Heathcliff as a band and Cathy as a fan: Alistair James AW17

Funnily enough, in spite of my fondness for Austen and period dramas, it was only in recent years that I finally interacted with any of the Bronte clan. Considering their moody and dark romance, it really is a wonder but I guess the taste was a little more Austen during my childhood and both have a tendency to be given rather dusty press that can put off younger readers.

Nevertheless, my introduction came with the release of Fukuraga's 2011 "Jane Eyre", starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. I remember insisting that my then boyfriend and his parents chose it among our options for something to watch one lazy evening and quickly became utterly absorbed and very bad company. However, it was "Wuthering Heights" that made me really fall in at the deep end.

I don't know why, really. Heathcliff is kind of everything I despise in a man and, yet... And, yet, in every adaptation and the original text he is utterly charismatic and I cannot help but be drawn to him and the gothic tale of passion, hatred, disaster, grief and pain that centres around his and Cathy's cursed love story.

So, during the brief moment I had to dash around the Designer Showrooms at LFW this season (only an hour), in my chaotic haze, my attention was immediately captured by a collection described as "'Wuthering Heights; if Heathcliff was a band and Cathy were an obsessive fan". I was sold immediately and the garments I was able to peruse there and then were right up my alley; gothy babydoll dresses, lots of black lace, elevated band tees. Upon nerding with one of the designers over the concept, I took a business card and some photographs as a reminder and went on my merry way.

I was feeling a lot of designers in the moment that day but that Bronte collection stuck in my head. So, I trawled through the photos and business cards and managed to find the name, weeks later, when the whirling around my brain refused to stop; Alistair James.

Alistair James is a two-man show; eponymously named after, and the brainchild of, Nicholas Alistair Walsh and David James Wise. The pair are a bit of dream team with Walsh being a womenswear designer who was worked with Gareth Pugh and Alexander McQueen and Wise a textiles designer who has worked at many labels, including Alexander McQueen.

Their AW17 collection takes inspiration from the Brontes, who lived a short distance from Walsh's home by the moors and was designed while staying there. Alistair James' girl this season is a "playful dreamer" and "lovesick consumed by her infatuation [sic]". With customised prints of abstract ladies frolicking in a winter garden and "Heathcliff" print, featuring lustful figures and lingering eyes, the collection is presented in tones of black, white, dusty blue and vibrant reds and pinks and includes a recurring silhouette inspired by Charlotte's "Thackerey" dress. Perhaps the most iconic element, however, are the Heathcliff slogan sweaters that are embroidered with phrases from the novel and give a nod to Heathcliff as a band.

Moody, sensual and cool, the collection is wearable and pretty with just enough theatricality and nods to the writers to keep fans of the works and fans of the aesthetic alike rather happy, indeed.

(Images courtesy of Alistair James)

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Gothic // Architecture

Have I mentioned I've been in a witchy mood lately? I've always vibed on Gothic style but, alas, I was a punk as a teen and we were destined to be star-crossed lovers. Still, I like to read Romance poets, eye up pointed arches and dream of what could have been. And, sure, what else would you wear to a graveyard mass but witchy boots, a blood-red lace skater dress accented with a wicked-sharp black collar and a trusty leather jacket? I may look all sun-kissed and freckled on the outside but my innards are blackened as the Trials I wrote my LC History project on. 

Enjoy my perving on Gothic Revival architecture (sacrilegious to pose in front of a church, according to my brother - I call it appreciating) and creating a moodboard of my photos over the weekend. Careful not to nick yourself on those ogives.

Dress - Primark, Jacket - Upstairs at Quinns (I never remember the brand), Boots - Deena and Ozzy

Mad or inspired? You decide. And try not to call a witch hunt if it's the former. Thnks.

Valentino A/W 2012.

All the leather I have ever wanted is in this collection; a cape (a frickin' leather CAPE), a three-quarter length leather coat, a jumpsuit, a trench and the perfect skirt. Seriously, this leather is absolutely perfectly executed. These are investment pieces that will never date, never let you down and last a lifetime. I would buy literally every leather item here.

The dresses are wonderfully hippy-like and scream peace, love and easy glamour. They are mostly tunic shapes that skim over the body in a highly flattering and sextastic manner. There's a certain sense of demure and elegance, the lengths are usually full or just above the knee and cleavage and arms are largely covered. The female form is what is celebrated here, rather than flashed, and it is one's silhouette that lends the sex appeal to these dresses. The evening dresses are a little less demure but there is still little reliance on the exhibition of skin and more of a shift to the sexiness vampy reds and black lace.

The colour scheme is fairly restrained; black, white, red and some patterning. There is a simplicity about it all, more about the silhouette and detail than anything flashy. The collection is very timeless and romantic, I can imagine it looking fresh and enviable in any era. I love the play between minx and virgin. The full-on leather outfits juxtaposed with modest white dresses. It seems to speak of a heroine who is vampy and tough at times, soft and running through meadows of flowers at other times. Or, even, stunning in sparkly gowns on red carpets.

The entire look with the very pretty, girly, romantic hair and simple make-up is fresh and compliments, rather than distracts from, the timeless pieces of the collection:

Now for my favourite pieces: 

CAPE!

GAH! - So BtVS!

Amazing blouse!

Hippytastic!

So pretty!

Quite Lana del Rey...Pretty sure I saw her in an outfit just like this.

Yowza!

Victorian lace - come at me, brah!

Floral love.

More bows...dayyuuummm.

SPARKLES.

Being a butterfly.

Began with a sweet, nerdy outfit, perfectly comfy and airy for a day of styling and fashion geeking...

Shirt - Vintage - Tank - Sonia Rykiel pour H&M - Trousers - Penney's - Shoes - Topshop

Then I became a model for the day (so not a good idea - eye make-up makes me wig out completely, I'm not very tall and trying to pose when anyone else is around makes me giggle insanely) and was wrapped in a cocoon of lace. When I emerged I'd transformed the geek-chic into something a bit harder and with more attitude. Totally a Sandy from "Grease" moment (only cooler, I hope).

Leather-look leggings - Dunnes - Biker boots - Vintage - Earrings - A gift from Mam, have no idea where she got 'em!

Also retained the bling!