Paris Fashion Week S/S 10: Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh brought a dark and dramatic edge to the start of Paris. The colour palette consisted of grey, navy, black and subtle nudes. The pale faces added a gothic and romantic element to the show. Leather featured heavily in biker jackets, trousers and zipped corsets. Belted macs with long and flowing edges looked beautiful in this moody show. Body con dresses in cream with black side panels and sheer revealing tops added sexiness while structured tailoring elevated the collection. This collection was very dark and futuristic but definately not depressing and the detailing was amazing.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Wild Things, you make our hearts sing

So everyone and their mother has been presenting their lines via film lately, as we've been covering... but promoting a film by creating fashion lines — that's a new one for us!

This month sees the premiere of Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book, Where the Wild Things Are. But with the film yet to hit theatres, at least two — count 'em, two — clothing lines inspired by the film have come out: perennial fave Opening Ceremony's collaboration with Jonze, above center, featuring shaggy jackets, dresses, and skirts that also capitalize on the current fake fur revival; and Urban Outfitters' collabo with Brooklyn designer Mary Meyer, a series of hip, slouchy printed knitwear pieces (above, left and right) that would be utterly wearable even without the movie tie-in.

Now to see what happens when Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland movie comes out next March!

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TheGreenShows at NY Fashion Week

While the big names at the Bryant Park tents and MAC at Milk were busily hogging most of the attention at NYFW, a small, green revolution was going on in Soho... on Greene Street, naturally! With EarthPledge's usual high-profile FutureFashion show on hiatus, a new player stepped into the mix: TheGreenShows, featuring our longtime fave Bodkin along with pieces from Ekovaruhuset (above), a boutique carrying intricately crafted work from international designers; along with collections from Bahar Shahpar, Lara Miller, Izzy Lane, Mr. Larkin, and Study by Tara St. James, with makeup by eco-beauty line Suki.

Ecouterre via Inhabitat

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The future of fashion is virtual.

As Fashion Week evolves from industry event to public phenomenon, designers have been contemplating how to keep their shows exclusive while making all of their customers feel included. Fashion's Night Out, while not a financial success, was a big step toward the democratization of Fashion Week, letting the public meet (or at least gape at) influential designers and buy in by, well, buying in.

Twitter-happy designer Alexander McQueen has another idea. His shows have always been as much performance art as fashion showcase, featuring real flames, live insects, giant chess sets, heaps of rubbish, and a hologram of Kate Moss among their wonders over the years. With video of previous shows already available on his website, he's involving the public in real time this season by broadcasting the SS10 catwalk live over the internet. And he's not the only one: Burberry, Sienna Miller's Twenty8Twelve, Michael Kors, and Isaac Mizrahi already did the same this spring; while some designers on a budget, like Shipley & Halmos, flipped the equation (above) by presenting their designs via video at their Fashion Week shows.

Photo via Racked

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Milan Fashion Week S/S 10: Just Cavalli

I loved the humour in this show, I'm not sure if this was intentional or not but I thought the slogan t-shirts were hilarious, I love a bit of shameless vanity in the collection and the slogan t-shirts provided this. I can just imagine them being a hit already. 'Bobby', 'I've been touched by Cavalli', 'I love JC' and 'It's just Cavalli' all popped out along the catwalk. In the end I realised I was actually anticipating what the next slogan would say. Oh dear, lets move on. I really liked the whole good girl, gone bad theme of the collection with sheer and floaty dresses with lingerie peeping out from underneath. Then the sheer dresses were worn overy t-shirts. The collection got a lot grungier after this and had that rock-chick appeal to it as if the Cavalli was a rock-star and the models were his fans. Some of the pieces were quite distresses with ripping and holes in jumpers, sequins and fringing added an extra dimension to the collection. I can't believe I'm saying this, me who dislikes designer emblazoned t-shirts but I think I want one.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Milan Fashion Week S/S 10: Prada

