Latest ChinaShop Pieces

[ 14 November 2009 ]

Hopeless Hotel

Hopeless Hotel is my new favourite lingerie line. Based in Melbourne, Australia, this is a one woman show. Owned, operated & lovingly hand-stitched by Gabrielle Adamidis, her vintage-inspired delicates are in a league all of their own.

With her latest range inspired by Jaws, this is one unconventional place to look to for your skimpy but fabulous underthings. She says, “I love basing my collections around a film… But instead of the obvious things I like looking further into screenshots, like the shape of the shark’s teeth & gums, the shape of the old boat, the swell of the ocean, & then translating that into shapes for the underwear.” Any cinephile will be delighted to hear that she has tabs on basing future ranges around Revenge of the Nerds, Singin’ in the Rain, Jurassic Park, The Graduate, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, & anything featuring Vincent Price!...

Rethinking Outerwear

Revise… hats. They have a new shape & beautiful peaks to propel us forward into the future. It’s not all shapeless beanies & loose-fitting snoods any more! Equestrian helmets, bowlers, cloches, turbans & ushankas can all be snapped up for a pittance & worn to great effect. They’re wonderful for disguising a bad hair day, & somehow able to miraculously garner attention while at the same time diverting it away from your rain-soaked visage. Don’t be afraid of this fabulous accessory…

Jimmy Choo & Sonia Rykiel for H&M

Designer collaborations with retail giants like Target, The Gap & H&M seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Kate Moss works with TopShop, Rodarte teamed up with Target & even Alexander McQueen has released capsule collections so that people who aren’t on the very top of the fashion pile can get in on the fun.

What’s the value of these deals? It’s really all about economics. Of course — like there was ever any doubt! The appeal of the designer label brings a new type of customer to the mass-market retailer, while women who don’t read Vogue are given more exposure to the high-end label in question. There’s definite hype factor, too: the idea that those of us on a modest budget can suddenly own something by one of our most desired labels sends the internet all a-flutter.

But is it really worth it?...

The WORLD Brought To You By New Zealand

Known for their distinctive & bold use of color, wild silhouettes & a radical, subversive sense of humor, WORLD are one of New Zealand’s most fantastic exports. Founded by Denise L’Estrange-Corbet & Francis Hooper in 1989, they say that “the initial idea for WORLD was hatched at a bus stop late one night”...

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Tags: aesthetic, gala, inspiration