ATTENTION GENTLEMEN!

Calling all fashionable men, friends and lovers.
Philip Sparks Summer Sale begins this weekend, and you’d be a fool not to take full advantage of this event.

Now go forth,
spend some cash
and feel damned good doing it!

This was posted by Kiwi on the 10th of August, 2010
And filed under Philip Sparks, Spring sale
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Fake London

For all those who know me,
I am very much a 90’s baby.
Spent much of my angsty youth
feeding heavily on NME, DAZED and battered copies of The Face
Stomping about the desert in
leather, lace, denim and OTT Doc Martens.

So as you can imagine I was really quite pleased to find out that Fake London, once championed by the Oasis boys, Robbie Williams and the All Saints femmes,  were relaunching this  Autumn/Winter season and riding the 90’s come back wave for all it’s worth.  After a three year hiatus, founder Desiree Mejer, will be showing the latest collection during London Fashion Week, and I am thrilled to note that the design team is staying true to the very quirky and archetypal British punk heritage of the brand.

Tweed, cashmere
chunky knits, links
Union Jacks and chains.
What more could a pretty grunge princess ask for?
Now if only they’d remake the famous Liam Gallagher parka.

This was posted by Kiwi on the 4th of August, 2010
And filed under 90's fashion, Fake London A/W, London
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Cromwell and Cruthers re-launch

As a female I understand that I can’t say much about the Cromwell and Cruthers product line, I can only really go by the truths of my male friends and according the the gospel the 100% natural shaving oil fairs quiet well. I can and will however happily endorse the latest Cromwell and Cruthers product redesign and their take on true barbershop traditions. I especially love the use of the amber colors, swirly monograms and the vintage apothecary feel of the bottle. The company will soon launch its latest campaign shot by fashion photographer McKenzie James and featuring Toronto designer Philip Sparks and his league of sharp dressed gentleman. Take a little sneak peak of the campaign shoot below.

This was posted by Kiwi on the 21st of July, 2010
And filed under Cromwell & Cruthers, Philip Sparks, toronto
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PS: Holly Fulton A/W 2010

And secondly
can we talk about how totally badass awesomsauce amazeballs the Holly Fulton Autumn/Winter 2010 collection is?
The color palette, the geometry!
Pop art print shift dresses,
trompe l’oiel Swarovski crystal rainbows.
For girls so cool, it hurts.

Kinda bummed that I can’t get my fingers on a single piece, here in North America.
Monochromatic me is wanting a change.

This was posted by Kiwi on the 16th of July, 2010
And filed under Holly Fulton A/W 2010
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Holly Fulton x Smythson

Following the talented likes of Erdem and Giles Deacon, designer Holly Fulton will create a capsule collection for Smythson, the luxury stationary and leather goods brand. The collection is set to feature an assortment of diaries, notebooks and writing sets covered in her signature illustrations and blinged out with Swarovski crystal clasps. After combing the internet for some images, I finally managed to find a twit-pic photo, courtesy of Stella Magazine. The luxe pieces are set to hit stores in October, and are sure to be a sell out. As one of the stationary obsessed, I beg! Put me on some list, and let me get my hands on the goods!

This was posted by Kiwi on the 16th of July, 2010
And filed under Holly Fulton, Smythson
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Kiwi, breathe. Now speak.

This was posted by Kiwi on the 6th of July, 2010

There are 2 Comments

seeing spots

by the talented photographer
and friend  Iko Maramo

This was posted by Kiwi on the 10th of June, 2010

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Meet Angie Johnson: The Norwegian Wood Wunderkind

all images from S/S 2010 lookbook

My first introduction to the multi-talented Angie Johnson of Norwegian Wood was in the early Spring of 2008 as I meticulously clicked through StyleBubble, the dot-com home to the blogosphere’s most fashionable femme Susanna Lau.  I was immediately  taken in by Angie’s unbound creativity and D.I.Y aesthetic. Her fringe, leather and lace confections along with the now famous cage skirts, whipped up quite the internet fashion frenzy. Fast forward a few years later and Angie’s Norwegian Wood is easily thehottest Etsy shop and when she’s not creating eclectic covetable pieces she manages her own boutique,Headquarters, with her partner Tyson Bodnarchuk, is dreaming up her Fall 2010 collection and planning her pending nuptials.  And yet despite her insane schedule I was fortunate enough to catch up with the lovely Angie and whip a few questions her way.

1. For those not in the know, who are you?

My name’s Angie Johnson, I’m the designer of the clothing and accessory line called Norwegian Wood. I live in Montreal with my fiancé, illustrator Tyson Bodnarchuk.

