We had the pleasure of speaking with the fabulous Marian Kihogo, who in her own words embodies ‘a car crash of 70s luxe bohemian meets unapologetic tailoring meets rock n roll.’ In our humble opinion, may we say, this chick kicks ass. The Ghana born, London based stylist is making an impact on fashion blogs and online magazines with her edgy, yet incredibly sophisticated style. We got her take on fashion inspiration, music, contemporary art, and a little bit of everything in between.

HS: So you are a celebrity stylist, creative consultant, editor, writer, blogger, and art director. What’s your favorite part of what you do?

MK: “I love working with people. Whether it’s styling clients for the Red Carpet, creative consulting for different brands, or tv engagements, the relationship with people is what I find interesting. Interacting and receiving feedback from my audience is what I find most exciting.”

HS: We understand you came from a family of artists and creatives. How did this inspire you to get into this industry?

MK: “I don’t think I had an ‘aha moment.’ I was born into it. I’ve never known anything other than that. Ever since I can remember, my earliest childhood memories at four or five, there was always art around me. My mother traveled a lot and I had a multi-global view on fashion and art from an early age. Maybe that’s inspired me to always push boundaries — some of my contemporaries at fifteen and sixteen would imitate what they saw in magazines — as most teenagers do, often wanting to blend. But for me, my mother inspired me to push boundaries and create my own identity. I had my own philosophies and style. I think some of my friends  find this approach more fascinating — always pushing and interpreting things in my own way.”

HS: We love how you balance the masculine and feminine aesthetic. Are there any male style icons that have influenced your look?

MK: “Yes. Androgyny — I admire the look. Prince and David Bowie have influenced me. Before Lady Gaga, Bowie was known for reinventing himself and I loved how he transformed. Jimi Hendrix’s look also influenced me a lot. His whole 70s luxe thing was quite incredible. Those three: Prince, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix have been very instrumental for me.”

HS: What are the five pieces in your wardrobe you couldn’t live without?

MK: “Wow this is a hard one as there are so many pieces I adore but if I had to pick I’d say…

* Leather pants — These are like superman’s suit to me. I can do anything in them, be anyone style wise.

* White shaggy faux fur — I am drawn to texture and the possibilities it creates. I have this shaggy faux fur jacket that is a little crazy and mad-hatter but sometimes the messier the better.

* Ana Sekularac Ana Fall Winter 2009–2010 Scarlet Red Cocktail Dress — Forget the little black dress, in my closet it is all about the impact having, Scarlet Red Dress. Ana combines conception, structure and grace with ease. The satin dress is in her signature scarlet red with focal pleat folds that lead into a structural left shoulder. The back and right sleeve (including the insert of the top of the bust) is in black sheer fabric. It is my favorite dress.

* Vintage YSL Rive Gauche dogtooth coat — I like that this embodies two things that I adore; masculine tailoring and print. They just don’t make outerwear like they used to. The tailoring is immaculate.

* Vintage Wim Hemmink couture dress — It is an off the shoulder metallic brocade dress which is no doubt from the 80’s. I took a pair of scissors to it to make it more current.

HS: We’ve noticed you have a penchant for highly conceptual designs. What do you feel is the relationship between conceptual art and conceptual fashion?

MK: “They are symbiotic, aren’t they? Fashion couldn’t exist without the connection between fashion and contemporary art. Fashion is a form of art and I couldn’t exist without art. I love the idea of living, breathing pieces of art. It’s one thing to hang a piece of art, but it’s more fascinating to breathe life into that piece and wear it. Wearing art makes you live it.

Art and fashion are merging more and more. So many new designers are more of artists these days — Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garcons, Ana Sekularac. Ana is a Serbian born, British designer who blends the conceptual with elegance. Her designs transcend trends. I can see myself wearing her pieces for 10 — 20 years.”

HS: So, you have to be tuned into the music industry. Who are your favorite artists?

MK: “If I had to name my look, I would call it a car crash of 70s luxe bohemian meets unapologetic tailoring meets rock n roll. I love rock — I’m a huge fan of the Rolling Stones. But I adore every type of music, from Marianne Faithfull to Billie Holiday to Grace Jones. But Grace is my top pick. I see her in the work of Gaga and the popular artists of the moment.

I need someone I can follow on a journey music-wise. Joni Mitchell is my favorite songwriter. She is just incredible. In every song, I feel like she is speaking to me. She’s probably the artist I listen to the most. Her music is like a lifestyle i believe in… The Church of Joni Mitchell. I even love her artwork. She’s fascinating. In my opinion she’s the greatest songwriter.”

HS: What do you see being the big trends of 2011?

