Northern Soul

 Karen Walker's style is often described as a mixture of elements. Masculine and feminine, cute and Gothic, pleasant and ugly. Her juxtaposing style and androgynous tailoring is what gives her designs an edge. The New Zealand designer has a very big international profile and sells her designs world wide.

As soon as I saw Karen Walkers A/W 11 collection I thought, this is right up my street! I then discovered the collection was inspired by the northern soul movement (a dance and music movement during the 60s in the north of Britain) WELL!...anything with the word North in it and my ears prick up! Members of the movement were young working class youths who would dance all weekend at the popular northern soul clubs then return to their jobs come Monday morning. I think its the working class feature that I can really relate to, I find this collection accessible, cute and girly but at the same time cool and edgy. I particularly LOVE the printed shirt teamed with masculine cut trousers.

Although the collection has a very obvious, clear reference to the northern soul movement, when I see it I often relate it to "indie kids", maybe it is the androgynous styling of the clothes, as indie girls are often seen donning feminine clothes with an edge, for example the calf length floaty skirts with black vinyl detailing, making it feel contemporary and fierce. Also following the theory that somewhere along the lines subcultures will link together (see 'small world') then I feel these two closely fit. Both influenced heavily by music and a working class youth subculture.

Pieces of the collection do stand out as fitting with the indie style for example the polo shirt, very iconic amongst indie kids and often worn by the male members of the group. The baggy jumper, indie kids often sport an over sized, vintage jumper for a more casual look. Also the mix of floral print and black vinyl reminds me of indie festival chic, when girls wear floaty floral summer dresses with leather biker jackets or waistcoats. The combination of feminine and masculine reflects indie style and the overall styling with brogues and ankle socks, sets off the whole mood. Another amazing collection from Karen Walker, I think you would agree.

Karen Walker from my perspective does relate to the indie kid subculture of our time, her juxtaposed often mix matched style reflects the style of the indie kids, who often opt for a mash up of vintage finds, rather than a high street trend. Walker also designs a range for 'urban outfitters' a popular high street store, which manifests a vintage style for an urban lifestyle, also a store which is popular amongst youths with an indie style.

If we adventure back in time and take a peak at Karen Walkers past collections we see more influence of that individual style, for example 'the society of bright young things' 2001 collection again the juxtaposed style is present, graphic printed t shirts teamed with floral skirts and the 'Queenie was a dog' collection spring/summer 04 presents buttoned up shirts with braces and masculine cut trousers, close to the androgynous style of the 'indie chicks' its the cool edgy detail of her collections that make it really appealing to the indie kids. Her style is a whole bricolage of different looks nicely moulded to create an individual look. I guess every collection has room for ambiguity, different people take a different view, I like that, its what makes fashion fun and all the more exciting.

Karen Walker for Zooey Deschanel

 

 So, wouldn't it be cute if Karen Walker decided to design an outfit for Zooey Deschanel? thats what I thought, so I took it upon myself to do it for her :) there it is above...An adorable printed chiffon/lace blouse with a pleated under skirt and long chiffon over layer, complete with shoes and ankle socks!  

BAND OF OUTSIDERS

I think it’s safe to say that Scott Sternburg, the designer behind the brand 'Band of outsiders' impressed us all once again with this preppy, New York hipster style A/W 11 collection. It featured fur, checked trousers, cargo pants, heels inspired by hiking boots, duffel coats, corduroy and stripes! All of which I LOVE. 

I think it is Sternberg's laid back style that I like most about his collections; I like how everything seems to layer up, yet look so fitting together. Although it is laid back it still looks amazingly chic, the women look strong and powerful due to the androgynous styling and big presence of their fur coats and chunky hiking boot heels. As for the menswear, he has a knack for making them all look rather attractive. The layered knitwear and camel coloured cargos, teamed with boat shoes gives them an uber cool laid back style. 

It may be this that makes me distinguish such a distinct link between his clothes and the indie subculture, although probably more clean cut than the average ‘indie kid’ his collections offer everything they would ever want from a wardrobe. A preppy and somewhat vintage edge to the clothes, blazers, roll cuff trousers, polo shirts, deck shoes, check flannel shirts and baggy sweaters just to name a few key ‘indie’ items. I think the two go hand in hand, I can definitely imagine some of the indie people I know donning the band of outsiders brand. Especially the slim fitting tailored camel trousers for the summer; rolled up with a pair of deck shoes....oh I can’t wait for summer!

