Beth Ditto rocks Evans making Sir Philip Green ‘very proud’

23rd April 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Beth Ditto is single-handedly taking over the fashion industry; it has been concluded. The Gossip front woman, modern-day icon and BFF of Kate Moss was omnipresent at Paris Fashion Week, having been photographed with everyone from Karl Lagerfield to Kanye West and Thandie Newton and pouring herself into an Herve Leger bondage-dress. She then flew back to the UK to be photographed naked, albeit for an orange wig and a feather boa, for the front cover of new-style bible, Love. Read more »

High end goes high street: Jil Sander meets Uniqlo

20th March 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Apparently, we aren’t the only ones who cannot resist the lure of multi-coloured high street mecca, Uniqlo. Jil Sander, the notoriously low key and press-shy designer, is teaming up with the Japanese superstore to produce an A/W  collection for next year.

Whereas Uniqlo is famed for its rainbow simplicity and affordability, Jil Sanders’ aesthetic has been one which emphasises perfection and luxury – a huge hit with all those incredibly rich people of the 90’s who were all about minimalism. Needless to say we are very excited to see what the pair come up with.

And there was us thinking we would never own anything by Jil Sander.

Dogs are Cavalli’s best friend

12th March 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

With two monkeys, seven parrots, three cats, three dogs and one iguana – it is pretty clear that Roberto Cavalli is an animal lover. So maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised that Cavalli has launched his own range of dog clothes – including extravagances such as satin-trimmed dressing gowns, velour tracksuits and puffer jackets. And of course, he hasn’t neglected the needs of a dog who is all about the accessories – with dog leads and carriers.

It has been a busy month for Mr. Cavalli – what with the launch of his Cavalli Club Card, this week’s opening of his boutique in Paris and his show at Milan Fashion Week. We are exhausted just thinking about it…

We Heart Ronson

12th March 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Dj-ing, producing, modelling and now designing. Wow, we want some of those Ronson genes.

t5m were fortunate enough to catch up with Charlotte Ronson, the eldest of the Ronson clan, as she releases her first collection on this side of the Atlantic in none other than fashion mecca, Harrods. Charlotte has already taken the States by storm with her various collections, be it for her high-end Charlotte Ronson label, or her diffusion lines for Urban Outfitters (yes, we wanted to own all of it) and JC Penny – so it’s about time she bought her effortless, feminine chic to these shores.

Her S/S 09 collection is all pretty pinks, flirty frills and punky, yet girly, wedges - and there’s no doubt London girls with a taste for the sugary sweet will snap it up. But it was her A/W, or ‘fall’ as she calls it, lines that have attracted the real attention – and saw her in the prestigious Bryant Park tents of January’s New York Fashion Week for a second time.

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Brits abroad

5th March 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Paris Fashion Week had better prepare for a British invasion. Yup, hoping for a repeat of their success at London Fashion Week - British designers including Erdem Moraliogu, House of Holland, Mark Fast, Meadham Kirchoff and Mary Katrantzou will all be showing their A/W 09 collections at the London Showrooms, in a bid to emulate the success of other designers such as John Galliano and Hussein Chalayan who all made their name in Paris.

It’s a sort of school-exchange style programme, where the British Fashion Council aim to export British talent to other markets – and the most recent star pupil is boy-wonder Gareth Pugh who shows his a/w 09 collection in the City of Lights today.

We wouldn’t mind a trip to Paris Fashion Week either…if anyone’s listening?

Dolce & Gabbana make it up

4th March 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

In recessions, sales of lipsticks skyrocket. Sales of designer dresses and accessories, tend to fall. So well done to Dolce & Gabbana for keeping everyone’s lives affordably fabulous with the arrival of ‘The Make Up’  – their first cosmetics range.

The Make Up coincides with the ‘Extreme Beauty in Vogue’ exhibition which opened in Milan last night – drawing an A-List crowd including Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes and Ms. Wintour.

Shine on D&G.

Do the timewarp

4th March 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Thank god I paid attention during history at school – otherwise Milan Fashion Week would not make sense. It seems the Italians have gone retrospective-mad, with bygone eras dominating the runways.

Armani and Sportmax gave us a lesson in 1940s durability and dour, Armani’s smokey-eyed, crimson lipped models were cloaked in the dark and gothic; whereas Sportmax were equally moody with a pale, reserved palette. Prada went for the more wholesome ‘Land Girl’ as their inspiration with long woollen skirts and over-the-knee waders – very utilitarian.

Special mention must go to Gucci and Blumarine, who threw caution to the wind with the 80s excess of their shiny suits, garish colours and that 20,000 Euro handbag.

Bravo!

A taste of Spring at the Sackler Centre

26th February 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

We are so excited by the ‘Mapping Future Fashion’ exhibition at the Sackler Centre in the V & A; which sees several big name designers donating items from their recent S/S 2009 collections. We  love the Manjit Deu, Ashish and Basso & Brooke pieces – and are now looking forward to Spring soo much more!

Avsh Alom Gur dares to be dangerous

26th February 2009 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

I have officially found my favourite new designer. I’d suspected it for a while, having fallen in love with a collection of his two seasons ago and generally being intrigued by anything associated with a certain virtuoso-pattern-cutter from way back when.

Avsh Alom Gur, one of the most exciting fresh talents around: creative director of the resurrected Ossie Clarke label and visionary in his own right. 

This season, my suspicions were confirmed, as I was lucky enough to catch both of this maverick’s LFW shows.

Monday morning’s Ossie Clarke show roused me from my comatosed state with its wash of colours, fantasy and nostalgia. Lost weekends, the Ballets Russes and twilight mysticism all provided inspiration for this, the most accomplished Ossie collection to date.

It is clear that Avsh is a man of eccentricity and wild imagination – not dissimilar to his label’s namesake. For example, how many shades of red can you name? Scarlet, crimson, pillar-box… vermillion’s a fancy one. But try dragon’s blood, stiletto, beetroot or betelnut: all shades of the colour listed on the show’s press release. And I don’t even know what a betelnut is!

The Ossie Clarke collection was lovely enough but Avsh’s outing at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout on Tuesday showed off his creativity to its fullest.

Eastern European folk art and ‘the decadence of The King and I’ were the premise for an imagined party, ‘with guests resembling the mismatched wardrobe of a crazed society girl, drunk on a combination of heavy embroidery and showgirl sequins.’

And if the collection was a little schizophrenic, alternating between lavish tapestries of autumnal floral motifs and a powder pink, purple and black colour way, it was all part of this illustrative story.

Silhouettes harked back to the days of a ‘bygone era of opulent couture,’ with party dresses and ball gowns taken to extreme proportions, sweeping down the runway in a vast flurry of crinoline and netting.

Every now and again, outfits appeared emblazoned with the words ‘credit crunch.’ In any other instance the cynic in me might have found this a bit try-hard, but as I was enjoying the show so much I thought it was funny; in an ironic way of course.

This collection was clearly all about escapism and extravagance, and it did, for a good ten minutes or so, transport me somewhere far removed from the London grizzle outside.  So thank you Avsh, for lighting up two dreary Fashion Week mornings and giving me a few things to hanker after when I win the lottery.