Sun 24th Jan: We Are All In One Interview- Part Two

And now for the 2nd half of the interview with Nina Ribena, the high priestess of the pantsuit.........if you like what you see, head to her shop......."We Are All In One"......we certainly are!

5)  I bloody love the scene from an AbFab episode when Patsy falls out of a cab with her undone "body" flapping outside her trousers.  What has been your funniest incident wearing a onesie?

It was probably at a festival in the earliest days of my onesie infatuation. I think I got a bit merry on my friends moonshine and proceeded to gallop around the whole field in my blue stinger suit (accessorised with fur stole and pink 50s swim hat) telling people that I was doing a triathlon. After falling over quite a lot and challenging a few burly men to an arm-wrestle I managed to convince the stage manager to the main dance tent that i was the DJ's special dancer for the night. I ended up dancing in front of about 500 people for the next 4 hours doing a series of 80's aerobic stretches.

6)  Mr.Motivator always accessorised his onesie with a bumbag..........in your opinion what is the perfect accompaniment for a playsuit? 

I've had some beautiful fur stoles that have gone really well with just plain all in ones - unfortunately I've lost them all. I've also got a bit of a collection of fox tails that I like pinning to my bum - they look really good with tight all in ones. 

7)  What has been the strangest commission you have had so far?

I've had quite a few....but I think the strangest was from a group of 10 investment bankers who wanted matching all in ones in an array of colours for the Burning Man Festival. They wanted them to all be in tight spandex before I explained to them they'd probably die from heat exhaustion...

I've matching tartan all in ones for a mother, father and baby!

8)  You have produced some African print playsuits...........who would be your dream label to collaborate with for fabrics?  

I'm a big fan of Alexander McQueen's patterns - that rainbow feather dress he did a while back still astounds me and I really like some of the prints in his new AW/'10 menswear collection. 

But generally I tend to look at illustrators work for pattern inspiration. I really like looking at Yerin Tong's trippy work and I'm actually collaborating with an illustrator/printer/brew maker called Himbad Indestructomator at the moment to produce some really eye-popping printed all in ones. They should be available to buy in Beyond the Valley in the Spring. 

9)  Do you have a muse?  Who would you most like to wear one of your onesie's?

I don't have a muse yet. I'm on the look-out and still accepting applications! I'd love someone like M.I.A to wear my stuff....Florence Welch also loves a good onesie, I quite like to make her one. Purely for the fact that i could make something completely nuts and she'd wear it - Lady Gaga.

10)  What was your favourite onesie from last season's collections?

It's pretty simple but I think I'd say House of Holland's denim cupped leotard. I just like the whole chicness of it and i think the hair/make-up/glasses make it look uber cool. 

11)  What is next for "we are all in one"?

Lots. I'm really enjoying printing my own fabric at the moment so you can expect to see a lot of flamingoes, puffins and multi-coloured leopardskin prints making appearances on my designs soon!
I'm also planning an exhibition of all my designs to be shown at the end of the year which is going to involve a mixture of fashion, art and theatrics - all in onesies, of course. 

It's going to be a busy year!

All Photography:  

Dan Wilton  (portfolio)  

Dan Wilton  (blog)

Sat 23 Jan: Paris Report from Amy Gwatkin

A highlight in the seasonal hat department for me is always Stephen Jones for Walter Van Beirendonck, so I asked Amy Gwatkin to give us the low down from the day.........

"The Walter show was in 2 parts...from the right came the boys - with their jumbo ear protectors and small spikes under their shirts at the nape, like baby dinosaurs, can only be described as: super bright techno rave hoodies for the busy baby dinosaur on the building site!

Then the girls from the left - classic hat shapes, the fedora, riding hat, and bowler reworked in coloured felt and outlandishly outsized, over surprisingly discreet hacking jackets, and bold single coloured jackets and dresses - pleated at the shoulder and across the back, in an almost 18th century horsewoman vibe - this impression was reinforced by the insane shapes, apparently constructed like a crinoline the went 'through' the model's body at the crotch - giving the impression of the model 'riding' it - giraffes, machine guns, rockets, storks..........

you literally wonder whether walter cultivates magic mushrooms in that beard of his."

