So, the week before Christmas, the fabulous Brix Smith-Start invited me up to her Shoreditch Start boutique to interview her. How did I get invited? Read this previous post to see the madness generated by a tweet!! Needless to say, I had an amazing afternoon! I ended up gate-crashing Start for 2 hours, trying my best to film without my nerves wobbling the camera too much. I came home with a few full memory cards of footage but I’m not the David Lynch I thought I was!

Things of Random Coolness and I have spent an age trawling through the “material” and with direction and annoyance from me, we’ve created a little trailer, that I LOVE (I know I’m probably not supposed to say that about my own stuff!) Now I’m worried that the trailer will be better than the actual interview, as my mouth ran away with me and I managed to talk over almost all of the footage!!! So enjoy – the full interview will be with you in the New Year. Music is by my fave band du jour The Drums and it was filmed on a Nikon D90. I hope Brix’s warmth and openness is evident in the trailer – you will gain more insight in the full interview…coming in 2010 (again that sounds full of “hype!” I hope you won’t be disappointed ;) This is my first foray into the world of video, hopefully there’ll be lots more to come. Here’s my Vimeo.

Also, remember to use Twitter, it can open doors! Follow me here @FashionCoolness.

I have come to a simple, yet obvious conclusion that Colette Paris can make anything cool. Fish and Chips in a bin-bag? Sold at Colette, they’d be the must have of the new season. Last week I was taken with their Fraggle Rock collaboration. I adore ANYTHING by Jim Henson, The Muppets were my life as a child. Fraggle Rock was their lesser known sibling show and their Colette tees and bags are amazing. I visited Colette last week and entered the pre-Christmas scrum for gifts. The shop was packed and I have never seen so many sales assistants on the floor (they were easy to spot as they’re all genetically superior and have an unmistakably cool edge ;) Everything in there seems to have been picked with such care and attention to detail, you feel that you must own it; your life would be enhanced by it.

I didn’t spot these Les Néréides Parisian pieces while I was there, shopping fever took over and I had to leave! But on return, I perused their eShop only to be dazzled. Someone reminded me this week to write about things I love* and these seemed the obvious choice to post about. I adore Paris, slightly to a point of obsession and these beautiful necklaces and brooches embody all that is quirky Parisian chic for me. The inclusion of the Métro, La Tour Eiffel etc. add to the kitsch factor, making this collection even more appealing. Now I am left with a tougher decision; which one to buy? Damn you Colette, why do you have to be so cool????

*Yuli Ziv wrote an insightful article on the importance of blog content. Read it here. Thanks for the Twitter heads up Mademoiselle Robot!

The strength of anticipation I must hold for this film became evident as I tried to create my collage. Yes, I’m quite a perfectionist. Yes, my images are usually faffy and take a while to create. But today, trying to make something to suitably represent Tom Ford’s directorial debut, I deliberated, dithered and deleted for hours. Here’s the problem, this promises to be a beautiful film. I can’t remember the last time I was drawn to a film based on the visual aesthetic alone…if ever? Every image I tried to collate seemed incredibly less beautiful than the simplicity of the movie poster itself; everything I tried to compile seemed overworked and messy. I’m still unhappy with it and have saved the Photoshop file to fiddle some more!

I watched the trailer today with the sound off and realised what has drawn me in so completely – its similarity to a glossy coffee table book or magazine. The production design is by the same people that brought the glorious glamour of the 60’s to the small screen, in Mad Men. The film (I keep saying “film” I should say, “trailer” as that is my only exposure to A Single Man thus far!) Anyhoo, the film has that grainy, saturated feel of an authentic 60’s production. Just watching the trailer makes me want to go out, apply copious amounts of eyeliner, bouffant my hair and pour myself a tall drink by the piano. There’s Hitchcock-esque suspense, romance and tortured souls but it’s not the story that’s captured my attention. Tom Ford has created a visual delight, comparable to a season’s collection or an editorial spread. I will reserve full judgement until I have viewed; my only concern is that this perfect visual may, for me, overwhelm the narrative thread. For now, I implore you to let the opulence of the trailer wash over you and to see A Single Man for yourself when it opens in you area.

Fifi Lapin for Topshop cards sent….check! Copius amounts of food bought…check! Last minute hectic shopping done…check! Christmas is here again and the usual chaos reigns. We have a joyous 12 for dinner tomorrow (today?) and I am the worst cook in the world! (unless you require a ham and cheese based snack.) The excesses of the season always drive me insane! The supermarket this week was comparable to a rugby scrum; a fight almost ensued as the aforementioned market was out of limes (heaven forbid!) The shops will re-open on Saturday, the sales will begin, life will continue as normal but those facts escape us in the preparation for “the” day!

