adidas Star Wars: may the force be with you in Berlin

After seeing the adidas Originals Star Wars collaboration for SS10 back in November at the press day and wishing I was more of a sneaker freak (OMG, the boyfriend was beyond excited and couldn't wait to make a purchase), I was even more excited at the prospect of the Vice Magazine/adidas Originals for Star Wars party in Berlin while Bread & Butter was on.

After a bit of a scrabble at the door of the underground bunker we were in (despite the sub-zero temperatures and snow), surrounded by serious Star Wars fans judging by the costumes in attendance. But this was Berlin and being Germans it was an edgy crowd all the same. Synth rock and vodka cocktails.

Oh and plenty of stormtroopers at the bar. And obviously a few sneakers on display (where are those elusive orange Luke Skywalkers? And the Princess Leahs?) So despite the photo embargoes in place I felt the need to share a few images online (think I'm safe now). Loving the Star Wars corridor of fame. Now that's a way to celebrate a collaboration.











I think London needed this kind of launch event. Anything would have been good. There was talk of a flash mob of Stormtroopers hitting Shibuya in Tokyo and over in New York, Racked just reported on how Snoop Dog kicked things off at the Soho NYC store (The Best Stunt Ever!). So come on London, I'm looking for Leah.

Acne's Black Sno

Last night Swedish denim brand Acne held its Autumn/Winter 2010 runway show in London with an atmospheric and dark, moody set by Charles Koroly.

With the collection inspired by his sons' love of the Star Wars film Clone Wars Acne founder and creative director Jonny Johansson said it's not such a literal inspiration. "More the colour palate, the feeling and the shapes which inspired me. It is also a collection that continues from last season and an exploration of spirituality and astronomy from the show’s makeup direction to the long, floaty and easy silhouette."




And Acne looks to be following the new mood in fashion for a post-apocalyptic world. This season's collection called Svart Snö (Black Snow) is an exercise in low tech vs high tech, luxe and destroyed, dessert winter meeting black Snow. Fabrics are characterized by draped silks, textural ultra suede, burnt wool, luxurious sheep skin, mesh and kid leathers. The look is enhanced by eerily futuristic metallic make-up and one-off pieces by jeweller Husam El Odeh. It's a mix of new longer proportions, asymmetric layering and protectionist clothing for a brave new world.

The Svart Snö collection was shown in the disused London tramshed with the idea to set the scene for an emotive and unique scent in collaboration with BYREDO, the Stockholm based fragrance house.



Johansson said: “I like to portray rooms, trying to capture a room through scent is super interesting and I always love to remember a relationship with a physical space through the way it smells. We imagined filling a train garage with perfume would be quite a challenge so we created this fragrance for one night only and we hope that you remember this space and this night with our Svart Snö room fragrance.”

Acne is on the money here with the way scent marketing creates an emotional connection with an experience. In this case a unique scent was created for one night only to provide a memory of a fashion show and the creative direction for Acne’s seasonal collection.

Dover Street Market Tachiagari SS10: shoe fetish

With the new spring/summer 10 Tachiagari, Dover Street Market has unveiled a host of new branded spaces with what I'm calling "precision merchandising" as key for the latest designer spaces to join Rei Kawakubu’s Comme des Garcons marketplace.
























Actually my favourites this season are the new Celine corner - the first retail space from new creative director Phoebe Philo in all its elegant refined chrome understated glory; next up is the refreshed Comme des Garcons Shirt ulilitarian complex; the 'Scarecrow meet n greet' at Lanvin and the Hussein Chalayan display - an exercise in precision hanging. Nicholas Kirkwood's graphite installation kicks a punch too while down in the basement the Visvim area has pedestals for each Tokyo tech pair of men's sneakers.

But really its shoes that are in the spotlight across the store (and the window), for the new season. A new women’s footwear corner has opened on the third floor housing high end names such as Guiseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin, Chrissie Morris, Rupert Sanderson and Pierre Hardy. Take a seat on the park benches and admire the set design interior designed by Michael Howells. His window theme is “All About Eve Meets Paddington Green” – as an ode to park life and amateur dramatics?

And downstairs in the basement its sneaker freak heaven with the industrial looking box design corner housing a host of men’s footwear labels including Volter, DMs, Common Projects, Yuketan, Generic Man and the new Puma by Hussein Chalayan product.

Elsewhere there are designer finds in every corner from Charles Anastase cute attic style dolls, Ann Valerie Hash's adult and new girlswear collections, a new YSL Edition stand, Azzedine Alaia's impeccable workmanship, the Undercover walk-in cave, and new collaborative product featuring the Beatles apple logo for Comme bags.

See my Picasa album for the rest of my pictures this season:

Dover Street Market Tachiagari SS10

Harvey Nicks targets young fashionistas with new 4th floor

Harvey Nichols is targeting a new younger and discerning fashionista with its 4th floor contemporary designer floor due to open next week.

And I'm pretty excited because it seems Harvey Nichols buyers have taken all the best new talent from New York, London, Milan, Paris etc and put together a seasonal edit that has all the hallmarks of the best boutiques from around the world. And we're talking fresh eyes mixing up new contemporary designers that are igniting their home fashion towns - so now we don't have to travel all over the world to get the best array of new talent in one shop!


The HN team say they're moving away from the conventional and putting collections such as Versus, Opening Ceremony, Love by Richard Chai, Halston and Cacharel alongside British designers such as Richard Nicoll, Peter Pilotto and Meadham Kirchoff. Also included are hot US labels Zero by Maria Cornejo, Elise Overland and Brian Reyes. Described as a fashion "lifestyle" - the ultimate destination for anything and everything fashion related.

My favourite new stuff include a Lanvin 'Supermarket of Luxury' complete with limited edition dolls, snow globes, notebooks, music boxes and a honeymoon kit. Or there's a girls-only sneaker wall displaying the likes of Keds for Opening Ceremony, Christian Louboutin trainers, Jackson Pollock splattered Converse for WGACA and Beatrix Ong for Nike. Or wear and eat jewellery by Coco Maya and cart it all around in Erdem for Globetrotter luggage.

If Harvey Nicks has highlighted a new fashionista customer that likes her hot-off-the-press fashion from around the world and at recession friendly prices, then this new department will be full to brimming when it opens on Monday 25th January.

Kookai's joie de vivre returns to London fashionistas

Everyone's favourite French high street label, Kookai has returned to favour with London fashionists. A new flagship store on St Christopher's Place is a long overdue retail home that looks set to ensure Kookai retakes its place in the crowded high street marketplace.

Actually Kookai's return has been brewing for a few seasons now. The French label had scaled back its London retail presence, working only with its biggest store partners. Now with a new design team at the helm the label has majored on its strongest legacy: knitwear. And leather pieces. And natural fabrics. It's a mix that works with a chic twist.









At the press launch for the new store, press saw what was in store for spring/summer 2010 - all Breton stripe sweaters, easy silky prints, lightweight leather or suede pieces and a whole range of different gauge knits, from long line cardigans to cropped open knit weaves for a real fashion offer.

Here's a selection of my favourite pieces for spring, hitting the new St Christopher's Place store end of January.