As if you needed further reminder, today is the 1st day of December which means the official countdown to Christmas can begin- hurrah! This advent time we will be bringing you a new fabulous product each day- it may be a very practical item to add to your Santa's list or a completely fantastical, escapist fantasy of a purchase to give you a moment's respite from pre-christmas to-do lists.
Christmas is traditionally a time for charitable sharing as well as luxe item lusting and our very first choice combines the two rather appropriately. As well as being the first day of Christmas countdown, it is also World Aids Day today. Gap has been playing its part for a few years now with its (red) collection. Back in October, I got massively overexcited when I heard Gap were collaborating with Isabel Marant. Sadly, a range was not to be but this t-shirt is Marant's contribution to raising funds for this extremely worthy cause. 50% of profits made from the t-shirt will be going towards the continuing fight to eliminate AIDS- a very worthy start to the festivities.
Isabel Marant t-shirt £24.50 from gap.eu and Gap stores
'I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend'... Freddie Mercury
You're going to be noticing a few changes in the next few months here at FEAL- most notably, we're going to be moving onto our very own website, rather than the blogspot. We've been poring through all the FashEd's photography books for inspiration whenever we have a spare moment . We were so in love with so many of the images that we decided it was high time we got around to sharing our favourites with all of you tumblr-aholics out there.
We've made a start today- this week is all about the 1930s but every week we'll have a new theme as well as a constant stream of anything we're loving right now. We hope you like!
The Savoy is surely the most glamorous location in London. Fitting as I've never seen the gathered fashion industry look as glammed up as they did last night. Theres nothing like economic gloom to inspire people into their gladrags. I spent the evening at a table hosted by Topshop with designers Nasir Mazhar, Michael van der Ham, and Mary Katrantzou, Alex Fury of Showstudio.com as well as Kate Phelan, Mary Homer and Sheena Sauvaire from TopShop. I love the images Bethan has gathered below, they sum up the night brilliantly. Hooray for Twitter. Now onto a few observations of the evening. *Kristen McMenamy (below) was my best dressed of the night. She looked insanely brilliant. *As Laura Craik of The Times pointed out on Twitter, with their girly slightly cockney accents Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham sound very alike. *Alexa Chung needs to eat a bit more *Ed Meadham of Meadham Kirchhoff rocked a pink feather boa, making him the campest designer of the night *Victoria Beckham is cute when she cries.
Here's what I wore, taken by Mary in our kitchen. Oh the glamour! I liked it, but I'm not sure I'll be having a Gatsby moment again anytime soon. Its just too retro. I like modern. Still, it worked for the Savoy. The dress is vintage 1930s from Lucy in Disguise, shoes Louboutin, and John at Daniel Hercheson did my hair, he also did Charlotte Dellal's of Charlotte Olympia. Anyway, thats the last you'll see of me for a while!
Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large I've gathered up some of the pictures which guests were tweeting and tumbling as a bit of change from the night's official pictures.
There also are a few videos from the night's proceedings. If you weren't there then this is surely this is the next best thing?!
Abbey Clancy with Kristen McMenamy(from LOVE magazine's twitter)
Model of the Year, Stella Tennant, with Kristen (from LOVE magazine twitter)
Amber Le Bon in Peter Pilotto *jelz* (from net-a-porter tumblr)
Caroline Sieber's shoes- pretty sure they're Charlotte Olympia (from Net-a-Porter's twitter)
Christopher Kane, winner of the New Establishment Award (and soon to be Uncle to sister and business partner Tammy's new baby) from Net-a-Porter's tumblr
Chris Kane accepts his New Establishment Award....
Daphne Guinness in Gareth Pugh (from Grazia's twitter feed)
David Gandy chats in the Net-a-Porter lounge (from net-a-porter tumblr)
Kate Moss with Sam Gainsbury, to whom she presented the Isabella Blow Fashion Creator award
Kate on stage (from Laura Craik's twitter)
Fashion blondies, Poppy Delevigne and British Fashion Cultural Ambassador, Laura Bailey (from Laura's twitter)
The 'Loser' table- I can definitely see Paula Reed from Grazia, Jonathan Saunders and Kristen McMenamy. Losers indeed! (from LOVE magazine's twitter)
AW, Mary Katrantzou (Emerging Talent winner, yay!) with Alexander Fury from showstudio.com (@fashedatlarge)
Watch Mary winning...
