The Week On Instagram

From top left to bottom right: Brak - Skeleton lamp - Two-headed cat - Vintage ballet box - Adeline on Carnaby St - Bob and Tove came for dinner - Treats from the Hummingbird - DJing at Emily's party - British Museum - Nottingham

Find me on Instagram - MelleRobot

A New Designer Collaboration: Marni x H&M

I woke up this morning greeted by an email announcing H&M's Spring-Summer designer collaboration... with Marni. The collection will be available in store from March 8th 2012 in stores worldwide. It includes womenswear, menswear and accessories. 

“I wanted to create a true Marni wardrobe by revisiting all our favorite pieces in signature fabrics and prints. As always, I love juxtaposing prints and colours, mixing modern tribal with Bauhaus graphic adding sporty utilitarian elements”. Consuelo Castiglioni, Founder and Creative Director of Marni.

The result of the collaboration is a line filled with the brand's signature prints and a particular attention to craftsmanship and styling - all the pieces are designed to be layered, letting the prints clash thus creating a true Marni silhouette.

The fabrics will range from silk to cotton poplin

African inspired prints adorn classic Marni shapes...

Unlike the Versace collaboration that was released earlier this month, this is definitely something I can get behind. Marni isn't necessarily a brand for "the youth" so I think this is going to be a great way to give them an affordable way in to the Italian brand's universe... And since Marni isn't one of the most expensive labels in designer world, I can see how someone who would be seduced by the pieces designed for H&M would then grow up to become a(nother) faithful Marni devotee.

Three Ways To Wear - Oasis x Look Dream Dress Part 2

In case you missed it, last week I started a "Three Ways To Wear" dedicated to the Oasis x Look dream dress. You can have a look at the first post here to know what this is all about.

This week, I am styling it down - I thought it would be quite an amusing exercise to take something that was designed to be a party dress and style it in a cute, cosy way to wear while lounging around in the house. The dress is so comfortable with its silk lining that it works just fine. 

I am wearing: Look Dream Dress c/o Oasis, Forever 21 bed jacket, Monki socks, ring Circé @ Boticca

MRLA - La Casa Azul / B.LO / Pixies / Hello Seahorse / Automatico

Finally! After a long long wait, La Casa Azul  a.k.a. musical genius Guille Milkyway has released his first single "Los Chicos Hoy Saltarán A La Pista" (Today The boys Will Jump On The Dancefloor) from his new album "La Polinesia Meridional" out on Elefant Records on November 28th. I'm excited because it's been a few years since his last full length release. Guille has been working on other projects - he even won a Goya Award. His latest endeavour was  to compose music for the cartoon Jelly Jamm in every language.

He has been my musical crush for the past 12 years or since I first heard his demo, I fell in love instantly and it has been the soundtrack to my life ever since. I can't wait to hear the whole album. God Save Guille!

Monsieur Robot - Common Sons

It's exactly ONE MONTH until Christmas. SCREAM!!!!  In case you don't know I am obsessed with Christmas. Something about the promise of receiving loads of gifts and getting to eat until you feel sick, really speaks to me as a person. What can I say? This year I've asked for Optimus Prime, a Unicorn, a Faberge Egg and a DeLorean. A gold DeLorean. I don't want to sound threatening or anything but if you've ever seen John Waters Female Trouble you'll recall the scene where Divine murders her parents because they didn't buy her the cha-cha heels she wanted. Well I can do a pretty good impression of that. Y'hear that Santa? 

Christmas Day - (worst case scenario)

Christmas comes with traditions - from the food you eat to what you do during the day everyone has a few things that really make Christmas. One of mine is a nice CHRISTMAS JUMPER! Now you can go totally festive and wear one with a christmas tree or a snowman on it, but you'll look pretty stupid wearing it on any other day of the year... I'm looking for something a bit more versatile. Common Sons is a new British brand that have some excellent jumpers, the kind I can imagine myself spilling egg nog down at about 9.30am just before I fall face first into the tree and electrocute myself on the lights. I really don't paint the best picture of myself do I? 

The Post Where I dj For The Goose Who Made A Bag

I am a little slow on this one, but I am sure you will forgive me as I spent yesterday mainly on a train, sans wi-fi, on a mission to Nottingham to educate the youth about blogging and journalism (and lolcats). As a consequence, I neglected to tell you all about the totally fantabulous launch party for my friend and blogging superstar Emily from Fashion Foie Gras. As you possibly all know by now, she was invited by Coach to design a bag and because she is giving like that, she made it a blogger bag. Yep. She could have made it her dream princess clutch, or a tote to carry a stalk cloak during her night missions, but no: she made a bag for her fellow bloggers and other technophiles, or always-on-the-go types.

And it rules. 

The Fashion Goose and her creation - Photo by Terence Webb

Seriously, it is a really nifty little (massive) thing: there are of course multiple pouches and compartments to store all the gadgets you can name but it also looks great. Perfect marriage of extreme practicality and style. I love it. To read more about it, you should head over to Emily's blog who is definitely the best person to describe this baby.

