Return Of The Mac

There is still a little uncertainty to what actually brought the 160 year old, British brand, Acquascutum into recent administration. Although if one looks at the situation logically and note how dry the previous winters have been then, fundamentally one could say perhaps the demand for raincoats has diminished somewhat. Seeing as rain wear was what made the brand famous, Acquascutum, translated from the latin for water shield, was named this after the company developed the first waterproof wool. 


Acquascutum spring 2012. Get it while you can!

 And how ironic that this spring, as parts of the U.K. find itself in severe drought should we be having one of the rainiest weeks in a very long time.
This calls for a 'Return of the Mac' - excuses for quoting such a banal song, but it did seem rather fitting yesterday morning while searching in my coat wardrobe for the appropriate outerwear .

The result was a rather old Topshop raincoat, which seemed a little tired and dated, therefore inspiring a quick look online to see which styles better suited the Spring of 2012.

Firstly, a quick skim at this spring's Acquascutum collection. Such a shame the brand will be no more as personally, I found the whole collection to be very pleasing and would love to own one of their mid-length black vinyl raincoats. Then on to browse another British outerwear heritage brand, Daks, to see what they had on offer. A cute, smart and practical navy duffle coat caught my eye and possibly a great investment seeing as the weather forecasters predict more rain for at least another month. On the high street, Topshop has some fun styles. Coloured plastics macs, some see-through to reveal the outfit underneath and a couple with crochet linings - a little nod to the cut-outs and lace trends seen on the Louis Vuitton catwalk for spring.



Daks Hepworth navy duffle



Topshop clear plastic rain mac



Such a shame the rains didn't come sooner. Aquascutum and it's lovely collection of watershields may have survived this current economic climate.

Plastic Fantastic



Manolo Blahnik SS12



Jil Sander SS12

Fashion designers have chosen to use clear plastics with leathers to create accessories this Spring . Last summer the hit bag of the season was Jil Sander's orange plastic market bag. This spring, the label has stepped the style up a notch by repeating it in a beautiful and practical half plastic/half leather version. But it's the shoes that really embrace this new trend. Manolo Blahnik, who is firmly back on the fashionista's must have radar,  has included a pair of pointy plastic and silver leather courts (with just the right heel height) in his latest collection. Marc Jacobs and Richard Nicoll went on the same tip for spring featuring cowboy style ankle boots in clear, hard-wearing acetates. While Erdem and Chloe chose to show summer sandals with slashes of plastic. 







Richard Nicoll SS12

Dior For A New Age

'Dior the world's most outstanding brand name, ever evolving and ever true to itself, at the same time baroque and classic. It is my good fortune, twice a year on the runways and in visits to our haute couture ateliers, always to encounter a fresh face of Dior, never knowing in advance what that face will be'
Bernard Arnault. Dior 60 Years Of Style.

And with Raf Simons, who is the newly appointed artistic director of Dior, what will that face be next?


The New Look and The new New Look?
Above Dior's New Look from 1947
and adjacent Raf Simons final collection for Jil Sander A/W 12

 Recent Dior collections, under the helm of John Galliano, Dior has become the by-word for sumptuous, luxurious, maximalist glamour. How will Simons, who has spent the last seven years at Jil Sander and famous for his clean lines and love of minimalism keep the customer happy?

Way back in 1947 when Christian Dior opened his couture doors, and the famous New Look was de-rigeur, it was soon that these ideals began filtering through to mainstream fashion. The October 1948 edition of Elle proclaimed 'Pare down, trim, refine, strip away and adopt the new New Look'

So, it seems the label will run a full circle. From being designed by Dior himself, followed by Yves Saint-Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre and then John Galliano, The New Look aesthetic will surely evolve into the new New Look under Simons direction.

The fashion world waits for this summer's Dior couture collection with huge excitement for Simons' debut at the long established and world renowned house of fashion.

Fashion Easter



Drop a hint to the Easter Bunny for goodies that you will cherish long after Bank Holiday Monday. Go fill those baskets......

Fashion Bunny. Gold and Tourmaline Bunny Necklace by Katie Hillier



Easter Bonnet? Well..almost. Headwear doesn't get much better this spring than a luxe Louis Vuitton crystal encrusted headband.







The scent of spring. Diptyque's Mimosa fragranced candle in a chirpy shade of yellow