I hope everyone had a great Easter. I was in the country visiting family and generally enjoying the unseasonably hot weather England has been having. I went on some lovely walks through woods full of bluebells and along coastal paths, saw some lambs and sampled my first rosé of the year, so for me spring has truly sprung.
Ah, the joys of press day food tables. This one, for Ferragamo at Browns Hotel, was definitely the best so far. As for the collection, there were luxurious animal prints to be seen all over the room, elegant court shoes, lovely multi purpose bags, great sunglasses. There was a lot of emphasis on a black and white colour code which is going to look great against the bold block colours of this season. Everything was luxe and ‘bedazzled’ and very wantable. Agent Provocateur’s press day deserves a mention too, although it was all so top secret no photos were allowed, but there was predictably some very sumptuous lingerie including lace, satin and some bondage corsetting, and surprisingly, more great sunglasses.
Massimo Dutti’s press day was held at their Regent Street store and as usual they delivered on their relaxed but classic Spanish style. There were great leather belts and beautiful subtle jewellery, some good knits and a nice end of summer/autumn colour choice of pale pinks and yellows. It’s reliable weekend wear, with great parkas and big cardigans to go over the more flirty dresses.
I’ve been busy over the last couple of weeks doing press days. As always, it’s abit bizarre to be looking at A/W11 when it’s lovely and warm in London and I’m just beginning to think about my summer wardrobe and the wish list that entails. Edun’s press day was held at the Dean Street Townhouse hotel which was is a really cool place. I haven’t noticed it before when walking around Soho but it’s very elegant with wooden floors in the lift and beautiful airy rooms. Edun is a clothing company set up in 2005 by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson. This is the ultimate in eco friendly clothing, ethically sourced from all over Africa but also from Peru and China, and the company is committed to promoting long term employment and sustainable growth for its partners there. They are actually part of the LVMH brand which gives them a good foundation but the clothes really do speak for themselves. There are lovely knits and woollen jackets and patterned silks made into a variety of skirts, tops and dresses in lovely shades of teal, mustard and fern, which particularly stood out for me.
I did a photography course a while back to make sure I was getting the most out of my Canon G10 and although everyone else had some pretty fancy SLR equipment I found that actually I could achieve most things with my little camera. When I was making the choice about what camera to invest in I decided my main priority was to be able to take discreet shots on sets and generally not look like a pap in the middle of a Vanity Fair shoot! And I haven’t regretted the decision. So, anyway, back to the photos below; for all you non-professional photographers the technique is called ‘panning’ and it’s where you capture a moving object with a slow shutter speed so the object is in focus and in the back ground you generally get horizonal lines. Most of the photography group took pictures of their pets or bicyclists etc, but I had lots of books on the floor (some redecorating of book cases was taking place) and got out my toy mini and experimented. I was pretty pleased with the result; they aren’t textbook perfect but creatively I think they look great.
Aurélie Bidermann’s wheat husk necklace is a fresh take for summer. At an eye-watering price of £640 on net-a-porter.com, this is not a cheap purchase and in all honesty I wouldn’t buy it at this price because I don’t think it looks that expensive. But I’m picking it out because I applaud an original idea. I’m getting pretty bored of the sparkly animals and insect motifs that are in every shop in varying guises. The long length is great for dresses and tops and for elongating a line, but I would definitely recommend not wearing it with any denim for fear of being mistaken as a country bumpkin.
Source: Net-a-Porter.com
How stunning is this? I love it when a simple cover has just a strong impact. Greg Kadel photographs Malgosia Bela for Numero’s April edition. I love the way the beigy, neutral and tan colours blend together and how the make up enhances her feline look; it’s not ground-breaking but actually quite boldly restrained, and works just beautifully here. I wish I could believe that the cheetah was actually there: the hands seem surprisingly real and well placed, but having worked on a shoot with a leopard before, I’m guessing that putting them side by side was done in post.
Source: FashionGoneRogue.com
avogueidea 
THE Wedding
April 30, 2011I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you, but the royal wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton happened yesterday at London’s Westminster Abbey. The much anticipated wedding and of course the extra day off work was the cause of great celebrations in London. More than a million people turned out to watch the couple get married, filling The Mall, Hyde Park and St James Park and generally enjoying the chance to take part in something genuinely carefree and communal. A couple of highlights for me were the trees in the Abbey, a coup de theatre which looked beautiful, and somehow modern as well as pastoral and the Aston Martin moment. But on to the clothes, even though there has been an avanlanche of coverage already.
