See you on the flip-side...

A Kate Brangan Christmas...

...my parents, brother, and I always exchange Christmas cards around now, before the big day, so when I saw these cool cats designed by Kate Brangan, I couldn't resist. They're a welcome respite from your typical Hallmark construction that features some awkward joke at the expense of a reindeer or whatever. I was drawn to the simplicity of these designs, sitting strikingly on a plain white background. Top-notch work like this doesn't need any bells and whistles. The blank interior is also perfect for writing your own rambling message, like I like to do. The first one above was for my Mum, and actually contains a glued in plum-pudding recipe - the sweetest touch ever. The second and third were for my brother and Dad respectively. This was also, sadly in a way, my main effort at buying Irish this year, but something is better than nothing, I guess.

Kate has also created work for Movember, Upstart, The Merrion Hotel, and the Dublin Flea. If you want a more-original-than-usual Christmas card this year, you can find her wares for sale in Article in the Powerscourt Centre on South William Street. See her extensive body of really great work here.

Stephen

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The Silver Factory x Stitches | Fabric | and Soul...

...here are the results of what Cameron and I have been working on. Helped along by converging musical, aesthetic, and cultural taste, we worked closely throughout, and needless to say we're proud. From the get-go, this has been the most organic meeting of minds - we both had a distinct vision of what we wanted to achieve, and we definitely realised it.

Pre-orders are being taken tomorrow, and the release date will be early in January 2012. Do all of the above here.

Shot by: Me. Styled and directed by: Cameron Cavaliere. Modeled by: Lauren Bejaoui and Jack Newton. In: Trinity College, Dublin. Additional clothing: Shutterbug.

Stephen

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Stephen

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All wrapped up, again...

...or, original blog post titles are thin on the ground at this time of year. Anyway, just the sight of a look like this is enough to heat you right back up if you're feeling the Winter chill. What have you been wearing to fight the cold this Winter?

Stephen

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Dip-dye: Hair behaviour I fully endorse...

...seeing two great specimens in the one habitat was added value that I just couldn't turn down. And seeing two shades in one head was practically mind-blowing if I keep on this course of hair-excitability. Maybe it's old news within fashion circles, but it still really pleases me. Several girls I know have tried powder pink, turquoise, green, lapis, and the fail-safe platinum blonde. A big shout in particular to Alice, who I see around college on an infrequent enough basis, seemingly always with a different tone in her tresses. Difficulty in colour co-ordinating clothes aside, would you dip-dye? Have you dip-dyed? I must know.

Stephen

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Continuation of a theme: the chunky knit...

...consider my previously mentioned fear of the knitted sweater exorcised entirely from my body. I see the light now, and it feels toasty. It's exciting, adding a completely new component to your wardrobe. It gives a new chance for experimentation, I guess, and can really give a lift to what might seem a sartorially stagnant wardrobe. As an FYI, I don't think I have owned any knitwear (as in pullovers) in several years, and have become re-acquainted only in the last couple of weeks. As such, I understand that my excitement over a jumper is probably trivial seeming and hilarious sounding to all (I sense it also).

Anyway, there was an awesome knitwear brand called John Molloy stationed at the flea market today. It's totally homegrown, set-up and family-run in Ardara, Donegal. The son I was chatting with at the stall said his Dad conceived it in the fifties, originally as a weavers, but then diversified into knitwear as demand dictated. The result is cardigans, sweaters, hats, gloves, and socks in a most welcome thick and insulating yarn, with an exciting spread of colours. Since, it's become the hottest export ticket in town, it seems. It's a nice little success story, I guess, and I couldn't help but pick up a sweater to support. I think I could have taken one of each of those woven scarves, above, too. They have an endearingly naff-looking website where you can buy online, etc. I paid twenty euro, which I reckon is a banging bargain, compared to what the high-street might expect of you.

What follows is what I picked - muted as always - and a demonstration of my arms which grew by an extra two foot in my sleep last night, allowing me to take these photos from my apartment (where you can actually see the flea over my shoulder).

Stephen

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All wrapped up...

...One look at this guy told me I wasn't nearly wrapped up adequately enough at all at the flea* this morning. Everything is just so rugged and insulated and safe and practical. Ambiguous-cloak-cocoon-thing is unexpected but adds to it all, don'tcha think?

*more on this later.

P.S. New photo size. Yay or nay? Hit or miss? You tell me.

Stephen

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Because this blog considers heel-height a serious issue...

