Thursday 30 September 2010

Zac Posen...

From New York to London to Milan to Paris, fashion is conquering the world stylish city by stylish city, with each city bringing iconic collections from iconic designers.  People were buzzing around Jil Sander at Milan and now attention is focused on Zac Posen. Before the show, Zac Posen had said that he and Paris were meant to be, and his collection proved this.  Oh so Parisian with flutterings of pink and indigo feathers being key to the collection,amongst tweed jackets, lots of lace and slinky evening gowns which hugged the models bodies in all the right places.

Tight pencil skirts followed cutaway dresses and off the shoulder bustiers. Terrific legging like, super figure hugging trousers with lace/pink leopard print pattern. Wispy feathers emerging from the hips of mesh and tulle trousers, classic asymmetric dresses and full feather jackets. Billowing gowns in cream and black and a stunning vampy red draped evening gown. The collection was a step away from previous collections we've seen over the past few weeks.  Pastels were avoided but materials were kept lightweight. A daring darling SS11 collection that made me yearn for cool summer city nights, swooping from bar to bar in summertime moonlight...


Wednesday 29 September 2010

A little recap...

I have not been paying my blog much attention this week - but I have legitimate reasons! It has been the last week of my internship, which saddens me because it's been absolutely amazing. I've had some amazing experience and worked with some lovely people so I am sad to see it end. But anyway, onto the important stuff - Milan Fashion Week.

Starting with Iceberg. A very simple yet classic collection.  Easy pieces in neutral colours and patterns that would transfer into any summer city. Starting with a camel coloured blazer and grey marl trousers which had a zip to the ankle, the collection moved into silk handkerchief dresses in blurred brown, gold and green check, mesh jackets and vests, simple white shorts, cotton dungarees, loosely wrapped skirts that revealed more than spectators bargained for, and tropical printed dresses. The looks were completed with a 'I've just stumbled across this rope on the floor and tied it around my wrist' kind of bracelet, low hanging jewels, feathers and ribbons and beachy swept back hair.


A collection that screamed 'my attention is on the sun not my wardrobe'. Minimal effort maximum impact. 

Next; Jil Sander. Talk about a lesson in colour and shapes. One by one models emerged onto the catwalk in mouth watering colours; pink, electric blue, orange, navy formed into the most incredible shapes ever. Billowing floor length dresses (note they are not maxi dresses - they are obviously more significant than that), trousers with contrasting coloured peplum detail at the waist, peplum skirts and  gigantic harem pants. Material that was gathered and plumped and swathed each and every way to create the most mind blowing ornate shapes in blooming tropical prints and vibrant, bright hues that draped to the floor.  The colours radiated even more worn below a classic white tee. 

It may all sound a little overwhelming, but it worked so well because of how it was put together. These magnificent designs were worn with relaxed trapeze raincoats and parkas. Reading that without seeing the collection would lead you to think it was somewhat garish, in your face, ott costumes. But it could not be far from it.  Artistic, confident, sophisticated and invigorating. A breath of fresh air.  


From bright brights to bright whites, we make a swift movement to Dolce & Gabanna's angelic SS11 collection.  Entitled 'Sicillian Sensuality' the majority of the collection was white with the exception of one or two pieces. The collection was very sexy meets romantic. While overtly sexy, old fashioned feeling lingerie pieces screamed sex appeal, they also remained romantic and girl with acres of white lace and embellishment. The collection then moved to floor length dresses which revealed glimpses of underwear worn underneath, beautiful shift dresses that were a mixture of lace and chiffon, lace playsuits and filly 'housecoats', pretty milkmaid tops and flippy skirts. A key super sexy black piece appeared once in a while, my favourite being the chiffon top worn with pencil skirt or billowing scoop neck floor length gown, as did something leopard print that just added a little texture to the white collection.  

It was purely what you would image every Dolce woman in the suburbs of Italy to be wearing and brings to life the ad campaign featuring Madonna. True, classic staple pieces that make for a stunning SS11 wardrobe...


Friday 24 September 2010

Tunic Fever...

Sometimes a dress just isn't good enough. Especially for me because I do tend to stick to the same shape dresses (much to my boyfriends dismay!). But lately I've noticed a lot of tunics - basically dresses but a little bit shorter and a little different from my usual run of the mill kind of dresses...


