Denim galore!

I have been a huge fan of Balmain's last couple of collections. Look at their ripped stone washed jeans (which cost over £1000) and new take on a military  and denim jacket. I want them!

Topshop and Miss Selfridge (see previous post) seem to have been influenced hugely by Balmain's AW '08 collection and now their SS '09 collection. I have my light wash, ripped skinnies from last year so I'll be digging them out but have a look at what Urban Outfitters have just came up with:

I'll be in Glasgow on Saturday so I think I'll go check these out. I wonder if American Apparel will pick up on these...

London Calling.

Last night I got back from my very short trip to London where I met up with my ex flatmate (and long lost love) Kirsty and stayed in her student halls. I didn't get to do much shopping but I did get to look about Spitalfields again and went into the All Saints original store to look at what they're doing with their visual merchandising since my last visit.

Kirsty is doing a Masters in Art at the legendary Central Saint Martins (check out her blog of her amazing work) and it was great to go for dinner with her in SoHo and wander past her new uni.

I also managed to pop along to the impressive Marks & Spencer HQ (below) again where I got to speak to some of their buyers about their Spring Summer '09 trends and the current market. I did a placement during the summer with the Buying teams for Ladies Holiday wear and Leisurewear. The whole experience was amazing and I learned a lot. It was great to even revisit the building and be given the opportunity to work inside the building of the UK's biggest high street retailer. 

My only purchase of the entire trip was this vintage dress but I am so happy with it because it was such a bargain. Bought for £8 just round the corner from the M&S HQ. It looks as if it has been hand made. I don't suit long things because I'm pretty small so I am going to have it taken up. I love the sheer sleeves and the back is a great deal lower than the front. Watch this space for the finished garment.

Miss Selfridge Press Show.

I follow the Miss Selfridge blog and they recently posted images of their press show for their 1980's based Spring trend. Taking inspiration from the likes of the Brat Pack the images of their displays and visual merchandising look fab... I hope when I become a fashion buyer I will get to attend such events. The Fashion Weeks displayed strong 80's themes again so looks like Miss Selfridge are on to a huge SS '09 trend.

Christina rumours denied.

Elle UK has stated that there is no truth in the rumour that Christina Aguilera will be designing a Hollywood glamour style collection for Topshop.

"Our friends at Topshop have confirmed to Elleuk.com that it's not happening. This year Topshop will be focusing on the best in British talent, including a collection from Biba legend Barbera Hulanicki, whose collection in the 1970s defined the decade. Her collection of body-con dresses, palozzo pants, and suede jackets is set to launch in April 2008."

I'm so excited about the Barbera Hulanicki collection (especially with my discount). I really wish I had been around to experience the Biba phenomenon back in the day. My mum tells me about her experiences of going to a store. I think probably the closest thing we have to that now is Topshop which has often been compared to the legendary high street label. 

I'm heading down to London tomorrow morning for a couple of days so if I get the chance I shall take a trip to Topshop flagship store on Oxford Street and Harrods which stocks the 21st century Biba collections.

Christina to design for Topshop?!

Arcadia tycoon Sir Philip Green has apparently been in talks with Christina Aguilera to design a capsule collection for Topshop which has now hit American shores.

"[Christina] has visited his offices in London and they are thrashing out the details. 

"Philip loves her style and believes she would add something new to Topshop. Christina is the blonde bombshell who is into pop whereas Kate is the rock chick and model."

"She'd appeal to a younger shopper than Kate."

But don't worry fans of the Kate Moss collection, it seems that both collections will run alongside each other with Kate just having signed up for another 3 years. 

However, just because business savy, multi-billionaire Green seems to get it right when it comes to Topshop, doesn't mean he has fantastic personal style. He was recently spotted(whilst holidaying with Michael Winners & Simon Cowell) wearing a 'Frankie says relax' style t-shirt with his name in it's place!

NY Tartan Week

So it seems that New York City goes all out for all things Scottish and tartan for one week in April. 

One event is the 'Dressed to Kilt' Fashion Show. Watching last year's highlights makes me want to go. Being Scottish, I don't look twice when I see men dressed in kilts (well, it depends on the man) for proms, weddings, or when the National football team plays, but I suppose it is pretty novel.

Robert (a.k.a. Rabbie) Burns Day is also a week today. Last year I didn't have any tartan suitable for a night out so ended up just wearing a Burberry checked scarf (oops, not very Scottish I know). I might go all theatrical this year reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood (above) or Alexander McQueen (below). Next week, I will post my outfit choice for the day.

TMobile advert in Liverpool Street Station, London

I know we'll probably see loads of this but I had to post it. Apparently they really did film this just a few days ago with real commuters around but they filmed it every 20 minutes. Life's for sharing! Enjoy!

Label of the moment - PPQ

PPQ (of Mayfair) has gathered itself a loyal following since it's beginnings in '92. The fashion brand is particularly popular amongst the style savvy 'Get-the-London-look' celebs and pop stars and Peaches Geldof seemed to be wearing a PPQ creation every day at one point. 

But now the 19 year old 'It' girl has joined forces with the fashion label to create a capsule collection which you can only buy the collection at oli.co.uk. Not being a particular fan of Peaches, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a few of the designs are really nice and very wearable for the current high street trends. 

I came across these pictures in OK and thought Peaches looked really nice, especially in the one below where she looks very Alice in Wonderland.

Another PPQ collaboration I loved was with Ben Sherman last spring. The 'Five Decades of Dresses' encapsulating the music in the UK of each decade of the Ben Sherman brand's existance. Ben Sherman had picked PPQ for the collaboration because they felt that - like themselves and the music - they too are pioneers of British style.

