SS12: TEN THINGS TO BUY RIGHT NOW

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

While most of the fashion world had their eyes fixed on Milan this weekend, London Fashion Week's main venue at Somerset House was transformed into a shopping mecca for London Fashion Weekend. This is the consumer antidote to the press/buyer event earlier in the week. I was representing FEAL in the Vodafone Lounge on Thursday and Sunday, giving a little talk about being on trend for SS12. It was great fun and lovely to meet lots of the shoppers.

Here are the ten items I told them to buy to be right on trend for SS12...

1. SILVER
We blogged about silver just before LFW. We spied a lot of silver around fashion week- usually in shoe or bag form, as well as a brave few in silver jeans. Anything with a silver sheen ties together two of SS12's biggest themes- Under the Sea and Sporty- very nicely.

Silver trousers £560 Alexander McQueen  at Matches

2. SOMETHING LACY
More specifically, white lace. Lace is always in but it's having a particular moment right now. Contrary to its usual reputation as delicate and super pretty, the thicker your lace is the better for SS12. That's why broderie anglaise (white cotton with a cut-out, lace-like pattern) is a good alternative if lace isn't quite your thing. The picture below is a rather classic example of how-to-wear lace from the lovely Erdem. But the couture tee from Oasis is super versatile.

Erdem SS12

White daisy lace tee £40 from Oasis

3. A CRICKET JUMPER
I'll admit these aren't all over the shops but in my opinion a cricket jumper would be a solid addition to the SS12 wardrobe. I love the way Christopher Kane's were styled with silk mini skirts, it's like the most luxe school uniform you could imagine. However, the cricket jumper is also a nice nod to the Olympic spirit without being too literal. And the best thing? They are readily available in the wardrobes of any boys in our lives and/or charity and vintage shops. Score.

Christopher Kane SS12

Vintage Cricket jumper £30.50, from a selection at Beyond Retro

4. A DIRNDL SKIRT
We're not telling you to dress up like Austrian peasants but we are loving the shape of their traditional skirts. One of these, especially in a lovely print, will be a mainstay of your SS12 wardrobe and is super-versatile, dress down, dress up, be girly or tomboy it with a t-shirt and converse. This Warehouse one is not quite so pouffy as many of the catwalk ones but carries the same idea.

Yellow floral £38 from Warehouse

5. PYJAMAS
Ok, not just any PJs but luxurious, silky head-to-toe print, especially paisley, is the idea here. Get the set and wear altogether with heels for evening cocktails. Alternatively, wear separately for a less full-on vibe.

J.W Anderson SS12

Whistles take on pyjamas: top £85, trousers £125

6. BRIGHT TROUSERS
This is a pretty open field- if you're brave enough go for some fluoro/ pastel jeans (the styles below are from Christopher Kane's J Brand collaboration). Alternatively, there are lots of really cute print jeans about, think palm trees and pineapples. My personal choice will be these Topshop chinos.

Christopher Kane for J Brand

Pink chinos £28 from Topshop

7. FLATFORMS
Mrs Prada started this off and there's no sign of the trend abating. In fact, SS12 sees a branching out beyond the styles with brogue uppers to a sandal look. These are a definite move on from the wedge. I love these with a painterly floral panel but ASOS have plenty more, including Nicholas Kirkwood for Pollini's rope ones and more sporty versions.

Floral flatforms £50 ASOS

8. HI-TOPS
Thanks to Isabel Marant's Bekket hi-tops- complete with massive tongue and hidden two inch wedge- the hi-top has gone from street wear favourite to fashion's darling shoe. The Bekket might be the ultimate combination of all the possibilities but there are also plenty of styles which give a sleeker look, as well as those which are more authentically sporty, like the Nike ones below which I will be purchasing shortly.

I spotted the Bekkets at Berlin Fashion Week.

Nike x Liberty £74.99 Office

See by Chloe at My-Wardrobe £262

9. MANOLO BLAHNIK HEELS
The FashEd recently wrote about the resurgence of love for a timeless Manolo Blahnik heel. In September it became clear that Marc Jacobs had been hugely influenced by Manolo's Mary-Janes and Mules- he used the style in his own name and Louis Vuitton collections. Every girl should have an elegant yet run-for-the-bus capable pair of heels in her wardrobe and Manolo is the first man to call. Especially poignant as it is the designers 40th anniversary.