Sarah Burton backstage after winning Designer of the Year (Grazia's twitter)
Sarah accepts her award as Sam Cam looks on (from @fashedatlarge)
Watch Sarah collecting her award...
Stella looks on as her mate Kate poses (Grazia's twitter)
Stella and Kate (BritFashAwards twitter)
Watch Stella getting her award...
You can watch all the event highlights here:
And the winners were:
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR - Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
DESIGNER BRAND - Victoria Beckham
RED CARPET AWARD - Stella McCartney
ACCESSORY DESIGNER - Charlotte Olympia
MODEL - Stella Tennant
BRITISH STYLE AWARD - Alexa Chung
MENSWEAR DESIGNER - Kim Jones
EMERGING TALENT AWARD - ACCESSORIES - Tabitha Simmons
EMERGING TALENT AWARD - MENSWEAR - Christopher Raeburn
ISABELLA BLOW AWARD FOR FASHION CREATOR - Sam Gainsbury
NEW ESTABLISHMENT AWARD - Christopher Kane
BFC OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FASHION - Paul Smith
Backstage at Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2012 show, by Jason Lloyd Evans
Tonight is the British Fashion Awards and I am hoping, (though to my mind it is a foregone conclusion), that Sarah Burton is crowned Designer of the Year. It has been such a roller-coaster for Sarah since February 2010 when she took over the creative reins at Alexander McQueen. Throughout the tumultuous process of losing a friend, gaining a major role at the company and quietly and brilliantly dressing a royal bride she has conducted herself with grace and modesty all the while producing exquisite breathtaking work. I have huge respect for her, and thinks she deserves all the accolades possible tonight. If she doesn't win, there is no God. Fingers crossed!
Go Sarah!
Ok, so I'm now off to do what a girl has to do to get ready for the BFA's. Nail bar, hairdresser, then home to dress! I'm wearing vintage tonight - a lovely 1930s dress from Lily and Sarah Allen's boutique Lucy in Disguise. My clutch will be Alexander McQueen, for luck.
Rihanna in McQ on X-Factor (from fashionforlunch.com)
This has been a wonderful few days for London Fashion Week build-up after two of Britain's greatest fashion exports, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, both announced that they would be holding shows during February's London Fashion Week. The Alexander McQueen house's younger line, McQ will be showing for the first time ever and has chosen London for the occasion. McQ's first store will also be opening on Dover Street next Spring. Meanwhile, Stella McCartney has held her catwalk show in Paris for years now but she is bringing a special one-off presentation to the capital. Next February's London event will be an evening affair to celebrate Stella's association with the 2012 Olympics, for which she is designing kits for Team GB. Not to be outdone by McQ, Stella also has plans for another store, this time in Brompton Cross. Until then, we can satisfy our Stella love at Selfridges' 'World of Stella' pop-up in January. Be sure to check out next week's Grazia for more McQ news from the FashEd.
A stellar 2012 for Stella (image from newsonlineinternational.wordpress.com)
NEWS JUST IN: Just as I thought all the excitement was over for another week in fashion, I've just seen the breaking news on WWD that over $400,000 worth of Louis Vuitton bags have been stolen in an operation by masked thieves last night at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. After last week's Marc Jacobs burglary, the designer is not having much luck at the moment.
Someone's on the run with a hell of a lot of Vuitton (image from coachhandbagclub.com)
A quite odd announcement from the Advertising Standards Authority this week; the images of 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld sitting beside a railway line for Miu Miu's SS11 campaign have been banned. This is because they show a child in a hazardous situation. Obviously, that's completely understandable grounds for banning an image. However, they have have been all over the Internet and in magazines for months. This makes me think that the damage is done by now, so why ban the images just as they are being replaced with those from the Resort campaign anyway? I cannot help but think that is a clunky bit of bureaucracy rather than a meaningful decision. Am I wrong?
