Simply awesome

Xavier Brisoux

Knitwear at its best

I wrote about Sandra Backlund's out of this world aw09 collection a while back, but her ss10 collection is actually going into production (I know it's a bit late now but at least you'll be able to get it as soon as you see this post, rather than wait and wait some more until you eventually forget that you want this, anyway...), which is a whole new story, because now you can actually OWN these! I just love the chunky yet very architectural nature of every single piece and even though the weather in Hong Kong may not allow me to wear such things, I insist that I must own at least one piece in the collection. The problem now is which piece (I'm thinking either the one above or the second one down) and where I can get it in Hong Kong?

All pics from sandrabacklund.com

Did I tell you how gorgeous you are?

Once again, I'm head over heels for Givenchy's ss10 Haute Couture collection (I think Givenchy is fast replacing Chanel as my most looked forward to HC show), although I wouldn't say it was very SPRING-like, it's no big deal, cause it's just simply a drop dead gorgeous collection with magnficent detail enough to make your jaw drop! The collection gave off an almost gothicy vibe (some outfits I imagine would work well in a vampire movie!) similar to the fw09 Haute Couture collection, although the bright, sparkly colours (apparently imspired by the 70s) added more life to this dark, rather mystical yet very romantic collection. I also love how the collection is very wearable as opposed to many couture collections which are breath taking to look at, but kind of impractical to wear. Once and for all, this collection undoubtedly proves Tisci's skill as a coutourier. Here are some of my favs from the show (I know you're not supposed to have so many favourites, but trust me, I was being picky!).

Images via style.com

Backstage images from Jak and Jil show just how gorgeously the eye make up complemented the collection (love the super intense blue eyes paired with red lips), which just topped off the whole show. Beautiful.

New found love

I've always had a special love for fashion labels that don't follow trends, such as Toga Archives, another one I have noticed recently is Sacai by Abe Chitose. Abe Chitose worked for Junya Watanabe for 8 years before setting up her own label Sacai in 1999. The mixture of contrasting fabrics and textures is her signature style and also what I love most about her collections, must save so much time on all that layering! According to Chitose, she simply selects what she likes, the back and sleeves of a cardigan and the sheer front of a chiffon blouse with pin tucks and covered buttons say, and turns them into one intriguing piece (makes it sound so easy!). The grey furry frilly sleevless jacket thingy from her ss10 collection is gorge.

Sacai ss10 images via style.com

Dilemma for life (almost)

I've been scratching my head for months in regards to whether I should buy the Acne Atacoma wedges (I'm sure you all know which ones I'm talking about, they've been all over the place!). Yes, because they seem to go with absolutely everything and because they're apparently very comfortable, no, because everyone else in the universe seems to have a pair...dilemmas dilemmas...what to do....So, when I finally came to the decision of sacking individuality off and getting pair (I just need them, simple as that), Acne went ahead and made them in a different colour for SS10, gun metal grey...um...typical, now I am once again back to base one...grey or black, grey or black, grey or black, maybe I should do that he loves me, he loves me not thing with a flower to decide, damn decisions, getting them both would just be outrageous though....help me.

images via acne studios

Strousers

You know I want these Gareth Pugh trousers.

Image via luisaviaroma

Luxurious Licorice

I'm sure a lot of you fashion addicts out there will be familiar with Derek Lawlor's very loopy (literally) graduate collection, for those of you that aren't, don't worry, I won't miss a chance to post more pictures! Derek Lawlor is a contemporary knitwear designer who has received great praise for his innovative work since showcasing his first collection at London Fashion Week in 2009, the collection was dubbed 'fabulous knitwear' by Vogue.com's Sarah Mower (hier hier!). Each of his Haute Couture creations are entirely handmade and take between two to three weeks to complete. Whilst making his MA collection inspired by Japanese body armour, he accidently (??) developed a unique lace cord technique to create organic sculptural shapes on tight fitting cashmere dresses (there is a lot more technical stuff used to describe the technique, but all that just went over my head). This really is something else.

Derek Lawlor CSM MA gradute collection

His SS10 collection continues the monochromatic wax cord embellished theme in a more toned down manner in order to make his collection more wearable.

Derek Lawlor ss10 collection

I also thought I'd share these images of the illustrations Alex Strang did for Derek, cute.

Some of his stuff is available on Couture Lab, and even if you don't have £3,805 to spare, the zoom function on the website which allows you to get a closer look of the amazing craftsmanship is satisfying enough, for now. Go get loopy!

No frills

Don't ask why, but there's something about Matthew Ames's catalogue shots that have made me decide that if I was ever going to get married, this is what I want my wedding photos to look like (the gorgeous landscape helped too, anyone got any idea where this might be?). I guess I just love how it looks so clean and simple and hasn't gone through too much thought, in a less long-winded sense, it's quite minimal (as opposed to those wedding photos you see in the shop windows in HK, trust me, the idea of taking those pictures put the thought of marriage out of my head immediately).

I wasn't too familar with Matthew Ames before I saw these pictures, so I decided to look into his collections and was pleasantly surprised by how Jil Sander-esque his SS10 collection was. It's pretty much season-less, the colours, fabrics, sheerness, boldness and deconstructed tailoring are all fabulous! This part Grecian drape, part origami technique collection is definately an investment collection for many years to come.

Matthew Ames SS10 via style.com