Amelia’s Magazine | Vauxhall Fashion Scout Ones to Watch A/W 2011 – A Preview


Kirsty Ward, cialis 40mg pilule illustrated by Gabriel Ayala

Oh God, doctor more about is it really that time again? Do I really have to stay up, approved night after night, sending all those emails? Worrying about outfits? Processing 12,000 photographs? Yep, London Fashion Week is just around the corner, and yesterday Vauxhall Fashion Scout announced their line up for their extra special Ones to Watch show.

Previous winners of the accolade include Ada Zanditon and Lu Flux (both in Amelia’s new book) as well as Eudon Choi and David Longshaw. Last season’s outing was an ecclectic mix of ‘dandyish’ menswear, cream pleats and yellow ruffles. The line up this time around looks certain to impress, though – Central Saint Martins’ graduates Anja Mlakar and Kirsty Ward, along with Sara Bro-Jorgensen and Tze Goh.

While we all get excited about London’s most fashionable five days, here’s a little round up of the new design talent.

Tze Goh

Illustration by Lana Hughes

Tze Goh graduated with a BA from Parsons in New York before completing an MA at Central Saint Martins. Tze’s collections to date have had that strong, minimal aesthetic with emphasis on shape and sculpture.

They’re definitely futuristic, and each garment appears to have been moulded from an unknown material rather than sewn from jersey. Pieces emphasise the shapes of his models – exaggerated shoulders and discrete twists in fabric make for modern, appealing clothes. Hopefully he’ll stick to his minimalist principles during his outing this coming season.

Kirsty Ward

Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

Kirsty Ward is brilliant. She’s one of the most unique designers I’ve seen in ages, and it’s no surprise that she’s, yep – you guessed it – Central Saint Martin’s alumni and went on to work with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. Amelia reviewed her collection last season , a vertiable wonder of sculptural jewellery and clothing that echoes the contours of the body.

I loved her work with David Longshaw (creating jewellery that he teamed with his collection) during his debut on the very same Ones to Watch stage a year ago This season promises another fashion-forward outing.

Anja Mlakar

Illustration by Willa Gebbie

Anja Mlakar is – you guessed it – another Central Saint Martins graduate. I’m feeling fatigued typing those three words already and the shows haven’t even started. Anyway, Her debut collection harboured much interest and having only graduated last year, Anja is set to cement herself in fashion this coming season.

Her S/S 2011 collection was a welcome ray of sunshine, with bursts of pastel yellows and pinks. Her aesthetic features structural forms and body-concious frocks, and her style straddles the fine line between flattering and futuristic. The most diverse collection, it will be intereting to see if Anja develops a particular element or mixes it up again.

Sara Bro-Jorgensen

Illustration by Jaymie O’Callaghan

Sara, a Royal College of Art graduate (at last!) takes a different approach to fashion and is heavily influenced by 2D forms like black and white photographs. She’s been nominated for awards here and there.

Her previous collections contain a mix of knits and deconstructed pieces, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this girl digs black. As it’s the A/W 2011 we’re looking forward to, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of fashion’s favourite colour on Sara’s outing, but then what do I know?

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Alberta Feretti, ,black, ,Central Saint Martins, ,David Longshaw, ,fashion, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Italy, ,Jaymie O’Callaghan, ,Lana Hughes, ,London Fashion Week, ,new york, ,Ones To Watch, ,parsons, ,Royal College of Art, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Willa Gebbie

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Amelia’s Magazine | We Are All In One: The return of the jumpsuit

FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, find which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, sales and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, hospital which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, visit and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, approved which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, clinic and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, buy information pills which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, website and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, sale or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.

Yeti Lane rAll Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral

Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, healing dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, online instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, sale driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.

You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.

YETI_LANE_LJ2

Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.

A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.

first rate

The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.

YETI_LANE_LJ1

The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.

And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.

Yeti Lane rAll Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral

Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, cialis 40mg dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.

You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.

YETI_LANE_LJ2

Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.

A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.

first rate

The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.

YETI_LANE_LJ1

The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.

And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.
FAK 2

Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, about it moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.

Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?

Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.

AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?

Klara. I guess, search we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.

AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.

Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework.  It was really stressful.

hardbelieverpackshot

AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?

Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.

Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.

Klara. Yeah, along the way.

AD. How do you approach your song writing?

Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually

Klara. Yeah

AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?

K. We both went to English school

J. Yeah, for four years

K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.

firstaidkitsinglepackshot

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 1

AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?

K. Sure, like films and books we read.

AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?

K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.

AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.

K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.

J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.

K. No

J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.

AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?

K. Yeah.

J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.

firstaidkiteppackshot

AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.

J & K. Yep

(laughter)

K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.

AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?

K. We get a little annoyed I guess

J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.

K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.

(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)

K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.

J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.

(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)

AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?

K. Yeah sure

J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.

K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.

J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.

K. It was really nice.

J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.

AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?

J. Touring

K. What we’re doing

J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.

K. And just enjoy ourselves.

The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 2

Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, troche moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.

Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?

Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.

AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?

Klara. I guess, dosage we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.

AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.

Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework.  It was really stressful.

hardbelieverpackshot

AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?

Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.

Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.

Klara. Yeah, along the way.

AD. How do you approach your song writing?

Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually

Klara. Yeah

AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?

K. We both went to English school

J. Yeah, for four years

K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.

firstaidkitsinglepackshot

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Club. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 1

AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?

K. Sure, like films and books we read.

AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?

K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.

AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.

K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.

J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.

K. No

J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.

AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?

K. Yeah.

J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.

firstaidkiteppackshot

AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.

J & K. Yep

(laughter)

K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.

AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?

K. We get a little annoyed I guess

J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.

K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.

(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)

K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.

J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.

(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)

AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?

K. Yeah sure

J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.

K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.

J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.

K. It was really nice.

J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.

AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?

J. Touring

K. What we’re doing

J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.

K. And just enjoy ourselves.

The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, viagra which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, cost and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, buy information pills or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, cost which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, try and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, for sale or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
Polka Lace copy Image courtesy of All In One, this photographed by Stephanie Sian Smith.

What attracts you to the idea of the onesie jumpsuit / all in one?
I just think they’re pretty unusual and fun to wear – and when you find an amazing one you just look mega cool.

How did you develop your idea into a business? From your blog you’ve sold to a variety of people from Burning Man and bankers to vitamin water and a variety of performers including Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.
A friend of mine had a blue jellyfish sting protection suit that she’d nicked when she went diving in Australia. When I saw it I instantly fell in love and commandeered it as my festival outfit for the next few years! I soon built up a collection of these suits and got a bit of a reputation as being ‘the onesie girl’ – when the festivals finished I realised that there were hardly any all-in-one’s out there that I could just wear normally. So I started making my own – it kind of seemed natural for me to just start my own business making things which I love. Now, page I sell a mixture of my own work and custom costume designs.