Red heels £280 by D&G at My-Wardrobe

10. RUCKSACK
Sporty, cute and easy- rucksacks are already proving popular according to our very scientific survey involving looking at people out and about. If that sporty bit  repulses you then plenty of designers/ stores have done more grown up versions in more structured shapes and expensive leathers.

Carven SS12 (Image from lloyd-evans.com)

Printed rucksack £225 by Diane von Furstenberg at Net-a-Porter

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ADVENT DAY 22: A RUCKSACK, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

The Row Leather Backpack £2,635

 It was not so long ago that rucksacks represented the anitthesis of what we wanted from a bag. It was all about the arm candy, the It-ness, the glint of a designer tag. There were stories of women developing major back and shoulder injuries as a result of tucking their Lariat/ Alexa in the crook of their elbow for far too long. The inevitable return to a more practical model has seen the rise and rise of the satchel over the past year. And, more and more, the rucksack. Despite the usual connotations of practicality, techy fabrics and a pouch for a water bottle, there are a number of super luxe versions for those of us who can only handle this trend when it is taken as far away from potential Jansport comparisons as possible.

Enter The Row. While all their contemporaries are wearing bargain army surplus finds or battered up vintage leather versions of the rucksack, 25 year-old squillionaires Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have created a rather stunning £2,635 taupe objet de back art. Whether anyone besides themselves will be purchasing it is slightly doubtful but it is a thing of beauty we simply had to share. I went to view The Row's SS12 collection in Paris earlier this year. It was pristine and beautiful, all the materials and details hummed with luxury. I spied Mary Kate and Ashley in the corner of the vast room being interviewed. I can only describe the way they looked as reminding me of toys which had never been taken out of their box- so bright and shiny. Their collection is so covetable yet to have an item from it would really only be of any use if you lived your life away from the hum drum of grimy streets, public transport and well, reality.

'Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing' Dodie Smith

Lucy Rose is a friend of a friend. She works with Bombay Bicycle Club and has been supporting Ed Sheeran recently. If you're feeling the effects of pre-Christmas frenzy, close your eyes and listen to this this. Bliss. 

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ADVENT DAY 19: THINKING OF SUN

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Start have this on sale for £115 in XS, if you're not XS then Net-Porter is your place for £185

 I write this from my desk, one handed, as the the other hand grips onto my umpteenth cup of tea of the day, made in a desperate attempt to keep warm. I am layered up with jumpers and scarves but it's not helping. I want to be somewhere warm, like lying on sheepskin next to a burning log fire or on a farflung beach where clothes are not necessary and the only tea needed is of the Long Island variety. So I thought it might help (optimistically perhaps) if I wrote about what I would be wearing on said beach. My hands down first choice is a We Are Handsome swimsuit. These first came to many people's attention last year when Rihanna and Diane Kruger amongst others confounded the usual expectations of celebrity beach attire- a super skimpy, frilly bikini- by choosing the label's Amazon Panther print swimsuit. It sold out rather fast after that. However, if you're still interested, Net-a-Porter have an exclusive re-stock. I love the The Amazon but there are also plenty of other fab designs; The Knight Rider shows a staggeringly handsome horse galloping off into the starry night while The Hunter shows a pensive stag. If you're not into the animals then The Carnival (with a very cool scuba zip) and The Garden might be more up your street. If you're lucky enough to be popping off for some winter sun then Start already have a few We are Handsome pieces on sale. And for those of us stuck with the layering and lying in front of log fires option, this is an optimistic future planning purchase.

The Amazon re-stocked exclusively at Net-a-Porter for £190

Rihanna in her panther print (image from wearehandsome.com)

Sunshine is useful for other stuff than keeping us warm on a beach... George Eliot's rather wonderful  metaphor for egotism...

'He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow' George Eliot

Whatever you think of Rihanna, you can't argue that this is one of THE definining songs of 2011...

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ADVENT DAY 18: FASHION FOR EARS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Plattan Quilted Earphones £80 from Urbanears

A few weeks ago, the Fashed reported in Grazia about the new 'fashion-ear-stars' (as in fashionistas, get it? She's so proud of that pun). It's not new to use earphones as a kind of fashion statement, especially since that white wire attached to ipod earphones became such a marker of coolness. However, there are now brands which mark you out as being particularly in the loop. Beats by Dr Dre is probably the best example. It seems that posing with some Solos round your neck/ perched atop your head your hip factor goes off the scale. But then there is the retaliatory group which sees them as just too posey. The FashEd and I have become big fans of Urbanears which are sleek and discreet. They come in an array of sharp colours and when displayed look like a big pantone chart. Our favourites are the quilted plattans which have something of the Chanel about them. They appeal to those in the know, but aren't garish or branded with logos like other brands.