All three are from Topshop. Simple enough for styling up for a night out and to be suitable for daytime.  With tights obviously to protect your modesty...

Thursday 23 September 2010

Raise a Manolo to Marriage...

A pair of Manolo Blahniks can make a woman feel fabulous (so I'm told!) but apparently there's more to the shoes than that.  During an interview, Manolo himself explained. He said;

"The male reation to heels is half normal and half perversion, but some men tell me I've saved their marriage.  The first thing men look at are a woman's legs, and there is nothing more flattering than high heels."

Just think of the thousands of divorces that could have been saved if the wise old owl had spoken these words sooner. I suppose it's a good enough excuse to buy a pair to keep at that back of the wardrobe, for that reason only of course...


Wednesday 22 September 2010

Marc Online...

So the new Marc Jacobs e-commerce site has launched. Yay! The highly anticipated launch happened yesterday (September 21st) and allows us to have Marc at the end of our fingers anytime we like! Upon arrival to the store (site) shoppers are presented with what looks like a boutique, with four windows along the bottom floor showing videos from recent fashion shows and direct links to collections. We're even greeted by a little man stood at the door - nice little touch I think. Once 'inside' the boutique you can select from a number of different floors to shop from. I love it, i like the personal little touches that remind me of actually shopping, it brings a realistic feel to online shopping. Only Marc Jacobs could do it...


Tuesday 21 September 2010

Hearts all aflutter...*Possible Spoiler Alert*

Because it's back! At least 45% of my posts are centred around Gossip Girl. Whether it's the characters, the cast, the clothes or the city it's set it! The beginning of season 3 was not at it's best. Watching it, I felt a little bored. It was the same old 'drama' that was lack lustre and was just trying to repeat what happened during season 2. Then towards the end, it got it's spark back, and was back on form. I was left in a heap of tears as it came to an end, and waited patiently (while watching season 3 from the very beginning with my boyfriend - his orders!) for season 4. And last week it was back. I was anxious I was going to watch it and hate it. But it was back with a bang. Blair's bitchiness was well and truly alive, Serena's sultry sulking and Dan now has a baby. But not just that - the clothes! Oh the clothes. I read an interview with Blake Lively, who mentioned that sometimes people forget the other character - New York, well isn't the wardrobe just the same? Week after week I wait with baited breath to see what Blair and Serena are wearing. From DVF to Versace and Prada, Eric Daman has the wardrobe well and truly covered with some of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen in my life. And this weeks noteworthy dress; the Oscar de la Renta Vermillion Silk Organa Pleated gown. WOW WOW WOW. Only an Oscar dress was worthy for the meeting of two old flames...

Monday 20 September 2010

Hot Property...

Miss Palermo is hot property!! She confirmed today that she will appear alongside model boyfriend Johannes Huebl, Scarlett Johannson and Poppy Delvigne for Mango's next ad campaign...

Matthew Williamson...

Walking down the runway, models displayed beautiful soft summer fabrics; chiffon, tulle and lace in pretty summer florals, pastel colours and bold prints. The collection was beautifully padded out with asymmetric dresses, babydoll dresses and lovely tailored trousers. After playing pretty for a while, the collection turned to uber glam with sexy metallics and billowing red carpet worthy gowns...I myself preferred the sexy little dresses.


LFW...

So, London Fashion Week kicked off last Friday (so I am a little late with my posting but never mind) and so far so good. Sass and Bide was the first show that I took notice of, the quirky little dresses with full textured sleeves and collars were phenomenal. Mixing pretty with futuristic made sure that they collection was constantly bringing something new. The theme throughout the collection was texture; whether this was from the tassled sleeves and collars as I spoke about earlier, or the ruffles across the front of playsuits and dresses. It was original, sharp and modern with an eclectic mixture of prints, textures and colours. Futuristic, attention grabbing patterns and shapes in a pretty colour pallet with ott embellishment with the wow factor. You can see some of my personal favourites below...


