Introducing: Irwin & Jordan

Last London Fashion Week, Laia (the beautiful girl in the header) and I paid a visit to the LFW showrooms at Somerset House. We were surprised by how boring most collections were and quickly decided to leave led by disappointment. As we did, a few camel and grey pieces caught my attention from inside a room labeled 'Irwin & Jordan'. It turned out to be a very young British brand which defines itself very aptly as a mixture of "Savile Row tailoring, contemporary cuts and heritage fabrics". Their FW10 collection is, in fact, all of that. Jersey, leather and lace mix with unbelievable tailoring and beautiful silk creating very interesting juxtapositions. The restricted colour palette makes the line cohesive but doesn't limit diversity. Nudes, greys, camel and black are mixed the odd navy and metallics to, again, create super interesting results.

My favourite pieces were the amazing grey suit on the right (make it for men, please), the lace pieces and the grey jersey dress with the leather front that I'm holding at the bottom left. Laia and I also loved the metallic sequinned tunic I seem so amused about. We emulated all the I die's and it's perfection's Giulia would have screamed had she seen a piece so her.

Check out their awesome SS10 collection on their website for more comfortable edgy clothes where you can purchase them as well.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Laia Bonastre, Irwin & Jordan]

it's the shoe that counts

Don't ask me why but I have this fixation with women's shoes, specially when they're high. I think it has something to do with the way they (I should probably say you) walk when they're up on the "scaffolding" and how their legs appear to be never-ending. I had a look at Net-a-Porter and Matches and picked out my favourite ones in the muted colours that will work with a variety of outfits. Do you have a favourite?

[Picture credits: Net-a-porter.com, MatchesFashion.com]

I'm off.

twisted CHECKS

Burberry’s legion of über-stylish pickpocketers may seem like yet another confirmation of the recession affecting the world but is Christopher Bailey being tremendously realistic or is he perhaps sarcastic? Relaxed silhouettes, a certain minimalism and an air of neat scruffiness take us back to the 18^th century —the time of Oliver Twist.

Just as Dickens did, Bailey leaves his usual intense romanticism in order to portray a more sordid side of the world, that of burglars and vagabonds. Black and grey spread over long coats, trousers and newsboy caps —outfits like out of the British novel. But a ray of optimism breaks through by means of bright coloured lapels and Bailey’s nostalgia of Burberry’s classic checks. More of this juxtaposition is shown in the shape of thick knitwear paired up with light pinstripe suit pants. Neck and chest, which had been previously set free for the spring, now lazily cover up with shirts ending in skinny cravat-like bows and checked neck tubes to protect from the cold.

Crisis or no crisis, one thing is clear, the Burberry man stays a hundred per cent true to his anglophile origins but agilely adapts to the changing world managing to always stay stylish.

Check out my reviews at 212 Dressing Room

[Pictures credit: Men.Style.com]

I'm off.