Today's quote and video are random things which my friends have been showing me this weekend...

'I am waiting for a really strong and meaningful pig role' Miss Piggy, of course

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ADVENT DAY 15: OH, PRETTY DAY!

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large.

 It may be cold outside but there's nothing like a ice cream sweet new Louis Vuitton advert to brighten the day. After the merry-go-round setting of the SS12 show, the location for the ad campaign had to be equally evocative of innocent, childish fun times. And where better to go after a fairground visit than for a knickerbockerglory... And so Steven Meisel and Marc Jacobs chose an ice cream parlour as the setting for the campaign which only strengthens the message we got from the show- that is, you can't get too saccharine for Spring this year. The sweeter and prettier the better.

Image from fashiongonerogue.com

The models, a blonde and a brunette, are Daria Strokous and Kati Nescher. Both walked in the show back in October.Jacobs told WWD 'It is all very soft and very sweet, yet at the same time very bold and very graphic'. That boldness surely comes from the absolute commitment to sweetness which this collection, and these ads, show. There is also a lot of humour too, from the models' playful poses to the desserts waiting to be eaten. But there is still structure coming from those signature boxy jackets and, of course, the accessories. Oh Marc, you're clever!

Backstage at LV SS12 (Image from lloyd-evans.com)

 Today's advent choice is a direct consequence of waking up to these images. I've always hankered after a Pashley bicycle and the Vuitton ads bring that wish back to the front of my mind. Apart from one of those Speedy or Lockit bags, a pink Pashley Poppy is possibly the perfect accompaniment to a Vuitton-like SS12 outfit. I say 'like' because I can guarantee that for those of us who can't quite buy into Marc's vision directly, there will be a wealth of choice on the high street for making your own version pastel-y loveliness. The Pashley will take you from fairground to ice cream parlour very nicely, without ruining the fantasy.

Pashley Poppy in Blush Pink £450

Louis Vuitton sent us these pictures showing some of the latest celebrities showing off their SS12 Vuitton. Although the dresses look beautiful, in a real life setting so much of that sorbet sugariness is taken away that these pieces take on a whole new vibe in my eyes. So basically, you can wear your LV SS12 on a Pashley in the sunshine, ice cream in hand. Or contrast its the lightness with a night time film premiere/ party- the choice is yours...

The ever elegant Cate Blanchett

The ever sweet Elle Fanning

Olivia Wilde (images courtesy of Louis Vuitton)

Today's quote and video come from the most sugarly sweet character there ever was...

'Practically perfect in every way' Mary Poppins

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ADVENT DAY 14: ELIZABETH TAYLOR JEWELS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large.

(Image from vogue.com)

Last night in New York, Elizabeth Taylor's collection of jewellery was auctioned. The £13million estimate was surpassed in spectacular fashion, the final total coming to £74.9 million, a proportion of which will go to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. As is always the way with the auctioning of celebrities' possessions, their value cannot be determined by carat charts or knowledge of the craftsmanship and rarity of the components. There is the star factor which is volatile and dependant upon who turns up on the day. Yesterday, buyers were clearly out not just to buy treasure, but the treasure of one of the greatest film stars ever.

The Taj Mahal diamond, given to Taylor by Burton on her 40th birthday in 1972

I have been captivated by the way this auction denotes the end of the material existence of the legend that is The Life of Elizabeth Taylor.  Her jewellery collection (along with her eight marriages) meant that she was not just an actress but an almost unhuman, mythical figure, like Helen of Troy or even Cleopatra, whom she portrayed so famously in the 1963 film. It's funny how just a few rocks can have that effect on a person but the pieces she owned were, or became, part of the history of glamour, previously dominated by queens, princesses and aristocrats. Now though, in our more socially and economically mobile age anybody can rise from obscurity to myth, and that is exactly what happened to Elizabeth Taylor.

(Image from karipearls.com)

The evening's most profitable item was La Peregrina pearl which has its origins in the 16th century. It was sold for £7.6 million last night. The pearl was purchased for Taylor by her most famous lover Richard Burton in 1969. He paid £23,800 for it. Elizabeth succeeded the likes of Mary Tudor and Queen Isabel to the ownership of the jewel.

