The Fashion Daily: April 2011

Fri-Con Bianca Jagger

It's an early Fri-Con this week as Thursday is really Friday, and yes there is an obiligatory wedding twist.

This week the Fri-Con spotlight is shining on the exotic, and fierce style maven that is Bianca Jagger.

Ex-wife of Mick, former actress, model and style icon.

Jagger owned and pionnered 1970s style, rocking wide brimmed hats, flares and pant suits, all of which can be found on the shopfloor of any retailer at the moment.

The1970s are back so it's only fair we salute the era's style queen.


Here are Mick and Bianca getting married in St Tropez in 1970. Both are wearing Yves Saint Laurent and Bianca is hiding a four month pregnant bump here under that long -line ivory jacket. She later said "My marriage ended on my wedding day" and divorced Jagger on grounds of adultery with other 1970s model and style icon Jerry Hall.

They make a cute, wayward looking couple and for now we'll ignore what Mick is wearing (crazy fucker) and focus on Bianca's squared off Middy collared shirt with nautical piping, her amazing bloomers, those Victorian knee-high button up boots and that cute, perfectly placed hat.

Bianca is somewhat of a style chameleon and moves from cute sailor girl to exotic queen in a bat of those lashes. Here she's pictured in a turban probably designed by YSL who pionnered the fashion -led head wrap . Back in the golden age of Hollywood the turban was a fashion favourite of Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor (RIP), while Coco Chanel loved a head wrap as well. They made a bit of a come back earlier this year after Kate Moss wore one to the Met Ball and Bianca looks glorious in hers here.


It's nice to see Bianca in a touch of colour as she was pretty much a monochrome girl


This is my favourite and one of the most recognisable Bianca Jagger looks. She wore white like no one else and here she looks strong in those slightly pitched shoulders and the cute, loose, black pussy bow tied around the neck of that sharp shirt. Accomplished doesn't even begin to describe it.

I know I said this was my favourite bit of Royal Wedding memorabilia but then I saw this by House of Holland - and it's a tough call.

So I know these bright and beautiful satchels were featured in Grazia last week but honest, I emailed Julie at The Cambridge Satchel Company to get these images before I saw the article in the UK's leading women's glossy - (good to know we're on the same page).

Comme des Garcons love them and they have been selling well at Dover Street Market.

The satchels come in 11", 13" 14" and 15" sizes and in flouro green, orange, pink and yellow.

They start at £98 and the lovely folks at Cambridge offer an embossing service where a name or initials can be stamped on the bag.

If that wasn't enough, The Cambridge Satchel Company has just won CEN Business Excellence awards in two categories: Small Business of the Year and Businesswoman of the Year AND all of the bags are handmade in the UK.

Jolly Well Done!!

My favourite bit of Royal Wedding memorabilia so far. If you wish you can buy it here

Designed by Art Deco architect George Coles in 1930, The Carlton Cinema on Essex Road is one of my favourite buildings in London. Love the Egyptian decor. It's now a Mecca bingo. Brilliant.

Concrete Islands

Niklas Goldbach (Germany)

Mounir Fatmi (Morocco)

Iwan Baan (The Netherlands)

Frédéric Chaubin (France)


Andreas Angelidakis (Greece)

Are you in Paris this weekend? If not it’s worth the trip to take in this exhibition curated by Elias Redstone for Analix Forever. It's a group exhibition featuring work by the above artists, documenting, celebrating and critiquing social and political architectural projects that now exist in various stages of inhabitation, dereliction and destruction. My personal favourite is the work of French photographer Frédéric Chaubin and his works depicting decaying Soviet architecture.

Six Elzévir www.analix-forever.com
6 rue Elzévir, 75003 Paris
Open daily 11am–7pm

Fri-Con Jean Seberg

Oh Jean....Jean....Jean. Can you chill out on being such a hot, left-bank pixie?


Jean starred in 37 films in America and France during the 1960s and 1970s. She had a boyish, diminutive charm and spent much of her life living in Paris - which explains her inate chic and playful style. Alexa Chung and Audrey Tautou are the modern day interpreters of this look, while A.P.C and Jaeger Boutique serve up appropriate garms to channel what I like to call Sebergian style. She LOVED a Breton stripe (who doesn't) and expect to see more of this Sebergian look coming through for autumn 11 with pixie collars key.

Marc Jacobs did something similar to these shiny fish scales on the autumn 11 catwalks a couple of months ago. Jean is casually leaning against this window, but if she was to move they would catch the light beautifully. I love the Palm Spring shade of green, and her hair is so pleasing in its perfection.

I imagine that Jean looked to style icon Audrey Hepburn for her fashion inspiration as both had elfin features, and slender, near-to androgynous frames. Its clean lines and a simple palette that suit these women best and I love Jean's exposed, boney decolletage here and that sweet, halter neckline.

I like nothing more than a Little Lord Fauntleroy collar worn with a striking cheekbone.

Jean is nochalantly smoking here, but it's her crisp, white pixie collar peeking out underneath a stoical black light weight knit that speaks to me.

I'm pretty sure that this is an advert for 1980s skincare phenomena Apri and she wears apricot and a strong neckline so well (helped by her elfin crop).


Cheeky Jean is poking a little head out of an oversized Argyle knit opitomising her sense of fun. Jean, I salute you (and would have also liked to have been your friend.)

Fri-con Robert Redford

I'm introducing the Fri-con, a clever non? Play on words, which will see me bringing you a style icon every Friday for your perusal. The inagural entry goes to Robert Redford. Not my usual type (blonde and old) but back in his Three Days of Condor days...well blimey.

A good quality wool db peacoat should be a staple in every man's wardrobe and is set to be a massive look for autumn 11

One would never dare to presume that teaming a suit jacket with a slightly bootcut jean in the vein of a man who lives in say... Twickenham, would be a look to carry a man of Redford's style and grace. But this works. The important thing here is that Redford has layered the suit jacket a top a lightweight knit and has a cheeky little jaunty collar pointing out the top. He's also navigating those steps in a really commanding (sexy) way.


A Saddle shoe cum Oxford on a beach? Redford is a true fashion bloody renegade. He's accessorising his wholly inappropriate beach outfit with a little woven belt and some taupe socks, but it's the tight, 1970s lothario burgundy top that's the winner here. According to both The Evening Standard and the new men's edition of Shortlist - 1970s love god is the look to work for autumn 11. I'm not so sure, but this is of its time and works well.

Baker boy cap with a monochrome spotty shirt and a loose slung tie? Again really shouldn't work but it does. Redford we salute you for taking fashion risks and for doing so with aplomb and a touch of swagger. Jolly well done.

House of Hackney

In the heart of London's cliched Dalston lies something exciting, a pop-up shop housing delectable furnishings from new home wares brand House of Hackney. Straddling that arty place between the traditional trompe l’oeil and roughed-up chic, five story townhouse House of Hackney sells gorgeous printed wallpaper, love seats, bed linen, fine bone china, and a whole host of other treats for the maison.

The pop-up shop closes on Sunday so get down to number 76 Stokey Rd!