Grubby Gold

Trend alert! It seems that Nicole Richie identified a key trend for A/W 10 when stepped out on to the red carpet in a piece from her ‘winter Kate’ collection last month, and that trend is Grubby Gold.

Grubby gold is exactly what is says on the packet, a dull gold party piece covered in either sequins or in a grubby metallic shade, preferably for short and long sleeved (ala moss in Glastonbury 06). All over fashion week I think the best take on this catwalk look was the Balmain gold sequin dress with workmen boots. Sheer perfection.

Invest now and wear through the summer with your gladiator sandals for the SS10 festival look or with heels and sheer tights through the winter. A winning look which the fashion buzz love (with a Capital L)

Keep it cool like Kate and wear it laid back, underdressed and understated. Set to be big for A/W 10 this trend is no doubt going to be key to your A/W wardrobe.

Richie’s own dress from the 'Winter Kate' collection will be out later on this year (I want I want I want) so if you like me are feeling strapped for cash then keep your eyes peeled for high street alternatives late summer /early autumn. Here at the fashion buzz we will keep you posted but in the mean time keep your eagle vision on the high street, as fashion waits for no woman.

Images

1 - http://www.essence.com/
2 - http://www.vogue.com/

3 - http://stylespy.instyle.com/stylespy_blog/2007/10/spied-hunters-i.html

Editor V Blogger

First of all I would just like to say it is not an ambition of mine to sit in the front row. If somehow I did end up sitting in the front row then I would NOT take it for granted. I would be scribbling away in my notepad, taking note of atmosphere, effects the desired effect of the designer and the resulting ATTITUDE of the crowd.

Fashion should never have been elite, it’s something that whether you like it or not you choose to participate in every day.  Like every other industry the economic recession has affected the fashion industry.  People are abandoning designer clothing as the high street is so fast to produce the same product for a quarter of the price that in today economic crisis it seems absurd to spend so much money on a passing trend.

As a result designers have collaborated with the high street in a bid to reap the benefits of the large and INFINITELY more profitable side of fashion.  Jill Sanders for Uniqlo, Jimmy Choo for H&M, Miss Moss for Top shop I could go on. The point is these collections have actually heightened awareness of designers and given them both profits and PR.

Then we have the phenomenon of the fashion blogger. A new PHENOMENON which allows people to participate in an industry which was notoriously hard to crack. Then the industry started to take note which resulted in many magazine spreads about bloggers such as Susie bubble created a heightened awareness of the fashion blogger, along with such a rich choice of designer gear on the high street. Suddenly Bloggers appeared in their thousands all passionate about the same things. Various forms of attire.  It was a way to meet others like you, and to get involved in the industry itself.

But now industry is biting back. Various editors, stylist and designers became increasingly frustrated with the huge presence bloggers presented at this year’s A/W London Fashion Week. Some claimed it has become "OUT OF CONTROL", with one magazine editor (who I won’t name) reportedly spitting fire because a girl who once interned for her was a row in front of her at a show (outrageous).

It may be that girl DID once intern for the editor, but who is to say she’s not working in the fashion industry herself and has therefore earned that seat just like the editor?  I personally think all the fuss was unnecessary and quite frankly embarrassing. Bloggers are not there to threaten editors or to cause trouble, in fact in my experience it’s hard enough to get into any major shows so the bloggers who were chosen for the shows would have been chosen for their influential effect within the industry.

Ultimately Editor V blogger, it’s not a contest. As someone fascinated by the link in lifestyle choice and trends in music, food, film and fashion I think its time people wised up and realised we are not there to attack or threaten the industry, or steal the fashion editor’s seats in fashion week. We are there to celebrate an industry we ALL adore.   

Images


1 - www.posterous.com

Menswear Highlights from London Fashion Week AW10

Menswear at London Fashion week is becoming bigger and better each season. Last Wednesday was dedicated to wall to wall menswear with a great selection of classic looks and some more street wear pieces.

Paul Costelloe showed that he knows just how to craft classic pieces including coats that would be perfectly on trend and fashionable as they are now for many years. Paul is one of the most established designers on the circuit but he knows how to keep his designs fresh.   

B store menswear is a collection full of contemporary cuts,quality fabrics and trendy details including rolled up legs annd gloves. This is the perfect look for the urban man that wants to work cutting edge sophistication to the full .

