July 9, 2007

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My Style

Lovisa Burfitt

The rock steady Swede lets us in on her fashion turn-ons. By Erin Wylie

Designer Lovisa Burfitt is a rock chick at heart. "I always listened to punk-rock, like the Slits and Ebba Grön, and in my denim and T-shirt line you can see that."

For Lovisa, a Swede who now resides in Paris, music is a huge motivation and source of inspiration for Burfitt, her 4-year-old clothing line. The birth of Burfitt is fairly punk as well: It blossomed out of the demand for her hand-drawn T-shirts, which were literally snatched off her back by buyers in Paris. A natural doodler, Lovisa defaces her shirts with suggestive scrawlings of rock 'n' roll's patron saint, Kate Moss, who gyrates in beds of fantasy birds, flowers with eyes and disembodied legs. In addition to her printed shirts (now made from silk and bamboo), Burfitt has become a full-fledged line that's gaining ground in the U.S., with shops like Creatures of Comfort, No. 6, and Opening Ceremony stocking her inspired creations.

Like her collections, Lovisa's personal style is a little bit of everything: thrashed punk staples, a bustle here, a ruffled collar there, and a little burlesque wiggle. Her favorite shops are as eclectic as her style. "I love the braderie-shops where you can find a little bit of everything, flowerpots, light bulbs, nail polish in every color, tools and flip-flops." Here are a few other things that give the rock-chic designer her signature look.


1. Abused basics.
"In my wardrobe I always had a white, what you Americans call a wife-beater. I think the one I have must be 17 years old and falling apart. And I wear worn out Converse—my favorite pair was given to me by my best friend, Stina. They were pink but she sprayed them black and drew on the plastic toe part. I added some thin black shoelaces from an old man's shoe. The color is fading and now there are mostly holes left, but I love them and wear them every week."











2. Frida Kahlo.
"I LOVE Frida Kahlo! She is really a big style icon for me. I have this thing for Frida hairdos as well: I have a really cool fake braided hairpiece, which is great to add onto my hairdo."

3. Tough love.
"I recently got married and we got rings made by the jewelry designer Hannah Martin from London. My ring is in red gold covered in black rhodium, and it has pointy rubies on the inside that nobody else can see."













4. Super happy Manga.
"I've been very dark, kind of Antony & the Johnsons, for my past autumn/winter collection. So, right now I am jumping straight into color. I printed in black from the inside, or in fluorescents. The fluo-colors are a great punch in the stomach or a Fuck You in that combination. I am all into Manga style now, it feels like it's the only kind of underground that is left and not sucked up by a Hedi Slimane-type thing."










5. Rock and Fucking roll.
"I combine prints from lyrics that I've stolen, like 'Fuck Forever' from Pete Doherty and 'Why Can't I Be You' from The Cure. For me it's an homage to them."

6. Masquerading.
"Then we have the masks, accessories and hats that I hand-make for collaborations with stylists such as Patti Wilson and [Vogue Paris editor] Carine Roitfeld. People change character when they wear a mask."














For more information about Lovisa Burfitt, go to www.burfitt.com and www.lovisaburfitt.com.

Portrait by Piera Gelardi

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