Backstage at Vivienne Westwood

Whilst I was frantically downloading catwalk images yesterday for a London Fashion Week round up I came across these gorgeous shots from backstage at the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show.

It's not often that brands will share so many backstage show pictures with the public, and when they do these are often beauty shots - showing the hair and make-up preparation or finished article and not much else.

Instead these candid shots show everything from Westwood  herself sitting in on the run-through, to models hanging out backstage before they even get dressed in the collection, right through to those all important beauty close-ups so we all know what eye shadow colour to invest in for next season..it's a vivid turquoise blue by the way.

See more after the jump

Pay Day Treat: Liberty Suitcases

How adorable are these miniature printed suitcases from Liberty, London?

Available in four stunning designs the vintage-style cases all feature genuine Liberty prints including the pink 'Hera', multicoloured 'Lante', green 'Lodden' and purple 'Thorpe Print' floral. Styles are finished with top clip-lock fastenings, wood panel detail, polished silver-tone hardware and printed paper interior linings.

At £65 these mini cases are a pay day steal and whilst they might not be large enough to take you to Timbuktu just think of all the memories from holidays you can store in them, like photographs and those ticket stubs you don't know why you still have..



Hera print

Lante Print

Lodden print

Thorpe print

Just click here to get yours. Happy Shopping. X

PS. This month's choice of payday treat is especially relevant to me as I am having a week off work to go home and spent time with family and friends. Over the course of the week I will be scheduling posts but most of the time I will be out of touch with the world. So until then it's bon vogage from TLGIL.

Accessory Alert: Naomi Mcintosh

The third designer from 'The Metric Collective' I have profiled this week is Naomi Mcintosh - who investigates how spaces that surround the body are perceived. Her sculptural style is a fusion of art, sculpture and jewellery - created with precision techniques.
 
Following on from her 2011 collection, ‘Wearable Spaces,’ her latest collection 'Boundaries’ uses colour to highlight areas of the body, revealing hidden patterns with the movement of the body.

Inspiration for the pieces continues to come from a fascination with geometry, science, rock formations and contour maps as well as the contours of the body.

Biography: Naomi studied Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, before progressing to an MA in Jewellery at Central Saint Martins. Since graduating in 2010 Naomi’s designs have been showcased in major galleries, including the Saatchi Gallery in London and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
 
To see more of Naomi's work just check out her website here. 

Totes jel of my Chanel?

Check out these London Fashion Week slogan tees by designer Simeon Farrar.

 

With six to choose from slogans include: ‘tom ford is my homeboy’ ‘you had me at Prada’ ‘Louboutins and Vans baby’ ‘totes jel of my Chanel’ ‘Dior is Dope’ and ‘Gucci Got Game’.

 

 

Pixie Lott, Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Leigh Lezak and VV Brown have all been spotted with the cult tees during LFW where Simeon Farrar and team took to Somerset House to hand them out.

Vests come in black and white options and retail at £35. Now selling online at Black Score, just click here to get yours.

 

 

I can see these working perfectly with jeans, a blazer and heels but I'm currently torn between 'tom ford is my homeboy' and 'you had me at Prada'. Which one is your favourite?

Accessory Alert: Myia Bonner

My profiles of Great British designers for the month of September continues with another 'Metric Collective' alumni - jewellery designer Myia Bonner.

I explained how I came across these great designers in an earlier post - just another sunday at the flower market - but what really stood out for me is the level of intracacy in each piece.

 

Like any girl Myia has a special interest in diamonds and reinterprets the most coveted cut of the stone, the brilliant, with her signature facet design for 2012.

 

 

Fascinated with traditions, worth and what jewellery means to different generations her "diamond geometricism" pieces are enduring favourites since their inception - acting as an exploration of materials and processes, celebrating both new desin skills and more traditional craft mathods.

Across the collection Myia designs varied length pendants, earrings and over-sized perspex diamond rings with each piece handcrafted in her London studio.

 

Biography: Myia graduated in 2010 and has since been shortlisted for New Designer of the Year, at the UK Jewellery Awards 2012 and nominated for ‘Bright Young Gems’ at International Jewellery London in 2011. 

 

If you want to see more of Myia's jewellery just click here.

Trend Alert: Geometry Class

This season Prada has taught us that there is nothing more fashionable than squaring up to your worst childhood fear: Maths!

