Wednesday, 23 October 2013

Coco Fennell x Karen Mabon


Not since beer was added to a spread has a pairing caused such excitement round Domestic Sluttery way as the new Coco Fennell x Karen Mabon collaboration. Coco Fennell is, of course, our new favourite dress designer while we've been lusting after Karen Mabon's marvellous scarves for ages now (Sian was kind enough to buy me her greyhound scarf for my birthday). The results from the combined talent of these two ladies are as wonderful as you might expect. There are six pieces in total. Don't worry, you'll see them all.


Let's start with the Cut Rose dress, which has just inched ahead of Coco's Tulip dress in the "want in my wardrobe - now!" stakes. The black moss crepe has been embroidered with red roses and scissors on its collar. Perfect for toughening up a feminine shape, and available for £79. But we already know that there's more to both Coco's and Karen's designs than initially meets the eye.


Their shared black humour comes out in this ciggie break scarf, £65. The theme behind the collaboration is 'Breakdown Beauty Queen', and you get to know a little about these beauty queens through the designs - their shiny lipsticks and excellent grooming, but also an unfortunate nicotine and narcotics dependency. Not your average grandma's scarf then.


Of course there are some tears and tantrums to go alongside the tiaras too. Take a look at the poor little madam on the end of the parade silk scarf, again available for £65.


The whole tragedy is writ large on this Breakdown large scarf, where cotton buds and powder brushes vie for space with pills and spilt nail varnish ... or is it blood? You can make up your own story.


Do you remember how Coco described her dresses as "clothes that you'd be happy to bump into your ex-boyfriend in"? This. This memorabilia dress is what I want to bump into my ex-boyfriend in, please. Even if I was only popping out for a pint of milk. The dress is decorated with a simpler version of the breakdown pattern, and has a ridiculously sexy shape. Perhaps not surprisingly it's the most expensive piece in the collection at £120 (but, dressed in this, you might at least get your pint of milk given for free?). 


And, for a final good girl gone bad touch, take a look at this pill popper dress (£79), named because the collar is embroidered with tiny jewel-like pills. Wear it to confuse your boss, and your parents, and get admiring glances from everyone else.

Bravo Coco and Karen! Take your place on the winners podium... And encore please! I can't wait to see what you two come up with next.

7 comments:

  1. Oh goodness. I love that breakdown scarf! I'm not really a scarf wearer (yet another way that I'm so unlike Grace Kelly) so that beautiful pill popper dress is definitely on my list.

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  2. Oh wow - those dresses are amazing. Love how the prints elevate them from standard Peter Pan collar dresses (I have more than enough of those).

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    1. You are the woman with collars on EVERYTHING. And sequins.

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  3. These are great! They remind me of a painter I love, Libby Black. Her work is great. These prints are sassy like her work.

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  4. Oh my god I want it all! Everything! Thank you for bringing this to my attention, but now comes the task of deciding which one I can afford....the pill popper? The cut roses? Argh!

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  5. Oh my god I want it all! Everything! Thank you for bringing this to my attention, but now comes the task of deciding which one I can afford....the pill popper? The cut roses? Argh!

    ReplyDelete

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