Friday, 17 September 2010
LFW Highlights: Friday 17th Sept
London Fashion Week has got off to a great start. For me, the highlight of the day has been the Hannah Marshall show. There were rumours flying around that she was going to deviate from her usual style by introducing a shock of colour in to her work for S/S '11. As it turned out this was not true; the collection was based around a colour palette of rich brown/black and nude/grey tones. Many of the pieces had very structured shoulder lines - similar to those shown by Victoria Beckham in New York. The masculine tailoring of the boyfriend blazer has not gone off the fashion radar yet, and Marshall's version with short sleeves is sure to be a hit come Spring. I particularly liked the contrast between opaque and shear fabrics.
Hannah Marshall S/S '11, images from style.com
Nude tones made another appearance as Maria Grachvogel's collection hit the catwalk, although this time a bright canary yellow was added to really pop against the neutrals. She also contrasted draped pieces with tailoring and created interesting new shapes from using single pieces of fabric.
Caroline Charles's collection was another highlight. The collection had a very strong 1950s vibe - but a lot more whimsical and fun than the currant wave of Mad Men style dresses. The retro styling was finished off to a T, with pointed sunglasses, long gloves and lots of diamonds. The smiling models had a skip in their step as they twirled in their floaty mid-length skirts, feeling, no doubt, like they had been allowed to raid the dressing-up box.
Look out for videos of the shows!
Hannah Marshall S/S '11, images from style.com
Nude tones made another appearance as Maria Grachvogel's collection hit the catwalk, although this time a bright canary yellow was added to really pop against the neutrals. She also contrasted draped pieces with tailoring and created interesting new shapes from using single pieces of fabric.
Caroline Charles's collection was another highlight. The collection had a very strong 1950s vibe - but a lot more whimsical and fun than the currant wave of Mad Men style dresses. The retro styling was finished off to a T, with pointed sunglasses, long gloves and lots of diamonds. The smiling models had a skip in their step as they twirled in their floaty mid-length skirts, feeling, no doubt, like they had been allowed to raid the dressing-up box.
Look out for videos of the shows!
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week kicks-off today in fine style. Over the next few days we get a sneak peek into the future, as the S/S '11 collections are showcased in the appropriately glamorous setting of Somerset House. Even though I don't get to be there in person, I'll be sure to bring you all the latest news hot off the catwalk. Don't forget that you can check out the shows for yourself via the LFW website, where you can access live streams of proceedings:
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
MTV VMAs
Pop stars are no shrinking violets when it comes to fashion (you only need to see a few of Gaga's more conservative ensembles to prove that). So it's no surprise to see some erm, how to put it politely, unusual outfits on display at the VMAs.
Just when we thought we had seen everything from Lady Gaga, she's only gone and pulled off another shocker. Animal rights activists have been driven wild after seeing her dressed in cuts of raw meat. PETA's reaction has been quoted as: 'What will she do next, wear the family cat as a hat.' Quite frankly, I wouldn't put it past her!
When my eyes first clocked this image of Cher I thought she'd finally achieved the impossible and managed to turn back time ... but no, she's just dusted off her old outfit from the If I Could Turn Back Time video to show us that she's still got the figure for it.
Katy Perry, like many other stars on the night, went for a monochrome theme. She wore a Marchesa mini dress with tatoo embellishment - but it was her nails that were the focus of everyone's attention. Each nail had been painstakingy adorned with Russell Brand's face, in what I like to call a brandicure (I want a reference in the OED if that catches on). Has she kicked-off a new trend ...
Just when we thought we had seen everything from Lady Gaga, she's only gone and pulled off another shocker. Animal rights activists have been driven wild after seeing her dressed in cuts of raw meat. PETA's reaction has been quoted as: 'What will she do next, wear the family cat as a hat.' Quite frankly, I wouldn't put it past her!
When my eyes first clocked this image of Cher I thought she'd finally achieved the impossible and managed to turn back time ... but no, she's just dusted off her old outfit from the If I Could Turn Back Time video to show us that she's still got the figure for it.
Katy Perry, like many other stars on the night, went for a monochrome theme. She wore a Marchesa mini dress with tatoo embellishment - but it was her nails that were the focus of everyone's attention. Each nail had been painstakingy adorned with Russell Brand's face, in what I like to call a brandicure (I want a reference in the OED if that catches on). Has she kicked-off a new trend ...
Monday, 13 September 2010
Cosmo Blog Awards
As you may all be aware, I was shortlisted in the Best New Fashion Blogger category of the Cosmo Blog Awards. Sadly I didn't win, but with over 15,000 entries it was an amazing honour to make the final 6! I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who voted for me. It really means a lot to me and I hope that you will continue to read Confessions of a Shopaholic. Cosmo couldn't get hold of my contact details, so I missed out on the awards do at Sketch in London, but they have very kindly sent me a goody bag bursting with treats! One of which is for you - my fabulous followers ......The generous folks at marc b are offering 15% off purchases made at http://www.marcbbags.com/ with the discount code blogawards2010.
I love the Knightsbridge Elite in camel ostrich (RRP, £42).
Friday, 10 September 2010
Biba's Back Baby
Barbara Halanicki caused a fashion revolution when she launched Biba as a mail order company back in the '60s. The first store opened in 1964 and prided itself as being something different; it was the first place to allow make-up to be sampled before purchase - which cemented its place as a routine pre-work stop off for many women, so they could make themselves up for the day ahead. Biba proved to be a haven for hip young girls who wanted to be able to recreate the celeb looks of the day on a budget, but was confined to fashion history when the doors finally closed in 1975.Now, here we are 35 years later with Biba relaunching in conjunction with House of Fraser - and with Daisy Lowe as its face no less. The A/W collection is now available in store nationwide and online at http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/ and http://www.mybiba.com/.
The brand remains true to its heritage, with strong '60s and '70s influences coming through.Dress, £125
Coat, £165 Bag, £125
The iconic Art Nouveau logo has inspired a fine jewellery collection in a black and gold colour palette.
Pendant, £1500
Pendant, £1500
Hopefully Biba is back for good!
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