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!