Hawaiian Prints Abound In New Amy Winehouse For Fred Perry Collection
For a while there, it seemed like Amy Winehouse was a walking cautionary tale for those even contemplating experimenting with drugs (I mean, a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum singer going toothless? Huh?). The harrowing images circulating the Web were way more effective scare tactics than any egg-cracking, “This is your brain on drugs” commercial (in fact, we can now refer to them as the “These are your teeth on drugs” pics). But things seem to finally be looking up for the gravelly-voiced chanteuse.
Those of us cheering her on, hoping she’ll “win” (and we mean in the true sense of the word, not Charlie Sheen’s twisted interpretation), finally have some reassuring signs, including some very flattering photos of a healthy-looking Winehouse shot for Look magazine (props to Idolator.com for sharing them with us). And, while a formal statement regarding her sophomore album has yet to be released, rumors pertaining to it are reaching the deafening decibel range.
For now, we can at least get our Winehouse fix (horrible pun intended) on the fashion front with the release of her second collaborative collection with Fred Perry. The Spring 2011 collection features short-sleeved polo shirts, jaunty zip-up track jackets, coquettish halter tops, cropped bowling shirts with front ties, sporty bermuda shorts, fitted knee-length skirts, cropped cardigans, and shift dresses in gingham, argyle, and a cheeky Hawaiian print. The entire collection stays true to the athleticism of the Fred Perry brand, while incorporating the 1950s feel we associate with Winehouse via Grease-ready silhouettes. Both a cropped, button-up, red cardigan sweater and a figure-hugging, short-sleeve red sweater with black stripe accents along the cuffs and the rounded neckline would look right at home inside the halls of Rydell High School. A black-and-white gingham cami top, meanwhile, channels the look of ’50s era swing dresses.
In terms of fabrics and patterns, the highlight is a vibrant Hawaiian print (shown above), which features a tomato red backdrop covered with white and yellow floral motifs. Small white-and-yellow Chrysanthemum flower illustrations form curved ribbon shapes or the C-shaped Fred Perry laurel wreath logo, while an aloha-worthy splash is infused via larger Chinese hibiscus blooms featuring petals in gradient shades of sunset yellow and vermillion. The print even features an illustration of Amy Winehouse herself, posing coyly among a bouquet of tropical flowers, her tresses coiffed in her signature towering beehive and a lei necklace draped around her neck.
The Hawaiian print pops up in such pieces as a halter-neck, button-front dress, a short-sleeved bowling shirt, a barrel-shaped handbag, and the above-pictured silk scarf, so you can choose how far you want to take your retro island look. We love the idea of wearing the Fred Perry Amy Hawaiian Scarf as a hair accessory (just as Winehouse herself would do), folding the scarf and wearing it as a headband, our bangs peeking out from beneath it, or wrapping it around at the base of a beehive and tying the scarf’s ends into a knot at the side of the head.
Amy Winehouse for Fred Perry Amy Hawaiian Scarf, £31.00. Available at FredPerry.com
