Archive for the ‘fashion’ Category
W makes a fashionable entrance in london
w hotel and james small
Introducing the brand spanking new meeting point for international trendmakers… Situated slap bang in the middle of London, (Leicester Square no less), W’s latest outpost is set to make a very big impression on London Fashion Week’s in-crowd with the global launch of James Small’s belt.
Confirming W’s position as the favourite hotel of the fashion set, this luxurious leather unisex belt created exclusively for W London, combines functionality and fashion.
cutting edge design at w hotels
Brainchild of up-and-coming designer du jour, James Small, the belt is inspired by W’s signature innovative design- incorporating a hip flask, charger and decision dice, ensuring present day urban adventurers are never without the technology that fuels their travel.
Fashionistas who attended the star-studded launch on 22nd September of Small’s belt were treated to a sneak preview of W’s signature cutting-edge design for the UK’s very first W Hotel.
Here’s to putting the W in London fashion Week.
Check back to Black Tomato for a new collaboration coming soon…
Louis Simonon wearing the W London Insider belt designed by James Small for W London
(3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)
Loading ...wear in the world
With London Fashion Week in full swing its made us at Black Tomato think how fashion has fuelled many of us to travel. From picking up the latest trend in Japan to seeing the vibrant cloth made in Bhutan.
But at the same time we’re all a bit complacent when it comes to fashion – being very spoilt by a high speed high street that turns trends around from catwalk to one-click shopping. So we think it’s time we get out there and pick up those authentic goodies from the destinations they were born and bred. Here are a few tips on where to go for those fashion must-haves.
1928 Schott Brother’s Perfecto, New York, USA
Although the French may have appropriated (and gentrified) the iconic black leather jacket, this Left Bank favourite, famously worn by Marlon Brando in the 1953 movie The Wild One, was born in the USA.
schott brother's leather jacket as modeled by marlon brando
The brainchild of the entrepreneurial Schott Brothers Irving and Jack, this jacket instantly satisfied America’s burgeoning appetite for outdoor pursuits. The brother’s hit a nerve. The motorcycle meant something more: turning your back on suburbia for the freedom of the open road. And where Brando went many followed…the Perfecto quickly became a mainstay of the outsider uniform. But, unlike today’s impersonators, the real success of this rebel item is rooted in design rather than aesthetics: by shifting the zip to the right hand side, the Schott jacket was wind-proof on the open road and riders were good to go. With Irving Schott naming the 1928 style the ‘Perfecto’ after his favourite cigar, satisfaction is guaranteed.
Check out the original Schott store in Great Neck, New York, to zip up your own slice of Americana.
Zori, Kyoto, Japan
It might seem strange that the flip flop would be born in Japan, a country whose outstanding coastal landscape remains relatively unexplored by foreign travellers (trust us it’s amazing), but this stylistically minimal land was the birthplace of the artistic simple strap shoe in 794 A.D.
the tradtional zori worn with tabi socks
Raised on a platform of woven straw, the unisex Zori were designed to be worn with the formal kimono during humid summer months (although they’re just as good for walking in snow) and Tabi socks so as not to expose naked toes. In Japan where shoes are frequently removed as a gesture of courtesy, this forward-thinking solution enabled women to avoid bending over in restrictive clothing by doing away with the undoing of laces. It wasn’t until the Second World War that the rest of the world caught on, creating the rubber flip flop beloved by beach bums the world round.
For the authentic elegant Japanese look, head to the old town of Kyoto, Japan, for an insight into the ritual dress of the geisha.
Find out how fashion fuels our travels here.
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...edinburgh from a model perspective
edinburgh from a local
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been going strong this month – an amazing cultural festival right on our British doorstep. One of the best things about the festival (except all the amazing shows and exhibitions, naturally)? The closing parties. We caught up with This is My Edinburgh and Anna Freemantle who is one of the people hosting the amazing Noir! party in two days to celebrate some amazing local talents.
model and producer, ann freemantle now runs noir!
This is My Edinburgh promotes the edge and energy of Scotland’s capital over the bustling summer months. Headed-up by some of Edinburgh’s cool-club including a Warhol-esque model and a B-boy dancer, the site features insider tips on the coolest places to go, a video compilation, exclusive celebrity interviews including Clarke Peters from The Wire , as well as an exclusive Foursquare Trail and your chance to become ‘Mayor of Edinburgh’.
Catch the fabulous Anna Freemantle below who created Noir! with her husband Jonathan as fusion of fashion, music and art and a place for Edinburgh’s hottest creative talents to collide. The forthcoming Noir! takes place on the 26 of August and promises to be the best yet.
Anna, model and producer, describes her Edinburgh:
the noir! closing party is on august 26th
Where in the city do you stay?
In the New town, Broughton Street. It’s my favourite part of town because it’s got a good buzz about it. It’s central but still has a village-type feel.
Are you from Edinburgh?
I am from Amsterdam but have lived in Paris and all over the world. I moved here 3 years ago, when we were moving back to the UK. I wanted to live somewhere other than London, then a friend of my husband suggested Edinburgh.