MK: “There are quite a few but I think the one that will have the most impact has to be the 1970’s. Its influence is everywhere; the opulence trend which sees designers like Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton show a decadent spring summer 2011 collection, the resurgence of both the maxi skirt and the wide leg, the palette of  purples, plums, turquoise, mustard and jewel tones etc.”

HS: Is there a part of the world that you cannot get enough of… to visit or just for pure inspiration?

MK:  “Africa. The continent is an incredible source of inspiration for me. There is endless inspiration to be had as each country has many tribes, languages, cultures, traditional dress and so on.

No two countries in Africa are the same be it in terms of landscape, food or way of life. I am inspired by the little things and all the nuances in between, like the hair braiding trends in each country, or the bearing someone might have in their traditional wear, architecture in the different countries, the way people interact with each other, and how they celebrate their milestones.”

Marian Kihogo is a stylist, an online contributing editor at PUSH IT Magazine, and creative consultant. Check out her incredibly influential and entertaining Vogue UK approved blog.

Katherine Tyznik.HighStreet.New York

Nathan Jenden’s Spring 2010 show was an exhilarating collection of kaleidoscopic prints, vivid color, and volume. Jenden fearlessly sent his models down the runway in striking fluorescent, sequins, and digitally engineered patterns. So many loud elements at once usually borderlines on a collection looking too garish. However Jenden grounded his collection with elegantly tailored jackets, pencil skirts, and silk blouses in jet black and stark white. We thought it was just enough to make us look at each piece as an independent, wearable garment.

The show had a multi-cultural theme– the models were all black and Asian, each sporting two high pigtail braids. The brightly colored tight mini dresses, frilly skirts and over sized hats had an old school Jamaican dancehall feel to them. Along with the Jamaican vibe Jenden also tapped into Indian culture for inspiration: Indian goddess prints, sari style wraps, and harem pants. Sparkly bangles stacked from wrist to elbow were paired with embellished 80s shades. The look was neon, ethnic glamour.

Nathan’s collection was a bit over the top for most women, but we found the show inspiring and really fun. We would love to pull some pieces from this collection to incorporate into our wardrobes this season. We want something lighthearted and full of energy after the harsh winter that felt like it would never end.

We only just heard of Nathan Jenden, but we like what we see-we know we won’t get bored. The British born designer studied at Central Saint Martens and the Royal College of Art, then going on to apprentice with John Galliano in the nineties. After working for Kenzo and Daryl K, he found himself at Diane von Furstenburg in 2001, where he would be Creative Director until just this past February. Jenden launched his own line in 2006, where he shared with the world his signature style: highly tailored, modern pieces. We are excited to see what he will show us next.

HighStreet.New York.

It’s 2010, and denim is everywhere. Ripped, stained, bleached, wrinkled, patched, dyed, and embellished. It seems that the designers are up for trying every new technique they could think of on this staple fabric. Both heavy experimentation and sticking with the untouched classic blue jean are important looks this year.

Denim is becoming more formidable, moving beyond the confines of pop culture.  Today, people are wearing jeans for every occasion. Take Steve Jobs of Apple for example, he is not seen in anything but blue jeans and black turtleneck for every new Apple introduction. The Wall Street Journal took note of this “Power Jeans” trend within high-ranking business and political circles. It has become appropriate to wear jeans in business.

Among the various denims we saw on the runway, the very dark, almost black dyes would transition well into a business look. When we need to look professional but want the functionality and durability of a pair of dungarees, we dress our denim up by throwing on a blazer, a button down, and a pair of boots.

We have been seeing some refreshing and rich new indigo washes on the runway (Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, and Burberry Prorsum). We also saw some interesting greys, and extremely faded, almost white hues (Acne, William Rast, Boy by Band of Outsiders). Some designers went a step further, experimenting with dyes that were Crayola-esque (Louis Vuitton).

With many now on a budget due to the economic climate, focusing on updating a staple wardrobe piece seems to make sense. You can see the designers are having fun playing with this classic textile. Marc Jacobs dyed, bleached, and frayed his looks for Louis Vuitton, and even embossed the LV logo into the fabric. Jean Paul Gaultier tried new silhouettes, overalls and bustiers with Madonna-inspired built-in cone bras, while D&G was all about the ripped, ruffled, and rustic (they introduced an interesting brown wash seen throughout the collection.)

Some designers decided to go denim head to toe: Shirts, dresses, skirts, jackets, bags, even shoes, were spotted in the textile. Some of these ensembles were in matching fabrics, but most were composed of mixed denim colors, often rendered in a sort of a patchwork bohemian look, somewhat reminiscent of the 80’s.  In the 1980’s denim was a legendary muse in the design world.  It was a great source of artistic experimentation and there was little that wasn’t done with the material.  With the explosion of innovation we’ve seen this year with this fabric, well, what can we say?  Looks like it’s coming around again.

Katherine Tyznik. HighStreet. New York