TOMMY HILFIGER FOR BREAST HEALTH INTERNATIONAL..
Tommy Hilfiger have teamed up with Breast Cancer International to create this gorgeous slouchy navy bag. For each bag sold €100 will be donated to the charity. I really like the red and white colour accents and the roomy shape. There's nothing I love more than fashion that gives back to a good cause. Charlotte Gainsbourg is the ambassador for this years collaboration and for the campaign she was shot by Drew Barrymore. You can view a video featuring Charlotte here and you can get your hands on the bag at the online shop.
MY AUTUMN UNIFORM...
I tend to get in a bit of a funk when it comes to getting dressed. When I find a formula I like I just stick with it. Lately that formula has been this leather jacket, skinny jeans and soft jumpers. This is all I've been wearing lately and I have no desire to change it. It's simple and basic - nothing revolutionary about it at all. But I don't care because I like it. These photos were taken a few weeks ago when I was in Paris. The leaves at the Tuileries were changing colours and it was incredibly beautiful.
Wearing: Paul & Joe Sister jacket, Muriee scarf and jumper, 7 for all Mankind jeans and Isabel Marant sneakers (stolen from Shini).
Photos by Shini
DREAMY FLORALS AT AMINAKA WILMONT...
The first dress that cam sauntering down the catwalk at the Aminaka Wilmont show had my heart buckling. The peachy lavender shades were beautiful and the shape of the dress so flattering. I love the tiny thin belt that sits at the waist and the twisted detail at the hips. My favourite looks from the show were the ones that incorporated this melted flower print seen above - it's so dreamy and soft. I love that Aminaka Wilmont takes such a feminine print but puts it on edgier pieces. The little white biker jacket with the grey printed short dress was one of my favourite looks from the collection - it's definitely something I'd wear head-to-toe.
Massive thank you to Mercedes and Sarwah for inviting me along.
ARMY GREEN FROM TBA...
I'm currently completely obsessed with this coat from TBA. It's a boxy fit with contrasting leather panels, which I love. It also has shearling around the neck which gives it an even cosier feel. Lately I've been wearing it with mens knitwear underneath and skinny jeans.
Wearing: TBA Petra coat, Jaeger jumper, 7 for all Mankind jeans, Converse and American Apparel bag.
Photos by Kit
NATALIE JOOS
There are a handful of women in the fashion industry that I admire. Among them are the epic mothers of fashion journalism, Suzy Menkes and Hilary Alexander, as well as more recent greats like Tamu McPherson and Caroline Issa. Each woman is carving their individual place in the fashion industry and retaining great amounts of integrity and class while doing it. I like that.
One person who has recently landed on my fashion radar is the multi-talented Natalie Joos. She's a casting agent, author, photographer and consultant - a woman of many talents, no doubt. She also has a kick butt blog that I love. It's called Tales of Endearment and it chronicles all her adventures and has beautiful photos. Natalie is one of the stand out subjects of street style during fashion week thanks to her bold outfits and infectious smile. She always looks so upbeat and positive - an excellent reminder that fashion should always be fun.
CHAINMAIL AT PACO RABANNE...
I'm normally not into super sexy clothes - I'd pick an oversized cashmere jumper over a skimpy dress any day.
With that in mind, I totally did not expect to be won over by the Paco Rabanne show. I had the chance to see the show when I was in Paris last week and, suprisingly, it totally blew me away. The chainmail detailing is used in such a clever way. I just wanted to stroke every piece that came down the catwalk - the textures are so alluring. I loved the long sleeved straight dress that was worn by Ruby Aldridge and all the footwear.
Full length images via style.com
Is street style dead?
There's an argument that says street style has become increasingly contrived. It's no longer about authentic individual style but rather has become a parade of famous faces and it items. No where is this more evident than during fashion week. People flock to the shows with the hope that they'll get photographed. They strut their stuff, pose while looking at their phone and wait for the desperate lenses to descend. The only problem is this has all become a bit fake. It's no longer about a person's style but more about whether they have the right mix of designer items.
Outside the Chanel show in Paris this season the madness of street style reached an all time low. Behold, the mini studio that was erected outside the venue. Complete with a massive reflector and a wall of photographers all getting the exact same shot. Authenticity and originality are lacking. It's one step further in the direction of making street style obsolete and uninspiring. Fingers crossed we never see this sort of set up again.
Please note: This studio setting was put up by French Elle but other people were snapping the same photos from behind their photographer.
Yellow & Fluffy
With the weather turning slightly more chilly I've started pulling out the thick knits. I love this yellow fluffy jumper by Acne. The only problem? It sheds fluorescent fuzz onto everything and everyone that makes contact with it. I still love it though.
With the weather turning slightly more chilly I've started pulling out the thick knits. I love this yellow fluffy jumper by Acne. The only problem? It sheds fluorescent fuzz onto everything and everyone that makes contact with it. I still love it though.
