Albert Hammond Jr. Designs Suits for LA's Confederacy - Pre-Order Open Now!

In between all the Olympics tweets last night I spotted this little gem in my timeline... Albert Hammond Jr., The Strokes' guitarist, designed the slick claret and bottle green suits Ryan Gosling wore in Crazy Stupid Love. How cool is that?  For anyone who hasn't seen the film, have a look at the pics below.

The AW12 suits were designed for the uber-cool sounding LA-based store Confederacy, owned by DJ Danny Masterson and celebrity stylist Ilaria Urbinati, who have their staff uniforms specially designed each season by the likes of Rag and Bone, and Shipley & Halmos. Sweet.

The super sexy Albert Hammond Jr. for Confederacy suits are available for pre-order now for $2,125 plus tax and any applicable shipping fees (and they do ship internationally). To get involved call the store on +323 913 3040 or email them on confederacy4661@gmail.com to order yours. www.shopconfederacy.com

Jelly Shoes Are Back - No, Really

Remember these?? I do, mainly because my mum wouldn't let me have them because she said plastic shoes were bad for my feet. Thanks to the runaway success of rubber shoe brands like Melissa coupled with the trend for all things 90s, jelly shoes are making a fashion comeback thanks to Juju.

The original Babe (chunky heel) and Maxi (flats) styles are available in the retro glitter, pearl and regular finishes, and in a mixture of pastels, brights and monochrome colours all over the shop from Topshop and New Look to Office and Urban Outfitters.  They've even taken a high fashion turn with a clear collaboration shoe for Margaret Howell, pictured above.

I've spotted loads of cool kids who are most likely pretty new to the jelly shoe phenomenon wearing them out and about but now I'm allowed them, I'm not sure I'm so keen. They're definitely a nice bit of nostalgia though for those of us who remember them the first time round.

Check out the full range and stockists at www.jujushoes.co.uk

Rainbow Nail Art - Step by Step 'How To' Guide

As promised in my Revlon 'Style of Wight' post last week, here's that step-by-step 'How To' guide to recreating these Rainbow nail designs created by Jessie J's go-to nail gal, Jenny Longworth, at home.


Step 1: Apply your base coat to make your nail art last longer and prevent staining.

Step 2: Apply your base colour - here Jenny uses Revlon Nail Enamel in 'Dreamer'. She advises doing this in three strokes - one down the middle, then another either side.

Step 3: Paint a Rainbow! Using a fine nail art brush start the Rainbow by painting the bottom tier on first being careful not to overload the brush (blot any excess on a tissue).

Step 4: Using the white as a guide, add in your additional brightly coloured rainbow stripes, layering them above the white. Once you've built up your confidence using these shades, add in a darker stripe under the white one. Don't worry if you go over the edge of the nail - you can tidy this up using a concealer brush dipped in nail varnish remover afterwards. Some of the lighter colours may need a second coat but you can tidy as you go.

Step 5: Finally, seal the deal with a top coat making sure to 'float' it over the nails so as not to drag the polish.



Jenny used the following Revlon products to create this look:
Basecoat - Nail Enamel in Dreamer, Whitest White, Fashionista, Siren, Fushia Fever, and Sassy - Nail Art Detailer Brush - Topcoat.

Wake Ya Neck! Eye Popping Costume Jewellery Necklaces

The pop colour jewellery trend just won't quit. It's a great way to experiment with bright new shades, neons or just to perk up a dull black outfit and add some personality. I love a bit of chunky costume jewellery and these examples are a great place to start.

Colourful as ever, Kate Spade New York has probably my favourite selection of eye-catching statement necklaces (just one example pictured left but there are loads more) and you can lock that look in with a matching ring, bangles and stud earrings too. J Crew's SS12 bubble necklace (pictured centre and available from www.net-a-porter.com) meanwhile is being royally ripped off across the High Street, and Zara's covetable neon lime affair, pictured right, at just £15.99 is a lot more affordable than very similar designs by the awesome Mr. Tom Binns.

Natural Fashion History - The Trainersaurus

No, it's not one of Jeremy Scott's latest summer shoes (though I SO wish it was!), this fab little resin Superstar skull, cast from the legendary adidas sneaker is ART, DAHLING.  Which explains the hefty £2,500 price tag.  The awesome 'Trainersaurus' is available in a variety of colour ways from When Superstars Ruled the World, they come in an adidas branded wooden  travel and display case - they're highly limited too. For more info or to buy, visit www.whensuperstarsruledtheworld.com

Kenzo x Vans Era Plimsolls - Putting a Euro Spin on the All-American Sneaker

Parisian fashion house Kenzo gives Vans' all-American classic Era shoes a Euro makeover for Summer 2012 with a collaboration that looks very new-90s. Using colours from the French label's SS12 collection, the playful primaries and bold prints lend themselves well to the mainstream skate trainer's design and are perfect for pepping up an outfit - for guys and girls.  The unisex sneakers will have a phased release with different styles dropping in waves from mid May through June and prices start from £80. Get them in the UK from Harvey Nichols, from Opening Ceremony or various other selected international stockists. 