On that holy night I was also reunited with my BFF and Babe Time other half so expect a new episode soon!

The party was super fun and I got to meet a lot of people whose name I'd seen floating around on the internet... Although when I say meet, it is a little strong. You see I was responsible for the tunes at the party (yep I was djing again) so when I say "meet" I actually mean "say hi and smile and get back to playing tunes" - djing is not the most sociable thing.

The Week On Instagram

Top left to bottom right: Saturday brunch in Portobello - Cool Wildlife Convention - Brak - Saturday afternoon walk - Fave new boots - Winter Wonderland Reaper - Max - Symmetrical pigeons - View from my flat - Winter Wonderland Carrousel - Alien Face - Colour coded books. 

Find me on Instagram - MelleRobot

Three Ways To Wear - Oasis x Look Dream Dress Part 1

Back in August I was asked to judge a competition where Look readers could dream up the perfect dress for Oasis... To cut a long story short, the dress arrived last week and it really is a dream dress - I don't need to go into details, you already know how much I love lace dresses.

Over the next three weeks, I will play dress up and style it in three different ways. Today is an outfit to go shopping around Portobello... and maybe go for drinks later.

I am wearing: Look Dream Dress c/o Oasis, Topshop coat + belt, Boots c/o French Connection, vintage  bag + beret and Black Eyewear sunnies.

MRNY - Cameos / Miss Atomic Jewelry

I love all things cameo. But then again, who doesn’t? For a long time, my go-to piece of jewelry was a vintage cameo ring (notice I say vintage, not antique; I think it was a piece of costume jewelry from the last time cameos were all the rage, in the seventies prairie/boho/Young Edwardian era) No matter the outfit – I could be dressed to the nines or wearing the most uninspired jean and t-shirt combo – I could be found wearing this ring. Unfortunately I tend to beat my costume jewels in much the same way I beat my shoes; I wear them until they can’t be worn no more. My cameo ring, much admired wheresoever it took me, is now in faux jewel heaven.

Which brings me to Miss Atomic Jewelry. Miss Atomic (Renee Vaverchak, if you want to get technical) makes cameo-like necklaces, brooches, and bracelets. But there’s a twist. You know how cameos have those pretty Victorian ladies, or ancient Greek ladies, or some other equally elegant lady? Well, Miss Atomic cameos have Day of the Dead skull ladies and undead rock n’ rollers on rosary necklaces and big eyed little sailor girls in fancifully carved frames (the fancy frames remind me a bit of my friend Sarah’s paintings, as she painstakingly carves a very intricate frame for each one - what a gal)! Sometimes I feel a bit stuck on the past with this vintage obsession of mine, but the contemporary icing on the vintage-inspired cake is just what I need to ease my guilt. I know what’s going on my Christmas wish-list.

MRLA - Marian Ruzzi & Sr. Amable / Hello Kitty Collection / Chinatown / Little Tokyo

I hadn't been that excited about Spanish pop music for a while until I came across Marian Ruzzi & Sr. Amable "Una Pieza Mas" (translation: Another Piece). A project from Mexican musician Andres Murillo with Marian Ruzzi could only be the most perfect song to start my Winter soundtrack. I hear echoes of some of my favorite Indie darling bands from the 90s Donosti Sound era such as Le Mans and La Buena Vida. Both the video and the song make me smile non-stop. 

tumblr

Monsieur Robot - Billy Reid at Mr Porter

Mr. Porter has fast become the the ultimate online menswear retailer, I'm not really sure where I shopped in the days before Mr. Porter, but I know that the experience wasn't nearly as satisfying and inspirational as Mr. Porter have made it now.  It's sleek, luxe, grown up and very, very stylish. With an ever growing roster of luxury brands it's also become a launch pad for design talent and labels that are hard to buy here in the UK, so I always keep my eye on what they're selling - exclusive brands have obvious appeal - for as long as you can keep them a secret.

The latest in this line of designers is Billy Reid who has turned worn-in work apparel, casual sportswear and American heritage into beautifully crafted wardrobe staples. These aren't the clothes that grab headlines, or the looks that never make it any further than the end of the runway - these are clothes that you could wear every day. It's essentially the idea of 'Americana' from a menswear perspective - plaid shirts, duck boots - clothes for real men. Here are some of my favourite pieces from Mr. Porter's Billy Reid selections...

The Big Knit

I am pretty sure you've all spotted bottles of Innocent smoothies wearing woolly hats while you were doing your weekly food shopping... I know that when I first saw them, a few years ago, I thought it was just a marketing ploy, some cute trick to get people to buy these smoothies rather than others... You know a bit like the bottles of Camino Real Tequila that wear sombreros.

It turns out this was one of the rare occurrences in life where I was wrong. The hats are part of Innocent's Big Knit campaign, held every year in November. Since the beginning of the campaign, they've raised almost £1M for Age UK with the help of designers such as Anya Hindmarch, Stephen Jones, Sir Paul Smith or Betsey Johnson who designed hats especially for the campaign.