Next up, Emilio de la Morena. Some pieces were to die for, some were easily overlooked. The first look was a pretty pastel green patterned lantern skirt with matching jacket worn with a mustardy yellow top underneath and yellow shoes, very nice. The third was a gorgeous yellow peplum dress, with waist frill detailing in a pale pink which contrasted so well against the bright yellow. On paper, it sounds like a recipe for disaster, but actually looked good. Then a black, kind of trapeze, dress with mesh top and neck embellishment which all worked well together. But
then the collection seemed to go off track and seemed a little mismatched and misfitted, until the nude mesh over skirt dress with stud detail which was worn with a leather jacket. I loved the design of the dress, it was new, contemporary and different...


Mark Fast was very daring with cobweb knits that bared a little more than just skin! The collection was very bodycon but with lots of texture. Thick but sparse knits that had lots of texture with fringing and feathers. As nice as the collection was, to me it was very beach cover up rather than SS wear - apart from the first dress which I absolutely loved, nipples and all!


Nothing else has really caught my eye to be honest = not blog post worthy! So when the time comes I'll write a little more depending on who and what takes my fancy...

Saturday 18 September 2010

Oscar de la Renta...

All out romance. Day wear so incredible beautiful and refined with swingy skirts, bright prints, floral appliqués and trousers that looked as light as a feather. So pretty and pure with a distinct 50's feel to some of the pieces. Then came the gowns. Typically Oscar, the dresses were Princess worthy. Tiers of ruffles, bows and beautiful delicate embroidery in beautifully sweet pale pink, champagne, black and not one to be left out of the seasons colour, orange. The gowns were worthy of all those princess daydreams every girl once had when they were younger, Oscar de la Renta is able to make princess fantasies into real life, he is truly the King of the Princess dress, now all we need is our Prince...


Thursday 16 September 2010

The King...

Tommy Hilfiger - the king of preppy chic. He is the epitome of laidback American style, and his SS11 collection does not disappoint. With a kind of 'gym class' feeling to it but in pastels - not a horrendous maroon colour in sight, the collection was wonderfully summer time; pleat minis, scoop neck sleeveless sweat tops, shirt dresses, tailored shorts, summer time macs, jumpers thrown over shouders and shirt dresses. Very American college chic - and that's just the girls! In between the girls strutted out the boys in sickly sweet short suits, polo shirts with printed ties on, navy suits and red socks, cropped salmon trousers tucked into lemon socks and pink plaid trousers. Again oh so American college but turned to the max. While the girls clothes were achievable by almost anyone, I think it'd take a certain kind of man to opt for the salmon trousers/lemon socks combination. And although they were a little outrageous, they were good. Typical Tommy Hilfiger which as soon as I laid my eyes on it, I immediately thought of the Tommy Hilfiger store in New York...


TSE...

Love, love, love! Grown up school girl at its best. A collection that is somewhat minimal with straight lines and pretty peter pan collars, wide leg trousers and gorgeous tapered trousers, deep plunging necklines and shoulder padded jackets and the only hint of orange is in a couple of stripes and burnt. It didn't have my gasping like the other collections I've talked about on here, but I did recognise the beauty of the simple pieces, a simple summer wardrobe...


Milly...

What a show. A powerful, striking collection that has well and truly established itself as a leader for SS11. Starting with a suspicious picnic blanket dress, the collection morphed into summer girl grown up with beautifully structured pieces. Lots of monochrome pieces with a brightly coloured jackets and cardigans, which is a typical 'me' look. The key pieces for me were the ladybird shift dress with a gorgeous orange belted waist, black, white and green jumper and orange floral skirt - which was a bit of a jumbled kind of look but seemed to work so well. Next up on the list; the scoop neck strappy sun dress with a gorgeous bold 70's kind of print, then a stunning floral print dress, gorgeous peplum skirt (worn with a crochet hat - which although was so wrong for the season it looked so right!) and the orange floral print trousers which created the most magnificent shape worn with a black tunic type top. The collection is to die for, and brought bold print after bold print out onto the catwalk. Absolutely stunning, and possibly one of my favourites so far. Obviously a couple of my favourites are pictures below...


A moments pause...

In between all the fashion week madness, I've found a moment or two to catch up on other news that doesn't revolve around the Lincoln Centre. Yes, this news is a lot more UES orientated. Our favourite blonde bombshell and girl next door, Blake Lively, is so adored by fans (including those fans who also happen to be designers) that they're falling over each other to try and give her things for free. Karl Lagerfield adores her, Anna Wintour has had her as her cover girl twice in one year, and now Christian Louboutin is naming a shoe after her! Some girls have all the luck...


