Rescu. has Olympic fever! Get into the mood with this British fashion special, with news from Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Laura Ashley and more…
It’s Olympic season – and Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel debuted a collection inspired by the Games at Selfridges London this week.
The theme? Gold, silver and bronze, of course.
The capsule collection features skinny jeans, gold-splashed jackets, removable sequined collars in the signature style of Lagerfeld himself, and looks sure to feature in the best seats at the Games.
Rescu. loves the advertisement for the collection – Lagerfeld in the pose of a Grecian discus thrower, complete with fingerless gloves and shades. We hope that a T-shirt with that print finds its way into the collection.
Olympic-inspired fashion has had a huge influence on style. The Grecian drapings of evening gowns from the 1970s onwards are drawn directly from the Greek gods and goddesses, and you can also thank ancient Greece for sandals and woven headbands.
More recently, the surge in sports chic, with sleek sportwear from Alexander Wang flying off the shelves and a collaboration with Adidas becoming the new ‘to-do’ thing (Jeremy Scott has just done one, as has Opening Ceremony), is all about athleticism.
However, the ancient Greeks used to compete in the nude – but that doesn’t stop us getting into the spirit. Grab your neoprene, your nylon and your trainers (we love the leather editions by Y-3) and get into the mood.
Image: Karl Lagerfeld Olympic collection.
British chic is the new inspiration for fashionistas, and Laura Ashley’s new summer line is picking up on the English garden vibe.
Titled ‘Secret Garden’, it incorporates all the Laura Ashley favourites in good traditional form. Rescu. particularly loves the shift dresses, in on-trend pin-prick florals, and the asymmetrical-brim straw hat, to throw a bit of Ascot into your Australian ensemble.
The English garden is a huge inspiration for fashion this season, and it’s a good time to start thinking about incorporating some of it into your wardrobe.
ASOS is featuring huge pansy-print dresses for the ultimate in posy sweetness, and everybody from Alice + Olivia to Diane von Furstenberg has an itty-bitty delicate floral print in their collection.
Another source of British chic? Wedgewood china prints – inspired by Mary Karanztou, they’re all over dresses and blouses this season, from Preen to American favourite J.Crew.
And it’s Alice In Wonderland’s 150th anniversary this year, so it’s a perfect time to celebrate with a fashion-forward tea party. Alice-inspired short cotton dresses and bib shirts are on display all over the fashion world: Stella McCartney has a blue, white-collared shift dress straight out of Lewis Carroll.
Pair them with a Charlotte Olympia shoe and The Vintage Tea Party Book by London burlesque queen Angel Adoree, and you’ve got yourself the essence of feminine British style for summer.
Will you be dipping into sweet tea party chic for your Australian summer look?
Image: The Vintage Tea Party Book.
Age 71, former bad girl of English fashion Vivienne Westwood is not bowing to convention about her looks.
In Interview Magazine, Westwood said that she thought she ‘looked her best’ – and with her flaming hair and signature coral lips, we can’t disagree.
She is also ‘not competitive’ with other beautiful women, insisting that if a woman looks lovely she feels pleased rather than envious.
Westwood has enjoyed a starred career in British fashion since the punkish 1970s, creating signature dresses with corsetry and asymmetrical draping which are adopted on the red carpet by some of fashion’s most famous doyennes, from Kate Winslet to Carla Gugino.
Her most well-known fan? Helena Bonham-Carter, who wears Westwood to virtually every event and pairs it with deranged hair, mismatched heels and unmistakably British fearlessness.
Westwood created an Anglomania range of dresses for the Jubilee earlier this year, and the British press at the time celebrated that English fashion still loves a punkish edge – her signatures include tartan, tattered edges and the famous picture of the Queen with a safety pin through her nose.
Rescu. loves Vivienne Westwood – particularly her plastic Dragon high heels!
Image: Vivienne Westwood in Interview.
Opening Ceremony have opened a pop-up store in London, just time for – wait for it – the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
It’s more than just a pun- it’s also a transplant of New York cool to London for fashionistas and tourists to grab as Olympic souvenirs.
The 3000-square-foot store in Covent Garden features brands such as Band of Outsiders, a notoriously difficult-to-find US line, and Proenza Schouler.
Fashion is playing a huge part in this year’s Games. The outfits of the athletes themselves have become a runway show, with Jamaica’s outfits sporting a tuxedo stripe and Hermes outfitting the French equestrian team.
Opening Ceremony is famous for supporting younger designers as they try to gain a foothold in the tough US market – from Rodarte to Gareth Pugh. We hear whispers they might be interested in Australian wunderkind Dion Lee.
It’s a chance for people to buy into the Olympic fever without requiring garish nationalised uniforms or flags – though we suspect they’ll sell out quickly too.
If you’re an Aussie in London for the Games, go to Covent Garden – it’s just the place for an outfit in case you’re invited to a private party at the Athlete’s Village…
Image: Opening Ceremony’s pop-up store.
