Posts about Clothes
Blogger Dress Up. Monica & Lea
Our latest blogger dress up was quite simply brilliant. Not only did we have the gorgeous Monica from The Elgin Avenue as our stylist/model we also had the super talented Lea Salomone taking the photos.
Much fun was had by us all as Monica and Lea took some of the most amazing pieces in our collection, including this, this and these out and about in Kennington.
The weather was gorgeous, the outfits were superb and the talent was obvious. Below are a couple of our quick snaps, but really you must go to The Elgin Avenue to see the real deal. Also make check sure you out Lea’s website.
Thanks ladies. It was a blast. Em x
Top 7 Fashion Details
Just some pretty pictures showing details from our amazing stock. For no other reason than they are lovely. Sometimes that is all you need.
Alexander McQueen jacket
Jil Sander dress
Jenny Packham dress
Lulu Frost necklace
Chanel Shoes
Fendi Mini Spy bag
Alexander McQueen trousers
Joy Of Second Hand. Trend Edit. Monochrome (with a POC)
Led by Marc Jacobs’ graphic black and white prints at Louis Vuitton, we have all gone mad for monochrome again this season. Not that I have ever not been mad for monochrome, I am very much a fan of the impact this most classic of combinations can make. But if you think you’ll miss a little brightness, try adding just a pop of colour (POC) to your outfit.
Top left: Stella McCartney ‘Falabella’ Black Faux Suede Quilt Large Clutch Bag – on its way to becoming a modern classic. Perfect mix of classic quilting and tough chainwork.
Bottom left: Giuseppe Zanotti ‘Sharon’ Black & White Stripe Yellow Snake – POC all the way!!
Centre: Helmut Lang Black Cream Geometric Reversible Light - for the indecisive monochrome lover. Wear it black one day, white the other. Or confuse your wok mates by popping out to lunch in one option and coming back in the other. See who notices.
Top right: Alexander McQueen Resort 2010 Black Crepe Zip Dress - it is McQueen, it has zips, it is the most amazing shape. What is not to love?
Bottom right: Versace ‘Dvea’ Black Patent Double Platform Heels – seriously, why have one platform when you can have two?
Joy Of Second Hand. Trend Edit. Animal Prints.
A trend this season, last season, every bloomin season; fashion’s brush with the wild side NEVER goes out of fashion. Shop our animalistic edit below. As with all our stunning finds we have only one of each. You can’t get much more edited than can you?
Top left: Dolce & Gabbana Inside ‘n’ Out Leopard Print Pumps – two lots of leopard for the price of one
Bottom left: Rupert Sanderson SS13 ‘Elba’ Silver Leopard Heels – red carpet favourite. Oh, and current season. Oh, and unworn with box
Centre: Nanette Lepore ‘Cheek To Cheek’ Leopard Velvet Coat – it looks like leopard, it feels like leopard. It is not leopard (phew!)
Top right: Miu Miu Pink & Grey Python Platform Heels – pink gets a tough snakeskin make over
Bottom right: Dolce & Gabbana ‘Sicily’ Grey Leopard Leather Bag - another Dolce piece. Well what did you expect from a feature on animal print? NEW NEW NEW
Stella McCartney OBE. Greatest Fashion Hits
With her newly awarded OBE, Stella McCartney is truly on a roll. Following her high profile work on the London Olympics last year and her ranking as Google’s top searched for designer of 2012, McCartney has never been more popular or more powerful.
We have a long history of selling Stella McCartney’s fashion at Style Sequel. We have handled pieces from her very first collection to last year’s hugely well received Spring and Resort collections. Below are a few of the pieces we have handled. There have been many more
Stella’s debut collection (a taster below) after leaving Chloe – SS2002 – was not a huge critical or commercial success.
Skimpy pieces emblazoned with cockney rhyming slang (‘slippery when wet’ and ‘ raspberry ripples’) did not strike much of a chord with buyers. However there were hints of what would go on to become her signature ‘sleek yet relaxed tailoring’ in elegant single button jackets and satin coat dresses.
Spring 2004 saw Stella hit her a more popular stride with her flowing dip dyed chiffons, sporty pieces and sharp tailoring. Rebecca Lowthorpe on Style.com’s praised the collection with the words, “Confidence, confidence, confidence! What a treat it was to see Stella McCartney in self-assured mode, her finger firmly on fashion’s current pulse.”
McCartney had another romantic hit on her hands with her Spring/Summer 2008 collection. Or more specifically the floral jumpsuit and dresses, sell outs at the time and seen on everyone from Kate Bosworth to Rihanna.
Jump to Fall 2009 and McCartney had really started to refine her aesthetic. Seen by many as the true beginning of what has become her fashion MO – sleek, wearable, interchangeable pieces for the modern woman – McCartney herself said of the collection “I wanted to look at what makes a Stella girl”. This focus on a ‘muse’ woman really showed in the collection – every piece being fresh yet timelesss, cool yet classic.
