Deconstruction Of A Sophisticated Surgeon

My London internships in sight gave me the flicker of realistation that I needed to enrinch my wealth of knowledge about the historical depths and threads of fashion and designers. But on a polar opposite scheme, I also saw no harm in using the internet as a crystal ball to see future trends in their playground and adolescent state. Makoto Taguchi has just graduated from the London College of Fashion, and his footwear stitches a unique mix of vintage brogue inspiration and sophistication with futuristic attitude. I spoke to him recently, and he told me how 'as a high school student, there was a big movement in japanese street wear' that couldn't be ignored. And I couldn't agree more with his philosophy that 'the runway can't succeed without great footwear design.' In the editorial landscape our focus might start from the face and makeup onwards, but on the runway and pavements, it's the walk that makes the initial impact. So with all this in mind, there's no denying the unique stomp to Makoto's boots. They find a hand stitched marriage between classic victorian style brogues and ambituous modern vibes. Pimples at the side of the boots have a muted military effect, and crocodile stitches at the side create a twisted surgeon story. There's also buckles that wonderfully contort and bondage the shoes, yet again fuelling this juxtaposed excitement of sharp and sinister. The most noted piece to Makoto's eye though is the detachable elements. He told me how 'it has been in his head for years, and detachable elements allows different styles and elements to come together but in a unique way.' And I couldn't agree more. One second a boot can be oh so military, and then quickly stripped down and deconstructed into a swarv' brogue. Innovation indeed, and certainly a designer to look out for in the future!

I've included a few personal style photos aswell that I think would suit this sort of footwear.

Everything Is Illuminated

Hey everyone. So I'm back from 'Secret Garden Party', with a rainbow of memories from the festival that has left me wonderfully dazed and enchanted. Polaroids will come in the week following, but to summarise it was a magical 'lost kingdom' around a pirate ship party lake. Carnivals were waiting to be found along tea-light woodland paths, acrobats were dancing above us in psychadelic tents, and there was even the odd and elusive misty igloo venue that kept us cool in the stunning heat of the weekend. 'Fashion Statement' was as ever a staple sentence in my diction though, and the festival served as an introduction to my latest addiction. While I'm always inspired by trends, themes and designers every season, it's very rare that I come across a particular item from a collection that I clamp down as a 'MUST HAVE'. But the Burberry sheepskin coats have made me look at the sheep in my field like a hungry fantastic mr fox! I adore the epic collar that becomes soft armor, and clashing with the sticky indulgent black leather creates this runway utopia of an urban city warrior. To say I love Burberry's recent reinvention would be an understatement! And while my own sheepskin coat is merely of the vintage pilot variety, I still feel empowered by its heavy texture that takes the fur of the folk surroundings and presents an industrial city persona.

Myths & Minimalism

Next weekend I'm going to the Secret Garden Party festival, where fantasy comes to life, trees and woodland become harp strings as a musical backdrop, and a carnival colours the sky. The encouraged theme this year is greek mythology and arabian nights, and this summons up exotic colours and ice white dessert ideas. It's a colour that I once stereotyped and judged, assuming it to have a chav staple and sin. But thankfully my rainbow of tastes has curved to accomodate different colours and styles recently. And thanks to designers such as Damir Doma, I've been blinded by the art of white minimalist bliss and behaviour. His collections encapsulate light and movement through mesh and pockets that practically take over the tops and open them up to constantly evolving shapes. Gladiator sandals and male leggings vacuum form the male physique in a romantic but powerful manner, giving me the impression of gods that have been sand kissed and whirled into shape in the dessert. There's something stripped down and spiritual to the coffee cream layers that really inspire me. And while I've got a way to go confidence wise before I can sport an 'all white affair', my asymmetric mesh and cotton top from All Saints is certainly a start.

Colour Me Bad

Rick Owens seems to be a vibe that waterfalls out of my wardrobe, but who can resist the unisex drapes and mesh that brings out the dark mystical art in fashion and movement. I'm selling the top below through my Ebay, and I love the way it parachutes in unconventional directions and methods, looking like a twisted prince creature as it contorts around the body.