Miuccia Prada has always been one of my favourite designers, so I was anticipating this show as well as Miu Miu. This collection excited me throughout and had some very inspirational pieces. The slate almost metallic greys were a bold and strong colour and were excellently tailored, these were reworked as they were cut in the shorts and jackets. This had a good effect as they were just starting to fray but looked clean as if they were cut moments before coming on to the catwalk. The shorts looked like smart, tailored trousers that had been cut to create city shorts. The models pouting, red lips and bed-head pigtails added some fun and subtle sexiness to the show. I loved the criss-crossed tops which sparkled. The floral prints in the dresses and coats had an almost digital effect as did the amazing tropical prints. The tropical prints were the highlight of the show for me as they looked like holiday pictures and while they did include the stereotypical beach, clouds and palm tree scene, I loved that you could see people sunbathing and it was literally like peeping into an unblemished postcard. There might not have been a bright or summery colour palette used in the collection but I was definately reminiscing about Summer after seeing those prints.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Milan Fashion Week: Moschino Cheap & Chic

Moschino Cheap & Chic showed the epitome of a fun and stylish Spring show. Sleeveless white shirts, ruffled black minidresses and the cutest sunflower sunglasses came along first. Oh and how could I forget the 'Amore' necklace, a must have. A pink one shoulder dress in the most beautiful embroidery followed which was the essential summer dress. I also loved the slogans such as the 'Shocking' t-shirt dress and 'Peace' sheer t-shirt. A few maxi dresses also graced the catwalk in large floral prints, the white blazer dress with heart printed belt was effortless and chic. The multi-coloured princess coat was quirky and adorable as was the heart motif on the white dress. A quirky, fun, chic and girly collection... I loved it.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Milan Fashion Week S/S 2010: D&G

Cowgirls came one after the other in this great collection by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The denim and leather collection wasn't just the typical cowboy inspired show but the theme was made more feminine and very sexy. The denim was distressed, bleached and ripped and included high waisted shorts, barely there ruffled skirts and fitted shirts. Brown leathers came in buckled belts, bustier dresses and trimmed around denim corsets. Embroidery also featured in white and softened the looks. My favourite pieces were the floor length ruffled denim skirt, white ruched body-con dress and distressed denim corset dress. The printed tees with cowboy hats, 'rodeo' and minnie and mickey mouse added some fun and humour. All in all another hit from D&G.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Milan Fashion Week Spring 2010: Giorgio Armani

This collection showed that Giorgio Armani has definately recovered from his illness earlier this year. The collection was a step away from his usual classic pieces and into pieces that were fun and sophisticated. The collection started off with a houndstooth blazer in red, white and black which was a good reinvention. There were quite a lot of exceptional jackets on show which were fitted and structured and some with exaggerated shoulders. There were puffball skirts, loose trousers and one shoulder dresses, I loved the pink one. The cocktail dresses were stunning and added sparkle and colour. A great start to Milan.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Cappucino Cake

Heavenly Cappucino Cake

This cake is perfect as a tea-time treat or made for someone

special. The coffee flavour is delightful and if you're a coffee lover,

make the coffee stronger. I halfed this recipe and cut the cake into

two parts to make it a bit smaller but I would recommend using the full

recipe if this is a gift or made to sell. I used the mascarpone frosting

but cream cheese frosting is also yummy with this cake.

Ingredients:

250g Butter (softened)

250g Light soft brown sugar

300g Self-raising flour

4 eggs (beaten)

50g Finely chopped walnuts (toasted), optional

200ml Very strong coffee (cooled)

Mascarpone Frosting:

500g Mascarpone

2 tbsp Light soft brown sugar

Cocoa Powder to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4. Butter 2 x 20 cm sandwich tins and line with greaseproof paper. Beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add flour and eggs together. Fold in optional walnuts and half of the coffee. Spoon the mix into tins and bake for 25-30 mins.

