More Love for Louise

First, I mess up the blog on Typepad and now I give you blurry pics. Just call me Calamity Blogging Jane.  Despite my own poor images and the relative flatness of catwalk images (full video here…), I do want to convince people that Louise Amstrup’s AW08-9 collection, the first she showed at ON|OFF this season, is darn right beautiful.

At the buying appointment for Brittique at Cube PR, though Ms. Amstrup was there herself to talk me through everything and though she explained that she influenced by David Lynch’s female characters, which I found fascinating… the bottom line is that I loved, loved loved practically every piece in the collection.  I don’t want to name favourites but I didn’t expect to find my staple items within the collection but there you go – a heavy, fabric-laden leather edged wool coat and a semi-hexagonal shaped bag made of strategic panels of patent, light grey and dark grey leather.  I expected to find many instant-love items – i.e. things that I don’t really need but that isn’t the point.  But not the important weighty things so for just those two items, I could gush about Louise Amstrup.

But then the instant-love items translates into the wonderful details shown by dresses like the ones below.  Rope embellishment, leather straps, satin that has been colour stripped using dye stripper (I’m sorry Louise but I may need to borrow this idea off you….)…   

The intriguing prints were inspired by Man Ray’s solarisation/Rayography photographic techniques and they play out on these beautifully draped shirts.   

This one in particular is a beaut as it has this chiffon detailing that drapes down the front and attaches at the back with poppers but you can release it and wear the chiffon as a scarf or whatever way you want…

The colours are also all very ‘Susie’ and being a die-hard navy fan means this coat combined with leather geometric panels comes a close second to the sweeping one above.  Louise said that the coat can also be worn belted up if the loose bubble look isn’t for you.  I also love the double collar detailing that Louise employs frequently.   

I couldn’t love the collection properly if it didn’t have this array of skirts that it did…  a flared skirt that needs to be lifted up and kicked about to reveal a beautiful orange and ivory satin lining // a side ruffle skirt // that leather panelling is repeated in this skirt.   

I don’t think I’ve said before how I am re-discooering my love for bodies (shock horror!).  But hey… the 80s’-90s’ got it right… they do give a very clean line to the bod.  Plus these bodies here are a little more on the interesting side.  Louise says she likes to have a few in every collection.   

Oh, and I’m wearing a Louise Amstrup dress today, a dress that I’ve worn loose but can be belted in, a feature that Amstrup likes to maintain in her designs.  Actually, there is a general feeling of adaptability and ease of movement in her work, particularly in this collection that is what makes me express the triple L (that’s..er.. love by the way….) for Louise Amstrup.  Ease of wear crossed over with complexity, a contrast that is not easy to achieve.