DAY 1

New York had the glamour factor and London had the banging parties, but Milan fashion week is proving to be something of an education.
And the first piece of homework for journalists when we get back home is to look up Yves Saint Laurent’s famous collection from 1965, since its centrepiece, the Mondrian dress, seems to be a massive influence for Miuccia Prada. When one dress with wide black checks and splashes of primary colour went down the catwalk you could almost see a hundred journalists furiously scribbling down ‘cubism’ and ‘modernism’ and ‘YSL’ in perfect unison. Familiarise yourself with this classic picture people, I’ve a feeling it’s going to be everywhere!


YSL's original 1965 'Mondrian' dress and the Prada catwalk for A/W 11


Next on the agenda is manners and decorum. It seems the Karl Lagerfeld is suggesting we all start wearing bibs (surely as an industry veteran he’d notice that barely anything gets eaten at fashion week?). Naturally, this being Fendi and fashion being fashion these bibs were made of fur. Obviously that’s going to make eating a bit messy but since fur was absolutely everywhere on the catwalks and shows no sign of going away as a dominant trend you might as well attach it to everything humanly possible...



A fur bib on the Fendi catwalk

Still, fur is going to get a serious run for its money from snakeskin in Autumn/Winter 11, and judging by the confused look on a lot of faces as the likes of Gucci and Prada (we’re very surprised at the usually so restrained Miuccia) sent skirts and jackets entirely composed of loud, glossy snake prints down the runway, no one is quite sure what to make of it. Prada gave a stab at making it wearable with neutral socks and a quirky blouse that rendered the look kooky rather than tacky, but how to pull off a skin-tight turquoise snakeskin pencil skirt without the aid of Gucci’s glossy stylings is anyone’s guess. Definitely the trickiest trend we’re going to face next season...


Snakeskin at Gucci (left) and Prada (right)

And finally, D&G might not have provided much on the education front, but they certainly had us using our brains, mainly to try and decode what on earth was written all over all their brightly coloured tights and tube dresses. The vibrant yellows and oranges made a welcome change from the usual moody Winter palettes but I found my attention firmly on the mixed up letters strung out across the pieces. Do they mean anything? And if so, how are we going to find out how to break the code? And how long will it take before we give up trying and just accept that they’re just very pretty dresses?!


Mind-bending words at D&G

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

DAY 3

On day 3 I started with Jasper Conran at the BFC show space. Sixties dresses, mid-heels and bouncy hair were all in order to complete the swinging look that Conran was going for. It made Betty Catroux come to mind and made me want to read The Beautiful Fall again…


The catwalk at Jasper Conran


I had to go and see Charlie le Mindu’s much anticipated show at the On/Off venue in Covent Garden. The show opened with a naked model once again, this time covered in ‘blood’ and sporting a huge headpiece, which read ‘violence’. That definitely set the tone for his X-rated, war-time Berlin inspired collection, with Victorian lace and some signature human hair thrown into the mix. Le Mindu took his bow sporting a butcher’s apron and bloody hands. The pigs (or were they horses??) getting slaughtered on the soundtrack probably scarred me for life but his collection was strong and disturbingly enjoyable. It’s like watching a horror movie; you want to be scared, you expect to be scared and you enjoy being scared. The only thing missing was the popcorn.


The Charlie le Mindu catwalk and the designer comes out to greet his audience


I headed back to Somerset House to have a look at the collections on offer and fell in love with Camilla Skovgaard’s collection, especially the shearling buckled sandals. Her infamous rubber soles makes them a real treat for the feet and quite mandatory during the fashion weeks.


Camilla Skovgaard's A/W 11 collection

Had lots of fun at the Matthew Williamson party at Sketch. The champagne was flowing, the great tunes were spinning, the time was obviously flying and next thing I know its 2am. I realize that the wake-up call for the 9am show next day won’t be too much fun so I jump in cab.


