Cocoa Chanel

Cutest thing ever.

OBSESSION

...Its a dangerous thing, and it can be explained in 5 words:

MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF SPRING/SUMMER 2010

I WANT.

Thought for the day

Uh oh, this is exactly me at the moment...

Image taken from Marie Claire magazine - February 2010

Help.

Tom Ford needs to get some

Tom Ford Eyewear SS10 - Carolyn Murphy and Nicholas Hoult

Is anyone noticing a recurring theme in Tom Ford's adverts?

Ok, we get it, Tom Ford is sexy. Nicholas Hoult is sexy.

But please, please can you just put some clothes on?

Anyone recall the campaign for eyewear AW09 with Anna Jagodzinska and Jon Kortajarena? Or the even more famous Tom Ford for Gucci's "hairy" advert from the early 2000s?

New image please Fordy, this one is getting a little old.

Are plaits back?

TREND ALERT

Plaits have been seen everywhereee lately, both on the catwalk and on the red carpet...

Rachel McAdams brought the plait back into the limelight at the Sherlock Holmes premiere last month, teaming it with a high quiff. Lisa Snowdon and Fergie have also displayed fishtail plaits at recent events in a similar fashion sparking a new trend!

The beautiful beautifulll Diane Kruger also wore a grecian style updo plait whilst wearing Karl Lagerfeld this week, which Cheryl Cole can be seen to mimic.

Everyone seems to be wearing plaits to the side; I think it looks edgier and softer on the face. I only wish I had hair long enough to reciprocate, though I suppose the updo versions show maybe it is not necessary.

On the catwalk this season:

ALEXANDER WANG SS10

MIU MIU SS10

DSQUARED SS10

Personally, Alexander Wang's version is probably my favourite as it is very chic yet youthful. Though DSquared is more like how my attempts usually turn out, a nice embracing of the mess :)

For some reason plaits remind me of summer, does anyone feel that too?

Always a first at Hirsts

A trip to Portobello today, even in the miserable weather I can't help but still be absorbed by the antiques at Hirst's. Everything is always so beautiful, and the shop is full of vintage jewellery from every designer imaginable, and has customers including Kiera Knightley and David Beckham. The displays in the window speak for itself, I was very tempted with the Kenneth Jay Lane collection, grrr my student skintness.

I'm still in my ring obsession at the moment, and my mannequins at home are still adorned with masses of silver, but the green and orange delights that Hirsts seems to stock so fully has got me in the mood for summer! Also, note the Dior collection in the window, yummyyy

DEBUT.

From London Lite October 1st 2009.

Any readers with a simple zoom can read this segment of the two-page spread. All I care about is that im bigger than Alexa Chung :)

2009 REVIEW: Fashion > Music

Was 2009 the year that fully incorporated fashion into music? Looking back on the past year, it is easy to pick out examples where music videos became sheer art. The elevation of fashion in the industry has been partly due to the influx of new talent that bear stage presence as a necessity to musical success, and have helped the idea of costume increase so much. Lady GaGa for example, must be given credits for her efforts in pushing the limits of stage performance, being adventurous, unique and frankly quite brave in her outlandish ensembles. Relatively unheard of in 2008, the past year has seen her shoot to the number 1 slot a number of times as well as creating videos showing the likes of Alexander McQueen to have her proudly parading their couture. Each video becomes a guilty treat for any fashion obsessive, and we are always left wondering what she can possibly come up with next to top her previous adventure.

Lady GaGa - "Bad Romance" (C) 2009 Interscope Records


Other artists to follow GaGa's garment ideology include superstar Beyonce who does her best to advertise the leotard bodysuit trend with her intimidating curves and robotic body-jerking. Her 'Sweet Dreams' video shows her transported to a desert in a black Roberto Cavalli outfit, as well as showcasing Gareth Pugh. MTV quoted that the piece is "An eye-popping, herky-jerky, high-fashion video".

Beyoncé - "Sweet Dreams" (C) 2009 Sony Music Entertainment


Another band to have an amazing year have been Florence And The Machine. 23 year old Florence Welch has actually become a personal hero of mine, with her utterly unique style meaning that, for me, good music and crazy outfits are be combined and she is completely on my wavelength. Welch attended Camberwell College of Arts which may give method behind her fashion madness, but apparently all her stage outfits are created for her by Topshop, arguably distancing herself from the aforementioned artists as she contemplates affordable fashion. Moreover, she is also unconventional in her style as her trademark ginger locks beam from any arena, especially with the fact she has chosen to look so by dying her hair from mousey brown from the age of 11.

Florence And The Machine - "Drumming Song" (C) 2009 Universal Island Records Ltd


Yeah Yeah Yeahs may have had a somewhat quieter year in 2009, but Karen O still proved her and costume designer Christian Joy still have very much have a firm and creative friendship in the 'Heads Will Roll' video. The O-Joy combination (nice ring to it, wouldn't you say?) maintains its eery fascination whilst ensuring Karen always looks like a fashion goddess from Planet Quirk.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Heads Will Roll" (C) 2009 DGC/ Interscope Records


Let's just hope 2010 is as good!

Red hot preview

The new 2010 St. John preview is out and it shows that the beautiful Karen Elson has taken over from Angelina Jolie to become the new face of the campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel. Although Elson is no stranger to front page fame or big fashion names - she has recently worked with Sølve Sundsbø as well as Steven Meisel for Cavalli - her appearance does seem to re-invent the brand aesthetically, with an almost Elizabethan theme.

There seems to be an ever increasing trend of designers and companies succumbing to the fiery look of unconventional beauties like Elson, with her chilli-coloured hair and ivory skin, to represent their products. Is the traditional tan phenomenon of Hollywood finally dying out? I suppose it has always been prevalent in this wintery season for a more ghostly look to spread but I have a feeling the barbershop colour scheme will take a good while to shift. As a paley myself, I am very excited, so expect to hear from this trend epidemic soon!

Don't be so common

Check out Less Common More Sense magazine for an edgy look at all things fashion, arts and theatre. I work in the fashion department and I must say its an absorbing read.

It is produced by Arts students all over London, showcasing the latest talent in writers, designers, artists, photographers as well as interviews and articles on big names.

The new issue is themed as the best of British and out later this month - check it out!

Back to the future?

Wow, it has been a while. I am a writer and not a technowizz and thus my thoughts have been lost in time because of my inability to be able to get back onto this again, silly passwords. It seems too late now to get back to this blog after such a delay - I have done this before, made a number of blogs with only a few entries and then felt too embarrassed after a period of neglect to retreat back, but I am going to persevere. So, apologies! I have been essentially extremely busy and have not had the time to sort it out. Since my absence I have gone to uni! In fact I now attend London College Of Fashion doing none other than Fashion Journalism so maybe the new improved pieces will be worth the wait. Lets hope! So, sorry, mind the gap and get ready for this fabulous new year, new season, and the run up month to Fashion Week, woo!