PROPHETIK LFW AW09 - BEACH BLANKET BABYLON AND BEYOND

Thoroughly enjoyed myself at Prophetik's AW09 show and party at Beach Blanket Babylon last night. When I first got there I couldn't see a single LFW-esque fashionable person (not to be confused with regular old fashionable people, trust me) in the heaving crowd. A kindly waiter directed me upstairs to the 'ballroom' and that, I was relieved to see, was chocka with LFW-esque fashionables.....not to mention other LFW/Estethica luminaries.

L-R: Jocelyn Whipple, Element23; Livia Firth, Eco-Age; Lucy Siegle, journalist/Observer's ethical living expert; Orsola de Castro, founder From Somewhere and co-founder Estethica. Behind Livia are her twin brothers, Nicola and Alessandro who work with her at Eco-Age.

Orsola catches me having more fun photographing her and Lucy deep in conversation, than paying attention to the show.

The show was good - a little less darkness would have helped but no harm done, really. Summer Rayne Oakes, good friend and perhaps (purely my speculation) a muse of sorts to Jeff Garner, founder of Prophetik, modelled a Prophetik dress (her own) which was painted by the elephants that Jeff helps rehabilitates. This aspect of Prophetik's work I need to learn more about.


While we are on topic of muses, I wonder if Jeff even needs one, he is such a creative, free spirit himself. He surfs (in Malibu, where he lives part of the time) and rides horses (outside, Nashville Tennessee, where he lives the rest of the time; by the way, horses feature big in Prophetik's image...there was a beautiful brown one parked outside Beach blah blah blah last night for the duration of the revelries), models in his own (very dramatic) photo shoots and generally has a very artistic vibe.


I like Prophetik's stuff -- it has the right mix of quality and laid back cool that I think fashion, in this economic environment, wants to and will embrace. I look forward to meeting Jeff again as the exhibition starts today and of seeing much more of Prophetik in these parts going forward.

LONDON FASHION WEEK IN THESE TIMES

So LFW is upon us once again -- and this time celebrate its 25th anniversary! Last time it was 'that time of year', ie, the autumn 2008 there was a measure of uncertainty in the air. The economy wasn't looking great, mighty banks rumbled at their foundations and retail looked headed for slower times. Buyers dithered over order sheets in the tents at the Natural History Museum.

That was then. Now many mighty banks have simply crashed, the economy is into one of the worst recessions ever, retail has not just slowed, in pockets its simply stopped and buyers, well, many of them don't have jobs at all. What a difference 5 months can make.

But what difference is this context making to fashion? Well, lets see --
1) cavalier, 'i-need-a-new-trend-a-week' spending has declined. GOOD. Now those of us who have been banging on about buying seasonless, trend-neutral but high quality clothing, are likely to gain a more sympathetic audience. More important, the joy of shopping for, possession of and caring for one's wardrobe can be experienced (for some 20 year olds, this might be a first). In itself such a change will have a wonderfully healthy effect on one of ethically sound fashion's goals, ie, slowing things down (you just have to do some minimal googling on the disasterous effects of fast fashion, to understand why this is such a key goal...start here if you like).

2) high quality design and designers will get a more air-time. GOOD. As people become more concerned about spending intelligently they will seek out more than just what the latest glossy touts as a must-have. Part of the new wave, I predict, will be designers who have in some way, built in green/ethical/eco responsibility into their collections. Quality is likely to be associated more than ever with the entire product rather than just its media stickiness. And independant, responsible, talented designers, who would have otherwise been lost among those that had the financial muscle to flood the space with great PR, glamourous lookbooks and celebrity backing, will get a fair chance to shine.

3) the love of adorning oneself, the thrill of shopping for something beautiful and the general joys of fashion won't go away, rather, the focus will shift. GOOD. Accessories and staples (jeans, the perfect white shirt) with a creative twist, a special something, will get more attention. These are items with many lives and with great CPW - they will work hard for what they are worth and justify their presence in your closet.

Also styling will become more than just a buzzword among fashionable types and/or a way to describe some people's entire career (the 'stylist industry', btw, I predict will be a big area of lay-offs). Style will become about knowing what works on you, digging deep in your wardrobe for pieces that become you and putting your look together based on this knowledge. It will move away from looking like what fashion editors tell you you ought to look like.

