Is this the death of fashion magazines?

Forgive me if I'm rehashing an old issue here, but as someone who flits between the new fangled nature of digital and the dinosaur that is print I still find it fascinating to chart its ascension and decline. If this sounds like I'm describing it as happening in waves, it's because I think it does. I remember a year ago or so, just as I was beginning to spread my wings in the fashion world [helpfully] you couldn't swing a returns bag in a fashion cupboard without somebody shaking their head and muttering that the end of Editorial was nigh.

What exactly you're supposed to do with that information, I have no idea. After having worked unpaid for the best part of a year I wasn't about to just pick up my packed lunch and leave, was I? Being at the bottom of the ladder, there didn't seem to be any indication of an industry dying- Editors were still claiming outrageous expenses, logistics were still sending urgent couriers to collect dresses from around the corner, and brands were still paying silly money for a half page advert. In any case, I never concerned myself with the the potential fall of an entire industry- no one would have told me anyway! [A friend of mine recently told me something that a wise woman once told her- "If you're at the bottom you should only worry this much, when you've moved up bit you should worry this much more. Only when you're at the top do you need to worry this much." Sage advice, if ever I've heard it.]
A year after the original panic though, here we are: Vogue is still in print, along with a whole host of questionable titles, and the printed word still seems to hold some cache- although the immediacy and instantaneousness that online offers is clearly a big positive, I feel quite cheered to know that, in all likelihood, for the foreseeable future you will be able to curl up with a magazine on the sofa, stock up on your favourites at the airport and continue to enjoy the permanence of glossy pages between your fingers. I don't know about you, but I didn't even have Wi-Fi at home until about 2011, simply for the reason that neither my mum nor I knew how to use t'internet box so perhaps a physical publication gives me a sense of security, in a way.

Just as Carrie Bradshaw, who chases her journalistic dreams till she reaches a mighty $2 a word at Vogue magazine, I believe that, for now, the printed written word still holds more value than those that appear on a screen*. Yes, you might reach double the number of people in a fraction of the time by publishing online but you don't have the weight of a publication behind you- the endorsement of an established magazine that has put its faith in you to enchant, enthral and endear yourself to its readers. Then again, you can write whatever the hell you want, case in point right here, and some might say that's the most precious thing of all.

*I appreciate the irony of writing this in an online blog, largely unseen by anyone and entirely without backing or recommendation. Another perk of self publishing, you can contradict yourself as many times as you like.

5 Trends that Defy Description

1. Handkerchiefs that make you look like Rosie the Riveter* AKA Bandanas

Leandra Medine of Man Repeller

Pandora Sykes of Sunday Times Style

Lucy Williams of Fashion Me Now

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed that, a fair few street stylers and fashion favourites have been sporting a handkerchief. How very quaint, you might say, but these 'kerchiefs aren't for wiping their brows after a strenuous fashion month, these are bandanas and everyone who's anyone [on Instagram] has had them knotted around their necks, tied around their handbag handles and perched on their heads recently.

2. Trousers that look too small for you AKA Kick Flares

Personally, there's nothing I love more than a kick flare. I happen to think that they are pretty much universally flattering- the flash of bony ankle that I glimpse when I put them on sets my heart aflutter, which makes up for my boyfriend telling me I look like I've donned a small 70s child's trousers. The pitfalls are few and far between though, since the KF goes with any shoe [from trainers to ankle boots, by way of lace up ghillies] and seamlessly transitions from summer to winter, day to night. A smorgasbord of street stylers couldn't have it wrong, now could they?











3. Shoes that look like they belong to a doll AKA Mary Janes

Does anyone remember the Sex and the City episode where Carrie almost wets herself after finding Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes tucked away in Vogue's fashion cupboard? Well, this season they aren't sporting the spindly heel or [necessarily] the associated sex appeal- instead they're flat as pancake and work best with your frilliest of dresses. Ladylike shoes are here to stay apparently, and seem to be a natural progression from the ghillies that we've all had clamped to our feet this year. The fashion pack have been sporting these for a while now, and all the more voraciously since Miu Miu's SS16 collection. Available in two forms, single strap or double, they are the perfect lift for an otherwise casual denim outfit or the cherry on top of a particularly girly one, in an ironic way, of course.

4. Clothes that make you look like an extra from Little House on the Prairie AKA Miu Miu

                   

This particular one is impossible to describe to anyone not completely au fait with fashion or without a burning passion for it. How can you possibly put into words, in any sane way, that We [the fashion We, not the royal We] are now into oversized frills on knee length, and longer, striped dresses. Oh, and did I mention the over abundance of animal skin, coloured leopard print, giant buttons and enormous plaid patterns? I'm willing to throw my hands up, that sounds like a shit show. In reality? D-R-E-A-M-Y. If you're into prim, slightly Pat Butcher vibes with a definite undercurrent of LHotP then this is for you.

