camel capes.

i got a message on facebook the other day from a friend seeking advice - in search of a camel cape for winter, and not finding much luck. might i be able to use my expertise to help?*

you might be thinking "cmon, everyone's done the 'here are some winter coats/capes/trend items you can get on the high street this autumn/winter' posts already!", but to you i say: THINK OF THE STUDENTS, WON'T YOU?!

by which i mean: it is loan day on monday.

...and at this point i would normally say "...and if the rest of the student population is anything like me, they have a wishlist of items bookmarked to buy when the money shows up", but it's not a case of if. loan day is one the best days of the year (the other best days being loan day in january and in april, and perhaps christmas and birthdays. and halloween. and any excuse to part-ay. september loan day is probably the best though, given that summer is a long time to go on a little bit of loan and you are definitely becoming desperate by this time... ok, enough loan rambling.)

my point is, now is the perfect time to be doing such posts, as the ever-growing student population are at top bookmarking and mental noting time right now. and one assumes trend based winter coats are top priority.

of course, i scoured the usual haunts - straight to topshop (no joy; i hear they already sold out of their camel cape. bummer.), and all around the online high street. as such, here are my picks - they're all under £100, so an investment for any student but also pretty affordable. and they're all camel or nude tones, naturally.

asos

contrast trim cape; £80//pleated swing coat; £70//hooded military cape; £70

the third option is definitely my favourite of the ones i came across - and at £70 it's one of the cheapest options out there; especially since asos now do free delivery and returns. and of course i'm aware the second one is a coat, but it's also swingy - a great option if you are a fan of the camel cape trend but not quite sure about the practicality of it all, says i.

zara

cloth studio cape; £99//woollen studio cape; £99//double sided 3/4 length coat; £69.99

zara is a GREAT choice for coats and if you're going for a more minimal feel the £99 options are fantastic - there's even one in a darker camel shade if you're that way inclined.

miss selfridge

stone cape parka; £42

as is the miss s way, this is rather more casual and 'youthful' than the other options, and if you've been drawn in by parkas and the like from watching this is england '86, but also want a piece of the camel trend, you might as well combine the two for £42, no?

and of course, ebay

camel cape one; currently at £21//camel cape two; currently at $61

aka vintage...

one assumes the second one (ok both...) will go for a pretty penny given that a) it's amazing and b) it's from renowned vintage ebay store bustown modern. the first one is a simple option but a great one, of course.

if you're really after a bargain (and who isn't?) i recommend scouring the coat and vintage coat sections. i just did a quick search for camel cape and picked the stand outs, but some people don't understand the power of keywords and you could end up with a great find.

i mean, there was also a reversible cape which was fuzzy and leopard print on the other side but APPARENTLY it was a buy it now (for £85) and has now gone. ultimate sad face; it was the camel cape of dreams.

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*these may not have been her exact words, and i may have embellished a little, but that is of NO CONSEQUENCE, k?

doodle II.

this autumn; one wishes to dress like this:

cropped biker jacket.

ankle length print dress.

doctor's bag with overbody strap.

chunky black boots. we will refer to these as goth boots for the sake of argument.

it's a well publicised (by me...) fact that my must have item this winter is not the coveted-by-everyone shearling coat (though there is a Rick Owens number that i would kill for. surprise surprise. damn you Rick.), but rather, a pair of tan chelsea boots*.

and a cropped biker jacket.

and some goth boots, again a wish that has been well publicised.**

luckily the doctor's bag and ankle length (leopard!!!) print dress are already in my possession. THANKS EBAY!

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*with a small stack heel and black elastic panel; accept no imitators.

**at the time of writing that post, i wanted the 3rd pair mostly. now i want the first ones. LE SIGH.

woolly.

yeah, yeah, another editorial. what?

