Shocking or hot?

Okay, before we get into the grey/gray debate again (I've discovered I unfortunately spell it both ways quite naturally, lol) you should know this post is more about pink. And not a pastel pink either, nope, this is much more of an in-your-face Elsa Schiaparelli inspired shocking pink, as it's known in the UK, or hot pink as it's more commonly known this side of the pond. That pink - whatever you like to call it - looks smashing in the new Prima Donna floral print by Cole & Son paired with a cool silver and smoky gray, and has shown up as part of Heal's new ReDiscovers collection. It has such a Fifties feel for me, optimistic and a little odd, yet really quite modern too. Loving it!

A bit more from Viv

My mate Stacey over at H&H blogged about Cole & Son's new collection created by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and I thought it was too good not to check out further. Dame Vivienne is one prolific so-an-so and a total favourite of mine, though I've only ever owned one Westwood piece, a denim jacket I scored for cheap at Century 21 and wore for years 'till it fell apart. So, I went to town digging for more shots of the just-released collection, and this is what I came up with. Check the snaps of the wooden mannequins below to get a taste of the line and you'll see why Stacey, and I, both love it. It's nutty and interesting and has some great historical and fashion-y references going on. That Squiggle pattern first appeared in Westwood's Autumn/Winter '81 Pirate collection, Cut Out Lace showed up on the runway in '07 and Insects is apparently based on fabrics from Queen Elizabeth I's wardrobe.

For more Westwood you can also order a CD here of all her fave runway tracks, and the books below - quite the spurge I must say - are the Vivienne Westwood Opus. A limited edition tome available with 9 different covers that features large scale Polaroids of her fashion over the decades worn by friends and family. And of course there's her work with The Rug Company. I totally covet the pillows she designed and her rugs, well, how could you not love this one? Finally, that last snap is of a vibrant Dame Vivienne at the end of the runway of her Spring/Summer 2010 collection, and yes, that is a stuffed toad peeking out from under her jacket. [Images: 1-3. Cole & Son. 4. Opus. 5. Via Daylife]