Stella McCartney

The antique stores and art galleries of the Jardins du Palais Royal, Paris have just got a new neighbour in the form of a Stella McCartney flagship store. The cobblestoned streets and tree-lined square is not accustomed to luxury, fashion stores and Stella decided to give this store a different look to her others. There is a cool, modern feel with an undercurrent of femininity.

 

Being a vegitarian, I have always admired Stella's principles considering cruelty to animals and her innovative approach to using alternative materials and testing.

Speaking of Stella McCartney, I spotted these gorgeous pair of shoes in House of Fraser yesterday in Glasgow. When I picked them up they were my size Stella McCartney shoes reduced from £320 to £29!! The last pair. But when I tried them on they wouldn't fit as much as I tried Cinderella stylee. Alas it wasn't to be. I've not quite gotten over it.

American Apparel wish list.

I never bothered too much with American Apparel before but I went into their store in Glasgow yesterday and ended up trying on a couple of things and wanting loads... I also appreciate that the models in AA tend to look real - not completely skin and bone and air-brushed.

I really loved their new long sleeved version of their Double U-neck mini dress. I wore my ex flatmates short sleeved version on a couple of nights out last year (on far right below). Only thing is because it's cotton spandex it's pretty clingy so since Christmas is by, I'm gonna make it my mission to get a completely flat stomach again before I buy one. 

(On a further note, in this picture I am wearing a black faux snake skin PVC jacket which I got for just £7 in a charity shop. I used to wear it all the time and always got great compliments. On this night out it was stolen from the club we attended and coincidently this is the only picture I have of me wearing it. I miss it!)

I also tried on the 'Tricot High-waist skirt' but as an extremely short mini dress. I think I might go back for it next time I'm in town.

Photographer Eugenio Recuenco

I recently came across the work of the Spanish fashion photographer Eugenio Recuenco and I loved it immediately. Some of his work bares a striking similarity in style to that of Tim Walker (see the post I did before on Tim Walker photography) in that he uses lavish sets to create a fairytale image. 

I also discovered that he was the creative mind behind the beautiful Nina Ricci perfume adverts (starring the now, sadly deceased model Ruslana Korshunova). You can also watch the making of this film on his official website.

However there seems to be a darker, more mysterious side to a lot of Recuenco's work which is not present in Walker's work. This eerie element gives his work an edge making it perfect for the world of fashion photography and his work is often featured in editorials for Vogue amongst others. 

NastyGal.com

There's a website/online vintage store I subscribed to a while back and haven't visited in a while but today I had a look again to be re-inspired and subscribed to their blog. Based in San Francisco, the company offers a wide range of vintage clothing as well as unique, new designer pieces.

"Each item is unique, and comes with an individual history... giving it personality beyond what modern clothing could dream of recreating." 

This idea is really interesting to me and I spent an entire year of university investigating the relationship people have to their belongings and in particular, their clothes.

Although having never purchased anything, Nasty Gal is a great source for inspiration, something I would attend regularly for inspiration if I was a designer. The vintage pieces are always uniquely styled to look contemporary.

This video documents their latest fashion shoot for their upcoming Look Book - I really love what the stylists did with these looks.

I also just discovered that they held a Facebook competition for a uniquely stylized vintage outfit and will be holding another one this Spring. So get on it ladies.  

Louboutin 'Alti Pumps'

I was on net-a-porter and saw these beautiful Christian Louboutin crystal embellished satin sandals. They were in sale (!!) from £944 to £660.80. 

OK so a bit out of price range and they are last seasons but these shoes would be such a good investment! Think how many outfits you could wear these with. Never going to happen :(

(By the way the Christian Louboutin website is under construction right now but if it's anywhere as good as the previous one then it's worth checking out once it's done).

Singing in the rain.

My friend sent me these old pictures of me in our old design studio. I think I must have been doing some kind of performance with my Moschino umbrella I bought in Milan. Anyway, I like the pictures and my outfit from that day and I remember seeing my umbrella in vogue not long after.

Expect to see Marchesa on the Red Carpet.

Since it has now reached red carpet season I wonder what splendors the designers and stars have in store for us. I expect to see quite a few Marchesa gowns cropping up. The brand has established a loyal following in the 4 years since it started:

I recently went bridal dress shopping with my elder sister who is getting married and we looked at some gorgeous dresses. In the future I dream of walking down the aisle in a Marchesa creation (can't you just imagine their dresses in white?). Here are some (there are just so many) of their gorgeous red carpet gowns. You can really see the influence of costume design in some of them. 

Marc Jacobs tribute to Stephen Sprouse

Remember the Louis Vuitton graffiti print bags? Remember their leopard print scarfs that could be seen on everyone after their Fall Winter 06 07 collection? Well it was all a result of the collaboration between Creative Director Marc Jacobs and 80s graffiti artist/fashion designer Stephen Sprouse back in 2001.

Sprouse died in 2004 but a few years later Jacobs decided to use a leopard print they had designed together that was never issued. And Jacobs has yet again paid tribute to Sprouse by creating a new collection inspired by their original collaboration. Last week he held a massive tribute event in NYC over 3 different LV locations. Reissued Sprouse LV bags were on display, Debbie Harry did a unique performance and the interiors were completely kitted out in neon lights and graffiti prints.

The highlight of the images for me has to be the exterior of the Wooster Street, Soho store which was covered in a polythene film and then spray painted over. Who else would have the guts to deface a luxury brand but Marc Jacobs?

From the collection itself there are not many things I would buy as I'm not a huge fan of anything too...garish. But I do love the sepia rose print and I can tell the collection is going to be a huge hit so start saving your pennies and get in there fast.