Wearing: Acne knit, Helmut Lang skirt, MCM bag and Converse.
Photos by Kit
TOPSHOP UNIQUE SS13...
After the awesomeness of last season's Topshop Unique show, I was unsure whether the new collection would be able to hold up to the hype. Thankfully the spring/summer collection was just as good. It felt like a true continuation of what was established the season before. Silhouettes remained slouchy and the vibe was very relaxed . The show was stuffed full of covetable pieces. The straight skirts paired with oversized gilets were my favourite. I also loved the white shirt dress and the wide legged silver trousers. The collection felt grown up and super relaxed - exactly the sort of aesthetic that gets my heart pumping.
Is fashion week dead to bloggers?
Fashion week felt different this season. Something wasn't quite the same - I didn't feel that same spark of excitement that I normally have. Maybe I was just having an off week but I kept getting the impression from other people that they felt the same way. I can't tell you the amount of times I heard people grumble, 'I'm so over it'.
Fashion week felt different this season. Something wasn't quite the same - I didn't feel that same spark of excitement that I normally have. Maybe I was just having an off week but I kept getting the impression from other people that they felt the same way. I can't tell you the amount of times I heard people grumble, 'I'm so over it'.
So why the sudden disenchantment towards fashion week?
It seemed like people didn't get the same amount of show tickets as in past seasons. My bundle was noticeably smaller than usual. What made it most confusing was that it didn't seem to matter whether I'd attended a specific designers show before. You'd think that including a link to past coverage would increase your chances of getting invited back again but it doesn't seem to work that way. Sadly this means there is little motivation to snap good photos at a show and write a solid report. Why bother if your readers don't care (catwalk shows get the least positive response from my readers) and neither do the PRs? Or, maybe it was the growing circus of fashion week attendees that was putting people off the whole event? Crazy costumes seemed to be at an all time high this season. But it might just be that we are all just growing up a little bit. After attending London Fashion Week for a hand full of seasons the glamour and glitz has started to wear off. With shows being live streamed there's arguably no reason that a blogger, or anyone, needs to be at the actual venue. Why bother getting dressed when you can watch it from the comfort of your own sofa? Whatever the reason, there seems to be an undeniable shift in the way bloggers feel about fashion week. Personally, I'll be applying for less shows and trying to find the new designers that are just getting off the ground. It's not about the FROW (cringe) or being snapped by Tommy Ton... although, let's be honest, I wouldn't turn down either.
Wearing: DAGMAR knit and skirt, Maria Nilsdotter ring and Steve Mono bag exclusively for YMC.
LOUISE GRAY SS13...
Louise Gray was so good. I'm totally feeling the layered up geometric prints. The colours are so bold and look really fresh. The mirrored earrings, psychedelic sunglasses and bouffant hairstyles are the icing on the cake.
Massive thank you to the team at eBay fashion for the ticket. xx
FLORAL DRESSES AND BIKER JACKETS...
Probably the most basic outfit combination ever but I like it for its simplicity. This is what I wore on the first day of London Fashion Week.
Wearing: Paul and Joe Sister dress, Acne jacket, American Apparel clutch and Converse.
p.s. the winner of the third giveaway had been chosen - congratulations to Lola!
FYODOR GOLAN SS13...
It's day 1 of London Fashion Week. Hurrah! I can't believe this time of year has crept around again already. First thing this morning I headed over to the Waldorf hotel to shoot backstage at Fyodor Golan. Last season it was one of my favourite shows so I was super excited to see what the design duo had planned. The styling and makeup was incredible. Each model had a tribal looking tattoo on her chin and many walked with larger-than-life transparent hats. It definitely gave the impression that some sort of glamorous alien race had invaded central London.
For more photos, including pictures from the show, hop over to Facebook.
Massive thank you to Susie and Rob at TRACE Publicity for having me backstage and at the show.
SANDALS ROYAL PLANTATION...
I've just returned home from a week spent in Jamaica at Sandals Royal Plantation. Looking back it feels like a dream. Was I really just in the Caribbean for a week? Everything was so perfect and idyllic that it doesn't seem real.
I spent each day lying on the beach drinking piña coladas and strawberry daiquiris. In the afternoon, when I'd worked up a bit of energy, we'd go sailing or snorkeling. I've never been on a resort style holiday before this trip or had an all inclusive experience. Being able to eat and drink as much as I wanted meant I did exactly that... I'm definitely packing a slightly squishier middle section now. It was totally worth it though - the food was delicious. The real highlight of the trip has to be the fact that we had our very own butler for the week. When we arrived we were given a cell phone that we could reach him on. Now that I'm back home I'm totally craving that phone. Nothing equates to luxury quite like white sand beaches and your very own butler. Sandals, I miss you already.
Wearing: Varley belmont bikini, River Island leopard print shorts, Zoe Karssen T-shirt, and 3.1 Phillip Lim dress.
Massive thank you to Sarah at Sandals for organizing the trip.