A collection of English summer blooms and blues, including my wonderful friend Amy. With a cool skin tone that tans easily, Amy can easily wear these bright blues. I love the mix of shades and the little jacket with t-shirt dress. Perfect for an English summer’s day, lady x
Paul Smith’s famous Covent Garden store is a riot of colourful stripes, beautifully tailored suits and gold framed nude portraits hung on every inch of the soft green walls (no photograhpy allowed, I’m afraid). Old fashioned timber dressers hold rows of men’s and women’s wear, and elegant staff float around by the dozen. Of course I love the colour Paul Smith offers men, and can’t resist the socks in particular for my husband – they peep out with true British cheek from below the leg of a conformist suit combination.
The big trend in London this summer is floral print dresses, and there were so many on view it became boring, until I spotted Leah in the doorway of the Betsey Johnson shop where she works in Covent Garden. On the aptly named Floral St, the store sells Betsey’s always colourful, 50’s inspired and slightly irreverent designs, of which this dress is a great example. Leah’s 50’s styling set off the dress so well – even the little star tattoos on her arm go with it! Thanks Leah
I have just spent 3 weeks in London and Paris – two beautiful cities in the midst of a hot, sultry summer. Over the coming weeks I’ll share some of the colourful spaces and people I encountered on my travels and their inspirational European styles. First port of call – The Wolseley, Piccadilly. A grand cafe-restaurant on a grand boulevard. Its arched and columned interiors feature star-patterned black and white marble floors and Japanese black-laquered surfaces with silver and gold light-fittings and dinnerware – an elegant study of graphic contrasts serving up a menu of old-fashioned English fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Next stop, Covent Garden.
As refreshing as a drink of fresh orange juice, Bosilka breezed through the halls of the recent Designex exhibition in Sydney. She explained to me the layers of bright pinks and oranges she was wearing represented years of collecting brightly coloured clothes, some expensive and some not, which she takes pleasure in mixing up to create colourful and patterned ensembles. A true inspiration, thank you Bosilka
This is the beautiful Miss Elizabeth Phan. She loves vintage and wears it wonderfully, always with a little twist. Amidst the design crowd at this year’s Designex she stood out in this classic navy + white look with the added flourish of red flower headpiece. This shot was taken in front of one of the four Design Centre Enmore stands, designed by Interior Design and Interior Decoration students. For more info visit bringingdesigntolife.blogspot.com which features a short film by Elizabeth and her boyfriend Darryl. Thank you Miss.Phan
Alix has style. She’s Parisienne, she can’t help it, its in the blood. She puts clothes, colours, shoes and jewellery together with such flair. But more than anything, she has fun and puts her creativity into how she dresses everyday. And so it brightens my day everytime I see her. Merci A, maintenant il faut commencer a croire que tu peut reussir en tant que designer – tu est nee d’etre designer x
This girl stood out as she glided through the Saturday crowds in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in her own world. Her headphones become like jewellery for me, sitting in her casually tied-up hair, a nonchalant kind of statement. I love the look and the colours of the t-shirt-as-dress, the warm peachy cream and brown match beautifully with her complexion and hair. Everything about her was effortless.
Jasmin caught my eye in this fantastic top depicting a Venetian scene, its soft grey tones picked up by strong orange which complements her hair and skin so well. And no over accessorising, just a kooky pair of sunnies. Thanks Jasmin
Greg, being a designer, has a well trained eye, and it shows. His look was simple the day I took this shot, but his tee shirt was EXACTLY the right colour, and importantly the right tone, for him and that’s why its simplicity stood out for me. He has chosen a strong cool shade of purple which is great against his skin, but the tone is actually what makes this work so well. Tone categorises the depth of lightness or darkness of a colour. And getting the tone just right takes a careful eye. This is a big focus of consultations at The Colour Commission – understanding how the eye actually sees and responds to colour. Once you understand this, you can get it right every time. Thanks Greg