JW Anderson was a much more casual affair with what seemed like a fusion of punk, grunge and gothic influences all rolled into one. It featured tartans and plaids, dog collars chunky knits and heavy buckled boots. An alternative collection that will be suited to those with a sense of individuality.

The Carolyn Massey collection included some very interesting knitwear and mute dusty pink colours including this all in one with layers of wrap around scarf and a stripey jumper and cropped trousers layered over what looked like some large holed fish net tights . A warm and stylish look that perhaps might not be to everyones taste, but innovative and creative for those that dare. Again heavy boots were the order of the day,  they are obviously going to be a key look for AW10.

For the first time, Topman showed the Topman Design Collection as a solo collection this season. This is the street wear that everyone wants to wear. It  is the ultimate in wearability combined with a little innovative cool. Obviously with some major military and utilitarian influences easy to wear with lots of layers.

pictures from catwalking.com 

Highlights of London Fashion Week AW10

Another week of fashion frenzy passes by with so much to blog about and so little time. If you love unique and individual style, London is the place to be. London fashion week really reflects that vibe with innovative, quirky and eccentric collections. It also supports and nutures so many exciting and promising talents. For autumn and winter cosy and warm clothes are the order of the day (or week) to help us survive the good old British winter in style.

Burberry

One of the collections at London Fashion week that was as always eagerly anticipated. Burberry manages to roll out very desirable and fresh collections season after season, but still remaining true to their heritage and distinct Britishness. This collection was of course no different with a perfect mix of jackets and coats for outdoor wear from giant collared shearling lined jackets to parkas and military styles. Need a new coat or jacket for next winter, you need look no further.

Basso and Brooke

They have done it again- created an amazing collection featuring the most eye popping of prints. Each piece featured the most creative combination or jigsaw like effect of prints. The colours and patterns had an ethnic feel but a fresh and new feel in the way that they were combined.

Mary Katrantzou

After her stunning last collection of perfume bottle prints, all eyes were on Mary Katrantzou to see what she would create this time. It was a very desirable collection filled with richly coloured luxe prints made into simple but flattering dresses. There were some more intricate pieces with embellishment and patches of different fabrics. Beautiful and perfectly wearable, just the sort of dress every women would love to own.

Peter Pilotto

Another big London name of the moment, Peter Pilotto the wonder team that creates heaven in a dress by combing the draping and print designing talents of Christopher De Vos and Peter Pilottofor a dress that is flattering in the extreme. Women just can't get enough of there dresses but with their latest collection, they have also tried a little tailoring which has proved a huge success. There was also a slightly more quirky feel to this collection than previous ones with assymetric fur trims and striking orange colour combinations.

Topshop Unique

Inspired by the great outdoors and camping trips, this collection was fun but wearable at the same time. Fun and fantasy like featuring Emma Cooks animal masks, lots of woodland creature inspiration and lovely knitwear.



Christopher Kane

It is really impossible to talk about London Fashion Week without talking about Christopher Kane one of Londons hottest talents. His collection inspired by Priscilla Presley and the Womens institute and came together in a lace and leather collection embroidered and printed with delicate florals. The perfect combination of beautiful, feminine and sexy.

London Fashion Week really gave us plenty to look at with very little in the way of minimlism, plenty of colours, prints and texture.

picture credits - all aw10 from http://www.style.com/
Burberry
Basso and Brook
Mary Katrantzou
Peter Pillotto
Topshop Unique
Christopher Kane

Debenhams to Use Size 16 Mannequins

Debenhams have shown that they are keen to show off their clothes in shop windows, in a way that relates to a large proportion of their customers. They will soon be displaying clothes in their shop windows using size 16 mannequins. The mannequins will be introduced as part of a trial to get feedback on whether their customers like them.

Most retailers including Debenhams currently use size 10 mannequins however most women in the UK are  asize 14 or 16. Debenhams stocks clothes in sizes up to 26 and says that 42% of its sales of women's clothes are sizes 14 and 16. The new size 16 mannequins will represent the clothes that most women are buying. The mannequins will be wearing the newly launched Ben De Lisi range for Debenhams and will have signs next to them saying 'I'm a size 16, do you want to see more of me?'