Geometric prints, triangles, squares, cuboids and tile prints are all over the place for A/W 12 and it's not just designer's putting two and two together - the high street has got the hang of it too.

Some of my favourite pieces, currently available are below and whilst there is not a piece of Prada in sight, I have included master of print Jonathan Saunders as well as an old dab hand -  Missoni.

Work this trend by pulling statement pieces - like a tile print trouser - together with tonal block colours on top or team  a knee length skirts with a chunky cable knit for a double dose of print and texture. Finish with a sharp box clutch.

1. Dress, £52, Dorothy Perkins

2. Jumper, £825, Clements Ribeiro

3. Necklace, £165, J Crew

4. Earrings, £10, ASOS

5. Clutch Bag, £895, Matthew Williamson

6. Skirt, Jonathan Saunders, £485

7. Skirt, Missoni, £1,600

8. Trousers, £384, Tibi

9. Dress, £40, Yumi

10. Shoes, £68, Topshop

Accessory Alert: Shimell and Madden

Whilst scouring the famous flower market in Columbia Road this summer I came across a The Metric Summer shop - a great pop up space housing talented young jewellery designers, installation artists and illustrators going under the banner 'The Metric Collective'.

I was particularly drawn to design duo Shimell and Madden's pieces, and after some quick research, I discovered low and behold they are based in the UK - and therefore a perfect fit for my 'Great British Semptember' designer profiles!

Based in Shoreditch, East London, Luke Shimell and Emma Simone Madden are makers of jewellery and fine objects that explore ideas of maths, science, time, dimension and perspective.

Their geometric styling is further progressed by their new cuboid collection - a series of cube constructions floating on gold, silver or oxidised chains.

Not only are the pieces highly wearable, and a great conversation starter, they are also perfectly in tune with fashion's new love of geometry - just look at Prada's repeat pattern trouser suits for A/W 12 for confirmation of this.

For more on Shimell and Madden check out their website here.

Brand Focus: Danielle Romeril

Now that London Fashion Week is over and things have calmed down slightly I'm more than happy to return to my month of profiling young Brit based designers for my 'Great British September' mission.

One such designer I met whilst at LFW itself was London/Dublin based Irish designer Danielle Romeril who was launching her debut collection for S/S 13 at Somerset House.

My eye was immediately drawn to Danielle's collection, which was inspired photographer John Thomson’s ‘China Series’ (1868-1872) - the first known photographs that documented the people and landscape of China for the Western world.

Regency convex mirrors and sliding square puzzles also provided endless ideas - ending on an ornate note, perfectly in step with fashion's new addiction to all things decorative.

Laser cut metallic leather, silver silk lamé, satin and Swarovski crystal pearls are just some of the materials and embellishments that have been carefully selected by Danielle whilst geometric digital prints are highly covetable, but instantly wearable.

My favourite pieces though had to be the lazer cut leathers below in an opalescent-metallic blue - I'm getting a touch of Proenza Schouler A/W 12 how about you? - and a nice contrast to the more fluid dresses available.

Biography: Danielle first studied fashion design at the Limerick School of Art and Design before taking up design position at Amanda Wakeley. A masters degree at the Royal College or Art followed and a further work experience, this time at Alberta Ferretti’s studio in Italy. She described her clothes as "an exploration of fabric combinations and decorative possibilities."

To check out Danielle Romeril's website just go here.

Friday Fashion Round Up: Front Row Special

This week's Friday Fashion Round Up - a light-hearted look at who's wearing what - comes direct from London Fashion Week's front row.

Now the week is over and I've digested everything from the catwalk trends to the hundreds of business cards at the bottom of my bag I thought I should take a look over the best outfits of the week, and on the flip side, those that impressed me less.

First up is Dita Von Teese who arrived at the Burberry catwalk wearing a dress from their A/W 12 collection. She accessorized with a bag and umbrella in wintery plum tones. I remember when this dress went down the catwalk thinking it was one of my favourite pieces. I'm glad she has worn it well whilst looking as polished as ever.

Despite Dita's best efforts my style hero this season has to be Leigh Lezark seen below at the Kenzo party held at Liberty. Leigh didn't put a step wrong the whole week showing an enviable selection of high shine metallics and little black dresses. Gold Star. I want her style!

Next up is Olivia Palermo, who attended the Mulberry show carrying a Mulberry Alexa bag- worn with a mustard jumper and plum jeans. Looking every inch the fashionista Miss P really has charmed the pants off the British - showing them how to do front row fashion. I'm off to get myself some plum trousers now.

