Women: Wear Pants at Your Peril!

Isn’t this nuts? Women who wear pants in Paris are breaking the law. It’s hard to believe, but this 200-year-old police rule has never been struck from the books. According to historian Christine Bard, author of Political History of Trousers which retraces the history of the garment from the French Revolution to the modern-day, ”in 1800, a decree by the police prefecture banned women from wearing trousers unless they had specific authorisation. The rule was never repealed – it still stands.” In light of this incredulous information, I’d like to celebrate women who wear pants. Here are some of histories finest wearing-the-pants-moments.

Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story

Funky, lavender-clad chicks from the sixties

Fashion Police! Parisian women wear pants at their peril!

French designer, Maxime de la Falaise, pictured in 1954. She wears trousers designed for the English market.

One of the UK's first female career journalists, Anne Scott James, pictured in 1941.

A steamy Marlene Dietrich in the 1930 film, Morocco.

Linda Jackson: Bush Couture

FROM the Sturt Desert pea to the kangaroo, Australian fashion designer Linda Jackson has shown us that we don’t need to look beyond our own backyards for inspiration. The name behind the influential Bush Couture studio is the focus of an exhibition set to open at the National Gallery of Victoria on 26 January 2012. The exhibition will feature more than 35 works which explore the first twenty years of Jackson’s career, including her days with designer Jenny Kee at Sydney boutique Flamingo Park in the 1970s. For more, check out the National Gallery of Victoria’s website. Not to be missed.

Linda Jackson at the NGV from 26 January, 2012.

Bush Couture by Linda Jackson

Funky Marni Necklace in Neon Yellow

I’ve always adored Marni designed jewellery. It’s so bold, bright and brave. And what a great way to refresh your look with this neon-yellow resin necklace. Style advisors from mega fashion hub Net-A-Porter suggest wearing this loud fluoro piece against a colour-block sweater for clashing cool.

Striking Marni resin necklace in bright and brave yellow.

Love this necklace, available on Net-A-Porter

MIU MIU Rockin’ Retro Earrings

Don’t you just adore these MIU MIU gingham and plexiglass crystal clip earrings? They’re so playful, whimsical and retro. In fact, they look a bit like lollies and I want to eat them! Fashion advice from Net-A-Porter is to wear them with “swept-up hair and a flash of red lipstick for guaranteed evening glamour.” Sounds delightful.

Cutsie Miu Miu Earrings

Gorgeous Gingham.

The Towering World of Jimmy Choo

My husband knows me well. In my Santa sack this year was a copy of The Towering World of Jimmy Choo by Lauren Goldstein Crowe and Sagra Maceira de Rosen. It’s only NYE, but I’ve already ploughed through it. This fabulous book follows the establishment of Jimmy Choo as a modern luxury brand from its humble beginnings to the multi-million dollar empire that it is today. This is a must-read for fashionista’s (and shoe fetishists) but also entrepreneurial types and/or those with an interest in business.

New festive jewellery from MISS MOSS {fashion}

I’m genuinely excited about the new products which are now part of my online collection. These include vivid red coral bracelets, coral + turquoise necklaces and carved turquoise studs. I also have a delightful new range of sterling silver items – all very Tiffany inspired. The response to MISS MOSS over the past few months has been sensational. An added bonus is that I truly love what I do and have some wonderful new ideas in the pipeline for 2012. To all of you a very Merry Christmas. Thankyou for your continued support and loving what we do! See you in the new year! MISS MOSS xxx

Coral and turquoise necklace, hand made. Now available in our online store.

Turquoise and freshwater pearl necklace, now available in our online store.

Stretch bracelet handmade with turquoise and coral, part of our new collection.

Top Ten Most Inappropriate Outfits

Have a giggle at the Top Ten Most Inappropriate Outfits in Popular Culture, according to the Vine. Who can forget these downright clunkers by Bjork, Ab Fab, Bridget Jones, Princess Beatrice and company…

Bridget Jones, what a tragedy!

OK, so you got our attention Lady Gaga...

Anna Wintour and Nicki Minaj are worlds apart while seated in the front row at a recent fashion event.

Sex up your Wardrobe 70s style

87-year-old fashion merchandising legend Mary Lipshut, has agreed to will her extensive archives to Melbourne’s RMIT university.

“There’s a lot of nostalgia here,” she says, gesturing to the walls covered in photographs of old friends like Gianni Versace, Tai Missoni and Frank Sinatra. For more on this refer to article from SMH.

Courreges Skirt from ML Vintage

Fashion Notes: Clothes or Sculpture?

Which category do these garments fall in – clothes or sculpture? On a model, Liez Rietz‘s garments appear almost weightless on the body. “I’ve always been fascinated by the sculptural qualities of fabric,” Rietz says from an interview in her studio. “I suppose that’s why they look like origami. It’s the art of manipulating two dimensions into three dimensions.” All those folds and pleats do, in fact, look like the ancient art of origami.  The result is entirely elegant and seriously sophisticated.

Fashion Notes: Eye-Popping Jewellery

Seattle-based artist Irene Wood creates abstract work which explores growth, displacement and decay. But when it comes to her first serious jewellery collection, which is inspired by accessories by ancient Greco-Roman, Egyptian and African royalty, she delves into wearable art on a much lighter note. The result is an eye-popping range that features strands of geometric beads in edible primary hues with materials such as natural wood, stone finishes, metallic plastic and such. Titled “History and Industry,” these big and bold accessories are tasteful, simple yet ultimately wearable. Shop with Irene Wood or Etsy.