DAY 4


The catwalk at David Koma

And I was right… Day 4 of LFW is hitting me hard with a hangover worse than Charlie’s slaughtered pigs! As I rush to the Peter Pilotto (It’s bad enough that they start shows at 9am but being the first one it always start on time!), I’m praying than there will be coffee left. It’s held at the Old Billingsgate, the official Topshop venue which, depending on the time of the show, offers ice coffees, champagne, risotto and cakes! The collection didn’t disappoint and the duo extraordinaire delivered beautiful shirts, knits, long dresses and coats. The dresses with shirt elements incorporated were spellbinding.


The catwalk at Peter Pilotto

David Koma and Holly Fulton were showing back to back at Somerset House and while Koma showed us a totally different side of him with furry pompoms appliquéd onto dresses, Miss Fulton delivered a collection consistent with her signature prints and Swarovski crystal encrusted numbers. There were lots of fun accessories too.


The catwalk at Holly Fulton

Michael van der Ham followed with crushed velvet dresses quite reminiscent of a certain Mr Kane…


The catwalk at Michael van der Ham

Then came Todd Lynn and his leather clad army. With a clear inspiration from Rick Owens, Lynn always delivers a perfectly orchestrated collection with a strong aesthetic. We can only applaud.


The catwalk at Todd Lynn

Mark Fast followed and it felt like a new chapter in his career. He cleverly incorporated into his A/W11 collection some soft leather pieces, in the form of long hooded parkas with open backs, as well as boiled wool jacket and dresses which looks like real fur. It was great to see him keeping his signature web dresses but moving forward in his approach.


The catwalk at Mark Fast

After a quick run backstage to congratulate the Canadian designer, I made my way to the Alexander Wang and Love Magazine party at Liberty’s. LOVE cocktails and mini burgers were served, Nick Grimshaw spinned some tunes and Beth Ditto performed. What a great way to end the night!


Beth Ditto performs at the LOVE and Alexander Wang party

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

Ilia Darlin performing at the Jean-Pierre Braganza after-party


DAY 1

First day of London Fashion Week started nice and easy; most editors are still on a plane from New York, the bloggers and the style hunters are sipping lattes, a bit like a warm-up day to prepare ourselves for the mad week (well, 5 days) ahead of us. So after picking up my press pass at Somerset House I went to see the Jean-Pierre Braganza show. His usual highly constructed and exaggerated silhouettes were a real Eighties love fest, with low slung waistlines, intricate detailing and zips.


The catwalk at Jean-Pierre Braganza

Next was Aminaka Wilmont and the digital print duo extraordinaire didn’t disappoint. I always prefer their Winter collections as their prints really come alive when enhanced with a bit of leather, or a bit of shearling here and there. Basically, when they toughen things up a bit. I particularly loved the wool mittens worn with the evening dress, a styling tip that I’ll definitely try out.


The catwalk at Aminaka Wilmont


The Sass&Bide collection was very colorful, with the models’ legs bare, the dresses very short, the whole thing was very…summery. As my friend Phil Oh from Streetpeepers gently informed me over a latte ‘But ya know it’s for Australian market…’ Doh! I guess I needed two lattes to properly wake up didn’t I! They did at least throw some shawls on though, just to remind us Londoners that Australians do have a Winter as well…ish. I went back to Somerset House where I shared a glass (ok two) of Prosecco with my good friend Tracy from Linda Farrow and checked out her new collection. We headed to the Jean-Pierre Braganza after-party at Jalouse where the amazing Ilia Darlin was performing. I felt it was time to go when I heard the bouncer saying to the PR ‘if they keep taking their glasses outside, I’ll kill you’. Fashion week doesn’t mess with health and safety I’ll have you know.


The catwalk at Sass & Bide


DAY 2

I started day 2 with the Charles Anastase show and I could not have been more excited! As I took my seat front row next to Alexa Chung, I didn’t realize how much exposure I’d get. Well, let’s just say that the left side of my face got photographed a lot… Then the magic began with the perfect soundtrack (Brigitte Fontaine), the perfect mood, the perfect dresses (Miss Chung snapped a few of those with her blackberry) and the perfect hair (loved the jewels pinned randomly on the back of the hair). I was totally enchanted by the silk satin charmeuse, the velvet dress, the peacoats and the thigh-high towering platforms (Charles, I know they don’t produce them in a size 3 but miracles do happen. Please please please! Make them happen!). I was mesmerized, happy that someone out there was making doll clothes for grown-ups and then, as soon as the show ended I saw a wave of flashes coming our way (well, Alexa’s way). I tried to get out the only way I could (by standing up, leaving and grabbing my goodie bag on the way); big mistake. An enormous lens attacked me. And as no one seemed to notice, I left wondering if I should use my invisibility either to fight crime or for evil. I’m still wondering.