"I spent the day observing the fashion fans crushing round the show venues of Rick Owens, Walter van Bierendonck, Kris van Assche, and Tim Hamilton ( i couldn't find Comme, got over excited by double decker underground trains and was late for Cerruti and Givenchy - sometimes you just have to have a kir and a fag!). Apart from those with invitations who were whisked right in, there were some eager and great looking kids waiting for the chance of a nod and the momentary swishing aside of the rope.... My plan was simply to watch the characters on the street, but the chap at Walter gave me an almost imperceptible head movement and in I scuttled.....Almost everyone had a camera - there was a sort of 'them and us' divide - whereby if you didn't have a camera you were too busy BEING the picture, rather than TAKING them darling!"

To see the whole collection, go here

Sat 23 Jan: Tim Walker, Pictures

Here is a phone-pic pinged to me by Hillman Studio setting up Tim Walker's "Pictures" at Galleria Carla Sozzani in Milan which opens today................a continuation from the exhibition the forces fused at The Design Museum in 2008...........

Sat 23 Jan: We Are All In One- Part One

Whether it happens to be in or out of fashion, I think we are all in agreement that an all-in-one is one of the best looks to rock.  Its a classic and an essential wardrobe staple for automatic style.  I have quite a few vintage numbers (mostly '80s it has to be said) but I think its time to discover some contemporary playsuits.  I fell in love with Nina Ribena's hooded harem pant onsie last year and asked her to make a gold one for my i-D portrait with Nick Knight.  Ive checked back in with her to see where her jumpsuit fetish first started and whats happening for her label "We Are All In One" for 2010.

1)   Where did your fascination for "all in ones" first come from?

A friend of mine had a blue jellyfish sting protection suit that she'd nicked when she went diving in Australia - when I saw it I instantly fell in love and commandeered it as my festival outfit for the next few years. I soon built up a collection of these suits and got a bit of a reputation as being 'the onesie girl' - when the festivals finished I realised that there were hardly any all in one's out there that I could just wear normally. So I started making my own!

2)   What was your favourite romper/playsuit/dungarees when you were a kid?

After going through loads of photos of myself when I was younger it actually turns out I used to wear quite a lot of all in ones! But I think my favourite is this pink one that my mum made me. I was only about 6 but I remember going to John Lewis with her and choosing the pattern and fabric so maybe that's what planted the seed...

3)   Kids stories are onesie-a-go-go from Penelope Pittstop to Cat Woman to the Max from Where The Wild Things Are.........was there a stand out onesie wearer from your childhood that has influenced you?

I think childhood stories actually have more influence on me now than they did as a kid. I love Max's outfit from WTWTA...I've actually been planning to make that outfit for the past 3 years! It's the fox tail that does it for me. The Thundercats have got some pretty cool leotards going on as well and i did used to dress up as a cat a lot so maybe they did inspire me after all!.

4)  Supehero costumes are most often a onesie.  If you could invent a Superhero, what would be there name, superpower and outfit?

It would be a Japanese chimp called 'Space Monkey' - contrary to the name, Space Monkey actually lives in the desert and drives a tank (OK, yeah I REALLY like Tank Girl) but fights wars in space with banana guns and ninja stars. 

Space Monkey would have to have two outfits; for the desert she would wear one high-legged leotard with metal spikes on the shoulders (worn with Dr Martins, a gun garter and a cigarette) and for space - a 50's style, silver body with padded shoulders and hips. Very similar to some of the designs from Jean-Paul Gaultier's haute couture AW 09/10 collection!

 5) Your hooded onesie's were inspired by Grace Jones............do you have one ultimate fave onesie from music showbiz past ie. Bowie, Mercury, Elvis?

To be honest, I think Grace Jones smacks it every time. There's no one of her generation that looked better than she did in an all in one - that's still the case now! There's one picture of her in this white, African warrior style all in one that looks like it's painted on to her but it's made out of a skin coloured spandex, I think. 

Grace win hands down every time, sorry Elvis.