Real Life Gossip...

She's Queen Bee of the UES, pop princess and real life fashionista. She is the face of Herbal Essences and could now be set to design a range of pretty dresses. In a recent interview, Leighton Meester was asked about taking on the role of designer and she admitted that it is something she'd like to do in the future. Obviously I'd be first in the queue...


Wednesday 15 September 2010

A Mulberry Summer...

Another one of my favourites, Mulberry. The classic English brand which have wowed with pretty purple patterned dresses and embellishment but now they've gone all 'summer in the city' for their SS11 collection. Filled with sharp tailoring but in lightweight material, they have summer in the city down to a t. Neutral colours are key to this trend, pastel florals, pretty pink, powder blues but with a bold metallic statement Mulberry purple and classic black to complete the collection. My favourites; 'paper bag' style pink skirt with peter pan collar blouse, high waisted cream trousers with floral frill neckline blouse, beautiful floral dress with the same neckline detail, peach blouse with cuff embellishment and peach trousers, and finally the wide leg high waisted belted peach shorts. Obviously the finale dress also made it onto that list but I felt that deserved a line or two of it's own. Classic voluminous Mulberry and very New York City glamour. It's so nice to see such a glamorous, statement black dress in a Spring/Summer collection, black never gets old, and looks suprisingly wonderful against sun kissed summer skin...


p.s. the models' hair was to die for - a beautiful auburn which looks amazing against the colours in the collection, and not to mention the stunning rosette backdrop!

Next Up...

Tory Burch. Tangerine orange has been a clear theme running through a number of designers collections, and not one to miss out on the action is Tory Burch. The collection had a very 'California summer' vibe to it, with lots of bright orange in a number of different cuts. A stunning bright orange shirt dress emerged amongst a voluminous white with tan belt dress, followed by a navy blue frill tiered dress and most beautiful peach with orange neckline embroidery. A wonderfully diverse collection which contained pieces which, on paper, don't correlate. A bright orange shirt, camel coloured cardigan and white shorts - somewhat 70's followed by a black leather pocketed skirt and black and white printed blouse. But somehow, it worked. And the finale dress, oh my. Exactly my style, in a beautiful pinky peach that screams summer! Love, love, love!


Marc by Marc ♥ ...

My all time favourite (as you may have gathered from my constant blabbering about his collections) and he has successfully lived up to expectations with his Marc by Marc Jacobs SS11 collection. The collection had the classic Marc by Marc Jacobs stamp all over it, with a playful, laidback feel to it. Round collared blouses (my absolute favourite), full skirts and sundresses, high leg bikini briefs. Jumpsuits, rompers and trapeze line dresses. Bright bold stripes and pretty polka dots; yellow and white, blue and white, black and orange, red and white. Side ruffles, frilly fringing and canvas shoes.

One word sprung to mind when looking at the collection; mouthwatering. I love how each and every time the Marc by Marc Jacobs collection never fails to deliver. I had to narrow down my favourites - I was tempted to upload a picture of them all, but after my gushing I think you can gather I liked the collection, so you can see my very favourites below...


Tuesday 14 September 2010

Badgley Mischka...

I applaude you. I find myself literally gasping seeing the pieces emerging onto the catwalk for the fourth/fifth time this week. There are collections that have bored me to tears, there are collections I have sat and looked at and been genuinely confused - yes I mean you Betsey Johnson, but then there have been those that I have found worthy enough to talk about on here - meaning there is actually something to talk about! And Badgley Mischka is certainly one of the few. Sultry, classic summer wear in light wearing fabrics, pretty pastel shades and oversized hats make for the perfect SS11 collection. Striking the balance between delicate yet extremely fashionable/wearable can be somewhat difficult. Where do you draw the line between just enough and too much? But creative talents behind the Badgley Mischka collection managed to strike this balance perfectly. Dresses that to the untrained eye were as simple they come but its the intricate detailing like a little embellishment here and a ruffle or two there that brought the collection to life and made it astounding.

Out of the 44 pieces, I'd say I liked 44 pieces. Nothing was ott or too 'one trend'. As I said above, it was a wearable collection, pretty enough to create a stir but simple enough to avoid the stares. Perfection, and you can see my very favourites in pictures below...


