AW13 Trend: Camo

There was one print that really stood for attention across an array of catwalks for fall 2013. The camo trend has been doing the rounds for some time on many street style fashionistas and bloggers and by the looks of things camo isn’t going to be disappearing any time soon. The coveted print was spotted at Michael Kors, Alexander Wang, Christopher Kane and Rebecca Minkoff to name a few. So obviously the high street promptly followed suit. Whistles presented their latest camo laden collection exclusively at London fashion week, and camo has been spotted from Primark to Zara. 
Forget what you know about utilitarian camo, at the hands of the likes of Kors and Kane camo has been given a fashion makeover. Prints came in varying hues and shades, some were pixelated other distorted, some were large and some small. With all the endless possibilities I think its safe to say camo is a trend we’ll be coveting for some time. Here are some of my favorite picks from the high street. 

Nicole Farhi Saved From Administration by Maxine Hargreaves-Adams

It seems the norm these days that whenever there is news of the Great British High Street it is inevitably bad. The economic downturn and the need to save or look for cheaper alternatives has seen a great deal of once great stores going in to administration. 
Some brands are flourishing whilst others barely struggling to survive on the high streets of Britian, most luxury brands have managed to stay afloat but with Nicole Farhi filing for administration is this a sign of things to come for luxury brands?
Nicole Farhi has been around for just under 20 years and has six stores and nine concessions in high end department store such as Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, so how did they loose their consumers?
When you see that George and Galen Weston owners of Primark are the highest earners in the retail industry it seems that many consumers are now perferring to save and buy from discount stores such as Primark intead of splurging on luxury items from brands such as Farhi. The influx of designer copy cats finding their ways on to the shelves of Zara and Topshop have significantly helped these high street brands but has had the opposite effect on the initial designers. If this method means the death of the label who created the designs, where will the high street find its inspirtation then?
However with the news of a huge Dior store opening on Conduit Street and two new Chanel stores opened in recent weeks, the internationally renowned luxury brands seem to be coping. 
It has just been announced that Nicole Farhi has been saved from administration by Maxine Hargreaves-Adams (the daughter of the Matalan owner), who has bought out the brand and saved around 140 jobs. 

It was a lucky escape for Nicole Farhi, it would of been sad to loose a classic and loved British brand as there doesn't seem to be many left. However is this a sign to come? Will more luxury labels soon have to leave our Great British High Street thanks to high street chains such as Primark? Hopefully luxury brands can pull through this difficult time and young designers looking to break out in to the industry will not loose hope at this recent news. Only time will tell. Businesswoman Maxine Hargreaves-Adams has saved British label Nicole Farhi

Make It British

As times have progressed we’ve become more aware of things such as our carbon footprint. Because of this more and more companies are beginning to manufacture their products in the UK. Launching at London Fashion Week is the ‘Make It British’ logo that will signify products made in within the UK. 

The reason cited for the upswing in British manufacturing is the rising cost of producing in China and the importance of speed to market that domestic production permits. Another reason this is necessary is to create jobs within the UK.  Mulberry recently received £2.5m to build a handbag factory in Somerset, which will create 250 jobs. 
UK manufactured goods don’t come cheap mind, however the interest in carbon footprint and controversial labor conditions means this market is rapidly growing. A change in consumption habits may be needed however, perhaps we need to begin buying less and spending more as so many garments are wasted and sent to landfill. 

A few labels are already flying the flag for British manufacturing, ‘Closet Clothing’, ‘She Likes’ and ‘The Orphans Arms’ are just 3 labels whose products are produced in Britain. The products do come at a higher price than other fast fashion garments, a t-shirt averages at £30, which I guess seems quite steep however for a quality product with a British source is actually somewhat reasonable. Big names on the British high street are also beginning to tap in to the movement, Topshop’s minimalistic premium line Boutique is predominantly made in the UK, Marks and Spencer are releasing a Best of British line for Autumn 2013 and River Island have increased British production by 50%, which may seem small but is definitely a step in the right direction! 

Regent Street and Conduit Street: London's New Shopping Meccas?