The catwalk at Charles Anastase


JW Anderson was another happy moment as I watched him unveil his first women’s collection (though with one eye only). Youthful, androgynous, modern and fresh, this collection was waiting to be worn, anytime and anywhere. I particularly loved the half skirt-apron hybrid in liberty print.


The catwalk at JW Anderson


 Then I went back to the exhibition to admire the new Mawi collection, aka the coolest costume jewellery in town. However, their signature spikes make them the hardest accessories to travel with; ‘No sir, I’m not intending to kill anyone with my bracelet and no, I don’t have any other weapons in my bag’.


The new Mawi collection

Milliner Piers Atkinson was hosting an event celebrating the success of his eponymous brand so I headed down to Soho to congratulate the man. Glad to see that the now famous cherry hat is still going strong… I ended the night at the Groucho for the Central St Martins after-party with a very dirty Martini.


Piers Atkinson's Cherry Hat

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

DAY 6


Indigo in a rare moment of relaxation at The Norwood club

And I am left wondering how the hell I am still alive?
Okay so day 6 was great!
Michael Kors had his 30th anniversary in business and all the old-school A-listers were there, Bette Midler (yes!), Anjelica Huston, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. To celebrate the occasion, Kors sent out a ‘greatest-hits’ collection embodying  sporty decadence and pragmatic glamour. Models draped in long, lean lines that emphasised Kors’ signature ‘elegant athleticism’, stepped out to an up-beat post-doowop soundtrack. Juxtaposing sharp tailoring with languid Seventies-era draping, a polished yet easy silhouette emerged – a definitively Kors refined and simplified take on classic American luxury.

Then was Jeremy Scott which was so much fun! And we got Longchamp bags! Only thing is, the bag featured an all-over print of prescription pills - kind of funny but kind of not. What WAS funny was the soundtrack throughout the Jeremy Scott show - a woman having a massively orgasmic experience over the top of techno-house beats. Basically, you’re always in for a rowdy rock’n’roll good time at a Jeremy Scott show. There’s such authenticity of spirit inherent in his designs and the way he presents them that you’re won over each season – and whether you are actually a fan of his brilliantly cocky and subversive wares has little to do with it. The fact that he’s a designer that lives the lifestyle he projects through his clothing – and has his cool, punky friends both modeling in, and lining the front row of his shows each season – is a major part of the appeal. Seeing countless shows all week and barely finding time to sleep, I can’t stress enough how invigorating it is to be part of a fun, crazy, positive experience like this – and the entire audience seemed to feel the same way… From the first look out there were literally cheers and catcalls – Jeremy Scott’s take on fashion (that it should be FUN) is one we need more of.



The pill-patterned goodie bag at the Jeremy Scott show, and the designer himself

This season, Scott’s collection was a Seventies dark-side-of-disco and Nineties raver hybrid. Models were fitted out with fluoro pig-tail extensions, donning extreme ensembles that included a stand-out clear PVC mini-trench with a pink furry bikini beneath, silver leather form-fitting dresses, mini overalls, A-line skirts and cropped motor-bike jackets, multi-colour pastel biker jackets, and mini, full-skirted dress and skeleton-pattern sweaters. Following on from last season, the opening looks featured graphic logos – this time with reference to Coca Cola, ‘Enjoy GOD’ – emblazoned on tanks, dresses and loose shirts. The final look was a blast, and summed up the super show – a floor-length sequined dress playing on the Superman costume, complete with extended flowing red cape.


The catwalk at Jeremy Scott

Anna Sui was very fun - Autumn/Winter 11 saw a blaze of black and white mod-driven knit and print ensembles, with four models taking to the catwalk at once for the first dozen looks. Apple-green with navy followed, and then exploded into a luminous palette of cobalt, gold, raspberry and ivory, along with excessively detailed print. Polka-dots, florals and geometric patterns covered the exceptionally cute baby-doll looks in chiffon, crepe de chine, striking metallic jacquard and velvet – a pretty deft rendering of Sixties styles (though with a peculiar aesthetic spin) in authentic textiles.