Monday 13 September 2010

Posh Frocks...

Spice Girl turned fashion icon. VB has well and truly put her stamp on the fashion world. Fans of her previous collections have included Gossip Girl wardrobe director, Eric Daman, Nicole Scherzinger, Gwenyth Paltrow, Jennifer Hudson and Blake Lively. But I'm sure she's going to recruit a new army of fans with her SS11 collection. Starting with a purple robe kind of thing, which we will ignore, the collection morphed into simplistic, sleek, straight lines. It was very VB - summer wear sophisticate, demure and grown up. As the collection moved on, popping with colour, models emerged in 60's style dresses, that while maintaining the sleek feeling of the beginning of the line became much more playful. Full skirted dresses in bright yellow, girly peach, purple and metallics - with VB's signiture accessory; an exposed zip (which I love!). A beautiful, timeless collection that combines summer in the city with summer at the beach with such ease and sophistication. Talk about girl power!


I Heart...

Reem Acra!! Their SS11 collection - wow wow wow. Their dulcet golden tones and flirty little dresses are the perfect compliment to any sun kissed skin. While other designers headed for the bright pops of colour for SS11, Reem Acra kept things classic. So simple, yet so perfect. Delicate, girly, flirty. Sequins in the summer, who'd have thought it. But yes it works, so so well. The pieces that stuck out for me were the wide leg cream pants worn with a white vest like top, statement belt and chunky necklace, both sequin finale dresses, the golden tropical print dress, stunning floor length beige and gold dress, gold and silver embellished shift dress - so yeah practically the whole collection. I am actually in awe, Reem Acra definitely set the standard at Fashion Week and took summer clothes to a new level.


DVF...

It's Fashion Week. It's New York. Of course it's DVF. Dainty models took to the runway for the debut of her new designer, Yvan Mispeleare and her SS11 collection. In an array of colours and daring cuts the girls strutted onto the catwalk, showing exactly why we look forward to DVF's shows year after year. An eye catching turquoise playsuit with a graphic black design was the first item and most certainly set the tone of the collection. Flashes and swirls of lilac, turquoise, orange, black and white brought easy separates to life. Energetic and powerful with some pieces having a somewhat 70's feel to them.


I loved it. Dated, clashing patterns made sense with classic capri's, laidback kaftans, loose tops, swung back jackets and jumpsuits but they all just served as a teaser for the Grecian goddess finale dress in the most vibrant purple I have seen. A demure length with a daring split down the front. Resort wear at it's finest. Hats off to the house of DVF I say!!

Sunday 12 September 2010

Bookstore Groove...

Last year, the ever so talented Marc Jacobs had his shows afterparty at the swanky Maritime Hotel, taking over the the Hiro Ballroom for Lady Gaga to do her thing whilst his guest mingled with canapés and after show glow. But this year, he's decided to do something a little different, and hold the afterparty at his bookstore - Bookmarc, Bleeker Street. While guests at Bookmarc will be celebrating his success, just across the street at Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc is hosting a party in honour of photographer Brian Bowen Smith who photographed a hefty number of Marc's employees for the book; The Men and Women of Marc Jacobs. Rumour has it, Bookmarc's party will finish at 10:30pm and guests will move onto The Boom Boom Room to continue into the early hours of the morning...

P.s. I will be writing about fashion week - bear with me. Too many fashion shows, too little time!


Saturday 11 September 2010

A night to remember...

'It' girls, fashionistas and celebrities alike flocked to the 139 Spring Street, Soho for the Chanel boutique grand reopening, which coincided nicely with Fashion's Night Out. The beautiful people socialised amongst other beautiful people which included the likes of Gossip Girl's very own Chace Crawford, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively, Diasy Lowe, Alexa Chung, SJP and Mr Karl Lagerfield himself. Chanel was the uniform of choice, of course, for these lovelies...


Thursday 9 September 2010

Yet Another...

What a year it will be for designer and high street collaborations. Did you ever think it could better than Lanvin and H&M? Well it just did. It has been confirmed that the one and only Valentino will be teaming up with Gap to create a capsule line of womenswear. Desgined by Valentino's creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the pieces will be based around iconic Gap pieces but with that special Italian twist. Even more exciting as it comes in the same month as Lanvin and H&M - November will certainly be a heavenly month for shoppers and editors alike!


