Rory Parnell-Mooney AW16

More and more, it is menswear that captures my attention. My greatest style icons have often been men and the preference for functionality and comfort suits my personal dress sense. Furthermore, the limitations upon menswear are both undeniably frustrating and interesting and lead to interesting results. It can seem like there is nothing that hasn't already been done in some shape or form with womenswear and it is increasingly difficult to truly surprise, titillate, shock or innovate. But the response of menswear to tradition, expectation, roles and the interplay of body and clothes, conceal and reveal, remains exciting and fresh. Even when referencing the past or notions that have long been around.

Take Rory-Parnell Mooney's AW16 collection: Dazed beautifully covered the show and how it was influenced by androgyny and Brian Molko of Placebo - utter poster boy for  pure, naturalistic, unlaboured and uncontrived androgynous dressing. They even quizzed him backstage on why Molko became his muse for this collection with the designer stating, “There’s just something about the confidence with which he wears clothes. I mean he was walking round with bright red lipstick and a cropped mohair jumper, and it was just so easy. He wasn’t contrived or pretentious, it was just how he wanted to dress. There’s something so nice about that.”

And there is something nice about that. About people wearing what they want without being made feel bad about it, about being authentic, about ignoring silly ideas of what is appropriate on one body versus another. This authenticity reads. It's apparent. It made Molko a sex symbol that baffled some and delighted others.

Playing on ideas of androgyny is nothing new in fashion. Musicians dressing androgynously is nothing new. Musicians inspiring designers is nothing new.

What is new here is the essence of Molko's attitude towards dressing. It inspires the look of the clothes, yes, and his re-appropriation of a gay slur in the song, "Nancy Boy" is directly quoted and emblazoned proudly across some of Parnell-Mooney's garments, worn almost as a badge of pride. However, it's that naturalistic way about how he dressed that stands out, that innovates here.

Questioning gender roles and expectations in dress is often loud, experimental. But, while you probably won't be seeing the average Joe popping out to the shops in Parnell-Mooney's clothes, the way they address gender is quieter, more organic. "Masculine" and "feminine" come together seamlessly. It's not overtly contrived.

And then there's the clothes themselves. Can I have everything for me, please? The palette remains in monochrome and navy tones, the silhouettes are elongated but skim over the body in baggy trousers like those my generation knew all too well and boxy, smart jackets and shirts. Practical, weighty knits and key separates are show alongside silky tops and spangles: the practical, the frivolous: the male, the female. And it all comes together as naturally as a woman's wardrobe, as a modern human's personality - it's a melting pot of ideas and influences, needs and desires, moods and moments. This man is sometimes having a bad day, tired and unwilling to dress up, heading to an airport in a luxe hoody and baggy pants or feeling on fire and confident the next, hitting the town in sequins to meet friends for after work drinks. Sometimes he's somewhere between the two. He's a complex human being.

This paves the path for the future of dressing and makes me anxiously await what Parnell-Mooney has for us next.

What do you guys make of the collection?

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Playlist: Songs That Sound Like Summer

The charts and pop culture tend to dictate that some songs and albums and artists represent given summers but our own lives often have their own soundtracks as well - especially during summers. As a teen, I was prone to discovering a new band or album, falling madly in love and listening obsessively and exclusively to the one thing. The summer I was 14, I listened solely to Panic! At The Disco. At 15, it was the Ramones. 16 was Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing - the only music my family and I could agree on during hot car journeys with my legs on the dash and a heavy breeze coming in the window. Best Coast's first album is being on holidays and sitting by the pool at night, talking on the phone to the girl who would become one of my best friends, as we planned living together in second year of college. Last summer, I was all about The Cure and this summer it's K-Pop central.

There's gaps in there where the other songs on this playlist come into play. Each track is from a moment, means something but in some cases I can remember the time and feeling but not the specifics around it. I just know that if I hear any of these songs, I think of summer.

So, I hope you enjoy the playlist and do let me know your ultimate summer songs - I'd love to hear about them!

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Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist XX - Classic Colette

Last, I gave you the music that maps where I am now as a person and taste-wise. Now, as part two of this special playlist, I present the songs and bands that made me who I am, the songs I listened to obsessively over and over again, the people who helped me through that terrible test in life...being a teen.

Nostalgia, much?

Wide-Eyed and Blind Playlist XVI

I'm not nearly established/followed enough to do this but, screw it, I feel weird addressing vaguely the same group of people namelessly all the time. So, I'm naming you, dearest readers. I hope you don't mind. How do you all feel about the Lilettes (sounds like a razor/sixties girlband)? I feel this name is kinda cute but how do you feel? Speak out! Let me hear your voices! I long to.

Damn, I'm in a weird mood.

But that's kinda the place this particular playlist is coming from.

Most of my recent playlists have been dancey and happy and upbeat. But I'm a maudlin feck a lot of the time and this week, I've been majorly stressed about life and the future while trying to research a dissertation. Research lends itself to being alone a lot and, while I love being by myself, it's not always necessarily the best thing for me. I tend to go into an overthinking overdrive where I convince myself I'll amount to nothing, never get an adult job and die unloved. Killing your buzz yet?

So, this playlist is the last of me indulging my sadness. One last wallow...and what better way to wallow than to great music? My favourite way to do it is to turn my lights off, light some candles, lie on the floor and, hopefully, by the time I get up I'll have gotten over myself.

Here's hoping.

And if anyone is feeling this way too, have some positivity from one of the wisest, best, most wonderful people I know, Sarah: "Everyone is special." Now get your grump on and know tomorrow's a new day.