alexander mcqueen s/s11.

i can only agree with the words of tom&lorenzo on this one. quote:

"For the most part, we think she pulled it off. Granted, if McQueen himself had put this collection out, he likely would have come in for some criticism for being too self-referential, what with the lizard skin and butterfly motifs popping up, as well as the feathers, the gold detailing, the wheat, and the unusual silhouettes, all of which were to be found in previous collections. But Burton had one major task to accomplish: to prove to the public that the brand goes on. There's a sense of continuity here that was much-needed for her inaugural effort. It'll be interesting to see what she does going forward but for now, this collection does the job nicely by serving as both tribute and introduction. It's not all perfect, but it is exactly the direction she should take."

indeed. exactly. quite. most of the pieces here echoed back to previous collections, most notably (to my eyes) S/S10's shapes, the volumes of A/W08 and bird themes of S/S08 - arguably three of his stand out shows, though one could say that about any 3 mcqueen collections.

stunning, as always.

also of note? the shoes... (my favourites below. you know i love and ankle boot.)

...and the hair. utterly fantastic; probably the best hair/makeup i've seen all season.

imgs from style.com

greased lightning.

recently acquired one large tartan skirt and THE jacket.

when worn together i resemble some sort of sandy/danny hybrid, right?

i don't know what's up with my camera taking blurry pics all of a sudden...

vintage skirt+jacket//new look boots//H&M tee//primark socks

also, this is what my nails look like right now.

although, this photo is from monday night....

mostly, they've been described as 'blendy' and 'green' by people. thanks? they are pretty badass, but of course, they are starting to chip. booo.

lanvin s/s11.

this is the third day in a row i've brought my macbook into the studio and the second day in a row i've blogged when i've needed a break from drawing, cutting and sticking. loving my life.

on to lanvin - in many ways this was a typical lanvin collection, but there's something more here. i wonder if it's the colour palette and fabrication, even though neither are more (or less) sophisticated than the usual; and are still as 'lanvin' as any other season.

all the lanvin hallmarks - the rounded and oft oversized shoulders, the liquid silks, the ultra-feminine feel - are there, but this time alber elbaz has, i think, dialled down the girly. as i said, the ultra-feminine is going nowhere, but this time alber is the right side of that thin line between girly-feminine just plain feminine.

in fact, i will quote heavy heels when she said; "Normally, Lanvin is a bit too feminine and frothy for my tastes, but this season it's one of my favourites. The fabrics, silhouettes, colours, accessories and even the styling is superb." - quite right.

saccharine sweet just isn't cricket.

imgs from style.com

the liquid skirts in stunning shades - bright, but not overbearing - and great shapes in other pieces are gorgeous. and note, another swimsuit i loved. (see: michael kors. infact, refer to that post for some similar points. this is a grown up collection; and one not typically aimed at a 21 year old charity shop addict, but i have the wants all the same)

might i add; the racer cut dress about halfway down = perfection.

i was a little passive over lanvin x H&M, but if there's anything akin to this i will be ALL OVER THAT SHIT.

victor & rolf s/s11.

victor & rolf were inspired by mens shirts this season. but of course, in true V&R style, the simple mans shirt really gets a makeover (and, as usual the collection is inspired and interesting, but a little too much in places. therefore, a guide to today's graphic: there's the good (the majority, near the top), the 'almost' (the bright row of looks near the bottom), the somewhat questionable (not pictured...) and the batshit crazy and/or jawdropping (if i need to point these out to you, you may be beyond help).

imgs from style.com

i mean, look at that last one. amazing, crazy, volumous, sculptural....and quintessential victor & rolf.

but back to the good - the proportions on the asymmetric shirt dresses and sheer shirts with oversized cuffs (whether at the cuffs or halfway down the sleeves; sometimes both) are fantastic, as is the blue striped looks; a menswear staple. such a fan of the cuffs on the trouser hems too (see first look) - somehow it manages to be fresh and cute, even though it must have been done before.

i don't know what it is about any of the 4 'almost' looks i included, but there's just something a little off about each of them that i can't put my finger on it.

though, the shoes.... as much as a love leopard print; other animal prints don't sit right with me. zebra especially. can't get behind the zebra shoes, guys.

where the boys are.

you may recall a while back, when i posted some images from Jean Luc Godard films which were inspiring one of my sketchbooks...

well, the theme changed (becuase it's for abercrombie and influences should be american...).

sticking with the 60s, and looking at what was happening with the youth then, i found this film from '61 - Where The Boys Are, a tale of 4 college girls from the chilly midwest heading to Ft Lauderdale for spring break. i promptly downloaded it, kinda expecting to be bored but hopefully inspired.

and inspired, i was. and not bored at all. i kinda loved it, infact. and i took 57 screencaps (a couple purely for blog purposes, not for sketchbooking), of which there are a bunch below....

it's just so kitsch! and 60s! and the colours! and that black and white gingham bikini which i couldn't for the life of me get a decent cap of but it was stunning! there was a lot of gingham. and stripes. and all four of the girls sported a peachy lip throughout (see Merrit, in the last cap) - which means i am now searching for a peachy lipstick, of course.