The Eye Has to Travel

Chilly pyjama weather has well and truly hit London, which means two things: POPLIN pyjamas, obviously, and the cinema. And what a cinema the Hackney Picture House is!? Spectacularly big and comfortable! And showing Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel which is a sheer delight.

 The documentary cuts together old footage and images that glide across the screen like a digitalised version of a clunky, lecture hall slide show; and amuses with Vreeland's more-is-more approach to the aesthetic and emphatic mode of speech.

 Everyone who knew her (bar her children perhaps) professes to have been invigorated by her company, her sheer presence, and an hour or so in the cinema with her has much the same effect. 

Vreeland was full of witty, facetious and esoteric responses to the world, but my favourite was her attitude to beauty: make the most of your faults. If one has a long nose, celebrate it! Be photographed in profile! A little taller than is conventionally "feminine"? Wear skyscraper heels! 

She had a sincere appreciation of variety and individuality. And the people she styled and featured in her magazine (she was editor of Harper's and then Vogue) always looked like themselves, not a version of anybody else. It truly is a liberating way to think about fashion and about beauty. 

What's the opposite of homesick?

Dear Bombay Sunset, 

Wait for me! I'm coming back soon... 

Love POPLIN x 

Autumn Obsession

Shop Iris Classic PJs 

There is definitely an autumn nip in the air that makes us want to get into our candy striped POPLIN Iris Classic PJs and snuggle up to watch the new series of Downton Abbey or 'don't look now' French cop series Engrenages a.k.a. our latest obsession. 

Playing Games

For the Spring Summer '13 season POPLIN went to Umbria in Italy to shoot our lookbook. We were lucky enough to borrow the absolutely beautiful Casa Fizia, surrounded by lavender, olive groves and gentle Umbrian countryside.

The styling flowed so naturally as we put together the looks as girls on (an almost) holiday, wanting to feel glamorous and grown-up, with the feeling of effortlessness that a sun tan and dips in the pool naturally bestow. That meant silk kimonos slung over bikinis, cotton nightshirts for al fresco breakfasts and silk pyjamas for a sunset cocktail.

But the upcoming collection also has a graphic dimension that was echoed in the lines of the tennis court. The product shots were the last thing we shot and we'd pondered all week about where to shoot them: on the patchwork stone work of the house? Back in London in an airless studio? The verdant tennis court with the Italian sun as natural spot-lighting dawned on us as the perfect location.

A teaser for now... We can't wait to share the collection with you soon! 

Cooking in Your Pyjamas: Behind the Scenes of SS13 Shoot

A 'behind the scenes' peek into the kitchen of our SS13 shoot in Italy's beautiful Umbria.

We had lots of looks to shoot from the new POPLIN SS13 collection, but we made sure that we took time everyday for a relaxing lunch and supper, round the kitchen table or under the lovely loggia overlooking the olive grove that surrounded the incredible house we were lucky enough to be shooting at. It made for a very civilised shoot, recipes shared amongst the team and new friendships forged. 

Favourites were a simple breakfast of figs (picked straight from the tree! I know- we were spoilt!) with natural yogurt and a swirl of berry compote;and a salad, copied from a dinner party at a friend's house back in London and recreated for our grateful team in Italy! Toasted pine nuts + sliced ripe peaches+ rocket+ torn mozzarella + balsamic dressing = heaven!  

A Gift!

POPLIN has just started working with genius, one-stop shop present site- GiftLab.

The just-as-chic little sister site to Couture Lab, GiftLab carries an array of completely desirable objects for lucky girls and boys. When in a hurry I find myself falling back on embarrassingly predictable presents but a quick browse of GiftLab and already I'm enthused with new ideas.

When it comes to present-receiving, I certainly wouldn't mind a Hugo Guinness print and GiftLab have a small but perfectly formed selection. Hint hint...