THE WEEK IN FASHION: OCTOBER 10th-14th

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

The Week in Fashion is back after its fashion week hiatus - it simply wouldn't have been able to keep up with all the excitement but is now raring to go again, bringing you all you need to know each and every Friday. This week we bring you images from the Frieze Art Fair, gross feet and we congratulate Sarah Mower MBE, recognised for her Services to Fashion. 

SARAH MOWER MBE
While Sarah's journalism career is stellar, it was in fact her contribution to the NEWGEN program and role as Ambassador for Emerging Talent that earned her the MBE.It is worth noting Sarah has transformed the global reputation of London Fashion Week since 2004 when she decided as she says "to become a botherer, and get young talented recognised and supported". Young designers who have been talent-spotted and/or nurtured by Sarah almost always go on to great things. See Christopher Kane, Roksanda Ilincic, Erdem, Louise Gray, Holly Fulton, Meadham Kirchhoff, Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll and so on... Onto the party now, hosted by Sarah and the British Fashion Council.

Sarah Mower MBE with Melanie Rickey (aka FashEd). Sarah is wearing a coat made for her by Christopher Kane straight from the runway of his SS12 show

Sarah's MBE (via @_lulukennedy)  

Sarah and Chris Kane

Sarah receives her MBE from The Queen at Buckingham Palace (Image from  metro.co.uk)

(To see the full set of photographs of the night go here)

Photographs: Christopher James

NOW ONTO FRIEZE ART FAIR...

Leila Lavari from StyleBop.com at Frieze in the Isabel Marant navajo cardigan everybody wants (Image from telegraph.co.uk)

On Wednesday, the Fash Ed and I both visited the Frieze Art Fair at various stages of the day. We came back having enjoyed the art, of course, but also buzzing with the fashion spying opportunities on offer, Rick Owens here, Maison Margiela there, Christopher Kane everywhere. I was very excited to spot Tracey Emin and see some of her latest work. The FashEd attended a brunch hosted by Cos in the Frame section which they sponsor, showcasing the work of up and coming artists. Here a few of her favourite pieces from the exhibit...

We're still getting over Dasha Zhukova's inaugural Garage magazine cover (the Damien Hirst peel away butterfly, lest you forget), and this week the girlfriend of Roman Abramovich has supported her man by wearing a quite beautiful Louis Vuitton outfit for the court battle between her boyfriend and fellow Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky. If the case were judged solely on the fashionableness of the participants' ladies then Abramovich would still be in possession of his £3.2 million right now but as it stands there is a load of legal wrangling to be getting on with.

Dasha arrives at court in Vuitton (image from dailymail.co.uk)

FETISH ALERT! WHEN MARC JACOBS MET HOUSE OF HARLOT

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large 

Marc Jacobs AW11 with rubber sequin dress by Robin Archer at House of Harlot

Angelina's handcuff clutch (from dailymail.co.uk)

High fashion is all over fetish like a rash. All that rubber, leather and fierce S&M chic is such a sexy visual. Funny thing is, though, despite all of Lady Gaga's efforts at Mugler, I haven't seen a single fashionista who has yet adopted an element of fetish for her wardrobe this season. Have you? OK Angelina Jolie has the handcuff handbag from Louis Vuitton and Jessie J is never knowingly dressed without an element of rubber about her person, but that's about it.

Fleet Ilya by Rankin

HOWEVER that isn't to say fetish should be ignored. The fashion and bondage label Fleet Ilya (above), designed by Ilya Fleet and his wife Resha Sharma create exquisite leather work that takes my breath away, not to mention the  Rankin shoot of Sophie + Jethro, from which the above photograph is taken. I will be blogging more about them in the next week.

Fleet Ilya necklace £310

Now, I would like to I to introduce to you what I consider to be the true source of the fetish trend for this season, a company little known outside the fetish world, and one which is on the speed-dial of Marc Jacobs: House of Harlot.