5. Jumpers that make you look like Mr Tickle AKA Supersized Sleeves

Who'd have thought we'd all want to look like a Mr Men character, let alone that the Olsen twins would make you want to! Some might say these jumpers are wildly impractical, given their propensity to drag through food, dirt and into people's faces on the tube. Ah, the practicalities of living in the real world. That being said, giant sleeves double up as gloves come Winter, and act as a shield for that chipped mani in the Autumn. As well as designer behemoths like Misha NoNoo and The Row getting on board, high street gems like Zara have taken on the trend with full blown enthusiasm- impossibly long sleeves abound in the recent drop- as well fashion bloggers galore. Resist if you will, but my prediction is you'll give in sooner or later.








*For those of you who don't spend their time googling everything to do with bandanas, Rosie the Riveter was a cultural icon of WWII!
Ph. Courtest of Pinterest and Google!

Question Time

To whoever you are, you small units of people who somehow find your way to the small happenings and thoughts of this blog [AKA me].. Thank you!

Thank you for boosting my belief in my writing ability each time I log in and find that yet another one of you has bolstered my page views just that little bit. All these times add up and for that I am both grateful and pleased that, hopefully, you enjoy what I'm writing.

So here's something I am putting to you, my sounding boards- what would you like me to write about? What have you always wanted to know about fashion, or the fashion industry, that I can [maybe] shed some light on? I have been thinking for the last day or so about what I could write about next, that wasn't a total cliche of fashion. Something you guys would actually want to read.

If there is anyone out there then, please, don't be shy and pipe up! I'll leave this invite hanging in cyberspace- if I don't hear anything, I'll go back to the drawing board in my efforts to find something new to cover in fashion! 

We Need To Talk About.. Uterqüe

So I know there are new labels, sister brands, diffusion lines and pop ups appearing as if from nowhere on a regular basis. I also know that [m]any of you reading this will already have various other outlets to get your fashion fix- and far more reliable sources telling you which new label is the best thing ever. But, in the vain hope that some of you out there are still reading and waiting with baited breath, I will give it a go. 

Uterqüe is the latest addition to the Inditex behemoth responsible for Zara, and my absolute new favourite brand. It's pronounced Oo-ter-kway by the way, for those of you us not au fait with the Latin origins of Spanish words.. For some reason, the diaeresis over the "u" has been a source of consternation for me since discovering the label, in that every time I have gone to tell someone about my fantastic new find (although it was actually created in 2008, so not so new) I find myself mumbling the name in a sort of sing song-y way in a bid to avoid having to pronounce it. Now that that's been cleared up though, we can get to the fashion. 

Uterqüe's USP is that they hover somewhere between designer labels and fast fashion. It's not so concerned with producing catwalk copies within mere moments of the original creation being aired to the world. No, Uterqüe's strength lies in creating classically beautiful clothes and accessories in sumptuous, rich fabrics that will stand the test of time. Their nappa leather burgundy trousers are a thing of beauty and would be a wonderful, if not the most frugal, purchase. Similarly, the robe style fringed dress is as dreamy as it sounds- more subtle than typical fringed numbers, but with more oomph than a classic LBD. I've had my eye on it for a while, but alas moved too slowly and now it's only available in S. A further nosey of the A/W collection reveals a positively lust inducing array of lambskin coats and gilets; they are absolutely to die for, but also absolutely out of my price range. Sadly, these will have to do as moodboard inspiration rather than the real thing.

Something worth noting, though, is that their accessories price points rival that of J. Crew, and personally, I much prefer the designs of Uterqüe- which linger in the minimal realm of Céline in terms of the luxuriously sleek lines of their bags and shoes. Before you get too up in arms over the price and ridiculousness of fashion, there are also some very reasonable finds. A Chloé-esque silk georgette shirt with fluted sleeves springs to mind and is[relatively] affordable at £85. Admittedly, it's not mega cheap, but you'd struggle to find the same shirt with the same amount of detailing [the most delicate white silk fringing runs down the length of it] for less anywhere else on the high street.

As if you needed any more encouragement, they have also recruited the effortlessly stylish Caroline de Maigret as the new face of the label. The Parisian is a veritable force of nature in the style-stakes, and her styling elevates this relatively unknown brand [a quick Google search yielded no English press about Caroline de Maigret and the brand] to new heights. So go forth- explore the site and get lost for a few minutes hours in the tailoring, the cosiness, the sheer understated elegance of Uterqüe. A total gem of a find on the high street!