Do it like a dude

You know how dudes do it? Cheap, classic and high quality. Yeah, I'm talking about clothes. Brofashion.

men's cord oxford shirt, UNIQLO; leather bow belt, Asos;
knit mini skirt, Whistles

For the most part, in the same stores that try to sell a ladies jumper for £35, girlfriend can jump an escalator to the men's department and find a near identical garment -- with twice the wool content -- for half the price. The cotton used in the production of men's shirts is invariably a heavier count, and the buttons stay on for longer than a single wash. Yes, jumpers and shirts are the mainstays of my argument, but aren't they worth it?

This writer's research suggests that a high street men's XS equates to a UK/Australian size 10 (... ish). Add a skinny belt and the broad cut of the shoulders and nipped waist lend an unconcerned elegance to the whole business. After all, it's the application of men's tailoring to women's wear that has defined modern fashion. Why not go right to the source?

xo linds.

This ... or that?

The question of "this, or that?" is posed visually by one of my favorite blogs:
t h i s / o r / t h a t / ? /  [melaniecrete.tumblr.com].

Here's my own little homage to the concept.

So what do you think, dear reader? Column A, column B, or a little of each?

xo linds.

 Tom Ford, or Thunderbirds?

 Lady with ermine, or ermine with model?

 Bearskin/Persian rug, or bear behind Marilyn?

 Party mix, or mixed tape?

 Castro's bat, or Cameron's paddle?

Roast chick, or live chick?

Crazy, sexy, wool

woolandthegang.com

Look what arrived! 

This knitting kit [pictured left] is produced by Wool and the Gang [woolandthegang.com], a business founded by Paris-based duo Lisa Sabrier and Carolyn Main. Wool and the Gang work in partnership with the people - and alpaca - of two small towns in Peru to produce a range of knitting kits and ready-to-wear pieces. They are (in their own words) "a gang of knitters, guys and girls from 7 to 77 years old, all tied together by a piece of yarn …". Bless. 

Not only good, clean, crafty fun, Wool and the Gang's kits turn into modern and thoughtfully designed garments and accessories in sheep's wool, super-soft pima cotton and alpaca wool. My kit contains all the elements needed to knit my way into two crop tops ­– one in nude pink, the other cinder black. I'll update you on my progress.

xo linds.

PS. The last image in the series below is of a poster that came with the kit - it's a taster plate of the Wool and the Gang projects on offer. I picked the crop tops kit, but was sorely tempted by the Tala Tank Top (in brick red) and the James Jacket (in midnight blue).

Marked (monogrammed) territory

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always wanted a monogrammed tshirt. An instinct to mark territory? Eww. A good understanding of the importance a monogram can play in affairs of the heart (Sense and Sensibility)? That could be it.

Certainly, bigger and better people have been here before ­- Louise Vuitton’s “L” and offset “V”, and Chanel’s interlinked “CC”, must be almost as widely recognised as Lizzy’s head.

Employing an old American Apparel tshirt, transfer paper, an iron and a flourishing font, I am now labelled.

xo linds.

[blue tshirt, American Apparel; denim shorts, Cheap Monday; black cardigan, Whistles]

Whippet real good

www.ilovemyscarf.com

Was feeling good, then … bam: www.ilovemyscarf.com  

Nothing like a whippet wearing a £270 Hermes [hermes.com] scarf to take the edge off your day. With the quarter of a million facebook "likes" this site has received, I'm guessing a lot of people out there have high maintenance (or highly aspirational) pets.

I Love My Scarf is English for http://www.jaimemoncarre.com/ – which is French luxury brand Hermes’ new social media campaign. The site features images and video of stylish people - oh, excusez moi, "les gens chic" -  (and animals) from London, Paris, New York and Tokyo (sucks to be you, Milan). 

I’m sharing the link and a couple of images because some of the shots are very pretty and the styling of the scarves is inspirational - and I can only imagine that scarves worth £10 work in a similar way.

xo linds.

Cord under the collar

driesvannoten.be

Though the spring/summer collections are already out, it sure isn’t the weather for fruity prints and pastel shift dresses where I’m blogging from. I’m still feeling pretty inspired by the autumn/winter 2010 Dries Van Noten [driesvannoten.be] collection, most especially this look [left]. It’s like Jilly Cooper and a Harvard professor had a blazer baby.

So, I found some bronze corduroy at the Cloth House [clothhouse.com] in Soho and trimmed the underside of the collar of an old chocolate brown Zara [zara.com] blazer. The result [below] was Noten-esq and is going to be on pretty high rotation in my wardrobe until the winter breaks.

xo lindsey

[blue jeans, Cheap Monday; breton long-sleeve tshirt, Mango; brown blazer, Zara {trim added}; leather brogues, Russell & Bromley; cat's eye sunglasses, Asos] 

A very MAWI Christmas

My first post!

Since moving to London I've been enamoured by the deliciously chunky jewellery stylings of Mawi [mawi.co.uk]. Old and yet thoroughly new, Mawi pieces include art deco claws and high-set semi-precious stones, punchy chains and big - unapologetically big - faux pearls.

How wonderful it was to receive a Mawi for Asos [asos.com] gunmetal and gold necklace from Santa this year. Possibilities abound.

xo lindsey

[shots: vintage black shirt, East End Thrift Store; necklace, Mawi for asos.com]