Not only are the clothes appealing to this subculture of individuals, the overall marketing of the company is just so fitting. For example their website, it has the feel of a blog, and has a mixture of things as well as fashion, so there is a whole lifestyle feature going on within their brand, which I feel relates to the indie lifestyle almost perfectly. The Polaroid’s on the website make it look quite vintage and also incorporates the idea that people buying their clothes will be interested in photography as they present the clothes in a cool photographic way. Oh and James Marsden is also modelling their clothes (oooooooffftttt) They also have members of bands from the indie scene modelling their clothes for example Brandon Flowers (the killers)

The name of the brand ‘Band of outsiders’ is also very fitting to the indie subculture, as there whole ideology is to be ‘individual’ and different, an outsider! The brand creates a whole lifestyle, which people like indie kids can buy in to, lets face it, and it is a pretty cool brand!

As for indie chicks, this brand doesn’t go far wrong, their women’s range entitled ‘boy’ offers everything for them, cute vintage style shirts and skirts, preppy style blazers, shorts, calf length pleats, metallic oxfords…adorable! The range is modelled by Kirsten Dunst, making it all the more appealing. (She’s so cute)  

The brand features in many magazines most of which are also associated with indie kids, meaning they will have access to the brand and it will appeal to them. A few magazines it has featured in are dazed and confused, nylon, w magazine and the fader. I think the overriding feature, making this brand so indie, is that the models used, look like what I would describe an indie kid! It couldn’t be any more obvious what the target market is here, there is definitely a specific type of person who buys this brand and indie kids are one of them! Its cool, fresh and preppy, I really like it.

ADAM

Adam Lippes’ aim is ‘to help all those real women square the circles of their desires, and show them clothes that are pretty and sexy and edgy and elegant and very now’

His brand ADAM is a very accessible one, suitable for women of all shapes and sizes, he creates pieces that are pretty, sexy, edgy but elegant all at the same time.

Adam Lippes started out his fashion career working for Ralph Lauren, then later for Oscar de la Renta, in 2004 he decided to pursue his dream and set up his own label.

I don’t particularly associate ADAM as a brand with ‘indie kids’ as I think the whole idea of the brand is to appeal to all women, and often I feel his clothes are for an older target market, however his fall 2011 collection caught my eye, as I am looking into indie kids, this collection immediately stood out to me. Looking at the catwalk photos, I noticed the thick rimmed glasses, the iconic checked pattern and chunky knitwear. To me they resembled indie style girls; I especially liked the thick rimmed glasses which are noticeably indie and also a popular accessory. Other style details such as shirts buttoned all the way to the top, for a geeky/preppy style stood out as being a distinct indie style. Also styling such as ankle socks with heels, giving it a vintage feel. The calf length shirt dresses are girly and preppy; I can imagine an indie girl wearing one of those to a festival or gig.

Adam Lippes manages to mix perfect tailoring with girly charm and add an edge to top it off. I think his fall 11 collection has done exactly that. It feels to me like an indie range but more perfected and less rough around the edges. Another defining feature of the collection is the colour palette. The blue of the check stands out and is bold, against the maroon and natural hues of the rest of the clothes. I would definitely associate the colours with indie; they do not wear many bright colours and often opt for natural tones or dark colours, as seen in this collection. The stripes used in a chunky cardigan are relevant to the indie culture and are very dominant within their clothing, for example in knitwear and casual t shirts.

Also notice the models Lippes has used, very plain looking, not much makeup with long hair tied back. Very reminiscent of the look of indie girls, they tend not to wear much makeup and wear simple hairstyles like very long straight hair or tied back.

The whole piece has been styled in an indie style, along with accessories, makeup and clothing.

Whilst creating this collection one of the workshops he uses for the hand knitted sweaters burnt to the ground, along with a good portion of the knitwear! In order to restore his collection he hired a ladies knitting circle and managed to salvage his collection knitwear and all! After reading this I thought that it was the most adorable thing I have ever heard! It also reminded me of when people create their own clothes and customise, it adds a cuteness and originality to them. I also related it as being a bit ‘indie’ because it is a different way of doing things and appears ‘original’ I know it wasn’t an intentional quirk but I think it added that extra charm to an already charming collection!