African One copyAbove and all images below courtesy of All In One, information pills photographed by Dan Wilton.

What would you say is Nina Ribena’s design aesthetic?
Massive hoods.

Who or what are your design inspirations?
I’m hugely inspired by the circus. I just got a massive book of old circus photos for Christmas, which is a great reference for one-piece related costumes. I really love bright, crazy, repeat patterns. I love Brian Lichtenberg, Cassette Playa, JCDC and Jeremy Scott’s work…and I would say M.I.A is quite a big inspiration (probably because she wears quite a lot of the aforementioned designer’s clothes!). I love the whole 90′s revival that’s happening at the moment as well, I can’t get enough of tacky gold jewellery and R Kelly.

originals3 copyWhat materials do you particularly like to work in/with?
The majority of my designs are in cotton jersey or anything with a bit of stretch to it. I’ve also been working with PVC quite a lot recently – I quite like the sculptural qualities it can have.

What do onesie’s make you think of?
Fun. Stretching. A good night out. Grace Jones.

all in one .01 (5 of 1) copyHow would you describe your creative process?
I am super organised in some ways and a complete mess in others. So, I usually spend my time trawling the Internet looking through fashion blogs and pulling out anything that catches my eye – this can be anything from London Fashion Week to Where the Wild Things Are to Cheryl Cole. Then I go through them all and decide the themes, that I want to work within – which usually end up being about 7 or 8 different things. I’ll draw some ideas and designs down and then just make the ones I like the most. I’ve never studied fashion – I’m completely self-taught, so I don’t have the ‘correct’ way of designing a collection mastered, at all.

What’s been your favourite appearance of your onesie so far?
I think it has to be the one I made for Fred Butler recently. I.D Magazine are running a feature of 100 portraits of creative/influential people – Fred Butler being one of them – and she asked me to make her an amazing holographic inspired all in one for the shoot. The photos were taken by Nick Knight for his SHOWstudio project so you could watch the whole shoot live on their website. So yeah, my design will be in I.D Magazine, shot by a famous photographer and worn by a really talented designer. Definitely my favourite onesie appearance!

blue african trim copyWith Fashion Week slowly creeping up on us which designers will you be watching out for?
I’ve always been really interested in Gareth Pugh’s work – especially his last collection – I thought everything from the clothes to the lighting and feel of the catwalk just looked amazing. I always like to check out the new designers supported by Fashion East/ Vauxhall Fashion Scout etc…it’s always good to study the sort of designers who win these opportunities.
Aside from that – House of Holland, Ashish, Givenchy, Pam Hogg, Viktor & Rolf, Mark Fast and Jeremy Scott, of course. He always make things a bit more interesting!

As a holder of a blog – what are your thoughts on the blogging ‘sphere’?
I think it’s really important to have a blog if you’re a designer. Just having an online shop or website doesn’t really cut it these days. I think the people who buy your clothes (and are ultimately fans of your work) want to have more of an insight into your creative processes and the things that inspire you. Plus it’s a brilliant way to network with people and get your work out into the open. I wouldn’t have had half of the opportunities or ideas I’ve had without having access to all the blogs out there.

all in one .01 (3 of 5) copyWhat’s next for Nina Ribena?
Lots. I’m really enjoying printing my own fabric at the moment so you can expect to see a lot of zebras, puffins and multi-coloured leopard skin prints making appearances on my designs soon! I want to bring out my own line of leggings and a friend and me have just started our own dance/club night collective.
I’m also planning an exhibition of all my designs to be shown at the end of the year, which is going to involve a mixture of fashion, art and theatrics – all in onesies, of course. It’s going to be a busy year!

Categories ,Ashish, ,Brian Lichtenberg, ,Burning Man, ,Cassette Playa, ,Cheryl Cole, ,Fashion East, ,Fred Butler, ,Gareth Pugh, ,Givenchy, ,Grace Jones, ,House of Holland, ,I.D Magazine, ,JCDC, ,Jeremy Scott, ,London Fashion Week, ,M.I.A, ,Mark Fast, ,Nick Knight, ,Nina Ribena, ,Pam Hogg, ,R Kelly, ,Stephanie Sian Smith, ,Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Viktor & Rolf, ,We Are All In One, ,Where the Wild Things Are

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Amelia’s Magazine | We Are All In One: The return of the jumpsuit

FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, find which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, sales and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, hospital which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, visit and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, approved which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, clinic and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, buy information pills which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, website and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, sale or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.

Yeti Lane rAll Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral

Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, healing dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, online instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, sale driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.

You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.

YETI_LANE_LJ2

Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.

A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.

first rate

The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.

YETI_LANE_LJ1

The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.

And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.

Yeti Lane rAll Photos Couresy of Sonic Cathedral

Yeti Lane should know what they doing; with three quarters of now defunct band Cyann and Ben making up the ranks they have all the experience and credentials for making reflective, cialis 40mg dreamy music. But Yeti Lane are no limp reincarnation, instead they’ve taken on a new challenge in their self titled debut to produce a light yet layered sound, driven by an unavoidable love affair with the playful elements of pop and rock.

You’re more likely to see members Ben Pleng, Charlie Boyer and LoAc poring over their menagerie of synths, organs and drum machines than smashing guitars in a new found cliché rock madness but nevertheless Yeti Lane place their emphasis on the dazzling relationship between rumbling drumbeats and soaring guitars.

YETI_LANE_LJ2

Yeti Lane never insists on your attention, instead drawing you in slowly, hypnotized by a galaxy of layered electronic waves and hushes, but can at times appear in the wider context like a supporting cast to The Flaming Lips’ Oscar winning performance.

A naturally quiet subtlety runs through the songs of Yeti Lane but unless you can apply your full attention span to the task, the album sometimes slips away from your consciousness, an unfairly forgettable face in a crowd. First-Rate Pretender opens the album heralding the positives of Yeti Lane, all soft vocals that lead you by the hand into their world of delicate anti-romance.

first rate

The band are clearly eager to experiment with different avenues of sound and songs such as Only One Look and Lucky Bag catch glimpses of an interest in glitchy loops and synthesizers but they never truly announce themselves in the foreground. An indulgence in a fresh direction stirs an excitement for the record that is never quite satiated until standout track Lonesome George. The haunting echoes permeating previous tracks have momentarily disappeared as Yeti Lane indulge in a poignant dedication to youthful resilience and unfazed anticipation, led by stirring organs, xylophones and horns.

YETI_LANE_LJ1

The trio aren’t giving much away about their French origins and lean towards an unavoidable American sensibility, though Pleng’s sweet Parisian lilt adds a bonbon charm to darker edges. A contention with stereotypes doesn’t stop there as home for Yeti Lane is the traditionally shoegaze associated label Sonic Cathedral, though the band seem to have enough ideas to distance themselves from being pigeonholed too easily, even if these adventures can come across a little diluted. They bend and navigate the framework of a pop sound, but often this meandering leads to some indulgent deviations.

