Because you can't have depths without surfaces.
Linda Grant, thinking about clothes, books and other matters.
Pure Collection Ltd.
Net-a-porter UK

Friday 19 September 2008

A resolution and a wrecked back

Thank you for your very many suggestions. I hope anyone in my predicament has been following and taking notes.

Yesterday morning I received a useful email from a fashion editor I'd been talking to at the Anya Hindmarch press day who said that she thought the point was not buying a fabulous new dress for the occasion but putting together an outfit that worked for the occasion, parts of which will be televised. She gave some some tips about black, why not to wear it but how to offset it if you do (with gold). On that basis I went to my final stop, Liberty ,yesterday. There were only a handful of long dresses and while a couple had sleeves they were heavily beaded, cost thousands and not my kind of thing.

What they also had were several of the kinds of jackets I'd been thinking of, so I determined that I will wear my sea green MaxMara dress. There were a couple of lovely Dries van Noten jackets, though very expensive, and I was prepared to consider them. But when I got to the Issey Miyake Pleats Please section, I found a very simple but beautifully cut and structured black jacket at only £200. And which I could wear with anything. I bought that jacket, but decided I would go and take a look at the Issey Miyake Pleats Please shop off Bond Street to see if they have it in any other colours. Found it was closed for renovation until Monday, so I will go back then.

At home, I put together the dress with the jacket and a gold, jade and labradorite statement necklace. It looked sensational. As my friend R. in Istanbul, said, during an hour long phone conversation last night, the jacket would be even better in dark green. Anya Hindmarch is very kindly lending me the sample of next season's gold python clutch for the evening. So at present we have a theme of sea green black and gold which I think is simple but sophisticated (and all good colours for me.)

So I'm done. My back is totally wrecked from walking around for four hours in high-heeled boots on Wednesday, I don't want to see another shop for a long long time - at least, oh, four or five days? And that was starting with a dress I already have. The day of the prize 14 October, I'll post pictures of the whole outfit.

The only two pleasures of the past two days have been Anya's press day which was basically girls in a sweetshop (and I've ordered that python clutch for next summer) and, the sudden upsurge in interest by US publishers in The Clothes On Their Backs. For US readers, I will have more to report next week.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! You can't go wrong with Pleats Please, but I definitely think you should go to the shop and take the Maxmara dress with you, as you may find a contrasting colour that looks even better than the black.

I saw the beginnings of the collection before they closed and the long evening pieces were sensational. And I'm always surprised at the reasonable prices.

One piece of advice - ask to be put on the customer mailing list. They do sale previews and champagne receptions from time to time.

Linda Grant said...

Yes, I will definitely go back with the dress. I had semi-forgotten about PP. I bought several pieces in late 90s which I sold a couple of years ago on ebay and found they really held their value. I think the jacket I have will work well, but would work better in a contrasting colour, as you say. The cut is very good - it's cut-away at the sides like a frock coat which is always helpful on disguising the hips. I'd love the same thing in green or possibly gold/bronze. And I'll definitely put myself on the mailing list.

Compared with Dries at £500+ I thought PP was really cheap though the IM pieces more in the Dries price range.

Geraldine Ryan said...

Well done, Linda! Can't wait to see the outfit put together!

Anonymous said...

Linda, I received a card in the post last week. Pleats Please are having a reopening champagne celebration all day next Thursday 25th and offering 10% discount on selected items on that day.

Linda Grant said...

Thanks for that but I think I'd like to go in when it's as quiet as possible so I can have a sales person pull out stuff from the stock room. Though I might go back on the Thursday anyway if there's going to be 10% of something I like.

Anonymous said...

Linda, don't hesitate to tell them where you'll be wearing it!

Anonymous said...

Like many readers, I suspect, I've been much preoccupied with 'the sleeves question' over the last few days, so wanted to say congratulations on finding such an elegant solution.

Even if you don't manage to find the jacket in a different colour, sea green, black and gold sounds gorgeous. Hope your back feels better soon.

Anonymous said...

Bravo!! A good jacket is definitely a major(or as we accountants put it, 'significant')asset in the closet - I tend to buy jackets and then build a bunch of pieces around it. And going with green is always a really good bet - looks great, is unique and memorable and when you win, you'll stand out in the photograph where you are surrounded by adoring men in tuxedos.

Miss Cavendish said...

Pleats Please sounds perfect. I can't wait to see the whole ensemble. The men in their uniform tuxedos will be so jealous.

Anonymous said...

I am so relieved you've found something finally. Now looking forward to the photo on the night and, of course, hearing who wins. Good luck once again.