Kingdom Of Style

Orlando and The Moon...

Orlando Voorn was in Glasgow last night.
Hard to believe it was 7 years ago since he last rocked it at My Machines.
No one was happier to see him than Jason Brunton aka The Moon! He loves Orlando and last night he fulfilled one of his ambitions and got to dj with him. I don't think I have ever seen him look more excited or happy.

It was a busy night in town last night, and despite our wishes, we couldn't be everywhere at once.
1. Chateau Flight were playing at the Sub
2. Orlando and Jason were playing at Stereo
3. Our chum Chris Duckenfield was playing Melting Pot

So we stuck with the Duck.
Greg Wilson was on first!
Two words - disco panto.
Oh deary deary me.
Then Chris.
Two words - different class.

Luckily Orlando was playing an after party put on by The Moon and The Bernardi boys.
I think it was one of the best after parties I have been to, in many a long day.
We got in as Orlando came on. He totally rocked it.
We would probably still be there, except Chris had to catch a train back home and he mentioned a cup of tea!
I think Mr Voorn summed it up best when he declared to Marco - 'this is the shit'
Hopefully it won't be another seven years before he's back.

Congratulations Dearest Moon!

Queen Marie
x

Just one look...

That's all it took!

Research into communication has shown that we send and receive 93% of our feelings and intentions through nonverbal communication, with only 7% of the message being sent with words
Nonverbal message are powerful and likely to be more genuine: because nonverbal behaviors cannot be controlled as easily as spoken words..
It's not hard to read the message that Chantal Biya, The First Lady of Cameroon was sending to Carla Bruni.
I laughed out loud when I saw this shot. It is a full on, good old fashioned 'dirty look'...

Although I can do disdain and disapproval, I'm not really big on the dirty look, unlike Chantal!
*tee hee*

Queen Marie

Stars, stripes and skinny boys...

Looking at these simple but stunning soft cotton t-shirts designed by AlexB for Alex and Chloe, I was reminded of a comment made by Queen Michelle last weekend - "fashion has no mercy"
So I am sad to say, unless you are a tall skinny boy, move along, these t shirts are not for you...

Stars $88

Stripe U $98

If on the other hand, you are tall and skinny, you are going to rock these. Lucky Boy!
I love them they are like a hybrid of old Helmut Lang and Zackee Shariff.

Queen Marie

When words are not enough...

Money can't buy you love.
Neither can it buy a gift handmade with love.
Nothing else comes close.
And when it comes to gifts made with love, I don't think anything will ever come close to what I am about to share with you.
It has taken me several weeks to get post this because I was trying to find the best way of hanging this treasure in my home.

This is my vintage bird chandelier given to me by P&M at the Mad Hatters Tea Party. They led me into the hall with my eyes closed and then asked me to open them. I was totally and utterly speechless... I knew P had been sewing away like a maniac for about three weeks but I had no idea what he was creating.
Each and every little bird has been made and sewn from some other treasure - The Chanel bird from a Chanel top, The Lanvin Bird from Lanvin, The Ralph Lauren Bird - you get the picture. Each little bird is unique and wonderful...

But perhaps the Chanel bird is the most glorious of all, she even sits on a pearl perch...

xxx

The Queen Marie bird, complete with silver crown and silver wings...

The Teatime bird, complete with teacup on his head and little golden teaspoon...

My favourite bird changes every day, because every day I see something new!
Thank You from the bottom of my heart darling P&M.

A grateful Queen Marie
xxx

She's a blooming marvel...

that Tilly Bloom!

Tilly is a good Scottish girl in her '20's who now lives in bonnie Brooklyn, New York, and makes the most wonderful things! She believes that people would be happier if everyone had special objects which seemed to speak to them alone, and gave gifts which were literally unique. Her etsy shop and website are filled with the most wonderful things...

Gone Cuckoo Necklace $23.00

Glove Earrings $14.00

Waiting by the Window Necklace $23.00

The End is Nigh Necklace $23.00

I predict the end is nigh for my bank balance, as I want to buy everything in her shop...

Queen Marie

Neither fish nor fowl...

