While I've paid him attention in the past, I haven't written about Rad Hourani for over a year now, as I've left it to the rest of the blogging and fashion news world to give this no longer emerging designer his due. I do always take a peek at his newest collection and like seeing that he's stuck to the aesthetic that garnered him all the attention, while upping the ante just a little bit each season. With his A/W 11/12 collection, there seemed to be a lot of leather going down the runway, and so I didn't even take a second look when those photos were first posted. Today, however, I see that Rad has posted the lookbook photos for the collection ('#7') on NJAL, and I instantly found a couple of pieces to look at over and over. Take the jumper/apron/smock/vest/dress piece above, for instance. Now, I may be wrong, but I think that this is a convertible piece (which would make sense knowing Rad's past designs), as it seems to reappear in different configurations throughout the lookbook (click here to scroll through on Rad's site to see it with Rad's leather pieces), such as below left, as well as in a smaller version (below right).
Now I know that this piece wouldn't be for everyone, but it would definitely work for those of us who love to layer but hate to cover up the whole layered look with one big ol' winter coat, especially as you can style it over top of a coat. The idea of wearing an apron to protect you against the cold and the non-stylish ways of the winter is kinda poetic too. Or something.
Anyway, I also immensely enjoy these pieces (below), especially the reoccurring feature of the zipper in the back. Of course there's no way I can afford multiple Rad Hourani pieces to do the layered unzipped look, but I can dream.
