Karen Walker Pointer Loafers

Vintage inspiration has been heavily influencing some great runway shoes in terms of smock dresses and Peter Pan collars becoming a bit hit and now there's also elements of design for loafers and slippers being popularised once more. These Karen Walker pointer loafers complete with fringe tassels are a bit more imaginative than a vintage shoe in terms of style and colour and the good news is that the leather is new and not dried out. I love the designs of vintage shoes but it's really difficult to find them in my right size so with the vintage movements and 60s era being used for design again, someone of my height and size can enjoy the best of the world of vintage. These chic little boater/ loafer shoes also have a thickly generous wedge heel to them as well and could be worn on a picnic and even around the office, depending on your area of expertise.

As much as I love the little green leather tassels of the first pair of pointer loafers from Karen Walker, I think the blue/ orange loafers are more to my style and liking. As tacky as it is, I can't help but think wearing some mid-calf socks as well as a cute dress would be a good way to dress down these shoes but if you were daring enough black tights and a vintage dress would look great too. It's a shame I'm not in a massive demand for shoes at the moment and the only pair I am eager to buy are the collaboration between Jeffrey Campbell and Wildfox.

I'm glad modern shoes now have rubber soles to them as well and their suede and leather isn't hardened and crusty with years of disuse. Karen Walker has been one of my favourite labels for jewellery as well as sunglasses for quite some time now, but with the expansion of her endeavours into shoes I can't wait to see what else the future holds for this New Zealand label.

Karen Walker Autumn/ Winter 2012

Come February and the launch of so many Autumn/ Winter collections in the Southern hemisphere, I am bound to be very poor. Not only am I awaiting the released of new Jeffrey Campbell shoes but there's also Karen Walker on the horizon which again incorporates loosely based psychedelic and floral prints as well as 1960s smock structures in their new collection. I don't wear blue in my day-to-day routine a lot of the time; when I was in primary school my uniform was blue shirt and blue shorts so I suppose it was a conscious decision to avoid the colours when at home and going out. However, it seems that wearing a blue dress, woolen jumper and bomber jacket in secondary school as well has been enough to deter me from that colour for a lifetime.

 

While Karen Walker's range is expensive and the dresses retail for some hundred dollars each, I will be eagerly awaiting the release of this shirt named 'Join Us' and adorned in a line of animal faced people. I suppose those figures loosely remind me of Olympia Le-Tan's studio and her own little animal/ human figures. The structure of the shirt is loose and the sleeves are low hanging as well- I like having that comfort in a shirt since I usually opt for buying a shirt a few sizes up anyway. I love the shoe and sock combination of bright navy blue, as well as the tan coloured laces. It goes well with the shirt, one of the few pieces featured here in this photo set to include a colour other than blue.

 

As well as clothing and apparel, I'm also hoping for more jewellery released, although my taste for gold means I would be shucking out an extra hundred dollars for something as glamorous but edgy as this razor blade necklace. 

 

A popular motif from the past few seasons of Karen Walker in jewellery and apparel alike is the cicada/ fly motif as seen on this sky blue Peter Pan collared dress. While the shirt dubbed 'Join Us' is the most likely piece of clothing I'll pick up from the collection, I would love to get my hands on a dress like this and, well, the entire outfit really! It would be great for a fashion blogger to wear to a fancy label event, maybe a tea party of luncheon interview about style and other fashion things.

 

Something a little more street-smart and savvy is this jumper covered in dot print and the slogan 'The American Girl'. I think the selling point for this outfit is the tiled head of the model as well as the large and sassy sunglasses. While the ruffled skirt in navy blue ties the shoes and sock together, the sweatshirt is very open to choice. I can think of another two, from Yookoo Gibraan and her Etsy store that could be worn in a similar manner but I do like the thick block writing of the font shown here. 

 

Although the collection seems to revolve around one colour pallet, certainly from this little bite-sized preview there's a range of styles in there dresses leaving your choices open when considering sleeves and the comfort of your clothes. Whether you wear sloppy Joe sweatshirts and jumpers or preppy blazers, those killer leather desert boots in navy blue and the polka dot socks are a winning combination- makes me want to find something of my own in maybe a more versatile colour combination.

Young Models, Vintage Style

I make no secret of my love of vintage clothing and style being popularised, at the age of about fourteen or fifteen I was interested in Nu Wave as well as bright neon colours and patterns resembling paint splats. At the age of eighteen I more commonly wear a paisley shift dress in purple as well as sun dresses but I find it hard to find the perfect 1960s clothing in patterns that aren't completely bombastic or have the right amount of eclecticism. It's probably just a hard task since I can be quite picky about the prints of clothing but I love the pansy print on this shirt shown above and the clashing pants in their own striped pattern.

