quality which I think is really important for a shirt and something you don't find a lot in high street varieties. They all tend to be soft cotton and very flimsy or something. This is completely the opposite.

Also, the anatomically correct hearts are almost too slick for words.

TopShop Pale Blue Silk Underwear Set

Because every girl should own nice underwear. Fact.

Accessories & Shoes

TopShop Soft Felt Pie-Ball Hat

I worry that this could be one of those things that I REALLY want when I look at it through the medium of the TopShop website but would look silly on my larger than average sized head.

But those worries have no place here!

This is a blog post for my dream Summer wardrobe and I refused to be curtailed by silly things like "what would actually suit my shape/face".

And this hat is just so darsh-garn cute!

Ivory Jar Jesus Necklace

For when the cross motif just doesn't seem to be hitting the right spot any more, Ivory Jar gives you a necklace with Jesus being crucified. 

Fair fucks.

Love the necklace.

Funny how just because of the subject of the necklace, this necklace would make a much larger statement as a piece then a full harness piece.

So much cooler than a full harness piece too.

NastyGal Cut-Out Bootie

These boots mix that strappy heel trend (which I don't like much, no one deserves to see that much of anyone's feet thank you very much) and the heeled lace up boot look which I find much easier to digest.

With a cute laser-cut paisley design.

Who could ask for more?

Just have to get a pedicure first, sort out the destruction that a winter in ill-fitting shoes did to my poor, poor feet, before I go parading even my toes out to an unwitting public. I'm not completely heartless.

NastyGal Stinger Spike Platform

Now, I'm not much of a creeper fan.

Like, I don't mind them. I'm sort of "meh" about the whole trend. But THESE are in a completely different stratosphere. 

See through plastic, spike stud encrusted, silver extra high creepers.

Like, if you just wore a plain black mid-length dress (say, exactly like the first dress in this post but in pure black) you could put on these shoes and BAM head turning outfit right there.

Think of the money you'd save on statement pieces?

But for that I suppose you'd have to have the ability not to get bored of an item of clothing after one wear.

I do not have that ability.

Poor me.

Ivory Jar Metal Tipped Tooth Collar

Yes, yes, yes. More Ivory Jar stuff.

I'm so bloody predictable.

More anatomically correct body parts.

Only this time it's teeth (creepier, no?)

As with above, this piece is about the little extras that add to a plain outfit to make them in to a super-outfit. Yes, super-outfit.

The detail on the print work absolutely kills me. 

TopShop Wire Rimmed Pink Over Large Round Lens SunGlasses

Just so I could feel like a member of Janis Joplin's crew really.

Yeah they're cool, but it's mostly to feed my delusion of being in a rock band.

Can you think of a better reason to buy sunglasses?

***

So there you go!

A snippet of the clothes I'd like to have for these summer months

If you feel like donating to a "Dress Megan" fund, or even better, buying me some of these clothes, go straight ahead.

Seriously, I have no problem with it.

In fact, please do exactly that...

And now it is half 11 and I haven't done any of my college reading due for 10am. Shit.

So as I go to manically do something functional with my life, I urge you to do the same

Follow on Bloglovin if you can so I don't look like such a loser please

P.S

Started taking a few shots for my first ever StreetStyle entry.

Sweet Jesus, going up to randomers and asking to photograph them for a blog they almost certainly haven't heard of is really embarrassing. 

But hopefully it'll be worth it.

xoxo

Couture Week.

Couture week is one which needs no introduction.
For us poor mortals, it's the week we're glued to the Vogue coverage of shows we would sell our grannies to be able to attend, let alone purchase from. I pine, I pine... For my personal song of choice to listen to while watching these shows and crying, click here. Also, swap in the word "money" for "couture" or "Valentino" or something of that nature and you'll get the full experience of my sentiments from this week.

I'm going to do a little bit of opinion on a couple of the shows which I particularly liked/loved/lusted after and a bit on this week's most talked about shows as well. Just so you know where I'm going with this and it doesn't seem like one endless ream of babble.

So, I think to start me off in a good mood for the rest of this post I go straight to Giambattista Valli.
One of the couture world's newest recruits, Valli shows here why he was so ready to play with the big boys of the fashion world in this, his second ever couture show. The designs were assured, delicate and exquisitely executed. The show kicked off with subtle pieces and evolved to his more extravagant ones towards the end.
His lace work and tailoring are examples of his skills in this area and a definite show of why he deserves to be considered in the world of Haute Couture.

