SURFDOME AND RAPANUI’S ARTIST SEARCH

Are you an aspiring designer? Perhaps you're a dab hand with a paintbrush or you just fancy a shot at designing a t-shirt. Welllll, now you can!

Eco-fashion brand, Rapanui, have teamed up with Surfdome to give you guys an amazing opportunity to be a designer for an an award-winning fashion brand. So it's time to whack out your canvas of choice and get working on some ideas on a design for a Rapanui t-shirt! The winning design will be printed by Rapanui and available at www.surfdome.com. You'll get 5 of your winning t-shirts as well as £50 of Rapanui vouchers AND a £50 surfdome voucher.

To enter the competition 'Like' both Rapanui and Surfdome's Facebook pages and then upload your design here: http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/surfdome-form.php. Competition closes on 6th November 2011, so you better get going!

Check out Rapanui’s current collection of organic cotton and bamboo tees here at Surfdome.com: http://www.surfdome.com/Rapanui~654

Falguni & Shane Peacock AW11

Falguni & Shane Peacock's AW catwalk show was held at On/Off's new venue in Covent Garden's Mercer St Studios and though the dreary London rain was putting a downer on our mood, we had no doubt that Falguni and Shane's collection would live up to their exotic last name.

Featuring their signature use of embellishments and animal prints, the Peacock's toughened up their act with panelled bodysuits which gave a nod to AW's impending sci-fi trend. Of course, there was the usual selection of beautifully designed dresses, featuring heavy embroidery and feathers, but by adding accessories like dangerously cool spiked leather gloves to the mix, Falguni & Shane ensured that whilst still in touch with their habit of making exquisite evening-wear, they still know how to shake things up a little.

words: Navneet Gill

photos: Nedim Nazerali

Meadham Kirchhoff AW11

So, it may well have been the fastest fashion show in the history of, well, EVER, but Meadham Kirchhoff's AW collection, entitled 'A Cosmology of Women' was also, without a doubt, one of the best we'd seen all AW11 season.

All 24 of Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff's looks lined up at the catwalk exit before marching in an orderly boarding-school fashion down the runway, round the creepy car-crash-style shrine placed in the middle of the catwalk and right back up to the exit again so quickly that the it was near impossible for the fashion writers and photographers to capture on the furiously fast-paced collection. 

Set to an eerie soundtrack (because what macabre situation is complete without the Psycho's 'shower scene' noise...) the collection featured the prominent use of a typically haunting colour palette - black, white and red and the contradictory use of soft, sheer chiffons paired with heavier fabrics and chunky cable-knit socks. Embroidered with tiny childhood relics like lipsticks and dogs, the collection was brought alive by pinafores, buttoned-up shirts and innocently girly bows and blonde curls (given that edge by the ominous black roots). The 'Cosmology of Women' (which also featured menswear) just sceamed 'psychotic schoolchildren chic', and brought a welcome change from all the sci-fi inspired looks we'd seen at almost every other LFW show.

Yeah, we know, witchcraft is a popular and often cliched theme for the Autumn/Winter season but Meadham Kirchhoff gave it a refreshing new edge with their hauntingly nostalgic take on all those horror stories set in spooky old English boarding schools that your big brother used to tell you when you were little. For all those missing the quirky sense of British eccentricity that Luella brought to the fashion week stage, fear not: Meadham Kirchhoff have arrived and they're making sure that trend-rejecting offbeat fashion is alive and well. We couldn't be happier, well, unless one of those cutely creepy witchy hats decides to fly its way over to us this upcoming season!


words: Navneet Gill
photos: style.com

Jean-Pierre Braganza AW11

The sci-fi influences were evident as usual at Jean-Pierre Braganza's AW catwalk show as soon as the very first model stepped into our view. With her hair pulled tightly back in a super-high ponytail she walked on past us with alien-like ease and we just knew this was going to be another Braganza bonanza of sharp tailoring showcased with a science-fiction edge, and yes, as usual, we were spot on.

The tailored pieces were offset by trippy digital prints and for a change, we were shown some space-y silouhettes we could actually wear without looking like a reject from Gareth Pugh's production line. Practical fabrics were on all the rage in Braganza's 'post-cyber world' - with the AW's usual staples, leather and wool, making quite a few appearances. 

Panels of contrasting fabrics added more interesting shapes to the already interesting garments, and of course, what would a sci-fi influenced collection would be without statement shoulders? Braganza's collection is fit not only for a 'future world', but for a future fashion season. The season of AW 2011, in fact!

words: Navneet Gill

photos: style.com . We haven't downloaded ours yet...

The rise and, erm... rise of Anna Sui.

By now, you guys have probably noticed that we're kinda big on fashion. You've probably also realised that we are total book-geeks. So imagine how excited we get when we recieve BOOKS about FASHION.

Then treble that level of excitement when the book in question is a dazzling black and purple-clad retrospective about one of our most favourite ever designers: Anna Sui. Now that is one rather excited bunch of Tantrumettes you've got on your hands.

The long-awaited Anna Sui book chronicles the 20-year long career of New York's premier rock & roll fashion queen and features over 400 amazingly high-quality images. Oh, and it features a preface by Jack White (yep, that Jack White) and an introduction by none other than Steven Meisel. 

Sounds impressive already, right? Well, it gets better. Within its sparkly purple-edged pages, the book details the inspirations behind each of Sui's collections from 1991 through to 2009, including sneaky peeks at initial sketches and moodboards. Not only are there catwalk images from every collection, but editorial images shot by the likes of Ellen Von Unwerth, Peter Lindberg, Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Klein and of course, Mr Meisel himself.

This book is without a doubt one of our newest favourites at Tantrum; A beautiful book about a woman with an eclectic, bohemian rock & roll outlook on fashion, filled with 20 years worth of gorgeous images? Now that's one history lesson that you wouldn't want to miss...


Anna Sui by Andrew Bolton is published by Chronicle books, £35


image from chroniclebooks.com

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Bottle top

Recently I was at Cornbury Music Festival and was wondering around all the ‘festival stalls’ you know the usual ones that you always get, then I see this bag…wait “that’s made from ring pulls…right?” and to my amazement not only did I find a stall full of these amazing products including bags, purses and belts it was this an incredible charity! The company support grass roots education projects that empower young people.

Mainly based in Brazil and Africa the charity focus on quality and craftsmanship which lets them provide employment in poor parts of the world. This inspiring charity creates beautiful projects and improves lives by earning money and learning new skills.

With supporters such as David Bailey, Bob Geldof, Bill Clinton and many, many more we should all get on the band wagon and support this inspirational charity!

‘Maybe next time I have a can of diet coke I should think of keeping that damn ring pull!’

Acaraje coin purse - £12.00

Bellani bag - £85.00

Kibe belt - £35.00

All products are available at www.bottleshop.org

And you can also donate to the charity at www.bottleshop.org