La Peregrina, mounted on a Cartier necklace commisioned by Taylor, image from Vogue.com

The diamond ring, another gift from Burton, which Taylor wore almost every day right up to her death (Image from graziadaily.co.uk)

Image from vogue.com

Taylor made her jewels her own, imbuing them with her own brand of legend. £5.7million was paid last night for the Elizabeth Taylor diamond ring. I can imagine that in 2211, the legend of the day, whoever that might be, could be the proud owner of the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, that name adding the kind of resonance which that of a royal from yesteryear might now.

And so to today's advent treat. I COULD show you a piece of Taylor's haute couture, which will be auctioned tonight. But I decided on a kinder option. This necklace is a completely beautiful piece of costume jewellery which will probably turn heads just as much as a Liz Taylor multimillion pound pieces (as long as you're not at a Royal Banquet or The Oscars), however it doesn't necessitate the constant presence of a security guard. 

Parade necklace, £315 at Swarovski.com

'I introduced Liz to beer, she introduced me to Bulgari' Richard Burton

The video below is the trailer for the film Cleopatra. I love how it alludes to the fact that the film has been much hyped and discussed, probably because of the romance between the film's stars.

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ADVENT DAY 12 AND 13: ALL THE FUN OF THE FAUX FUR

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large.

First of all I must apologise for the woeful lack of Advent post yesterday- we are working on a big spread for Grazia's end of year double issue special next week and the day just ran away before advent could be attended to. So, to make up for it we have a double whammy of advent goodies for you today and both of them are cheap and fabulous!

Orange trapper hat £20 River Island

Muffler £20 ASOS

I'm a sucker for some fab faux fur, to the point that I was confronted by anti- fur activist at the station a couple of weeks ago when I was wearing one of my favourite coats made of the stuff. I had to show him the label before he could be persuaded that my coat was not the real deal. So, today's picks are not even trying to look real. They will bring a pop of colour to your Christmas outfits. The muffler would make me feel like a little Russian princess while the orange trapper just tips over my usual boundaries of crazy, but it's Christmas so why not?

While I'm feeling Princess-y...

'Years of dreams just can't be wrong!' Anastasia

I can't believe we've held off until now to play you this song...

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FASHION STAPLE: THE BEST JEANS NOW

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large
My first weekend job was as a denim grader for the vintage store Rokit. I've written about this here before, and I'm am planning a trip back to Rokit HQ in the New Year to see how its done today (probably not that differently, I'm guessing). During my subsequent decade and a half as a fashion writer and editor I've seen denim trends come, go and return again albeit utilising lighter more technical fabrics as befits the digital age. The current trends for coloured denim, skinny cuts and ripped up micro shorts mirror early 90s fashion pretty much to a tee. (The 90s are resonating now in music, fashion, protests, recession, even ecstasy is back in favour as a club drug.)
Through all of this I have been constantly evolving my taste in jeans and moving from one brand allegiance to another. Its quite a monogamous relationship I have with brands, I'm loyal with them until we split up; but it looks like I'm about to start an affair...
Apart from an ill-fated detour to Wrangler, the last few years belong to J Brand. I have moved through their Love Story flare to the skinny crop Bardot and combat style Houlihan. I'm now wearing the J Brand 811 candy pink jeans as much as is decent without being accused of being a style slut. The store, or rather I should say, the person who has seen me through all of this faddery, always on top of what is happening in the world of stylish denim, is Donna Ida Thornton owner of the denim boutique Donna Ida.

Hello Donna Ida Thornton!

 Hello my J Brand 811 in Shocking Pink, £205 

Donna is a dynamo. A ball of sunny Australian energy. She is a woman who refuses to call her husband Bobby by his first name "because its boring." So she calls him "Bobby Dazzler" instead. You've got to warm to a woman like that. When I first met her back in 2007 she had one boutique. Now she has four situated in all of London's Yummy Mummy enclaves, but this should not be held against her. I use her website Donnaida.com to buy replacements to existing jeans in my collection once I've worn them out. Recently, though, I've changed dress size, allowing myself to inflate to a size 10 after a decade as a size 8. In a battle between face or body, face wins. So now I have new denim needs: they need to slim my thigh and be high waisted so as not to emphasise hips. The leg cut has to be slim in order to create the impression of longer legs, and look cool as well as ultra flattering and subtle enough to befit the term "style staple".  