All this makes me look forward, more than ever, to London Fashion Week. As has been pointed out in the mainstream and online press, it may not have the money or glitz of nyc or milan, but London has the talent and the edge. I would like to add that, as Estethica's growing success shows, London Fashion Week also has the conscience to suit these times than perhaps any other of its competitors.

There are some exciting new names at Estethica this year including Ada Zanditon, Butcher Couture Eyewear, M.I.A. (winner of 2008's Make Your Mark in Fashion, which DeviDoll was proud to sponsor) and Numanu plus those we know but whom never fail to surprise and delight, such as From Somewhere, Beyond Skin (launching a new logo and look this season) and Anatomy.

DeviDoll is proud to sponsor LFW on greenmystyle because we're proud to be part of the thinking and innovation behind what is truly, genuinely and rightly, fashionable.

DEVIDOLL POLYVORE FILES - I: GO FOR COLOUR THIS SPRING!

Harpweaver puts together a great combo, including Aoki's David Jeans from DeviDoll, on Polyvore.

Very few things come close to being as satisfying as being recognised and loved by fashionistas out in cyber-space because DeviDoll resonates with their style sense, vision and aspiration.

And few platforms allow this happy union as well as Polyvore does. So from today expect to see the Polyvore Files on this blog -- recognising the fashion sensibilities of people across the globe as expressed through their engagement with DeviDoll -- and giving it further voice.

We're honoured to be featured in these creative collages. Thank you for noticing and for including us in your style vision and conversations.

FIN STAYS THE COURSE INTO 2009

DeviDoll has been a great fan of FIN, as readers of this blog will know, since its very first collection back in the 2008. Every season this label takes things one notch up - both in design and in fabrics. And all the while they keep with their basic 'we're gonna have it all' credo: environmentally and ethically conscientious from top to bottom.

This season their collection is tres sophisticated...personally, I've always been a fan of their dresses and tailored jackets, both of which feature strongly in SS09.

And they've introduced some great prints (perfect for South of France lounging, trust me)...like the tshirt dress in blue and orange. Yum-yum.Preview the new season collection at DeviDoll here.

And do join us in congratulating them on continuing to set a standard in making fashion, fashion first and then, by the way, ethically sound. That's what we call style at DeviDoll.

SUMMER RAYNE OAKES' STYLE, NATURALLY IS OUT!

Some people might be a little put off by yet another 'green style bible' after the slew we was in 2008 but, to them I say, save the cynicism for the next book...this one - Style, Naturally, by Summer Rayne Oakes you have to get your hands on. Why? Well lets look at the facts:

Fact 1: Summer Rayne Oakes (or SRO as she is sometimes called) is truly stylish. Just watch some of her myriad youtube videos...she appears in all garbs, but always looking individual and chic/cool/fashionable/all of the above. This is someone who's views on fashion and style you want to hear.

Fact 2: she has modelled quite a bit but her interest in ethical/eco style and fashion isn't shaped primarily by this sort of involvement in the field. Rather she has done some more in-depth study of the environment (she has an entomolgy and environmental science undergrad degree from Cornell). So she understands the science of being eco rather better than if she just looked pretty in 'trendy' green fashion. The latter, while commendable (at least more than just looking pretty in any old, mainstream, not-very -good-for-anyone-at-all, fashion), isn't grounds for buying a whole book by that pretty person. At least not to me.

Fact 3: As anyone who knows her knows very well, she has her fingers in most if not all the ethical fashion and design pies around....especially in North America, where so many of the most prominent, promising and solvent eco-labels originated. This is a woman that knows much about the business of ethical style. A she says in the promo video above, it is essential to discuss the 'cost' of being a green fashionista...and she suggests it actually can save you money.



To these quite compelling facts I'd add that she has a natural, humorous writing voice and her 'take' on being ethically aware in personal style is not one of judging but rather of showing a genuinely better way. Any book that she has penned is likely to be a fun read.

None of this is to say that I haven't had moments of feeling she was a bit OTT with her self-marketing...but then, thats American gusto for you, I guess (Oprah anyone?). And also I guess she is entitled to be as ambitious and the next media-exposed person (Oprah anyone), so perhaps its par for the course. Be that all as it may, it needn't affect our judgement on her ability and place in the eco-fashion/design/style world, to write an informative book.

So all that to say I'm off to buy the book on Amazon. The sneak preview shows plenty of interesting ideas from some fabulous designers - we love the fact the Doie features prominently with the collections at DeviDoll.

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of the book....and expecting ourselves to find a true blend of fashion and eco cred!