This year, Innocent asked 14 bloggers to design their own hat to support Age UK and you guessed it, I said "yes". The pretty special thing this time is that Innocent's team of expert knitters have made a bottle version of the hat AND a real life version that you can actually wear.

The super fun part is that you can win this one of a kind hat designed by me! Do you want to know what to do? Well it is simple - do something good for someone. Go hug your grandparents, offer to do your elderly neighbour's food shopping or to drive them to the doctor's, do some volunteering work - basically spread the love... and report back to me in the comments. I will as usual pick a winner at random and send them their hat. 

In My Nest

It is cold outside, and my motivation levels to go out are very very low... But the week is looking up as Winter Wonderland opens on Friday!

I am wearing: River Island shirt, H&M shorts, Jeffrey Campbell shoes, The Vamoose necklace. Lipstick is Lune Rousse by Chanel (my perfect Winter red).

The Week On Instagram

From top left: Shoot for Stylist - Hamburglar - Peter Jensen dress - Tim Burton print & Magic Tree - Pink building - Pastel street - My view - Saturday plans - Brak - Bulldog.

Follow me on Instagram - MelleRobot

Black & Grey

I don't know if it is old age, but my most exciting purchase recently has been a charcoal grey merino crew neck jumper. In the day, I can't seem to be able to wear anything but crew neck sweaters with button up shirts, making me look like an ageing school girl, or perhaps a severe school teacher. I like to think it makes me look like the head mistress of the School for Naughty Girls. You know, aim high.

I am wearing: Dorothy Perkins coat, J.Crew blouse, Uniqlo jumper, asos skirt, bag c/o Urban Outfitters, Jeffrey Campbell shoes.

MRNY - Bootie Obsessed / Minna Parikka

I’m not referring to the famed bottoms of such luminaries as Beyoncé and J. Lo – no – I’m talking about those adorable little shoes that are not quite boots, yet no longer a mere pump, that I need to complete my late autumn/winter-early spring wardrobe. Last year’s ankle boots, which were a sort of cheap, quick fix to satisfy a desperate need and which I never really was in love with, went into the garbage when I moved to a new apartment a few months ago, so I've been doing without since the cold weather arrived!

My shoes take a real beating, living in New York. There’s quite a lot of running around on uneven/slanted sidewalks (try walking in heels at a 45 degree angle), cobblestones, and streets in the midst of being re-paved (almost certainly my favorite way to ruin shoes/make a fool of myself by tripping in the middle of the road; perhaps only second to irreparably scuffing shoes whilst running up subway steps). Those ankle boots never really had a chance – I threw them in the trash because they were, well, trashed, unwearable (sadly, much like my favorite pair of heels, an adorable teal and white t-strap from Poetic Licence, which suffered a similar fate). I know I know, there are cobblers by the score who can slap a new sole onto a shoe – but my shoes suffer an all-over wear that can’t be salvaged (likely due to the giantness of my feet), so I find myself needing to replenish my shoe supply with some frequency.

MRLA - Blouse / Bandeja / Babasonicos / Monstruobot

One of my new favourite bands is sinister synth dream pop trio Blouse. Their songs have been playing all over the internet for the past months and they finally released their album a few days ago. Another band to add to the soundtrack of this chilly and cozy Fall.

One of my favorite tracks from them is "Into Black".

Facebook 

Black Tie Carnival

On Wednesday, I was invited to Alice+Olivia's Black Tie Carnival, at Paradise by way of Kensal Green. It was the perfect night to debut the wonderful Vivien dress by Israeli label Mandinka (more on them very soon).

I am wearing: Vivien dress c/o Mandinka, asos biker jacket, Swedish Hasbeens clutch, Mawi x Disney ring and tights c/o BeBaroque

Monsieur Robot - Who's Ready For A Grunge Revival?

A few things have happened recently which have made me think that 'grunge' might just be coming back to wrap its mohair cardigan covered arms around us. Backstage at the Topman show at London Fashion Week I spoke with Martine Rose, one of the Topman designers. When I asked what had inspired her collection she simply said "Kurt Cobain wearing a dress". I knew exactly what she meant and I immediately thought of Kurt's iconic cover shot for The Face from way back in 1993. I cherished my copy of that issue, it was one of the first issues of The Face I had ever bought - in fact I still have it. Kurt was the reluctant spokesperson for grunge so already the idea was planted in my head...

Next up is a new TV show I've become obsessed with called American Horror Story. Evan Peters plays Tate, a troubled kid who appears to be doing his very best Kurt Cobain  impression (and a pretty good Rick Genest Zombie Boy impression too). From his unkempt hair to his array of stripy tops, oversized jumpers, apathetic slogan t-shirts and mohair cardigans; grunge has never looked so good.

Mademoiselle Robot x Boticca

If you go down the internet woods today, you might have a big surprise... I am the guest curator on Boticca.com this week. They asked me to pick my favourite items from the site a few weeks ago, then worked their magic and you can now see the result on their website.

The only issue I have doing wish lists like this one is that it leaves me lusting like a mentalist after all the items I picked. Better go and find myself some new clients right now.

If you want to have a look at my wish list, click here.