Cath Kidston

So I thought I would write a wee post on Cath Kidston seeing as they have ever so kindly given me a wee christmas temp job. I've always been familiar with Cath Kidston and I think everyone who is aware of the brand will most popularly familiarise it with their beautiful rose prints. However, I want to more focus on the rapid expansion of this company as it is excessively impressive to say the least. 

Cath Kidston established her company in a small store in Holland Park, London in 1994 selling mainly home goods such as cushion covers, ironing board covers and whatnot, all in her renowned 'rose bouquet' print. Simultaneously she also stocked second hand furniture and home goods which she made her own with her comforting, country style prints. Kidston initially used vintage fabrics to create her products, further making her nostalgic brand infamous for its vintage-meet-modern interpretation. Cath Kidston has always strived to portray English heritage and a sense of country life through her patterns and products and this has been emphasised indefinitely with patterns such as 'Classic Rose' and a variety of patterns stemming from inspiration of her dog, Stanley. 
As the brand image grew so did the products; and today Cath Kidston sell from wallpapers to dresses to handbags and everything in between. In the past twenty years of the brands continuing lifespan, Cath Kidston has grown from the one single store in Holland Park to stores worldwide with a mass situation in Asia. Japan alone has over thirty stores and Japan being such a fashion orientated country, Cath babes, take a seat and pop the bubbly; it's time for you to celebrate! 
So if you are a complete vintage-meet-modern gal like myself and love those cosy, country, home essentials you need to get yourself involved with some Cath Kidston goodies. Whether it be some 'Antique Rose Bouquet' duvet covers or even just some ditsy, floral accessories, Cath Kidston will provide you with some beauties. What's even better? Santa Clause is already stocking his sleigh and Cath Kidston makes perfect gifts for christmas. So come on you country gals take a wander down to Cath Kidston and find some home comforts in life's little necessities.
Love and Roses. 

Feelin' this as my Xmas jumper this year

Cath Kidston - Father Christmas Jumper - £70

Click here to view all the Cath Kidston goodies!

Lie Sang Bong

Lie Sang Bong; even his name is fabulous. I became infatuated with this Korean designer when I gained a deeper knowledge into his work during my stay in Tokyo this summer. His expressive, rich designs are completely mesmerising and I simply just had to find out more about the man behind the seams.
Lie Sang Bong is a prime example of the reason for my obsession with the fashion industry. He emerged into the industry back in 1993 with his first collection 'The Reincarnation' which was presented at Seoul Fashion Week. After recognition and admiration for his bold, flawless talent,  Lie Sang Bong continued on to make his debut in Paris in 2002 with his collection 'The Lost Memoir'. The success of this collection was remarkable, leaving Lie Sang Bong situated in Paris, where he has remained ever since.
I am going to take you through some of Lie Sang Bong's past collections to fully express his raw talent. Firstly, let us go back to S/S11 as Lie Sang Bong's S/S11 collection was utterly and profoundly, stunning.
The collection opens with a model possessing legs so perfect you never even want to smell chocolate fudge cake again, exploiting an exquisite, off-white, one-piece bodice. Attention to detail is critical here as Lie Sang Bong demonstrates perfect fabric overlay in organic, smooth shapes, making the garment simply magnificent. The collection then carries on with it's gentle aesthetics, bragging neutral tones in cut away dresses, however, this is contrasted with geometric shapes with straight cuts and lines of the garments; a perfectly understated contrast. The collection then moves into a more masculine-meet-feminine approach with fitted suit trousers, skirts and blazers. The blazers feature plummeting necklines and belted at the waist to enhance the female form and play against the masculinity perfectly. In contrast to the harshness of the strong shouldered blazers, Lie Sang Bong also shows fabulous flouncy skirts and dresses which are mesmerising to watch in movement. He moves onto bring forth an oriental interpretation with a select few garments demonstrating beautiful, intricate patterns and oriental style necklines. However, he brings this aspect to the collection minimally at a time, as if to keep the audience enticed. 
Undoubtedly Lie Sang Bong is a genius when it comes to movement. His designs are literally a vision to watch as they move so elegantly down the runway with feathered, fabric overlay and extensive, protruding fabric to the sides of the garment; it is simply mesmerising to watch. Lie Sang Bong brings further contrast to this collection with a dark and alluring mood as black, bold garments come to play in this collection. My favourite look of this collection, view it at 9 mins 35 secs on video below, demonstrates raw, dark, beauty with a ballerina-esque black, net overlay skirt teamed with an undeniably stunning jacket. The jacket is literally perfect; held shut with a thin belt to enhance the waist and give a dangerously low neckline exposing the female form. The jacket possesses a gentle feathered pattern in white and grey creating the most fabulous finish to the garment. The collection continues on with the colour theme of contrasting black and white and the renowned feather pattern creates stunning intricacy on many of the garments. Finally, the collection comes to a finish with a colour splash of crimsons, corals, purples and creams, detailed with blacks, to tie together the masterpieces that have been presented before us. A stunning silk red, black and white dress emerges, 12 mins, 34 secs on youtube video, reintegrating the oriental aspects to the collection. Ending the collection is a beautiful floating maxi dress, fully embracing the burst of colours and demonstrating an elegant black neck cuff, it itself is a work of art and a perfect end to the collection. The collection on a whole is beyond beautiful and underpinned with an understated sex appeal, all together creating something magnificent.
Anyway, what I have just babbled on about for half your life is literally only half the collection and some of my favourite aspects. Please have a wee looksie at the video below to fully understand and appreciate the beauty of this collection.

Lie Sang Bong S/S11 Collection 

Ok, I will try keep this short and sweet as I know I pretty much just wrote you a short story there, but it is undeniable, when I fall in love with a designer, I find it rather difficult to shut my big mouth. However, I feel it is a necessity I give credit to Lie Sang Bong's F/W02 collection. This collection SCREAMS sex appeal. Literally. The runway is red, the background is red, the curtains are red. And on that runway stride models dressed in black, seductive yet stunning garments. I LOVE IT. This collection is so gorgeous yet swimming with promiscuity you literally can't take your eyes off it. Cut, shape, fabric, you name it, Lie Sang Bong has mastered it. With only a few garments swaying from the colour black, Lie Sang Bong creates such a fluidity, yet keeping you embraced and eager as to what will be presented next. 2002 was Lie Sang Bong's year, it established him as a designer in Paris and it's no wonder it did. His bold and risky designs are why I love the fashion industry; it is unpredictable and captivating. 

I'll stop babbling and let you do the rest yourself. Click here to go to Lie Sang Bong's website and check out all his collections and even find out more about him. I hope you love him as much as I do. If you don't well I just don't know. Over and out. x

A Big Fat Fashion Blogging Apology

Ok, so it may be three months late and I may currently be considered a poor excuse for a blogger; but a summer ran-sacked with galavanting from tokyo to home to spain to home to uni; I feel I'm only just able to catch my breath. Following on from that, I can pretty much say I had an awesome summer. However, summer is over and I am straight back into uni to embark on second year and simultaneously, I am straight back into blogging; I PROMISE.
Don't get me wrong with my absence in posting, as I can assure you I have been doing my research and you will see this in posts to come!! I am currently infatuated with some particular designers and I'm digging deeper into the world of vintage treasures to settle my inner vintage child; so watch this space, I am ready to bring it on!
I hope you can accept my apology and we can move on and be happy fashion lovers together forever.
Love, apologies and kimonos. (I love them just now)