All hail designer high street collaborations!!

It's off!!...

It all kicked off at the Lincoln Centre in NY this morning (or maybe this afternoon depending on your location when you're reading this) with contemporary designer Nicholas K who's designs looked remarkably easy to wear - I'd even go as far as describing them as comfortable, practical, with a fashionable twist! Now for someone who was once repulsively described as 'always looking comfortable' this excites me. Comfort and fashion were usually not two words that never belonged in a sentence together, until Nicholas Kunz. What attracted me to the first collection of NYFW was the irrisistable ease of how the clothes appeared on the catwalk. Easy looking, light wearing, almost sports luxe items in earthy toned hues - lots of greens, browns and neutrals, that anybody could pull off on a sunny spring afternoon. And although I won't be going all out to embrace the sports luxe look, I did spy a beautiful lightweight green parka that will be fabulous for SS next year.

Next up was Richard Chai, who's models emerged from backstage looking as though they'd just showered and quickly thrown on some oh so fabulously slick looking sports wear. Again, sportswear, even fashionable sportswear, isn't really my thing but overall I was pleased. One thing that did baffle me was the mesh pants worn underneath a number of items - I was genuinely flummoxed! Can I wear this as a pop out for some shopping on Saturday without getting a few raised eyebrows? Probably not, but the idea of the unattainable purity and impractical nature of the collection was what had me hook line and centre - and that's only from looking at pictures. And although I wasn't feeling the mesh trousers underneath shorts, I loved the last look. A mixture of textures and neutral tones which proved that sport luxe can be wearable for us normal girls too...


Wednesday 8 September 2010

Happy Fashion Week Eve...

Eek! It's here. As the fashion world waits to see what unfolds tomorrow at the worlds most eye catching Fashion Week in New York for SS11 collections , speculation has most certainly been mounting! The rumour mill has churned out the prospect of Britney performing at POP magazine's party, Alexander Wang will have his very own own funfair at his party while our favourite Style Rookie Tavi will be backstage styling as opposed to front row blogging! But all will be revealed as it all kicks off tomorrow with Nicholas K at 9am (2pm our time!) Fashion Week's new home in the Lincoln Centre.

But how will the world's most famous event cope without Bryant Park? For 16 years Mercedes Benz NY fashion week set up camp inside those wondrous white tents but has made the move to a new location - that being the Lincoln Centre, with hopes of adding a 'consumer element' to the once exclusive event. Long gone are the tents and designers and models alike are getting familiar with the theatre, stage, studio, box presentation space and glamorous glass courtyard area. Removing the event from the fashion district has sparked flutters of worry - is this the end of an era, but surely a move to a larger space can only be a good thing?

Fashion week and it's new home are to be celebrated tonight at the Lincoln Centre with Mayor Bloomberg opening the event and are to temporarily rename the one subway route 'fashion line'. It feels like Christmas Eve, obviously you can read all about it here from 2pm tomorrow!

The return of those words of wisdom...

Remember them?

"All there is left to do is forgive and forget, so I want to forgive you, and I want to forget you"

"Boys are like purses, there's that one boy that you're always comfortable with and will
always kind of like. You have that gorgeous bag you want to be seen with, then that purse you really like but don't want to be seen with, but the gorgeous bag is usually an asshole"

and probably her most famous...

"Love is not a maybe thing. You know if you love someone"

Of course you remember them! No-one forgets an LC preach, and if those rumours are true, we are soon to be hearing more from our favourite wise old owl/LA girl. Rumour has it that she's to get her very own reality TV show. No Spencer Pratt, Frankenstein Montag or Wahler the wally - perfect! Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but LC has been quoted saying that the only way she'd return to reality TV was if she was in control of when the cameras stop...very interesting! Give her control and bring her back!! We need those words of wisdom!!

Tuesday 7 September 2010

Welcome to 2010...