In a bid to avoid consumerist hell, my family have decided on a present price limit* In theory this seemed easy but in practice was actually very difficult. The gift has to have a lot of thought put into it; the significance of it lies in its suitability for the receiver. Finding that perfect gift is never easy but something almost perfect can be disguised with a plethora of other smaller, less useful, less wanted gifts. So we shall see how this pans out tomorrow. Things of Random Coolness and I of course got this all wrong and bought each other the trip to Paris! We had a phenomenal time…but more of that in a later post – Paris by Polaroid shall be with you next week.

However you’ve decided to spend the festive season, I hope you are able to be with the ones you care about. Inevitably tempers will fray, tantrums will be had, too much of everything will be on offer and some incredibly banal TV will be watched. Here’s a Merry Chrimbo from me x x x

(* Children not included!)

Sometimes, it takes a more mainstream nudge to remind me of the stellar qualities of a great designer. Holly Fulton was an accessories designer at Lanvin in a previous existence and now is a designer in her own right, under her eponymous label. ASOS have championed Holly’s designs, now harnessed into an original collection exclusive to their website. The Fashion Industry is now teeming with new names and labels to watch and sometimes the saturation of the market means a unique talent slips off my radar. Her philosophy resonates with a multi-textured direction in fashion, “I love the idea of luxury, which, to me, is having all these cracked-out materials—crystals, plastic, metal, intense color—on simple shapes.” See Holly’s ASOS collection here and view her collections (pictured above) on her website.

The Federal Trade Commission ruled this week that bloggers must disclose freebies, especially if they then blog favourably about the product. I am kind of in agreement with this (horror, shock, blogger disgrace?) Some may say it’s because I don’t get sent much free stuff but I believe it’s more to do with my struggle to maintain the integrity of my posts. I always appreciate designers, artists sending me emails with details of their products but I carefully screen which ones I’d like to post about – it has to have a strong sense of appeal to me, otherwise my writing lacks any heart. Yes, I’ve been sent free merchandise but I have never had the sense that I MUST endorse them; well, not yet anyway.

Which brings me to Iheartnorwegianwood. I feel that to make my post slightly more credible, I must offer the disclaimer, “NO free products were received in the writing of this post” Angie’s designs are phenomenal! Many bloggers have extolled her virtues in the past and I have coveted one of her fringed neck-pieces for some time. So to etsy I trotted (well, clicked!) and bought one a few weeks back. On arrival the necklace didn’t disappoint. Even though fringing is quite ubiquitous this season, it feels unique and adds a definitive edge to any look. On further research, I loved delving into a little more detail about Angie. Her Flickr account is a testimony to her trajectory as a designer, as she grows in popularity and confidence. (I would also like to point out I am not a stalker!)

So will I always feel this way about the free products and endorsements? Maybe not! But for now integrity seems intact and I urge you to check out iheartnorwegianwoods’ ETSY, just because I heart it too.

I’m probably the last person in the world, well, the fashion world at least, to watch The September Issue. Strangely it had a profound impact on me. I’d read all the reviews about Grace Coddington being the true star to emerge from the documentary and of course I concur…but in a way my heart felt heavy for her. She struck me as a true artist with a beautifully creative eye. The photo-shoots she styled blew me away in their portraiture aesthetic and the care and joviality she exuded on set were truly refreshing. The saddening aspect of the film for me was the realisation that creativity must be curbed to appeal to the average reader and maintain sales figures. I know that in consumer society money drives everything but it was disheartening to actually see that process in motion. Grace understood the need for careful editing and the harnessing of celebrity to boost sales, but its effect seemed to visibly dampen her enthusiasm.

Anna Wintour, on the other hand, seemed to embrace what was required commercially and not let it curb her exacting nature and definitive ideals. The swiftness with which she edited hugely produced photo-shoots was astounding. She knows exactly what sells and is not prepared to compromise in any way, especially for something that only has an aesthetic appeal. It is about the clothes, the advertising, the sales and not necessarily the art. The element of the film that stood out for me was the formidable partnership between Anna and Grace. Their agendas are different but completely the same. Their relationship is a tour de force, offering equilibrium in an industry that is torn between two opposing factors – the beauty of fashion and what actually sells.