McCartney has seen hit after hit in the last few years. From her hugely popular peplum tops of 2011…..
……to her tropcal inspired Resort 2012 collection……..
….and her ‘as seen on anyone who is anyone’ Spring Summer 2012 panelled dresses….
…there can be no doubt that Stella McCartney’s star is rising rapidly. Do you agree?
Sold Out Fashion. Seven Things I Wish I’d Bought In 2012
Like any good fashion lover who is not a) a billionaire or b) the editor of a leading fashion magazine, I have a list of wants in my head every year that my wallet just cannot keep up with. So last year ended once again with me having to say goodbye before I’d even said hello to a whole load of fashion treasures. Share my pain.
1. The Kenzo Fall 2012 Tiger Sweater. I have re-fallen in love with Kenzo. I’ve always liked the original label and one of my favourite summer pieces is a hot pink and green vintage Kenzo skater dress from the mid 1980s, but what Leon and Lim have done to reinvigorate the brand is simply superb. I did manage to snag a few pieces from Fall 2012, including the incredible grape print navy dress (on huge discount at Opening Ceremony last week), but I totally missed the Tiger Sweater. Wish I’d bought 10. One to wear and nine to sell for three times retail.
Image courtesy of styleubble.co.uk
2. And whilst we are talking Kenzo. I wish I’d got the navy grape printed Kenzo Vans too. Such regrets. I could have worn them with my matching dress and been able to hide in a fruit bowl.
3. The Martin Margiela H&M black pumps. Being a huge Margiela fan I found the idea of this collaboration ridiculously exciting (I’d not cared at all about any of the H&M collabs since Comme Des Garcons), and there was so many pieces on my wish list – the glove shoulder bags, the duvet coat, the crazy guitar backpack from the menswear collection… So when a friend limited herself to just the black turn up toe pumps I thought her choice a little boring. But then I saw them in the flesh and it was love at first sight. So much better than on the web – they actually look like mainline Margiela and apparently are super comfy. I hate her now (not really but I try really hard to).
4. Alexander McQueen McQ Fall 2012 Floral Prom Dress. When I saw Gwen Stefani wearing this on the cover of Elle (layered under a Peter Pilotto Fall 2012 dress) I was amazed by how much I loved it – I’m not much of a floral girl or much of a prom dress girl but there was something about it I just adored. However not having Gwen’s magazine cover lifestyle I could not justify the price tag. I did try. Really.
5. Acne Azalea Loafers. I had been vacillating over these for ages and by the time I convinced myself I could afford them they had sold out every where. After months of searching I found a pair in my size on an obscure Canadian website. Cue a LOT of squealing and spending. I could not sleep waiting for them to arrive (I am that tragic yes). And then when they did…they didn’t fit!!! If you have ever had a fashion obsession like this you’ll know how I felt. Anyone out there got a size 5? I am here and so is my credit card.
Image courtesy of agtigtagtigt.dk
6. Everything from Stefano’s last collection for YSL, but especially the Arum Lily bangle. Totally gorgeous.
7. Ditto everything from Raf’s Fall 2012 Dior Couture collection. Not a sold out issue on this one really. More a no way in hell could I afford a single thing issue.
Blogger Dress Up. Victoria from Plumdiddlyumcious
Number four in our super ‘Blogger Dress Up’ series features the beyond lovely Victoria who (amongst other things) runs a gorgeous blog called Plumdiddlyumcious. Victoria is also the VP of The Dalston Darlings – one of the coolest WI’s there is – you can follow them on Facebook here.
Not only was Victoria’s super sweet and super stylish, she was also brave enough to embrace the chilly December air for our first outdoor shoot. And she knows how to strike a pose – loving the lamppost shot.
Victoria had a good browse through our rails – pulling out gems from Alexander McQueen, Acne and Balenciaga – before selecting some fabulous pieces to model. Most of them you can even buy now from our website – click on the photos or links.
Diane Von Furstenberg ‘Tinsel’ Coat and Jimmy Choo ‘Sky’ Black Stud Bag
Cynthia Steffe Black Leather Looped Dress
Yigal Azrouel Grey & Black Motorcycle Jacket, 3.1 Phillip Lim Pebble Knit Jumper and Jimmy Choo ‘Sky’ Black Stud Bag
Charlotte Olympia ‘Polly’ Leopard Heels, Alexander Wang Black Trousers and Prada Grey Cashmere Jumper
Alexander Wang Suede & Jersey Jacket and Isabel Marant Bekket Wedge Trainers
Is Shopping Less Actually More?
So, I know this will divide people; and that is totally fine. We all have our points of view on affordable fashion. But me? I think that less is more and that we should think a little more carefully about where we spend our money.
