ABOUT LAST NIGHT.....AT THE BRITISH FASHION AWARDS!

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

I promised I would post a picture of me in my Sophia Kokosalaki dress (look 20 AW09), and who better to pose with for it than the fab Ms Kokosalaski herself. Sophia is such an amazing designer, and Caren Downie of ASOS.com, Harriet Quick of Vogue and Bridget Cosgrave of Matches all looked sensational in their Sophia K. Sorry for the grainy quality of the picture, but Sarah Mower took this shot and I think I had the camera on the wrong settings!!! Thanks though Sarah.  It was an eventful evening (see winners list on the fabulous GraziaDaily).

My toe is still throbbing from when Mandi Lennard accidentally stepped back on it wearing spike heeled Lanvin boots while taking the below photo of Victoria Beckham and her friend and protector Natalie Lewis. But the distant throb in my foot - I'm calling it my toe hangover - is as nothing compared to what Karen Elson will be feeling this morning.

The delectable supermodel flown in from Nashville to present Grace Coddington with her Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator actually fell off the stage in the process of walking onto it. A drop of about seven feet. It was such a shocking moment, the noise of 1000 or so people clattering and chattering stilled to silence as we all imaginged the next award would go to an unsuspecting Paramedic. But she picked herself up to a standing ovation and later it was confirmed following a visit to St Thomas's hospital that she has a sprained thumb.

Get well soon Karen. Oh and by the way she was truly the most beautiful woman present last night. Eva H, Claudia S and Kate Mossy were all there but Karen was beyond radiant. After seeing her I want to wear a red dress!

See Mandi's Colette blog here.
Picture credits:
Melanie Rickey & Sophia Kokosalalki: Fashion Editor at Large
Victoria Beckham and Natalie Lewis: Mandi Lennard
Karen Elson: Dave Bennett

A REALLY DETAILED LOOK at JOSEPH SS10!

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

One of the pleasures of NOT going to the press day of a label, is catching up on it all afterwards. The boon of off-pisting a press day appointment, is that one generally meets with a PR who has time on his or her hands, and can give feedback on how the collection went down with the press. Most pleasingly of all, the PR is not suffering from smile-muscle rigamortis locked in the upturned position.

So it was when I taxied to meet Imogen Crosby at Jospeh a week or two after the Joseph press day at their Brompton Road HQ. We had tea, chatted, wandered around the showroom ooh-ing and aahing and I took my time to really take in the changes in the brand and what Joseph is up to.

As I have said in an earlier post, the Joseph at Westbourne Grove near my Maida Vale base is something of a palace of design for me. I go in to try on Haider Ackermann and Givenchy (and cry that I cannot afford it), and then wander downstairs in the store to purchase some Joseph own label which, thanks to relatively new Japanese owners and a new design team in the shape of Alain Snege - ex-Collette - and Louise Trotter - ex-Jigsaw/Gap/Calvin Klein - I like a lot.

So without further ado, I present my edit of Joseph SS10.
1.

This jacket is light and elegant yet its weighted down by chains to keep it in shape making it a perfect spring/summer jacket. It's very fashiony. A move on from the cropped jackets we have all been wearing, but still with the look of that. It will be good to wear with very short items (as shown), and really tight things like treggings of jean-leggings which will be the fashion staple of the year in 2010.

2.

These shoes are by Tiffany Tuttle, the daughter of the former US Ambassador to England. Her label is called LD Tuttle, and Tiffany has collaborated with Joseph to create these shoe/boot/sandals for SS10. What I like about them is that they're tough chic for everyday wear. The heel is not too high, and we all know it's about a lower heel for SS10.  I remember meeting Tiffany Tuttle for a coffee in Maida Vale once; she is a former dancer and cool and edgy in that Rick Owens L.A way. After our breakfast she told me she wanted to take a walk to Regents Park, little did I know that meant she was heading home to the biggest house on the Park!
3.

These leggings are real Python. Also in the Python area is a stunning sleeveless biker jacket. The khaki jacket is noteworthy becasue khaki cotton drill will be the denim of SS10. What I mean to say is it will be the fall-back hard-wearing fabric of choice for the fashion set. As we say in the trade - its a look!

 4.

These khaki's are by customised Alonzo Ester and shape up to be another of Joseph's collaborations for SS10. He has also created a studded parka. In his day job Mr Ester is a stylist and creative director and worked with Madonna during her Rhinestone period. I'm STILL wearing my Gap khaki's from two years ago, and in my mind I have replaced them with these already!

