DSUK SAMPLE SALE LONDON

Its something I’ve mentioned plenty of times already, but after settling down last night with a cup of tea to watch a marathon of Boardwalk Empire, it just re-affirmed my love of the fantastic 1920s and its superb style. It then got me thinking about the great of fashion icons of the era and who else would be at the forefront of my mind other than the timeless rivals Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. Both renowned for their lasting contributions to the fashion world, and designers that I adore, I thought it appropriate given my inspiration to take a look at what made the both of these women great and who do you think had the design edge?

I want to start my look back into the 1920s with Elsa Schiaparelli as I feel that she can sometimes be a lesser known fashion force of the 1920s than the infamous Coco Chanel. It has been said that Schiaparelli was rebellious in her ways, even from a young age and this slightly more flamboyant streak to her, mirrors itself in her colourful designs. Schiaparelli was born into an affluent family in Rome and when she left to go travelling during her younger years she met William de Wendt de Kerlor whom she married and had a daughter with. However, sadly, when her daughter was born William left her and Schiaparelli decided to return to Paris! However it was her misfortune within her personal life that gained her great fortune in her pursuit of a career in fashion as it fueled her drive and ambition to succeed. Schiaparelli was always original in her designs and brought about a great breath of fresh air to women’s fashion!

Another great woman of the 1920s to whom Elsa Schiaparelli was constantly being compared to was the infamous Coco Chanel. Heralded with the “invention” of the little black dress, Chanel is famous for her simple yet beautiful designs. Her entry into the fashion world began in her twenties when she met Etienne Balsan, who offered to help her set up a millenery business in Paris. From there, Chanel’s presence and influence within the fashion industry grew and grew and her simplistic, chic designs gained her great notoriety. What many loved was her ability to take elements of menswear design and give it a feminine twist. 

Both these icons of fashion made a great name for themselves, however, it would seem that Coco Chanel’s name has become timeless, yet I don’t think that this is entirely fair, as I believer both these women’s names should stand the test of time as they were both remarkable and individual in their fashion careers. What do you guys think? 

Words by Ellis O’Gorman

Sample sales in London, yes, that’s what we do.  Designer Sales UK hold over ten designer sample sales in London.  We sell Womenswear, Menswear & Accessories.

Our forthcoming sample sale is at The Music Rooms, 26 South Molton Lane, Mayfair and will be featuring lots of new Womenswear labels and Menswear including Dirk Bikkemburg, Belstaff, True Religion, La coste, plus lots more.  Our prices are between 60-90% off retail, so expect some really great deals.

Example is a Dirk Bikkemberg Red top on sale at £39 down from £299

Dirk Bikkemberg Mens top

There is nothing more lovely than a traditional, good old cup of tea, and here at DSUK we are happy to be bringing you fantastic quality tea in our next VIP goodie bags, as we are pleased to say that the delightful tea company Clippers will be sponsoring us! 

Clippers tea was started in 1984 by Mike and Lorraine Brehme who began their tea making journey with only two chests of assam tea and since then their company has continued to both grow and produce fine products. With a wonderful range of infusions from peppermint and camomile to more exotic flavours such as japanese style – sencha, you can always be assured with Clippers tea that its full of great taste! They are dedicated to ensuring that the tea they produce is always pure and natural with no artificial ingredients, and it gets better; Clippers tea is also fair trade and means that you can have winter warmth this year absolutely guilt free. 

Written by Ellis O’Gorman