Though my style is currently rather minimal and restrained, I must admit that I do love excesses and in particular the decadent glamour of sequins. I fantastically attribute this passion for over the top styles to the fact that, for a strange astral coincidence, I was born in the same year Sun Ra first came to play at a jazz festival in my hometown, 1975. 
Maybe the notes of his avant-garde trademark space jazz from Saturn drifted through the air all the way from the local stadium and reached me while I was peacefully sleeping in my cot, inspiring me to develop a passion for the chaos of ‘Space Is the Place’ and the capes the charismatic leader of the Arkestra used to wear on stage. Years ago I saw the Arkestra playing at Edinburgh’s Liquid Rooms, and, in that occasion, the musicians wore futuristic sequinned capes and bizarre headgear, their attire contributing to give us the impression we were being taken on a journey through space. The oldest living member of the Arkestra, Marshall Allen, was absolutely fabulous in his gold sequinned cape and hat fantastically shining under the stage lights.
Sequins are one of the main trends for this Autumn, so I guess nobody will notice if I suddenly forget my minimalism and opt for an excessive style. 
There are a few styles I quite like: I would recommend to wear Celine’s armour-like dress with its rows of metallic sequins to people who are in a gothic mood, 
while Lanvin’s black dress loaded with its gold sequins is perfect for those who love lavish looks, and it would be even better worn with tons of jewellery for a totally excessive over the top look.
There are quite a few sequinned models to choose from in Christopher Kane’s collection with its dresses decorated with sequins in different shades and sizes.
Kane’s dresses show a softer side to the designer, while Balmain went for a more aggressive approach with the label’s designer Christophe Decarnin
opting for narrow-shouldered sequinned jackets ideal to wear with skinny trousers and body con dresses in red and silver.
Miu Miu’s glamorous sequinned shoes in different shades of violet and LRG’s sporty but exuberant “Jewel of Denial” hoodie also deserve an honourable mention.
If you have a limited budget and want to buy into this trend look out for sequinned capes and tops to reinvent on eBay. There are quite a few offers for ‘80s disco diva-like tops with extravagant designs, 
though if you have enough money to invest in fashion and you like quality vintage you’d better buy an original 1930s sequinned evening organza jacket hand-embroidered with clusters of multi-coloured flowers and heart-shaped leaves.
Passionate fans of decadence in the boudoir should check out Coco de Mer’s 1920s sequinned cape, hand finished with gold, black and bronze metal sequins and ideal to drape over bare shoulders.
My favourite sequinned dresses and tops remain the ones from Ashish’s collection: I simply love his pied-de-poule mini-dresses, coats, tops, skirts, shorts and jackets in brilliant colours. They make me think about a punk version of grand costumes from Hollywood films such as Greta Garbo‘s in George Fitzmaurice‘s Mata Hari and I’m desperately looking forward to seeing Ashish’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection. 
Whatever style of sequinned clothes and accessories I might opt for I have already decided that my personal soundtrack will be Sun Ra’s spectacular and choreographic music.
In
the meantime, before Autumn comes, those of you who are in LA might want to check out John Coney’s Space Is the Place (1974) which is part of the three-week rooftop series of sci-fi inspired films and artists’ videos screened to celebrate the recent launch of Afterall 18, atop the landmark Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites in Downtown Los Angeles. The film will be screened on 28th August and it will maybe give you more inspiration for the perfect sequinned intergalactic style to adopt this Autumn.
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