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A timely entry in the I'm great category, as British Vogue publishes this Mad Max story showcasing some serious hardcore hardware. They've gone with the title 'Iron Maiden', and although it's always hard to resist alluding to heavy metal, I think we all know who they're channelling here. I know Mad Max doesn't really classify as a Blue Movie, but I'd like to think that if Mel had a second fabric choice after leather, he'd have gone with denim. Can you imagine that biker jacket & motorcycle pants ensemble re-imagined in a sunbleached wash?
Serious metalware on jeans has been around for a little while. Zips have been getting bigger (there's a great pair of Radcliffe jeans for sale on asos with large zips on the outside leg). Studs have been getting more prominent. I'm not sure if I dreamt a pair of jeans with a totally studded waistband instead of a studded belt, but I certainly can't find the picture if it exists.
It's a kind of urban/hardcore/goth/protection thing that makes us London types feel like we're living in Mad Max. I think it's only going to get more extreme, not least because it's sister trend of the pleather/ruched/shiny legging doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and we all want to feel a bit rock and roll on the tube.
The flat studded panels all the way down one leg at Superfine & TopShop look good - not so 'girl does studs' as the discreet buttons down the side of the leg of last winter, and the heavy chains & padlock in place of a key chain on the Sass & Bide jeans definitely work.
www.superfinelondon.com
www.sassandbide.com
www.topshop.com
This is a truly gorgeous rendering of classic style. (It's the F/W2009 Dockers catalogue, done by Neighbour.) It's the kind of thing that people like me are saying a lot at the moment, but Levi's, Dockers and other classic brands are a point of refuge in the storm in our imaginations. Afer a few years of a profusion of the new in denim brands, thoughts turn to heritage, tradition, integrity, the iconic. By synchronicity or design, or more probably the elusive 'mood' and 'rightness' that trend forecasters specialising in pinning down, there is also a massive upsurge in Americana and men's trad dressing, and I'm busy storing bits and bobs away for this.
This lookbook brings together trad, Americana and the history of a classic brand in images without irony. The Dockers aesthetic isn't too far away from the uber-trendy Band of Outsiders, who manage to do style with irony and still make sincerely great things. But if you can look cool in a pair of Dockers, I reckon you win.
So while the real-world Polaroid company is discontinuing films and generally going tits-up, the interweb offers up its delights.
The POLADROID. It even takes time to develop like a polaroid.
Love this shirt - would you call it a 'circle' top, instead of a circle skirt?
(Shirt is et vous, original non-poladroided picture from wad )
http://www.poladroid.net/download.html
Yes please.
I love faded denim & chambray shirts. I can't stand the 'women's' versions, with shaping darts and wire in the hems to give scrunch and shape. A denim shirt should be nostalgic in the best way, soft, pale, frayed hems, irresistible.
What details to have? Pearl snaps? Round or diamond shape? Creamy vintage shell 4-hole buttons? White plastic trendy buttons? Pockets... Back yoke...
Polaroid details:
Two images on the left from Levi's Vintage Clothing reproduction of a 1907 Sunset Chambray shirt.
The far right image is from a picture of a 1907 Sunset Chambray shirt, via repeattofade
The middle right image is a 1955 Sawtooth denim shirt, also via repeattofade
Mood images:
Images on the left, from Levi's Vintage Clothing lookbook via repeattofade
Image on the right, from Tim Walker's sketchbooks: Tim Walker
People seem to be trying to persuade me that the denim teddy is a good idea. I will admit to owning a denim boiler suit (Gap, sale, it took someone else to make me buy it), but I'm not brave enough to wear it out of doors yet. The simplicity of these is very seductive. Definitely better than a little denim dress.
Left, Current Elliott: www.currentelliott.com
Right, Erin Wasson for RVCA: http://www.rvca.com/advocates/?cat=6
More lovely images as you would expect from the Current/Elliott SS09 lookbook. The cuffed peg trouser for men & women is the top shape, but I think what they do with non-jeans pieces is the most interesting.
I don't know that much about Siwy, but at the moment they seem to be on of the US premium brands doing the most directional washes & styles (the ankle skimming ladder-ripped leg in white seems to be everywhere at the moment). For ripping and fraying, these are some of the nicest examples I've seen. http://www.siwydenim.com/
Australian brands always have a great combination of street and vintage, and this is lovely grown up denim fashion. Very 1940's Australian student. The styles are a mix from their Northern Hemisphere SS09 & Southern Hemisphere AW09 collections.
www.loverthelabel.com
These gorgeous images, made somehow lovelier by the re-photographing by repeattofade - are in the treasure trove of the SS09 catalogue from Levi's Vintage Clothing. The dustbowl 1930's styling is timely, classic, and I could look at them for a long time.
Part of the return to tradition and Americana, various things which are pre-occupying me at the moment.
The listing for these is still going though...
http://tinyurl.com/cfwuz9
The ebay listing has ended now, but these photos are cool. http://tinyurl.com/cwrccl
Exciting new word time, kids. And it's one of those words that, once heard, will never leave you. TopShop calls them knitted jeans, urban outfitters goes with the 'pull on jean', but asos has come up with the jegging. Say it a few times.
Think the urban outfitters ones are woven, and not unrelated to actual denim, (although not 100% sure) but TopShop and asos have definitely gone down the jersey path to create these lovelies. But I am a sucker and I do think they could look pretty cool.
It is a bit worrying that this extreme profusion of all things crazy denim is leading up to the exact opposite, which is that denim disappears again. Those dark days in the 1990's when combats took over are still talked about in hushed tones by denim professionals everywhere...
www.topshop.com
www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk
www.asos.com
Due to huge popularity, I have a further post on the Jegging here.
Indigo Slims is a pretty new thing for me, as is the world of blogging in general. The discipline of researching ongoing feeds is expanding my reading, sources, brain and credit card bill exponentially. But I lose most of my time reading other people's amazing blogs, following their links to the next thing, and generally procrastinating.
I'm trying to keep a record of what blogs are good for what in the world of denim and design without turning into a total blog junkie, but inevitably there are those that become the daily read (do these people never sleep? where does all this stuff come from?). For all of these, the ever-increasing list on the right...
But, daily heroes of the blogroll:
Managing the trifecta of being the daily denim dish, plus giving me a couple of great new denim blogs on which to fritter away my days in their 'Blogs to Watch' post, plus mentioning Indigo Slims is Denim Hunt. Genius. Did I say they mentioned Indigo Slims?
From the UK,denimology practises the illegally addictive habit of posting picutres of celebrities in jeans. It's like denim crack. And once I figure out how to use the mysterious interweb that's not constructed by blogspot, I will be posting denim fashion updates for them.
My Australian friend calls these happy pants. Something about the printed cotton version of these fashionable in the late 1980's/early 1990's (so in Australia that means 1998. Heh. Hi Australian friend).
Hood by Air's version is named the Maternity jean (really? the mind boggles...).
Harem? Sarouel? I like them as much for men as for women. The All Saints ones don't really qualify as Happy pants but they are the reality version, and a supercool silhouette.
www.allsaintsshop.co.uk
Hood by Air through www.revolveclothing.com
www.geppebba.com
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