What’s your ideal day in the city?
My perfect day would be to spend it with my husband and our 2 year old son Max, walking along the Water of Leith, visiting art galleries, having a picnic. Just a really simple family day.
Why is summer in Edinburgh different?
There is so much light in the city, the days last so long which I love. It brings life into the street, and all of sudden people notice one another and are more open.
Any hidden gems you would recommend?
My husband and I have started a night called Noir! which is a place for emerging artists, designers and other creatives to come together and collaborate. It’s a great night that always surprises. I also love the boutiques on Victoria Street, Totty Rocks and Godiva are both really cool. Edinburgh’s range of butchers, bakers and candlestick makers are the best thing about the city. It’s the one-offs that make Edinburgh so special.
What are you working on at the moment?
Noir! is working with Africa in Motion to put on a closing party later this year at the Edinburgh College of Art. We plan to bring together young fashion designers from Africa and team them up with fashion designers from Edinburgh.
In three words, what’s your Edinburgh?
Space, Culture, Quality
(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5) Loading ...a new wardrobe fad in the office…
We love fancy dress in our office as much as the next person. From the 1960s, to the Wild West – you name it, we’ll find the outfit for it.
mcphee's strawberry daiquiri
Lately we’re all about wearing your cocktail. No, we don’t mean martini-stained shirts (admit it, we’ve all bumped elbows with someone and ended up with more of your shaken-not-stirred on your clothes than in your glass). We’re talking about your favourite cocktail drinks as an outfit.
A few weeks ago, McPhee had to find something for an ‘S’ party. After tossing out ideas for surgeon, superhero, star, sunflower and schoolgirl, she found the perfect fit. Strawberry daiquiri. Naturally we had a quick fashion show in the office.
knilly's new glasses
Then our own Knilly received a package from eBay in the post (not a rare occurrence…) and revealed a fab pair of cocktail glasses. And no, not the kind you can pour a drink into. Forget looking through rose coloured glasses, your life outlook will be much brighter after donning these. Not recommended if getting confused looks on the street isn’t your thing.
We’re waiting to see who’ll be first to turn up as a piña colada…
(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...and the winner is…
With the large volume and quality of entries that came in, it was a tough decision to make. We would like to thank everyone for sending in their answers, from the incredibly hilarious to the absolutely weird, but we are proud to announce that the winner of the Chic Outlet Shopping® competition is Christopher Hays. As a dapper gent, Christopher told us that the first thing in his suitcase would be his Alfred Dunhill mohair blazer plus his Turnball & Asser set of three ties, as no trip is complete without cutting a dash.
All of us at Black Tomato thought it was a brilliant answer and couldn’t agree with him more.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...fairytale of milan
The Maison Moschino hotel in Milan has just opened its doors with a theme that will truly have you staring down the rabbit hole.
Hidden inside a gorgeous old neoclassical railway station, you’ll never guess what’s waiting for you. As the name suggests, the hotel’s interior design was led by Moschino’s creative team and designer extraordinaire, Rossella Jardini.
zzzzz room
However, the running theme throughout the hotel is more than a little avante-garde with fairytales being the inspiration for the décor. The reason being, to quote MM, “to sleep is perchance to dream, and dreams are fairytales that we are allowed to experience first hand, the fables of a fantasy world that we have created.” Pretty deep as rabbit holes go. So if you’ve ever wanted to experience a slumber with a twist of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ then this hotel is perfect.
As you walk through the front door you’ll enter a world where fashion and interior design have married to produce a fairytale masterpiece. Each of the 63 rooms and 2 suites have been designed individually. You can sleep in a room where red rose petals fall from the chandelier, in an enormous ball gown, where tables rest on gigantic tea cups , or my personal favorite, where a gigantic bee hovers above the bed whilst you zzzzz away.
Definitely the perfect hotel to hole-up in after a day shopping in Milan.
rose petals falling from the chandelier
sleep in a ball gow
tables resting on gigantic tea cups
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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...what to wear
Packing for your holiday is tricky: fact. Will it be hot? Will it rain? How many layers will I need? These are questions we all ask, before stuffing our suitcase full of unnecessary clobber, leaving ourselves with a bursting zip and no space for souvenirs.
So, what’s the solution? Here at Black Tomato we think quality (think wind-proof, sandproof and comfy enough to fly in) is miles better than quantity (scratchy, shrink-in-the-wash togs), and our friends at Clerk & Teller have got the perfect stuff. The guys at the cool clothes brand are into travelling too, so we teamed up with them and sent them off to explore quirky places.
Kiev was their first stop. With a footy match and a visit to Chernobyl’s nuclear waste zone, you couldn’t get a much more blokey weekend. And the best bit is their top-notch clothes fended off the chilly Ukrainian winter perfectly. Have a look at what they got up to on http://www.clerkandtellerexplorers.com/ , and you might even get some ideas for what to pack on your next adventure.
CH
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