Cato van Ee by Dancian for Marie Claire Italia August 2010

off of fashion gone rogue, of course.

man, fashion magazines are really trying to make knitted shorts happen, huh? i don't think it's gonna take off, sorry. (do you disagree?)

it's kind of got that retro, mad men feel that loads of editorials have really been hammering lately, but they've taken that feel and brought it right into 2010. it's modern, but it's got these retro undertones, which is kinda what A/W10 is all about, yeah? and i love the proportions and silhouettes in this one. AND all the coats, and generally thick, woolly stuff. given what it looks like out of the window today, warm, woolly layers are totally approps.

a la prada.

a spot of charity shopping yesterday resulted in my finding a great jumper.

i need more jumpers, really.

i live in northern england; it is, more often than not, pretty chilly up here.

said jumper was giving me a Prada a/w vibe....

imgs from style.com, ofc

...so i figured i'd see if the 'chunky jumper/belt/full skirt' look was one that was gonna work for me. if Prada is celebrating curves*, i'm really the target audience, right?

thrifted jmper+scarf//vintage dress//primark belt//topshop shoes

h&m skirt//all others as before

apart from the shoes (sos Prada, the bulky silhouette on a short person really doesn't lend itself to kitten heels, or indeed, anything dainty. midgets take note, a high heel is almost a necessity if you're gonna go chunky jumper/full skirt), i think this is a pretty fair 'budget' replica...

the first dress gave me too much bulk, even with a belt pulling said bulk right in.

the skirt-based look, though, was much better. but still, leave your waist undefined AT YOUR PERIL.

even though this trend/look/whatevs is pretty much geared towards my body type, and the skirt-based look was pretty much a winner, i think i'll more likely end up wearing this jumper in this way (aka pretty much over the outfit i posted yesterday.)

dress bought in rome//h! by henry holland shorts//leopard belt//others as before

so my initial "i'm getting a Prada vibe, but for £3.25" didn't really pan out, but the shoulder shape and pattern of the jumper is a keeper for sure. and pretty similar to some of the jumpers on the high street right now (hi Topshop.) - finding a "trend" piece in a charity shop always makes me happy.

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*and by curves, i obviously mean boobs. y'know.

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PS

I'm down in London from Wednesday (4th) til the following Tuesday (10th) - mostly researching for sketchbooks, but also partaking in some blogger meet ups if that's your thing. Londoners, also, lemme know if anything good is occurring in that time frame.

PPS

Blog Sale. tomorrow. be there or...else. i have, like, 40 things to sell. some high street, some vintage, and a valentino skirt.

if the boot fits.

second post about shoes in a row. third if you count the ones in this weeks ebay post. third post in a row involving ebay.

good work!

so autumn is creeping up on us - the a/w lookbooks have been circulating for some time, and stores are starting to get their stock in. it's time, in my eyes, to start thinking about winter footwear, which is, of course, focused around the art of the ankle boot.

this year, i'm mostly looking for something with a platform, or perhaps a wedge, but mostly for the perfect tan chelsea boot. definitely not docs again, as my ill-advised foray into docs around this time last year will show you. stubby legs + 10 holes = not good. also the blisters were unbearable....

ideally i want pair of boots number 1 from this ebay post, but they were too big. i'm hoping a trip to absolute vintage, aka where i got my favoured flat black vintage boots last year, when i'm in london, will bear fruits, but otherwise....

if money were no object:

all from net-a-porter//clockwise from top:

chloe; £580

alexander wang; £555

alaïa; £1000

burberry; £475

gucci; £720

i find myself drawn to the wangs more than i ever was when they were on the catwalk, but the chloes would be perfect if they were a few shades lighter. (good job they're not then. £580!?).

if i save up a bit:

1-5 from nastygal; 6 from the outnet//top row:

sam edelman; $185

jeffrey campbell; $162

jeffrey campbell; $192

bottom row:

jeffrey campbell; $188

jeffrey campbell; $225

vanessa bruno; £115.50 on sale

seriously considering the vanessa brunos, if they're still in my size when i have money. they're also in black, and white (i think), on the outnet site...

the big mustard jeffrey campbell platforms AND the tall black ones are making me drool. =/.

the high street

top row:

asos; £45

asos; £40

asos; £45

bottom row:

asos; £75

new look; £60

topshop; £65

new look are ABSOLUTELY winning the chelsea boot race here. almost perfect. if only the elastic part was black! in fact, in a strange turn of events, i find topshop not to be ahead of everyone here - this is the best boot they have right now, and it's not all that. i assume they have some stunners up their sleeves, though, which will no doubt be in store soon. probably too soon, in the sense that they will be SO AWESOME that they will sell out before loan times. sigh.

