Beautiful Soul–Just As the Name Suggests

 

As most of you know I’m a huge fan of Nicola Woods eco fashion label Beautiful Soul. It’s hardly surprising though with the Japanese flavour running through her collections. Due to her designs being constructed from vintage kimono material. She creates truly one of a kind timeless items to treasure forever. The kind of garments you could pass down through families due to her exquisite craftsmanship.

Beautiful Soul is well known for its eco credentials. Nicola is very careful to keep the brand ethical especially when sourcing fabric and she carefully considers the construction processes and how they effect the environment. All collections are made in London, no third world sweatshop use here.

Along with the ever prevalent kimono material that runs through her collections she also utilises sustainable organic fabrics. Every last scrap of material is put to good use with remnants used for decorative detailing and to fasten the garment. Each garment is multi function too.

Beautiful Soul’s high profile fans include (but not limited to) Samantha Cameron, Kate Nash and Lily Cole.

Now usually I would show some photos of the current collection but in this instance I'm going to show you a video entitled ‘believe’ which is a short film showcasing her S/S 2011 collection. Moving image is a much better way of showing the beauty of the clothes as you can actually see how they move and the shape of the garments better than any photo ever could. This film is a collaboration between Beautiful Soul, photographer Oliver Prout, singer Gabby Young and illustrator Zarina Liew. Enjoy!

 

 

 



Beautiful Soul garments can be bought here

Designer Spotlight–Mihara Yasuhiro

Mihara Yasuhiro is a Japanese designer held in high esteem both in Japan and the rest of the world due to his Avant garde designs with a touch of the urbanite to them.

He started his career in footwear while still at university 17 years ago. They quickly became popular thanks to their innovative edge. In 1997 he formed his footwear label Miharayasuhiro and a year later he opened his first shop Sosu in Tokyo. Once his domination of the footwear scene was complete he smoothly transitioned into menswear with a signature style that’s understated and simply chic.

Being a designer that’s always expanding into different markets – never stopping, aiming higher he now designs womenswear. Last autumn he debuted his S/S 2011 womenswear collection at Japan Fashion Week. It doesn’t fail to deliver – from nautical to rock chic, dressy casual, knitwear, tailored blouses and truly innovative footwear. He utilises high quality fabrics including silk, cotton, wool and the workmanship of his collection is exquisite. This collection has something for everyone. He is definitely one to watch he may not yet be a household name like Issey Miyake or Yohji Yamamoto but it’s only a matter of time.

		S/S 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Mihara Yasuhiro’s S/S 2011 collection is available exclusively at Browns Fashion in London

Uniqlo +J S/S 2011 Collection now on sale

Uniqlo’s premium collection +J went on sale at 1am today. The collection is held in high esteem by fashion lovers for its excellent quality materials including cotton, cashmere and wool and the construction is on a par to the luxury brands.

The tailoring is exquisite with some of my fave pieces being the cotton wrap skirts, long sleeved shirt dresses and the cashmere v neck cardigans.

Are you a uniqlo fan? What are your favourites?

5 S/S 2011 Trends I'm Loving!

After Xmas comes the massive January sales. I look forward to these every year as soo many bargains are to be had. I already know what items i'll be looking out for and they are all s/s 2011 trends. This post also ties in nicely with Day 2 of Problogger's 31 Days to a better blog which i've just started to work my way through. It really is essential reading for all bloggers. Day 2 is making a list post so here I'll be listing my 5 top s/s 2011 trends which is also my shopping list for the sales. What a multitask-er I am!

1. Lace

Lace just reminds me soo much of romance. I love the classic look of it and I'd love to find lace dresses like the ones above. I'd like one in black AND white. Black seems a little more edgy to me while white is ultra feminine.

2. Biker

I love biker jackets. I already own a grey cropped one and now I'm craving a studded black one. These jackets go with pretty much everything - with a pretty dress for an edgier look, with a pair of skinny jeans, with shorts and tight and paired with a flowing skirt. Soo many choices that's why I have to have one. Ideally I'd like the one above (its from Topshop).

3. Clogs.

They're not a new trend per se as clogs were big news in 2010. But they will still e on trend for 2011. If I can find a pair that aren't sky scraper high I will be buying them. That's the problem when your so tall most of the lovely shoes are very high and I don't need the extra height.

4. Kitten Heels

I can't tell you how happy I am that these are back in fashion. As I said before I've been craving some lower heeled stylish shoes and now that they're back in fashion I'll have a chance of finding some. Yay! Schuh do some really nice ones so I'll be visiting there with my spending money. Kitten heels are very mad men - esque which is definitely a good thing in my book.

5. Tassels

Tassells are going to be everywhere in 2011. From belts to tops, jewellery and of course shoes. I already own a tasseled belt which I love by the way and now i want some tasseled shoes or boots. Can you tell I have a thing for shoes? What woman doesn't?

So what trends are you coveting for next spring? Will you be doing a whole load of shopping in the January sales? Have any of you bloggers completed probloggers 31 DBB challenge?

Fuyume!

Japanese Designer Issey Miyake's new S/S 2011 Collection