Karen Walker has been releasing somepieces that are absolute gems in terms of recreating the vintage style. There's quite a few chic patterns from across a range of her collections that I like including a dress covered in a pattern of hydrangea. I love the high necked collar as well as ruffles and bow at the top of this blouse and the long dart down the middle- it's a little different in design for that reason and the dart makes it a little more alluring and sexy for the guys too.

I can't quite read the writing for the dress above, I think it says Vanishing Elephant and while that is a fashion brand I thought they predominantly dealt in men's fashion and had never before delved into the feminine world of fashion. This is probably going to bother me all day and keep me up all night- I love the ruffled effect as well as the small flowers sewn onto small sheer inserts. There's nothing too showy about it though- it's just a very sweet design with intricate sewn detail in a gorgeous colour. I must be in a very green mood to be commenting both on this dress as well as the Karen Walker blouse, but I'm dying to know where I can buy such a dress! It's a good thing I don't have the money to pay for it at the moment either, this way I can just pass off the item as being a matter of money rather than a lack of knowledge of its origins.

I myself have worn a blazer without anything else on underneath, just for a little photography at home but I must say, the Fiorina necklace at the centre is simply gorgeous and her stomach partially hidden under Sretsis shorts is enough to put a girl to shame.

Sunglasses

Well after raining all morning the sun has finally shown it's sorry but and has decided to throw a little rays out way! Too bad I'm already feeling the pain from yesterday andgot a bit of a sunburn even when I reapplied sunscreen. Maybe having something to shade the sun from my eyes would have helped and something stylish and large enough to cover the top of my cheeks like these large sunglasses. I do like the contrast of black lenses with shite frames and the black and white editing of the photograph- it makes the design and colours all the more striking. The hard thing about making large sunglasses is having them not make you look ridiculous and shrunken down to size in comparison.

I wish I had the soft, golden, honey-brown locks to be able to wear these pink and reflective sunnies and make the entire look romantic but also a little dark and gritty underneath it. It must be the painted over wall with graffiti as well as the maroon mohair knitted jumper worn with the sunglasses and soft pink lips. It's one thing to have a natural look of seeming delicate and girly but your own personal style and clothing will influence how you're perceived as well. I'd like to be able to wear leather and studs a little more but with my naturally serious expression and black hair it makes me look a little too unapproachable so there is a fine balance between what I look like and the clothes I want sometimes.

Now there's a fun party/ photo shoot idea: using cut-outs from magazines and advertising packages to make fun eye masks while wearing formal wear. I never would have been able to afford any of those fancy Italian masquerade masks anyway so why not make your own? Although I will be exempt from wearing the slogan pictured on the laddie above, it may offend my significant other.

With the clever use of a plain white and printed t-shirt I know the identity of these lovely sunglasses. Thank you Sass and Bide eyewear for having the good sense to sneakily place their name into a photo shoot for their sunglasses. I quite like the transparent blue tinted frames in contrast with the black lenses, though it's the bright red lipstick with a bit of an orange tinge that really adds some colour to the shot. I'm usually drawn to the sort of squared off and angular frames, it's either that or they have to be perfectly circular. It must be my attachment to Ray Bans designs as well as quirky mesmerising circular orbs.

Karen Walker: Sunglasses 2011/2012

The biggest, brightest and possibly boldest of all Karen Walker's sunglasses ranges, 2011/2012 is the most recent collection. It incorporates the filigree motif and rabbit you can see as a part of the jewellery range as well as brightly coloured perspex, tortoiseshell in rounded off and whimsical designs. Expressing my adoration for this range is difficult- since it seems oh so familiar to the other sunglasses collections from Karen Walker. But there's a little quaint difference in the finer details, the rabbit ears and the silhouette of the cute little bunny (I'm rabbit lover, had 6 at one time, sucker for rabbits incorporated into designs), also there is a variation in the round 1960's shaped glasses. Although there's a few with amazing bright coloured frames I also like the large reflective large circular shades without frames and arrow pointed detail. 

I am a bit tentative about circular frames with that said, I think Karen Walker's range gives you a diverse range of colours and materials, as well as different variations on the lens shade, detail over the nose bridge and size of the lens. It can either look amazing, quirky with 1960s style and flair or you can become looking like a dorky bug eyed eccentric. There is a fine line between the cutting edge style of tomorrow and the out-there, the weird and the shunned.When styles have to be reinvented and represented time and time again I think that sometimes the biggest challenges for a designer is to have a trademark look about the pieces they create but also be able to bring something new and alive to a collection. Karen Walker balances these two things well within her sunglasses range, but I'm not sure we see the same trademark elemental thread throughout her clothing collections.  

These new cut-off at the top sunglasses seem to have a sense of fullness about them. Cut off in their prime. I'm not sure if my writing throughout the year has generally been adapted to please examiner assessors or I'm looking too far into it but there is sort of an unfinished and incomplete element to the sunglasses. I love the mixture of the hot and vibrant pink with the tortoiseshell profile view. The purple tinted colour... the trademark arrow darts. It's a reinvented look for the KW sunglasses and the interplay between new materials and colours seems to emphasise a heavier aspect of summer and style. This type of high end sunglasses aren't the type you would dare bring to a sweat-soaked Summer festival full of moshing and body contact but for the beach they would fit right in. Were it not for my ray bans (which I hardly use) I might be in the market  for a pair such as this.

