Esteem and Love

Yes, yes, yes!




"Why can't I be dignified like Chris Martin from Coldplay?" Well, Courtney, because it would be very boring, and because I love you just the way you are. In fact, I may take some pointers from your pre-Birkin epiphany look for AW10:

White tights, furry coats, and tattered knitwear? Yes please!

Year of the Catalano

So, you're probably already bored of my current My So-Called Life style crush, but check this out:

Jordan Catalano was way ahead of the curve in terms of working the shearling trend. And now you can copy his look:

Borg Collar Denim Jacket, Topshop, £48

This may be the only way you'll get me to engage with the aviator jacket trend. I just think the whole look is too obviously derivative of the Burberry catwalk show, and I'm not interested in looking like a knock-off. Then again, I insisted I'd never wear harem trousers until their omnipresence wore down my defences, so don't quote me on that.

Postscript

On the theme of desirable things from unexpected places, check out these gorgeous booties from L. K. Bennett:

Maine Boot Black, L. K. Bennett, £225

Yes, at £225, they're way over my paltry budget, but hot-damn they be fine boots! They manage to combine the shearling trim, wedge heel, and outdoorsy trends in a manner that's both luxe and understated. I am particularly loving them in mink:

    

The L. K. Bennett site describes it as 'a fashion-forward boot, speaking ultimate urban cool,' and I'm inclined to agree. Kudos, LKB! I have to say, though, it seems a bit at odds with the shop's usual grown-up, ladylike aesthetic; I can't really see 'em working with a pencil skirt.

All the Unfamiliar Places

My shopping habits can get a little stale sometimes. I tend to visit the same three or four shops over and over again, zooming in on the same rails time after time. Mostly it's Topshop, New Look, and Zara, because:

1. They're within easy walking distance, 
2. Their clothes are in my price range, and
3. They tend to have stuff that I like.

To me, this makes perfects sense; it's easy, it's comforting, and it's quick. I'm too busy, frankly, to waste my time searching in shops that are too mumsy, too fussy, or too dull. But is this retail laziness really advisable? I mean, I can't help but wonder whether I'm missing out on something; whether my purchasing prejudices are blinding me to hidden gems.

So, as an exercise (and to distract myself from anxieties regarding the imminent commencement of the semester), I thought I'd investigate. I decided to take a brief virtual tour of all the shops that I typically ignore - those preppy, sweet, yummy-mummyish places that I rarely even glance at - looking for things with an Alma Matters vibe. Here are some of the pieces I uncovered, assembled as two possible outfits.

Outfit 1

Fur Sherpa Hat, Joules, £79

Red Check Shirt (to be worn open), Kew, £49

Fairisle Jumper, Joules, £59

Denim Mini Skirt, Kew, £49.95

Midnight Grey Tights, Hobbs, £8

Fluffy Knee High Socks, Marks and Spencer, £8

Desert Fantasy Boots, Clarks, £89

Stud Wrap Bracelet, Jigsaw, £26

Outfit 2

Purple Duffle Coat, Joules, £129

Merino Wool Stripe Sweater Dress, Jigsaw, £89

Grey Marl Leggings, Joules, £25

Purple Socks, Joules, £16

Oakland Ankle Boot, Kew, £129

Hudson Satchel, Kew, £89

Long Handwarmers, Hobbs, £29

So, was it enlightening, this exercise? Was it fun? Well, to some extent. It was interesting encountering whole swathes of new clothes; all the different prints, the unfamiliar cuts and detailing. Once you get used to, say, Topshop's aesthetic, everything that they produce begins to feel a bit predictable. You can guess what the knitwear feels like without touching it, how the t-shirts will fit without trying them on. With a less frequented outlet, it's a different story. The whole experience is fresher. And I'm rather taken with some of the items shown above - the furry hat, for example, is kind of wonderful, and I reckon those desert boots straddle the line between ugly and cool just perfectly. In fact, I think the first outfit as a whole channels a nouveau-Angela Chase vibe pretty well. The second is a bit less spectacular, perhaps, but the sweater dress is simple, cozy, and practical, the boots are wardrobe staples, and the purple adds a dash of autumnal colour. Proper job!

On the other hand, this whole experience hasn't prompted me to radically reassess my shopping habits. With few exceptions, the items I encountered on my journey through the retail rabbit hole failed to inspire me. There's a reason, I was reminded, why I'm not typically attracted to these shops; they're not aimed at me and, quite simply, their produce doesn't resonate with my personal sense of style. My taste is informed by art-punk and riot grrrl subcultures, so I tend to like my fashion to feel raw and a little bit strange. These safer, gentler places were never really going to float my boat; I mean, Jigsaw once employed sweet little Kate Middleton as their accessories buyer, for heaven's sake!