And so it seems Yeti Lane, overflowing with ideas in the second phase of their musical careers, aren’t quite sure where exactly they’re heading but are taking the road travelled more confidently by stalwarts of the New York scene of decades before. Plaudits for their own ability in melding the vast array of instruments with each other to a pleasant and intriguing effect should not be denied them, though perhaps in time Yeti Lane can mature this sound to a more arresting result.
FAK 2

Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, about it moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.

Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?

Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.

AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?

Klara. I guess, search we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.

AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.

Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework.  It was really stressful.

hardbelieverpackshot

AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?

Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.

Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.

Klara. Yeah, along the way.

AD. How do you approach your song writing?

Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually

Klara. Yeah

AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?

K. We both went to English school

J. Yeah, for four years

K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.

firstaidkitsinglepackshot

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 1

AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?

K. Sure, like films and books we read.

AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?

K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.

AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.

K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.

J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.

K. No

J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.

AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?

K. Yeah.

J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.

firstaidkiteppackshot

AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.

J & K. Yep

(laughter)

K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.

AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?

K. We get a little annoyed I guess

J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.

K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.

(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)

K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.

J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.

(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)

AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?

K. Yeah sure

J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.

K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.

J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.

K. It was really nice.

J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.

AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?

J. Touring

K. What we’re doing

J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.

K. And just enjoy ourselves.

The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 2

Since hearing First Aid Kits debut album The Big Black and The Blue we’ve been incredibly impressed with the sibling duo. The album is full of lush harmonies, troche moody melodies and lyrical narratives. I was able to catch up with Klara and Johanna before their gig at Rough Trade East. The girls were eating dinner at a curry house on Brick Lane with their father Benkt before the gig and I dropped in afterwards to ask them a few questions.

Andy Devine. How’re you finding England?

Klara. Oh we just got here but we’re already enjoying it. It’s like coming home because we spent so much time here last year when we were on tour.

AD. You have a three month tour coming up. Is that something you ever imagined doing when you first started recording songs?

Klara. I guess, dosage we imagined it, but not so soon. It was definitely in the plan, but we thought it’d be in about five year’s time. It’s happened really fast, but we’ve always wanted to make music.

AD. On the Whichita site it says that you were finishing school while you were recording your debut album. How did you manage to find the time to do both.

Johanna. We recorded it during weekends and holidays and at night when we were finished with homework.  It was really stressful.

hardbelieverpackshot

AD. How long did it take you to finish recording it?

Klara. From November 2008 to the summer 2009. It was because we were at school that we couldn’t do it quickly.

Johanna. Yeah we didn’t have all the songs; they were finished gradually.

Klara. Yeah, along the way.

AD. How do you approach your song writing?

Joanna. Well they all just pop out eventually

Klara. Yeah

AD. You’re both from Sweden but all of your songs are sung in English. Is there any particular reason why?

K. We both went to English school

J. Yeah, for four years

K. So it made sense. We’re also really into American and English culture and almost all the music we listen to is in English so when we make songs that’s the way they come out.

firstaidkitsinglepackshot

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and your songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Club. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK 1

AD. OK, you’ve said that you’re interested in Folk music, but is there anything else which inspires you to write the music that you do?

K. Sure, like films and books we read.

AD. Anything particularly or are you just absorbing it from everywhere?

K. Well I mean some songs have direct songs which we’ve been inspired by. Like, the movie Into The Wild, I was really inspired by it. I wrote a song that’s on our album called ‘Wills of the River’ which I literally wrote while I was watching the movie. I wrote a poem and then we made a song about it. That’s one quite extreme example of how we’re inspired.

AD. What do you think of the British folk scene, and is it similar at all to Sweden’s.

K. We love it, and we’re inspired by it.

J. There’s no such thing in Sweden at all.

K. No

J. I mean we’re the only band really doing this. I think.

AD. Do you play much at all in Sweden then?

K. Yeah.

J. We did at the beginning, we played in Stockholm for a year, or something like that but now we only really play over here.

firstaidkiteppackshot

AD. Do you find that being siblings makes it easier to write songs together.

J & K. Yep

(laughter)

K. Yeah, I mean we haven’t really recorded with anyone else, but definitely. It might just be us, I don’t know if every sibling would be able to but we’re on the same page almost all of the time, and we get along most of the time. I think.

AD. When you met Amelia at Glastonbury you had your parents with you, and obviously your dads along with you this time. How do you find that, does it mean you can’t get up to any classic touring antics?

K. We get a little annoyed I guess

J. But I don’t think it’s because he’s a family member, it’s just being with someone all the time.

K. Yeah, all bands become a family eventually. I mean our dad, it feels a bit weird talking with him sat there.

(Benkt puts his hands up in mock surrender)

K. But he does a lot. He’s our sound technician on the tour as well so we really need him.

J. He’s been doing it too, in the 80’s, he had his own band for a few years. He’s very experienced. So it’s very good for us to talk to him about these things.

(At this point Benkt brings out a copy of Mick Jaggers autobiography and points at it knowingly)

AD. You played on the Climate Camp stage at Glastonbury last year. Is that something that’s quite important to you?

K. Yeah sure

J. We think about it alot. I don’t know if it shows in our songs but it’s important to us. We have this thing in Stockholm now which is called No More Lullabies.

K. There were 24 Swedish artists all playing together.

J. Yeah, we all played 10 minutes each. There’s a film on the website where you can watch it and that was to get awareness to the issue.

K. It was really nice.

J. We love to do those kind of things. We’re not afraid of it and talking about it with people.

AD. OK, finally, what is it you’re most looking forward to doing this year?

J. Touring

K. What we’re doing

J. Yeah, we want to go the US and try to make some new songs.

K. And just enjoy ourselves.

The Big Black and the Blue was releasd on Monday and can be found in all decent record stores.

AD. Ok, you’ve probably heard this one quite alot, but, you’re still quite young and you’re songs show a lot of maturity

K. (smiling) Oh really

(Laughter)

AD. Sorry

K. Oh no no

AD. You show a lot of maturity, especially in the lyrics. Do these come from your own experiences or are they just stories?

K. We are young, and we haven’t experienced that much. We haven’t run away from our husbands after long marriages. We just like the tradition of telling stories in the country/folk scene. I mean if you go way back to The Carter Family and all of those guys and they all tell these sad stories about outlaws and things.

AD. Last year you were over here supporting Fanfarlo and Slow Dive. How does it feel this year to be coming back and you’ll be headlining your own gigs?

K. Well the Fanfarlo tour was meant to be a double headline

AD. Oh Really?

