You got the look.

Prince Sheena Easton U Got the Look
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I like dolls at the moment...

...as you can see by my last 2 posts and the next 2.

Barbie goes Gaga.

I was admittedly a Barbie lover when growing up (although the boy next door that I used to play with had Action Man, so Barbie would often go on little adventures) and I have after much deliberation bowed down to the sheer awesomeness that is Lady Gaga.

So when I became aware of the flickr page of a Beijing artist Veik I fell in love. Veik has started styling Barbie (who let's face it can often look quite dated) in the recent outfits of Lady Gaga - extreme headwear and Alexander McQueen lobster shoes in-all.

Whilst googling this, I discovered that la Gaga even has her own fashion empire brewing 'Haus of Gaga' and has recently been appointed as the new Creative Director of Polaroid!! An odd decision you may think but when you look at her credentials, it somehow seems very appropriate. Can't wait to see what she does with them.

Lily bares all.

Is it just me or does Lily Allen look increasingly amazing? Perhaps this is what happens when you become best chums with Mr Lagerfeld. (Be my friend Karl!)

This time she has gone topless for Harper's Bazaar Russia in vintage lace underwear and charcoaled eyes.

St. Vincent

Talented, beautiful and quirky; my latest inspiration is Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent).

Hearing Damage

Everything in its Right Place.

David Bowie - Fashion

My first introduction to this song was from the film Clueless when I was 10 years old. Loved it then - love it now.

The next Apple advert?

(Thanks redjotter.)

Calvin Harris' Humanthesizer

MJ - In the closet (feat. Naomi Campbell)

HMV clothing

HMV is in talks with apparel retailers and brands - including Topman - with an aim to offer more clothes in store. Their existing clothing lines include film/tv/music-related t-shirts and hoodies which sell extremely well. At their Oxford Street flagship store, the singles and reggae sections have been downsized to make room for more apparel and apparel displays.
Should Topman confirm a contract with HMV, it would put them in direct competition with themselves: they have recently teamed up with iconic music retailer Rough Trade with plans to sell CDs in-store come September. 

"I feel pretty"

The Get Em Mamis - Work

Apart from the fact I love the song and some of The Get Em Mamis other songs, I love the really amateur fashion show in this video. Turn up your speakers!

Dress

Happy Birthday Fred Perry!

The British tennis superstar Frederick John Perry was born 100 years ago in Stockport near Manchester. The Fred Perry brand began in the late 40s when Perry was approached by Tibby Wegner who had invented an anti-perspirant device worn around the waist. With Wegner's permission, Perry altered the design, making it suitable for the wrists and head, thereby inventing the sweatband. Their next idea was to produce sports shirts made from white knitted cotton pique with short sleeves and buttons down the front.  This was launched at Wimbledon in 1952 to immediate success. The Laurel logo stitched into the material on the left breast, soon became a symbol of the Fred Perry brand. 

Up until the late 50s, the polo shirt was only available in white until the early mods of the 50s adopted them and demanded more choice. Since then, many youth cultures of the UK have adorned the Fred Perry logo, including the skinheads and the Northern Soul scene (with the likes of The Specials being largely responsible for its popularity). 

I got my first Fred Perry top when I was 15 and wore it to gym class. It still fits so whenever I get the notion, I decide to sport it again. The polo shirts have become particularly popular again in the last few years as today's "indie" bands adopt the same approach the mods and skinheads did before them. 

Fred Perry currently have a limited edition 100th birthday collection available with the laurel logo also including '100' underneath. 

Innovation Showcase: Part 1

My favourite and personally highly anticipated discussion was to be given by John Ryan (Stores Editor for 'Retail Week') and Lorna Hall (Senior Retail Editor for WGSN). 

I had used the WGSN website before to research upcoming trends for this Spring Summer when I did a placement within a M&S buying team last summer. 

John Ryan went straight into looking at examples of great, creative shop floors. There were so many examples but here is one particular one and I shall add more when I have time:

Rough Trade East

With a free WiFi lounge and a cafe at the front (with somewhat uncomfortable looking chairs), it is clear that the record store staff want you to stick around. The store opened in 2008and is situated in the trendy part of the east end, off Brick Lane, near Spitalfields. 

As you might imagine the interior tries to emulate the alternative or underground music scenes with an edgy black and white theme; the rough beaming and pipes kept on view as well as the exposed strip lighting. As with any music store with "indie" credibility, the vinyl collection is extensive. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and complete the service package by writing up their own personal summaries of the records.

A must for any musical connoisseur.

It's Show Time!

I have been extremely bad at posting recently due, in large part, to my participation in a musical theatre production of 'The King and I'. Here's a couple of pictures of me and the girls in our costumes.   

The King of Siam has his women dress in crinoline dresses for the visiting English. It was so much fun wearing a wire ringed skirt underneath these beautifully decorated dresses and I would wear it every day if I could! I'm the one in the middle.

King Simon and his slaves - I am the slave on the left and yes these masks were a nightmare. Particularly since we were doing very energetic dancing and couldn't see, hear or breathe. 

The power of Levi's music.

Today I went thrift shopping and bought a bunch of vinyl records including this 1982 Levi's Strauss compilation 'Fingers off!' for just 99p. 

Of course Levi's has been associated with musicians for a long time, with the likes of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Strokes and even Massive Attack all sporting the jeans and their TV ads famously use music as a marketing tool to reach a specific audience.

My favourite one I remember being in awe of when I was just 8, was this advert featuring the song "Inside" by Stiltskin. At the time, Grunge was massive so this song and band were created specifically for the advert and went on to get a lot of airplay off the back of this advert alone. (Also good ones to watch are this Brad Pitt one and this fab one directed by Michel Gondry).

Recently, Levi's have taken it one step further with their Record Company label, Levity which has been signing up what they view as some of the best young acts around.

Label of the moment - PPQ

PPQ (of Mayfair) has gathered itself a loyal following since it's beginnings in '92. The fashion brand is particularly popular amongst the style savvy 'Get-the-London-look' celebs and pop stars and Peaches Geldof seemed to be wearing a PPQ creation every day at one point. 

But now the 19 year old 'It' girl has joined forces with the fashion label to create a capsule collection which you can only buy the collection at oli.co.uk. Not being a particular fan of Peaches, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a few of the designs are really nice and very wearable for the current high street trends. 

I came across these pictures in OK and thought Peaches looked really nice, especially in the one below where she looks very Alice in Wonderland.

Another PPQ collaboration I loved was with Ben Sherman last spring. The 'Five Decades of Dresses' encapsulating the music in the UK of each decade of the Ben Sherman brand's existance. Ben Sherman had picked PPQ for the collaboration because they felt that - like themselves and the music - they too are pioneers of British style.