Noughties Nostalgia

What are your favourite Noughties fashion memories??? Whatever they are, I think you will agree that London was a great place to be. We went from being status slaves, to underground rebels. We had a brief fling with boho, and then we new raved our neon socks off!! The high street exploded, with Topshop and Primark becoming tourist destinations in their own right.

Here is a snapshot of some of the fashion moments that defined the last decade for me.

A cheeky Northern chappy by the name of Henry Holland grabbed the attention of the fashion world with his slogan tees in 2006.

Gareth Pugh came along to become the heir apparent to John Galliano's legacy of fashion for show; not for the street.

Christopher Kane showed us all things bright and beautiful in his first show for LFW Spring Summer 2007.

And another Christopher - Bailey - made Burberry cool again.

Boombox was the place to party hard on a Sunday night (until 2008 when it shut its doors for good)!

The recession hit home on planet fashion when in 2009, Luella went into liquidation.

We suffered the loss of Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow. However they will continue to be remembered by all for their contributions to British fashion and will go down in history for their creative vision.

I have probably not even scratched the surface in this post!! These were just the memories that really stood out in my mind. I think British fashion came into its own again this last decade and I am looking forward to seeing what the next will bring!

Rescue Me

If I had one wish right now: to be shipwrecked and then washed ashore onto a desert island. Of course I would be wearing this dress from Alexander McQueen's Spring Summer 2003 collection, which was inspired by pirates and drowning damsels. The perfect dress for a perfect storm.

Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2003

Alexander McQueen Spring Summer 2003

There Are No Words.

Today I feel like winning the lottery and then purchasing this indescribable dress by Alexander McQueen. Brocade, red duchess satin, crystal and real gold thread. Retails at a mere £7, 640. Casual.

Highland Fling

I was checking out pictures online earlier of the Central St Martins 20:20 party which took place over the weekend. 20:20 is an initiative set up to provide funding and support to CSM fashion students and is an amazing idea given how difficult it can be for emerging designers to finance themselves. We need to foster our home-grown fashion talent! And when you think of some of the CSM alumni: Stella McCartney, Pheobe Philo, Alexander McQueen - well just say the world would be a lot less colourful without them!

I have just completely digressed from the point of this post. Here we go: well, Daisy Lowe (love her) caught my eye resplendent in Versus tartan.....is tartan making a comeback courtesy of Christopher Kane?

Daisy Lowe in Versus 

I know, it is a bit early for Burns night to be thinking of clans, haggis and rugged moors. But it is not only uber-Scot Kane who is championing the return of this heritage fabric. I spotted tartan on the catwalk at dSquared2 (who can forget their tartan 'glamping' picnic blanket dress from Spring Summer 2010) and Marc Jacobs. M.A.C - always quick to jump on a bandwagon - have just created a new collection, entitled 'A Tartan Tale'. Vivienne Westwood has just created a stationary collection including notebooks and diaries in her signature Albion tartan. And even luxe shopping and fashion websites such as farfetch.com have been talking about this trend.

I think of tartan as a bit Marmite: some people really hate it, but there is a lot of fun to be had with this versatile fabric. It can be punk (think Westwood); it can be posh (think old school aristocracy dancing eightsome reels in their kilts); it can be prim and haughty and it can be sexy (see Christopher Kane). Here are some of my favourite pictures from through out the ages.

A young Prince Charles in a traditional kilt and sporran

Agyness Deyn walking the catwalk for Henry Holland, Autumn/Winter 2008

Alexander McQueen Autumn Winter 2006

Alexander McQueen Autumn Winter 2006

Vivienne Westwood

M.A.C Tartan Tale campaign Autumn 2010

Over to the Dark Side...

From Shakespeare to Shelley, the British have always celebrated the macabre and the gothic to some extent. Not really surprising, given our windswept moors, unpredictable weather and ancient historical piles and ruins. So there has been plenty to ignite the imaginations of some of our greatest fashion designers when it comes to adding a dark twist to their creations, and I would like to take this opportune moment to pay homage to 2 of my favourites: Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh.

McQueen was well known for his acknowledgement of the sinister in his collections; his historical references included highwaymen and Hitchcock heroines.  It was in 2006 that he took part in a Gothic revival and famously sent a ghostly hologram of Kate Moss down the catwalk at the end of his show: a moment that has been cemented in fashion history as truly iconic and to those that were present, both moving and unforgettable.

McQueen, Autumn Winter 2006

McQueen, Autumn Winter 2006

McQueen, Autumn Winter 2006

McQueen, Autumn Winter 2006

The Kate Moss hologram that ended the 2006 show at McQueen

And where McQueen referenced the past, Gareth Pugh's take on this aesthetic is entirely different: think neo-goth in high-tech fabrics and modernist symmetry.

Gareth Pugh Autumn WInter 2010

Gareth Pugh Autumn Winter 2010

Gareth Pugh Autumn Winter 2010

(OK I promise this is my last Halloween inspired post as I shall be busy planning costumes and trick or treating!)