Mistivlav Pavlov

Amsterdam

Just returned from a beautiful weekend in Amsterdam. We strolled the streets absorbing the wonderful architecture, stopped for bites to eat in lovely little cafes and restaurants and wondered around flea and book markets scouring for treasures. Obviously, we steered clear of the Red Light District, coffee shops and drugs...

HAHA.  

Here are some of the more suitable photos i took. Enjoy!

''A bit of Hollywood in Milan''

Moncler Gamme Bleu SS13. 

I have to admit, i am as guilty as the next person for not paying as much attention to menswear as i do to ladies wear, but as i was searching for the MGB women's collection, i came across this. The collection was inspired by a 40's sailor film - i love all things nautical - but it's the tap dancing men that do it for me. Entertaining, interesting and the women's collection aint too bad either...

Trend: skirts over trousers

We all remember the skort trend (skirt and shorts worn together) at the peak of the 90’s. It was fun while it lasted, but I think I speak for all when I say I breathed a sigh of relief when the fad passed. So why, now the very similar style of skirts over trousers is creeping its way onto the catwalks, am I not running for the hills? My reaction has in fact been quite the opposite. I feel intrigued by this new, grown-up version of my childhood phase. I might even go as far as saying I like it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the likes of Chanel and Prada have swished their magic wands and turned a trend we love only for nostalgic reasons into a trend we can’t get enough of.

Chanel have updated the look with traditional tweed two-pieces worn over cigarette pants, whilst Prada seem to have looked East for inspiration with bright coloured prints, sari style shapes and delicate embellishment. These were not the only fashion houses to include this trend this autumn – Louis Vuitton, Marni, J.W Anderson and Myrza De Muynck have all designed their own variations.
There is sure to be mixed reviews about this combination, but if layering is the thing to do on our upper bodies, why should our lower bodies get left out?

Chanel

Prada

Myself - sorry about the bad quality of the photo, it was a quicky

Free People UK

vogue.com has just informed me that Free People have finally launched a UK site. It was only yesterday that i was browsing the US site, wishing with all my little heart that it would come to the UK. So either i have a very efficient fairy god mother or this is just a lucky coincidence.
Free People, if you didn't know, is a 70's label of all things hippy. Think beautiful flowing gypsy dresses, delicate wiry jewellery and lot's of tassels, moons and stars. But the label isn't just for tree-huggers. Free People's art director, Lauren Cohan, told Vogue ''We love how girls in the UK style pieces from high fashion to high street and wear them together. Free People is not about what you wear but how you wear it.Whether you style them in tough tomboy, romantic and pretty, or a bohemian way, its all about taking the pieces and making them your own.'' Amen to that. It gets better. Fans of the brand include Britain's finest fashion girls: Alexa Chung, Cara Delevingne and Edie Campbell. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

Trend: Skateboards?

Anybody with a tumblr or Shoreditch postcode this summer will have seen the rise of the Skateboard as a fashion accessory. The rest of the fashion minions will be sure to catch on next summer. Gone are the days where skateboards are exclusive to, well, Skateboarders. Skateboarders, albeit it being a sport, generally tend to be a subculture who smoke a lot of weed, listen to a lot of hip-hop and get in your way when you're shopping. These are not traits you'd generally associate with fashionitas. Maybe it has a lot to do with the rise of street-style; essentially Skateboarding is to street culture what pilates is to high fashion die-hards. Maybe it's a spin off from the grunge trend; theres nothing that screams 'Kurt Cobain' more than a chipped skateboard and unwashed hair.
A lot of my closest male friends happen to be Skateboarders, and let me tell you, they couldn't care less about fashion: they think Chanel is something you have to cross to get to France. I think they would be offended that a skateboard could become a desired fashion accessory; years and years of practice and many painful injuries is what it takes to call yourself a Skateboarder, not a board stolen from your brother and a checked shirt tied around your waist.
One thing i know is that if i sport one next summer, i will fully be expected to be 'ollying' and 'kick flipping' at the local skatepark, not posing for a fashion blog. However, it would a fashion revolution if skateboards began to mix with Louboutins - just imagine Bill Cunninghams glee if he snapped Anna Wintour whizzing through Manhattan on a skateboard, bob flowing behind her, sunglasses in place.

Michael Carson

“I like the fact that the face can be such a subtle subject and one brush stroke can be the difference in the feel of the entire piece.  That gives me the ability to work in one subject matter and still find that I learn something new in every painting.  I love to incorporate my love of design, fashion and architecture into my work.  My nondescript surroundings help me to create a mood or a story that I am trying to relay through my painting.  Seeing how the work evolves, the subtle and drastic differences, and looking forward to the future is what keeps me painting.  I view a painting as a success when I take from it something new that follows me into my next work.  It’s just learning to become a better painter.” 

Coolest scissors ever?

Lithuanian born Agne Konciute is definitely one to be watched. A model with strong, distinctive features and a cat-like prowl, Agne has walked for 35 shows this season. From Acne to Christian Dior, she has already built up quite a profile at the age of 16. Move over Cara Delevingne?