It’s always the case that you get very unappreciative of the city that you live in because you’re there day in, day out. London especially can seem dreadful at the worst of times. Tube delays, sodding rain, the push and shove of the crowded streets..and all the rest of it. Yesterday however, having missed my stop on the Strand, I found myself crossing Waterloo bridge, overlooking the London Eye, Westminster, Big Ben and to the East, St. Paul’s, and it made me realise that I’ve forgotten that London can be pretty.
Maaike Mekking thinks so too as she has taken London’s skyline and printed it on a top and a dress for her SS08 collection entitled Kattekwaad. From the tough ‘She’s Lost Control’ AW07 collection, she’s gone for a much softer look that is inspired by the circus, childsplay and general daydreaming (the inevitable star print crops up but in a very pleasing way…. if you didn’t know, I have an aversion to stars/rainbows, first spawned by a Matthew Williamson dress…).
A recognisable skyline on clothes may sound like a poor sandwich board attempt by a tourist board but the skyline is so subtle and sort of reminds me of the Muji City in a Bag wooden blocks. I had a bit of a thing for those Muji Cities in a Bag and got practically all of them, bar the elusive Hong Kong set which was only on sale for a short period of time.
The simplification and paring down of these recognisable landmarks makes them prime for replicating on clothes and with the right colours and shapes, the result, like Maaike Mekking’s dresses wouldn’t be a novelty kitsch mistake at all.
I love the dress AND top. What a great idea.
LOVE that first dress. I have a black handbag with Londons skyline embroidered in silver across it; its gets plenty of compliments!
The dresses are sensational.
I can’t wait to get to NY and buy out the Muji store.
Wow, very gorgeous. The dresses and your city, makes me want to move there even more now. I think Marc Jacobs did a city type shirt a while back, loved it so much.
I have the New York Muji. I didn’t know they made others. I’ll have to hunt them down.
Oh! My friends bought me the Paris bag, The Hong Kong one would have been fabulous too!
Love the skyline pic Susie – it immediately got me pining for London!And when you mentioned Primrose Hill a while back it got me pining again cos it was right where I lived for a yr in Belsize Park. Oh London – but I don’t envy you the winter! Luv the blog!
I love city skylines. I have an Esprit shirt from six years ago that barely fits me anymore and is coming apart at the hem, but even though my mom’s always after me to throw it out, I refuse to throw it away because it has the San Francisco skyline at the bottom.
The dress is adorable. The top is nice too, but I like the dress better. 🙂
Hi Susie, I just saw the Hong Kong blocks at the Muji in Singapore. I stopped myself at three cities, but I think I’m going back to get the rest!