It strikes me that the major negative about these places and their stock, however, is the price. Obviously, this being a virtual expedition, I didn't get a chance to feel the fabrics, see the workmanship, or enjoy the service. It may be that, in the flesh, the quality of these items just shines through. At first glance, however, some of the price tags do feel a bit off the mark. A check shirt for £50? Socks for £16? A scrap of studded leather for £26? If I'm going to be enticed into spending that much money, I want something a bit more spectacular, thanks very much! For now, at least, I'll stick to what I know.

Cut Out and Keep: Paper Flowers

I have been married for one month today, and in celebration of that fact (and to mark the end of the summer) I thought I'd share a photo of my beautiful bridal bouquet. I was initially a bit stumped when it came to flowers for my wedding; I've never really been a floral person, and the price of bouquets can be pretty crazy. How can something that wilts so fast cost so much?! My dress was simple and pretty un-bridal, though, so I could see the benefits of jazzing up my ensemble somehow. Plus, I kind of wanted something to do with my hands. How, I asked myself, could I engage with this classic bridal tradition in a way that felt personal to me and resonated with my own contemporary aesthetic?

This was my solution:

Ta da! Gorgeous, right? It's a bouquet of roses and fringe-flowers made from origami papers, buttons, and an old copy of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. I commissioned it from the very sweet and very talented Lauren Houlihan of Bookworm Eats Flower, along with a slightly smaller version for my bridesmaid and a couple of corsages for the boys. I love how vivid and unusual it is, and how it exploits the possibilities of its media to achieve things that an ordinary bouquet just couldn't. It makes reference to my profession and my intellectual life in a way that's subtle and unobtrusive, it was cheap, and it lasts indefinitely, so I can keep it and treasure it. It's currently in pride of place on my mantle piece, resting in a metal jug with my husband's boutonniere tucked jauntily into the spout!

All the guests were very taken with it, and, looking through the photos, I'm really pleased that I was brave enough to go a little off the beaten track. The only problem is, what with the lovely bouquet and the super good-looking groom, the bride herself was somewhat over-shadowed...!

Angela's Ashes: '90s style

My sister came to visit this weekend, and, as per usual, we whiled away the time by eating, boozing, and shopping. She's clearly as excited about the changing of the seasons as I am, and told me that she's planning to channel an Animals of Farthing Wood vibe for AW10.

From what I can gather, this means lots of forest greens and earthy browns, combined with an abundance of fake fur and animal-themed accessories; sweet, and whimsical, and a little bit silly, like the lady herself! It already seems to be a pretty developed aesthetic. She was rocking this awesome set of forest animal rings by H & M (although she'd knocked the antlers off the deer, inadvertently transforming it into a donkey), and elected to further augment her look with a fluffy snood, furry brown mittens, and a bottle green pair of brogues. If you want to emulate her (and why on earth wouldn't you?), I can highly recommend Zara, where the pair of us spent a good forty minutes stroking and nuzzling the faux-fur offerings. So cozy!

The sis, then, has a really strong story behind her wardrobe for this season, and she is fully prepared to work it. Indeed, spending time with her this weekend prompted me to reflect on my own choices for winter. I've never really had a narrow sense of style, preferring to veer between influences, silhouettes, and even genders from day to day. I love the sense of freedom and fluidity that comes from playing different roles and adopting different personas. This approach to style, however, is insanely time consuming. It requires a great deal of energy, imagination and forward planning to re-create yourself every day, and I am just not in a position to squander any of my intellectual resources right now! I'm in the final year of my PhD, I'm teaching undergraduate courses, I'm presenting at conferences, I'm starting my marriage... life is madness! I have to find a way to get dressed that's a little less draining!

I think I need a stress-free way of looking stylish, and the sis has been a big help on that front. I plan to adopt her approach: pick an inspiration for AW10, and stick to it; build a seasonal capsule wardrobe, where the pieces largely compliment one another, and then milk it for all it's worth. Looking at the things I've bought or thought about buying in recent weeks, it seems that my unconscious has already decided the direction I'm going in. I've been stocking up on dark maxi dresses, chunky socks, gothic-tinged pendants, and cropped or over-sized jumpers, without even recognizing the underlying narrative. When I fell for these grey New Look work-boots, though, it all fell into place:

I had a pair just like this as a teenager, covered in slogans written in nail polish, which I wore with long skirts, army shirts, and heaps of eyeliner. I hadn't even noticed the creeping influence of nostalgia upon my buying habits; I guess it's tough to recognize the fact that one's own youth is being recycled! I've unconsciously been shopping for a winter wardrobe that's pure 1990s. It's no wonder, really; it's subterranean influence can be detected all over the place at the moment - maxi skirts, relaxed Alexander Wang-style t-shirts, velvet, and cropped knitwear all lend themselves to the vibe. See Kristin Knox's style for a clearer idea of what I'm talking about.