I was so shocked when I tried to access H&M online shopping and it didn't exist. I remember thinking, it's 2010 for gods sake, you are a leading high street store - where on earth is your online shopping? I was that desperate to check items I even tried it in Dutch (they had the online shopping feature) but to no avail and growing tried of using freetranslation.com I gave up all hope. But I was genuinely shocked to think that it was 2010 and H&M were still not involved in e-commerce. Every couple of months I would check back, but still no online shopping. Obviously my bank balance enjoyed this. Then a little birdy informed me this week that the 16th September - yes a mere week (or so) away, H&M are to launch their online shopping site for the UK. Finally!! I look forward to a rigorous perusing of that site come that very Thursday morning...

A bit of this and that...

So while I'm still saddened by the fact that I will not be in New York for the forthcoming weeks activities - starting from Friday with Fashion's Night Out, I'm also happy after a lovely day at my internship. Today I spent my day focusing on trends and I found myself drawn to Celine so many times. I love the straight steamline shapes, luxurious materials and pristine yet slightly edgy looks. I also laid my eyes on a couple of gorgeous winter coats - which is all that is on my mind at the minute because I am genuinely excited about winter! Roll on the days of chunky knits, faux fur, boots and mittens! Summer is too much effort for me, too much bare skin on show and I like to wrap up.

Also, my boyfriend showed me a fantastic video last night, called 'The Beat of New York' by a German film agency called Stereoscreen. It completely and elegantly captures the essence of New York that I fell in love with. The speed of the hustle and bustle, the flickering skyline, and constant flow of different faces. I love it, have a watch for yourself.

Monday 6 September 2010

A little treat...

Each month I wait for the arrival of my Glamour magazine (I buy my others separately), and today there it was waiting for me as I got home. This month's cover is Bond girl Gemma Arterton and its filled with pages of sparkly stuff for me to flick through over and over until it is literally falling to pieces. I started thinking about the luxury of magazines and how, no matter how technology evolves and changes around us magazines will live on as a tradition. Yes we may be able to re-access information and use the internet as a source of instant information but for me, there is nothing better than leafing through glossy page after glossy page, drooling over ads from Miu Miu, Prada, Gucci and the likes while settling in to a heart wrenching/spine tingling story. Long live the glossy mag I say.

Sunday 5 September 2010

Hot Property...

We can't get enough of her on Gossip Girl, but we're not alone. It seems the fashion mag world has also taken a shine to Blake Lively too. US Esquire had her as their cover girl for their February 2010 issue, she was on the front of Malaysian Cosmopolitan, South African Marie Claire and German Glamour and US Vogue for all within a space of 2 months. But it doesn't stop there, Marie Claire here in the UK also have our favourite Gossip Girl character on their front cover with a lovely three page spread of her inside. It seems Blake is very hot property at the moment, which coincides nicely with the premier of Gossip Girl season 4 on 13th September. Yay!

Has the world gone mad?

Newly released images taken to celebrate the reopening of Dior's Shanghai boutique are being slammed for suggesting that 'all Chinese people look this same'. However, it was not actually creative giants at Dior that were behind these images - it was actually Chinese photographer Quentin Shih who took the pictures as part of a personal project. The images are not part of an official ad campaign but have caused outrage, which seems a little OTT to me. The images feature a Dior clad model standing out from rows of somewhat identically looking Chinese men and women. But I don't necessarily believe that it was any kind of racism directed towards anybody of Chinese origin, I think it's been a great artistic idea used to display the standalone nature of Dior couture.

I think attention should be directed to the fashion approach to the shoot and not the white model to chinese men and women ratio. I'm pretty certain Shih was not intending for the photographs to symbolise any kind of racism and it has been taken too far. Simplify it. It's an image which has most likely been under the influence of digital enhancing, it may even be that they are duplicated models. Isn't fashion about standing out from a crowd, regardless of what that crowd is - digitally manipulated or not?

Obviously I can understand where the outrage comes from and completely disagree with racism directed at any race, but can we not see a picture anymore without worrying about political correctness? It's fashion and art, which relies heavily on fantasy and creative fleur that one may understand and another may not. Approach it with an open mind - take things with a pinch of salt.

GQ GG Style...

Ed Westwick graced GQ Magazine with his presence not too long ago, and now co-star Chace Crawford is getting his turn. Or should that be re-turn. For their Winter issue Germany GQ are recycling the images of Chace Crawford that were in featured in the September issue of Interview Magazine. Recycled or not, I doubt there will be any complaints about getting to see these pictures again, it is Chace Crawford after all. It's just a shame he's covered in tattoos and wearing some very dodgy looking outfits - most certainly not Nate Archibald style...