Look away children
On Wednesday evening, Net-a-Porter founder, Natalie Massenet interviewed Christian Louboutin at the V&A museum. You can see the best bits in the video below. Net-a-Porter were tweeting the event live. One of these tweets informed us that Mr Louboutin's dream woman to make shoes for would be Queen Elizabeth II. Interestingly, that very same day, some quite funny pictures were published of none other than Her Majesty (clad in her usual sensible black courts) shooting a concerned look at the Louboutin-esque footwear of Hayrunnisa Gul, the wife of Turkey's President, as she arrived with her husband at Buckingham Palace as part of their state visit to the UK.
Will Mr Louboutin be hearing from Her Majesty shortly we wonder? (image from dailymail.co.uk)
Rumoured supermodel couple Arizona Muse and Freja Beha Erichsen are the stars of Chloe's SS12 ad campaign. They were spotted at Chateau Marmont in LA, posing in dresses from the collection and generally having a fab time. We have hair and tan envy.
Summery fun for Arizona and Freja (Image from fashionologie.com)
And now for something a little more sobering. Most of us probably think of Arcadia as the behemoth of the British High Street; an almost untouchable retail giant. So, when it was announced yesterday that the company's profits had dropped by 38% and that 250 stores would be closing it was a signal that the economic environment is massively challenging right now. We may have been expecting bad news from smaller chains and businesses but Arcadia's decision to close nearly 10% of its stores shows that nobody is immune.
If you need help with your Christmas party attire then may we suggest you pop along to Harrods which is hosting a day of activities in their 'Way In' partywear department (on the 4th floor) on Saturday 3rd December. Fashion Illustrator David Longshaw will be there drawing customers in their new purchases. Henry Holland will also be transformed for one afternoon only into a shopfloor assistant, on hand to advise customers on the best looks. Actually, that all sounds like a bit of a party in itself, non?
Karl Lagerfeld gets the David Longshaw treatment
As Christmas is on its way, we thought we'd let you know about a couple of good causes to get involved in during the Season of Goodwill...
Erin O'Connor with some of the bags which are up for grabs.
For the next week, Save the Children are hosting an online designer bag auction to raise funds for their No Child Born to Die initiative. There are plenty of beauties to choose from including bags previously owned by Sienna Miller and Samantha Cameron. Also in the mix are some beauties from Alexander McQueen, Sophie Hulme and Christopher Kane (his liquid clutch which Erin O'Connor is holding is AMAZING). You can bid until 4th December. If all that doesn't make you visit the site, then perhaps Tilda Swinton can persuade you... She says:
“Bid high! Bid so much higher than you think you will or can! Think of a dicey number and double it. And then double that. No fancy bag can ever carry what your generosity will mean to the children it will help to live. Make this beautiful object truly valuable by investing real money in real life - and carry the evidence with pride. Don't count the cost. Think of it as paying something back for all there is to be grateful for in your days.”
If you're still feeling charitable then Volcom are asking for your donations of denim you no longer want... More details can be found here.
Azealia loves her Mickey jumpers (image from GQ.com)
THE new girl to buzz about is Azealia Banks, who has just topped NME's Cool List. The rapper from Harlem could not be more different from last year's winner Laura Marling, a folksy singer from a sleepy Hampshire village. Azealia Banks is culture's new naughty girl; where last year we hankered after the whimsical, goody two shoes vibes of Marling, that all feels a bit, well, quiet now. Banks is here to shout and swear us into a mad, hopping dance through the streets. And as she demonstrates, there's really just one uniform for that- a Mickey Mouse jumper.
