The International Best Dressed List

Last month Vanity Fair posted the 74th Annual International Best Dressed List, the list was originally compiled by editor Eleanor Lambert to boost the fashion industry back in the 1940's and is still considered to be extremely influential today. With lists that tell us that Kristen Stewart is the Best Dressed woman in the world it’s nice to get someone else’s opinion! Django Unchained actress Kerry Washington heads up this list, which is filled with Royals and celebs alike. I never really think much of these lists as they’re often filled with celebrities in gowns they were seen in at events such as the Oscars. We all know designers lend dresses to celebs for them so how can we say that they can dress themselves well? I tend more to take inspiration from people I see on the street or from blogs etc.Anyway, here is my personal list (no judging please) of people whose personal style I admire.

#10 Clemence Poesy

#9 Ruby Aldridge

#8 Kate Moss

#7/6 Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen

#5 Rosie Huntington-Whitely

#4 Alexa Chung

#3 Emmanuelle Alt

#2 Camille Charrière

#1 Olivia Palermo

Liberty London Opens its Doors to Channel 4

Liberty is one of London’s biggest department stores and this Autumn the prestigious store is exclusively opening its doors to Channel 4 for a fly on the wall documentary following the stores employees during the lead up to Christmas.
The documentary is based on the BBC2 documentary that went behind the scenes at major Mayfair hotel Claridges. The 3 part series follows managing director Ed Burstell, head of marketing and communications Kate Brindley and the retail team. Burstell told WWWD that the show will have a real focus on the business of fashion and will follow the staff as they visit fashion week and arrange buying meetings etc. The show will air in the UK then internationally at a later date. 
Why have Liberty decided to open itself to the world on television, and why now? Burstell said "I really hope that Making Liberty will bring a new customer to Liberty and show people that perhaps haven't visited the store in a while that we aren't just seeping in our heritage, or resting on our floral-printed laurels, or just 'expensive'," said Brindley. "We are a brand that thrives on innovation and we have something for everyone." I for one am very excited about the upcoming documentary; it will give a really exciting insight in to the well-known store. Are you guys excited?

Beckham Causes a Stir at Belstaff Opening

A lot of fashion week seems to of been dominated by the man candy this year. First David Beckham broke a million hearts with baby Harper at Victoria’s show in New York then Harry Styles caused pandemonium when he attended Burberry Prorsum and House of Holland. 
Beckham outdid all that hands down on Sunday evening, the whole on Bond St was bought to a standstill by the opening of the new Belstaff store and everyone was expecting a ‘special guest’. David Beckham arrived to celebrate the opening leather clad riding a motorcycle, sounds like any girls dream huh. Its clever thinking on Belstaff’s behalf as David Beckham is one of the biggest stars in the world, women want to sleep with him and men want to go to the pub with him (and probably sleep with him too) in fact I’ve yet to meet a person with a bad thing to say about Mr Beckham which makes him the perfect candidate to endorse a brand. Men look up to stars such as David Beckham and tend to imitate celebrities instead of looking towards the catwalks for trend advice.  I expect well been seeing Beckham out in a lot of Belstaff soon, and its more than likely well start seeing boys sporting Beckham quiffs and black leather jackets in no time.

London Fashion Week SS14 Highlights

It doesn’t even feel that long ago since February’s fashion week, yet SS14 LFW is almost over! Concluding today with shows from Simone Rocha, Fashion East and Meadham Kirchhoff among others it’s safe to say its been a very exciting week for fashion. From the looks of things summer 2014 will be all about pastels and femininity and a hell of a lot of white. 2014 will be the summer of the LWD (little white dress FYI).

With over 120 designers exhibiting their work we couldn’t possibly go over every collection shown over the last couple of days so here I’ve rounded up just a few of my personal faves!