There was a second, last Summer I think, when most of the world stopped reading street-style blogs, because every second post was of some Chung-or-other wearing those spiked and strappy Valentino non-heels. An initial phase of ghastly recoil (induced only because we weren't quite sure what we were looking at, I guess) subsided pretty instantaneously, as most people with a keen eye for aesthetics as well as health and safety lightened up to the idea of the backbreaking co-existing with the wholly less vertiginous amongst the shoes in their wardrobe space. Now, every girl is wearing a pair of Acne Pistols, or some high-street derivative of, and the world seems just a little more utopian and balanced, at least during the day. Though forever to be a proponent of two-inch-platform-six-inch-block-heels (not on myself, I hasten to add), I really admire such a paradigm shift within the industry. That is, to side-step what really does shock, please, and sell (the towering heel), and introduce something literally more accessible, definitely more 'out there' whilst perhaps being infinitely more chic. People who 'throw copies of Vogue at kitten heels' as the Facebook group instructs have got it completely wrong. They have arrived* and I do hope they stay. Things descend lower still, with Prada making an on-paper unsexy flat for Summer 2011 the coolest thing in the world, and Chanel have been lowering heel heights to the point of their pre-fall metiers d'art show being populated entirely by flats. But that's for another day.

*Uptake seems slow, with few high-street endeavours witnessed - usually my way to gauge how into a trend the younger set are. Somebody needs to show that 16-24 group how to wear such a style.

P.S. The fact that what's pictured is a cuban heel may undermine the entire paragraph above if you really get off to semantics, but I think it was a good starting point from which to advance and digress.

P.P.S. The wonderfully snakeskinned elephant in the room will be addressed at a later date.

P.P.P.S. First picture by me, second from tumblr.

Where do you stand? Two inches, or six inches?

Stephen

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You've probably already seen this...

...but on a day like today, when I'm feeling a bit blue about an impending test, it always cheers me up. It's all about Albar and Karen, in my opinion.

Going home this weekend for general tree-trimming, hall-decking, and festivities, then it's back to Dublin for one final week involving a politics essay, sociology presentation, and another art history slide test. This academic despair will be balanced with moving into a new apartment, and generally being merry at an altogether inappropriate hour.

I'll probably just try to keep sharing fun things like this in the interim, as meandering around town in search of the best-dressed and well-heeled simply isn't conducive to achieving the above workload. But you'll understand, won't you?

See you on the flip side.

Stephen

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Oh, matron...

I don't know if I 'did' the whole fetish thing for AW '11 on this blog, so here's an effort before it's too late (can you believe it could almost be deemed 'too late' already?). The skirt is Givenchy, the top is T by Alex Wang, the shoes are McQueen, and the bag YSL. I think there's just enough softness in it all thanks to some more gentle textures through the fur and that sheer panel in the skirt. Similarly, a bit of a block heel is a welcome respite from the dangerous enough pointed stiletto revival. The chain - to break up that block of neck, that's crying for something sweet - is Margiela.

It doesn't have to be head-to-toe kink, such as those blush-worthy full looks we saw at Vuitton (particularly when Ms. Moss took to the runway), or the unashamedly lewd editorials disgracing (in a beautiful way, of course) the printed press this season. In terms of realistically integrating it into your wardrobe without being sent home from work, I guess the important thing to remember is always play soft after you've played hard. Ahem. Of course what I mean is, chunky knit + leather trousers or geeky socks + pointed stilettos, etc.

All of the above are at ssense.com easily my most daydream-inducing luxury e-tailer.

Stephen

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You'll catch your death in that...

...hot damn it's chilly out there.

Freezing his nads off or not, that shirt is just the boy. Collar-less collars are a guilty pleasure of mine, and + polka dots of not one, but two species and it's a case of hook, line, and sinker for me. Other elements of this look vying for pole position in the outfit stakes are those boots (should have asked, I know), and that watch. The perfect coif-up-top is to be expected, considering his place of work that I snagged him from. I've said it before and I'll say it again, dammit, some personalised do or other is the ultimate in unattainable and envy-provoking accessory. Done.

Stephen
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The other side of the lens...

Today, I wanted to trick myself into thinking I was some sort of manifestation of the AW 2011 collection, following some Burberry Prorsum thoughts typical of a Thursday. Chunky shoes, chunky knit, heavy coat, and a fit kept strictly slim was my interpretation. It wasn't very cohesive at all in the end, but dammit I felt snug and really enjoyed the mix. After largely ousting my sweater demons, I picked this number up in Stockholm last weekend, and am smitten indeed.

Thanks to Alannah for taking the photos after some decidedly festive Starbucks, for wearing these awesome boots that I wish came in larger sizes, and for wearing that bag without a hint of irony. She is the best ever.

Stephen

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