The catwalk at Anna Sui

The Sixties rock’n’roll soundtrack that played throughout afforded the trademark super-sweet shifts, drop-waisted and flattering A-line numbers on show a little edge – as did the introduction of boyish boxy shrunken blazers paired with knee-length shorts, and early Seventies denim, patchwork, crochet and slouchy knit cardigans.


More from the catwalk at Anna Sui

And - wowowow! Proenza! The highlight of my week... Proenza Schouler’s design duo, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez were inspired by native and early American arts and crafts. They told me backstage they'd gone on a fab road-trip through New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, and really got into in Native American culture – its art, textiles and handicrafts. The collection, made up of graphic combinations of saturated colour against black, began with an elegant black blazer over a yellow waxed-leather top, paired with wool jacquard Native American patterned trousers – and from there, grew rapidly in detail and intensity.


The catwalk at Proenza Schouler

Models in minimal sandals wore elaborate two-tone macramé skirts with flapper-like fringing and lavish velvet hand-painted geometric print confections fit for the red-carpet. Embroidered multi-colour jacquard dresses, separates and bold cutaway all-over Navaho-inspired patterned dresses were highlights.


Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough hiding backstage, and more from their catwalk

Now I am going to sleep - for about 4 hours - and then just two more sho's and the nightmare's over! Well, as far as nightmare's go - I guess a fashion one isn't so bad!

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

Models outside Rodarte

DAY 5

Day FIVE and barely alive... It's 5am and I'm just finishing up, this week's been a killer.
Thank goodness for inspiring shows today!! I'll just go into the best moments... RODARTE! Yes! I loved every minute of the show. This season, the Mulleavy sisters took a trip out to the country, David Hamilton fresh-faced prairie style, by way of Seventies Laura Ashley – and it was a nostalgic journey well-worth taking.


The catwalk at Rodarte


Warm, pure, sunlit hues took to the catwalk – yellow, soft ochre, washed-out peach, bone and cornflower blue made up the optimistic palette, at times broken up by graphic black and white print. The soundtrack – a genuine twanging ‘country’ guitar with equally twanging male vocals, really took the nouveau-prairie ensembles into an imagined rural context where fields of daisies and straw-bales, blue skies and fluffy white clouds came immediately to mind. Dainty without being stuffy, dresses and full skirts in antique-feel crochet, cotton and chiffon fell to mid-calf, and the textures throughout were earthy, featuring cosy, hand-crafted details including geometric paneling, and grandpa knits added to the overall lived-in attitude.




More from the catwalk at Rodarte


Then came Marc by Marc Jacobs and of course, I loved that too - it was firmly footed in the sexy, sultry Seventies. The first look on the catwalk said it all – a blazing copper-gold leather blazer atop a rusty metallic satin blouse, paired with herringbone trousers and lace-up oxfords. Wow. And the easy-breezy blown-out hair on the fresh-faced models wearing the luscious disco-by-day ensembles exuded an earthy-glam vision of perfection that you couldn't help but want to be a part of. There was also an early Eighties edge throughout, that brought to mind punk-rock heroine Blondie – and suggested a potential return to a more strict Eighties New York style for spring.


The catwalk at Marc by Marc Jacobs


Following that amazingness, I hotfooted it over to Charlotte Dellal's shoe launch at Bergdorf Goodman's to hang out with her and one of my dearest friends, her PR wonder-girl, Sara Byworth (née Forage). I had one little cocktail and then had to decline the lovely offer of dinner with them both, and Charlotte's gorgeous mother Andrea, at their penthouse to get into bed Nanna-style and write my reviews. Oh the life of a fashion journalist - not actually that sexy!


Charlotte Dellal's shoe launch at Bergdorf Goodman

Okay, now time to hit the hay, I'll let you know how day 6 treats me!