Some things are a match in heaven and just made to go together - tea and toast, Detroit and techno, Queen Michelle and stripper shoes!
But other things, oh deary me no!
A teddy bear and a lamp. Why not combine them together to create a teddy lamp?

Teddy Lamp £49.99 here

No no no. It's enough to give you and your teddy nightmares.

Or what about this little combination -

Candlelight and Electriclight £60.00 here

Yikes! I would rather sit in the dark...

Queen Marie

He The Mann!

Haider Ackermann. What a guy. He seems delightfully oblivious to seasons and plays by his own rules each and every time. There seems no doubt that he designs for a very specific woman in mind, and don't think it's about body shape, I think it's about attitude. She's some kind of dark, raven haired mermaid who arises from the sea covered in graduated diaphanous silk and jersey in stormy colours instead of seaweed.

For his SS09 collection he sticks very much to his signature look of draped jersey, leather and little flashes of skin. This time the zip is central to many of the looks, open in places to reveal a corner of a hip, or curve of a waist. It's sexy yes, but in a powerful, mesmerising way.

I love that he's included colours like violet, chocolate brown and midnight-blue into this collection, which adds even more depth. I had a look to see if I could find any of his stuff at DSM but I didn't see any. Probably just as well or I may have cried about my lack of funds. Next season though, next season....

Simply put, the Ackermann a friggin' genius.

Queen Michelle

Nude Sheer

After creating the black puffy organza skirt and finding it very useful, I bought some lovely nude organza and created another one. I adore the colour and when worn with dark colours it seems much sheerer than the black one.

Teamed with leather, some black shorts and long socks, it looks less twee and a bit more "oh madam, I can see through your skirt!"

Obviously you might not want to venture out during the day like this - but for a night out to play it's acceptable. Providing my long suffering Prince isn't too horrified about the shorts, I may even wear this on Saturday night.

Queen Michelle

Welcome To Hadronexus

Sara from the excellent Cookie Jar blog emailed me last night pointing me in the direction of her post about her adventures as a dresser for a couple of shows...one of them being Jean Pierre Braganza. Because she knows how much I love his work, she thought I'd appreciate the eye candy. The girl wasn't wrong!

There are no full length, front on shots up anywhere as yet but in a way I like these better since they capture the heart of Jean Pierre's creations as the models hold their bodies in a certain way sensing the essence of the clothes and what they are trying to project. From the few pieces of Braganza I own, I can say that you can't be a shrinking violet in them - they force a degree of ferocity in how you carry yourself. He understands that women very often prefer to exude strength, confidence and power.

Braganza just keeps going from strength to strength. I have said this before and I will say it again - I completely admire his unapologetic approach to design. He knows what he wants to create and you get a strong sense that he will dilute it for no-one. Not for London, not for Karl Lagerfeld and not for Milan.

Whilst the collection, entitled Hadronexus, is undeniably sexy, it goes much deeper to something more challenging. The bandage dresses, the draping and overall structure of each garment is about more than just showing off the body, it's like a form of armour in a literal sense. The plastic, holographic panels look like they belong on a Samurai warrior, protecting the body from harm.

I also admire how he works with similar colours each season with black, greys and pink. I'm particularly curious about the cloudy, vaguely battik-esque pink that I can see here.

But lets get down to the real nitty gritty - the shoes. Oh. My. God. The shoes.

I hope that Two See or Start will stock some of these gorgeous pieces. And hopefully by then I'll have ashiny new job and can blow my first paycheck on some bandaged loveliness.

Queen Michelle

Sharon Wauchob SS09

I adore Irish designer Sharon Wauchob. That woman has an incredible way with texture. Keeping colours simple and muted she chooses to work the tactile quality of fabrics to create drama and impact. I love that she has a freeness about her work - nothing is too tailored.

Her SS09 collection is no exception. Using sheer, light as air fabrics to create edgy yet ethereal looks.

Maybe it's my renewed love of sheer materials but I am this afternoon heading back to the fabric store to buy some more organza, and possibly some lace, to see if I can create some of my own sheer magic.

The mix of gauzy silk, lace and metallics all draped and loosely ruched would be like having clouds gently wrap around your body. Really, who wouldn't like to be wrapped in fluffy clouds?

Queen Michelle