We all know Oxford Street but it looks like theres a couple of new places looking to take the lead. Regent St and Conduit St are both looking to gain significant popularity with the arrival of new and exciting retailers which have the capability of turning Regent St and Conduit St in to shopping Meccas.
Regent St most recently opened its arms to Swedish brand '& Other Stories' (of the H&M, COS group), being the only store in the UK this got people talking, like COS but with H&M price tags the store has been a great success. 
And things don't seem to be quietening down at Regent St as 2013 will see the opening of the very first J Crew store outside of the US. The American brand has already established istelf as a big player after being spotted on the likes of Katie Holmes and first lady Michelle Obama, who claims its one of her favourite brands! Simple, chic, womanly silhouettes and with luxury twists on wardbrobe staples its not hard to see why the brand has done so well. 
Futhermore it has been annnounced that Hackett London, who's clientele includes Prince William, have payed Ferrari around £4m to take the lease for its Regent St store, while the Crown Estate will confirm on Friday that Watches of Switzerland will next year open the UK’s largest stand-alone watch store in the new W4 development. In a time of the dying high street, it seem Regent St is doing extremely well, their rental values have more than doubled making Regent St worth £2.6bn compared to its £700m in 2002.
 

Dior, Bond Street

Situated of Oxford St and near Liberty is Conduit St, home to more luxury labels such as Vivienne Westwood and Belstaff. The street is looking to be galvanised by the opening of a massive Dior store. Dior opened their first store in Conduit St 60 years ago and have just signed a 10 year lease on the 3,300 sq foot store, which will span over 3 floors. Dior will pay £308,500 pa, which equates to £360 zone A, the highest rent achieved to date on the street. Being right near Bond St means that it benefits from fierce demand from luxury retailers. The new store will be in addittion to the current store on Bond St and Anthony Selwyn, the head of Central London retail, has stated that he believes the opening of this store will lead to several more luxury brands to take space in the location over the next year.
Ill be keeping a close watch on new stores coming to both Regent St and Conduit St and will definetely visit the new Dior store! If you're in London make sure to visit both, they're the place to shop at the moment, our new shopping meccas!

Abercrombie Under Fire Once Again

We've all heard the name, Abercrombie and Fitch and in recent years Abercrombie and Fitch have begun their British invasion with the opening of a flagship store on Savile Row.
Famed for its ridiculously 'American' and 'preppy' style the brand has come under fire quite a lot in the past and recent comments made by the companies CEO have shook the boat once again. If you've ever gone in to an Abercrombie store you'll notice how all the shop assistants are either young, slim, beautiful girls or typically handsome and muscular males, it seems that there is an 'Abercrombie look'. They have come under fire for hiring generally caucasian male applicants and ignoring the minorities. Moreover a few days ago they hit headlines again in France for discrimination in appearance when hiring applicants. 
Moreover, in 2009 a law student who was born without a left forearm was accepted to work for the Savile Row store but was then asked to work in the stock room as her appearance breached the companies 'looks policy' ridiculous huh? How can a brand shamelessly have a 'looks policy' how arrogant can you get? The 'looks policy' has also jeopardised careers for several Muslims who have been told to remove their Hijab's when working. Moreover one store refused to let a teenage girl help her Autistic sister try on clothes in the fitting room. Its disgusting how the company feel they can treat their customers and employees in such a way.
CEO Mike Jefferies made controversial comments about their clientele saying he wants the brand to cater to the 'thin and cool' he went on further to say they hire 'good looking' people as it attracts other 'good looking' people and they want to market to 'cool, good looking people' bit of a shocking and outrageous comment to make and one which certainly alienates customers who don't think they fit in to the 'thin and cool' demographic. Its all quite ironic as Jeffries isn't much of a looker himself. Im not an Abercrombie fan but after these comments I'm sure I wouldn't want to shop there, unless I thought very highly of myself. Moreover the company announced Friday its first quarter earnings, which fell drastically short of Wall Street's expectations - according to the company, its first-quarter sales in the U.S. fell by 17 percent, which many are crediting to offensive comments made by Jeffries. 
Another recent controversy to hit the new stands was due to one of their print tees. The t shirt in question carried the quote '#more boyfriends than t.s' referencing american pop star Taylor Swift. Swift has come under fire for her many male companions and Abercrombie no doubt thought this tongue in cheek quote would be a hit, however Swifts large teenage following found the T-shirt to be highly offensive and were up in arms, eventually forcing the brand to pull the design from its stores. 
So can Abercrombie do anything right? Both Abercrombie and its sister brand Hollister have been criticised over the years and its starting to push peoples limits, especially here in Britain where the average woman size is a 16.  It seems to me that Abercrombie is the only person ruining their own reputation, one that they try very hard to uphold, if they carry on this way they could be meeting a sticky end very soon.
Blogger Jess Baker was outraged by Jeffries comments so created this mock photoshoot 

