Be the Next Victoria's Secret Angel!

If you've the looks and the body, grab your once in a lifetime chance to walk the runway during upcoming Victoria's Secret Angels Fashion Show. Check out the official guidelines and screening schedules to join Miranda Kerr, Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum and other angels.

b...a magazine

As mentioned previously on the blog, I can honestly count the number of exciting stores in London using one hand. One of the very first fingers to be released from my clenched fist (which I shake to the heavens as I question the fall of our nation of shop keepers) is outstretched for the fashion mecca that is bstore. Despite being purveyors of some of the most forward looking designers today, the Savile Row store has always offered more than just fashion. b Store's partners Kirk Beattie and Matthew Murphy have been merging art, fashion and a particularly British sense of humour seamlessly for a number of years now whilst nurturing some of the best menswear design talent in recent times. The pair seem to always be striving forward, developing the brand and pushing that bit harder and I have to confess to being more than a little inspired...

In addition to delivering a chic, modern preppy S/S 10 collection for its b Clothing range, Menswear Day saw them dipping their toes back in to (after the success of their Pop-In Paper last year) into print publication with the launch of the first issue of b Magazine. Having run around the shows like a blogging madman all day, I missed the launch party and chose to have a quiet night in with the laptop writing up shows whilst stuffing my face with fish and chips (before my grease laden feast I had only had a shortbread biscuit and a cup of tea at the E. Tautz film screening, so don't judge me too badly). I did however swing by the store to pick up a copy for myself whilst perusing the fantastic new stock once again and I've barely put it down since.

The b store shirt and trousers combination here is just lovely. I want both pieces.

Gorgeous editorials styled by Jason Hughes and Sam Ranger sit alongside a look through the key hole of four unique homes belonging to b store favourites, including designer Peter Jensen, photographer Tim Gutt and his marvellous set designer wife Shona Heath, writer Judith Watt and artist Franis Uprictchard and furniture designer husband Martino Gamper. Thankfully, there is no sign of Loyd Grossman but there is plenty which turned my eyes a little green...

At home with Peter Jensen. The designer's small home in Primrose Hill gave me serious home envy

In addition to this home envy inducing feature, there is a wonderfully interesting interview with Tim Soar which is accompanied by a series of images of Ash Stymest styled in pieces from Soar's Aw09 collection. The interview is littered with thought provoking quotes from the designer but there is one I just have to share with you because it simply sums up what he does. "For me, clothes and fashion are interchangeable, but what I find really engaging about clothes is the way they allow you to present yourself in a different way and I play with that all of time." You have to appreciate Soar's investigative craftsmanship and the fact he is willing to take the odd sartorial risk.

One of my favourite features is entitled London Now and is a presentation of forty nine creartives from the fields of arts, fashion, film, graphic and film and everything in between. The striking portfolio of up-and-comers shot by Aitken Jolly, from actress Anna Brewster to Fashion East’s newest alumni, Michael Van Der Ham, illustrator Kez Glozier and blog favourites, Carolyn Massey, Satyenkumar and the Casely Hayford's. It supports emerging and young talent and obviously goes beyond the fashion world.

Jason wears a shirt and beaded cape both by Peter Jensen.

Created in collaboration with creative director of the b Clothing line, Jason Hughes and editor, Dal Chodha, the magazine feels like a natural evolution of the b brand on to printed paper. Like the wonderful read that ACNE Paper offers, b Magazine confirms that brand magazines can act as far more than merely a pretty advertorial for their own brand and range of products. Instead it makes the most of the editorial freedom afforded by no advertising and feels inventive whilst exploring the key facets of the brands ethics and values. I just wonder what the b store chaps will turn their hands to next...

Hello, Moto!

It took almost till the last day of September, but I've finally given up the summer ghost. That little spate of Indian summer was nice, to be sure, but as of yesterday, I've told myself no more open-toed shoes. Sweaters. Tights. BOOOOOOOOOOTS!!!!! And this means shopping. Hooo boy, do I love shopping. Here's what I picked up on two separate, very quick shopping stops yesterday. Shopping at its most efficient!


First, this awesome, faux-leather moto jacket from H&M. It has that washed/crinkly effect and I daresay it's quite good-quality faux leather.