2. Leave cakes in tins for around 5 mins then turn onto cooling rack. Sweeten remaining coffee with sugar and sprinkle 4 tbsp on sponges. I used a pastry brush and brushed coffee over so the sponge wouldn't get soggy. Then leave to cool.

3. Make the frosting adding remaining coffee and spread in between cakes to form a sandwich and on top of the cake also. Decorate with dusted cocoa powder.

                             

Recipe: BBC Good Food

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London Fashion Week Spring 2010: Burberry Prorsum, Jeremy Scott, Roksanda Illincic

Burberry Prorsum: Christopher Bailey always delivers he has revamped Burberry since his arrival and continues to shine. This collection was no exception and for me it is one of my favourite collections by Bailey so far. I love Burberry trench coats and their new makeover for S/S 10 made me love them even more. They were worn at mid-thigh length with exaggerated shoulders and ruched sleeves. Some were turn into draped dresses which were stunning. Trenches aside the collection was a masterpiece of draping and  ruching which was very on trend but delicate and feminine. The pastel tones were soft and beautiful and were brightened up with touches of metallic and glamourised with fur. A great collection from Christopher Bailey.

Jeremy Scott: Wilma... Oh, how I miss The Flintstones. The collection consisted of tiger prints in a variating colour palette. Zig-zag hems also featured as did Pixie Geldof on the catwalk. The denim crop and zig-zag shorts were cute as were the fur dresses and coats. The bones were a great added detail especially on brooches. A very fun and lively collection.

Roksanda Illincic: I loved the silk at Roksanda's latest collection, the neutral silk jumpsuit and exaggerated shoulder dress were great openers. There was a subtle sexiness in lamé skirts with sheer t-shirts. The structural element of the collection added an extra dimension as did the deep colours of purples, aqua and teal. The feather and sequinned dresses really stood out as did the magnificent feather headpiece. The collection was sophisticated, elegant and with a sprinkle of grown-up glamour.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London Fashion Week Spring 2010: Luella, House of Holland & Christopher Kane

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to do each show individually for LFW as I've been preparing for my imminent return to uni (as I'm a fashion student said preparation means shopping). But fear not I shall be doing the stand out shows of LFW so far in bitesize chunks of three.

Luella: I heart Luella, this collection truly indulged me in my love for anything and everything girly. Let's start off with the bows in the hair... adorable, I am freakishly obsessed with bows, hence the bow tattoo on my wrist. The skirt suits were soft and feminine as were the glorious, floral printed heart cut out dress which I have already spotted on Alexa Chung. The pink feathered dress, the polka dots, the bags, the coats, the puffballs. Everything was cute and with that special Luella touch that we all know and love.

House of Holland: A show by Henry Holland always guarantees fun, imagination and humour and this is exactly what we got from House of Holland. The show had an 80's vibe to it, with oversized jumper dresses, leather, acid lace and patchy skirtsuits. My favourite pieces were the lace shift dresses in fuschia, orange and black which were worn braless and with massive knickers and of course the bridal look which was gave a bit of humour and naughtiness. The denim pieces were very wearable and the denim body is a must-have.

Christopher Kane: Checks, checks and more checks. I quite like checks while I am bored to tears with oversized checks, this collection however was refreshing and just excellent really. All the pieces were lovely and wearable and showed Kane's expert tailoring. I haven't seen checks showcased in such a creative way. I liked when the brown checked dress had a black checked waist which was a good contrast. The contrasts in the collection definately stood out especially with the structured top and loose bottoms of the dresses. The use of florals and off white pleated slips and skirts proved to be great counterparts to the checks. Another winner from Christopher Kane.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London S/S 10: Emilio De La Morena

A modern and delicate collection for stylish and classy women. This is exactly what Morena captured for Spring. Belted peplums stood side by side with draped and sheer skirts. Sheer panelling and skin tight trousers were also worn here One of my favourite pieces was the fan effect dress which looked like a sea-shell. The highlight of the collection was the colour palette of whites, nudes, lilacs, greens and black. They flowed together cohesively and made the collection more delicate.Pretty.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London S/S 10: Sass & Bide

