Vintage... In The Florida Sticks

Today I went to the Everglades National Park and after taking me to see some huge alligators, my lovely driver Bill took me to this crazy little town where 'the oldest general store in the Everglades' had been preserved just they way it was in the 50's.

The Smallwood Store first opened its doors in 1906, serving as a place for weary travelers to stay and locals to by everything from chocolate to tobacco (a regular 7Eleven if you will), and is now a museum full of old Coke bottles, pharmaceutical packaging and animal skins.

While it was slightly disturbing to turn a corner and see a dead raccoon dangling in front of me, I loved looking through the old patterns, buttons and pieces of pristine clothing, such as the 1940s day dress, below.

Back in the day it was all about 'make do and mend' as popular fashion didn't make it to the Everglades until the 1920's

Buttons! I love the crinkled cardboard with all the old advertisements and illustrations

Black and Blue

In the US there is a Thanksgiving tradition known as 'Black Friday', which happens the day after Thanksgiving (which always falls on the last Thursday of November).

But Black Friday is not where families come together to relax after the stress of cooking a big meal, it is in fact the day when they choose to venture out at 5am (!) to shop like crazy in the ridiculously priced pre-Christmas sales. Events take place everywhere from superstores to thrift stores and last the weekend, but all the best sales happen first thing on Friday morning.

Naturally I wouldn't dream of getting up so early for any of the January sales, but as I'll probably only be here once for this time of year I figured I might as well partake with the rest of the country. In a bid to be clever and out-smart my body clock, I decided to join my cousin (and what seemed like half of Florida) in going to Miromar, one of the largest outlet malls in Florida at midnight.

There were queues from the highway, queues to get into stores, queues to pay and even queues to get back out again! Luckily I was just on the hunt for a few Christmas presents and succeeded in getting most of the things on my list, but my cousin had to queue to get into her favourite store, Juicy Couture, only to find nothing of interest and left empty handed!

One of the things I love about shopping is the thrill of the chase; the rummaging the looking high and low and the satisfaction of walking out the store with my purchase. Last night I practically had to beat off old ladies with their own walking sticks just to get near any of the stores I was interested in*, and I had to put up with the scary, bleary eyed looks of shoppers desperate for a hit of '40% off'. Not an experience I intend on repeating but I'm glad I gave it a try. Now, off to bed...

* No old ladies were harmed in the making of this post.

Absence makes the wallet grow smaller...

Since I took leave from Bristol my other half has been keeping himself busy by going to an art exhibition, cooking lots of fish and playing on his new PlayStation 3. On the other side of the Atlantic I have been consoling myself with two of my favourite things: shopping and cake.

The cake was getting a bit too calorific for my liking so today I went to The Mall instead, which turned out to be a bit lethal on my purse.

First stop was the department store Macy's which was a little lacking compared to the one I visited a few years ago in NYC, but with a store-wide sale I thought it would be worth a look. Before I knew it I was walking out with a Calvin Klein grey plaid shirt dress with a yolk neckline, and a charcoal coloured leather jacket by Sugarfly, an American brand I'd never heard of before.

I've always liked leather jackets on other pretty young things, such the Olsen twins but found them a little boxy looking when actually trying any on, so I can only conclude that one of two things has happened. Either I've found the perfect leather jacket for me or, as a suspect may be the case, I'll wake up tomorrow morning and be desperate to take it back - time will tell I guess!

Above: an ill-advised purchase? Sugar Fly leather jacket.

On the search for some reasonably priced Converse I came across Old Navy, a subdivision of Gap which is full of quirky prints and retro advertising. I have a bit of a thing for pyjamas and fell for some yellow flannel boxer shorts covered multicoloured deer, above.

Image courtesy of Fab Sugar

I love all the trashy, cartoon emblazoned pyjama sets and bottoms that seem to be so popular in the US, possibly due to watching too much of Clarissa Explains It All when I was younger, I managed to find a hideously wonderful pair of bright pink bottoms covered with birthday cakes, which I think are fantastic, especially since they satisfy both my clothing and cake needs.

Like I said, in the light of day I might feel differently but for now I'm quite pleased with myself!

Interview with Zac Posen @ Saks Fifth Avenue

Models show off to stunning Zac Posen S/S 2010 dresses in canary yellow and sea green. Print designed by Rosson Crow

This afternoon hip young designer Zac Posen paid a visit to Saks Fifth Avenue, Naples, to meet fans and show off his new S/S 2010 collection.

For those unfamiliar with Zac Posen, he is a US designer who studied at Central St Martins as well as Parsons the New School for Design and made his name in his home town of New York, establishing a cult celebrity following and winning a host of awards for his colourful and feminine designs since he stepped out onto the scene in 2001.

Posen has won both citizen and celebrity fans over with a mix of bright colours, detailed prints and silhouettes that celebrate the diversity of the female form: from 1930s inspired monochrome in A/W 2003 to delicate floral prints in his 2009 Resort collection.

Today at Saks, Posen's S/S 2010 collection was alive with colour, figure-hugging dresses and exotic prints teamed with bright feather sleeves and cover-ups. The abstract floral prints were designed by Rosson Crow, an American artist and illustrator famous in art circles for her decedent use of paint on the canvas and rich, bold colours.

Yazbukey brooches and jewelery used in the NYFW show are on show at Saks alongside the rest of the S/S 2010 collection

The collection had a mix of short cocktail dresses combined with longer, Grecian-inspired gowns, see top photo. There were also some fun lattice two-tone pieces that looked like chicer versions of cheerleader uniforms. Posen, who has previously favoured tailoring from the 30s and 40s in his collections, has managed to evoke nearly every inspirational decade for Spring/Summer.

