Start Cue-ing

vogue australia march 2011

 

Often when designers collaborate with the high street it ends up becoming a watered down version of their current designs. I have nothing against the recent Lanvin for H&M collection, or even the Stella McCartney for Target Redux - they were wonderful capsule collections that brought high fashion design to the high street. That is, after all, what we want. We want those beautiful plisse Lanvin slips, the bejewelled and beribboned bags, the signature Lanvin laissez-faire, and we want it at a quarter of the price. That is why designers tend to go simple, recognisable and easy for the high street. The point of the collection is not to design something completely new, it is to give the plebs a taste of what they can't have. I understand that, I really do, and a lot of the time I buy into it. But what I really applaud is when a designer collaboration brings something completely new to the table. 

Witness Dion Lee's collection for Cue, recently unveiled in the spectacular March Australian Vogue. This utilitarian collection is nothing like what Lee has previously shown. Sure, there are the hints of the ruffles, the pleating, the gorgeous gathering that he has become known for. But now it is stiff, starchy calico and topped by a crisp white shirt and not a Roscharch inkblot blouse. It's a serious, business-woman's idea of Dion Lee, which I think is fantastic because Cue is a serious, business-woman's kind of label. Can't you picture some of the more daring customers in that white shirt and camel skirt number at their offices? Dressing up with the sleeveless trench over a plain skirt suit? I love it. I love how new and fresh it is - especially for Lee. This could easily have made waves (no, tsunamis) on the catwalks of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in April, but no. He's given it to Cue. And with that he has signalled that his customers will come to Cue too, to shop his 'new' collection and buy just another piece of that Dion Lee magic. Why separate the high street and the designer shopper when you can bring them together spectacularly like this? Well done Dion Lee. Well done.

Ladies, form an orderly Cue (har har har).

X

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a little bit

garance dore

Spending time in layovers waiting for trains and planes and trains to planes inevitably means reading a lot of magazines and books. In my case, after reading a truly dreadful (penny dreadful, perhaps) spy novel mostly magazines. And the march issues seem to be saying one thing. Goodbye monochrome, murky tonal shades and the like, hello colour. Its not surprising really - colours for spring, how groundbreaking, to paraphrase icy meryl streep in the devil wears prada. But still, it bears thinking. After being truly devoted to camel, oatmeal, khaki and charcoal for so long now, can I go back to colour? Should I even? Should I bend to trends or just keep on plodding along in a style that I have cultivated and understood and made my own, safe in the knowledge that eventually fashion's fickle pendulum will swing all the way back - only to depart again a couple of season's later. I am a firm believer that we shouldn't be a slave to trends, a belief that I cultivated only after being a slave to them for so long. Just because minimalism is on the way out - or is it? more on that later - doesn't mean that we have to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. That would go against the precepts of minimalism in the first place, and if you're going to behave like that, then you really don't deserve to own Céline, whatever your credit card statements say in the opposite. 

I think that, as with anything fashion related, there is a way to make this new season desire for colour work for you. I used to be all about the colour, I was in love with this Richard Nicoll teal shirtdress and sherbert orange mad cortes overshirt ensemble that was very Marni-esque and Italian and attention grabbing. The more I think about colour, the more I realise I want to wear it again. But this time, not with the bright red shoes or the checked skirt I used to pair it with. But instead with a plain black skirt, tan sandles, and a black bag. A flash of colour is all you need. That's what I thought when I saw this picture. Being a slave to internet cafes since my laptop broke and being in a different country, I haven't been completely up to date with blogs and the such. This picture taken by Garance last week wonderfully illustrates my new season colour mantra. No, I'm not going to throw away all my beautiful caramel toffee coloured sweaters (in fact, quite the opposite, I just bought one from COS haha), instead, I'm going to work colour into my outfits in simple, small, exciting ways. A flash of tangerine lipstick. A hint of neon on a sweater. The rich jewel tone of a watch band. The shining leather of a non neutral coloured bag. This is what I love about Garance. Although I like this outfit, it's not quite something I would wear. The skirt is too short - no matter what I do I can't quite embrace shorter lengths - and the jacket too, well, brown. But I really like this outfit. Maybe with a khaki flak, and a longer skirt, and... there you have it. Garance is inspiration distilled. Now, where did I put that orange lipstick.

X

ps. im in venice and loving it! it is so beautiful. tomorrow im going to london and will be there until I leave, if anyone wants to meet up for tea or coffee or fashion week macarons, just email me hryee1@hotmail.com, i'd love to meet up! X

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