Fashion Meets Music

Cool Britannia: Vivienne Westwood's design for the Brit Awards statuette

Pimp: Riccardo Tisci's album art for Kanye West's new single H.A.M*

*H.A.M - Hard as A Motherfucker. Word.

Rouge Allure

Jessica Rabbit

Yesterday, at a visit to the hairdressers, I hit the bottle so to speak and decided to dye my hair red. Or rather re-dye my hair - I was born a red head, but have been obstinately dying my hair for years (much to my mother's despair) every colour from blonde to deep chestnut. However now it is time to go back to my roots (or at least a deep burnished copper version).

I love the fact that red heads have always been controversial. In history, red heads were feared-the fiery colour of red used to symbolise violence. Writers have portrayed red heads as strange or unnatural characters, for instance Mark Twain believed that whilst humans were descended from apes, red heads were descended from cats. And in the great Russian novel The Master and Margarita, the female vampiress, Hella, is a red head.  There is no doubt then that this colour will always make a statement, I think that was best summed up by this unknown quotation:

Blondes are noticed, but red heads are never forgotten.

I think I'm addicted.  Here are some of my favourite fellow red heads of the moment:

Tilda Swinton - actress

Vivienne Westwood - designer

Julianne Moore - actress

Lily Cole - model

Julia Johansen - model

Pandora Lennard - fashion editor/stylist

Taylor Tomasi - editor

....red hair looks amaze with: bright red lipstick; dark lipstick; pale skin; black and neutrals.....I am looking forward to experimenting with more new looks so watch this space!

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