A/W 20 Moodboard - Western Wonder

This is one trend that could not me more 'me' if it tried. Ever since my West Coast USA road trip last year, i've become increasingly more interested in all things 'western wonder' fashion - cue this AW20 trend. If I wasn't already dreaming of living a nomadic lifestyle, in the Californian desert, I am now...

For apparel, this trend delves deep into the use of texture. With fabrications ranging from jacquard to organza, intarsia knits to the all important suede. Silhouettes tend to be loose, but will often be belted for aesthetic purposes. To add yet more texture to the overall trend, we regularly see design features such as fringing and dense embroidery.

Accessories really help to bring the trend to life: from the wide brimmed hats, to cowboy buckle belts and not forgetting the all important neck scarf (usually fashioned as a classic neckerchief). Such items, are a great way to add a nod to the trend into your current wardrobe, without needing to invest too heavily in the more statement apparel pieces.

Colours are quite muted, think desert sunset shades including warm taupes and khaki green. The use of white, also means this trends carries through from Autumn to Summer.

Key Designers: Zimmermann, Etro, Isabel Marant

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

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Seasonal Wishlist - Young British Brands

One of the takeaway thoughts from the current global situation, is that the post coronavirus consumer landscape may look somewhat different.  Many shoppers may shun larger retailers in favour of supporting small and local businesses. Of course, this is purely speculative, but with us all putting a focus on 'community' at the moment it is easy to see that this shift is completely plausible. 

With this in mind, I wanted to shine some light on some of my favourite 'young' and 'emerging' British brands - should you wish to take a step in this direction.

1. Hayley Menzies - Cardigan £430

In 2011, designer Hayley Menzies set up a stall in Portobello market selling vintage pieces. From here, Menzies conceptualised her contemporary womenswear brand. Synonymous with a 'hunter-gatherer' style aesthetic, perfect for the modern woman loves to travel and who is a maximalist at heart. Signature pieces include knitted cardigans. Stockists include Liberty and Harrods.

2. Needle & Thread - 'Alaska' Dress £360

Founded in 2013, London based brand, Needle & Thread is synonymous with feminine daywear and evening dresses. With a focus on delicate hand embellishment and romantic prints, in ultra feminine colour palettes, Needle & Thread is the brand we all need to brighten up our wardrobe. A firm favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, Sarah Jessica Parker and Drew Barrymore.

3. Orwell & Austen - Intarsia 'LOVE' Knit £215

Specialising in knitwear, all Orwell & Austen pieces are made in Nepal. The brand has a focus on creating ethically produced pieces, with a big emphasis on sustainability.

4. Les Girls Les Boys - Bralet £35

Les Girls Les Boys was founded in London by Agent Provocateur founder, Serena Rees. The brands' loungewear and streetwear is gender fluid. They have also recently launched swimwear.

5. Kitty Joseph - Top £135

After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2011, Kitty Joseph founded her namesake label. Known as being a colour and print focused womenswear brand, and worn by celebrities including Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga. Garments are made in the UK.

6. Hades - Intarsia 'JOY DIVISION' Knit £220

Founded in 2015, Hades knitwear is handcrafted in Hawick, Scotland. Most notably known for their band name and alphabet intarsia knits. The collections are made from lambswool and are only produced in small quantities. This enables the brand to support local manufacturing partners. Fans include Alexa Chung.

7. Fan Club - 'Lust for Life' T-Shirt £35

Coming in to fruition in 2015, Fan Club clothing is the brainchild of sisters Felicity and Johanna. Born from a love of the 60's and 70's, along with punk music. Best known for super wearable slogan tee's and a very affordable price point.

8. Serena Bute London - Trackpants £345

Having worked in the fashion industry for thirty years, Serena Bute founded her latest brand only a few years ago. The aim of the brand is to create wardrobe staples, which include their iconic wide leg silk joggers. Worn and loved by Rita Ora and Adwoa Aboah.

9. Deborah Lyons - Blazer £540

Having previously worked in New York and Italy, Lyons returned home to London and founded her own brand in 2016. Using her background in tailoring, the brand is known for empowered femininity and high quality tailored pieces.

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

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A/W 20 Colour Trend - Sorbet

Unexpected sorbet shades, made for a welcome appearance on the A/W 20 runway. Not your typical autumnal colour palette, these refreshing pastel hues added an injection of frivolity to proceedings. In previous seasons we have seen ice-cream pastels, often with multiple pastel colours used harmoniously together within one outfit. This has been perhaps in print form or in the guise of layered separates, but for A/W 20 designers were preoccupied with block colours. 

Classic silhouettes are key to nailing this trend. Take cue from Miu Miu, who presented peach melba and parma violet wool coats. These tailored pieces add a simply touch of on-trend elegance to your winter wardrobe. Classic enough to wear year after year, all whilst brightening up a dull winters day. Miu Miu also added a further nod to the trend by use of accessories. Gloves, in contrasting colours, served up a welcome addition of a second pop of colour.

Marc Jacobs and Prabal Gurung both also played heavily with this trend. A lesson in red-carpet worthy evening wear from Gurung, complete with ostrich feathers. With Jacobs it was a focus on creating statement looks with subtle colours - lycra tights and OTT teddy coats. One would expect no less from Jacobs.

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

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A/W 20 Moodboard - Spanish Flair

So I'm sure i'm not the only one currently dreaming of their next holiday? (you know, for when this whole things is over...whenever that may be). Whilst in the process of looking at the A/W 20 catwalks, I noticed a distinct nod to Spanish culture. Well this just further fuelled my desire for my next holiday.

