American Apparel has been dipping its toe into the world of vintage for a while. I’ve posted about their vintage glass frames and sunglasses before but for a while now, American Apparel have sneakily dived right in to the vintage pool, in the guise of California Select…Vintage and More. Their blog showcases the fabulous vintage fashions on offer but, until now, the joyous pieces have only been available in the California Select stores…and then this ad surfaced last week. A website this way cometh! Buying vintage online is always a difficult one. It is hard to gauge sizes and styles and the true quality isn’t always evident. I’ll post a list of my favourite eBay and online vintage stores at some point this week, just to show that some sites really make a concerted effort to show every detail of their garments.  The addition of another vintage store is always one to celebrate…especially after perusing their blog. I shall now sit back and wait in eager anticipation for California Select‘s first steps into online sales.

Five up-and-coming artists from around the globe have been picked up to design a capsule collection of six Nylon Magazine and Urban Outfitter exclusive pieces. These jersey delights are really quite beautiful when seen in person. They come in many guises – hoodies, vests, tees; all made in a light, sheer fabric. See more about the artists on Nylon’s website and purchase at will from Urban Outfitters.

I have posted before about my desire to live in a world framed in 70’s light (or a Kooks video!), now the faces of Chloé‘s new signature fragrance; Chloe Sevigny, Anja Rubik, and Clemence Poesy, pose in the sunkissed California light for Nylon magazine. This montage does everything a set of stills should do – presenting an aspirational set of shots, no matter how staged they actually are! Flick through Nylon’s selection here and imagine yourself living in that 70’s light.

i-D Magazine‘s appreciation of Agyness Deyn knows no bounds. So much so, that is has devoted 5 separate covers of the same edition to her. The multi-faceted model adorns each cover with her unique individuality. The problem now…which one to choose!

Feathers in fashion present me with quite a moral dilemma. I am not delusional enough to believe that such a prolific amount of feathers simply molt from the bird in order to facilitate fashion but each time my eye is drawn to a feathery piece, I wish this could be true. I have heard tales of plume hunters, that destroy birds in order to remove a small portion of feathers. Some birds, however, like the Ostrich, are plucked and their feathers do grow back…so the quandary continues! As far as my blog is concerned, my interest in feathers is to see how the trend translates from the catwalk to the street. Above are catwalk images from Carolina Herrera and La Perla but far left, is a great feather edged skirt seen on Street Peeper and far right, a gorgeous Parisian image from The Sartorialist. So, feathers can be worked into daily looks but for me, finding out where the feather’s came from would be quite essential.

Masks and negatives adorn the website of Grey Ant, designer Grant Krajecki’s tongue-in-cheek brand. An 80’s film influence seems to jump out at you, as you peruse the lookbooks on the website. Lycra, oversized glass frames and very high waists abound but I have chosen images from last season’s collections. The fringed masks freaked me out a little but fulfill a purpose…you invariably do focus more on the clothing, which was decidedly more angular last year. See Grey Ant’s full gamut of wears on the website.

Nu Rave takes a new direction with Brian Lichtenberg‘s psychedelic spectrum of clothing. I adore the unusual use of hall of mirror style imagery on the website. It makes it hard to differentiate between the original image and the reflection in the silver-lined dreamworld of Lichtenberg. A celebrity favourite, Brian’s star is on the rise. Holographic collaborations with M.I.A. have highlighted his 80’s roots but take a look at the website to see the full range B.L. has to offer.

…the answer – Lake Tahoe, California. After a few years of skiing, I decided to dabble in a little snowboarding and spent a significant period of time falling, collapsing, slipping, along with many other collision style verbs! So, I am back but damaged; a little like a bruised banana and facially, slightly cooked from the Californian sunshine!

Regular readers of my blog will know of my appreciation for French graffiti wonder Fafi. The cosmetic giants MAC, have harnessed her creative power in a new make-up range, covered in her eclectic, bright doodles. MAC’s Fafi mini-site is a sheer delight; it is a flash insight into Fafi’s fictitious bedroom. You can view and purchase the collection, see key looks and watch an exclusive video with Fafi herself. I’m not sure if the colours would suit me but if ever there was a case for seduction via packaging…this may be it! See the full range on MAC’s website.

The pallet at John Galliano‘s Paris show was eclectic, as I expected but almost fanciful, in a way I haven’t seen before. It reminded me of swirled tubs of thick ice-cream, laid out so appealingly, it is impossible to choose which one you would like the most. The show played out like a movie, a film of oversized jewellery and bold colours, that are sure to be a refreshing tonic to the darker tones of fall. My only reservation in posting this was Galliano‘s use of fur. I understand how some extoll the virtues of fur in fashion; there is no denying that to some, it can be aesthetically beautiful. It feels like a dream but I personally prefer to feel that dream on the actual creature….I have enough difficulty justifying to myself eating meat; the bones are too stark a reminder of the true origin of my repas! (I am not sure if the fur used at Galliano‘s show was real or fake, so I shall reserve judgement until later.) See Galliano‘s full masterpiece at Style.com.