JEFFREY CAMPBELL SUMMER LOOKBOOK 2012

I have to be honest, I expected more from the Jeffrey Campbell summer 2012 look book "Hot Child in the City." The name conjures up a kind of 70s, glamorous New York vibe, a little bit Studio 54, a little bit sweaty grunge and definitely very sexy... Instead these shots are lacklustre at best, and although the shoes in the collection look fabulous (we knew they would) I don't think they're being shown to the best of their potential by half-assed styling and lack of coherent inspiration...

See what I mean? There's too many random things going on - snakeskin, neon, tie dye - combined with downright BAD (and cheap?) styling and no actual vibe or theme to speak of. In some of the shots you can't even see the shoes when, OBVIOUSLY, they should be the main feature?!

Perhaps it's unfair to judge this lookbook too harshly since Jeffrey Campbell are, after all, a shoe brand, but in that case why waste time and effort on something so mediocre when they could have let the shoes speak for themselves as they often do. They're established enough to know better. It's a shame.

What do you think, do you guys agree or disagree?

GOLDEN BLONDE AMBITION

So for loads of folk it seems  that going blonde in summer is something of an annual rite - one I've never been tempted to get involved with... UNTIL NOW.

Don't freak out, I'm not talking about bleaching my hair into oblivion a la Abbey Lee in my last post! My super-pale, yellowy colouring wouldn't suit something as ashy I don't think, plus I am WAY to chicken to go anywhere near the bleach! I'm talking something golden, sun-kissed. Summer APPROPRIATE. I'm getting really sick of my bottle-ginger that's always a slightly different shade each time I do it, plus it's all one block colour all over, which doesn't help with making it look all artfully-tousled when I can be bothered to curl it.

So for some golden blonde inspiration I've been looking to these beauts:

 For reference, this is what my hair looks like right now:

Not the best photos I'm afraid, but basically it's a sort of mid reddish-brown which shines up quite ginger in the sunlight. I've been dying it this colour or a version of this for years using semi-permanent dyes at home. My natural colour is yer bog-standard MOUSEY BROON.

Can any hair experts out there tell me, will this even be possible or will trying to lighten it just make it go bright orange? Will it ruin my hair? IS THIS A MISTAKE???? 

Do any of you guys go blonde for summer? Let's hear yer tales...

UNITED COLOURS OF BENETTON

Here's a secret. Although I never shop there, I am actually a really big fan of Benetton.

When I was around 7 or 8 my most favourite jumper in the WHOLE WORLD was a bright yellow Benetton jumper with a pale blue seahorse and pink bubbles on the front. I swear, I used to wear that thing everywhere. In fact, every childhood birthday from the age of 6 was marked with a brand-new, garish Benetton jumper and I absolutely could NOT get enough of them.

While I was growing up and not particularly interested in fashion, only the singing Gap adverts and controversial Benetton ads under the direction of Oliviero Toscani really stuck out in my mind. Since his resignation in 2005 it's been a long time since I've seen any ad campaign that's had as much impact as 'Unhate.'

But yeah, Benetton rocks. Aaaanyway...

While the SS12 lookbook doesn't set out to shock or provoke, it is still remarkably pleasing to the eye, focusing on muliti-coloured basics and sticking to the the rulebook they pretty much created back in the 90s.

Loving that last Asian model SO much!

It's weird, I can only assume that Benetton must have a huge following in its native Italy or elsewhere in Europe because in the UK it's presence is virtually nil. The shop in Silverburn is always totally deserted which is a real shame because these are quality, fashion-forward essentials. The whole candy-coloured denim, bold prints and nude & neon trends are ones Benetton could easily get on board with, and yet I only rarely see the brand advertised in magazines.

Come on Benetton, time for an overhaul. Get your finger out!

STRIPED BASICS FOR SPRING

I absolutely love stripes for spring. Well, for any time really, but especially for spring - they just channel a sort of laid back, causal, sunny, beatnik vibe, doncha think?

Weirdly enough they never really say NAUTICAL to me, no matter how much ELLE tries to persuade me otherwise (unless the chick is wearing a straw boater or posing on a yacht). Instead I find striped basics perfect for throwing on as it starts to warm up, layering effortlessly with denim or leather and adding colourful accessories if I can be bothered or just some huge black sunnies if I can't. Perfect.

Here's some pretty striped basics from Urban Outfitters:

(Tyra would be proud of that stare guuuurl!)

Casually cool, aye?

OH, and if you're coming to the International Women's Day fundraiser on Thursday, go YOU, you are awesome, AND also try and get there for 6pm if you can as the lovely Laura from Oxfam Scotland will be popping along to say a few words and answer any questions and all that kinda goodness.

Leighton Denny Nails, John Frieda, Schuh, and ROX goodies all added to the raffle today :)

So excited, see you all there!

MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF SS12

...also known as the reason I'm getting excited about summer!

Back in September this was really the only show that got me pumped for sugary-sweet pastels, cartoon prints and quirky girliness for summer. Shame on me, I'd sort of forgotten how fierce a collection it actually is!

The show was the ultimate in performance-femininity - the models strutted down the catwalk to a mashup of Hole hits (sadly missing in the video below), and sashayed round Courtney Love lookalikes applying lipstick and jerking around in 90s-style babydoll dresses. The hair and makeup were so extreme that towards the end the girls looked less like models and more like living dolls.

Strangely, the collection itself is oddly similar to MK's SS11 offering (that show even started with part of a recorded interview with Courtney Love) but rather than use the girly, feminine aesthetic to channel feelings of anger and hostility, it instead exudes a genuine sweetness - a real charm and warmth. There are reports that some front-rowers found it all so moving it brought them to tears.

I also love it because it reminds me of some of my favourite bloggers like Tavi and Marlena.

Watch the vid and enjoy!






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