The acid yellow colours and shorter mini dresses looked reminiscent of Mary Quant designs of the 1960s while the mannequin sporting the long pink gown embellished with beading could have walked straight out of a 1070s cocktail party. Posen has obviously enjoyed putting together this new collection and collaborating with other artists and designers - something that is reflected in the fun use of colours and choice of fabrics (everything from feather to silk).

The colourful and tongue-in-cheek lip brooches that feature in Posen's S/S 2010 collection were designed by Turkish design duo Yazbukey, see image above. Laser cut lips and manicured hands came in black, bright green and mirrored pink and blue, reminding me of the London based jewelry company Tatty Devine, a Ship-Shape favourite, who specialise in quirky, fun acrylic designs.

Above: Zac poses for a photo in his rather dapper navy suit

As well as a sneaky peak at the new collection, the designer was also meeting and greeting fans, both the two and four-legged variety! Once the gushing group of high school fashion followers I was with had cornered Posen for a chat, I was lucky enough to be able to pick his fashionable brain about his new collection, Mark Ronson and his list of A-list followers...

Ship-Shape: What inspires you when you design a new collection?

Zac Posen: I am constantly researching. I'm into people who self-style: women who know their character and personality and know how to express it.

SS: Were you happy with your show and all the glamorous parties at New York Fashion Week?

ZP: Well my show was at 9am so I didn't get much partying before then! The show went well and was mixed by [English music producer and DJ] Mark Ronson who played some fantastic independent bands such as The Like. Ship-Shape also heard tunes by Santigold and Florence And The Machine made an appearance as models sashayed down the runway.

SS: You've dressed a lot of celebrities for the red carpet - do you have a particular star you've enjoyed working with?

ZP: I could never answer this question!

SS: (with a cheeky smile) Is that because there are too many favorites to choose from?

ZP: Ah, I've had so many amazing experiences with every [celebrity] I've dressed! I love it when I can work closely with them during the fitting process.

SS: You're a New Yorker but you spent some time studying in London, what are your favourite things about the city?

ZP: Well I met so many great people there and lots of my friends are in London. I love the British Museum, the John Soane Museum, Sussex...

SS: The people of London and New York dress very differently, what do you think about UK style?

ZP: Oh absolutely! I think England has embraced eccentricity. (SS nods enthusiastically and mentions a potential move to the capital) If you're going to work in fashion in London you have to make a statement, look at the likes of Isabella Blow - maybe not that extreme but you have to create a look for yourself and stand out from the crowd.

A huge thanks to Zac Posen and the Saks Fifth Avenue team for a fantastic event, and for E for letting me borrow her camera phone!

Stateside Shopping

I find it hard to believe but since I landed in sunny Florida over a week ago, I have only got around to exploring some of the shops and 'the mall' this afternoon. The biggest difference I've noticed so far is that, unlike in huge cities like New York, all the shops are contained in malls or plazas and are not particularly easy to get to on foot.

Like everything in America, the malls and shopping centres are big, big, big with a mix of high street and high end shops inside. Today I paid a visit to Marshalls which is just like an American version of TK Maxx as it sells high end familiar and obscure brands at low prices (normally due old season lines or unsuccessful sellers).

I managed to pick up a wicked pair of New Balance grey and red running trainers, which can now replace my accent Nikes, while my friend picked up a cute pair of Emporo Armani sunglasses for $10 - bargain!

Next stop was Target which I always thought of as an US version of Primark - cheap clothes and there for lower quality. The only time I heard of this popular American store was when Sarah Jessica Parker designed a (poorly received) womenswear line for it back in 2007. I was surprised then, to find not only far more than clothing on offer but that it offers regular seasonal designer lines, and this time by Anna Sui. The collection has been inspired by the TV show Gossip Girl and featured trademark Sui design features such as lace and fringing, like this gorgeous grey t-shirt, above.

The collection looked like it had been inspired by the wild west, with nostalgic saloon tassels and lots of high-neck cream and black blouses. Although I've never seen an episode of Gossip Girl I've been informed that each of the 19 pieces in the collection has been influenced by Sui's favorite characters. Talking to Target press Sui said of the show; " [Gossip Girl] is such a phenomenon and so fashionable, so I really wanted to create a collection reflective of the four main characters."

The line came out in August so before I found my way to the shops it had already been put on the sale rack. Personally I've fallen for the grey t-shirt with black fringing as it it is simple but feminine - a classic Anna Sui look. As soon as I work out the bus system I'm going back to buy it!

More Ship-Shape and Florida Fashion updates and pictures to follow so watch this space...

Blog of The Week: La Petite Fashionista

Seeing as I'll be stateside for a couple of months I figured I should search for the best fashion blogs in the US, and of course Florida. This week's BoW is La Petite Fashionista, a 20 year old college student based in Florida who is 'obsessed' with fashion.

The writing on this blog is young and fresh - Lauren obviously adores fashion and this passion comes across in her writing. From what I gather she is studying fashion merchandising and often blogs about her coursework, work experience and college life, such as this post below.

The blog is very well presented with lots of info and fun bits such as Lauren's own personal collection of inspirational images not to mention comments and opinions on fashion editorials and new designers. Images and collections are often arranged and designed to look like the pages of a fashion magazine or a mood board, which is shows off Lauren's creative streak and takes me back to my own fashion student routes of sketchbooks and presentation.

This blog is a fun stroll down memory lane for me and it is great to see a student blogging about fashion while still at school - a quality that will no doubt give her the edge over her peers when it comes to getting a job in the fashion world!