Avoiding Fashion Overwhelm

In light of Fashion Week here, there & everywhere frenzy - - -  RELAX!   A funny list of 

40 things to remember when fashion gets too much!

from one of the editors at i-D. 

"16. It is better to buy one stomach-churningly expensive piece of clothing that you love - even if means you can’t pay the rent next month - rather than an array of cheap things which you just, sort-of, quite like.
"  Always sane eco-fashion style advice.

My favorite is - "26. More fashion designers should ‘take a season out’ if they feel like doing so. Good ideas do not inherently happen every six months.
"  Ugh.  So true.  Why oh why do we keep seeing collections a gazillion times/year?  It detracts from the thrill of Fashion Weeks around the globe.  We need long dry spells of downtime between seasons in order to ramp up the pining for new and exciting ideas.  The blessed dry spells give the uber stylists of the world time to shine in the glossies and this is a good thing.  Christmas wouldn't be as fun if it came in July too.

Uh, damn, oops;  guilty of #4 - "Words like ‘edgy’ and ‘directional’ should be used sparingly, otherwise you sound like the tacky fashion ‘expert’ off breakfast telly.
"

Garance and the Perfect Business Model

Today I read the most beautiful post from one of the best fashion bloggers, Garance Dore.  If you don't know her, you should:-) (you can read in French or English - click at the top right of the pg)
Garance answers readers' questions about how she runs her business  - does she get kick backs from mentions, advertising, etc....

Her answers have perfectly captured the ideal balance between artistic integrity and survival without compromising either.  NOT easy to accomplish, bien sur.

I am totally in awe and completely inspired.   Carry on!

Incidentally... this is her new favorite bag from Loeffler Randall - dying over it!!  Absolutely divine.  D I V I N E.

Christopher Raeburn Eco Designer Fabulous

Christopher Raeburn, a marvelous eco-designer  from Britain has just shown his new collection and it's terrific.  He uses upcycled fabrics to great effect.  This dress is one, I believe, from decommissioned parachute nylon - isn't it chic?!   I'm crazy about it.

Ecouterre reports, "Raeburn stumbled upon a cache of ’50s-era flight maps, printed on silk instead of paper so pilots could find their way to safety even in a downpour. (“The intricate print is as interesting to decipher as it is visually impressive,” Raeburn says.)"

Here is a map dress -

so elegant

 You can find the beautiful website by clicking his name above.  Menswear is currently available on his E-Shop, but Harvey Nichols and Wrong Weather may have the new Spring 2013 womenswear collection.  

5" and up - new fave blog

5 Inch

This is my new favorite blog!  She's a lovely Finn studying fashion in London and has a terrific eye for photography and is just plain fun to read.  Don't you love the vicarious life liveable through blog following?  ADDICTED