What grabbed me first was the website. I’m not usually a fan of flash intros but the spectacle of watching Woody Allen’s face merge with that of Nietzsche was too delightful to prevent me from diving in. Essentially these are little badges or pins but the charm and intrigue they evoke is quite gorgeous. I love the idea of people illustrating their philosophical and political allegiances, literally on their sleeve! I think it’s the child inside of me that loves the allure of a little badge. As an adult, I am still drawn to the most ridiculously cutsie, kitsch button pins and brooches and these somehow offer a seemingly more mature alternative. The most recent PHILOS-o-FACE project is called the Director’s Cut. Instead of professing your love for philosophy you can unleash your inner movie snob. Think David Cronenberg is a genius among directors? Then pop his face on your neckerchief! Worried your favourite director’s face isn’t overtly recognisable in front of the camera? Then feel free to switch your loyalty to someone a little more media friendly like Señor Spielberg himself.

If I ask myself why this website appeals to me so much, I have to look back to a gift Things of Random Coolness gave me a few years ago. He bought me a vintage panel bracelet, with iconic faces adorning each link. It was extremely delicate, so of course I managed to break it. I’ve never been able to find anyone skilled enough to repair it, so it sits lonely in a draw. Here’s a little photo. These badges remind me so much of it, it makes me want to go out, buy 12 and try to recreate the magic of my bracelet! So, now you can decide – directors of the modern age or philosophers that have shaped society? Then ask, should I show them off? The answer for me is yes….now, which ones to buy?

Merci to all the gang at Independent Fashion Bloggers, for including me in their Links à la Mode section this week. Read on to see who else they deemed read-worthy…
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The phenomenon that is blogging is everywhere. Disney Roller Girl and I were discussing just the other week how difficult it is in to maintain your integrity in a fashion industry that is almost fully embracing the power of the blogger (I think she’s posted about that today) I mentioned to her the better part of me, Things of Random Coolness. He runs a beautiful blog and was the inspiration behind my initial venture into the world of blogging 3 years ago. Inspiration = He secretly began his blog and I stumbled across it one day and asked him what he was doing. I then had a childish, stamp-feet tantrum about the secrecy and moaned, “I want to do that too!” Random Fashion Coolness was born!

Anywhoo back to the point in hand! He endeavours to maintain integrity through his blog. He never posts for the sake of posting or because someone sends him a “gift.” That might mean no posts for a month but at least he knows that everything he blogs means something to him. I was thinking of his influence on my blog. He calls me out on things he dislikes, helps me “screen” invites etc. I do not always welcome the criticism or heed his advice and it is annoying that 9/10 times he’s right!

There are lots of blogger partnerships out there that make their work all the more endearing for me. The most famous blogging couple du jour has to be Garance Doré and The Sartorialist, Scott Shuman. If you look at their blogs, I really feel you can perceive a noticeable shift in direction and style once they became a couple (maybe less so in Scott’s work, where commentary is minimal) Another favourite blogger partnership comes in the form of What Katie Wore. Joe, her boyfriend, is the photographer and blogger, Katie his fashion muse. Each day Joe posts a picture of Katie’s phenomenal ensemble and a comment, giving a little insight to their daily lives together. Susie’s Style Bubble and Steve’s Style Salvage blogs share their home’s balcony for displaying their newest ensemble look.

These musings on blogger partnerships led me to think of the wonderful Agathe of Styles Bytes. She was an original blogging phenomenon. I was an avid reader of her blog and marvelled as she posted about her forthcoming nuptials to Kristoffer of Trashion. Their life and relationship played out through the blog and we as readers were voyeurs to their beautiful bubble. The simplicity of their ceremony and her dress inspired my own wedding day. Then suddenly, one day in April 2008, Agathe headed to Stockholm and Style Bytes was no more. The demise of their relationship in some way lead to the end of Agathe’s musings on fashion and the beginning of a new chapter in her life. Kristoffer’s blog now seems to be run by a Scottish lass!!! I also miss the gorgeous Molvin, their indoor pet pig – I used to LONG for posts about him!

I’m interested to see if there are any other blogging partnerships out there and how your accomplice contributes to what you create.  Things of Random Coolness is a very private person; you will not find much information about him on here (and certainly NO photos!) If you blog together, how much information do you choose to reveal about yourselves? Fill in my contact form or comment on this post (adding your sites), as I’d like to see how many blogging couples are out there for a little article….