All photography Dan Wilton (except childhood snaps!)

Fri 22nd Jan: All Present & Correct

I spy an Eley Kishimoto custom bike............................

Fri 22nd Jan: Smokey Chapman

Here is Smokey Chapman who was the 2nd artist to take over the soundsystem at SHOWstudio for a live acoustic session.   I met Smokey when I was installing my accessories on the Christmas Tree and so she contacted me to rustle her up something jazzy to adorn her outfit for the event.  It turned out quite serendipitous that I mad it in gold as she was joined by a guest musician from The Golden Silvers.  Smokey was streamed live from 4pm yesterday so for anyone that missed it here are some screengrabs and if you check back later, an archive of the performance is being prepared.  But for an immediate hit of softening strumming and silken singing, head to her myspace where you can here some of the tracks.  She is currently working with James Dring on production for her forthcoming EP............(the man behind work for Beyonce, Jamie T and The Gorillaz.)

Thurs 21st Jan: Bethan Wood

I'm SO EXCITED to see Bethan Wood's new "designer in residence" exhibition at The Design Museum since ending her MA at the RCA last year.  Her emphasis and fascination has followed on from looking at urban surfaces and moved from table tops to streets and sidewalks.  Here are some of her reference images and sketches that are from her fantastic documentation on her Design Museum blog which you must check out!  The show opens next week so I will be catching up with her at the opening to find out more.............but for now here is a portrait I got at NOKI's shop opening and you can just see amongst the multi-pattern layers, her own camouflage silk scarf.   I LOVE this laminate take on chip board..........I wonder if she has turned this into a fabric design too?

Wes 20th Jan: Attempted Deception

A few moons ago, I moonlighted on a couple of occasions assisting super set designer/art director Anna Burns.  I helped her make a replica SLR camera from card and a giant lifesize Godzilla costume!  Over these years (5 to be exact) Anna has been engineering and devising extra set up shots inbetween shoots to collate a catalogue of personal imagery.  She has collaborated with photographer Michael Baumgarten under the guise of The Deformers and published a book of these scenes named "Attempted Deception".   The themes are otherworldly with an international backdrop as they have moved around the globe during jobs on location.   It is almost a voyage through their dreamscape with narratives that are implausible and playful.  Infact. it's a little risque - so not a coffee table book to be purchased for a prude!   It seems that a book has been the perfect format for the pair to explore provocative extremes, perhaps not possible in editorial...........here you can see a set of backstage snaps from the process kindly sent to me by Anna for this post.

Mon 18th Jan: Cube PR Sample Sale

Cube PR have just turned front of house into a temporary sample sale with a selection of some of their designers.  A few of the bows that are left over from my SHOWstudio Christmas tree are in the mix amongst designers such as Siv Stodal, Sophie Hulme, Dr. NOKI, Louise Amstrup, Horace..........its on till the 23rd on Lambs Conduit Street.........Mon to Fri 11a.m -6p.m.

Sun 17th Jan: Foale & Tuffin

I was born in the wrong era as far as clothes are concerned. Just look at these treats from the current Foale and Tuffin exhibition at The Fashion & Textiles Museum.  The name was on my radar but I really don't know anything about them so this is a brilliant eye opener to the brand by 2 of London's pop dress protagonists.  The duo met at the RCA and founded their label when they left in 1961, working on their dining room table using sewing machines bought as 21st birthday presents.  When sales escalated they moved out of their South Ken flat and set up premises and resulting prospering business just off Carnaby Street in 1964.  From an initial studio floor paying 6 guineas a week, they eventually took over the whole building and opened the ground floor as a shop.   They were known for being forerunners in creating the current trend in fun young styles but combining it with quality finish.  Their trademark look was a revolutionary trouser suit at a time when trousers weren't de riguer but it was their reactionary development from the miniskirt and stockings combo.  

My snaps are from 1 section of the exhibition as I didn't have time to look round the whole thing..........Ive got to go back!  Its on till the end of February so advise anyone to get down there!  Ive included a snippet of the film projection made for the show by Neath Films.