The London Lookbook: Elephants On Parade

By
November 4, 2013

The London Lookbook: Elephants on parade

Charlotte Taylor

Last week’s storm felled a tree in our garden; the poor thing is lying forlorn and horizontal, waiting for the tree surgeon to feed its remains to the wood chipper. To celebrate its life I’ve use it as a background for this week’s London Lookbook. Its demise has created a peculiar landscape that fits well with my outfit: my dress is from Charlotte Taylor, who I interviewed a couple of weeks ago. I love Charlotte’s kooky prints. This elephant print depicts a performing beast balancing precariously on a tiny ball. To me this print is a metaphor; happiness and security lies in a delicate balance, one miscalculated move and the whole operation crashes to the ground. Or, like our lovely tree, life can be callously uprooted by treacherous forces beyond one’s control. The only solution is to march on regardless and enjoy what we have when we have it. At any time the elephant can fall off the ball.

Charlotte Taylor elephant print

Dress by Charlotte Taylor

Perhaps I’m guilty of being a ponse, but I like my fashion to have a little meaning – even if the implication is what I’ve superimposed. I love clothes that have a tale to tell; it’s what draws me to vintage clothes as well as modern brands like Charlotte Taylor and Teatum Jones.

Rosa Hoskins is the writer behind The London Lookbook. She is a stylist, actress and writer living in London. Rosa styles private clients and contributes to online fashion publications.