After a decade of ready-to- wear realism, suddenly people want to shop like superstars, only without the mega-bucks
budget. Diana Kiernander shows you how, yah?
To hell in a handbag
Let's start with handbags. Celebrities are always snapped clutching the season’s most covetable. whether I)&(3's l.il_v bag or a classic tote by Louis Vuitton. Fortunately. hiring a designer bag is the newest way of saying you‘ve got status. Head over to www.handbaghirehq.co.uk and check out how much it costs to cop off with the Anya Hindmarch Maud for a month (£50. since you asked). It‘s actually quite a prolific trend online: sites like www.bagborrowsteal.com and www.handbaginldawn.com feature exclusive offers and you can have a handcrafted holdall delivered to your door in time for a special occasion. You return it to them a few days. or weeks later. when you (and the rest of the fash
I
The dress is actually from Monsoon, although I don’t think it looks like it is. I had to put it on in a hurry today - I’m a wee bit sunburned and needed something to cover up, as my boyfriend is taking me out for dinner tonight.
I just pulled my dress on over a pair of leggings from Frasers, and these boots, which are actually from Mr Ben’s. That’s the brilliant thing about working in a vintage shop, l’m spoiled for choice.
10 THE LIST 2/1 Apr—8 May 2008
‘IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD YOUR OWN RACHEL ZOE WHY NOT BUY SHARES IN ONE?’
This is a pretty typical way of dressing for me - not the outfit itself, necessarily, but I like to mix vintage with high street fashion, to give it a bit of a twist.
ii,
I really admire Vivienne Westwood: her designs are unique, and I love that. One of my favourite non-vintage places to shop is Pink Poodle on Byres Road - they’ve always got new, exciting stuff to look at. Mostly, though, I get style inspiration from being around vintage clothes all the time. It’s great wearing something individual and one-off that no-one else will have!
pack) have tired of its charms. You may have to pay a membership fee. but it‘s unlikely you'll get tied into a long contract.
Frockinq off
()kay. sweetie. every celebrity starlet needs a stylist. These are rarilied creatures with a canny eye for colour. who treat getting dressed as an art form. If you're unable to afford your own personal Rachel '/.oe. why not buy shares in one'.’ Two stylists in lidinburgh and Glasgow (Laura Russell of Satisfashion and Jade Halbert of The Dresser) are now offering ‘style patties‘ — think Tupperware or Ann Summers. but with the likelihood of being muscled into buying an inappropriate. embarrassing implement significantly reduced. You and your friends each bring round a suitcase of your clothes. and the professional stylist proceeds to 'cleanse' your wardrobes. scouring for pieces that flatter your shape. lifestyle and purse-strings. and suggesting new combinations of clothing you might not have thought of.
Working the (chat)room You can‘t really call yourself a superstar these days unless you roll with an entourage. and to pick one up you need to learn about networking fashionista-style. MySpace's better dressed younger sister. www.fashionspacecom. features profiles of all the fashion folk you need in your life (typical tagline ‘Yeah. my work was in Dazed. . .‘ ). It’s also by far the coolest way to source your style. since it‘s also a boutique. a secondhand store and a clothes swap site. A couple of cool notches down the fashion food chain is www.osoyou.com. another networking site. where you can stalk the shopping habits of ‘friends‘. as everyone has the option of building a wishlist of styles for sale at connected designer and High Street stores.
Remember. darling. you're an :\-l.ister now. Picking up some shallow. flaky. trend-setting friends ought to be a breeze.
In Edinburgh see www.satisfashion.co.uk or call 07801 822234; in Glasgow see www.the-dresser.com or call 07980 969 954.