Dress Down Basics Haul.

Its pay day and I was about to do my wish list. But since I have credit cards to pay, I decided to buy the basics that I needed in Primark! I normally don't find anything there, unlike the rest of the nation, but I was after one thing....

The velour track pants and hoody. It's comfortable and ideal for walking around the house in or, popping to your local Tesco to quickly buy milk?! In this case I needed it for me and mum since we'll be in and out of hospital (she got diagnosed with Lymphoma) and needed something comfortable as she goes for her treatments.

I don't see the point to buy expensive, lazy, hardly wear, cause it can look chavey, and trampy, outfits in designer places a la Juicy Couture. Here it was £7 for the hoody and £6 for the bottoms.

I then spotted lots of wacky leggings and remembered I needed a new pair since the old pair are not so black any more. But everywhere I go they look like they wont last and after a few wears you'll end up with saggy knee's. That or they look like tights with no feet part and therefore too light and see through. Then I saw these and thought to test them out.

1. Are they see through?
...... Put your hand through the material and stretch it to see its thickness.

2. Are they fitted?
...... When you stretch the material does it stretch too easy? and does it feel like it will get baggy by your knees?

3. Are they paparazzi proof?
...... Yes I know this sounds crazy but when it comes to buying things that are skin tight, white, or has the possibility to be see through. You will need to test if it is pap proof. You might look great in your outfit till the camera flashes and makes your dress see through having the whole night with a wardrobe malfunction and you didn't even know about it; until its all posted on facebook or twitter.

not so pap proof

Some outfits require that your top just about skims the bottom half of your bum. So I didn't want to take any chances with these.

Verdict: Pass..... They are fitted, since they are for light support and control. Was even a tad hard to get into them, they were that tight!. I have even just embarrassed myself by posting the pictures to show you what I mean by the Pap test and you can see the thickness. The only thing I'm not sure about was the elasticity shows up as shine. Black matt cotton leggings shouldn't show its elasticity, it cheapens them, less they are not meant to be matt cotton but some sort of leather effect. But for £4 its not that bad and they fit and look okay.

Night Out: Jump Off

Event: Jump Off
Description: "The Jump Off is where Fashion, Music and the Arts collide creating a melting pot of urban youth culture. The event features the best of aspiring local talent competing in Live Model Shoots, Comedy, Rap, Dance & Producer Battles for cash prizes and bragging rights."
Location: Fabric, 77a Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HJ
Frequency: Every 2 weeks on Mondays until the finals in August TBC
Price: £8 in advance £15 at the door
www: http://uk.jumpoff.tv/shows/view/the-jump-off/
Hot Tip: The toilets are unisex (yes I was baffled and had to check the door twice) To activate the water to wash your hands is a pedal by your feet... no sensor malarky! Crazy tip but we all asked the question when we were in there.

Big booties or big hair? shorts or leggings? Only for sure thing are the boys in new Era hats and their pants swung low. There I was lost in a crowd of mixed ethnicity, bubble hats and Pjs, Russian fur head gear, baggy jeans, short dresses, jeggings, anything goes with a twist of urban edge and swagger. A shortage of hoddies replaced with "If its not New Era then your a fool" style and lyrics from MC battles.

Fabric looks massive as you walk in, with all its industrious detail and Jump Off logos. In the middle of London's City district, you'd be surprised it's here. Expect it to be clean, like it was, yet surprised that it is, after all it is a show of London Urban Hip Hop.

Battles for the hip hp genre in dance, producing and MC. Think Stomp The Yard or You Got Served but with less attitude and more appreciation. A more welcoming crowd then the "bad boy" image you would have expected. Waiting for contenders to step up. Its a though crowd but not as harsh as you would think this world is.

We watched a dance crew, we dubbed as Little Mix, and the Champs battle it out. Little Mix looked amateur as they took to the stage yet had a few surprise moves that, we were routing for the under dogs to get through to next weeks round.

The Producers battle was an eye opener for those who don't make music, and a nice taste of wit and talent for those who appreciate. 5 mins to re-work a sample given to you. Producer quickly adding in base beats, snares and synths. Then played back to the audience and judges to crown their winner.

 

The long anticipated MC battle. Infamous for finding talent such as Pro Green. Was Less 8 Mile and more Comedy Night. Contenders coming in from "tut" north to flow or literally spit on on the mic. Maybe the calibre of talent will get better as the competition nears its finals in August, but this night we were entertained by someone who's rapping style was "dude you have issues" and I have thus dubbed as MC Turrets. Funny how you can see the stage was their alter ego as they shook hands and said well done after throwing abuse and swearing at each other. 

The event started late with set up breaks between battles and not running to the advertised schedule. So we missed the Booty Shake battle, as we left early to go home. But no doubt we will be back for more Monday night entertainment.

Why go? What else can you do on a Monday night? less of clubbing and being musically entertained?

SS2012 No List

As I was flicking through the fashion shows of spring summer I started to get bored of finding things that were just Ok. 

So here it is... Crazy

Louis Vuitton: Its not so bad if you separate some pieces. But the sandals, the box cut jacket, and the checks are just a no. 

Alexander McQueen: As an avid ladies wear McQueen fan, I was happy to see some promising items in the mens collection last season. But this SS season all I see is 60s or the circus. Maybe there is a piece here of there like a cardigan. Lets hope there is something better in the boutiques; but the runway is making me feel like there is an elephant missing.

 

Prada: I read that Miuccia Parada gets her inspirations from things she hates. Here is her interpretation of "hate" for golf and 70's florals and all I see is Pleasant Vill. Question, why make a collection of things vile? 

Gucci Menswear SS2012

Here you go I've done my choices for BV, DG and Balmain... Here is the last Gucci...

Kanye West in Bottega Veneta

Had a client ask me about some boots they saw Kanye wearing. Wondered why I didn't know this and tahhh dahhh. Here it is..

 

Sporting boots and deconstructed jacket from AW2011. "When Your Own Initials Are Enough" who would have known Kanye was wearing BV. It's about the person wearing the clothes and using it to your own interpretation is the motto and my motto for fashion in general. 

Balmain Mens SS2012

I have been loving Balmain for Ladies wear for a while now, but with the house of Balmain now in the care of Olivier Rousteing, I can see that his style for Ladies wear is nothing like the grime that I loved from his previous boss Christophe Decarnin. But his flare for Mens has rock hip hop and crock!

Oliver might have gone with the pastel colours away from the trash that is Balmain but the looks themselves is wearable as a whole without having to separate the pieces... just thinking twice about those brown boots and the scarf is a tad Adam Ant "Prince Charming"

Dolce & Gabbana Mens SS2012

What should be in stores now... here are my picks from the DG Spring Summer 2012 Collection and Fashion.

The Collection:

I've always been a fan of the button down tee's, classic vest tops and a bit of leather. Pleat front pants are becoming acceptable again. Gone are the days when they were only for older people, works well on baggy chino pants or baggy jeans (again all in the baggy), if your doing straight cut or skinny, flat front pants!

Fashion:

The collection was inspired from the fishermen in south Italy and lots of nets. Note again rolled up trousers. Deconstructed jackets for that informal something different casual look, shorter length blazers for that geek chic, and some long looked for in summer short sleeve shirts. Throw in some Jeans and hey presto something easier for mere mortals.