The relationship between myself and jeans has never been an easy one - I'm pretty sure I've recounted at least three instances where there's me in a changing room, feeling tortured, stupid and ridiculous, whilst trying on x style of jeans from x label, thinking these were the ones that would "change my life". Such are the cult mechanics behind denim that people who have found "their" label and style swear by them as though they were health/beauty remedies.
I'm resolved that I'm always going to be the type of person that might stumble upon jeans and should they be able to put to good use in my usual multi-layered outfits, then it's a chilled/relaxed thumbs up. No sweeping life-changing statement or superlatives. When you combine the jean with the 'interesting trew' (a category that I tend to obssess about because as with jeans, I've never found many 'basic trews'), then I can definitely get a bit more and memories of my legs twisted with a pair of skinny jeans in a claustrophobic changing room start to dissipate.
So we have a collaboration between Liberty (I swear I don't comb these things out, the Liberty brushstroke just comes looking for me!) and MiH Jeans. I've come across MiH in the lovely Merchant Archive where it sells like hotcakes apparently. The story behind the brand is a pretty endearing one.... designer and founder Chloe Lonsdale's dad was dubbed the Blue Jean King with his Jean Machine stores selling old denim in the 70s. He married his 'Blue Jean Bride' Chekkie Maskell who was a denim model and she happened to model a jeans range called Made in Heaven whose founder would become Chloe's godfather. So Chloe happed upon these archive pieces in the attic when she was a young teen and so decided to revive the brand as MiH. The story also has legs to continue with a blog that cites Chloe's influences and design process... I have to love the fact that they dubbed Vada Margaret Sultenfuss from My Girl as a denim icon...
It therefore feels like a natural collaboration between MiH, an inherently London-led denim label to nab some fabrics from Liberty of London's archives to apply to their two styles of jeans - the Vienna skinny style and the Marrakech kick flare. Yes, flare. I'm trying very very hard to recall whether I've worn a flared jean style but I just can't recall. I remember the Stolen Girlfriend's Club half-jersey, half-lace flares which were my most recent flare foray. Nope, no flared jeans though....
So here goes with the shedding of my flared jean virginity. A key moment, I'm sure you'll agree with me, no? As opposed to ditzy florals and nods to summer tea dresses, MiH has chosen a deep deep rich purple velvet for the flare styles that is meant to recall the store of Liberty itself. I personally had to break out with some autumnal florals that will be heavy rotation in September/October (leaf crunching days!) to go with the deep deep purple, thanks to a shirt that I bought from Second Chance in Istanbul. I also had to slip in a bag passed down from my mum. I alas don't have the sort of cool parental heritage that Chloe does but the mothership is good for raiding bags, gloves and cashmere...
(With vintage kimono, vintage velvet floral shirt, vintage bag, Lanvin heels)
The skinny style was more of a no-brainer. Again, the Liberty aspect has been worked in unexpectedly through a bleached out feather print called 'Dakota' which was sourced from the Liberty archives. This is like I said, layering fodder for me, again, paired with autumnal florals - primarily a Christopher Kane dress that keeps taking me back to that Waltz of the Flowers segment in Fantasia...
The sleeveless trench is waiting to have new sleeves sewn on in a quickie DIY project that will take up approx a one-way Eurostar trip. Saving that one for Paris Fashion Week but for now, it also can just about survive in its sleeveless form
(With Christopher Kane dress, vintage trench with sleeves cut-off, floral socks, Dries Van Noten shoes)
