THE DRG STYLE INDEX: GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY X ICA, MOLESKINE POP-UP, MARGIELA FINE JEWELLERY

Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY IN CONVERSATION

There’s a lot of buzz around Russian designer-artist Gosha Rubchinkiy right now and the ICA has tapped into the curiosity by inviting him to discuss his multi-faceted approach to fashion at its Culture Now talks event on August 29th 31st. I would give you the details, except the tickets have already sold out. Soz. (UPDATE: The curator, Angela Hill has left a comment to point out that the talk is actually on the 29th and there are now a few more tickets available.)

GOSHA RUBCHINSKIY AT ICA CULTURE NOW

2 MOLESKINE GETS A HIPSTER HOME

Old Street station has got soooo posh with its cold press juice stands and bike boutiques. And what’s this, the first ever East London Moleskine pop-up shop too? Oh yes, pop-up specialists Appear Here, (who are responsible for curating all the pop-ups in Old Street station) have installed a Moleskine emporium underground to keep all those Shoreditch hipsters happy. No need to rush, this pop-up will be sticking around until January 2015. I like this quote from Maria Sebregondi, VP of Brand Equity and Communications at Moleskine: “Stations and airports are places suspended in time and space but full of energy. Their very existence hinges between an arrival and a departure time, between point A and point B.” Translation: while you’re hanging around in travel-limbo, why not mooch around the store perusing the paper goods and savouring the exhibition of artists’ notebooks? You may find this is when inspiration strikes… MOLESKINE POP-UP AT OLD STREET STATION

3. MARGIELA RELAUNCHES FINE JEWELLERY

Contemporary fine jewellery is having a bit of a moment, differentiating the wearer instantly from the flock of Givenchy tusk earring- and Delfina Delettrez eye ring-sporting masses. Clever of Margiela then, to bring back its fine jewellery line (price: if you need to ask, you can’t afford it). Maison Martin Margiela is perhaps the ultimate when it comes to that middle ground between timeless classic and avant garde. Hence I’d say more keepable and collectable than the average fashion brand. But more than that, I think Margiela is a brand that really means something to its fans. Jewellery is so personal and emotional and Margiela jewellery even more so. (I say this as someone with a few of my own Margiela stories to tell. Perhaps another time.) So… smart move team Margiela. You can buy it at select Maison Martin Margiela stores, Luisaviaroma.com and Mouki Mou in Chiltern Street, London W1. MARTIN MARGIELA HERITAGE FINE JEWELLERY

(Images: Gosha Rubchinskiy; Moleskine/Appear Here; Maison Martin Margiela; New York Times T Magazine)