Louis Vuitton payed homage to Spanish Matadors, with their opulent take on the traditional bullfighter uniform, better known as the 'traje de luces'. Traditionally with gold and silver thread, the French fashion house opted for a similar style cropped jacket with heavy embellishment. In a further nod to Spanish culture, the blue and yellow colour palette was reminiscent of the coloured tiles seen at Park Guell in Barcelona.

Over in New York, Tory Burch also opted for a refreshing blue/yellow colour palette. Strapless dresses, with asymmetric hems and trims of shimmery paillettes and feathers, cascaded down the runway. Blue floral prints were delicately hand painted, similar to organic tile patterns found in picturesque Spanish towns. We can also take a look back at the LaDoubleJ SS20 collection, for which the Milanese brand presented zesty lemon prints with ostrich feather hems.

So, where will your next holiday be?

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

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Outfit of The Month - June

If I could wear just one brand, it would be Chloe - cue this top which was the starting point for this 'outfit of the month'. I'm all for a quality slogan tee, and whilst I wouldn't usually opt for heavy logo branding i'll happily make the exception for Chloe. Overall I wanted the feel of this look to be somewhat utilitarian - a classic a-line skirt from Junya Watanabe does the job perfectly. The seatbelt style belt and pockets, add to the military feel. For me, khaki colours are the next best wardrobe staple colours, after black and white. Such colours can seamlessly be incorporated into many an outfit, their neutral tones sitting well next to many other pops of colour. I've thrown in an oversized tie-dye denim jacket for good measure. Tie-dye need not be all rainbow colours, I love the muted dark tones on this one from Palm Angels.

For footwear, so called 'combat boots' are having quite the moment in the spotlight right now. Bottega Veneta have brought the world the coveted lug sole boot (check out Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's outfit posts on Instagram for reference). The aforementioned Bottega boot is black leather, but for this look I wanted something more in keeping with the khaki colour palette. I have opted for a pair of similar lug sole boots from Parisian vegan accessory brand - Rombaut.

For accessories, I knew I wanted to further toughen up this outfit with some statement accessories. First stop was a signature chain bracelet from Alyx. If Alyx is not on your fashion radar yet, then it really ought to be. Founded in 2015 by Matthew Williams (Lady Gaga's former creative director and Kanye West collaborator), Alyx is fast becoming one of the most coveted brands, known for luxury pieces but with a streetwear affinity. Most notably, Williams recently worked for Kim Jones (Dior men) to redesign the brands' hardware. If you are on the lookout for future classic jewellery, it's worth investing now in their signature chain jewellery.

Completing the look, is a pair of top bar metal sunglasses from Givenchy, with smoke lens and acetate tips. In addition to this, I've added a practical cross-body bag, in neutral colours, from Stella McCartney.

What is your favourite piece in this outfit?

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

Pinterest - phillippadesign

A/W 20 Print Moodboard - Toile De Jouy

Originating in a town outside of Paris in the 18th Century, Toile De Jouy is one of the most instantly recognisable prints within the realm of textiles. Varying ever so slightly in the scene, in which it depicts, it is classic in it's scale and colour (typically blue, red or black). It is especially delicate, it's hand-drawn motifs featuring minute detail. 

Traditionally such prints will portray pastoral scenes, think picnics in a park or farming, but designers of today are reinventing the classic Toile De Jouy with a quirky modern spin. This could be in the form of featuring modern society or the designers hometown, but fashioned in the Toile De Jouy style of handwriting.

On the runway for A/W 20, we saw Toile De Jouy, most noticeably, crop up at both Sies Marjan and Moschino. However this heritage print has been slowly bubbling under the surface for a couple of seasons now, recently also spotted at Christian Dior and Chloe.

Due to the nature of the print, the overall appeal is very soft and romantic. Whilst it may be a print which covers a full surface, it's muted colouring means it is not overbearing. With this is mind, it is likely to have longevity in your wardrobe.

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

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Shop The Edit - Rainbow

You will have undoubtedly noticed, that the humble rainbow motif has been cropping up in windows all across the country. As the world looks to survive in these unprecedented times, the symbol of the rainbow is being used to offer hope and brighter times ahead - signifying the sun emerging from behind grey clouds. 

Coming at this from a fashion perspective, we tend not to see actual rainbow motifs on the runway. This standalone motif lends itself more to graphic tee's, whereas on the runway designers look at it from the angle of using the seven rainbow colours. Having said this, one of my all time favourite runway looks came from the Matthew Williamson Spring 05 collection (seen below in my edit) - I am forever on the quest to hunt down this aforementioned dress!

This rainbow concept is nothing new, if you look back to archive fashion images we regularly see full head-to-toe rainbow looks. There is something free-spirited and bohemian about the use of these colours, whereas in today's society it is also representative of equality. It also happen to work exceptionally well for editorial images, especially against a backdrop of rainbow coloured street art.

In the past couple of seasons, we have seen rainbow hues from designers: Christian Siriano, Gabriela Hearst, Halpern, Kitty Joseph, Attico, Moncler x Richard Quinn and Needle and Thread - proving that the use of this colour palette is more than just a fleeting trend.

If you are looking in incorporate some rainbow summer cheer into your wardrobe, I have put together a round-up of some of my favourite premium pieces...

1. Shirt Dress by All Things Mochi £275

2. Dress by Needle & Thread £285

3. Jacket by Etre Cecile £320

4. Boots by Marco De Vincenzo £1180

5. Bag  by By Far £455

6. Earrings by Rosie Fortescue £100

7. Swimsuit by Alberta Ferretti £245

8. Top by Kitty Joseph £135

9. Dress by Michael Kors £311

Phillippa x

Twitter - @phillippa22

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