Christopher Kane
Over the years Kane has established himself as one of Britain’s finest designers outdoing himself season after season and SS14 was no different. Kane took to studying flowers under a microscope for his collection, making flowers new and exciting isn’t an easy task. Dresses had large petal shape cut outs traced in shiny patent on pastel dresses. The shapes were clean, clinical and feminine. Kane also paid tribute to the trophy sweat, which doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, some with graphic botanical related prints and another that stood out to me with a cut out shoulder and beautiful jeweled embellishment around the shoulder. Moreover he’s announced he’ll be opening his first store, is there any stopping this man?

Burberry Prorsum
Christopher Bailey always pulls out all the stops to make Burberry one of the most memorable shows of fashion week. The star-studded frow including Anna Wintour, Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Harry Styles didn’t take away from the stunning clothes. With sheer lace skirts and pretty candy pastels the collection somewhat reminded me of Louis Vuitton’s 2012 collection. With beautiful lilac spring coats and loose trenches the show was a resounding success for Burberry. Models were showered with rose petals for one of the most beautiful finales of the week.

Erdem
Erdem's collections are almost instantly recognizable thanks to his romantic silhouettes and light florals. This season the romance remained but the colourful florals were gone. Erdems monochromatic show was a sure fire standout of the week. The intricate lace and florals were still there only in a strict palette of black and white, this collection seemed more focused on textural exploration than pretty prints. The knee length woven and sheer panel coat was to die for. Erdem chose this collection to push his own personal boundaries and leaving his comfort zone, and it really worked.  What will Erdem do next?

Simone Rocha
Newgen winner Simone Rocha (daughter of John) has been gradually building herself in the fashion industry. Still considered a relatively new designer her past collections have received rave reviews and been spotted on stars from Alexa Chung to Chloe Moretz. Rocha shows no signs of slowing down, as she presented another romantically edgy collection this morning. Although each garment was feminine and light, Rocha added a punk edge with green mohawks, masculine lace ups and beautiful pearl hold ups. Rocha experimented with sharper silhouettes, intricate detailing and different textures, this collections is a sign her works maturing and she’s showing no signs of disappearing any time soon, expect a lot more from her. 

Remembering Antonio Lopez, The King Of Illustration

Antonio Lopez was one of the most influential fashion illustrators of our time, nicknamed the ‘King of Fashion Illustration’ Lopez was a massive influence in the 1960’s.  To celebrate his life and work an exhibition is being held at Roland Mourets Townhouse from September 14th to October 20th. 
Whether you’re a fan of Lopez’s work or just an art lover it’s a definite must see. Lopez’s work has featured in the pages of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and even the New York Times. The exhibition marks what would have been the artists 70^th birthday and will also include an auction of some of Lopez’s most famous pieces along with some of his unseen work, exciting! 

Lopez’s legacy lives one as American make up manufacturer MAC are to release a limited edition collection inspired by some of his finest works. His graphic and bold use of colour goes hand in hand with make up. The collection will be launched around a similar time to the exhibition, definitely one to check out!

The Glamour Of Bellville Sassoon, A Retrospective

Dressing Princess Diana is a pretty big deal and Bellville Sassoon did just that. The Fashion and Textile Museum are playing host to some of Bellville Sassoons most iconic works spanning six decades. 
Bellville Sassoon was once one of Britains most iconic labels, worn by Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Moreover Sassoon is one of the only labels to of designed for every member of the royal family (minus the Queen). David Sassoon started the house with Belinda Sassoon, David retired after 55 years last year which meant it was the perfect time to hold a retrospective for the label. 
We were fortunate enough to have a talk from David at university last year which gave a great insight to the label and from that I can tell you this a must see for fans of fashion!The exhibit will run from the 20th September to 11th January 2014 so if you’re not down South you’ve got plenty of time to get down there and take a glimpse at some of Bellville Sassoon's best works. Tickets range from £8-£5, you’ll find the Fashion and Textile Museum on 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF. 

NYC or LDN?