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

The catwalk at Ohne Titel

DAY 3
Day 3 was a blast – I didn’t even care that I’d had practically no sleep after running around like mad to the shows the day before. I was super-excited for Preen, DKNY and Thakoon – and they were all amazing. I’d met up with the always-lovely London couple behind Preen; Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi a couple days before their show, and they gave me a little preview at the Soho Grand Hotel – the collection took inspiration from the San Franciso craft movement of the Seventies, and style icon Diana Vreeland. The overall look was great – a fusion of knits and crafty embellishments alongside their signature ultra-modern vision.


Indigo and stylist friend Vanessa Packer backstage at Ohne Titel


DKNY was IT! I loved it all – I mean pop-punchy red-hot fluoro hues in stripes, super-short minis , Sixties mod-rocking looks non-stop – it had my name written all over it (If only I could afford to buy any of it!)


The DKNY show


Then there was Thakoon – which was a total highlight. The show took place inside the baroque ballroom of New York’s iconic Plaza Hotel – it was a sublime space. Thakoon’s bold looks for A/W11 mashed up tribal prints with checks and tartans; and streety designs with couture-like voluminous draping and ruffles – it was an incredible combination of colour, form, cross-cultural references and print, and just what we’ve come to expect from one of New York’s most exciting young designers. When he came out to take his bow he looked so happy and adorable too!


The catwalk at Monique Lhuillier

DAY 4
VALENTINES DAY! And oh, I’m spending it with my date – New York Fashion Week… I guess it could be worse, right?! Well, I decided I had to get festive even if I am schlepping around to shows all day/night – so I am wearing my favourite ASHISH pink and black hounds-tooth sequined dress that he gave me a couple years ago, calling it the ‘indi goes to the ball dress’. Oh Ashish – and London designers – I love and miss you! I’ll have to get back to London soon for a visit, LFW is such an exciting week and I really miss being part of that incredible energy and vitality, seeing emerging talent shine… Anyway, today I went to Jenni Packham – a London lady known and loved over here by the older, wealthier, uptown set, for her intricate, beaded, bias-cut floor-length gowns, then I went to another high-end show – Carolina Herrera, which was beautiful even if it’s not what I would wear myself. Herrera had a lot of lovely Fifties silhouettes on show, and rich textures and colours.
Then Olivier Theyskens for THEORY – just beautiful! Sculptural, earth-toned and autumnal print dresses and sheer skirts, it was grunge-meets-Victoriana. The Belgian designer brought refinement and poetry to THEORY, which has always been  great for simple tailoring but previously had no particularly fashionable edge.


The catwalk at Olivier Theyskens for THEORY

 Betsey Johnson was a blast – rock’n’roll, punk-spirited and silly fun… It was Valentine’s day themed, with a huge illuminated “he loves me not” illustration at the catwalk entrance, and the show finishing with Betsey doing a cartwheel and gallivanting around with models wearing frou-frou red bloomers and carrying gigantic roses – complete with spiders.


The Betsey Johnson show

Marc Jacobs finished and yes! Woop! Loved it, as usual. He really knows how to put on a great show and make you feel like you’re witnessing fashion in all its glory. This time around, Jacobs ditched the Seventies theme of last season and went all Victoriana-slash-sci-fi –to a Marilyn Manson soundtrack. Looking forward to Rodarte and much more tomorrow!


The catwalk at Marc Jacobs

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

New York's Licoln Centre in full-on fashion mode

DAY 1
Day 1 wasn’t too crazy, at 9am I headed to Ruffian – which was a label I didn’t know too much about, but that impressed me with its playful femininity, and androgyny at the same time, quite a mean feat to manage! Inspired by the style of Prince Edward VII  in the late nineteenth century, and his request for ‘more comfortable dinner attire’, this season Ruffian offered up reworked tuxedos in endless incarnations – some were very rock’n’roll. Cropped black patent leather coats, cream double-breasted velvet blazers, severe pencil skirts and black satin jackets with matching stretch duchess satin trousers sporting a high 70s waistline all followed suit – often with dramatic Victorian ruff-collars in tow.
Next up was Peter Som, which was pretty-as-a-picture, but with some slightly ‘off’ touches – like chunky coats and cardigans that took the collection down a few notches, making it youthful and accessible.

