sea creatures

An unexpected trend to come out of the Spring/Summer 12 shows was 'under the sea'. First seen above at the spellbinding Chanel show in ethereal white and mother-of pearl, Christopher Kane's show in shimmering pearls and aquas and now rearing it's foam-encrusted head in Something Else's latest video...

cut glass

Things I'm loving at the moment: Elie Saab Perfume, Anton Heunis Ring, The Wild Unknown Prism

Kanye lost in the jungle

"Remember those hyenas we saw fighting over the warthog carcass? Well, I'll be the warthog." Love that quote from Cady in 'Mean Girls' and so apt at the moment for poor old Kanye West and his debut womenswear collection in Paris this season. It has been called "rap with a capital-C" by the new Fashion Director of the Telegraph, Lisa Armstrong and Suzy Menkes of The New York Times stated that "a celebrity tag and a lively audience filled with music-business friends does not cut it in Paris" and indeed, it hasn't. The consensus seems to be unanimous that the collection is a failure with critics the globe over tearing shreds off his fashion carcass. But really, it would be hard to see how anyone could find an original, applaudable idea within the range.

It is an absurd and seasonally inappropriate beast of a collection featuring too much fur, coats and knits for a Spring/Summer offering. The silhouette varies wildly from body-con dresses, to seventies lounge, to Balmain-esque power shoulders and tailored trousers. The colour palette is that of slightly mismatched neutrals with the occasional shot of bright primary or metallics, leaving it a little visually jarring and uncomfortable. “I had a lot of ideas about colors and shapes I wanted to express …" said Kanye, but that's still no excuse to include ALL of them. There just doesn't seem to be a consistent idea running through the collection in any way, or any clear idea really, except for that of derivative rehashing of other designers' work. 

The presentation was not only offensive to those who had to sit through it, but has also rubbed C-rap in the faces of all those fresh and talented designers out there struggling to get noticed on the main stage of fashion as well as the established designers who are already showing at Paris Fashion Week. The best metaphor I can think of for the collection is the baboon-bottomed trousers Kanye chose to send down the Catwalk as his final look - embarrassing and offensive. With the abundance of crazy fur, the C-rap flinging,  baboon bottoms and hyenas circling it seems like the fashion jungle has decreed Kanye its new jester, not its king.

Check out this video of the finale and see what you think.

ones to watch: Fallulah

For those who don't already know her from her hits songs "I Lay My Head" and "Bridges"on the 2010 album "The Black Cat Neighbourhood" , Fallulah is the alter ego of Danish singer-songwriter Maria Apetri. Of combined Danish and Romanian descent, Fallulah attributes her musical inspiration to Balkan folk music and stories from her own life.

‘For a long time I thought I could only write if I was really sad. When I met my boyfriend I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to write good songs anymore because I was too happy, but actually I wrote some of my best songs after I met him.’

With performances in Hoxton and The Bowery in London this year she has won the heart of the London music scene - next stop, who knows - the world is this girl's oyster.

Here is her single 'Bridges' with a video directed by Michael Vogt featuring the latest urban sport craze, 'Dance and Run'. Also check out her website here.

little black mess

No wardrobe is complete without a staple little black dress - so here is my pick of this season's. Print, draping, lurex, knit, embroidery, leather and beading all make a show here, so I guess you could say it's going to be a very textural winter. In lust-have order:

Dream dress... Miu Miu embellished crepe with cutaway back £2,845

Draped perfection... Acne Darling silk dress £240

Minimalist punk... Camilla & Marc quilted leather and ponti dress £510

Exquisite embroidery... Day Birger et Mikkelsen dress £180

Lovely lurex... I actually own this one and can attest to its subtle lurex loveliness and extreme comfort. It literally just pulls on over the head and you're completely dressed - gorgeous.

 Vaness Bruno Athe £234

Cute chinoiserie... cheap and cheerful this one!

Topshop dress £50

Shopping Soundtrack:

wowzers!

Just stumbled upon the inexhaustible fun of the Color Bar at Kendra Scott Jewellery. Chic LA-style designs are customisable here, so just while away the hours with a plethora of juicy-coloured stones so bright you feel like popping them in your mouth.

www.kendrascott.com/color-bar/

karen walker

So, the new lookbook for fash fave Karen Walker Eyewear has just come out. Sported by brooms and mops in the campaign, these sunnies can make even cleaning products look cool :)
Here are some of my favourites.

Wawawiwa!