Saturday 4 September 2010

Nobody wears white after Labour Day...Really?

The first Monday in September marks Labour Day for those in the United States and for those of you a little unsure of what Labour Day actually is, it is the annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Here marked the 8 hour day - a movement to improve working conditions. But what has this got to do with the fashion world? Well, for many Labour Day marks an official end to Summer - many schools go back after summer holidays and for some white signifies the carefree, warm essence of summer. However it's more to do with the fabric of white clothing than the actual colour - white linen and white cotton were practically uniform for those escaping to the Hamptons from the city during those hot summer months. So it seems that white is more than OK for the winter months (see Chanel AW10/11 as an example) as long as it doesn't involve cotton or linen. Use white with heavier materials to rid the white of those wispy summer connotations.

For me, white can be a key AW11 colour. Nothing compliments the sultry tones of winter khaki, brown and a beautiful fur coat like a delicate white addition to your outfit.



Pleated Silk Blouse; Burberry, Rosette Top; Adam, & 'Tilly' Lace Mini; Lover

Friday 3 September 2010

Posh Nominations...

Congratulations sent to Mrs. Beckham whose collection has just received it's first nomination for the 2010 British Fashion Awards. Mrs B's line was one of four selections for the award and she's up against three other fashion giants; Burberry, Pringle and the magnificent Mulberry. Tough competition.

Back Barely Dressed...

Oh yuck! Taylor Momsen aka droopy eyes, has been spotted back on the set of Gossip Girl filming for season 4 - but she's barely dressed. Maybe all that writing on dining tables in lingerie in her Pretty Reckless video has rubbed off on her. It's Gossip Girl not porn, put some clothes on and buy some new tights you weirdo, it's getting boring now!

Hogan are team Palermo...

So while the rest of us love to see the friction between her and Erin Kaplan on MTV's The City, Hogan certainly had other plans for her. It appears that our favourite pr/editor/UES socialite has won the hearts of creative directors at Hogan because they've got her on board for their AW10 ad campaign. With a beautiful old school feel to it, the promo video sees our favourite City girl ambling through the streets of NYC on what looks like an incredibly cold day. Lace up suede and fur boots, knits, leather gloves and a flurry of other models including Elisa Sednaoui. I personally think the ad is great. As forced as it may be, Olivia actually looks like she has a heart of gold with her sweet as sugar smile and the campaign has just a great autumnal feeling to it.

Another H&M Collaboration...

H&M are certainly pulling the stops out with these designer collaborations! First there was their collection with Karl Lagerfield in 2004 closely followed by a Stella McCartney debut in 2005. 2006 brought Victor and Rolf to the store then in swopped Madonna in 2007. Next came Roberto Cavalli who wanted in on the action later that year. Matthew Williamson then put himself forward to do a Spring/Summer collection in 2009. Then, along came Mr Jimmy Choo who launched his H&M diffusion collection that featured clothing, handbags and shoes. Next up - Sonia Rykiel with her knitwear and lingerie collection which hit stores in December 2009. But could this be the biggest collaboration yet? Reports were confirmed on Thursday then French designer label Lanvin are next on the list for a H&M collaboration. Affordable Lanvin? Yes please! Rumour has it that previews will be available from November 2nd with the collection hitting stores on the 20th. I wonder how many 20th Novembers have been booked off work so far with camping outside H&M stores in mind for the evening of the 19th...

I am genuinely looking forward to this collection. I'm not usually one for designer and high street collaborations but this has definitely caught my attention and I may just be one of those girls camping outside my nearest H&M on the 19th November.

The Devil Wears Prada...Well Kind Of

So I'm three days into my fashion PR internship at a PR company in Liverpool, and I must say; I love it! My Anna Wintour is most definitely not the devil. She doesn't send me on wild goose chases for coffee, throw her coat on my desk or require private jets to fly her home from Florida mid hurricane weather. It's a great little team that cover a wide range of clients from around the city and offer you a great chance to really show your stuff. I'm three days in so it's still all a bit new to me but its a fantastic opportunity...