BIRKENSTOCK SHOCK

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

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 Birkenstocks, bless 'em, have long had a bit of a mixed reputation. They were mostly just ugly shoes which tended to go with hairy legs and camping clothes (sweeping generalistion). Of course, it was perfectly acceptable to have a pair at the back of your wardrobe to dig out for holidays and mooching about at weekends. Then last September Phoebe Philo did her thing, lining Birkenstock shaped sandals with fur and sticking gems all over them. Of course, they instantly became the ultimate objects of Spring/ Summer '13 desire and were christened "Furkenstocks". For those of us not quite in the position to be splashing £600 on oxymoronically furry sandals, real deal Birkenstocks (c.£50) seemed like a good second option.

 A classic Birkenstock look (via themostcake.co.uk)

This afternoon, EDITD reported that buzz around Birkenstocks has increased 20% in the past month with a 10% rise in their fan numbers. The fashion data company points out that this might be down to a Facebook competition which they hosted. Fascinating. Plenty of bloggers have been debating whether they should invest in Birkenstocks as an accessible way of getting on the Celine bandwagon. After all, Philo was arguably responsible in part for the huge resurgence of love for Vans after she produced luxe silky skater slip-ons.

Walking down Oxford Street earlier today (and before I saw the EDITD tweet) I clocked dozens of people wearing Birkenstock type shoes. What was so striking to me was how you could probably second guess each person's reason for wearing them. There were those who I'd surmise were absolute devotees who'd had theirs 20 years and never took them off. Then the nonchalant women who had probably pulled them from the back of the cupboard because of course they're the most obvious thing to wear in a heatwaverushing around Central London. Finally, the devoted fashion followers who'd probably recently purchased theirs in response to the Celine versions.

Coming back to EDITD's tweet, I wondered whether this rise in fan base was in any way down to Philo or just the result of an enticing competition? What is more influential, catwalk trends or brand digital engagement? Probably a bit of both.

FROM EDITD: THE BUZZ TO KNOW FROM SS12

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Over the past month, we have been completely bombarded by images, tweets, reviews and blog posts from the SS12 shows. We've had a ball, but sometimes you need to pin down what's really important- what do people LOVE? What will we be wearing next season? Which brands are doing the right stuff to get themselves loved? And, most crucially, should I be channelling Little Mermaid or Mr Potato Head next season?

Theyskens' trousers for the city mermaid

We've blogged about our geeky appreciation of Editd before, but their SS12 report has really helped to focus our minds and given us an insight into the reality of next summer's fashion rather than just what has stuck with us because we, personally, love it or hate it. Really you MUST read it. I've extracted a few things which jumped out at me as fascinating/ baffling or any other adjective of great strength.

1. Yves Klein Blue

We noticed the blue, of course. I have also become a bit obsessed with Richard Nicoll's 'Laura Palmer' blue but I am also a big fan of Yves Klein blue which Editd have underlined as the key way blue was done. I'm so glad there are more imaginative names we can apply than dark blue. This hue was featured in 36 shows across all four fashion weeks, a key indicator that you'll be seeing more.

Yves Klein- Blue Monchrome, 1961. Image from moma.org

Diane Von Furstenburg SS12

Stella McCartney SS12

2. Florals

This print hit has been brewing for some time but the fact that it was seen in an astonishing  107 collections means we'll be flooded in flowers of all shapes, sizes and mainfestations next year. In my opinion it was London designers who pushed the boundaries here, taking quite a standard feature of a Summer collection and giving beautiful, innovative and surprising new leases of life.

Christopher Kane's sticker flowers

Erdem- flowers fit for a country garden

Mary Katrantzou- digi floral

3.Where is real online fashion buzz generated? Celine vs Chanel

Although fashion insiders might bang on about Alexander Wang and Celine being must-have labels, it seems the real excitement is still generated by the big players like Prada and Chanel who were by far the most popular in terms of the content they generated online over the past year. I suppose with their big budgets and massive product ranges (perfumes make a brand infinitely more accessible) this is not that surprising but you do wonder if there'll ever be a time when the balance could shift. 

Celine SS12

4. Getting Your Five A Day

After the success of the Prada banana for SS11, Dolce and Gabbana have got in on the food themed act by using vegetable prints in their collection. EditD say this is one of the key looks from the shows and so could become an overriding image of SS12.  As we've previously reported, a deep sea mythical world popped up across several key shows including Alexander McQueen and Chanel so actually next Summer might be more about mermaids than wearing your 5 a day. 

Dolce and Gabbana SS12

5. Retro Versus Feminine 

Flounces and ribbons made McQueen the epitome of femininity

Gucci's 20s references

Lastly, some of the stats are a bit confusing. Take 'retro' - this is stated as the top style as calculated by the sentiment and buzz it created - i.e there were lots of 60s and 20s inspired clothes. Fair enough. But then we're told that 80% of responses to retro styles were negative. Whereas 75% of reactions to feminine clothes were positive. What does it all mean? Only time will tell.
All images from catwalking.com
EditD.com

FROM EDITD: GEEK OUT ON LFW STATS

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Burberry was top designer for creating online buzz for their show

Editd came to our attention yesterday when FashEd discovered that she was among the Top 10 Fashion Week Tweeters according to their analysis of more than 300,000 tweets per day over the week. That led to some serious geeking out over fashion week details which we really wanted to share with you all.

Julia from EditD told us:

 'Based on the amount of online buzz generated, our interactive charts give an instant guide to who and what is hot. Our charts are built by connecting a specific fashion taxonomy with what people are talking about online before and during fashion week.

We love making this kind of data public, because it gives everyone an insight into the trends they can look forward to seeing in stores and they’re informative for industry insiders who use this kind of data (though in real-time) to ensure their buying and product decisions are right for the season and their customers'

EditD have also created full buzz reports from London and New York . Geek your hearts out fashion lovers!