Habitat rolls out into Homebase, winter 2013 sneak preview of this newly accessible collection.

Posted on May 14, 2013 by smudgetikka

Homebase showed off its new collection for winter 2013 last week with a romp through the homes of Sherlock Holmes and the Mad Hatters tea party.

One of the key elements of the new collections is a huge range of new wallpapers with monochromatic oriental prints and graphic fake bookshelves prints amongst the most striking.

Habitat will have a section devoted to itself in the store and the name ranges look pretty sharp under new director Polly Dickens. In mustard, Yves Klein blue and pillarbox red mixed with grey tones the designs are graphic and striking for the winter season ahead.

Bedlinen from Habitat at Homebase for fall 2013 in key colour scheme mustard and grey.

Very Scandinavian looking platters and crockery at Habitat in Homebase for fall 2013

Orange and lime green are the other key colours for the Habitat winter 2013 collection at Homebase

Orange and lime green are the other key retro colours for the Habitat winter 2013 collection at Homebase

Textiles at Habitat in Homebase for winter 2013

Habitat opens its own shop within shop for fall 2013 at Homebase

Vivid Yves Klein blue is used for homeware at Habitat in Homebase for winter 2013

One of the new bookshelf inspired prints in the Sherlock Holmes room at Homebase press preview for fall 2013

Nothing like a simple minimal light, at Homebase for fall 2013 interior style.

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

Poppy England new storybook dresses for fall/winter 2013, kids fun in a chocolate factory

Posted on May 10, 2013 by smudgetikka

Poppy England have been much copied of late with their retro conversational border print dresses for girls and women popping up in various guises at most of the High St retailers.

In answer to this the new fall 2013 collection sees a change of styling with allover prints replacing the simple borders but the main design elements remain, each season has a little storybook to go with each dress and this time the tale is all about Poppy and Fred’s chocolate shop.

The shoot is quite whacky and wild set in its own chocolate world!

Poppy fall/winter 2013, girls and womenswear dresses with a chocolate shop theme.

Poppy fall 2013 one of the new allover prints from this British storytale specialist.

Poppy England for fall 2013, each dress comes with its own story booklet

Poppy England for fall 2013 a beautiful monochromatic print for the winter kidswear season

Poppy fall 2013 girls lollipop dress with co-ordinating t-shirt and tights all from Poppy England

Poppy England, great colour mixes from this girls and womenswear British fashion designer for fall 2013

Poppy fall 2013 close up on the new border and allover prints for kidswear from this British designer

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

Start-rite strong trend colours for kids footwear for summer 2013

Posted on March 26, 2013 by smudgetikka

Start-rite has brightened up some of their classic children’s shoe styles with strong vibrant colours for spring 2013.

This sweet shoot photographed by Katrina Tang showcases some of the new styles and colourways, not all the styles were bought by the individual shops in the UK but they are also available from overseas stockists including web stores.

I worked with Katrina on the production and art direction for the shoot with stylist Kate Van der Hage and we had a great day at the wonderful stately home location Wrest Park just outside Luton which the kids adored running round in.

Star-rite summer 2013 collection for kids fashion shoes.

Start-rite summer 2013. Boys casual shoe styles have updated colours for the spring

Start-rite summer 2013 Classic kids styles with strong punchy colours for the export market.

Start-rite summer 2013. Classic kids shoe styles with strong punchy colours for the export market.

Start-rite summer 2013 for toddlers the summer styling has vibrant patent and suede red leather shoes and boots

Start-rite summer 13 – pastel pink is always one of the strongest sellers for girls shoes in any range!

Start-rite summer 13 children’s shoes campaign photographed by Katrina Tang

Start-rite summer 2013. Classic kids shoes that suit the retro feeling in kids fashion that is a current trend.

Start-rite summer 2013 kids shoe campaign, the beautiful terrace at Wrest Park as the sun goes down.

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

David Bowie Is – The V&A Museums blockbuster summer show, you won’t want to leave it!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by smudgetikka

I have to say straight out I am a David Bowie fan, I am one of those teenagers forever affected by the man, I went to St Martin’s School of Art, I spent my nights down the Blitz nightclub and many other New Romantic Soho haunts and in all fairness I am not going to be an impartial critic here of this incredible Bowie exhibition at the V&A Museum in London for the summer months.

What impressed me apart from the sheer amount of archive material on display was the insight into the planning and control of all his moves. While some of the lyrics were written on the day in the studio as it were, the tours, album covers and persona’s were so fully worked out beforehand that little was left to chance. It reminds you also how completely unafraid he was, in a fairly dangerous climate still at that time in the 70′s for the bi-sexuality he projected.

How on earth do you keep an invoice for a days recording at a studio for 40 years, I shred my accounts every year as they pass the 7yr deadline! Everything has been kept in Bowie’s career and it forms a fascinating tour through the show. The V&A’s biggest problem here will be how to keep the punters moving through the exhibits there is so much to see and linger over, its not just about the costumes, or the interactive music which plays the classic hits as you pass by exhibits but also the influences and techniques he used and there is a fair amount of film to watch too.

The end of the show is amazing, the huge projection screens held the hardened journo’s at the preview spellbound with many sitting for 20 minutes or more watching the archive footage from Top of The Pops and concerts. This is an exhibition to allow 2 hours to progress through as a minimum. The opening is the 23rd of March but It’s already sold out of advanced booking tickets till May, get your ticket quickly before it ends on the 11th August 2013.

Kansai Yamamoto costume from the Aladdin Sane tour of 1973 at the entrance to the V&A Museum David Bowie exhibition

The original lyrics as written by David Bowie for Starman at the V&A museum summer exhibition

Freddie Burretti costume for Starman performance on Top of The Pops 1972, inspired by Clockwork Orange and described by Bowie as ‘Ultra violence in Liberty fabrics’

Handwritten notes on the back of the Hunky Dory album cover show the obsessive control over each part of the process. Bowie’s look here was apparently inspired by Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphie story.

Coffin like display of a replica of the Ziggy Stardust cover jacket 1972 at the V&A Museum

Costume by opera specialist Peter Hall for the Cracked Actor song on the Serious Monlight tour 1983

The V&A Bowie exhibition even has the double head puppets from the new ‘Where are we now?’ video by Tony Oursler

Many of the costumes appear behind a gauze curtain which has videos projected on top at the V&A Museum David Bowie summer exhibition

Huge projections screens in a cavernous space towards the exhibitions end grip the attention, it feels as if you could spend forever in there watching endless re-runs through Bowie’s career.

In later years David Bowie collaborated with Alexander McQueen on many outfits, here a distressed frock coat from 1995 shortly after his graduation from St Martins School of Art.

Designed by Bowie himself for his 50th Birthday concert you’ve got to admire a 50 year old guy with the balls to wear that!

As you exit, back to an early portrait by Masayoshi Sukita from 1972 and Bowie is wearing a pattern mix that could have come from the latest womenswear collections today.

All materials from the David Bowie Archive, the exhibition is a partnership between the V&A Museum and Gucci.

All posts copyright Smudgetikka – permission must be asked for reproduction 2009 – 2013

Beautiful fantasy summer kids fashion shoot from children’s specialist photographer Malin Ngoie

Posted on March 20, 2013 by smudgetikka

This is a really dreamy kids summer fashion shoot from children’s photographer Malin Ngoie who is well known for her shoots for the Swedish kids fashion label How to Kiss a Frog.

The styling by Bettina Vetter has a fantasy old fashioned feel and Malin has had the photos aged so it all looks like an album of a family from long ago but the clothes are bang up to date from this summers top trends. The fantastic hats are by James Walker and add to the otherwordly atmosphere well.