the realistic

the questionably photoshopped ebay and etsy haul!

i'm not linking all of these - partly cos i can't be bothered, partly cos i'm watching a couple and maybe i don't feel like sharing, huh? though, the bottom left pair, which are here on etsy for $40 are too big anyways, so have at them!

pairs 2 and 6 in particular have caught my eye (and are both at seriously good prices right now) but maybe a pair of black chelseas would be good too?

in which direction are you taking your boots this winter, mes amis?

miss selfridge; a/w10.

according to twitter just after these pics surfaced, there are very few fans of Miss Selfridge's A/W collection.

now, while some of the clothes weren't to my style (miss s is often too girlygirl for me), and some of the shoes raised an eyebrow (lots of open toes and a pair of clogs. clog-inspired boots for a/w = good, actual clogs are a little...summer-y, non?), i'm actually quite a fan.

or at least, i'm gonna get on the defensive.

imgs from instyle

the shoes: come ON! wood (effect, i assume) heels and plaftorms, big brass effect rivets, lots of laces and buckles?

there were some heinous boots, yes, but these are all solid pieces (partics pairs 1, 2, 4 and 6). dark brown peep toe wedges with brogue detailing? very similar to my betty jackson ones, so i wouldn't buy them, but sweet-ass none the less.

accessories: leopard print ear muffs. i don't think i really need to say more.... i shall be wearing my fuzzy black ear muffs this a/w, though, huh?

these bags are all pretty cool too - all with that 'vintage' vibe, though the furry one reminds me of Giles' collection.

as for the fur coats - the first is so similar in colour, shape and size to my vintage one that i can't help but love it, and the coat with the collar and cuffs is similar to the one i'm slowly diy-ing (looking for a vintage fur collar to attach to it in a similar colour/shape to the miss s one; no lie)...

the clothes themselves are weaker, probably, than the accoutrements, but still with great potential.

ok, i'll give you this, the second dress is a little.....hmm. but imagine the middle skirt layer also in lace - a full bodice and a tiered lace skirt. not too dissimilar to the asos dress i loved from yesterday?

ok, so, it's NOT like that, but it's not quite as bad as the 'twitterworld' seemed to suggest.

as for the first dress (and the other 2 dresses + cardi, but not as much as that first dress) - ace. i assume/hope it's sheer - floaty perfection.

while i might not rush to the shop when this collection launches, i have a feeling the end of season sale will be a treat and a half for yours truly.

anatomically correct.

HRRRRRNK! SCHEDULED POST ALERT.

another designer of note: Vilsbøl de Arce

imgs from hintmag

as worn by Rihanna and Lady Gaga - don't look too surprised now - Danish duo Prisca Vilsbøl and Pia de Arce were inspired by human anatomy for A/W; as I'm sure you can tell.

muscle structure always inspires me, and I love the cut outs in the first jacket, and the padded muscle panels on the last two skirts, as well as on the jackets and vest.

a black and white colour palette with splashes of cream and grey is always welcomed, too, yknow?

armoured.

HRRRRRNK! SCHEDULED POST ALERT.

designer of note: Graeme Armour

SS 10

I didn't recognise the name, but the ruffle shorts... the ruffle shorts I recognised.

this is spring/summer - black, white, gold. leather. jersey.

the gold leather in the collection I could take or leave, other than the second look above, which is a case of 'armour by name, armour by design', non?

I'm not a shiftdress girl, but a white jersey or black leather version with a waist-high zip is an interesting twist and is making es reconsider.

AW10

all imgs from glamour online

AW10 is recognisably Graeme's work - vidi the ruffles - but with seasonal staples. by which I mean, the odd jumper. also some sheer; and you know how I feel about that. leather vest; leather hood; loose knit tunic; cycling shorts*: A+

*note to self: must purchase some of interest for underneath dresses/skirts/etc; totally essensh for bike riding.