Wicked Luggage Designs & Suitcase Covers from SuitSuit

How cool is this??!  SuitSuit specialise in making your luggage easy to spot on the carousel and making it big, bag and bright enough to make it less of a target for pesky airport thieves. Their designs are available as suitcases or suitcase covers (too cool given how much I want one of these but how much I love my current case) which protecting  your cases in a more obvious way.  I ADORE this rockin' boombox speaker design which is only €29.95 for the case cover or €99.95 for the 40 ltr hardshell suitcase. Have a look at their ranges on www.suitsuit.com 

Converse x Stussy Shoes Coming Soon - Pretty Much What You'd Expect

When the news came in about a Converse x Stussy capsule footwear collection I was really excited but sadly, in reality the designs are a bit safe.  Converse's deck style boat shoe/sneaker hybrids - the Sea Star LS - feature Stussy's signature camo print and ripstop cottons, whilst the hiking-inspired ELM LS, pictured above with the D-rings and red laces, comes in black leather with Stussy logo indented into the heel. They're clearly more guy-oriented than unisex (which is a shame) which is maybe why they're pretty standard and solid every day shoes, but I'd really have hoped for something more exciting, fresh and colourful from these two great brands. Maybe next time, eh?  

Converse x Stussy footwear drops 1st May and will be available from Cooked Tongues, Hanon, End Clothing, Selfridges and at London retailers Hideout, Size? Carnaby Street and FootPatrol.

Dr Martens x Liberty London - The Floral Takeover Continues

Liberty continues on its mission to colour the whole world floral with this latest collaboration as the famously tough Dr. Marten's boots get a ladylike makeover in classic 'Strawberry Thief' print Liberty fabric. Despite loving a bit of edgy DM style, I'm not really feeling these - the Liberty x Nike colab is more my thing - but it's definitely an interesting, if somewhat oxymoronic, design project.  Liberty London x Dr. Martens boots are released 1st May 2012 from www.liberty.co.uk.

New Gent Lacquered Swatch Watches - WANT

Hot drops over at Swatch with these New Gent Lacquered watches. Each one is unique as all the inner workings are made up of different coloured parts with the colours chosen at random every time.  These remind me so much of the late 1990's 'swiss made' designs I wore at school and lovingly fashioned screen guards for out of rubber bands during geography (sorry Mr. Williams). LOVE! £47.50 each over at www.swatch.com

Fruity Friday - Pineapple Pet Beds from YML

A few months in to my role as a first time pet owner, I'm always on the lookout for cute new things my kitten, Parker, pictured below showing off the unique approach she takes to her igloo bed.  Step forward Wayfair.com with this outstanding Spongebob Squarepants-meets-Gypsy Wedding YML pineapple pet bed.  Isn't it AMAZING?!  I think this will be Parker's new kitchen hangout.  They do strawberry and banana designs too and all versions come in small or large sizes, prices from $41.67. www.wayfair.com

Pete Doherty's Clothing Line for The Kooples

Doesn't wor Pete (the Birthday Boy - 33 today - Happy Birthday, sir) scrub up well? This is him modelling the line he designed for super cool French fashion brand, The Kooples (which goes by the dodgy-band-like name 'Peter Doherty & The Kooples') which comes out on 14th March. The men's collection is a nifty mix of bohemian indie boy about town and quirkily styled retro geezer with that slightly-too-small charity shop chic. His on/off girlfriend, the doe (Doh?) eyed model Irina Lazareaunu models the women's designs which all have a relaxed, vintage charm to them and a subtle sexiness. (Lock & Co.) Hats off to the boy.  It's a good look.

Check out the full menswear and womenswear ranges at www.thekooples.com 

 

Follow FightForYrWrite on Pinterest!

Officially addicted!  If you're not on it already, get on Pinteres, a social network that acts like an online pinboard, letting you create boards then share images and videos of stuff you see and like around the internet and things posted by other Pinterest users - fashion, fun, food and LOADS of other stuff (that doesn't necessarily begin with 'f').  You can follow me at http://pinterest.com/fightforyrwrite/ and here are a few of my favourite finds to give you a taste of what to expect...