'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk' Exhibition Comes to London

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk exhibition finally hits the UK on 9th April at London's Barbican centre. I saw this fabulous show when it was on at the Brooklyn Museum in December and heartily recommend it to anyone who loves fashion, the art of couture construction and/or Madonna fans.

Rodnik x Peanuts for Selfridges

A couple of years back I wrote about "fashion rogues" the Rodnik Band and their wearable art pieces. Since then, they've produced a much more commercial collection for ASOS and now they're injecting their warmth and humour into this exclusive Rodnik x Peanuts collection for Selfridges.

Obey x Keith Haring Raglan Baseball Tee

I've never been a massive Keith Haring fan but I LOVE this new collaboration baseball top he's designed for Obey.  All that movement! So perfect right now what with all the Olympics fever. The curved hem and 3/4 sleeves are great details too, as is the small, Obey logo on the back (not shown here but you can see it on Size's site here). Very cute and I bet it'll look even better once it's a bit love-worn and the cotton's got that vintage feel to it. 

Keith Haring x Obey Flag raglan t-shirt, £40 in S-XL from www.size.co.uk

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

Wearable Artwork from Fashion Rogues, The Rodnik Band

Andy Warhol's fav - Campbell's Soup dress, £1,195

I stumbled across pop culture punks, The Rodnik Band on Facebook the other day and can't stop thinking about designer Philip Colbert's avant garde  'Venus in Sequins' collection, featuring these 'wearable art' pieces. 

Brush Stroke twin set, £925

The London-based label is inspired by movements in modern art and splashes this collection with liberal doses of surrealism, pop art and some De Stijl, courtesy of the surprisingly wearable (but, I'm guessing, DAMN heavy with all those sequins) Mondrian twin set.  The Roy Lichtenstein-inspired suit above is my fav and I really like their clever twist on the Salvador Dali telephone / lobster piece 'Aphrodisiac Lobster' - now arguably better known for its makeover as a Lady Gaga outfit - reworking it as an alternative little black dress.

These designs are a great introduction to The Rodnik Band's work as you get a real sense of good old British tongue-in-cheek fun mixed with a sequinned sparkle and punk sensibility - themes which appear to have been amplified in their recent collection which riffs on stereotypical English icons from Beefeaters to red phone boxes. Check out what else these crazy kids are up to and follow the adventures of their big red bus, over on www.therodnikband.com/  Shop the collection at Not Just A Label.

Lautrec Urinal dress, £1,600

Mondrian twin set, £895

Rankin x Kipling for the Belgian Bag Brand's 25th Birthday

How cute is this heart shaped Kipling rucksack?  Sadly, it's not being produced, it's just for this image - iconic British photographer Rankin's piece for Kipling's 'Play With Bags' anniversary artist project to celebrate the Belgian brand's 25th birthday.  I suggest getting in touch with them on Facebook or Twitter @KiplingOfficial to ask if they'd put it out - don't ask, don't get!  View the classic Kipling bags and rucksacks that inspired this and a host of other hand picked artists' who contributed to the project including Vincent Gapaillard and Li Wei, at www.25yearskipling.com

WHAT'S WITH ALL THE SKELETONS, PEOPLE?

New work from French illustrator and street artist, Monsieur Qui in Paris

New work from the amazing Portugese street artist, Vhils

Is this new street art inspired by Lady Gaga's buddy, the Canadian model, Rick Genest aka Zombie Boy?  (street art images courtesy of one of my favourite sites, Wooster Collective, Zombie Boy images courtesy of the wonderful Nicola Formichetti)

Or maybe it's all part of the 90's revival and it's actually inspired by Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ' video :)

COO COO EYES: LUNA & CURIOUS X PAPERSELF BIRD PAPER EYELASHES

How incredible is this eyelash art from Luna & Curious x PAPERSELF?  

Made from paper and based on the Chinese craft of paper cutting, these eye catchingly intricate falsies are only £12 from my new favourite website, Culture Label (get involved, it's an amazing endeavour encouraging people to 'shop for the arts' with over 90% of every purchase goes straight back to their art partners).  Guaranteed to turn heads this Christmas Party season.

www.culturelabel.com

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY: CARMEN - A LIFE IN FASHION EXHIBITION (16/11/11 – 14/01/12)

Ali Mahdavi, 2011

The new exhibition, Carmen - A Life In Fashion which opens on 16th November at the London College of Fashion's Fashion Space Gallery is a must see for anyone who loves good old fashioned glamour.  Curated by the legendary illustrator and close friend of Carmen, David Downton (he of the beautiful, iconic fashion illustrations which have been brought to a wider audience in recent years through their use on greetings cards and for High Street names like M&S, Fenwicks and H&M - you can't fail to recognise one of DD's drawings), this exhibition is the first major photographic retrospective of the 80 year old supermodel, Carmen Dell'Orefice, who was discovered at just 13 on the bus on her way to her ballet lesson.  This selection of stunning images from some of the most internationally respected fashion photographers should give you a small taste of what's in store but do visit the Fashion Space Gallery website for more images and further details about the exhibition.

New York, 1947

Paris, 1957

Norman Parkinson, the Bahamas, 1959

Tim Peterson, 2010

Tim Peterson, 2010

Images courtesy of www.fashionspacegallery.com 

MOLESKINE X THE LITTLE PRINCE NOTEBOOK COLLECTION

Moleskine Art have produced a wonderful new limited edition collection of their famous notebooks celebrating Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's magical novel, The Little Prince.

Each debossed notebook comes with an exclusive put-together insert featuring the books' charming illustrations.

As a full on stationery fan, this latest release is a welcome addition to the Moleskine range although not quite as cool as the Peanuts ones they produced recently for the cartoon's 60th anniversary.

Moleskine's Little Prince notebooks are £11.99 and available now online or from various Moleskine stockists.

BEAUTY GETS LIPPY - VIOLENT LIPS TEMPORARY TATTOOS

Aren't these GREAT??!  Violent Lips tattoos are temporary lip art transfers that last 4-8 hours and wipe off with baby oil.  

Available from Selfridges at £10 for a pack of three lip appliques (all the same design).  Click here to see their full range.

MODELS OWN - SMASH, CRACKLE AND *POP*

Models Own has collaborated with the uber cool taste shapers at WAH Nails to produce Smash Up, a far more affordable, widely available version of the cult crackle gloss, OPI Shatter - and in plenty more colours too!

Just £6 from your local stockist or the Models Own website, this slick varnish dries to give an edgy, splintered look and better still, you paint it on top of whichever colour nail varnish you want to show through so you can make your manicure go further by whacking one coat of this over the top when it starts to chip.

The Models Own range comes in a rainbow of colours - my trial was a rather dull - sorry - 'classic' black Smash Up on top of a silver polish but there are plenty of combinations I can't wait to try... get yourself down to Boots, pick some up and have a crack!