2. How did you get started?

I started sewing, crocheting and embroidering at a very young age, around 5/6 I think. I distinctly remember accidentally stitching an embroidery piece I was making to the front of my dress then cutting my dress in order to not ruin my work… and getting in SERIOUS SHIT for that. I was around five at that time, that’s my first real sewing memory. From there it kind of just kept developing, I learned more about sewing from my mom and then through classes in high school and university. I started my first small clothing line which was sold in a few local stores when I was 16, and continued with that on and off throughout the rest of my teens and early 20s. In my 2nd year of university I also started working for a denim company in Winnipeg (close to where I’m from) and continued there full time after graduating. In 2003 I moved to Montreal and continued to work in the mainstream fashion industry at a few local companies, first as an assistant designer, then as a head designer, and eventually decided to go for it on my own in 2008. And here I am.

3. What inspires you at the moment?

Not the best answer, but honestly I’m inspired by things I see all around me every day. History (both my own and the world at large), colours, fabrics, food, travel, books. Sometimes the problem is being OVER inspired, and the challenge becomes finding a way to reign it all in to create some sort of cohesiveness.

4. What is your current spring 2010 collection about?

The collection was inspired by a group of local ladies from an old neighborhood I used to live in. The area was a little rough, especially the main high street where my apartment happened to be. It was very grey, rundown, lots of concrete, few trees. But there were these ladies who would get all done up in traditional dress in Sundays to go to church. I was always mesmerized by the bright graphic patterns of the West African wax cloth fabrics used to make their outfits, contrasted against the ugly grey background of our area. They were so happy and excited to see all their friends and although I’m not a religious person, I could see that their religion and church was very important to them. It immediately would put me in a good mood, and I never forgot that.

5. What kind of fabrics have you been working with this time around?

For my spring collection I worked with a lot of printed cottons, specifically West African waxcloth, mixing it with new or vintage jersey, as well as sheer mesh. I like strong contrasts within my collections, mixing natural and synthetic, etc.

7. Do you have design challenges? And if so, what are they?

Time, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. I guess that’s more of a business challenge than a design one though….The designs are the easy part, it’s all the other aspects of running your own business that are hard!

8. How has the blogging community helped in your career?

Without the blogging community I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the success I’ve had so far with Norwegian Wood, simple as that. You can be the most talented person in the world, but if you can’t get your stuff out there for people to see, it doesn’t mean much. I’ve been lucky to have some of what I consider to be the best bloggers out there get my back. Now it’s my job to keep pushing myself and my designs so I don’t disappoint!

9. What advice would you give to up and coming designers?

Don’t be afraid to work in the mainstream industry for awhile before starting your own line. You’ll learn so much (about how to put together a collection, fabrics, production, scheduling, selling in other countries, shipping, suppliers, invoicing, working with press and sales agencies, etc) It’s a HUGE advantage to have a little background experience in these things before starting your own line.

10. What is your greatest vice?

Candy, I eat way, way, way too many refined sugars!

This was posted by Kiwi on the 10th of June, 2010

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Underworld – Scribble

This song is pure euphoria bottled up just for me.

Underworld is back!
And now joining forces with Drum’n'Bass beasts High Contrast
If the upcoming album (out later this year) is anything like this track,
then I think I might just die young
and fucked on pure bliss.

This was posted by Kiwi on the 3rd of June, 2010

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Sonja Ahlers: Collage Queen, purveyor of dreams

Ask any of my nearest and dearest and they will inform you that my sorry attempts at creating art will usually lead to a pile of shredded magazines, splattered ink stains and photographs strewn together upon various cork surfaces, before being nailed to a  bedroom wall. These collaged squares reflect cavernous moments of my life: boy-band crushes, water-colored fairy tales, angry alt phases, mini memorials of boyfriends past, Biro scratched notes to man-friends present, amongst the photographs of smiling friendly faces of best-friends, siblings and the obligatory shot of the parents.

In no way do I call my trials at photo-montage art, these collections of clippings are merely a reflection of my questionable taste in wall decor. Can you really call a collage a piece of genuine art? Judging my own work I think not. But flip through artist/writer Sonja Ahler‘s new book titled The Selves and you can’t help but become a believer.  One part diary, two part scrapbook  and a dash of  wit, The Sleves is an anthology of a woman’s multifaceted psyche; all chopped-up, glued and brought to life in dreamy technicolor illustration and sharp prose.

These pages are so beautiful and teeming with nostalgia  that I have already placed my order at Ahler’s web-shop. Plus, any fiery femme who references The Verve, will have my full support.

“I’m a million different people from one day to the next I can’t change my mold … no no no no no”
Bitter Sweet Symphony

PREACH!

This was posted by Kiwi on the 2nd of June, 2010

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