Burberry Eyes Up Andy Murray and Kim Sears

I, like many Britons, spent Sunday 7th June in my living room on the edge of my seat, avidly watching the Wimbledon final, regardless that it was a glorious day and Britain was basking in its unusual heat wave. It was a gripping match as world number one Novak Djokovick faced world number two Andy Murray, and even in the scorching 30 degree heat Murray went on to make history as the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years, previously won by Fred Perry. It was a brilliant end to a shocking Wimbledon and one that signed Murrays fate, its been no secret that a lot of English people dislike Murray just as much as the Scot has stated he dislikes England but since winning gold at the London Olympics and now taking the Wimbledon Championship theres no way you can't admire the dedicated sportsman. 

Andy Murray and Kim Sears both in Burberry at the Wimbledon Champions Dinner

Someone else who is rumoured to admire to Scottish tennis player is Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey. After all the hoo-ha surrounding Wimbledon theres been rumours flying around that Andy Murray and his girlfriend of seven years Kim Sears will be the face of next seasons Burberry campaign. 

Now lets be honest, Murray is the best looking guy we've seen and doesn't come close to a Burberry model but having made history for Britain it makes sense for him to front a quintessentially British label, furthermore will this help Burberry push its menswear line? Not many of us know men who watch fashion shows from their laptops or that you can have an in-depth conversation with about Burberrys last runway show. Men buy clothes not fashion. Its been shown that men take most of their style inspiration from sporting personalities or other celebrities. Having flicked through a couple GQ magazines and seeing the 'Best Dressed Men' lists its often filled with celebrities and sportsmen such as David Beckham and Tinie Tempah. Moreover, showcasing sportsmen is a great way to inspire others to take up sports. 

Christopher Bailey and Romeo Beckham
Sears on the other hand would without doubt fit Burberry beautifully, with a very English rose look about her and fabulous hair (jealous? me? of course not) she has that regal look that needs little make up or embellishment. Overall I think its a good idea and would suit the brand what with their previous celebrity endorsement of Romeo Beckham which raked in lots of publicity. Moreover I'd love to see the pairs chemistry come across as a lot of people think of Murray as a little one dimensional and dull so I'd personally love to see him and Kim as the face of Burberry. What do you think? 

Schiaparelli Makes a Shocking Return to Paris Fashion Week

The Haute Couture shows were shaken up this season when the ever controversial legend that is Schiaparelli made its come back, and it made sure it was a spectacle to remember. 

The house has never been normal, back in the 1930's Salvador Dali described Elsa Schiaparellis studio as "the beating heart of surrealist Paris", Schiaparelli's designs were grown out of art not dressmaking.

Just as the brand was, its return was truly shocking and one that will be spoken off for a while. Renowned designer Christian Lacroix created 18 outfits that went on display in the Musee Arts Decoritifs, and this will be the first and last collection he designs for the brand. Moreover, the clothes on display were purely for display and not for sale, no matter how much money you were willing to offer the order books would not be opened. I guess this once again expresses that Schiaparelli is art not fashion. Its something that can last forever. 

Lacroix was, in my opinion, the perfect candidate to design the collection. Both designers being so similar in their eccentric colour combinations and ridiculously flamboyant silhouettes. Lacroix payed homage to the legendary designers work with golden bug brooches (Schiaparelli was fixated with birds, bigs and insects), zippered jumpsuits, deep pockets and by abonding wearability, one layered skirts weighs almost 40kg. It was also exciting to see some designs from Lacroix after his label was forced to close its doors four years ago, so its was exciting to see new things from both Schiaparelli and from Lacroix. 

Six years after Diego Della Valle, owner of the Italian Tod's group, bought the Schiaparelli house and announced their attention to relaunch – there is no official confirmation of who the Schiaparelli designer will be, although it has been widely reported that Marco Zanini of Rochas will be given the job.

This is just the start, it seems that from next year they will present their collections commercially, both couture and ready to wear. 21 Place Vedôme will become the home of a Schiaparelli boutique. 

The relaunch of this brand has been nothing but unorthodox but who expected any different, Schiaparelli was just the same and was what made the brand so iconic. I think Lacroix has done a brilliant job of setting Schiaparelli up, lets see if Della Valle can continue his success. 

All images from wallpaper.com