Is New York the place to be? It seems some of our homegrown talents are abandoning their homeland. Its known that Stella McCartney shows in Paris and now Victoria Beckham has chosen to show at New York as opposed to London. There seem to be several reasons she’d choose New York. Firstly her simplistic womanly silhouettes perhaps suit New York Fashion Week a lot more than London Fashion Week, which is often credited for its edginess and creativity. Moreover, New York seems to be where the money is. After all why do people go in to business? Some of it is for the love of fashion and creativity but someone would be lying if they said it wasn’t for the money. Being known internationally also works in her favour. Most British designers would have to build their success in Britain before crossing the Atlantic to the States, whereas VB who is already stinking rich and internationally famous its an easy move to make. At Vogue Festival VB said she felt ‘settled’ in New York so were not expecting her back in London anytime soon.

British label All Saints have also chosen to showcase their Summer 2014 collection in New York. This seems a little strange to me, as All Saints isn’t a particularly big brand in Britain. Perhaps they’re hoping they will attract more customers with a risky move to the big apple. I guess they will have to measure the success of this season as to whether they do the same next season.  I don’t see this affecting the British High Street at all, fans of All Saints will continue to shop there regardless it could only make things better for the brand.

Robert Mapplethorpe Fashion Show

Robert Mapplethorpe, the late, great photographer, will always be remembered for his black and white portrait photography and his provocative subject matter. He was known as the man with fresh ideas, his art was subversive and shocking and challenged the ideologies of his generation and opened minds. 
Robert also contributed to fashion, both editorially and socially. Fittingly the Alison Jacques Gallery in London is celebrating Robert and his work with an exhibition, Robert Mapplethorpe: Fashion Show, which will run until October 5^th. 
Along with the exhibition, a new paperback version of Mapplethorpe Polaroid’s will be released. 
German GQ recently paid homage to the photographer with a Mapplethorpe inspired photo-shoot featuring actor (and heartthrob) James Franco. It turns out; Franco has been cast to pay Mapplethorpe in a movie about the iconic photographer. It’s a clever way to introduce Mapplethorpe’s work to those who haven’t heard of him before. Roberts work was considered exploitive, so is his work relevant today? We live in such a politically correct society were unlikely to see work like Mapplethorpe’s on the pages of magazines such as Vogue anymore. Moreover it seems recently pretty much anything gets complaints. Some of his tamer fashion imagery is still inspiring to photography today moreover I like black a white imagery. Just like the James Franco photo-shoot, Mapplethorpe can still be an inspiration to photographers today, within reason.

Stella McCartney Collaborates with Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow and her bessie (or sister as she goes as far to call her) Stella McCartney have made clear their adoration for each other by joining forces to create a small capsule collection. Paltrow has been branded the best-dressed woman in the world by some and McCartney has become one of Britain’s most influential designers of recent years. 
The 6-piece collection (titled Stella x goop), features clothing and a couple of chic and minimalist handbags. To celebrate the collection the pair threw a ‘modest’ English themed garden party in the Hamptons, obviously. Cameron Diaz and Sarah Jessica Parker were just a couple of the American starlets in attendance.  
The collection features minimalist wardrobe staples such as a grey jumpsuit, black blazer and jeans and trousers all of which would no doubt be coveted by Paltrow on countless occasions (why else would she choose them), within reason they are beautiful and in the hands of McCartney you can’t doubt them really, all beautifully wearable and understated I especially love the Beckett bags! 
Check out the collection below and let me know what you make of it guys!

Honor NYC Comes to UK

There’s a new brand making its debut on online department store Matches. New York based label Honor is now available online. The brand was founded in New York in 2010; their garments include elegant eveningwear, using intricate embroidery and luxurious fabrics to create a sense of sophistication.The brand has been compared to high fashion brand Miu Miu, but said to be more affordable. That last statement is questionable when looking at some of the prices on Matches. A blouse starts at £500 plus and dresses are around £1,400 so its fair to say it’s a premium brand. Moreover the garments don’t seem to me that they would be worth the price tag, for that price id expect a well-made quality garment. What do you guys think of Honor? Will they stop at Matches or will they take over more of the UK in the future?