More Olivia P now at the Matthew Williamson show and even though I'm slightly annoyed that I wore pretty much the same outfit (minus the designer price tag) but didn't get street style snapped I can't deny that she looks good here. How glossy is that hair - maybe that's what I was missing - a mane like a well groomed pooch.

Poppy Delevingne attended the same show wearing ripped jeans paired with a cream blazer and top by Temperley London. I'm very jealous of her effortless style not to mention the loose plaited band of hair. I saw alot of girls wearing their hair this way at LFW - I see a trend emerging!

See more after the jump

Versace launches online flagship store

Versace has announced the launch of its online flagship store which goes live today in Italy, the UK, France and Germany, and on October 17th in the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Austria.

The store features all of the Versace product ranges from clothing, fragrances, handbags, homeware to shoes and the entire new world of Young Versace.

Combining state-of-the-art technology with Donatella Versace’s personal aesthetic, her personal input is evident everywhere, from a “Donatella’s Hot Picks” section, to “My Versace”, where she invites visitors to create their own collection choices by tuning a “display mixer” to personalize the shopping experience based on moods and interests. In typical Versace fashion everything is opulent - right down to the gold mannequins used to display products.  

“Versace is all about boldness and glamour so I am thrilled we are able to convey this with our new e-commerce site,” says Donatella Versace. “Online shopping has never been so sexy and fun!”

  

The e-commerce site paves the way for the launch of Versace-dedicated microsites and apps in the near future. To get shop the new digital flagship just click here.

Minnie Mouse mania at London Fashion Week

Minnie Mouse mania reached epic levels at London Fashion Week - not only was the 'Inspired by Minne Mouse' showcase a hive of activity over the five day event but the catwalks that followed also took design inspiration from the ever stylish cartoon character.

Meadham Kirchhoff for example showed pieces including a French twist on Minnie Mouse’s iconic red polka dot dress. The designer also interpreted her signature white gloves with pin tuck detail, red embroidered silk cotton bloomers and a hand screen-printed t-shirt revealing the muse’s bossier side.

The Meadham Kirchhoff collaboration is the culmination of a London Fashion Week Minnie Mouse extravaganza, following the launch of 'Inspired by Minnie Mouse' - a collection of ‘Minnie Mouse Must Haves’: one-off garments and accessories by international designers.

Held at Somerset House in conjunction with The Walt Disney Company, each garment and accessory on display was completely bespoke, created by designers including Meadham Kirchhoff, Piers Atkinson, Giles, Bunney, Husam el Odeh in collaboration with Luke Hersheson, Katie Hillier, Lulu Guinness, Michael van der Ham, Richard Nicoll, Tatty Devine and Terry de Havilland.

Below are some of my favourite pieces, look out for more, as well as details on how to get your hands on them, after the jump.

Bag designs by Lulu Guinness



Necklace by Tatty Devine

See more after the jump

London Fashion Week: Day 5

Yesterday was the fifth and final day at London Fashion Week and I started my day off at Vauxhall Fashion Scout with a presentation from Leutton Postle before ending with catwalks from Aminaka Wilmont and the three Fashion Fringe finalists I had interviewed earlier here.

Below are some of my highlights from yesterday. I hope you have enjoyed my coverage of LFW - normal blogging will resume tomorrow! X

Luxury knitwear label Leutton Postle is a collaboration between long time friends Sam Leutton and Jenny Postle, and was first launched in 2001.

  

As predicted the S/S 13 season saw plenty of bright colour combinations and layering of textures and influences.

Geometric shapes clashed with intricate South American and Native American like detailing such as beading, fringes and tassells which appeared on tunic dresses, shirts, wrap tops and crop tops.

On the bottom half flared trousers in similar tones led the way, paired with glittery heels. Accessories were a cool selection of fringed clutch bags.   

See more after the jump

London Fashion Week: Day 4

Day four at London Fashion Week and it was a story of colour and print across the board.

I started my day off at the Louise Gray show, held at the amazing Topshop show space, just off Tottenham Court Road.

This season Louise worked with Barbie for the show, producing three adult looks inspired by the Mattel doll. Gray had intended to dress the doll in a different way to how we’re used to seeing her, putting her ‘in some separates and layer up her look, giving her a different way to be girly and fun.’ And fun it certainly was, as monochrome tights featured graffiti style logo's and a T-shirt was littered with pink Barbie badges.

