An Alexander McQueen biography, the Burberry ‘scarf bar’, an eco-friendly collection from Topshop, and more news from the fashion trenches this week.

• Sorel is branching out into outerwear with a collection of coats and parkas for men and women.
• Australian Uniqlo fans: the Japanese retailer is opening two stores in Brisbane.
• Topshop is bringing out a capsule collection made entirely of leftover fabrics and materials.
• Vans has teamed up with Los Angeles footwear designer Charlotte Stone for a line of eco-friendly sneakers derived, in part, from salvaged plastic bottles.
• Alexander McQueen: Blood Beneath the Skin, the first full-length biography on the late British designer, is out now.
• Burberry is launching a fully customizable ‘scarf bar’ that allows you to design a completely personalized cashmere scarf.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that Alfred Shaheen is credited with launching Hawaii’s garment industry. Hawaiian prints used to be designed in Hawaii, but made on the U.S. mainland. Importing the fabrics back to Hawaii often led to 10-month wait times, so Shaheen built his own factory to manufacture the garments. His company also created the first woven metallic fabrics, that were salt water-resistant and machine washable.

I’m a huge fan of combining a shade of orange with a shade of blue. Rust is a brown shade of orange and navy is a dark shade of blue. The combination screams Autumn and is one way to warm up a blue, or cool down an orange. Feel free to use ink — an extra dark shade of navy — instead of a classic navy. This is an especially fabulous combination for redheads. 

Think of ways to combine these colours through solids and patterns. I’ve started the ball rolling with three renditions.

Rust Top & Navy Bottom

It’s easy to combine a navy skirt or pair of pants with a rust blouse or pullover. But think of patterns too. Add an ink and rust top to navy bottoms. Or pattern mix with ink windowpane and a rust patterned top. Complete the look with navy footwear that works with the bottoms, and a navy bag.

Navy Top & Rust Bottom

Combine a pair of rust trousers with a navy top. Feel free to throw in a patterned top in the same palette. Finish off the outfit with cognac footwear and ink bag. I’ve chosen fashionable booties with high shafts to wear with the cropped pants, and a navy sweater that would look good semi-tucked. 

Dark Blue Jeans & Rust Top 

Dark denim can represent the navy in the outfit, which means that once you’ve combined it with a rust top, you’re done. I chose dark denim flares and paired them with a short rust dress for a tunic effect. Animal print footwear picks up the colours of the rust. A scarf adds a decorative touch. And an ink or rust topper is insulating on a colder day. Add jewellery, watch and headgear as desired. 

If rust is not your colour, wear a column of navy or ink and add cognac through footwear and accessories to represent the rust in the outfit.

Brooches popped up again in the Fall/Winter 2015 runway shows earlier this year, from oversized versions at Prada to Les Copains, Balenciaga, and Suno. They can be true statement pieces, and I’m curious to hear who’s ready to embrace this trend.

PopSugar points out that the timing for this comeback is right: “With the influx of capes on the Fall 2015 runways, a good brooch can actually serve its original purpose as a practical fastener. Decorative and functional.”

The Guardian’s roundup of eye-catching brooches offers lots of options to add a bit of bling and flair to your outfits. While this article provides some suggestions on how to wear fine jewellery antique brooches.

Fab Links from Our Members

Imogen’s post about why people don’t dress up anymore struck a chord with Joy because she believes we can influence others and encourage better dress when we do it consistently ourselves.

Banoffi found it interesting to see The Guardian’s view on this Fall’s fashion trends.

Caro in Oz loved this take on “flattering” clothes. A very interesting experiment for sure!

Beth Ann enjoyed this article about the biblical meaning of clothing and the underlying values that are reinforced by fashion.

Angie refers us to Sally’s post about four good DIY clothing alterations that can refresh the look of older wardrobe items. Good stuff.

This verbal description of how to do juxtaposition opened L’Abeille’s eyes to a couple she hadn’t thought of before. She adds: “This is the wordy version of what Angie shows us visually with her Polyvores. Maybe it will help things click in place for someone else.”

Adding one or more wild cards to your wardrobe each season is one way of keeping your style fresh and evolving. These are wardrobe items that are atypical for your style persona, but that speak to you in some way. They can be new styles or colours of clothing, footwear and accessories. Or a new way that you wear your hair, or put together your outfits. 

2015 has been a bit of a wild card year for me. Although the changes aren’t that dramatic, they feel quite significant. After years of feeling fabulous in a bold tomboy aesthetic, I came back after our February trip to Hong Kong and desperately felt like a change. I decided to grow my hair into a different short ‘do, amp up the soft and pretty components of my style, and bring back a good dose of structure. 

I added eight wild cards for Spring and Summer, which I’ve popped into the collection below. Me and moto jackets go back thirty years, but I’ve never worn an item of clothing in sea foam. I’m friends with white eyelet but a style with bohemian flair feels wild. Grey does not make me happy, but it turns out that I do like a very light sliver grey worn with white. Favouring low rises and long pant hems, I’ve normally stayed clear of high waistbands and cropped pants, but fell in love with a floral pair. I never wear knitted tops, but loved this ink and white peplum darling. I complain about the discomfort of crossbody bags, but adored this surprisingly comfortable mini version in tomato red. I’m an ‘80s pointy toe gal, yet had to have these snakeskin square toe ankle strap pumps as soon as I fitted them on. And finally, I’m not a cowgirl, but had fun buying a straw hat in Arizona. I’m also pleased to report that my wild cards have been worn extensively, especially the sea foam jacket. 

 

I was off skinnies and scarves for years, but brought them back into my outfits this year. They feel too familiar to be wild cards but they’re important reintroductions nonetheless. With my current fascination for Retro Futurism (retro looks worn with a big dose of modern), I might bring back my pearl necklaces too.

Over to you. Have you bought and worn any wild cards for Spring and Summer?