tba SS14

I had to share the tba SS14 lookbook with you as it is one of the most gorgeous sets of photographs I've ever seen. The photographer, Masha Mel, has certainly captured Brighton beach at its most resplendent; the whole thing smacks of a Lula editorial (R.I.P), which is probably why I love it so much, and makes me feel vaguely positive about spending another summer in Britain.

The collection is entitled 'A Love Letter to Brighton', the designer's hometown. Brighton is beautiful, creative and colourful, hence why the collection embodies a similar mood. There are obvious 60s vibes in the clothes, though 70s influences seem to have come into play as well - note the technicolour silk frills, flare trousers and brash, Liberty-esque floral prints. One of the things I love about this brand is the way it is so reasonably priced compared to its competitors — the tweed pieces are very Carven-esque and the scallop-edged silks could be seen as a cheaper alternative to something similarly swooshy from Simone Rocha — though, unless we're talking eBay or sample sales, I can't afford tba, I would love to invest in something from this collection, preferably the Jamily dress or the Saara dress (I've got the look for the latter locked down as I'm pretty sure I've got the same earrings as the model is wearing in the lookbook). 

tba's SS14 collection is available online at www.ilovetba.com. 

Balenciaga AW13

This morning Alexander Wang claimed that, for Balenciaga AW13, he was going back to the brand’s roots. Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane did this last season with their gentle invocations to the Dior/Saint Laurent archives — playing it safe, perhaps, but the general consensus was that it worked — and maybe that’s why Wang chose to tread a similar path with his own debut for an esteemed fashion house. Did the designer come out of it as well as Simons and Slimane? Nicholas Ghesqière’s shoes are difficult to fill, especially when his successor is a 29-year-old whose eponymous American label is known for its youthful spirit and sporty styles. Upon discovering that he was going to be replaced by someone who wouldn’t be averse to sending blinged-up sweatpants down the catwalk, the fashion industry collectively wept. Fine, I’m exaggerating, but it’s true that lots of people were pretty confused by Wang being hired to head up a brand that didn’t seem at all in tune with his own.

If today’s show was anything, it was a big ‘fuck you’ to all the cynics. Wang was on good form, proving his seriousness about this new gig. Cristobal Balenciaga’s work is something I’m no expert on, but I know enough to be able to say that Wang really did his research; the petal skirts and the cocoon coats say it all. The collection was definitely not an exercise in groundbreaking design, but it was beautiful. Everything looks better close up, of course, because then you can really appreciate the glorious fabrics and textures. The marbled pieces were interesting in their uniqueness, and they translated really well on the white knitwear; black paint made otherwise dull pieces look structural and edgy. The construction of the white tops, with those origami-like folds, was perfect. In terms of accessories, the simple silver cuffs complimented the looks well (especially the all-black ensembles with silver detailing in the bodice area) and the bags were small, structured, sensible. The shoes looked a little uncomfortable but they were unlike anything I’ve seen before and, providing I don’t ever have to wear them, I like them a lot.

It will be nice to see where Alexander (and, indeed, Raf and Hedi) will go next. Being the newcomer is never easy, whether you’ve been hired at McDonalds or at one of the biggest names in fashion, and everyone needs time to settle in. Thankfully, all three designers are experienced — Wang, less so, but he still knows what he’s doing — and it’s only a matter of time before they all come into their own and carve out their own signature aesthetic for the massive brands they’re now responsible for. And that’s when things will really get interesting.

Balenciaga: the Ghesquière years

Hey! I haven't posted here in a while, but life has been pretty busy. I got a job with a children's clothing company, ilovegorgeous, at their Head Office, which is all of a 20-minute drive from my house (oh yeah – I got a car, too, a little Ford Ka, which my sister mocks me for driving but I love it and feel v grateful for my parents helping me to finance it). Anyway, I'm working at ILG full-time and am slowly adjusting to the 9-5 life, despite being so much younger than everyone else. The job involves a lot of emailing and phone calls, chatting to customers, processing online orders and returns, steaming lots of clothes, running random errands... it's so busy and I love it because everyday is different. I think that deciding not to go straight to uni was actually a great idea, in hindsight; I can earn money and learn stuff without having to be in a classroom. The best bit of the job, so far, has been assisting the wholesale department, as it's given me such an interesting insight into the world of fashion buying (think lots of spreadsheets, and learning about markups, margins etc – sounds dull on paper but I find it fascinating). It's a really varied job, my colleagues are lovely, and I feel so lucky.

