STYLE // BURBERRY PRORSUM Menswear AW 14/15

A photo posted by Burberry (@burberry) on Jan 1, 2014 at 11:59am PST

I've been asked to start writing style posts about menswear, and so, here we go :)

After trawling through a myriad of AW 14/15 catwalks looking for a collection that I was instantly enamored by, I final fell upon the beauty that is Burberry Prorsum's collection. I mean, I just can't.

Set against the backdrop of Kensington Gardens, with crisp daylight flooding the catwalk, Burberry's collection is an ode to loose fitted tailoring. It is a perfect union of the sharp and the deeply casual. Models saunter down the catwalk hands in pockets, as their shirts and coats billow. But this casualness is strikingly offset by the collection's anchor: straight-cut, tailored trousers.

The catwalk begins with outfits that emanate brisk crisp November air - silk shirts and white net vests accented with vivid hand-painted scarves. 

London is everywhere, with maps and landmarks as proud embellishments.

As the collection moves deeper into winter, long woolen scarves and blankets casually draped over shoulders make their appearance. Prints of autumnal leaves add another layer to the already textured outfits.

Sheepskin, leather, fur, woolen jumpers & trench coats are layered over bombastic silk shirts, in turn layered over net vests. As a final touch: the omnipresent silk scarf and it's effortless style.

The over-sized bags lend the walk a sense of purpose as well as added bursts of colour and textured notes.

This entire collection aches style and is an incredible source of inspiration for the coming cold months, for men & women alike. (I know I'm ridiculously keen for the vest/shirt/sheepskin combo, HOLLER)

Have a look at my highlights of the collection bellow, with details at the bottom (it was hard to narrow it down...) and if you want to watch the catwalk in it's entirety, click here.

For more catwalks on STREAKS, click here :)

What do you think? Any designer/season you would like me to review? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by! :)

Kate :) x

(THIS is perfection)

HURRAY YOU MADE IT TO THE BOTTOM! 

Please share your thoughts in the comments bellow!

See you next week! :)

Kate x

MUSIC // SIMPLE THINGS 2014 // High Lights

Simple Things, a one day festival, providing 17 non-stop-hours of live music across various venues in Bristol, was this weekend's utterly delightful surprise-adventure, as sponsored by two ticket-bearing knights in shining German armor. 

Simple Things is run in partnership with CRACK & FACT magazines, so the sound is eclectic and cutting-edge. And at £25 a ticket WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR?

From raw post-punk to bubblegum electro via ambient shoegaze, we had a multifarious time.

Simple Things treated us to excellence early in the evening with Jaakko Eino Kalevi, a Finnish dream whose weird sound was full of satisfying contradictions, at once dreamy fuzzy pop and calculated beats with rosy melodies carried by his deep voice and airy falsetto.

SOPHIE's set at the Firestation was a barrage of chaotic glittering electro, it sounded like a Barbie made of marshmallows had been struck by a billion volts whilst drinking neon paint. Aggressive, absurd and heaps of fun. 

Meanwhile, on a small dark stage in Colston Hall, Esben and the Witch delivered a gripping, gut-grinding set . Their raw sound sits between anger and despair, their slow primal riffs brushed with eroticism.

Spectres, a Bristol band described as 'nu gazey noise', shared a similar grit, but their thick, noisey sound was propelled by infectious, shape-cutting beats.

Headlining the entire epic affair was the aptly grandiose Mogwai whose layered instrumental sagas blasted the crowd's ear drums to oblivion, rousing a sort of spiritual awakening in their uplifting ambient crescendos.

As if we imagined we could possible take any more, The Haxan Cloak wrapped up events nicely in a pitch black, strobe-steeped set of industrial-drone so heavy, I thought my face would fracture.

Gracious.

And, as always, no matter how many incredible bands you see, there are always the ones that got away, namely in this case: Liars, Eagulls, Onra, Actress and DJ Harvey, NEXT TIME HEY!

Follow STREAKS on Facebook & Twitter for links to photos as soon as they are up, as well as plenty more music reviews!

Now fest your ears on these tracks, Jaakko <3

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Kate x

MUSIC // STILLWAVE, EP Review

I came across Stillwave whilst looking for Bristol based music blogs, to scope the scene since my recent move. 

The blog in question, DrunkenWerewolf (which is a treat & full of great music to sample), describes them as sounding like "Ian Curtis fans overdosing on the music of his juniors. That is to say, this is really very good."

Their sound is at once plaintiff and empowered, with deep, full toned vocals highlighted by dark moody bass-lines, and waves of grinding guitar, steeped in reverb. 

The electric layers of soft synth in tracks like Rich Ones forge distorted misty melodies. The layering of vocals along with repeated escalating riffs give this EP a truly epic scale.

While, no, Stillwave have not reinvented the wheel, they have produced a polished and hugely engaging EP bursting with profoundly textured anguish and longing.

Have a listen bellow, or read the DunkenWerewolf review here and find out more about Stillwave here.

...& Click to read more music reviews on STREAKS :)

So, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments! And what shall I review next?

Kate :)

ART // Janie George

I recently visited the RWA's 162nd open exhibition, where I discovered the ethereal and dream-like paintings of Janie George.

In her accompanying text she talks about her fascination with "disparate" objects, and more importantly for me, the function of clothing:

"Clothing is a signifier of human aspirations, vulnerability and loss."

I found these words to be extremely potent, and beautiful. They shone new light on her delicate depictions of bonnets, the transformation of a moth's wings into a tender cloak.

I became fixated on these three functions.

Aspiration. Vulnerability. Loss.

Loss.

In all three, clothing serves to hide - hide the reality of our status, making us into something we are not, shielding our delicacy, our wounds from the open & patching up our loss.

Loss. 

What have we lost?

What have we lost that clothing can cover?

Or, alternatively, what is lost that clothing helps us find?

All images are from George's site, which you can find here.

Check out detail of the RWA's exhibition here.

I hope you find both interesting!

If you want to stay up to date with STREAKS, give us a like on facebook!

Hopefully see you here again soon :)

Kate x