electric

New film by Anup Kumar Pandey featuring my clothing and accessory designs - absolutely love the end result: simple and clean, yet intense and electrifying.

like...totes amaze....

Ahhh dear.... love this!

boom boom

Lanvin does it again with Steven Meisel's stop-motion version of a stylishly debauched society party  to the tune of Maxine Ashley's 'Cookieman'. No sign of the 'Cookieman' Alber Elbz himself this time- just a cute and not-so-cuddly python for company...

flower power

The last time I kicked about in floral leggings I was 8 years old and it was the early 1990s, but somehow Mary Katrantzou's take on the dubious garment is fresh and unoffensive. Mysterious though it may seem, Katrantzou takes silhouettes and digital prints ranging from antique vases to retro atrocities and combines them into a surprisingly sophisticated style that is resulting in very obnoxious loud beeping and flashing lights on all radars of the fashion-savvy. Now Katrantzou is set to become a name on the lips of girls ranging from 13 to...well... the sky's the limit, with her new mini capsule collection for Topshop. The ten-piece collection will range in price from an affordable £40 to a big (but still cheapcheapcheap when compared to her main line) £300. I'm still waiting to see whether the Katrantzou aesthetic will achieve longevity, but I can't deny that she has definitely rekindled my enthusiasm for a floral print.

Listen To: Emilie Simon, Flowers

plastic fantastic

102 Greene Street, SoHo, NY is now the new home of Melissa Gallery, the first flagship store for the Brazilian brand outside its home turf. The store reflects the brand's shiny, rainbow-hued, plastic 'dreams' with a bright product display in the window, neon lighting and a psychedelic video show by Brazilian artist, Eli Sudbrack, projected onto the walls. 

Creative Director if the brand, Edson Matsuo, worked with architects Domingos Pacascali and Moema Wertheimer to create a design that would provide a drastic contrast to the New York streets, "... a space  that would give you the feeling of shelter, mystery and adventure...an 'urban cave' ..."

I'm not so sure about the idea of the 'urban cave' myself, but the store definitely packs an artistic punch well above any shoe store I've seen before, while still sitting comfortably within the aesthetic of simplicity and glossiness of the brand. Fun shoes, fun store!

Event shot by Billy Farrell Agency 

go with the Phlo

Phlo Finister is the young LA-based RnB crooner who has just been picked up on my radar. Her EP "Crown Gold" is free to download and features a collage of retrospective works by the likes of The Doors, Dr Dre and Tupac, as well as some new works by Jay Curry. The characteristics of 90s RnB stars Aaliyah and Ashanti are apparent but the languor with which Phlo performs the songs takes the genre in a new direction. I think that with a little bit more precision, thought and production this girl will really go somewhere....definitely one to watch...

raw beauty

Springing off the back of the resurgent 90s grunge look is a softer and perhaps more wearable aesthetic where raw materials and pastel tones mix to create a modern dreamscape of shape, colour and texture. The perfect complement to the trend is rough-cut and exquisite. Stones are cut but not polished, metals are mixed and natural elements like shell and feathers come to the fore. Don't worry though - the look is neither hippy nor warrior, but a subtle blend of both that is set to take jewellery in a new direction.

1. Prism: The Wild Unkown; Necklace: Mania Mania
2. Necklace: Pamela Love
3. Bracelet: Iosselliani
4. Assorted pendants: Unearthen

Listen to: Hole, Malibu

bang baby!

Combine Debbie Harry circa 1979...

...and Prince Valiant...

to get....

...my new bangs!

PS> I've just noticed that my hair looks eerily similar to the illustration on my phone cover...spooky

Jumper: Topshop

iPhone Case: Own design

king of skin

Oh how I would LOVE a day week year just to rummage through that stock archive....

beautiful faces

National Geographic videographer Naq Lee's Facing starring in order:

Frida Gustavsson, Natasha Poly, Anja Rubik, Ayemeline Valade, Kelly Mittendorf, Anais Pouliot, Tanya Dziahileva, Aline Weber, Kasia Struss, Milagros Schmoll, Abbey Lee Kershaw, Valeria Kelava, Antonia Wesseloh, Sigrid Agren, Alana Zimmer, Anabela Belikova, Karolina Kurkova, Sara Blomqvist, Isabeli Fontana, Hyoni Kang, Iekeliene Stange, Catherine McNeil, Daphne Groeneveld, Jessica Stam, Jules Mordovets, BrunaTenorio

Peter Jensen V&A streaming live

For those of you who missed out on nabbing tickets to see the V&A's "Fashion in Motion" exhibition today (Peter Jensen!) The show will be streamed live here at 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 with a live interview with Peter himself after the 15:00 show.

Marc Jacobs collection STOLEN!

This is what greeted London fashion press this morning when they opened their inboxes ....


“Dear all, The Marc Jacobs PR team is sorry to inform you that our press day tomorrow in the Marc Jacobs store is cancelled due to the theft of the Spring/Summer 2012 collections during its transfer for Paris.”


The Marc Jacobs Intl twitter page said: : See any chic truck drivers cruising around Europe dressed in #SS12 Collection? Get a pic & call 212-343-0222. Reward.