This move by Debenhams is the latest initiative by the fashion industry to show a more balanced representation of womens nody sizes. Last fashion week Mark Fast caused a stir by sending models of sizes 12 and 14 down the catwalk.

The window, which celebrates a realistic interpretation of the British female physique, was unveiled at Debenhams' Oxford Street branch in February. The size 16 mannequins can be seen in the newly launched Principles by Ben De Lisi window as well. The initiative will be later rolled out across the country, again to get feedback from customers.

What do you think, should retailers use mannequins in a range of sizes to give a more accurately representation of women's sizes?

picture credit - http://blog.debenhams.com

New York Fashion Week - The Green Shows

After a successful debut at New York fashion week in September 2009, the Green Shows were back this fashion week with a selection of 10 eco minded global designers. The collections were a clear message to the world that the New York fashion industry is going green in a very stylish way. Everything about the Green Shows is green from the lighting on the runway to the backdrops of the shows. The shows opened with the debut collection of Gary Harvey, vintage inspired pieces made completely from recycled clothes. The collection was entitled "Fashion with a conscious".

This dress was made from 28 recycled trench coats!

There were numerous other highlights of the Green Shows(too many to include all in this post) but here are just a few.



Samantha Pleet is making a name for herself as a trendy up an coming designer whose designs are worn by several indie bands. She  has a wind powered manufacturing facility in New York and her collection was made using organic cotton and wool. It showed her usual flair for the sort of clothes young people love to wear simple, fresh and charming with a touch of fantasy.

JoAnn Berman's collection was an explosion of colour and  culture. Made using recycled and vintage fabrics, she has definitely proved that eco fashion is anything but boring.

pictures from Ecouterre.com

The Highlights of New York Fashion Week - Fall 2010

As usual, there was so much to see and talk about at New York Fashion Week, we couldn't possibly cover it all in one post, so here are the highlights and main talking points of the week. This year attendees at NYFW have had to endure snow and plummeting temperatures but this hasn't stopped them turning out in style for the barrage of photographers that awaits them. Check out the Street Peeper for NYFW street style.

The Established Names



Marc Jacobs, a firm favourite of so many fashionistas, showed a collection that was understated but in a very stylish way. Some might call it nostalgic or vintage inspired, other would call it granny chic, but whatever label we put on it, it is likely to a be a popular collection with it's simple cuts, quaint tailoring, historical references and muted colour scheme of greys, whites and silvers, all combined in a fresh and contemporary way.

Emma Hills fourth collection for Mulberry was definitely one to write home about. It  was definitely all about 'the London Girl'. Inspired by the Valley of the Dolls, it worked leopard prints in pinks, purples, tans and blacks, with doll like bell skirted suits and a more sophisticated drop waisted long sleeved dress. The sweaters are sure to seasonal must haves from the Fair Isle sweaters to the dog sweater modelled by a lovely French Bulldog.

Proenza Shouler is one of those collections that everyone really looks forward to. This time it included some pieces that are sure to copied to death come autumn and winter from the high waisted shorts to the dress with cut outs to expose the rib cage and the high waisted skinny jeans with a graffiti print.

One of the most established names on the New York catwalks, Ocar De La Renta showed a bright and dazzling collection in jewel like colours. The collection was extravagant and bold and didn't disappoint with its to die for evening wear and luxurious tailored coats.

I couldn't finish talking about established names without mentioning Alexander Wang, favourite amongst the young and trendy. His collection was as usual uber cool but different from his past collections with lots and lots of different velvets including chenille. He managed to work the velvet with his signature style of laid back non chalance and created some great must have pieces for fall.

The Up and Comings

Christian Cota is one of New Yorks most talked about up and coming designers and this time his collection was a change from previous ones with much harder lines in place of the softer draping he had excelled at in the past. Lots of bold and striking abstract prints combined in a clever jigsaw puzzle manner inspired by Cubism. I definitely think this was one of the more exciting collections to be shown at NYFW.

Rodarte, the label of sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy is still a relative new comer to New York Fashion week, although it has a huge following and recently is one of the most talked about labels at the shows. This seasons collection was a complete contrast to the strong warrior like looks of previous collections. It was whimsical and dreamy with dresses made from collages of material whisps and scraps. The beautiful floral chiffons, chunky handknits and cheese clothes gave the whole collection a ethereal feel. Definitely a big talking point for  NYFW.