One of my favourite pieces from House of Harlot, the Bella skirt 

The first five exits of the Marc Jacobs autumn/fall winter 2011 collection featured rubber pieces all of which were created  by House of Harlot, run by Robin Archer, a Saint Martins trained designer in his forties who has been fetish obsessed since he experienced a night at the famous Torture Garden club in the early nineties with his wife and muse Michelle.

NIKE'S SPORTING FANTASY

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

 Runners have been known to try all kinds of weird and wonderful ways to keep up the motivation. My own favourite method might sound conventional- very loud power music- but when I tell you that I pretend I'm in a film, perhaps running to save the world from disaster, or fleeing from some stereotypical baddies then you may think I'm a bit strange. This is a method which works best in the dark, when you have the chill of the wintry air puffing against your face, unrelenting. It feels quite glamorous but I'm sure the reality is quite different from a bystander's perspective.

 These images created for Nike by comic artists Jan Duursema and Amanda Conner pretty much sum up where I am in my mind, as I run through the neat suburban streets of one of England's safest towns. Cartoons are never something I've been very into but I can totally see how the medium works perfectly to create a kind of fantasy image of how a girl might look and feel as she does her workout. Conner even says that she comes up with the characters she creates while she is running and doing karate, helping her to envisage who they are and how they'd move.

 The purpose of this series of images is to show how Nike had created winter workout gear which doesn't restrict you but will still keep the cold, wet and wind at bay. As always with Nike, there are lots of super-techy elements which go into the collection but the fantasy figure theme is carried through in names like the legend pant and victory bra. That is a very savvy story to tell which is already adding flourishes to my running daydream.

FROM EDITD: THE BUZZ TO KNOW FROM SS12

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Over the past month, we have been completely bombarded by images, tweets, reviews and blog posts from the SS12 shows. We've had a ball, but sometimes you need to pin down what's really important- what do people LOVE? What will we be wearing next season? Which brands are doing the right stuff to get themselves loved? And, most crucially, should I be channelling Little Mermaid or Mr Potato Head next season?

Theyskens' trousers for the city mermaid

We've blogged about our geeky appreciation of Editd before, but their SS12 report has really helped to focus our minds and given us an insight into the reality of next summer's fashion rather than just what has stuck with us because we, personally, love it or hate it. Really you MUST read it. I've extracted a few things which jumped out at me as fascinating/ baffling or any other adjective of great strength.

1. Yves Klein Blue

We noticed the blue, of course. I have also become a bit obsessed with Richard Nicoll's 'Laura Palmer' blue but I am also a big fan of Yves Klein blue which Editd have underlined as the key way blue was done. I'm so glad there are more imaginative names we can apply than dark blue. This hue was featured in 36 shows across all four fashion weeks, a key indicator that you'll be seeing more.

Yves Klein- Blue Monchrome, 1961. Image from moma.org

Diane Von Furstenburg SS12

Stella McCartney SS12

MY NEW GIRL CRUSH: LANA DEL REY

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large





Last night New Yorker Lana Del Rey (real name Lizzy Grant) popped up on Later with Jools Holland on BBC2. Eagle-eyed readers will note that we recently blogged about her song Video Games being the tune of London Fashion Week.

The final verse of Video Games

It's you, it's you, it's all for you
Everything I do
Tell you all the time
Heaven is a place on earth wit' you
Tell me all the things you wanna do do
I heard that you like the bad girls
Honey, is that true?

To say 26-year-old Lana was mesmerising, and the song Video Games even more haunting sung live would be not doing this TV moment justice. She was utterly UTTERLY captivating, and Lana looks like the naughty jazz-singer sister of Natalie Portman. She is better in moving image, though.

From nme.com

From Hipsterrunoff.com I think this person looks like Pixie Lott...can it really be Lana?