The catwalk at Peter Som

Jason Wu was all about palatial opulence this season, his collection was inspired, he said ‘by the restoration of Versailles’. Models walked over a reflective catwalk, made up of gilded-framed mirrors, with oversize chandeliers dotted around the space. Pretty chi-chi stuff! Dresses, shirts and over-coats featured lace detailing, embellishment and chunks of crystals – even the back of models hair had clumps of gold attached to it.

The catwalk at Jason Wu

 Last show of the day (for me), Rag&Bone, followed, and they proved again this season that they can do a lot more than re-hash wardrobe basics, which was how they originally made a name for themselves. The collection was fashion-forward but still accessible – colours were bold and bright, I was in love with the vivid blues, reds and oranges, and I died over the adorable bright blue overcoat… As you can tell, I’m a sucker for blue (my name is Indigo after-all!).

DAY 2
It was an early 10am start – I mean it’s Saturday! Surely we should be able to sleep in till midday! Anyway, the show was Edun – Bono and his wife’s ethical, environmentally produced line that fell into obscurity and was last year invested in by LVMH, taking the brand back into the mainstream. The presentation was held in a massive, very dark warehouse space, where the audience was literally tripping over trying to get to their seats – the lights were off! Once the show started, it was all about Seventies silhouettes and gorgeous textures – cable-knit wool, leather and silk reigned. Colours were similarly Seventies themed – earthy and autumnal. All went off without a hitch until a model lost her heel!

The catwalk at Edun

 

Next up was Vivienne Tam, which was all a bit practical and red, black and gold. It just got a bit much watching an entire collection modeled by girls wearing black tights… It’s bad enough I have to do that every day – oh the monotony of Winter!

Backstage at Vivienne Tam

 Afterwards, it was Alexander Wang at his usual – thoroughly gigantic – venue at Pier 94, and his collection was exciting, and a real turnaround from last season. The show appeared as an industrial future-disco. The floor, illuminated in a sequence of light-up squares, discoteque-style, saw models stepping haphazardly in sexy-cyber ski-bunny looks, statement oversized parka-poncho and bomber-biker hybrids – which have been a huge trend on the catwalk for Winter 11 (even at Altuzarra!) and elongated and sheer re-workings of the classic tuxedo dress-shirt and aviator-cum-mourning coat.

The catwalk at Alexander Wang

After Wang I hotfooted it to Erin Fetherston –whose Winter vision was pre-Raphaelite; black, gold and blush draping andgeneral prettiness –then came the best show of the day– Altuzarra!

The Erin Fetherston Show


Describing his new collection as “combining the nonchalance and rebellious spirit of the Nineties”, motorbike jackets were reworked and deconstructed, zippers and superfluous elongated straps were rife throughout, and the subdued palette of principally charcoal, black and burgundy was broken up with a classic argyle print. Altuzarra has fast become one of my favourite New York designers, I am always so excited to see what he comes up with next – like Christopher Kane, his aesthetic is always dramatically changing!


The catwalk at Joseph Altuzarra

Category : Fashion Week-Round up

Valentine's Day is very nearly upon us and unfortunately that often means being exposed to really cheesy, sentimental and quite frankly embarassing cards. No one wants to keep those things.
These cheeky hand-made cards from quirky Shoreditch boutique no-one however, are a totally different story. Sweet without over-doing it on the sugar, and just the right amount of rude, they are the thinking person's card of choice. So if you happen to be in London, it's well worth heading down to the boutique at 1 Kingsland Road to pick one up for the object of your affections!

Category : News

A striking t-shirt is always useful to have in your sartorial weaponry, and few can turn the humble wardrobe staple into an item of luxury and beauty like the ever desirable house of Lanvin. So when this t-shirt landed at farfetch.com we weren’t surprised that the French label had managed to make it simultaneously glamorous and humorous. The quirky illustration, the smattering of chiffon, the subtle frills on the neckline, it’s grand ball theme  not only got our hearts a flutter, but our imaginations on overdrive.