After its disappointing relaunch a few years ago, there has been plenty of talk about the appointment of Marios Schwab as Creative Director at Halston. The first collection by the London based designer for Halston didn't hark back to the good old days of studio 54, but introduced a new more modern version of Halston  with shorter dresses and tighter jackets. The collection took a bit of what made the brand so famous in its hey day including the draping, fluidity and bright colours but adapted them for todays modern woman.

Rag and bone was kind of a big surprise this year with some very stylish outfits inspired by English climbers in the twenties for their first stand alone womens collection to be shown at NYFW. The collection was also slightly reminiscent of school girls with the knee socks and smart coats. Lots of tweed, great accessories like mittens on elastic hung around the neck and belt pouches. I can see these accessories being very popular come Autumn.

Although Reed Krakoff debuted his signature line this NYFW, (which has been a year in the making), he is no stranger to fashion. Having been credited with turning Coach from a smallish leather goods company to a $3 million mega brand, there were great expectations of his new label. The collection was  cross between minimalist and military with some very desirable piece including a long midnight blue coat. Generally this collection was considered a great success.

The Celebrities

The Olsen Twins are well known for their style and so it goes without saying that they should design their own celebrity collection. The twins style could be described as 'boho chic' so it was slightly surprising that their collection featured minimalist pieces, perhaps a statement letting everyone know that they are not just one trick ponies. Their label, The Row, named after Savile Row was launched a few years ago but this was their first show at New York Fashion Week. The collection was well received and seemed to be a success in achieving the most perfect, simplistic, effortless fit.

Another celebrity showing a line of classic well fitting clothes, was Victoria Beckham, whose previous collections have sold out, proving that they are just the sort of clothes women love to wear. Amongst her controversial comments defending the rights of designers to use thin models, she seems to have pulled off another successful collection of clothes, nothing too exciting but flattering and chic.

The coverage

One of the biggest pieces of news for this fashion week is the increased coverage in the media and online. Each season technological advances allow more and better coverage of the events for those not lucky enough to attend. Not only can you now watch the shows live but also the people on the street outside the shows, the celebrities attending the shows and the models backstage.

There was also plenty of interesting sustainable and eco fashion at the Green Shows, but that is another post...

Picture credits: All Fall Winter 2010/ 11 from http://www.style.com/
Mulberry
Proenza Schouler
Alexander Wang
Christian Cota
Rodarte
Halston
Rag and Bone
Reed Krakoff
The Row
Victoria Beckham

20% Off at Oasis

We couldn't wait to tell you about this amazing offer of 20% off all collections at Oasis in conjunction with The Sunday Times. The offer includes all orders placed between 21st and 27th February 2010 using the voucher code OASISSPRING10 at checkout. Here are some of our favourites:

Butterfly Fringe Top
A tee with a difference, fringing is the new must have for Spring/ Summer 2010. Team with denim for an ultra cool - hippy vibe


Loop Back Crop Hoody
Great for laid-back leisure wear, this zip-front cropped hoodie is utterly on trend.


Tropical Print Assymetric Dress
Colourful and exotic, we love this flattering style of dress for the spring and summer.

H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams

I am quite excited by the new H! by Henry Holland collection at Debenhams. It is bright, fresh and trendy as you would expect. It has some great essential pieces for spring and summer perfect for mixing and matching for some really fun outfits. With a variety of bold prints including neon florals, checks and spots, it includes so many of the summers key trends. It also includes some great denim pieces and plain basics including bodysuits, crop tops, blazers, parkers, hoodies, t shirts and jeans. The collection has plenty of choice so probably has just about something for everyone from delicate floral dresses to logo t shirts. I can see so many different outfits that you could create with this collection, almost all of the pieces lend themselves to layering and bright colour/ pattern combinations.  It also has lots of bright and patterned accessories which are perfect for updating an existing wardrobe.

Grey Check Blazer

Khaki and Purple Check Parka

Purple Square Spot Dress

Turquoise Check Playsuit

Grey Floral Pattern Snood

Grey Marl Cropped T Shirt

Pink Bodysuit

Tan 'Quentin' Small Satchel