POST CARDS FROM KENT: DESIGNER NANA BOATENG

Historically, August has been the month for the fashion set to withdraw and vacation on their island or continent of choice in an attempt to re-charge for the brutal September grind (aka fashion weeks all over the place!) One of our favorite designers, Nana Boateng, followed suit and checked in with us while on vacay.


england - kent is a county in southeast england with a fine reputation. the abundance of orchards and gardens in the region have lent to it being called, "england's garden," and so it's no wonder menswear designer, nana boateng, opted to choose it for his summer holiday. the beverly hills based, ghanian born clothier has been staying in a country home there for the past seven weeks. as he tells the blay report though, it's certainly not a case of all play and no work. in fact he's been sneaking in business trips across the channel to france and to the london. expect lots of new developments come fall. but in the meantime, i beg, get into his athletic-chic get up. it makes me want to play a sport myself, or at least watch men do it. i'm sure my good friend laila would agree.

SPOTLIGHT ON MARJAN PEJOSKI'S FALL 2009 COLLECTION

Structure and slouch juxtapose to create a chic silhouette for Marjan Pejoski's Fall 2009 Collection.


london/worldwide - i love these looks from the fall 2009 fall collection of designer, marjan pejoski, which is available in stores now. does the name sound familiar to you? maybe not, but the celebs who wear marjan pejoski should: rihanna, katy perry, lady gaga. they all gravitate towards the sophisticated, deconstructed, pieces created by this macedonian designer and central saint martins graduate. pejoski also helms a second line, kokon to zai, which is equally sought after by celebs and hard core fashionistas alike. he has been on the one's to watch list for a very long time, earning the prestigious "next generation" distinction during london fashion week in 2000 and well as 2001. he is also the designer of the legendary egg-laying swan dress worn by recording artist bjork to the oscar's several years back. i encourage you to visit his website to learn more.

OH, SO THEY ARE BACK AGAIN? AQUASCUTUM NOW IN LONDON FASHION WEEK

london - so after removing themselves from teh schedule, legendary british label, aquascutum is back. instead of doing a full on show though, they have revamped for a quiet presentation attheir regent's street store. smart move!

RIHANNA AS A STYLE ICON: I DON'T SEE IT

london - behold rihanna walking the red carpet of the "inglorious basterds" premier in london (brilliant title by the way.) so not sure what labels she's wearing on the red carpet, but i'm pretty sure that i don't believe the party line of the pop artist being one of this generations most stylish talents. i think she is the best styled and is a great mannequin who wears clothes well. but i simply don't believe the hype. as i've said a few times before when i see her, all i can think of is an episode of made where a teen is transformed from their true selves into their aspirational one. which versio is authentic is debatable. but rihanna's style prowess isn't. i give praise to her stylist and not her style sense for her amazing transformation. just had to share....

OH HOW I LOVE THIS: TILDA SWINTON IS THE NEW FACE OF PRINGLE

london - be honest: you haven't cared about pringle of scotland in ages, and this is the firt time you've felt a tingle of excitment at the mention of their name. lets thank the legend and icon, tilda swinton for that miracle. i absolutely live and die and live again for the actress who has stared in a host of hollywood films including burn after reading (not her most prolific, but the only one i remember at the moment.) she was recently shot by ryan mcginley in scotland. the photos will debut during london fashion week and will be used for their spring 2010 campaign. genius move p.o.s. genius!

OSSIE CLARK SHUTS DOWN: ARE YOU SURPRISED?

london - one of the most exciting fashion moments for me in recent history has been the re-opening of ossie clark . i cannot say that this is a brand i knew much about prior to last year, but you could not help but be caught up in the history and nostalgia of it all, once it was purchased by marc worth. the entrepreneur, he launched worth global style network, was ready to rejuvenate the label , ala harvey weinstein and halston here in the states. months later, those plans have fizzled. the ostentatious reason is the recession, but things didn't seem to be going too well for them before that anyway. their debut in february of last year at london fashion week wasn't exactly a resounding success and in recent months their new creative director, avsh alomgur left to focus on his own line. i'm sad to see it go, but sadder still to say this was predictable.....

GOD BLESS THE STYLIST OF THIS V-MAGAZINE COVER SHOOT

london - i can't remember the last time i took a second look at any cover cameron diaz ever did. pretty girl, i know. but boring and uber-vanilla. i was never interested: until now. mert alas and marcus piggot worked their magic on diaz for the current issue of vmagazine. diaz is wearing prada shorts and boots. get into the bra please - which is nothing but good old gaffer tape. get more at www.vmagazine.com, then come back to me. 

 

PLEASE GET INTO HER: LITTLE BOOTS

london - blaynistas, a very high five if you already know about victoria hesketh, aka little boots. she is an electro pop artists from england who is already a certified sensation. i had the pleasure of styling her for paper magazine's summer issue, currently out on newsstands. and beyond being - an obviously - gifted musician was struck by how effortlessly stylish she was. no wonder then that she was recently snapped in a head to toe henry holland look during her performance at the glastonbury music festival. her look was a take on henry's spring summer 2010 collection and incorporated chunky crystals from SWAROVSKI which gave the entire outfit sparkle and dimension on stage. holand commissioned pretty polly to create the tights which little boots is wearing. i hear the process of hand studding them  with SWAROVSKI crystals took hours to achieve. so worth it!

images via getty (obvi!) and mandi lennard. 