It looks hot on, will go with lots of stuff in my closet, and was $49.99. SOLD!


Also scored at H&M (one of the last three remaining) was this great blousy print dress. It has a tiger on it.


ROWR! It was $29.99. SOLD!

That was my lunch break. After work, I was headed to a happy-hour party in Williamsburg. On the way, I stopped in to Mini Minimarket. There I found the following awesomeness:


Blowfish "Willis" booties, $83 at Zappos. I've never been a big ankle boot person, as I think in general you need to have skinny-minnie legs to pull them off, but these worked on me for some reason. I think. I love the wide opening and the chunky heel and the overall shape, and the bonus-fun purple interior.


I had a moment where I thought, Maybe I should look around, see what other ankle boots are out there, if ankle boots are indeed an option for me, and then I thought, No. These are obviously the booties for me. SOLD!


I also bought a pair of skinny jeans, partly to tuck into the ankle boots and party just because Levi's fit me really well and are really well priced. I think I got these Levi's Superlow 524 Poetic Skinny jeans, $32, in the "dark sky" wash.

And then I got some Hue tights in dark indigo and medium gray. I just hope I'll be able to pack them into my already overstuffed tights drawer.

Bring it, autumn!

Pattern Cutting as Art: A study on Anansi

To coincide with the Frieze art fair Paul Smith will be exhibiting the latest body of work from Hormazd Narielwalla entitled ‘A Study on Anansi’ from 10th to 21st October at his Furnishing Gallery. The exhibition will consist of a set of ten artworks drawing inspiration from two sources, Savile Row tailoring patterns and traditional African Anansi tales to create a new body of work.

A Study on Anansi is a celebration of the popular character from West African and Caribbean folklore brought to life using the discarded patterns. "Anansi", the trickster, is the wise and clever Earth God but I have to confess to turning to my trusty friend google, for answers. Despite my ignorance, many aspects of these stories have trickled through to Western society and into children’s stories, super-hero characters and fictional literature. In some versions of the stories Anansi created the sun, moon and all the stars. This attribute of the stories makes it through into Narielwalla’s work where Anansi dances, teases and entertains himself with his most prized creation, the sun.

I first came across Hormazd Narielwalla's work at EXIT Gallery's "A Fairytale About Fashion" exhibition. Narielwalla's Dead Man’s Patterns was a design story, beneath the trappings of menswear into the book, the man, the pattern, and his images really captured my imagination. and I just had to post about it. The artists work originates from sets of bespoke patterns, which of course belonged to former customers, now deceased, from a by-gone era. These patterns have recorded a history of intimate dialogues of customer measurements and fittings over a lifetime but no longer have any practical use to the cutter and are often discarded. The talented Hormazd takes these fragile pieces of parchment out of their original context and breathes fresh life in to the creases and careful folds, along finely traced pencil marks and measurements. Opportunities are created by giving these pieces of discarded paper a chance to breathe, simply in the act of extracting, giving them a new lease of life as art objects.

For this work, Narielwalla's uses scans, photography, his own sketches and digital composition to create a set of playful artworks that have a traditional look and appeal. Creating bespoke clothes for the rich and powerful has made Savile Row iconic but in this evocative work Narielwalla is showing us tailoring patterns, as they have never been seen. The patterns are reinterpreted and resurrected; the lives of people measured through tailoring are brought back to life as works of art through even older tales from another world.

For the past year and a half Hormazd has had the opportunity to work closely with Dege & Skinner's cutters and tailors. It is in this private tailoring environment that he truly began to consider tailoring as Art. Hormazd has recently been awarded an international scholarship to read a Doctorate in Philosophy at London College of Fashion and his main focus will be on pattern cutting as Art. The artist is currently working on the memoirs of Master Tailor and Chairman of the firm, Michael Skinner. Skinner's story will be narrated through his own pattern cutting journals whilst studying at the prestigious Tailor & Cutter Academy. I can't wait to find out more information on this project and as soon as I do, I'll share it with you. In the meantime, enjoy the selection of artwork above.

Vampire Fashion Updates From New Moon Posters

I know that a lot of Twilight die-hard fans are craving for some of the latest fashion updates for the upcoming movie Twilight Saga: New Moon. To satisfy your hunger, I present to you some of the newest New Moon posters from Just Jared. Let your eyes feasts on Robert Pattinson's vampire fashion styles together with the rest of the gang.

