The London Lookbook: Kelly Love
I’ve had a long and passionate love affair with vintage fashion that I can’t untangle myself from. Clothes that are individual, unduplicated and with a story to tell make my heart skip several beats. I spend a vast amount of my time scouring Ebay looking for the best vintage the Internet has to offer. I’ve become something of an intrepid Ebay explorer; I can hear beautiful vintage pieces singing their siren song to me though the keyboard, leading me to an exquisite discovery.
As much as my heart belongs to vintage, I love to be on trend, and if one dresses entirely in retro clothes it’s all too easy to tip over into costume territory. Consequentially I look for contemporary brands that compliment my vintage threads and bring my look into the 21st centenary. This isn’t always easy – part of the appeal of vintage clothes is their amazing craftsmanship, you can’t pair heritage finery with any old thing.
Fortunately for me, I’ve discovered an outstanding new London designer – Kelly Love. Kelly’s work has a feminine beauty that’s reminiscent of some of the finest vintage treasures I’ve come across, whilst possessing a contemporary edge that sends me into a fashion tailspin. This coat is one of the key pieces in her A/W13 collection – I love its edgy, masculine cocoon shape whilst yet maintaining glorious femininity: the unabashed sumptuousness of the claret shades speaks of luxurious indulgence. Mohair is a genius choice of fabric for a coat like this, any notion of it being butch is banished by baby soft, embraceable wool.
Each piece in Kelly Loves A/W collection is a tribute to the modern woman; beautiful, practical and strong. Yet for such a relatively new designer she has cultivated a sense of heritage far beyond her brand’s youth.
One of the killer colour combos for A/W13 is pastel pink and maroon; I love this trend for its risk taking potential: usual fashion logic dictates that these two shades shouldn’t be friends, and yet somehow they work. I’ll definitely be repeating this colour pairing throughout the autumn, along with wearing Kelly’s beautiful, modern heritage clothes. Fall is looking grand.
Similar dresses here and here. I bought my shoes from Office last year, they’re no longer stocking them, but they still carry similar ones here and here.