J. But it didn’t quite work like that, for some reason.

K. I mean they’re six and we’re only two so …

J. Yeah, it’s new and exciting and we’re both a little nervous.

FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, viagra which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, cost and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, buy information pills or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
FAK_BBB_packshot

The first time I heard First Aid Kit was when they supported Slow Club during their tour last year. They were kicking around the empty venue watching Slow Club’s sound check.

The Swedish sisters looked so young that I thought someone had snuck their daughters into the venue before the doors opened.

I have been a massive fan of First Aid Kit since that gig in October. I listened obsessively to their Drunken Trees E.P and I’ve been counting down the days til their release of their debut album The Big Black and The Blue.

It was completely worth the wait; the album sounds fantastic from the get go. The Big Black and The Blue opens with the stunning ‘In The Morning’; it starts with an acappella harmony, cost which leads into the quietest and gentle strums of an acoustic guitar, try and instantly grabs your attention and steals your heart.

FAK 1

The interesting thing about First Aid Kit is the contradiction in two young girls writing the occasional song about middle-aged women, for sale or tackling stories that seem beyond their teenage years. Just like You’re Not Coming Home Tonight from their E.P, ‘In The Morning’ is just one of the songs about a life the musicians are too young to lead themselves.

It sounds patronising, but there really aren’t any other musicians as young as these girls writing lyrics of this depth or maturity.

The Big Black and The Blue alternates between acappella styled harmonies and country tinged guitars to create 11 beautifully crafted songs that you won’t get bored of. Hard Believer is the standout song of the album; it’s another track that shows off the maturity and wisdom in the lyrics.

On first listen this isn’t in the same league as their Drunken Trees E.P, but if you give it enough time, it’ll grow on you. I think there’s a space in everyone’s music collections for this stunning release. I shall be upgrading my press CD for a vinyl version next week.
Polka Lace copy Image courtesy of All In One, this photographed by Stephanie Sian Smith.

What attracts you to the idea of the onesie jumpsuit / all in one?
I just think they’re pretty unusual and fun to wear – and when you find an amazing one you just look mega cool.

How did you develop your idea into a business? From your blog you’ve sold to a variety of people from Burning Man and bankers to vitamin water and a variety of performers including Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.
A friend of mine had a blue jellyfish sting protection suit that she’d nicked when she went diving in Australia. When I saw it I instantly fell in love and commandeered it as my festival outfit for the next few years! I soon built up a collection of these suits and got a bit of a reputation as being ‘the onesie girl’ – when the festivals finished I realised that there were hardly any all-in-one’s out there that I could just wear normally. So I started making my own – it kind of seemed natural for me to just start my own business making things which I love. Now, page I sell a mixture of my own work and custom costume designs.

African One copyAbove and all images below courtesy of All In One, information pills photographed by Dan Wilton.

What would you say is Nina Ribena’s design aesthetic?
Massive hoods.

Who or what are your design inspirations?
I’m hugely inspired by the circus. I just got a massive book of old circus photos for Christmas, which is a great reference for one-piece related costumes. I really love bright, crazy, repeat patterns. I love Brian Lichtenberg, Cassette Playa, JCDC and Jeremy Scott’s work…and I would say M.I.A is quite a big inspiration (probably because she wears quite a lot of the aforementioned designer’s clothes!). I love the whole 90′s revival that’s happening at the moment as well, I can’t get enough of tacky gold jewellery and R Kelly.

originals3 copyWhat materials do you particularly like to work in/with?
The majority of my designs are in cotton jersey or anything with a bit of stretch to it. I’ve also been working with PVC quite a lot recently – I quite like the sculptural qualities it can have.

What do onesie’s make you think of?
Fun. Stretching. A good night out. Grace Jones.

all in one .01 (5 of 1) copyHow would you describe your creative process?
I am super organised in some ways and a complete mess in others. So, I usually spend my time trawling the Internet looking through fashion blogs and pulling out anything that catches my eye – this can be anything from London Fashion Week to Where the Wild Things Are to Cheryl Cole. Then I go through them all and decide the themes, that I want to work within – which usually end up being about 7 or 8 different things. I’ll draw some ideas and designs down and then just make the ones I like the most. I’ve never studied fashion – I’m completely self-taught, so I don’t have the ‘correct’ way of designing a collection mastered, at all.

What’s been your favourite appearance of your onesie so far?
I think it has to be the one I made for Fred Butler recently. I.D Magazine are running a feature of 100 portraits of creative/influential people – Fred Butler being one of them – and she asked me to make her an amazing holographic inspired all in one for the shoot. The photos were taken by Nick Knight for his SHOWstudio project so you could watch the whole shoot live on their website. So yeah, my design will be in I.D Magazine, shot by a famous photographer and worn by a really talented designer. Definitely my favourite onesie appearance!

blue african trim copyWith Fashion Week slowly creeping up on us which designers will you be watching out for?
I’ve always been really interested in Gareth Pugh’s work – especially his last collection – I thought everything from the clothes to the lighting and feel of the catwalk just looked amazing. I always like to check out the new designers supported by Fashion East/ Vauxhall Fashion Scout etc…it’s always good to study the sort of designers who win these opportunities.
Aside from that – House of Holland, Ashish, Givenchy, Pam Hogg, Viktor & Rolf, Mark Fast and Jeremy Scott, of course. He always make things a bit more interesting!

As a holder of a blog – what are your thoughts on the blogging ‘sphere’?
I think it’s really important to have a blog if you’re a designer. Just having an online shop or website doesn’t really cut it these days. I think the people who buy your clothes (and are ultimately fans of your work) want to have more of an insight into your creative processes and the things that inspire you. Plus it’s a brilliant way to network with people and get your work out into the open. I wouldn’t have had half of the opportunities or ideas I’ve had without having access to all the blogs out there.

all in one .01 (3 of 5) copyWhat’s next for Nina Ribena?
Lots. I’m really enjoying printing my own fabric at the moment so you can expect to see a lot of zebras, puffins and multi-coloured leopard skin prints making appearances on my designs soon! I want to bring out my own line of leggings and a friend and me have just started our own dance/club night collective.
I’m also planning an exhibition of all my designs to be shown at the end of the year, which is going to involve a mixture of fashion, art and theatrics – all in onesies, of course. It’s going to be a busy year!

Categories ,Ashish, ,Brian Lichtenberg, ,Burning Man, ,Cassette Playa, ,Cheryl Cole, ,Fashion East, ,Fred Butler, ,Gareth Pugh, ,Givenchy, ,Grace Jones, ,House of Holland, ,I.D Magazine, ,JCDC, ,Jeremy Scott, ,London Fashion Week, ,M.I.A, ,Mark Fast, ,Nick Knight, ,Nina Ribena, ,Pam Hogg, ,R Kelly, ,Stephanie Sian Smith, ,Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Viktor & Rolf, ,We Are All In One, ,Where the Wild Things Are

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Amelia’s Magazine | Shao Yen: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Catwalk Review

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Dana Bocai

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Dana Bocai

Taiwanese-born Shao Yen is no stranger to success. This knitwear graduate has caught the eye of other designers such as Nicola Formichetti, created a bespoke dress for dress-up queen, Bjork, and has been showing at London Fashion Week ever since his graduate Central Saint Martin’s MA show for A/W 2010.