Other pieces in the collection seemed to be a mix of 60's silhouettes with a 90's attitude which perfectly matched the rude boy, thumping bass of the show's soundtrack.

A-line shift dresses featured mirrored discs, and were paired with buttoned up shirts and nipped capri pants or worn with tights worn underneath. Accessory wise the more 'out there' perspex headbands worked well with the more wearable over sized graphic earrings and large disc rings.

Next I went to the Craig Lawrence Salon Show held at Somerset House. The knitwear designer was driven by "a desire for purity of colour-palette for S/S 13" and this translated to a range of knits made with silver, clear and reflective yarn, designed to "bring texture and silhouette to the fore."

Inspired by phosphorescent plankton that glow in the ocean, knits were reminiscent of jellyfish and urchins. Amazing shapes were created across a range of column dresses that drew murmurs of appreciation in the crowd.

Apologies for the slightly grainy pictures they were taken on my Iphone after I committed the classic faux pas of leaving my memory card in another camera.

See more after the jump

London Fashion Week: Day 3

Today was day three at London Fashion Week and I started my day off with a salon show from designer Christopher Raeburn, held in the Portico Show Space.

I then moved on to the static exhibition at Somerset House where I snapped some gorgeous shots of the S/S 13 collections from a host of British and international talent. I think I am a bit of a magpie as looking back through my photo's everything seems to be super shiny or metallic!

I hope you enjoy my pictures from today, starting with the Raeburn presentation, I'll be posting more from day four tomorrow.

Referencing the first female aviators Christopher Raeburn, used parachute nylon to develop crisp mac's, whilst and an intricate 1950's map print was used on a bat wing bomber jacket, sleeveless shirt dress and a play suit.

 

In addition the brand's signature outerwear was transformed by delicate white lace fabric shielded by a resilient water resistant layer. Quilting (inspired by combat pilots) was another key theme in black and taupe. Nearly every model carried a backpack as well - I need to get one!

 

 

The gorgeous rings and cuffs in semi precious stones on coated brass settings above are from Lola Rose Boutique.

 

 

The cuff above is from the Atelier Swarovski Diana Vreeland Legacy collection, created in memory of the fashion icon.

 

 

These shoes from Alejandro Ingelmo, I love the pointy toes and the iridescent green colour is very little mermaid!

 

See more after the jump

 

ShopStyle to sponsor London Fashion Weekend

Fashion shopping site ShopStyle is set to continue it's sponsorship of London Fashion Weekend, which will run from the 20th - 23rd September.

ShopStyle will support the show’s Insider Guide featuring news and gossip, interviews, new designers, accessories and street style from the UK’s most prestigious fashion showcase event.

Working with well-known fashion illustrator Zarina Liew, ShopStyle has also created dedicated illustrations for the official printed guide that will be handed out to all attendees during the event.

In addition, ShopStyle will be running a series of online competitions via online lifestyle sites and social media outlets including Facebook and Twitter to giveaway tickets to the event.

Also up for grabs is an exclusive VIP prize package including a VIP tickets to the event, a stay at a top London hotel, travel to Somerset House and other stylish treats.

Stay tuned to ShopStyle for more details or go to the LFWE website to book your tickets.

London Fashion Week: Day 2 Street Style

Today was the second day at London Fashion Week and in a break between catwalks I decided to do a bit of street style photography. This was my first attempt with my new camera so please forgive a girl a slightly shaky start!

Trend Round Up: I saw a hell of a lot of pleated and pencil skirts today in all colours, I myself was wearing a leather number by Mango and was more than glad for bare legs when the sun came out! These were teamed with blouses or over sized jersey jumpers with statement necklaces layered on top. Footwear wise, people were either rocking skyscraper high fierce heels or socks and ankle boots. Round 60's sunglasses or over sized frames completed the look.

Check back tomorrow for highlights from day three of LFW, where I'll be checking out the static exhibition at Somerset House.



I love the way the necklaces are layered here and the chanel bag of course!



This whole outfit was great, especially the leather skirt and the jacket

Mixing florals with tough leather shoes - and a lovely studdded Miu Miu bag



Cute outfit and a statement necklace seemed to be a winning formula today

Silky Pyjama pants are a favourite of mine for that effortless cool look

How cute is this little girl clutching her Jasper Conran invitation

See more after the jump