I trust Donna, so along I went to her Elizabeth Street store (London, SW1), and she gave me the treatment. Namely Donna hustled me into a changing room and then stood outside passing in jeans from labels I know about, but have never tried or worn. The first was MiH, or Made in Heaven, a British brand which is  the darling of fashionable women everywhere. The cut of the "Paris" jean was too square for me and made me look like I had bloky hips. Next she passed in leather J Brand jeans, which to my horror cost £875. They didn't fit me too well either. Apparently Donna sold 25 pairs of them the day they launched on the DonnaIda.com website. The other pair of J Brands I tried was the Jodphur, below, essentially a jean with a knee panel that flatters the leg shape. These were a contender until...

                                                            J Brand jodphur in burgundy, £265 

...Donna passed me in a pair of navy jeans by an Australian brand called Nobody out of Melbourne. I pulled them on, wriggled them up past my hips, zipped them up, and bejeezus if these were not the exact pair of my dreams! They instantly felt like a second skin, and did everything I needed them to do. I looked slim, leggy, with a feminine curved rear (not some flat shapeless butt), and I knew Donna had done it again. I would wholeheartedly recommend these jeans to everyone. I asked a  younger girlfriend with a very different body shape to me to try them on also,  and she loved them so much she went out the next day and bought some.

Cult of Nobody jeans, £150 

J Brand have got some competition at last. I would love to hear what your style staple jeans are. What jeans do you wear that always deliver and why?

Here's a film that follows the story of the Nobody jean factory in Melbourne.

I like how the factory is so oldschool. I wonder if the blokes behind Nobody know just how damn good their "Cult of Nobody" jeans is? With  a name like that, I guess they do.

I also tried on:

Hudson Nico in Python £225
J Brand 901 Leather in Black £875 

Goldsign Misfit Jeans Position £280

MiH Jeans Paris Union Navy £160 

American Retro Betty Tee Lace £200

www.donnaida.com

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ADVENT DAY 11: MIAOW WEDGES

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Tessa Wedges £625 by Charlotte Olympia

There is something about Christmas which seems to make it OK to add a comic element to our outfits. I am actually all for this year round. Animals are my favourite; you will often find me wearing owls/ horses/ fish, usually in jewellery form, somewhere about my person. Charlotte Olympia, with her kitty faced slippers, heels and wedges, has done a fine job of be-catting the feet of even the most non-humorous of fashion consumers. I've spotted many a lady in a classic black jacket, perfect blow dry, beige trousers and, incongrousouly yet perfectly, velvety shoes with cats peeping out from above.

Charlotte Olympia designer Charlotte Dellal in her Tessa wedges (image from coolspotters.com)

These Tessa wedges are the ultimate in humorous luxury. So many mega wedges now just remind me too much of a stripper shoe to face wearing myself. But those sweet whiskers and pointy ears have so much of the kitten obsessed little girl about them that they could not possibly belong to a woman who is dressing just to look 'sexy'. These are shoes for girls.

Having struggled through T.S Eliot's The Waste Land, it's always a comfort to remember that he also penned 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', a set of poems, with lots of excellent words, which gives cats lives and personalities and which was eventually turned into 'Cats!' by Andrew Llloyd Webber. The below is from 'The Naming of Cats'.

'But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,

A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?'

And another famous literary cat, as interpreted by Tim Burton...

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ADVENT DAY 10: THE ELVES AND MANOLO

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

The fairytale can be yours here, for £8.95

Camilla Morton is a wonderfully creative, exquisitely eccentric fashion writer who I have known for ever as we started out in our careers at the same time. Camilla has successfully made a name for herself as a fashion author, and I LOVE how she has reinvented the classic fairytales dovetailing them with the stories of modern day fashion designers careers. 

“I am enchanted by how clothes make you feel, and the people behind it,” says Morton. “Because sometimes the magic and the art of creation gets forgotten in the rush to find the next big thing.”  of course she is so right, and Camilla makes magic of Manolo's story as well as reminding me of one of my favourite fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm.

The book is packed with Manolo's signature vibrant illustrations, (above) depicting scenes from his life - his glamorous mother making her own shoes to combat wartime restrictions in style; an inspiring visit to the Theatre de Paris to watch Romy Schneider and Alain Delon and his now legendary meeting US Vogue editor Diana Vreeland who instructed Manolo to focus on footwear. Diana was instrumental in making his career.

"I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids."

Scooby Doo Villain (Hanna Barbera) 

 Couldn't revisit The Elves and the Shoemaker without a look at a Hanna Barbera 1980s retelling of the tale. This is the TV of my youth. It doesn't get better. (Or schmaltzier.)

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