This is the best blending in between, named the 'Soul Club' the new sort of modern framed sunglasses, with the circular round frames and Woody Allen shaped ray bans. I think that's one of the best names given to a product, because these sunglasses really do have a lot of heart and soul about them. That said, Ray bans are the most imitated brand and are versatile for a range of faces. I've always been of the opinion that they look good on whoever they are perched on and ray bans have been the trademark and sought after brand of the sunglasses world. Just the slight widening, the heavy sense of plastic and a almost wide thickened cat eye flick at the top of the frames screams 60s freedom and colour but is also new age and modern in a sense. There's a versatility about the frame shape that is entirely the designer's own and I think that's fantastic.

Rabbit silhouette detail! There's the quirk and cuteness of the rabbit over the right lens of the sunglasses frames but the strong and rectangular design of the shades themselves evokes a Kanye West and untouchable sense of fame. You could wear them out at night with confidence and get away with it although I myself admit that I think wearing sunglasses indoors or at night is tacky and you'd need to be full of yourself to do it.

In contrast and possibly inspired by the tortoiseshell colour variations of the sunglasses comes a wood grain effect to Karen Walker's sunglasses with brown tinted lenses and bright yellow edges. I really like wood grain effects on cameras and I'm thrilled to see it on sunglasses now especially by this prestigious New Zealand designer. Possibly in the first design and structure listed above for this wood grain colour but I am open minded and if I had the cash and circumstances to loll around a high end fashion store I would be more than happy to be talked into buying such amazing sunglasses. This new colour variation and the neat presentation of the campaign affirms to me that there are style new designs that will be made from Karen Walker and I will never really be disappointed with a campaign. They will use their wiles and guises to reinvent old favourites with the new colours of the season and impress me. That we can both be sure of.

The presentation of the models for this collection was really different and new compared to previous collections; rocking pale complexions, nude lips and white hair. Think Ice-Landic

Here are some of my two favourites in the eye wear range in terms of structure, Bunny is the name of the second pair of shades in hot pink with clear perspex and the cut out arrow darts along the side and the first circular framed frames is dubbed 'Keep The Faith Sunglasses'. I'm sure you've heard this story before but when I was on exchange earlier this year in America, I  had a pair of round framed sunglasses that were perfect by One Teaspoon and their cat knocked them over from the table and then the dog chewed them and then they tried to hide the evidence... I was heart broken and I think I'm still trying to fill the void of my first pair of sunglasses and replacing them. I love looking at all the bright colours and variations in designs of the Karen Walker range but if I were to buy a pair I would need to do my research since they usually cost over $200 so you have to be sure that the pair you get is not only right for you but versatile to become a part of your wardrobe and everyday life to get the best out of them. That said though, the black pair with the tiny little rabbit over one eye are the cutest thing in the world and I will probably never seen the rabbit motif incorporated into any other design of sunnies...

That is one lucky and good looking mop.

Von Trapp Sunglasses and the Patsy Sunglasses shown above, The Von Trapp's are brilliant and I think I adore them more as a piece of art rather than something I would personally own or wear. I am tentative about the whole oversize sunglasses trend, I always look like a weird bug but I am somehow attracted to the super reflective nature of those shades and the fact that they are the only sunglasses within this eyewear range that doesn't have an actually colourful frame makes it just something special and different. Of course, I always love things that are special and different. The Patsy sunglasses really show off the gorgeous deep pink of the perspex coloured plastic Karen Walker has as a part of her collection and I love it! I don't wear pink that often but I am magnetically attracted to that colour. It screams Summer and good times. Going to the beach... I'm so excited for all these things and no longer being weighed down with Holiday Homework. I'm a free agent for the first time in about a year (in terms of study).

Simply named 'Va Va' these are the sunglasses that sort of tie together the jewellery range as well as the sunglasses collection of 2012 for Karen Walker. That, and the cheeky rabbit ear detail over the frames as well as the filigree motif. If you do happen to like the pattern on the top half of the sunglasses so much, there is an incredible gold cuff in the same weaved and intricate pattern. I just like this last pair for the design, but I can't see myself strutting around Melbourne with them but I am inspired by the new design and flamboyance of the Karen Walker range. 

Every now and then I feel apprehensive about fashion as if it has all been done before and there will never be any new designs made but I keep getting happily trumped by the fact that there are people slaving day and night to break out into the fashion scene and become a globally recognised brand. Karen Walker, the New Zealand label that breaks the fronts of fashion, eyewear and jewellery threatens to compete with some of the very best within the business and I think that's fantastic.