Lady Gaga for Halloween, Anyone?

H&M's got you covered. Just dress as ridiculously as possible. Lots of hot pink available there, with lots of crazy texture.



H&M faux-fur jacket, $129.

Also, anyone looking to reprise a Matrix look? There are plenty of pretty badass-looking faux-leather bustier-type dresses for about $50. If you want to look hot for the holiday, look no further.

What are YOU planning on dressing as for Halloween?

Ashley Tisdale Wears the Latest Fashion Trends in Puerco Espin Campaign Ads

Ashley Tisdale had some new campaign ads for Puerco Espin Fall 2009 catalog. Checkout some of her new looks that sported a fashionable, romantic, casual and refined chic.







Source: JustJared Jr.

Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2009-2010

I love the new campaign ads of Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter Collection. They are so bold and colorful. Models posed against the Halloween background too. Photographed by David Burton.







Source

The One That Got Away: Rachel Roy Spike Necklace

WTF? I was going to be GOOD and NOT impulsively buy this Rachel Roy spike necklace (until next week), and now it's SOLD OUT! That is officially THE LAST TIME I DON'T BUY SOMETHING! The lesson I learned here is IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, GET IT BECAUSE IT MAY NOT BE THERE WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO DO THE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE THING AND WAIT!

If I had only had a cash advance, this necklace would have been mine.

Harlequin-Inspired Shoes From Alaïa & Nude Footwear

Inspired by my silk blazer purchase, I've been on a 1930s tuxedo-y menswear jaunt. Therefore I've been gazing longingly, loving at harlequin-inspired black-and-white shoes. Such as...

($129, nude footwear, Piperlime.com)

These two-toned suede heels are kind of like a girlie tuxedo in shoe form. They're precious without being OVERLY precious and venturing into the dangerously cutesy barf zone. NEED!

($669, Alaïa, TheOutnet.com)

A Deco dream in bootie form. I really should just STOP looking at TheOutnet.com.

($669, Alaïa, TheOutnet.com)

Perforated patent booties are as close to Lady Gaga as I ever want to get.


Oh, so PS, I had a wedding this past weekend, and I needed a nice blazer to wear over my dress (this Christopher Deane dress, which has now seen MANY weddings -- yes, I impulsively bought a pricey-for-me new blazer, but seriously, that Christopher Deane dress has danced with me at like five weddings as well as my own engagement party). So I ended up getting this silk-esque blazer from Topshop:

($145, Topshop)

BTW, the description says navy blue, but friends, it's black. It fits well, but when I saw it on me in a photo we (the blazer and I!) looked kinda amorphous. I'll chalk it up to the fact that I was wearing a waistless shift dress. Lesson learned -- don't wear a slouchy blazer with a shift dress and expect anything less than a net result = slouchy/ no waist look! I won't make that mistake again, but I will rock this with some yes-I-actually-do-have-a-waist outfits: t-shirts and skinny jeans and boots. YAY, FALL!

Trapped between the stripes...

Cary Grant in Hitchcock's To catch a thief.

For the last week or so I have become consumed by a desire to own a certain wardrobe staple, the Breton top. Those all too familiar signature blue and white stripes were originally the garb of French sailors and fishermen but the lightweight chambray cotton versions have since become a symbol of classic cool. The traditional loose fit, wide neck and dropped shoulders that we all know and love, caught the eye of Gabrielle Chanel during a trip to the beach, or so the story goes (as demonstrated in Coco Before Chanel), and she copied the look to kick start a fashion craze and association with style which has never really subsided. However, as great as Audrey looked in her Breton creation, there is one film moment which really resonates with me when I think of those stripes: Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief. It might take a brave man to accessorise a breton top with a red silk scarf the way Cary Grant did but I think I could be just that man to give it a try...I just need to invest in this classic staple. I have seen two recent incarnations of the classic breton and both appeal to different sides of me and I have to admit to being a little torn between them...