Azealia looks super cute with her plaits, denim cut offs and cartoon tee- like a girl playing out in the summer holidays. Oh, but then she opens her mouth and all kinds of naughty words come out- beware of watching the video if you're a bit sensitive. She told GQ that the reason I, being English, love her song is because it makes me feel like I could have a shouty, sweary strop:
'I think that's a lot of the reason why people relate to it so much, because everybody wants to say, "F*** you!" I think by virtue of English culture being so polite, I feel like there's definitely a part of every English person that just wants to be like, "Aargh!" That's why it's picking up so much over here'
AAARGH exactly! I do think that however many times you want to scream c*nt, it's always that little bit more charming coming from someone with a childish quirk about them. I have to admit, I wouldn't be writing about Azealia if she'd been looking all tough in scary leathers and spikes. Instead, I see her as embodying so many things in the melting pot of mainstream Western culture right now. As the FashEd wrote earlier in the week, everything's got a bit BORING of late so listening to Banks is like turning all that on its head, shaking us awake and saying COME OUT TO PLAY. Her lyrics aren't the most profound ever and revolve quite a bit around sexual innuendo but at least they're challenging and provocative. She's an angry young woman. Her tangled but beautiful music reflects the frenzy felt by so many young people right now. From a fashion perspective, doing all this in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt takes what she's saying to another level. There's so much novelty, childish fashion on its way next year that the only way to do saccharine sweet without veering into vom territory is to add some Banks-ish attitude.
If a Disney jumper doesn't float your boat, a frill sock is a nice nod (image from GQ.COM)
I'm afraid I can't direct you to anywhere where you can purchase Azealia Banks' particular brand of f*ck you attitude but there are lots of Mickey tees about to get you started. Much more fun than a Colin Firth Christmas jumper.
Today is 'We <3 Mary' day here at FEAL HQ- last night I was lucky enough to meet the fabulous Greek designer herself at an event hosted by My Daily. This morning, the FashEd and I have been singing the praises of her bubbly, all-embracing approach to interacting with her fans, as well as her talent for combining print and shape in ever more visionary ways. Basically, Mary Katrantzou is our new girl crush because she can be a consumately professional design extraordinaire and a really nice person all at the same time! In this spirit, Mary has joined My Daily as a Contributing Editor; alongside her avid tweeting and enthusiasm to build the best possible website this makes her one of the most web savvy, and accessible, young designers out there.
Me, the Fashion Junior, with Mary Katrantzou
MyDaily editor Libby interviewed Mary last night and they covered everything from Mary's switch from studying Archtitecture in the US to Textile Design in London to the difference between a size 10 Mary dress and a size 14 ('the bigger the lady, the more print she gets'). Mary had plenty of snippets to divulge about how her business will grow in the future. Next June, she is hoping to launch her first pre-collection. She also wants to respond to all the interest men have shown in her designs- her SS12 blazer has been a popular order from the boys- by launching her own men's line in time. Bigger ambitions include a stand alone store in the middle of London, in a space which she can change all the time to suit the prevailing themes of her designs.
This blazer was inspired by simple Helmut Lang shapes from the 90s (image from catwalking.com)
Actually, Mary is a big fan of London. She claims that she would not be in fashion at all if it weren't for the world-renowned MA course at Central Saint Martins; she was tempted to stick to Textile Design but couldn't forego the opportunity to study under the guidance of Professor Louise Wilson whom she says 'gave me the confidence to talk about my work and forced me to develop a signature'. Mary was adamant that she'll be staying in London and showing her work in the young design context of London Fashion Week rather than trying to compete with bigger labels in other cities.
The final look from Mary Katrantzou SS12- The shape of a flower was the silhoutte which underpinned this collection (image from catwalking.com)
After the interview, I asked Mary how she was feeling about the timing clash of London and Milan fashion weeks in February. She acknowledged that it would be difficult but her spin made me think about situation differently. From a buyer's perspective, she suggests, London designers are currently among the most attractive because they pose less risk and can be more flexible than big, well-established labels. In the current economic climate, in which retail is taking quite a bashing, buyers like the fact that they can negotiate more on delivery times and minimum orders with the smaller labels, many of which are based in London. Crucially, their commerciality and growing reputation as exciting designers mean it's not a compromise for customers. Mary was also quick to point out that her designs and those of her peers are frequently being included in big editorial shoots around the world. The Katrantzou show is usually scheduled for the Tuesday of fashion week, by which time 'all the models have left for Gucci' so facing obstacles because of schedule clashes in nothing new for the Katrantzou team to deal with.