Anyway, enough of my gushing – I wanted to talk about the recent Balenciaga news... 

What with all the designers playing musical chairs, the various dramas during Fashion Month and the newfound love for open letters, 2012 has been a pretty crazy year for the fashion world. Now that Sandy has done its damage and people are starting to re-establish their lives, the powers that be felt it was only right to drop another bombshell on the unassuming public. It was revealed yesterday that Nicholas Ghesquière's dazzling SS13 Balenciaga show would be his last for the house.

Many people have been pretty blindsided by the news. Whether you love or loathe Ghesquière, you can't deny that his contribution to fashion has been massive since he took the reins as Balenciaga's creative director in 1993. He gave Balenciaga a complete overhaul, carved out a distinct brand aesthetic, produced collections that were both critically and commercially successful and expanded into previously untouched areas, such as parfumerie.

We all can hope and pray that next year Ghesquière will go solo and everyone else will stay where they are and stop causing fashion people to have minor emotional breakdowns every few weeks. Change is not always a good thing. Having said that, I couldn't think of anything better than seeing the back of Karl... but those thoughts are for another blog post.

Here are my personal highlights of Ghesquière's time at Balenciaga...

Autumn/Winter 2006

Autumn/Winter 2010

Spring/Summer 2004

Spring/Summer 2007

Spring/Summer 2013

JW Anderson + jewels

 Bat jumper — JW Anderson x Topshop // Jewelled chain strap bag — ASOS

My resolve to save my $$$ this month was quickly shattered when I went into Topshop. I've wanted this JW Anderson x Topshop bat knit pretty badly since I saw Alexa wearing it. It's funny how that woman can ignite such strong desires in me for things I never knew I needed. Anyway, I'm looking at this £70 piece of high street knitwear as a sensible purchase. I mean, Topshop designer collaborations are probably the closest I'm ever going to get to owning real designer garms, so I may as well invest in them. And the jumper is handknitted and feels snug, so the price tag is totally justifiable... right?

And then there's the bag. It's from ASOS and it's my new favourite thing. I didn't expect it to be so barrel-like, and the strap is a little bit long for my liking (#shortgirlproblems) but I couldn't face parting with it because it's so sparkly and lovely and I can't wait to take it to Christmas dos.

JW Anderson, je t'aime

I just got back to Yorkshire after some family time down south. It's nice to be back in the hills, I'm not gonna lie. It's strange, I always thought I could see myself living in London, being into fashion, but I think living in the beautiful dale for so long has ruined me for life; I crave clean air and open spaces (this might just be because of my anxiety). Also, I don't think there's much better to do on a Sunday than go for a really long dog walk, followed by the pub, covered in mud. This isn't really A Thing in London (walking in a park does not count); London people prefer drinking extravagant coffees and going to overpriced organic food markets. I'm averse to neither of these things. I don't really have a point here, really, sorry – I just like clean air, OK?!

I thought I'd quickly share the couple of pieces I managed to pick up in my size from the frenzy that was the JW Anderson x Topshop launch. I really wanted the pinafore dress but I wasn't there early enough to grab one in a 6. I wasn't too gutted as, upon closer inspection, I concluded that it would have drowned me anyway because I am only small. I got one of the striped dresses, which I've had my eye on since the collection preview came out, as well as a zebra print phone case and a black v-neck 'school jumper' with a delightfully large JW monogram on it. I'm not normally into ostentatiousness when it comes to branding, but I've made an exception in this case because the contrasting white emblem lends a nice nautical feel.

While we're talking maritime vibes, the delightful striped dress makes me happy. 

My only qualm is the shape — or, rather, the lack thereof — and this is largely down the fact that I have a tiny waist and I am used to showing it off. Team that with a weight complex and you'll understand why shapeless dresses aren't really my scene. So I belted it and everything looked 1000x better.

Sans belt, I instinctively tried to create some form of waist definition with my hands. This made for endless awkward poses, like the one above, until I succumbed to a bit of red elastic.

And here's the jumper, which I've been wearing today with a white skirt from H&M to give it some 'trans-seasonal mileage', as Vogue likes to call it. 

I don't have any energy because I was up at 5 this morning, but hopefully using my 'energising' shower gel will revitalise me; if all else fails I'll be chasing Pro Plus with gin and tonic tonight. I will write about my LFW adventures soon. I also start my first ever grown-up job so soon... buzzing/terrified. xx