Where is my friend called Evie Belle?

The last thing that I'd want for Style Bubble is for it to be categorised and boxed up. I don't exclusively write about the 'too-cool-for-school-Nylon/Ruush' labels, the 'girly-pretty-chouette-Lula' labels or the 'edgy-avant-garde'. At the end of the day, I'd like to think there's a context for everything and the next post will be even prove this point even more...

For now though, it's time for a bit of Evie Belle. First off, I love that the name of the label is derived from the TV show House of Elliot which a reader recommended I watch after my revelation of my love for ALL costume dramas (yes...even the really shit ones...). The lady behind Evie Belle, Sarah Hicks is focused on getting beautiful tailoring and finishing on her garments. That 't' word is such a fundamental stalwart in the craft of fashion and so many choose to discard it or ignore it. Perhaps that's what makes looking at Evie Belle's AW08-9 collection a little uneasy from the perspective of a fashion brat who is constantly exposed to every sort of conceptual fashion under the sun with a lot of 'stuff' going on, that we might not be happy with something as simple (and simultaneously difficult...) as a beautifully well-made coat with fine finishing and little details.

Having seen the collection in person and proceeding to procuring some Evie Belle for myself, something like a great coat does become a whole lot more important. Sarah pointed out the materials which she sources mainly from Italy and Scotland and said she's very very picky with fabrics which comes into play when you start touching the stuff. The variety of collars, the way the sleeves are shaped and the linings...the sort of details that men like the Sart picks up on are all well executed here...

Quite simply, images don't do Evie Belle justice but you can just about make out where she got her inspiration from for the AW08-9 'Lost in the Forest' collection, using textures like mohair and mottled prints, sharp and wispy sillhouettes in blues, greys and blacky greens. Yes, it is jolly early to be harping on about winter but I'm up for being prepared...

The little coat I picked out from one of her previous collections features a signature pleated collar that can be adjusted with a drawstring. It's a coat fit enough to be worn on its' own really (Sarah is a fan of the coat-dress...) and like I said before, I've probably taken it out of context a little but hopefully Evie Belle (I really now wish I knew a real live Evie Belle...) doesn't mind...