Shao Yen AW 2012 by Amelia Gregory
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

As soon as I was directed to one of the spacious upstairs rooms at The Freemason’s Hall, I knew this presentation would be an altogether more relaxed affair than the dizzying thrills of earlier catwalk shows. If you’ve never visited the venue before, I would recommend it. Vauxhall Fashion Scout has used the iconic Art Deco building for their off-schedule shows for ages, and with good reason. The high ceilings, beautifully decorated walls and marble floors set the tone for equally enticing clothes.

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Gaarte

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Gaarte

As I passed through large doors into the presentation space, I think I audibly sighed in delight of what I saw. Several models stood on plain white podiums, beautifully lit, while a cello player produced soothing classical melodies, setting a relaxed yet formal tone. Although the room was busy, it was a visual treat to be able to come up close and admire a collection. At London Fashion Week, you become used to models practically running past on the catwalk, while you desperately try to take everything in over blaring music and not much room to breathe. For this presentation, it was the audience who couldn’t keep still, moving around the models that posed for every single photographer.

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum

What I loved most about this collection was the mix of themes. Upper-class met underground/sports culture in a zillion different and clever ways. Sports socks were worn with simple black stilettos, tweed suits had elasticised cuffs and hoods, mesh baseball hats matched knitted dresses or silk two-piece suits. Vintage-looking embroidered dresses were dotted alongside stark black leather pieces, as though the Shao Yen woman will wear her mother’s antique dresses, but likes to sharpen things up with masculine tailoring, too.

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

The colour palette was just as fresh as the models, who I could have hugged for being so patient, even when an over-eager photographer almost knocked one over. Fizzy oranges and bright turquoises were perfectly offset by tweed and monochrome. Hair was pulled into simple, carefree ponytails and roughly backcombed, paired with bright orange-red lips and some blush.

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Sam Mardon

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Sam Mardon

Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum
Shao Yen A/W 2012 by Alia Gargum

The message for this collection was simple, understated country luxury done in an urban sportswear way. Tweed doesn’t have to be stuffy, and in fact was a massive hit this November when Rugby Ralph Lauren celebrated the opening of their Covent Garden store with a ‘Tweed Run’ where hundreds of Londoners donned their best tweeds and rode bikes around the town whilst stopping for tea and general merriment. We’ve chatted tweed and it’s cycling appeal before too, in an interview with the founders of Bobbin Bicycles, which you can read all about here. Shao Yen has created a whole new look by taking two quite fussy clothing cultures and stripping them down to something fresh and accessible (and more wearable than his previous beautiful yet revealing collections) for A/W 2012. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

All photography by Amelia Gregory and Alia Gargum

Categories ,Alia Gargum, ,Amelia Gregory, ,bjork, ,Bobbin Bicycles, ,Central St Martins, ,Dana Bocai, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,knitwear, ,London Fashion Week A/W 2012, ,Nicola Formichetti, ,Shao Yen Chen, ,sportswear, ,Tweed, ,Tweed Run, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Womenswear

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Amelia’s Magazine | Spijkers en Spijkers: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Catwalk Review

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi
Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi

From the looks of the feminine and pretty invite (which was beautifully illustrated by Dutch artist Martine Johanna) I didn’t expect anything too shocking from this A/W 2012 collection by Spijkers en Spijkers.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Claire Kearns

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Claire Kearns

The mood music as we sat down consisted of haunting, screeching quotes, so I suspected that we were in for something dark, haunting, and a little different. The quotes were from the original 1975 Grey Gardens documentary depicting the life of Big Edie and Little Edie, the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. It is a real-life tale of a mother and a daughter driven to an eccentric state of solitude, after falling from the grace of high-society New York when Edie’s father left them penniless. Little Edie, in the eyes of Spijkers en Spijkers, was a colourful ‘Bird of Paradise‘ and served as a muse for the collection.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

All photography by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Sam Mardon

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Sam Mardon

The music set the tone perfectly; the despair, drama, and frailty in the voices echoed the strong yet feminine use of colour and 1940′s silhouettes. Lyrics about houses being set on fire and Edie Bouvier Beale’s mother telling her what to do sent chills down my spine as I simultaneously warmed to the mixed-up styling by Karen Binns. It was well documented that these two women had to make do with what they had, forcing them to mix clothes up in new ways. ‘Never throw anything old away‘ the music boomed, echoing dresses paired with clashing tops or fluorescent jewellery.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

spijkers en spijkers A/W 2012 by anna higgie

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Anna Higgie

There was some of Spijkers en Spijkers unmistakable graphic detailing in the accessories and makeup, too. Little birds adorned shoulders and dresses in the form of a print or a brooch, hair was finger-waved and set into strong curves, set off with sweet but modern-day plastic headbands. The make-up was fresh, reminding me of when you first start to try wearing makeup as a teenager, sticking to bold lines and bright colours and not really knowing how to do subtle looks just yet.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Silks, satins, wool and prints were in a gorgeously covetable range of vintage-looking colours. Lime green and yellows reminded me of old stained-glass windows, while the rich purples and oranges referenced faded but no less opulent interiors.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Rebecca Hendin

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Rebecca Hendin

Something I’ve noticed this London Fashion Week is that while a lot of designers are referencing the dark and frightening for A/W 2012, they’re doing so in an unexpected way: making a conscious effort to hint at the macabre, court the morbid and inject collections with a touch of despair in beautiful and new ways. Even though the inspiration for this collection was part tragedy, the result was charming. The strong tailoring, warmer colours for winter and underlying tale of two women – all make you want to engage with this story.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Yasmin Mason

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Yasmin Mason

The catwalk show itself was a little bit like the thrill you feel when watching a scary movie; dark and even a little disturbing, but you can’t look away, making it all the more appealing. Spijkers and Spijkers have found a way to make you want the collection even more, delivering a desirable collection for those who like clothes that tell a story, especially if it’s as lavishly haunting as this one.