The shapes tended toward the 1950's, especially in the more day-wearable pieces. Waists were cinched in and pencil shirts hugged the models. As with Dior and Versace, 1950's style underwear was visable through deliacte lace panels and skirts.

This black Gothic gown is absolutely out of this world. It's like a cross between Morticia Adams and Jane Eyre with just a hint of 1950's goddess from the cheeky glimpse we get of under the lace skirt. 

The clean separation between the white of this structured yet feminine jacket and the harshness of the croc-effect skirt is brilliant. Croc skin was also shown on the Versace Couture show (which, due to my dislike of that brand I won't be covering) and also in Henry Holland's R-T-W S/S12 collection. I'm getting a little whiff of a trend here I think?

It's the detailing on these pieces which really gets me. The black on white floral tea-dress is so sweet and seemingly demure because the top is so exquisite that you almost don't realise the skirt is completely see through, almost.

Valentino, I love you. I know you don't know me very well because I don't actually own any of your clothes, but I'm not just saying it. I love you, like seriously. I'm so smitten with this collection that I don't even know where to start. It's floral, it's sheer, it's demure, it's absolutely fucking gorgeous. Feminine as always, this is a house who know how to dress their girls. They look like the sort of clothes you's put on for five minutes on a rainy Monday morning in January and then all of a sudden you'd be in a sunny French garden walking among the wild flowers while someone handed out flower garlands...Yes, that is my full Valentino fantasy in all it's wonderfulness. And these dresses really do accentuate that fantasy to the max. 

Beaut. I think the neckline and the sleeves are my favorite parts of this dress. The material is so light that it almost seems like the model isn't wearing anything at all so I think it was important to add the flowing skirt and covered up body, it balances out the piece nicely.

I'm sure this would look HORRENDOUS on everyone who wasn't a runway model, but in this context it's a stunner.

It's the lightness of touch that Valentino as a label seem to have that adds a sort of floaty elegance to the majority of their work I think. Why? Why can't I own one of these dresses?

For the interest of a blog post that has an eventual end, I'll keep my drooling over Givenchy to a minimum. 

The textures were interesting and worked wonderfully with the classic cuts used. Also, that embellished neck brace is fierce. That's the only word for it.

An echo of the 1920's glamour with a dark feel, the collection had a serious amount of umph to it. It was classy to the end, yet always there was always an edgy feel to it. 

Dior, Oh Dior why are you doing this to me?

Don't get me wrong, the show was...lovely. It just wasn't what it had been before the demise of the maestro, Galliano.  There's no other way to say it, some of the fantasy and exuberance that he brought to the table, his vision, it just isn't there with Bill Gayton. 

It was all very Mad Men once again at the Dior show. 

Gayton said the inspriation of the collection was "Dior x-rayed", a motif which can be seen in details like exposed stitching lines and seemingly visible tailoring lines on some of the garments.

This red hounds-tooth skirt and top is probably one of my favourite pieces from the collection as a whole. But to be honest, it wouldn't look out of place on a R-T-W runway. Which for me is a big Couture no-no. These clothes are meant to be special. Which for me is the one thing these outfits are all lacking. A something special, that spark that seemed to leave with Galliano. 

Poor Dior, What is to be done with you?

That's all the coveting my poor soul can take for now. My little heart is just breaking looking at all of these...
So I must leave you for now to attend to a life of scholarly drudgery, but a new special feature is coming soon called "The Good, The Badass and The Ugly" so look out for that one.

Go and attend to your lives as usual,
xoxo

Spring/Summer 2012...

Well I know that the Spring/Summer 2012 lines came out during the various fashion weeks OVER TWO MONTHS AGO, BUT as I have had this blog for what? A week? I think that this is the perfect time to mention them as it's not like I can do some crazy Back To The Future shit and write about them when they were current... So here it goes...deep breath....annnnd....


