Sunday 25 October 2009

The Blair Waldorf Effect




Ironically the Queen B, Blair Waldorf was denied her headband by none other than the clueless Dan Humphery: "No headbands at college." Yeah right and since when was Lonely Boy king of style? Ms Waldorf aside, the world of fashion is most definitely loving headgear. Net-a-porter has even been using head mannequins to display their hottest headwear online. For the hippie chick a feathered headband makes a refreshing evening accessory and for the magpie a glistening tiara never seems inappropriate.

Maybe it's the glamorous mood of winter that makes everyone want to show off in a headwear. Whatever it is you won't get any complaints from me, I'm joining the headband parade!

The Joy of Trompe l'oeil


The season of autumn/winter always evokes an obsession with quirky yet cool hosiery and lucky for us there seems to be a serious abundance of them. Last winter it was all about the death of the fishnet and the rise of the coloured high denier opaque, whether it was in shocking pink or marl grey. In stark contrast this season is sexing up hosiery (thanks to who else but Kaiser Karl?) Who has done a witty take on the stocking/hold-up with a daringly sexy collection of Chanel tights. Who couldn't love these Trompe l'oeil cuties? They are infinitely more flattering and wearable than a true stocking...Don't you think? Style them with a defiantly short, but long sleeved black shift to ensure plenty of double-takes.

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Best in Shoe




So it may be the end of fashion month but a mountain of wow-moments are still emerging from under the radar. Valentino left a huge black hole when he retired in 2007 and it seemed whoever replaced him was bound to face some discouraging criticism. For SS10 creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Paolo Piccioli seemed to reverse the curse and really showed their flair for shoes, (to fair they were accessory designers)! The stunning shoe styles were the jewel in the Valentino collection's crown. The collabo between Valentino and milliner Phillip Treacy was a very smart move, even urban-fashionista Alexander Wang was swooning at all the feathers, lace and stiletto heels. Perfect for the avant-garde bride and so much better than a white satin court. Don't you think?

Tuesday 6 October 2009

When two fash-tribes go to war.



The Parisian shows have been a total dream for SS10. Balenciga did Street Nomad, Viktor and Rolf did Fairytale Romance with hard angular lines and Alber Elbaz just did what he does best, wonderful feminine dressing at Lanvin. Surely the most anticipated show in Paris though had to be the debut catwalk collection from Phoebe Philo for Celine? It definitely was for me.

I have subtly been drawing comparisons between Phoebe and her old sparring partner Ms Stella McCartney and imagining my very own fantasy fashion warfare. Where Pheobe did lots of utilitarian sleek leather, Stella did over the top frou-frou. Where Stella did bold paint box jewel colour, Phoebe did monochromatic nudes with black.With all these polar opposites who won the war? Well lets be honest the winner has to be the consumer. It seems fashion's future is looking very bright next Spring.

Thank you Mr Geiger. Thank you.


A fashion mission is a very difficult business. It usually consists of a manic like panic to retrieve a specific piece, which the person concerned feels they:

a.) Cannot live without

b.) Can justify spending undisclosed amounts of money on

c.) Will happily cry in public if said piece cannot be located

I underwent such a trauma over the last weekend in my crusade to get the perfect pair of open-toe shoeboots, which I am convinced came about thanks to obsessing over many a Ricardo Tisci Givenchy collection. My open-toe shoeboot fixation was satisfied thanks to the wondrous Kurt Geiger in the shape of the "Caden" boot. With my fashion mission now behind me I think my emotional journey was worth it. Check the pic for further proof. Have you ever experienced a fashion mission?