In Vogue.

Apologies first. I feel I have neglected this for the last few days (despite the fact this is the most regularly I have blogged EVER). I have been thus far distracted by work; girly wine night; work; sick relatives; my third watch of Easy Virtue; work. Now wasn't that fun?

Fashion time.

The last days of every month send me a little jittery as I know that, very soon, a new Vogue will arrive.

February's British Vogue (one of my faves for the stripped-bare Spring collection shoots) plopped onto my doorstep on New Year's Eve and by Sunday I had read the entire thing...bar one interview with a boring looking man. This is the fastest I have ever read Vogue: with time now constantly against me, or so it seems, Vogue reading is no longer a leisurely activity. Its a five-course meal to be consumed in 15minutes.

A few thoughts I had on this issue...

The prevalence of pink on BV's covers is beginning to niggle me a little. I hate to think it, but the covers are all looking the same. We get a treat for December when Vogue annually breaks out the gold foil and fancy type; are tickled in January by a heavily made up Keira; and then its back to the pastel formula. If you feel the same, you'll find this intriguing.

As for Vicky B. Well, I do quite like her. I like her sense of humour, and she works hard. Her collection is honest and well-done, if not a little pricey (but if you're VB, why not?). Now she's calmed down the hair extensions and balloon-boobs, shes pretty alright.

With Prada one of my top Spring/Summer collections, I was excited to see this on the new season stripe. Though I'm not sure I could do the Beano stripes (I'm a breton girl, me), I'd like to see the other Prada delights on the high street. Namely a few baroque monkeys and that gorgeous dropped shoulder.

If I could do jersey bodies, I would. But when you're nearly 6ft, and the majority of that is your torso, those things just don't stretch far enough. It's bloody painful, and inconvenient: I don't own a one-piece swimsuit for the same reason.

Personally I feel you also need sculpted arms, reasonably small boobs, and a gorgeous decolletage to wear one. So that's it for most of us then eh?

When I read Vogue, I like to suspend belief. I like to imagine I can afford these clothes, and I move in those social circles. But articles like this drop me to rural England with a bump: high society women with money they don't know what to do with. Vogue treats this like the norm, praising these women for financing young designers as if they were saving starving children in Africa. With this Vogue ignores the large proportion of its readership that is young, in awe of fashion, and dreaming. It was a sad read.

This made me giggle: typically slow on the uptake, Vogue presents 'breaking' band Warpaint.

I have grown to love More Dash Than Cash. I like the simplicity of the styling: taking one concept/look and expanding it through a mix of designer, high street, vintage and DIY. It's accessible and inspiring, though could be pushed further through emphasis on the DIY.

Oh, hello Spring Collections. Though Elle Collections trumps the lot, I do enjoy Vogue's simplistic round-ups. (That is, those which appear in the monthly, not the pricey Vogue Collections magazine) These are my faves:

Jill Sander
I love the luxe maxi/white tee combo. It reminds me of Dr Noki's upside down ballgowns.

Givenchy
Rock Chick perfected.

Prada
Nuff said.

Gucci
Not always a fan but the shapes are lush, and those colours exquisite.

And so to the cover article.
Although Lisa Armstrong repeats how she used to hate VB but now she likes her, there is an underlying scathing in this which leads one to believe Armstrong might be blabbing a few porkies.
Lines like: ' "Well, I sent my assistant round to get them in every colour. It is," she concludes happily - possibly taking the luxury of having an assistant to dispense to Gap into her analysis, possibly not - "all about the high-low mix, isn't it?" make me wonder whether Armstrong still thinks shes a bimbo with too much money.

Whatever is said, you can't deny that shes done well. Not just marrying, and holding onto, arguably the world's most beautiful man, but re-inventing herself from a self-admittedly crap singer, to a designer in her own right. Her collection might not be ground-breaking, but its attractive, well-designed, well-made, and it sells.

These are my top VB S/S 11:


Choosing to separate the British designers from the above-mentioned Spring Collection shoot, Vogue highlights just how eccentric we are as a style nation: neon prevails, as does graphic print, innovative cut, and a large dollop of irony. I particularly like:

Christopher Kane
This man can do no wrong.

Jonathan Saunders
I love this clean silhouette.

Richard Nicoll
Gorgeous layering and lots of sheer: just what I like.

Usually I'm not a fan of the accessories shoots. They're boring, and nearly always done in the same way (grouped by colour, over lit...), so this shoot really caught my eye. I love the concept: putting the accessories in a real-life situation, glamourising the mundane.

But why is the model always asleep? If I was surrounded by that much monogrammed, exotically-skinned luggage I wouldn't dare blink.


Other highlights to this issue include a touching interview with Sarah Burton, the new head-of-house at Alexander Mcqueen, and a piece by Alexa Chung on Christopher Kane. Enjoy.

Much Love, Tasha X