Springing after Alice!

So I'm going to jump onto the proverbial bandwagon (or seat myself at the tea party might be more appropriate) and get thoroughly over-excited about Alice in Wonderland. After watching the the luscious Mr Depp and intriguing Mr Burton on 'Friday Night with Jonathan Woss' and realising that Burton has in fact, totally re-written the story, I must admit to feeling slight trepidation about the plot but drinking in the design. Alice is now 19 and about to marry an aristocratic twit, she is also visiting Wonderland for the second time. How will it all turn out? Off to the Electric in the next couple of weeks to find out...

Meanwhile, it seems obvious to me that Burton and fashion go hand in hand..not so long ago we were all dressing slightly neo-goth with leather leggings, swathes of black lace and ever so slightly absurd shoes (note the heel on the YSL Tribute pumps). Hello Edward Scissorhands.

Having recently been in NYC and taken in the Tim Burton exhibition whilst there, I'm struck that upon my return to the UK, Spring has Sprung and the designers are embracing it, most notably Louise Goldin. Goldin showed ice-cream parlour shades of lilac, yellow and powder blue, but her complex body-con dresses and directional knitwear were pure sci-fi. Look out for her studded courts in Topshop. (in Lewis Carrol's book the label on them would be 'Buy Me') This is the thing about Burton you see, the potential saccharine sweetness is tapered by the Gothic, the dark, sometimes almost the punk. Think again of Edward Scissorhands wandering down those streets of pastel suburbia standing out a mile and not just because he had clippers for fingers or Catwoman's bondage-esque catsuit juxtaposed with her alter ego (shy secretary Selina Kyle) all fluffy jumpers in pale colours and pencil skirts.


Christopher Kane's Spring collection showed delicate pink and blue gingham-check dresses, made from chiffon and covered in intricate sequins and appliqué patterns. So far, so sweet, you might think, but bear in mind that the collection was inspired by a Texan cult...Mad as Hatter. ”

How can one work the Alice trend? Hats always make me feel like I'm making a statement. A mad hat is fun for about half-an-hour, for example, possibly for a chic run to to the shops. Headbands are very on-trend and arguably easier to pull off, and bunny ears never go out of fashion (Louis Vuitton did them, after all). Just remember not to wear them with hot-pants. I bought a wonderful nude headband from J.Crew in the States with a fanciful chiffon concoction attached to it but Topshop has a good selection or make your own by buying a plain one from Boots and trimming it from the fabulous selection of fabrics at V V Rouleaux. If you don't wish to channel Alice, take inspiration from Anne Hathaway as the White Queen...creamy skin, dark plum lipstick and pristine white and cream lace accesorised with pearls.

Finally I am going to try and banish black from my wardrobe whilst the sun is shining, throw a tea party and have a hunt round for the croquet set...