MOCIUN (mo-shun) AT DEVIDOLL

According to her bio Caitlin Mociun, (designer/founder of eponymous clothing label, Mociun), "...continues to explore the realms of all things fantastic from her one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment". One would expect no less from a designer who consistently produces collections, centered around intriguing and mesmerizing prints, that seem to stem simply from her observation of the world around her...as filtered, of course, by her imagination. My favourite (so far) has to be AW07's 'Judas and the Chocolate Grinder' print. Here it is on the hemp & yak unisex button-up

By the way, Judas is Caitlin's cat, and I recently met them both in the aforementioned Brooklyn abode...

CM and SV
Photographer: UCCH, aged just barely 4 yrs, harasser of (hiding) Judas
March 2008, Brooklyn, NYC

Anyway, its not just the signature Mociun prints that are cool - the designs and use of colour have much to say for themselves. Her dresses

Mesh Back Dress
hemp/organic cotton Doily print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

The cult-favourite tie-front dress
here in hemp & yak
but re-incarnated across collections...


Tulip skirt tie-front dress
hemp & tencel zigzag print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

her uni-sex tees and other versatile tops

Pocket Smock
hemp & tencel zigzag print
handmade wood buttons
Shorts
hemp & tencel in navy
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

Button up dress/tunic
hemp & tencel in teal menagerie print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

jeans

Jeans organic cotton denim
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

Men's slim jeans
hemp & organic cotton
Sometime late 2008

and paper -bag waist shorts

Paper bag shorts
hemp & tencel zigzag print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

....all of these are original, different but also 'right-here-right-now' chic -- a rare combination.

Mociun's clothes appeal regardless of fabric but nothing like icing on the cake: hemp & yak, silk & hemp, organic cotton & hemp with silk featured heavily in AW07; in Spring/Summer 08 we'll have hemp & tencel as well as bamboo and further on, later this year, expect hemp/wool blends.

All good things to those who wait.

ALL'S FIN AT DEVIDOLL THIS SPRING

The Norwegian eco-luxury label FIN debuts at DeviDoll in March.

"....embark on a stylish journey with FIN's heroine Amelia Earhart -- the first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic in 1932. In the age of global warming, she would probably have chosen FIN's signature mode of transport: A glider plane."

Get ready for quintessential Scandinavian design - neat lines and nuanced colours -- combined with a strong sense of what looks chic on women everywhere. Get ready for classically beautiful clothes.....

Black organic cotton cigarette trousers

Preorder

Grey organic cotton skirt
Preorder

Indigo blue organic cotton knit skirt
Preorder

....made from organic materials and fairly produced....

Black organic cotton trench (also available in light grey)
Preorder

Cropped organic denim jeans
Preorder

Blue organic cotton jersey skirt (also in black)
Preorder

....by a company that takes care to be carbon neutral throughout.

White organic cotton jersey dress
Preorder

Grey organic cotton cigarette trousers
Preorder

There is an ambitious sense of 'having -it-all' about FIN. Have the look, have the luxury and get all in the right way. This is the first venture into the UK for this label (having sneak-peeked their AW08 lines we know they're here to stay!) and we welcome them to DeviDoll. Having our cake and eating it...now that's FIN(E) indeed.

JEANS SOPHISTICATE

I am something of a fan of Justine Picardie's 'The Closet Thinker' column in Sunday's Stella magazine. Real issues written about (solved) with intelligence and panache. This week she picked a universally 'pet' topic - the perfect jeans. She makes some (welcome) reflections on the need for more grown up looks -- tailored, dark and suited to specific body type. More importantly she hones in on some key requirements -- contoured waistbands (higher at the back), flattening (flattering) pocket-less fronts. Thank you Justine for focusing our minds.

We'd like to add 1 other key element to her list -- 'butt-enhancement'. And point you in the direction of Starr Dailey-Webb's AOKI jeans which she emphasizes have this effect (contoured waistbands come as standard).

Below a few of our favourites that we now view with renewed respect.

Wide leg, high waist Traci
or, skinny, mid-waist Mandy
And as we're on the topic, tummy-flattening and waist contoured can't be done better than by Undesigned's Kick Flare bamboo denim jean.