Pippa Lynn.

Lace And Only.

Friend of Mine

Inspiration is such an interesting concept, I love looking at designers inspiration/mood boards, I think they talk a thousands words without actually having to be put into writing. I am fascinated by the way this inspiration is filtered through into a final design, for example Alexander Mcqueen's reference to birds in his collections, in the documentary about the designer his brother described how he was always watching the birds from his bedroom window, Isabella Blow used to take him to a country estate where he was able to watch birds of prey fly, I believe it takes a certain sort of person to be able to process and generate ideas from just looking at something, you are able to see the reference through the use of more obvious terms such as the use of feathers, but also by certain silhouettes and the way the clothes are structured and hang in a certain way I can only presume this was based on simply watching birds fly and their whole movement of their body.

I was also reading recently that Coco Chanel was inspired by lions, she had statues of them in her apartment and they were also featured on the stone where she was buried in tribute to her love of this animal. This was a more direct influence as in literally using the image of a lion, these were found in the form of lion heads on buttons appearing on the classic tweed suits. We still see aspects of her inspiration in more modern collections such as the SS11 jewellery with the lion head being heavily featured on bracelets/rings and necklaces and also in the form of broaches attached to the clothes.

Carrying on from individuals inspiration I have become increasingly obsessed with the 'Eagle Claw' I have seen this appear quite literally on many pieces, from necklaces and rings to my most favourite source, the Friend of Mine platform ankle eagle claw boot! I initially noticed the beauty of a simple eagle claw through the work of Pamela Love and her signature talon cuff, it now appears quite frequently in many forms.

Oracle Fox blog without a doubt is a constant source of inspiration to me, every single post is of something representing the style I love aswell as many designers I have'nt even heard of, many of which are based in Australia.....I have now been introduced to Friend of Mine, an australian label designed by Teale Talbot and managed by Latitia McLean. The label is descried as 'blending a feminine edge with a relaxed look that a girl can make her own.' The designers have embraced unexpected unexpected aubtleties and contradiction since debuting in 2009, the label rapidly established itself across Australia with a clean beach-meets-grunge attitude.
A rockabilly aesthetic is referenced throughout and is seen in the labels namesake, which is drawn from a cult Bob Dylan track. The look is one that is undeniably fashionable, yet in a simplistic thrown together style that is far from contrived. Friend of mine's effortlessly cool nature results in versatile peices, basics-with-a-twist as well as stand out shoes and accessories.

Whilst Friend of Mine has already carved out is own signature aesthetic, each new collection brings a new palette of inspriration ranging from pop culture to music to childhood memories.
Theres possibly not one piece in all of the collections that I wouldn't wear, even the name of each collection are perfect....Smokey Rolls, The Crusaders, A Lad Insane, The Other Side Of Love...

Battle Of The Brogues.

For a while now the appearance of flat shoes worn as a means of 'dressing up' is becoming a much more favourable choice. Going out no longer requires high shoes, making dressier outfits have a completely different look to them, one that I much prefer, with out a doubt Alexa Chung would be up there in pulling of this look for any occasion.

I think the whole brogue look started this off, 'everything will come back into fashion one day' and the brogue is an example of this, well to a certain extent, I think its more taking an item and changing the way its worn, a smart shoe such as the classic brogue would always be seen in an office, accompanying a suit to any occasion, this however is also a change in who is wearing them, referring to brogue being popular with both boys and girls. In Luella's book, I love how she refers to to 'Miss England' she describes it perfectly, for example imagine a typical European couple going out, the lady wearing high shoes the boy in smart shoes would be expected, but Miss England style would make no difference to her both wearing brogues, or take for example just in the day both wearing converse...get my drift? Androgyny I believe is the correct word.

Androgyny is a term—derived from the Greek words άνδρoς (andros, meaning man) and γυνή (gyné, meaning woman)—referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics. This may be as in fashion, sexual identity, or sexual lifestyle, or it may refer to biologically inter-sexed physicality, especially with regards to plant and human sexuality.[1]

'In this century we can see it all over fashion and celebrities on it, the androgyny. Models turn into the angrognous style, consequence of being part of a youthful time, where there's no limits, and the only thing that matters is comfort.'

'Clothes are getting more and more borderless, for example unisex collection's, women's wear always takes ideas from men's wear' I think this has always been a case for girls, who have that sort of style, boy's t-shirts/vest's/jeans, even the representation of men's clothing catered specially for women with something so classic as the simple trouser.

Ok, so before i go of the point I'll get back to what triggered these thought's, Mui Mui's SS/11 shoes, more specifically the woven leather brogue. And of course this is an example of the above, inspired by a traditional men's shoes we now see a vast number of female interpretations of this, mixing both the male characteristics of the shoe with female touches, such as the colour/style. Although I like the classic brogue uninfluenced by any other trends I do like how it has been altered and transformed in many variations, in particular the Mui Mui woven leather brogue. A simple shoe that can be worn with anything, an inoffensive colour with an original effect of the woven leather.