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory
Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi
Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Cristian Grossi

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Amelia Gregory

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Zulekha lakeca

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Zulekha lakeca

Spijkers en Spijkers A/W 2012 by Zulek Halakeca

Categories ,Alia Gargum, ,Amelia Gregory, ,Anna Higgie, ,birds, ,Claire Kearns, ,Cristian Grossi, ,Edie Bouvier Beale, ,Fluorescent, ,Grey Gardens, ,London Fashion Week A/W 2012, ,new york, ,Rebecca Hendin, ,Sam Mardon, ,Silk, ,Spijkers en Spijkers, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,vintage, ,wool, ,Yasmin Mason, ,Zulek Halakeca

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Amelia’s Magazine | Vauxhall Fashion Scout Ones to Watch A/W 2011 – A Preview


Kirsty Ward, cialis 40mg pilule illustrated by Gabriel Ayala

Oh God, doctor more about is it really that time again? Do I really have to stay up, approved night after night, sending all those emails? Worrying about outfits? Processing 12,000 photographs? Yep, London Fashion Week is just around the corner, and yesterday Vauxhall Fashion Scout announced their line up for their extra special Ones to Watch show.

Previous winners of the accolade include Ada Zanditon and Lu Flux (both in Amelia’s new book) as well as Eudon Choi and David Longshaw. Last season’s outing was an ecclectic mix of ‘dandyish’ menswear, cream pleats and yellow ruffles. The line up this time around looks certain to impress, though – Central Saint Martins’ graduates Anja Mlakar and Kirsty Ward, along with Sara Bro-Jorgensen and Tze Goh.

While we all get excited about London’s most fashionable five days, here’s a little round up of the new design talent.

Tze Goh

Illustration by Lana Hughes

Tze Goh graduated with a BA from Parsons in New York before completing an MA at Central Saint Martins. Tze’s collections to date have had that strong, minimal aesthetic with emphasis on shape and sculpture.

They’re definitely futuristic, and each garment appears to have been moulded from an unknown material rather than sewn from jersey. Pieces emphasise the shapes of his models – exaggerated shoulders and discrete twists in fabric make for modern, appealing clothes. Hopefully he’ll stick to his minimalist principles during his outing this coming season.

Kirsty Ward

Illustration by Gabriel Ayala

Kirsty Ward is brilliant. She’s one of the most unique designers I’ve seen in ages, and it’s no surprise that she’s, yep – you guessed it – Central Saint Martin’s alumni and went on to work with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. Amelia reviewed her collection last season , a vertiable wonder of sculptural jewellery and clothing that echoes the contours of the body.

I loved her work with David Longshaw (creating jewellery that he teamed with his collection) during his debut on the very same Ones to Watch stage a year ago This season promises another fashion-forward outing.

Anja Mlakar

Illustration by Willa Gebbie

Anja Mlakar is – you guessed it – another Central Saint Martins graduate. I’m feeling fatigued typing those three words already and the shows haven’t even started. Anyway, Her debut collection harboured much interest and having only graduated last year, Anja is set to cement herself in fashion this coming season.

Her S/S 2011 collection was a welcome ray of sunshine, with bursts of pastel yellows and pinks. Her aesthetic features structural forms and body-concious frocks, and her style straddles the fine line between flattering and futuristic. The most diverse collection, it will be intereting to see if Anja develops a particular element or mixes it up again.

Sara Bro-Jorgensen

Illustration by Jaymie O’Callaghan

Sara, a Royal College of Art graduate (at last!) takes a different approach to fashion and is heavily influenced by 2D forms like black and white photographs. She’s been nominated for awards here and there.

Her previous collections contain a mix of knits and deconstructed pieces, and I’m not exaggerating when I say this girl digs black. As it’s the A/W 2011 we’re looking forward to, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of fashion’s favourite colour on Sara’s outing, but then what do I know?

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Alberta Feretti, ,black, ,Central Saint Martins, ,David Longshaw, ,fashion, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Italy, ,Jaymie O’Callaghan, ,Lana Hughes, ,London Fashion Week, ,new york, ,Ones To Watch, ,parsons, ,Royal College of Art, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Willa Gebbie

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Interview: Carlotta Gherzi

Carlotta Gherzi by Emma Block
Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 by Emma Block

Carlotta Gherzi for Sado was one of the first catwalk shows I ever attended, page and I was enchanted from the start.

Garlotta GherzI by Lako Bukia
Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 by Lako Bukia

emma_block_A/W 2011 carlotta_gherzi_
Carlotta Gherzi A/W 2011 by Emma Block

Since she completed her BA in Fashion Design & Fashion Marketing at the American University in London, Carlotta Gherzi has been a firm fashion week favourite. Her 2011 A/W collection Frozen Flora took the audience to a world of ice queens in dresses the colour of iced lattes with thick wool capes like rain clouds.

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 sheer dress
Triassic Glamour, her S/S 2012 catwalk show, similarly captured the attention and imagination of the assembled LFW audience and, after the show, I was offered the chance to head backstage and find out a little bit more about her inspirations and working process.

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 By Lydia Fee 1
Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 by Lydia Fee

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 purple dress
Have you always wanted to be a fashion designer? How did you first get into it and what advice would you give to fashion graduates today?
I always wanted to be a designer since the age of 6. My grandmother was a tailor so I grew up looking at her sewing dresses for herself and my mum. Graduates should look at and acknowledge the business side of the industry, as it’s very easy to take the wrong decisions…

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 cream dress
How do you begin a collection? Does it start with sketchbooks, notebooks, photos, scrapbooks, in your head etc?
It’s a long process, first I look at fabrics; choosing what I like, then I select a theme and I start looking at it in more detail. Than sketching, dreaming and toileing makes it come to life.

Carlotta Gherzi By Lako Bukia
Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 by Lako Bukia

Where do you go to be inspired?
Wherever is sunny and sandy does it for me. It makes me feel happier and I’m inspired by raw nature. For S/S 2012 I was inspired by fossils, re-designing them by hand into my new print. I then decided to use the color palette from the movie avatar; bright orange, blue-purple , sabbia, black and shades of ivory. I also go back in time, metaphorically speaking, looking at films from the past. For my new collection I was inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Casablanca, looking at the 1930’s silhouette, and re-inventing it for the modern woman. This is why I called the collection Triassic Glamour.

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 aqua dress
Which bit is your favourite part of the process from initial conception to catwalk?
Playing with fabric weights and sketching fast. Then if I am not sure I enjoy modifying the final garment to suit the initial drawing.

Carlotta Gherzi by Lako Bukia
Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 by Lako Bukia

How have these different countries you lived in and different cultures you’re experienced influenced your work?
I’m inspired by women from around the world. I really like the quirkiness of London and the sometime carefree look. I admire the New York look with nothing out of place or order. I laugh at yet admire the super careful match of colours going on in Italy, the brand loving in Russia…. I think about all these women when designing my clothing.

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012
Who would you most love to wear your clothes?
When designing I take my favourite characteristics in women and then I unite them all in one. I try to read the mind of many women and I try to understand what they want and what I would look for in an outfit myself.

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 swimwear
Which designers do you most admire?
I love Balenciaga and Isabel Marant.

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 black dress
All photography by Emma Block.

What’s coming up next for SADO?
A possible diffusion line…

Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 By Lydia Fee 3
Carlotta Gherzi S/S 2012 by Lydia Fee

Make sure you check out my review of Carlotta Gherzi‘s S/S 2012 catwalk show as well.