Because as well as wondering how quickly we could get our hands on it, this Lanvin tee also got us to thinking about  which famous parties in history we’d have given our right arms to attend…

Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball
In 1966, still drunk on the mass adulation that his creepy masterpiece In Cold Blood had brought him, eccentric writer Truman Capote decided to celebrate by throwing the mother of all balls at the Plaza in New York. It had a guest list that makes any given Oscars Ceremony look thin on the ground, Capote invited the world’s most famous people. And most of them came. Frank Sinatra and then-wife Mia Farrow, Richard Avedon, the legendary writer Norman Mailer, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Diana Vreeland and the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson all attended the masqueraded event. We wonder whether this is what inspired Elton John to start throwing his star-studded White Tie and Diamonds balls…





The Masked Ball in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette
Yes, technically this event is fictional, but given what we know about iconic French Queen Marie Antoinette and the lifestyle she led (her quote ‘Let them eat cake’ may have been totally fake, but there’s no smoke without fire) and Coppola’s cinematic interpretation of a party of the period looked utterly mind-blowing. Ostentatious, colourful gowns that took up metres and metres of space and a blistering soundtrack by Siouxie and the Banshees, lucky Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) gets to be wooed by the gorgeous Count Axel von Fersen (played by model Jamie Dornan). Who wouldn’t want to experience that?




Bianca Jagger’s 30th Birthday Party
It’s a birthday milestone that most of us dread, but it wouldn’t be half as painful if we could pull it off with the panache and style of the exotic and beautiful Bianca. In 1977, New York’s Studio 54 was the world’s hottest club, attracting the coolest and most beautiful crowds the city had ever seen. So naturally it was there that rock-star wife and Halston muse Jagger held her celebrations. After a full-on production number put on by the dancers and staff, Jagger made her entrance into the venue on a white horse led by completely naked man decorated with body paint. People have been talking about it ever since.



Kate Moss’ Beautiful and The Damned Party
Another 30th birthday do, everyone expected something dramatic from the country’s premier wild child, and the supermodel did not disappoint. Hosted in the usually totally respectable Claridges hotel in London, Moss’ celebrations had a twenties theme, based around her favourite book, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and the Damned. And the revellers certainly did the novel justice, for weeks afterwards the British press dined out on rumours of orgies amongst the champagne and cake. It’s never fully been disclosed what went on in that hotel suite, and the party is still cloaked in A-list debauchery and intrigue that just make us wish we’d been there all the more.

Category : News

Carmen Miranda

With the sun making a few brief but much appreciated appearances over the past week or so, thoughts have inevitably turned towards Summer, and a time when we can look colourful, happy and care-free.
Which is why we’ve had our heads turned by these traffic-stoppingly bright dresses by Roberto Cavailli and Antonio Maras, which are not only rainbow-hued and fun looking, but look like they were pilfered straight from the stage wardrobe of Carmen Miranda.




Dresses by Roberto Cavalli (Left and Centre) and Antonio Marras (right)

As one of the biggest and most influential music, Hollywood and Broadway stars of the Thirties and Forties, Miranda might not seem such an odd choice for designers to be looking to for inspiration, bust since she is mostly remembered for wearing a giant hat made of fruit, she is actually kind of a refreshingly fun way to go.


One of Carmen Miranda's costumes, and the lady herself

And her Brazilian charms are all over the catwalk this season, in the hot Latin colours, the joyfully bold prints, the Samba ruffles and the flouncy skirts. But most evidently in the playful illustrations of fruit on everything from Stella McCartney’s chic shifts (a citrus theme with lemons, oranges and limes since you’re asking…) to Moschino Cheap and Chic’s ruffled party dresses (lemons again…maybe it’s something to do with them being sunny and yellow).


Moschino Cheap and Chic and Stella McCartneyCatwalk Looks Spring/Summer 2011

Granted it’s not a look for shy and retiring types, but Miranda was not the pride of South America for nothing, there is something alluringly feminine and fun about all those pretty colours and piles of accessories.


Stella McCartney and Etro Catwalk Looks Spring/Summer 2011

And besides, any trend that goes hand in hand with Samba dancing and frequent shouts of ‘Ai ai ai’ is most definitely a winner. Who said fashion had no sense of humour?

Category : News