So, for AW10 I'm thinking:

• Jane Lane from Daria,

• The cast of Heartbreak High...

• and Claire Danes as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life.

 

Perfection, right? If I can commit to any look for a season, it's this one. Here's hoping it makes my life easier...

Style and Substance

I recently went to see 'Sojourn' - an installation by Kiki Smith at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art in Brooklyn Museum. As a woman with a largely literary, rather than visual, imagination, I can sometimes find it hard to engage with works of art. I'm often left feeling intimidated, under-stimulated, and ill-informed, and can find myself desperately groping for an appropriate intellectual or emotional response. With, 'Sojourn', however, it was a different story. I left the museum fizzing with energy.

In the show, Smith tends to reuse images and motifs in ways that recall the childish pleasure of repetition - the joy of seeing the same thing over and over again, which somehow manages to generate a sense of both comforting satiation and ecstatic thrill. Her ink drawings were compelling - I loved the softness of the lines, and the delicacy and fragility of the Nepal paper with which she works - and there is something elementally satisfying about the multimedia nature of the show. It's hard to describe the sudden pleasure that comes with seeing a 2D image suddenly rendered in an unearthly sculptural form.

All in all, I found this to be an oneiric and beautiful exhibition that provoked a real visceral reaction, and I would highly recommend it. 

Aside from the high-cultural pleasures of feminist art, though, I was really seduced by the persona of Smith herself. The museum was playing a short documentary film about the artist's preparations for a 2005 site-specific exhibition at Venice's Fondazione Querini Stampalia, and I was just mesmerized. She works with such an easy carelessness, putting pen to paper without tentativeness or anxiety, and cutting into clay sculptures with seemingly no fear of error. It was exhilarating to watch. Plus, she apparently loves dead stuff, especially images of dead animals, and that really resonates with some of my own weird preoccupations.

Smith is also an incredibly stylish woman. Just look!

Smith's hair is the most obvious target for my shallow, fawning adulation. It reminds me of Grace Coddington or Angela Carter; two other women that I hugely admire. What is it about a wild, natural mane that smacks of second wave feminism? I don't know, but the colour, the undone style, and the women's movement associations are all working for me! Her apparent preference for darker colours, strong glasses, and interesting jewellery also very much appeals, but I must reserve a special word of appreciation for the tattoos. As an inked woman myself, it's great to see older women with body art, and I really love the stark, graphic, almost ritualistic feeling of her tattoos. You can see more of them here, whilst perhaps gaining a less superficial insight into the artist:



I just love the shots of her hands; so quick and so skillful, decorated with chipped silver polish and tattoos. To me, she has this amazing witch-y quality that's just beautiful, and I really hope this is the look I'm channeling when I reach creative and intellectual maturity.

Winter Coats, or the Warmth of Possibility

OK, so I'm not the world's most glamorous person. I have no contacts in the fashion world, my bra never matches my knickers, and I have my fair share of issues when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. I'm an academic who spends most of her time working from home, so you'll often find me sitting at my desk in last night's pajamas, wallowing in my own filth. I know, my husband's a lucky guy, right?

Nonetheless, despite spending vast portions of my life looking positively feral, I find fashion exhilarating. Just as much as cultural analysis or a great novel or crafting the perfect sentence, clothes get me going. That I am a committed feminist who has been known to critique the evils of capitalism makes this declaration of love feel somewhat like a frivolous coming out, but that's a discussion for another time. Right now, I just want to share some of my excitement regarding the autumn collections.

Here is the image, taken from the blog of the highstreet store Oasis, that triggered this post:

Hardly exceptional in itself, I'm sure you'll agree. You can barely see anything of the model, and the fire exit signs and stacked chairs conjure up images of village halls after the Cub Scouts have left.

This image, though, genuinely pleases me. More than that, it excites me. Partly it's the clothes - I'm off to New York in December, and can think of nothing better than swanking around that city in a shaggy faux-fur coat, lightly dusted with snow. Partly, though, it's the element of concealment, of potential. The coat might be boxy in real life, or too short in the arms; it might look less art house goth, and more eighties prostitute. It might very well be too expensive. Yet in this image of the preparations for Oasis's autumn winter 2010 campaign shoot, it could be perfect. For as long as it remains partially hidden, it remains pregnant with possibility.

This post, then, relates less to my excitement about a particular garment and more to the myriad pleasures of possibility itself. To some extent, I would argue, these pleasures lie at the heart of shopping's general appeal as a leisure activity; to shop is always to indulge a desire for expectation, challenge, and search. These last few weeks - days? - before the AW collections go live, though, are particularly precious, as a pervasive atmosphere of heightened potentiality has descended. For now, at least, our objects of desire remain partially hidden. Enjoy it.