ALEX AND ELI F/W 09

Article excerpted from stylebubble.co.uk

I have a secret yearning to look sharp.  The allure of tailored pieces that fit like a glove and have become the building blocks of a wardrobe hasn’t entirely escaped me, despite the fact that I scrunch my nose up at the so-called ‘wardrobe essentials’ that people like to harp on and on about.  It might be the influence of the boyfriend who desperately dreams of owning a bit of bespoke/Savile Row tailoring. 

Still, if I was ever going to be going down the tailored route I’d hope that there would still be something a bit "off" about it.  That’s not to take away anything from Alex & Eli’s wonderful A/W 09 collection.  The skirts are a wee bit longer, the jackets are cropped a bit shorter and the heavily texturized wools in the collection make the tailored pieces all the more appealing for me. 

I was already intrigued by Alex & Eli a.k.a. Anna Zeman and Aja Singer (both Parsons graduates, one of which I met backstage at the Rodarte show where she is interning) and their cream and mint green loosely tailored S/S 09 collection.  With this new collection, I think they’ve hit their mix and match suiting stride.  At the very least, they’ve convinced a tailored suiting skeptic such as myself that I too could possibly look sharp.  Mind you, give me one of these ensembles and I’d probably wear some neon lace socks, some customized heels and an embroidered organza t-shirt with the neat jacket and skirt… that’s as sharp as it gets for me I’m afraid.