Bailey's flock

I'm not sure if I have finally decided I'm done with summer or if my recent trip to Edinburgh reminded me how much I lover colder weather but the thing is I can't stop thinking about my FW10 wardrobe. Just today, still wearing flip-flops and having an aperitif outside, I had a chat to one of my dearest friends (who is also one of the most stylish people I know, btw) about the kind of shearling jacket we should get. Everyone from Zara to H&M to Acne and Rick Owens is doing at least one for next season so there's plenty to choose from. The problem is I don't just like any jacket and the ones I'm coveting the most go up to the four figures, which is terribly frustrating. I had a look online to see what's the offer a few weeks before the new season dully hits the stores and this is what I found —including shearling accessories that look super chic and very warm.

The truth is that no matter what you find or how hard you look the best shearling jackets are those with the Burberry Prorsum knight on the label. Bailey singlehandedly created the biggest trend for the season and he put Burberry at the head of it. The craze about the jackets in questions is such that the brown leather cropped one (at £1,895 a piece) is already sold out on Net-a-Porter and it's only the middle of August. Cr-azy.

Who do you think will be sporting of of Burberry's coats or jackets during the next fashion month?
I'm off.

[Pictures: product websites, Zimbio.com]

shoulder doubt

I was a bit surprised to see Mary-Kate in this black jacket below not only because at first it looked like a bad excuse to wear a bin bag but because I thought the Olsens were past the big-shoulder trend. After looking at her for a while, though, I realised the jacket in question actually looks super cool on MK because it's kind of deceiving (it fooled me) as it has that grungy feel to it but it must be, of course, very pricey. Also, the shape of the shoulders doesn't follow the statement shoulder trend per se. They have more of a sculptural, balloon-y form.

I had a look around some e-tail sites to see what kind of jackets in the line of MK's I could find. I found some awesome pieces that, far from ascribing to the boring Balmain shoulder craze, the jackets below are edgier and actually have a personality.

1. American Retro @ Harvey Nichols, 2. Rick Owens @ Harvey Nichols, 3. Maison Martin Margiela @ Browns, 4. Maison Martin Margiela @ Browns, 5. RM by Roland Mouret @ Net-a-Porter, 6. Rick Owens @ Net-a-Porter.

I'm off.

[Pictures: RDuJour.com, store websites]

army sheep

Bailey did disappoint me. I said it on twitter and repeat it here. However, I will take back what I said about the collection being bland. It wasn't bland, it was muted —too muted. That being so, I decided I will only focus on the aspects of the collection that I liked.

Prorsum takes a step away from the British romanticism that found inspiration in cottages and walks into a harder territory. The star items of the season have undoubtedly been the aviator jackets and it's them that introduce that hardness. Rigid leather with sheepskin trimming and vice versa covered the still fragile jumpers and protected the neck with skyscraper double-layered collars. Jackets, that, may I note, reminded me of old Balenciaga's —something that Jak & Jill also noticed. Great minds think alike.

The slight military inspiration was made obvious by the abundance of belted coats and jackets and by the strap detailing around the sleeves and the neck. Plenty of different shadesmilitary green that faded into very attractive olives appeared in the shape of coats and jumpers. Also military-originated were the off-gold detailing and embellishments on shoulders and cuffs.

But my favourite feature from the Burberry collection, by far, have been the colour palette and the shoes. See above an below for the beautiful array of hues and the most beautiful pair of half-way lace-up boots you have ever seen.

[Screen caps from the live Burberry show at GQ.com]

I'm off.