Mary Katrantzou AW11, photographed by Sean and Seng for POP
The FashEd interviewed Mary for the current issue of POP- I've included it here and we defy you not to have developed a full blown girl crush by the time you've finished. When I mentioned to Mary that I worked with Melanie, she was full of love for this piece. My Daily is also offering the chance to win a dress from Mary's SS12 collection- and if you're not a lucky winner and budgets don't stretch to the real Mary thing, you only have to hold out until February when her capsule collection for Topshop drops, hurrah!
I'm going to tell you something you might not like. You are fricking boring. Booorrring. You make me want to cry tears of sheer and utter head-banging against a table-top frustration. It's not just you, I'm boring too. Well, actually, it's not quite like that. But it has been firmly established that Being Boring is a powerful trend infecting music, TV and culture in general. The Guardian last Thursday summed it up succinctly, citing our love of Adele, Kirstie Allsop, baking and Downton Abbey as key signifiers of the movement christened The New Boring by the excoriatingly smart popjustice.com editor Peter Robinson. All together now "We coudda had it aaaa- aa alll, rollin in the deee eee eep." Even now, as I write this, me and the Fashion Junior are listening to "Don't Your Remember" with a tear threatening to trash our carefully applied eye makeup.
Well, I'm here to do my bit for boring fashion. Hopefully you're already in your pyjamas? Sales of those have gone through the roof recently, and you'll find the trendiest online and real world stores are heaving with sensible cable knit jumpers, lace up shoes, dull mannish coats, pared-back shopper bags, satchels, polo necks and novelty reindeer and snowflake jumpers. Alexa Chung's successful collection for Madewell is the height of Being Boring, what with its Bin Man Coat, and cosy cardigans.
So dull, even the bin men stopped wearing them. Alexa Chung loves her Bin Man Coat though.
It sounds wrong on paper that we should aspire to - nay even enjoy - boringness, but in fact we are all rather partial to it right now. I know I am. I draw the line at X-Factor and Coldplay's new album, but Frozen Planet is currently the highlight of my week, I can't listen enough to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs and my favourite new fashion item is a Isabel Marant Navajo inspired sweater. It certainly seems that we have an affection for boring things and find them amusing. How did this happen? Recession obviously. Dire straits cause us to contract into a smaller world of familiarity and safety. This directly correlates to our penchant for novelty Christmas jumpers.
The Pet Shop Boys brilliant ode to how not to be boring: "Being Boring." (1993)
When the Killing II hit BBC4 this weekend, all everyone could talk about in print and on Twitter was Sarah Lunds jumper. A fricking JUMPER. Boring! Yesterday aftertoon while Hugh Grant gave evidence to the Leveson Enquiry, inane and amusing Tweets about the #womanontheleft began trending on Twitter.
At the weekend a young codger named James Ward hosted the world's first Boring Conference in London. Here's how yesterdays The Sun newspaper reported on it. "IT was billed as a dreary look at life's dullest things — the world's only Boring Conference. Speakers were lined up to talk on topics so mundane that delegates would be forced to poke themselves in the eyeballs with sharp objects just to stay awake. After the cancellation of the "Interesting" conference last year due to lack of interest, Ward tweeted that there should be an alternative event called Boring. The response from his Twitter followers was so huge he had to follow it through and stage an event. James said: "Last year we held a much smaller gathering but this is the first ever conference. I can't believe the number [400] attending. Subjects included polite small talk, electric hand dryers and the first ten years of Which? magazine 1957-67. But once the conference started it all went horribly wrong — it failed to bore the audience rigid." Oh how I laughed.
