in defence of prettiness

i've always had a soft spot for pretty things. don't get me wrong, i appreciate the structural beauty of martin margiela, and the clean lines of thomas tait coats. musically, i've been stuck in a joan jett phase for months, and i wear eyeliner like some people do their wedding rings. but when it comes to clothes, and the editorials i lust after the most, give me floaty, dreamy and princess-like any day of the week. part and parcel of my constantly trying convince myself that my life is a sofia coppola film is obsessing over frothy, barely-there, gorgeous gowns and low lighting and you know, glasses of wine in the bath. but when it comes couture, for quite a while, pretty has been something of a dirty word. a slight condescension. a buzzword for something non-directional. and let's face it, directional is what keeps fashion moving forwards, keeps designers pushing forward and makes the industry the creative hub that it is. but this season, pretty took on a whole new direction of it's own. it doesn't just mean simple, or cutesy anymore. perhaps after so many seasons of tight-laced corsets, studded shoes and tailored trousers (all of which are brilliant, by the way), we wanted to get back to basics. call it the kate middleton effect, but wanting to be a princess is definitely no longer a past time for five year old girls.

valentino

look at what pier paolo picciolo and maria grazia chuiri did at valentino this season. there was a beautiful folklore twist, but what predominantly wafted down the runway was velvet flowers, wafer-thin leather and lace upon lace. the clothes were so delicate, so feminine, so pretty - and yet not too saccharine. emma hill at mulberry brought a tour de force of everything dainty; buttery leather, sobert shades and lace, broderie and embellishment. all the things you crave and love, a whole pick 'n' mix of trends; but until now, it was just wasn't quite the look du jour. this isn't necessarily something that's just emerged; i clocked this in AW11 when marc jacobs for louis vuitton reintroduced "the woman" with his 60s inspired silhouettes, biting back at the androgynous movement that had dominated the scene for seasons.

mulberry

hands down, my favourite had to be louis vuitton. they illustrate my point perfectly; the leather dominatrix boots they made last season were a sell-out success. but jacobs and the rest of team did a complete u-turn for SS12 by creating one of the most gorgeous, soft and consistently feminine collections of the season. candy colours, oversized lattice colours, big buttons and a hint of the classic new look dior "bar suit" made for an absolute feast for the eyes. sure, there were items that were a little edgier, like biker jackets, but the icy pastel shades they were fashioned in landed the whole collection back in a more sugary tone. if you've always turned your nose up at more feminine trends, or still think it's a little basic, i urge you, try something different this season. a big ol' embellished colour for newbies. or for seasoned saccharine pros like me, mix up some sorbet shades and get down with the lace. seriously, the sun's coming out now - you've got no excuse! 

louis vuitton