However, it seems my reaction to Lana/Lizzy is exactly what her management team are hoping for from journalists and bloggers. Her backstory suggests she is an "internet phenomenon" who "made her videos at home, and they just, like, took off all on their own." Well, dur me. According to this article on Hipsterrunoff.com, she is as manufactured as Rhythmix (X Factor UK girl band), but designed to look un-manufactured.  Apparently she was being marketed in the same vein as a Pixie Lott type character, until her lack of success forced a rethink - hence here she is as an indie cool chick who doesn't give a F***.

Why do music companies bother with all the smoke and mirrors? Fashion businesses often update their packaging and brand image to no detriment and without backlash, in fact it is seen as a positive forward-thinking move. Lana as she is now is a brilliant package and all power to her. BUT if any of her management team are reading this, please note I would very much like to see her better dressed. As one person on Twitter pointed out this morning, she looked like Slutty Nurse on Jools. Christopher Kane's Spring/Summer 2012 collction would be perfect for her. After all Video Games serenaded this very collection on the runway, and really, his kooky sexiness would suit her to a tee.

Christopher Kane SS12 - Lana, this is perfect for you. And we'll let you keep your Ragga Girl nails

Christopher Kane SS12 (photos: Catwalking)

Video Games is released Sunday 16th October, but you can download it from US iTunes now.

MARY QUEEN OF FROCKS: GET SOME ARMERY IN YOUR LIFE

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Some behind the scenes pictures from Melanie and Mary's shoot for The Guardian. The location is the shop in House of Fraser, as it was a few weeks before opening!

If any of you have been watching Mary Queen of Frocks then you will be well aware that that our very own FashEd a.k.a Melanie Rickey, has played a crucial role in helping the fabulous Mary to create her first shop concept and clothing collection. This weekend, Mel and Mary did their first ever interview together in which they discuss how they came up with the essential elements of the collection.

AN EXCERPT FROM JESS CARTNER MORLEY'S INTERVIEW:
''How would Mary, the collection, have been different if Mel hadn't been involved? "It goes further back than that. Melanie has had a huge impact on how I dress. Early on in our relationship, we went shopping in Harvey Nicks. Boho was in – all those big puffy sleeves, and it all looked beyond dreadful on me, I was dying in the changing room, so we left and went home and Mel edited my wardrobe. She was brilliant. Essentially, she created the signature look I've had ever since." In that look was the germ of an idea, for a collection that would rescue other Marys out there from changing-room hell. When it came to pinning down the concept for the range, they sat down "and tried to figure out: what makes the perfect outfit?" says Mel. The result is the Pret a Portas cocktail (the fingerprints of Mel's Grazia background are all over the communication of the brand) which goes: one part simple chic, one part edge, then decorate. "That's how Kate Moss does it," says Melanie. "That's how I do it," adds Mary''

The FashEd models her big idea

Another of Melanie's big ideas was ARMERY- this is best described as tights for arms and engineered so that anybody a bit conscious of the upper arm area can still wear a sleeveless dress without ruining the look with cardis and shrugs. And it seems they're going down a storm. Charnos, who collaborated on the armery, have told us today that  'the complete first batch has sold out, and a second wave had to be rushed throught the factory'. Hurrah for Mary, Charnos and Melanie!

We'd love to know if any of you have tried out armery and what you thought.  It has already been a huge hit at the store, demand was so huge there was a waiting list of six pages which has just been cleared, and stock is back in now. Click the below link to get a good look at the product.

ARMERY costs £17.50 from House of Fraser.

WHAT I DID IN PARIS

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

I was sitting behind Suzy Menkes and Hamish Bowles at Uniqueness by Alessandra Faccinetti (and Pinko). Their silhouettes could make a great fashion print.

Suzy & Hamish

Some of my favourite looks at Valli. 

I've been posting every day over at Sportsgirl so I though I'd pop the links up here so you can see everything I got up to in Paris- Enjoy!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Oh, and apparently we're not the only ones who've been imagining what K-Mid might wear from the latest round of shows, hmmm