There are certain shops that I will never shop in because for me they represent everything that is wrong with our culture of buying super cheap, fast fashion. Whilst I acknowledge that everyone wants to have the option to keep up with trends, to treat themselves to a new pair of shoes etc, I think our obsession with ‘throwaway fashion’ has got out of hand. I dislike the ‘more is more’ way of shopping.
Maybe it’s because I was always brought up to believe in quality not quantity. Maybe it is because I hate waste in all forms. But most likely it is because I truly, truly love clothes. I love cut, texture, detailing, fabrics and finishing. I hate wonky hems, cheap buttons and uneven darting. I must stress that by no means do I only buy designer; far from it. I do not have that sort of money for a start (when I do splurge it is always second hand) and I always shop in the high street. But the thing is that I just am very selective about what I buy, very often coming out empty handed. Regardless of where I buy something new for my wardrobe it needs to feel like something that will last, that will wear/wash/clean well etc. Otherwise it is an absolute no go. For me even affordable fashion should have a lifespan and should be fit for purpose. If it falls apart or fades after one wash then it is a waste of money and space. Some of my longest serving pieces are high street but that is because I shop with true care and consideration. I hate wasting money.
Of course there is also the environmental impact of so much cheap clothing ending up in landfill to consider. Dubbed the ‘Primark Effect’ by MPs – we are all guilty of consuming and throwing away far more than we need; whether it be clothes, food or packaging. Because we invest so little in that new dress (as little as a fiver!) why should we care if we only wear it once? Of course many people give their unwanted items to charity but that puts of true charity shop devotees like me who are looking for something unusual and interesting. Now almost every shop I go into is packed with super cheap stuff. Flicking through rails of cheap, discoloured, bobbled pieces that only cost a few pounds in the fist place just makes my heart sink and takes the entire thrill out of charity shopping for me. It just is not worth it anymore.
People are always surprised how few clothes I actually own but I am proud of it. I don’t need masses of things – just enough of the things I like and want to wear all the time.
So there you go. My opinion. Agree? Disagree? I’d love to know.
Blogger Dress Up. Claire from Chouquette
We have been thinking for a while that we really have a stock closet that is far too good to not share. So we have invited some of London’s most stylish and lovely bloggers to come over to Style Sequel Towers (ok, we don’t have an actual tower, but we do have a spiral staircase) and play designer dress up with us. Which is where the amazingly inspired title for this new section came from…welcome to Blogger Dress Up. Number 1.
We knew as soon as we saw Claire’s blog Chouquette that her taste for the finer things in life, along with her carefully crafted, mix and match aesthetic made her the perfect fit for a day in the Style Sequel closet. We pre-selected some stunning pieces for Claire to try and she put together some great outfits; added to with a selection of our gorgeous shoes and bags. We are sure you’ll agree that she did a darn good job.
And after the (sort of) hard work came the fun bit of course. Claire got behind a our screen and outfitted herself in a dazzling array of gorgeous get-ups. Below are some of our favourites (and yes, she did look fabulous in everything).
Chanel Cruise 05 jacket, Miu Miu leather leggings, Christian Louboutin Margot booties
Isaac Mizrahi dress, Jimmy Choo crystal clutch, Dolce & Gabbana pumps
Balenciaga jacket, Prada gold bag, Joseph leather trousers, Christian Louboutin booties
Alexander McQueen jacket, Marchesa dress, Jimmy Choo clutch, Christian Louboutin booties
Alexander McQueen dress, Alaia booties
Of course Claire wanted to keep (ahem) a few things. We’d like to say we had to wrestle her to the ground to get them back, but she was far to sweet for that. A fab afternoon. Cannot wait for the next one……
Stylist’s Weekly Picks. 6/9/12
This week I couldn’t help but be drawn to all the buttery, supple leather pieces we have hanging from our rails.
The transition from summer to autumn can sometime be tough but leather trim jackets are a trend I love, so I’m bringing you this stunning Isabel Marant leather lapel blazer – it has strong shoulders and super flattering silhouette. Or if a hybrid of shades is more your thing, go for this Alexander Wang grey jersey and black leather sleeve jacket – perfect either dressed up or down. If you are feeling a little risque take a look at the softest leather trousers around from Joseph; or for a bit of colour go for this Lisa Ho petrol leather A- line skirt. Serious fashion investment comes in the shape of an ultra sexy and rare Tom Ford for Gucci leather boned corset. If the catwalk was anything to go this is a truly show stopping piece.
Nothing completes an outfit better than a killer pair of shoes and a statement bag. We have a pair of Burberry runway taupe leather knotted sandals (wear with ribbed ankle socks for a serious fashion edge) and a slick Comme Des Garcons black leather shopper – perfect laid back luxury.