A warm welcome to LFW Sass & Bide who showed their collection in London for the first time. The collection kicked off with monochrome and included skirtsuits, jackets and harem pants. It then took a grecian, rock-chick/gladiator turn with gold embellishments and flowing fabrics. The black came next with body con dresses, gold and cropped harem pants and those killer embellished leggings. The aztec prints looked perfect in gold also. It seems that Sass & Bide will fit in perfectly.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London S/S 10: Aminaka Wilmont

Some very earthy tones at Aminaka Wilmont. The collection started with neutral colours such as browns, sands and had a dusky effect, these were shown in draped mini dresses, sprayed on trousers and one shoulder dresses. There were blues next which followed the same print and lookesd very fresh and natural. I loved the hotpants here. The contrast in the collection came from the black leather which was very sexy but with a hint of S&M with the black leather strands which looked like whips, but it wasn't overpowering and was a good close to the show.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London S/S 10: Mary Katrantzou

The Mary Katrantzou collection was a colour and print explosion. The clash of prints merged together effortlessly, while they combined stripes, waves, textural prints and a variety of colours they looked stunning. It was so nice to see such a colourful and bright collection after the neutral tones in NY. The pieces were still very wearable especially the dresses. The waved and fan necklines in some of the dresses really stood out and took the collection to a higher level. I liked the black and white striped cocktail dress as well as the dress with the fan neckline.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London S/S 10: Mark Fast

Knitted Minis. I like. I also liked the use of plus-sized models who were used simply as models and not gimmicks or publicity and the knitted, body-con minis looked amazing. The other pieces to note were the glorious feather skirts, and ruffle skirts. The long strands of bead detailing looked great especially in the colour palette for the show of fuschia and lilac. The show was a tatch repetitive and was a bit too similar from his other collections, but there were a few pieces that stood out.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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London Fashion Week S/S 10: Danielle Scutt

Happy 25th Anniversary London Fashion Week. Danielle Scutt's show was definately something to celebrate. The models with their Mr Whippy hair, (yes, they remind me of ice-crem) immediately caught my eye. The collection was very feminine and reminded me of clothes that I used to dress my dolls in when I was little. It also reminded me of characters in story books too. The pieces included graphic dresses with red polka dot prints and graffiti which was lightened up with sheer fabric. I loved her use of ruffles in some of the pieces and my favourite was the black and nude sheer dress and the oversized scarves. LFW is looking very promising indeed.

Photo: www.catwalking.com

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Sleek MakeUp: Pout Polish

This is a new tinted lip conditioner which is also SPF 15 by Sleek MakeUp. I bought two of them at Superdrug today as I wanted a brighter shade and a nude one also. They were priced at 2 for £6.99 or £3.91 for one. I normally only when clear lip glosses but thought I would go for a change. I got the Pink Cadillac 947 and Chocolate Kiss 948.

Pink Cadillac

This colour is my favourite out of the two, go on to Sleek MakeUp to see the colour a bit clearer. It is a lovely shade of pink with peach and red tones. What I like about this is that you can use a little so it looks like a glossy tint or put on more to make it look more like a lipstick. So, you can easily use it for day or night. This really conditions your lips thanks to the shea butter and feels like a light balm, it was quite long lasting and even when it wears off it leaves a subtle colour. I tried this with lots of mascara and black smoky eyes and it looked great.

Chocolate Kiss

This colour is a lovely chocolate brown and gives a slightly nude and peachy lip for darker skin tones. What I loved about this one as it looks natural and also gives a glossy finish, I prefer to wear this one in the day as it could be a bit too dull for night. They both taste so good when you lick your lips by the way. I tried this with dark gold eyes and black eyeliner and it went very well.

Other colours in the Pout Polish range are: Electro Peach and Perfect Plum.

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