It's hard to think of what to wear next summer when it's so cold outside it feels like the gas in my lighter is going to freeze and I'm wearing two pairs of tights EVERYDAY, but on the catwalks in London, New York, Paris and Milan the swimsuits and crop tops were all on display. And light years away from the collections for this season.
    In general there seemed to be an overall softening of the trends we experienced for A/W11, as, like clockwork, Spring’s pastel tones hit the catwalk. For the most part the fetish trends which we saw from designers such as Alexander McQueen and Giles were almost completely gone, as was the harsh androgyny that dominated the catwalks of Stella McCartney and Dolce&Gabanna.
 Instead, it seems that the fashion world has simultaneously decided that in the period of economic uncertainty, when the world seems to be taking a daily step closer to the abyss of anarchy, what we need is fantasy. Pure, unadulterated, twisted and sometimes erratic fantasy.
       Giles gave us one of the most provocative of the A/W11 shows, the models dressed almost as repressed, over sexualised nuns. The result, though not for the faint-hearted, showed an acute awareness of how to flatter and synch with corsets and streamlined tailoring that was both highly sexualised yet feminine. This Spring however, Giles gave us a world completely removed from our own. Tailored day-dresses, suites and flowing gowns all in fabulous metallic passed elegant feathered beauties on the catwalk. What pattern there was abstract and in brilliant contrast to the silver hue of the show. Here, Giles offers us a parallel world of the outer space woman, most notably with his metallic 1950’s inspired day-dresses. 


The only reminder of the fierceness of his A/W'11 collection being the majestic (and slightly frightening...but mostly majestic) swan suit...Though the trousers add masculinity to this undoubtably powerful outfit, the choice of a sheer floating material softens the overall tone and it is important to remember that this was also the counterpart to a slightly less harsh (yet slightly less fierce) white swan suit.

Henry Holland, the golden boy of the British in crowd, gave us another brilliant and wearable collection this year with his House of Holland label. His outlandish patterns make his clothes immediately identifiable and every piece seems to radiate youth, even in these pastel colours which can seem to have been repeated every summer for an eternity. His collection, including cloud covered skinny-jeans and A LOT of tartan for me was the most accessible of the shows.

Holland’s fantasy here is in his choice of pattern and fabric, chain-mail, snake-skin and mesh all played a part in the collection. Yet all in such a way that I expect to see identical copies of his chain-mail body-con being sold on the high street before we get anywhere close to summer.

          
Meadham Kirchhoff, the fashion house of Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff showed another example of elaborate fantasy following on from the A/W11 collection which invoked the Grim fairy tales among others. Their S/S12 show was probably  one of the most spectacular pieces of fashion escapism seen on the London catwalk. Ruffles, corsets, chiffon, tulle, fur, embroidery…the list could go on. And it all comes in every colour imaginable almost. More like a performance piece at times, the catwalk was complete with balloons, girls doing their own makeup in their underwear and cancan dancers. Yet despite all this, the whimsy and the fantasy, the collection still managed to bring out perfectly tailored pieces and silhouettes that were youthful and flattering. While this ready-to-wear collection may be a bit more than some of us would be willing to head into your local in, it’s a perfect example of the fantasy the designers have decided to treat us to this summer.


I think one of the biggest surprises from these S/S12 collections was Dolce & Gabbanna. The van-guard of the androgynous look we saw dominating the catwalk of A/W11 spun around and brought out a show of 1950’s throwback crop-tops and day dresses, not unlike what we’ve been seeing on the high street in the past few years. In some senses a little disappointing, after being so individual in their previous collection. Not necessarily a bad collection but slightly lacking in that something that we can usually expect from these two…Although the see-through orange two piece suit was a bit of an attention grabber. That being said, they are beautiful clothes, well structured and executed. Just not quite the escapism we all need these days, but with a collection as vibrant as Meadham and Kirchhoff was there really any room for more fairy tale inspired shenanigans?


And finally, since it wouldn't be the same without it, time for a bit of Alexander McQueen. All I can saw is, Well Fucking Done Sarah Burton. Seriously, with the weight of the genius that was Alexander McQueen on your shoulders and the pressure to create something the man himself would be proud of you'd be forgiven for letting it all get on top of you. But not Ms. Burton. Not only did she design Princess Kate's wedding dress, she also whipped a fabulous collection out of the bag. Not too bad a year at all... It's astounding to think she's only been in charge of the house for three collections and she manages to create such a mature and confident one as this.
Well, I should just some out and say it, if Versace are one of my less favourite designers (as I said in my previous post) Alexander McQueen is definatly one of my favourites. And this did not let me down. Those ruffles. That lace. The bodices. The mesh. The mask-like-things. I loved it all! Seriously good stuff. Kept the girlyness we'd expect from S/S and subverted it as they do so well. Just Lovely.

Anyway, enough from me...go live your own lives or whatever it is you do...

xoxoxo