Fashion Blogs

That's So New York - In addition to my growing obsession with various vintage-type styles, such as the classic military look (which is for another post entirely) followed by my recent admiralty for Buffalo Sweaters, accompanied by one of my oldest favorable trends which leans towards pretty much anything pleated, I have recently began geek-ing out on my laptop for hours on end as I flick through and research pretty much anything related to Japanese fashion. Previously, I thought that Japanese fashion was all about eccentric over-the-top plats and various anime-relatable garments, yet I have come to a realization that it seems to be urbanity and worn-type garments which multiple Japanese designers are leaning towards, followed by a huge love of layers as a fair handful of Japanese designers do tend to pile on the fabric a little to create various textures, etc (yet not to worry, I'm not exactly complaining.)

One fashion house which I have recently come to admire a fair amount is Christian Peau. Christian Peau is a Japan-based fashion house "whose design is understood to bridge the gap between modern avant-garde and classical artisan-based fashion" (taken from the Oki-Ni Christian Peau description.) Peau is said to European in his nature as a fair chunk of his influences are taken from the 1800s and the traditional methods of shoemaking and leather craftsmanship; overall the entire Christian Peau label seems to mix both the old and the new, taking fabrics and techniques from traditional craftsmen and applying them to a modern and borderline avant-garde shapes/style, fitting in with the current market for quality yet slapping his own stamp on a selection of unique yet admirable designs. Despite the fact that it is the Christian Peau bags which I am most taken by, it seems that Peau's main focus is his line of uniquely shaped shoes; initially before seeing the official collection on the Christian Peau website, I did for a second have the impression that he was dedicated to creating traditionally shapes and textured shoes, yet after viewing the collection, I also became aware that Christian has also merged into the modern market with a collection of worn-looking sneakers (now if that isn't a way to grab a youthful market, what is?)  

Firstly, I wanted to quickly throw around a selection of images which focus on Peau's most recent collection of bags, incorporating both the back-pack, tote, hobo and satchel cuts, followed by a selection of purse and wallet-type pieces which like the majority of Peau's work could be appropriate for both a male and female demographic. 

A brown leather back-pack; personally one of my most favorite pieces from the collection (it seems I've got against my "save the best until last" trait, yet the simplicity of this piece was highly unexpected and reminded me of various leather back-pack pieces which have been thrown around Topshop this year (2011) during a ... [CONTINUE READING]