My mid way-and-year resolution however has been to invest more in menswear magazines, as the glossy prints in-hand tend to capture and illuminate colour so much more effectively compared to online. And in doing so I've coloured in an intense affection for red. I love how it can be interpreted into the dusty romantic trends of the moment, where tops practically melt into the chest. And adding a metallic tone and edge, like in the last editorial below, gives roses a masculine stem. For my own adoption of the colour though, while 'military' might have been last season with the Balmain sensation, I still have a regimented army love for it. So with a vintage top with silken appeal that I picked up at the weekend, I clashed army buttons with a vibe that screams Michael Jackson's Thriller era.

Shadows In Summer

Summer doesn't have to always be drowned in colourful sunshine. Or at least when it comes to the city silhouette. With Harper's Bazaar and Carolyn Massey London internships in slick sight, I realised that my wardrobe needed to be sharpened up somewhat. I love fashion for its allowance and encouragement for ambituous design and expression, and my playful Soho side will always have time for electric colour. But the mature streak inside me has soaked in the silk lux and elegance of minimalism and shadowed colour blocking. Taking inspiration from Vivienne Westwood tartan, Ann Demeulemeester trench jackets, and the melted saturn silk tops from Raf Simons, I've found a seasonal balance and marriage between draped Summer comfort and the minimalist couture of a crisp Winter.

Diamond Eyes // Romantic Rights

On first glance of some of rick owen's new collection, a part of my dark design and desire was dissapointed by the tamed down affair; like a cobweb that had been stitched back together into a silken patchwork instead. But after the initial comedown, there's a beautiful ambience that couples the haunting air that perfumes the runway. There's an art to minimalism, with a fine cobweb line between slick and indulgently simplistic, to just plain...plain. And thankfully Rick Owens shows how a white vest can fit the gothic lux aesthetic perfectly. with subtle asymmetric shapes that contort around the chest, and fabric that practically melts to the eye, the vest has never been reinvented better. I'm personally not a fan of the current Twilight craze, but I love this runway interpretation of urban vampire's with a regal and empowered stance. Gothic attitude meets the city landscape with sticky knee length boots that have serious chunk to them.

Inspired by this clash of black and white, I couldn't resist a hooded poncho from Juun J this Summer. It has a labyrinth of zips that allows constant transformation of its look, and creates the perfect balance between ghetto funk and bohemian movement. In other news aswell, along with the Carolyn internship, I've also secured journalism experience with Harper's Bazaar at the end of the year. To say I'm excited would be an understatement!

[Rick Owens image credited to Clement Louis]

An Odd Point Of View

I'm on quite a high today to find myself featured in the offbeat world of Odd Magazine. It's an independent publication from the Amsterdam fashion institute that celebrates the quirky, eclectic, and unique sides of life; particularly from the wardrobe perspective. So in that respect I'm really touched to be knighted by them. To browse the magazines wonderfully surreal landscape, head to www.thisisodd.com

Down By The Railway Tracks

One of Summer's finest footprints is the dusty canvas of the beach, where the sun serves as a lightswitch to make the sand an ice white invite. And while I'm not overly fond of dipping my toe in the ocean, I love the nostalgia and vintage themes that create a stylish novel around me when I go to the beach. Nautical prints dart across tops and shorts like a battle of the sun with shadow, and crinkled tops have a dusting and glitter of sand crystals. Who says the ascot horse races are the place to see ambitious hats being paraded though, as the headwear is what excites my runway watching from the comfort and 'front row' of my deckchair. Whether its bellowing straw hats that seemingly melt and contort like Salvador Dali art in the sun, or beanies that slouch and surrender to the heat, there's always a unique fashion statement going on.

This weekend I'm off to a remote and untouched beach in Wales with my friends, and can't wait to recreate scenes from 'The Edge Of Love'. I just adore the distressed but romantic tones of the clothes in the film, where makeup meets grit, and tattered carries a lipstick kiss. Dylan Thomas is a poet of the 'swarv indie' story, so I'll be wearing the railway cap below in the hope I can come close to this charm.