Such a major blow for any fashion house - firstly there's the huge costs involved in reproducing all the samples THEN there's the loss of exclusivity when the designs are stolen and reproduced for illegal sale  - in short, every designer's worst nightmare...


I too, have been a victim of theft; at my graduation parade in 2010 I caught a girl leaving the backstage area of the show with four pairs of my shoes in her arms - she swiftly handed them over and performed a nifty disappearing act when she realised she'd been caught, but one of my skirts and a jacket of mine weren't so lucky and now presumably live in some little thief's closet.... :(


We're never going to be able to completely stop those with sticky fingers, but we can all be proactive against buying designer copies and rip-offs. Fashion houses work on very slim margins (yes, even the large companies like Marc Jacobs!) and the often heard excuse "but it's not like it's being stolen from a person, it's a company!" is not an excuse - it's really just pathetic self-justification. What is a company but a group of people working towards something? Every designer copy and rip-off that is bought steals the effort and work of people like you, gives money to thieves and forces the price of designer goods higher as they sell fewer items to recoup the same costs.


I know I'm probably preaching to the converted here, but if everyone is vigilant against design theft and misappropriation of trademarks and logos the fashion world will be a better, and ultimately cheaper place to be. 

Versace x H&M

6 days to go... my wallet is screaming already....

awkward presence

These hauntingly lovely images are from Australian label  Kahlo's SS2012 Collection "Awkward Presence". Deceptively simple garments surprise with intricate and unusual details; exposed zips, cutouts and slightly awkward collars all feature.

The shoot stars Rachel Rutt and was shot by Darren McDonald.

'muscle-man marc'

Identifiable by his star and 'shameless tattoos, Marc Jacobs has been immortalised as action figure 'Muscle-Man Marc' on South Park! Click here to see the clip - just know that the clip takes place in Eric Cartman's dining room so be prepared for a bit of swearing....

no pinups or gamines here

Before the rule of the great fashion photographers including Newton and Demarchelier, the high fashion bibles were lit up with the luminous illustrations of artists such as Antonio (Lopez), Erte and Gruau. With the modern predominance of photography in the fashion industry, the role of the fashion illustrator is no longer as pivotal as it once was - but a recent sale of illustrator Rene Gruau's work showed that there is still a great level of appreciation for the art form.

The pieces listed for sale at the Christie's auction house were estimated at approximately £3000 but most reached prices over the £10,000 mark. Reminiscent of Toulouse Lautrec's images of Parisian nightlife, Gruau's sparse lines and spare colour palette bestow a bold strength and confident presence to his subjects- biographer Gilles de Bure noted that "Gruau's women are not gamines and never pinups".

His "women" have worn the most iconic of labels; Balenciaga, Balmain, Givenchy, Lanivin and Dior, in some of the most prestigious magazines; Marie Claire, Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar. They now grace the halls of the most illustrious gallery in the world, The Louvre and, since the auction, the walls of some very lucky collectors. Its nice to see that the work of the fashion illustrator is still relevant and appreciated in today's 'instant' culture; a step back and a moment taken to appreciate the finery of both the art and the fashion.

under the sea with McQueen

Gorgeous insight into the inner workings of the latest collection under Sarah Burton with The New York Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn.

Miu Miu's changing face

The choice of 14 year old Hailee Steinfeld for last season's Miu Miu campaign stirred up a little controversy as to whether brand ambassadors should represent the age of the brand's customer base or whether the ambassador represnted the embodiment of the season's 'idea' of the collection's muse. While Hailee might be only half the age of the clothing's intended market, the images are stunning and I think capture the fun 40s aesthetic of the collection...

But those who still question the merits of a girl in women's clothing will be pleased to hear that the new face of Miu Miu for the coming season is 34 year old Guinevere van Seenus. A complete change of mood here, sophisticated, darker and very appropriate for the changing season.

ones to watch: Ada Zanditon

“In the fragile seagrass beds of England’s southeast coast, lives the mythical Poseisus. She begins her metamorphic journey towards the distant tropical shores of Haiti as the rumbled call of the Haitian Kanaval drums ripple and swell the ocean tide, drawing in the ornate Seahorse.  She finally emerges from the glistening crystal water, her outer skin transformed into a magnificent Kanaval dress as she steps onto the sand in human form.“


Thus is the story of fashion newcomer Ada Zanditon's SS12 Collection as presented at September's London Fashion Week Digital Schedule. The eco-minded young designer graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2009.  Since then she has received the Masters of Linen- Creativity Award in Paris and the EFF & Fairtrade Foundation's Innovation Award. I think it's clear that we can expect big things from this young lady.

creepy crawlies

These little metallic insects are some that I'd definitely like love to have around my house! They are from NY designer Eddie Borgo who is simply bursting onto the jewellery scene with his collection that fuses elements of rock and roll, American heritage, high and low end fashion and instills these elements in unique, highly covetable pieces that are so very now. 

Eddie Borgo's first eponymous collection debuted in SS09 after getting his start designing one-off pieces for stylists such as Tabitha Simmons, Camilla Nickerson and Patti Wilson and then designing the SS09 accessories for Phillip Lim's show. In June this year, he won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. I don't think it's the last we'll be hearing from this exciting new talent....