Categories ,1930s, ,American University, ,Balenciaga, ,Breakfast at Tiffany’s, ,Carlotta Gherzi, ,Casablanca, ,Emma Block, ,fashion, ,Fashion Design & Fashion Marketing, ,fossils, ,Frozen Flora, ,interview, ,Isabel Marant, ,lako bukia, ,London Fashion Week, ,Lydia Fee, ,Triassic Glamour, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Menswear Catwalk Review: Asger Juel Larsen Vs t.lipop

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Faye West

t.lipop S/S 2012 by Faye West

Asger Juel Larsen versus t.lipop – not the first time to appear together – showed at Vauxhall Fashion Scout on the last day of London Fashion Week and gave me my most interesting queueing experience during this season. Upon arriving there was a multitude of cool young things waiting to go in – to my delight a lot of them were boys wearing big chunky jewellery! – while a little later the marvellously coiffured Prince Cassius joined the queue behind me, nurse quickly to be noticed and taken inside by the Blow PR girls. While I felt a little saddened that my co-queueing with Prince Cassius was so brief, approved I overheard a girl saying ‘oh, there is Kate Moss!’, which quickly distracted me from my loss. Immediately the whole queue, as if choreographed, leaned to the right to take a peak and of course a few cameras pointed towards her and husband Jamie Hince.

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Gemma Sheldrake
Asger Juel Larsen SS12 by Gemma Sheldrake

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

After being seated in the packed space inside, Asger Juel Larsen‘s models started coming out fast and aggressively. I really enjoyed elements such as the slightly twisted animal prints or the spiked prosthetic beards – reminding me of Bearded Dragons under threat – both of which impressively spelt out ‘wildness’. One of those spiked beards worn by a girl as well as a glorious chain mail army style headpiece with bull horns added the notion of the ‘beast’ to the collection. I am all for a little bit of bearded ladies and mythological creatures such as the Minotaur!

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Gareth A Hopkins
Asger Juel Larsen S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs
Asger Juel Larsen S/S 2012 by Maria Papadimitriou aka Slowly The Eggs

I thought the themes of wilderness, fighting and survival suggested by the symbolism described above were brilliantly complimented by a number of woolly hats with different metal letters stitched onto them spelling out the phrase ‘we live’. Further allusions to survival through sexual expression were added by a round stitched logo at the back of a jacket reading ‘happiness is a warm pussy’ and the brothel creepers some models wore – shoes originally worn by ex-soldiers visiting nightspots in London.

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Claire Kearns

Asger Juel Larsen S/S 2012 by Claire Kearns

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by The Pern

Asger Juel Larsen S/S 2012 by The Pern

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Jess Sharville

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Jess Sharville

Asger Juel Larsen S/S 2012 by Jessica Sharville

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

Asger Juel Larsen LFW SS12 menswear portrait by Maria Papadimitriou

The contrast between Asger Juel Larsen and the designer that followed, t.lipop, was seemingly like war and peace. t.lipop favoured a palette of pale blues, camel, white and stone, with a splash of bright orange. It was an array of generally relaxed and flowing pieces that calmed us a little after what came earlier. We saw tailored smart jackets and trousers, minimal tops and long untucked shirts that were far less aggressive, even with feminine touches such as fringed adornments and embroidery.

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Celine Eliott
t.lipop S/S 2012 by Celine Eliott

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Vasare Nar
t.lipop S/S 2012 by Vasare Nar

Looking closer, however, I thought there were similarities in the underlying themes of the two collections. T.lipop’s gentlemanly clothes reminded me of movies starring wealthy imperialists in warm exotic countries – suggesting aggression and war – while the long hair and full beards on the models evoked images of castaways striving for survival. Some of the monochrome outfits with their collarless round necklines looked similar to uniforms seen in hospitals’ operating theatres or emergency units, whilst wide brimmed hats alluded perhaps to field workers, both adding to the – admittedly subtle this time – undertones of struggle and self-preservation.

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Celine Elliott
t.lipop S/S 2012 by Celine Elliott

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

t.lipop LFW SS12 menswear by Matt Bramford

t.lipop portrait LFW SS12 menswear by Maria Papadimitriou

With so many interesting references and inspirations in both collections, when Prince Cassius tweeted me to say he really enjoyed the show I could only tweet back in agreement!

All photography by Matt Bramford.
Photo portraits of designers by Maria Papadimitriou.

Categories ,Aggressive, ,Army, ,Asger Juel Larsen, ,Bearded Dragons, ,Bearded Ladies, ,Blow PR, ,Brothel Creepers, ,Castaways, ,Celine Elliott, ,Chain Mail, ,Claire Kearns, ,designer, ,embroidery, ,fashion, ,Faye West, ,Fighting, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Fringing, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Gemma Sheldrake, ,hats, ,Headpiece, ,Jackets, ,Jamie Hince, ,Jessica Sharville, ,jewellery, ,Kate Moss, ,london, ,London Fashion Week, ,Long hair, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,menswear, ,minimalist, ,Minotaur, ,Mythological Creatures, ,Prince Cassius, ,Prosthetic Beards, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,Suits, ,Survivalist, ,t.lipop, ,tailored, ,The Pern, ,Tweeting, ,Uniforms, ,Vasare Nar, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Wilderness

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Menswear Day Catwalk Review: James Small


James Small S/S 2012 by Milly Jackson

I arrived at the James Small show pretty early – such is the bonkers London Fashion Week schedule that some shows overlap and then you’re left with huge gaps in your day. I joined the small but perfectly formed queue and waited for a pal to arrive. The show was delayed, prescription I was informed, because of the knock-on effect of late-runners throughout the day. The queue eventually began moving a mere 20 minutes late, and just as we were about to be let in, we were halted by an impossibly gorgeous PR girl. Her colleague came over and whispered ‘Kate’s imminent, we should hold the queue‘. Now, I don’t know if it was the pint I’d just enjoyed or the onset stir-crazy sensation I was experiencing after 6 days of shows, but I started sweating profusely. It couldn’t be, could it? ‘Calm down, Matt’ I internally repeated. It can’t be. She wouldn’t. It might be a code word. It might be Kate Adie.


Kate Moss by Antonia Parker

Eventually, after much discussion, it was decided that we should be allowed in because this mysterious Kate hadn’t yet arrived. We were escorted individually up the grand staircase of the Freemasons Hall, this Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue, and assigned seats on the front row. Seating was heavily policed, and I enjoyed the personal escort, but it was taking bloody ages and another show downstairs was set to take place pretty soon afterwards. Jaime Winstone, looking incredible with a silver grandma up-do and vertiginous heels, entered the room and was seated with little fuss. Now I love Jaime Winstone, but if ‘Kate’ was a codename for Jaime Winstone, I was about to go berserk.