The dress was Jane Burton at Alexander McQueen and overall I liked it but I wasn’t blown away. Having seen so much press specualting that McQueen might get the nod for designing the dress, I had images of something incredible and yes, probably too fashiony for a Royal Wedding, or for this particular bride, but I did hope it would be more ‘extreme’, for want of a better word. The lace was was certainly very flattering to her figure and the trademark corsetting certainly accentuated her tiny waist. As there should be on a wedding dress, there appeared to be some great detailing in the bustle at the back, but I felt this was a bit lost under the veil. One negative, she had too much hard eye make up on for the occasion and although this is her signature look, if she had done without the heavy black line under her eye it would have been great.
The second dress Kate changed into for the dinner and dancing in the evening was for me a bit of a shocker. That horrible mohair cardigan I hope is not credited to McQueen because it looked totally wrong for an April wedding and the diamante beading at the waistline looked cheap, as frankly the white satin did as well. Why pick another full skirt? I would so have gone for something still bridal but more streamlined as a great contrast to the wedding dress, (like Pippa’s bridesmaid dress, more of that later), this one made her look bizarrely old and young at the same time. Also I think she should have stuck with her hair half up half down, or twisted into a soft rope on one side; she’s clearly obsessed with her hair, but it looked so everyday and incongruous against the dress.
As for the rest of the congregation it was a mixed bag. The Queen resplendent in yellow is beyond criticism and I loved her brooch. Camilla’s outfit I quite liked, the pleats in the coat looked interesting with the beadwork hung low on the hips giving it an almost flapperesque feel. Carole Middleton (Kate’s mother) looked perfect acceptable if a little underwhelming in a rather predicatble mother-of-the-bride shade and shape.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice were probably the most disappointing. These sisters regularly take interesting fashion choices and the night before they looked great at a celebratory pre-wedding dinner. But Beatrice’s nudey/beige Valentino was a little ageing and the hat is Isabella Blow but without the authority or the attitude to carry it off, but for sure Eugenie suffered more. When you have an ample bust the last thing you want to do with it is have a square neckline, bows and contrast piping so it looks like you have been upholstered in. The skirt is totally unflattering and looked messy and not as in normal Vivienne Westwood great messy, and her hat was too heavy. To think of all the amazing options these girls could have worn! It makes my fashion blood boil.
Samantha Cameron in Burberry. Now there has been alot of fuss about the fact she had no hat or fascinator, but I think she looks great. The teal looked lovely against her colouring and the statement necklace by Erdem was a strong fashion choice. I personally think hats are not expected at weddings any more and I salute her choice not to conform. Her figure looked amazing for a women who had a baby less than a year ago and the burnt orange shawl was a relaxed splash of colour, and I loved that David and she held hands walking down the Abbey to their seats.
Sophie Windsor, the Countess of Wessex, behind Princess Anne. Sophie first: I liked the gilt brocade sleeve and belt, although the matching purse was overkill. The hat had just enough height and was at a nice angle, but I think I would have gone for a coloured shoe, nothing too garish but just to lift the look a little. Princess Anne was one of the few in a pattern, but the material was far too much like a furnishing fabric .
David and Victoria Beckham. David Beckham in Ralph Lauren looked the usual stunning man that he is. Victoria, in her own design, looked a little tense and reserved but I liked that it was a sumptuous navy and not black and I really liked the hat and the simple hair. But, as always, I felt that just a hint of a smile would have made this outfit great.
David Milliband’s partner looked a bit of state. If you are on the shorter end of the scale then wrapping yourself in heavy fabric with a neckline that shortens your neck and then adding a flattening hat, is hardly guaranteed to increase your stature . It also looks wintery, the sleeves are too long for her and the court shoes are boring.
Nick Clegg’s wife fared no better. Yes she’s Spanish, yes she can therefore be a abit of exotic but this is Evita gone wrong. The grey satin didn’t look expensive or classy, specially not wrapped in netting, and then the odd wrapped turban/flower affair wasn’t quite right either. When you first saw her at the Abbey, you had to take a moment to figure out who the hell it was and what a totally odd outfit to have worn. And guess what, Nick Clegg did wear a morning suit, although by matching the jacket and trousers in grey he managed to make it look as much like a lounge suit as possible to please his doubters.
Pippa, Pippa, Pippa, so glad you’re not my little sister! (See what I did there?) Honestly, I thought she looked amazing and if I was Kate I would have been annoyed at how demurely sexy my baby sister looked on my wedding day. The dress was Alexander McQueen and recreation of a dress Cameron Diaz wore to the Oscars last year and it looked beautiful. It skimmed her body and had just enough hint of cleavage and the buttons all down the back were beautiful. She looked at ease in it and thoroughly classy, although I do think it was an odd choice to pick white for her and the little bridesmaids, but with the simple green and white flowers in the Abbey and the bouquets it all worked surprisingly well.
Now let’s hope for Happily Ever After……….
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