ClandestineChic

Spring 2009

As far as fashion designers go, we have the so-called “It” designers that come and go every few years.  Some of them remain and continue to have a faithful following, while others may fall by the wayside and lose their financial backing.  There are some that come in quietly and remain resilient throughout, although their work continues to be strong as ever.

Veronique Branquinho, a Royal Academy of Fine Arts graduate, began her label in 1997.   Her initial focus was on womenswear, but in 2003, she branched out to menswear, shoes and sunglasses.   A name you don’t hear too often in American fashion, she has excellently made and tailored clothing and her footwear, which you can easily find on Yoox is always (in my opinion) forward and “different”.   Ms. Branquinho’s  Spring 2009 line was even something of a delight with sky blues and mustard yellows on the color palette and models wearing oversized tailored jackets skirts and dresses effortlessly.

While I’m sure she will never have a huge name or be one of the “It” designers of choice to the celebs and socialites, her body of work and can keep her afloat.   She sure does have the talent to back it up.

So I’ve been a bad blogger in the past couple of weeks.   Lack of anything to write about and nothing inspirational to me right now.  I haven’t been shopping or even looking in the past few weeks.  Maybe it’s the Chicago weather that keeps me down.  I briefly went on a rampage trying to find the perfect handbag to carry going into the Spring, but I came up empty.  I had a beautiful Tanner Krolle handbag that was on a serious sale in my online shopping cart that was sold when I finally went to check out.   And yes, somehow, that crushed my little shopping spirit.  I went into withdrawal and I carried my beat up MJ bag that really shouldn’t be allowed to exist anymore.   Then, I was at my parents house and went through my old closet to help my mom throw out things I didn’t want anymore and I found them.

Yes.  My old school Dr. Martens.  I’d had them since I was about 13 or so.  I’d actually had a pair when I was in 2nd grade that were the lace-up high top style boots.    I quickly tired of those and by third grade, they were out.  However, the other Dr. Martens were the 5 Eye Cap Lace to Toe style shoes.  Yellow trip and the thick sole I always felt looked like gristle.   Those shoes got me through Jr. High School, but I only wore them sometimes on weekends.  However, high school is where it counted as these Docs (as I called em) went perfectly with my wool skirt and white monogrammed shirt and tall knee socks.   In college, the shoes were always a fall back and a comfy alternative for walking around on campus.

Over the past couple of weeks as I looked at the scuff marks and the wear and tear, I noticed that first, the shoes held up pretty damn good for all of the trauma I probably put them through.   Then I reminisced about chance meetings with new friends, reconnecting with old friends,  going to the pizza place after school and the joyrides around town.   After sitting there and looking at my Dr. Martens for 15 minutes, I realized that I couldn’t throw them away.   I put them back in the corner of my old closet and threw every other meaningless Express T shirt and NY and Company pair of jeans away.  I can only hope that I find more items Dr. Martens that actually mean something to me.