THE DEFINITION OF GOOD NEWS: VIVIENNE WESTWOOD'S SON TO LAUNCH A MENSWEAR LINE

london - i'll admit it: i had no idea that vivienne westwood even had kids, let alone two uber successful ones. her first son, joe corre is the founder of my favorite lingerie brand agent provocateur. her second, ben westwood is a noted photographer who is now launching his own line of menswear. no images have been released yet, but the line will initially be sold at corre's new stor, a child of the jago in london.

BAILEY AND MASSENET ARE OFFICIALLY FASHION ROYALTY

london, england - i will always, always wonder how this feels: to be honored by your queen and country, not for your significant contribution, not in science, or politics - but fashion. that, my dear blaynistas, is the true epitome of fabulosity. but i digress (slightly.) christopher bailey, creative director at burberry and natalie massenet, founder of netaporter.com have been honored by the queen of england for their contribution to the u.k's fashion industry. the official title bequeathed upon them is an MBE or member of the order of the british empire. what's the equivilant in america? can uncle obama start giving out purple hearts for professionals in the fashion industry? lord knows it's a battle field. zandile blay

HEAVEN ON A ROPE: BECKHAM FOR ARMANI UNDERWEAR

london - you know the back story already don't you...? thousands showing up at selfridge's to see the unveiling of the new ads featuring david beckham for armani underwear....i understand the mania....do you? zandile blay

EMMA WATSON FOR BURBERRY? BRILLIANT

london - harry porter fans are already quiet familiar with brit actress emma watson, who plays hermione in the block-buster films. she's growing up into a beautiful young woman, a fact which did not escape burberry creative director, christopher bailey. he selected watson as the new face of burberry and she is already starring in the label's new ad campaign. she follows in the footsteps of legendary brit beauties like kate moss, agyness deyn and rachel weiz, all of whom have been the face of the label. besides the perks of the exposure this brings watson, there's also a reported six-figure deal. congrat$. zandile blay

photos via metro uk

ASDA POACHES TOP MARKS & SPENCER EXECS

london - so clearly, uk supermarket chain asda made a pass at two marks & spencer execs and scored. it's been announced that arman ajemil and steve jackson, both former execs at m&s will now have senior roles at george, a subsidiary of asda. marks and spencer management must be gagging - just a little!  zandile blay

photo: arsshopping.com

HARVEY NICHOLS JUST GOT GOT FOR THEIR GOODS

london  - so that title is hood vernacular, it loosely translates into: thieves just stole a whole heap of clothing from uber trendy and luxurious british retailer harvey nichols. the robbery was described as "smash-and-grab" where a gang of robbers literally smash their way into the store and grab as many items as they can. in this case it happened right after 1:30 a.m and involved six suspects who pulled up to the store on motorcycles and used sledgehammers to work their way in. they went straight for jewelry among other things. according to wgsn, these guys are part of a mob called fagin's kitchen who have stolen more than $6 million dollors worth of goods. does anyone else see a movie script coming on? zandile blay

image via citizen-citizen.com

YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE MATTHEW WILLIAM$ON ONLINE

www - file this under the striking while the iron is hot category. one of my fave designers, matthew williamson  - of the legendary and of the moment h&m collaboration - is launching a new ecommerce site. it will sell pieces from his catwalk collections as well as his toned down commercial pieces. accessories and online exclusives will be available. the site is being developed in partnership with a uk based company called pod 1.  founder  of pod 1 said  of the site, " ... for a celebrated designer of matthew williamson's caliber, it is vital this his client base can access all of this in one dedicated area..." agreed. that said, i am super confused. isn't it 2009? why are so many designers and retailers seemingly JUST getting e-commerce on their sites. by now they should have evolved past this to new technologies that allow clients to have a fuller and more dynamic retail experience. not to mention a blog on each site whichsyndicates the blay report! amen somebody!! 

 zandile  blay

I'M GOING TO NEED THESE IN MY LIFE: HUSSEIN CHALAYAN FOR J BRAND DENIM

usa - for those of us who didn't think it was possible to top lanvin and acne denim's collaboration, here's one for you: london based designer hussein chalayan is reportedly partnering together with iconic denim label jbrand to create a line of jeans.....can you hear the angels singing?.....

SO...SCARY SPICE'S LATEST RED CARPET LOOK: FASHIONABLE OR FUGLY?

IS CHRISTINA AGUILERA'S LOOK A CRIME AGAINST FASHION?

london - well that's how bloggers seem to be treating it. the pop singer wore it to the africa rising event in london earlier this week. its not exactly the best look christina has worn down the red carpet. but then again, what is? she always seems over done and tranny-ish. she reminds me of a baby-cher, circa 1996. i agree that its a fugly look, but for aguilera, its normal.

Guess Which Fashion Writer Is Doing A College Speaking Engagement?

london - if you guessed me, you guessed right! it's official. i am doing my first (well really my second) college speaking engagement. it is free and open to the public and takes place at quinnipiac college on october 13th. i am also doing a radio appearance that morning. blaynistas in the connecticut area please come. would be great to meet you in person. check out the announcement here. i feel proud of myself on this one. :-) (p.s don't you love how i bust out the old headshot knowing i look NOTHING like that now with my shaved head? i may pop on a lace front for these young kids so they can appreciate me in all my 32 inch spanish deep wave glory.)

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD THE DEEJAY? BELIEVE IT!

london - we all love the clothes that dame vivienne westwood designs, so perhaps we'll love her music? the legendary designer is releasing an album on september 15th (right at the beginning of london fashion week.) i almost wish it was of songs she's recorded herself, but instead, it's a compilation of  her favorite tunes. the album, titled catwalk compilations,  will be sold at selfridges in london. if you are a really good reader, i may just buy a few from selfridges when i'm in london and give it away on this site. how would you like that? 

photo: dailymail