Kate Moss by Claire Kearns


Kate Moss by Gilly Rochester

The personal escort service soon turned into a scrum; somebody had clearly realised that it just wasn’t practical. I let out a huge sigh as I said to my friend ‘Well, Kate clearly isn’t coming.’ ‘What?’ my friend replied, ‘she’s over there!’ I turned to my left to study the front row. Somehow I had missed the arrival of Meg Matthews, Sadie Frost, Annabelle Neilson, James Brown, Jamie Hince and… Kate Moss. Kate FREAKIN’ Moss!


All photography by Matt Bramford

There was little fuss as I struggled to fight the urge to jump out of my seat, leap across the catwalk, gather Kate up in my arms and force her to take my hand in marriage. It all happened so quickly, and of course, now Kate had arrived, the show must go on.


James Small S/S 2012 by Gabriel Ayala

It was tricky to concentrate on the show knowing that My Kate was mere feet away, but being the consummate professional that I am, I took up my camera and started to study the clothes, being carefully to take a picture of Kate in between each look. The fashion on offer was actually great, and I don’t know why I was thinking that it might not be. The secondary venue at Fashion Scout is actually much nicer – a dark wood arch divides the old stone room, dark wood lines the floor and majestic chandeliers hover above the revellers. Models appear almost out of nowhere. You do lose sight of the models as they bound through the arch, unfortunately, but this ensured enough time to snap Kate excessively.


James Small S/S 2012 by Sam Parr

Hysteria mounted thanks to the special guests: Kate and her entourage whooped and cheered every look and wolf-whistled translucent shirts, which sent roars of laughter through the room. Last season’s sharp tailoring continued this time around, but had been given a more casual feel for the discerning gentleman who manages to looking devastatingly cool without any real effort during the summer months.


James Small S/S 2012 by Milly Jackson

Small’s mainstay silk shirts had been jazzed up with the aforementioned translucency, and romantic florals with an air of Liberty were the most aesthetically appealing pieces in the collection, particularly a shirt/shorts combination with identical print. I’m not sure I’d get away with it, but the model did with aplomb.

Small‘s sharp tailoring was dressed down with white ankle-high sports socks and Vans in varying colours – when I read this on the press release I wasn’t so sure about it, but seeing it in the flesh allowed it to make sense. Rich colours: plum and royal blue, and luxe materials: silk and velvet, made this collection Small‘s most sophisticated yet. Retaining an edge above his competitors with leopard print and camouflage short shorts, it’s Small’s sharp cuts and sophisticated tailoring that really set him above the rest. That and his stellar front row, of course.

Categories ,Annabelle Neilson, ,Antonia Parker, ,catwalk, ,Claire Kearns, ,combat, ,fashion, ,Floral prints, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Front Row, ,Gabriel Ayala, ,Gilly Rochester, ,illustration, ,James Brown, ,James Small, ,Jamie Hince, ,Kate Moss, ,Leopard Print, ,liberty, ,London Fashion Week, ,Meg Matthews, ,menswear, ,MenswearSS12, ,Milly Jackson, ,review, ,S/S 2012, ,Sadie Frost, ,Sam Parr, ,Silks, ,tailoring, ,The Kills, ,Translucent, ,Vans, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Menswear Day Presentation Review: U.Mi-1


U.Mi-1 S/S 2012 by Gareth A Hopkins

Walking through the hallowed halls of the Freemasons’ building, salve I couldn’t help but think I was actually appearing in an episode of BBC One’s Spooks. Heals clip-clopped on marble flooring, cialis 40mg echoing around the grandiose interior, help darkened wood, glass cabinets filled with associated paraphernalia. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was actually there to meet with the Home Secretary; that Harry Pearce was lingering somewhere in the shadows. He wasn’t, of course, he’s fictional; and I was dressed *way* too good to be doing such silly business as saving the world from terrorists.

Instead, for this presentation by menswear label U.Mi-1, the room we were in was filled not with MI5 Suits, but with boys wearing oversized-blazers, and girls who all seemed to have more-hair-than-clothes; all clutching man-bags or purses, cameras, notepads and complimentary herb-infused juice drinks. I’ve no idea why they were ‘herb-infused’. One assumes it was to give the idea that they were laced with vodka. It worked.


All photography by Matt Bramford

Upstairs, on the first floor, in the room we had converged in, was a presentation that felt more like a piece of theatre than it did a fashion show. Divided into two rooms, the first was lit only by the light from a projector on the wall; while the over-zealous pouring of the aforementioned juice drinks gave a heavy, over-burdened incense-like smell to the proceedings.


U-Mi.1 S/S 2012 by Rukmunal Hakim

The projector reel showed images two models at one time against a white wall. Standing side by side, the two boys would interact, not so much with each other but with their clothes: laughing as they pulled at button holes, braces, hemlines and creases, before changing to two new boys in two new outfits.

In the second, brighter room, the same models were present, only this time in the flesh and frozen: scattered across the back of the room to create a tableau of gorgeous fellas. This only heightened the theatricality of the event, thanks in part to the fact that the growing crowd (us included) were standing around the models as if there were a barrier between us and them: them on a stage, us an audience.

It wasn’t until, as we pulled out our camera, easily the biggest one there (size matters), that some man with a clipboard informed us we could get closer and the rigidness of the event shifted into something more real: journalists writing notes, models moving from one statuesque pose to another. And we lead the way, pioneers that we are. We twice contemplating striking a frozen pose in the centre of the room, hoping that revellers of the collection might confuse us for an eighth model.

The collection on offer was mostly made up of muted colours and pastel shades, simple lines and classic cuts. At one point I saw a girl jot down The Great Gatsby as a footnote, but she’d obviously never read F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s classic: these boys weren’t Jay Gatsby, they were the boys in Brideshead, dipped in sepia tones and burnt sienna, like something from a Sofia Coppola movie. Seams had been piped in contrasting colours, discreet checks were teamed with pale pastels and styled with thick-rimmed glasses and brown leather loafers.

Outside, still caught up in the spring-like warmth of the collection, my PA duties to Matt Bramford had drawn to a close. I could’ve lingered all day, only he then actually started calling me Alex Forrest (Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction) and I had to bid adieu to Fashion Week for another year; all Brideshead illusions truly shattered.

Categories ,Alex Forest, ,Brideshead Revisited, ,checks, ,F. Scott Fitzgerald, ,Fatal Attraction, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Glenn Close, ,Gozi, ,Harry Pearce, ,London Fashion Week, ,Matt Bramford, ,menswear, ,MenswearSS12, ,MI5, ,Piping, ,Presentation, ,review, ,Rukmunal Hakim, ,S/S 2012, ,Sofia Coppola, ,Spooks, ,Suits, ,tailoring, ,The Great Gatsby, ,U.Mi-1, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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