As previously mentioned here on, for S/S 10 E. Tautz took inspiration from a set of photographs of the Duke of Windsor holidaying on the island of Majorca in the 1930’s. Patrick Grant and his team explored the whole idea of an Englishman enjoying life on the Mediterranean in the summer and the above look really caught my attention. It just exemplifies how an good an Englishman can look abroad, the relaxed, almost nonchalent tailoring is a million miles away from the larger lout beach dwellers that come to mind today.

The E. Tautz version of the breton is certainly appealling to my more classic side but there is another, very different version which is also tempting me with its charms. Susie loved Sibling's warped take on the Breton and her enthusiasm is infectious in this respect. Sibling's knitwear pieces frequently combine timeless qualities and tongue-in-cheek references, all expertly knitted with fine gauge precision that never ceases to surprise me. Here, Sibling collaborated with artist Noah Scalin (of askulladay.com) to incorporate his skull patternation into the stripes perfectly. I just can't look at it for too long because it make my eyes feel a little drunk. I am a man currently torn between two bretons. I want them both.

Sweating in the name of fashion

During my twitter coverage of Menswear Day I mentioned to getting a tad warm and even little sweaty as the day wore on. Now, I'm not normally a sweaty chap, if I get a little hot under the collar I normally give off a healthy glow (ha!). The reasons for my slight over heating are twofold. Firstly, it was a warm, muggy day which would not have seemed out of place in the month of July but did so in the later stages of September and I was taken a by surprise. Secondly and most tellingly, I wanted to give my Carolyn Massey AW09 cable knit its first outing because it was the perfect occasion to do so...regardless of the climate! The below shot was taken at the mid point of the day when tiredness was creeping in but as it was taken by our flat guest, Phil from Street Peeper, I'm laughing because he is such a funny chap!

Carolyn Massey knit, trusty backpack by Material Boy, white t shirt and pleated grey wool trousers both by COS, socks from uniqlo and Stingray Orwells by Mr Hare. Shot by the lovely Street Peeper.

After inspecting the knitwear pieces up close (at the studio and at the Reflect Forward exhibition) I was left gushing at the cable knit pattern and I needed to own a piece and this one was just perfect. I have been in possession of this beautiful knit since mid July and it has been almost painful having to see it every morning and not having the opportunity to feel the soft, warmth of the wool because of the sporadic days of sticky sunshine we experienced at the tail end of Summer (oh boo hoo, I hear you cry and I have to concede that you'd be right but bear with me). Well, the opportunity to wear the knit to Carolyn's show and to support British menswear on the day proved too enticing and I teamed it with the best of the High Street and finished it off with those shoes. Despite seeing some folks in Spring/Summer attire I dashed from show to show, a little warm but extremely pleased. I can't wait for the temperature to drop that bit more so I can wear my knits every day!

London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 Highlights

Check out the runway highlights from Burberry, Peter Pilotto, Roksanda Ilincic and Basso & Brooke during the London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 last week.

Burberry

The Burberry show in London was flooded by celebrities like Emma Watson, Victoria Beckham, Liv Tyler and Freida Pinto. Burberry's collection for next year's spring and summer season was consist of nude palette. The pieces came in pale hues of pink, grey, blue and lemon yellow. Models walked in the runway with ruffles, body-hugging drapes and frills, skirts and tops that are accessorized by skinny leather belts.

Roksanda Ilincic

Roksanda's collection was comprise of silk fabrics in nude, bronze, turquoise and black colors. You will also see double breasted trenches with bold shoulders, wide pants and maxiskirts.

Peter Pilotto

Sun-bleached fabrics were dominant in Peter Pilotto's collection that ranges from grey to blue to yellow and green colors. Bold shoulders, asymmetric frocks and fold-over skirts paraded the catwalk.

Basso & Brooke

Basso & Brooke's creations were full of colorful prints. Models wore sexy dresses and minidresses that made them look more sassy.

Source: Instyle UK

Dolls Replaced Michelle Obama, Jackie O and Carla Bruni in Harper's Bazaar Japan

The September issue of Harper's Bazaar in Japan featured the First Ladies fashion styles. Entitled as First Lady Chic, the magazine showcased the fashion statements of Michelle Obama, Jackie Kennedy, and Carla Bruni.

However, when you go through the pages of the said magazine, you'll be surprised to see that the First Ladies had been replaced by dolls. The dolls posed in different presidential events.







Photo Source