5.

I know this looks like a lovely short sexy very tight black dress, and it is. But having seen it in the flesh I can share with you that it incorporates sheer panels both through the arms and in swathes across the upper body thus giving it a fashion edge that is totally SS10.

MORE SOON ...Going out with my good friend Caren Downie fashion director of ASOS tonight and got to get ready...

SMACK MY STITCH UP

Posted by the Fashion Junior at Large

                               Their promotional poster is as M.I.Y as it gets

                Childhood friends Kristie and Coralie

The Fashion Editor at Large went to the Hidden Art fair last week at Brick Lane, and told me about how she bumped into Coralie and Kristie who run M.I.Y workshops appealing to young, creative (or just skint) types who want to make their own Christmas cards, jewellery, cross-stitch...whatever.Well, I did my graduation project/magazine on the M.I.Y movement, as the FEAL well knows, and am definitely of a mind that, for my generation, creativity begins at home.

What really set my pulse racing when I heard more about these two art graduates, is that they are not just popping up unpredictably at art fairs and the like, they have opened an M.I.Y bar!!! in Kings Cross and running themed nights called the likes of "Smack My Stitch Up".

So on Saturday the Fashion Junior at Large trudged through the rain to Kings Cross to attend "Kristie abd Coralie’s Christmas Cooler", and make stuff. Situated in a building that was once home to a gay bathhouse and more recently a sex shop (apparently the sex shop is still operating out of the basement, but the glitter covered door which links the two businesses is firmly locked) Coralie and Kristie, two childhood friends, have the quaintest most wholesome enterprise you can imagine.

It’s M.I.Y meets cocktail hour, held in a softly lit room with marvellously mismatched furniture. Crafty jewellery, home furnishings (Like Rescued and Revived’s ‘divorce cushion’ as Coralie refers to it – emblazoned with the message ‘I’m sorry. I overestimated forever. Goodbye’) and pick ‘n mix sweets stud the walls. Groups of girls (and some men as well) sat around enjoying mulled wine and cake whilst contentedly making Christmas cards with Pritt stick, glitter and bits of ribbon.  Admittedly this was early in the evening, later it was more of a party atmosphere.

Head down and focus on making those unique Christmas Cards!

The box of craft materials supplied by the girls is full of wonderful and bizarre bits and bobs, and I end up covering my Christmas card to the b/f in animal stickers and a My Little Pony ribbon (I hope he likes it!?!). It was fun fun fun, and the good news is the girls are hoping to stay open into the New Year, continuing events like ‘Bring and Bling’, and ‘Stitch and Bitch’. If you get a chance, GO!!!

The M.I.Y workshops will run from 10-13th and 17th-20th December, from Midday to Midnight at 9 Caledonian Road, N1 9DX.

Check out the website: http://www.kristieandcoralies.com/

THINGS IN MY HEAD TODAY

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

1. What I'm going to wear tomorrrow night to the British Fashion Awards. I think it will be this by Sophia Kokosalaki:

I love it. It is so chic. But I'm in a quandry about showing skin. I think I have to. Skin is sexy. My g/f thinks black tights will be chic.

2) It's been over a week since my last confession... I mean blog. When one does have an untended blog growing virtual tumbleweed in the blogosphere, it is a stressful feeling. Especially when there are plentiful stories and posts to share and no time to release them. So now a stack of ideas filling two pages in my "Fashion Editor at Large" notebook are queueing up to depart my mind like buses waiting to leave a garage.

The reason for this long blank is that I have not yet mastered how to fulfil multitude journalistic commitments to Grazia and others while also blogging. The pre-xmas rush is always as stressful as it gets - talk about cortisol overdose, or in my case my cortisol stash is fast depleting. In the last week I have completed the Best Dressed 2009 tome for G's mega-stacked double-issue published on the 22nd December. I love doing the best dressed list, it is extremely intense and detailed but also fascinating how what we look for in a fashion icon changes so much in the space of a year. I think you will be blown away by our choices and omissions.

Clearly by the time January comes along and my new logo/ blog design are up and running, my special blog email address is delivering what I need, and the fashion junior at large and me are in place at our new office this kind of behaviour will be TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. In the spirit of us still being limey amateurs and newbies to the scene, I'm even letting the ridiculously beautiful Fashion Junior at Large swan off for the next three days on a modelling job with Rankin, but of course I made her promise to blog daily to share her experiences.