London
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Mr Selfridge – Totally seduced by the style and shopping.
After a weekend of ill-health, I finally got around to catching up properly with ‘Mr Selfridge’ last night. I was totally dazzled and enchanted, as I had expected to be, with the fascinating story of Harry Gordon Selfridge, played in the series by Jeremy Piven, and the iconic department store he created, bought to life on the small screen. All those instantly recognisable features, the wonderful window displays, the luxurious fixtures and fittings, the Art Nouveau style lifts, it was all there, albeit in a 1909 version. Mr Selfridge was a retail visionary. So much about the way we enjoy shopping is down to him, from the opportunity to be…
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Selfridges – New Season Picks, including some of Duchess Kate’s favourite designers
With Christmas now just a distant memory, it seems the time is right to look at what the designers have in store for us for these early days of 2013 (and doesn’t it still feel strange to be typing that?). A trip to Selfridges shows that there is a lot to savour from some of our favourite designers. Erdem continues the quest for the perfect lace dress with the beautiful cappuccino lace of the Anna dress, whilst elsewhere there is an awful lot of blue to enjoy, in all shades, from the bright and vibrant, to the most powdery pastel shades. And then there are the new season bags. I…
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Ossie Clark being relaunched by Debenhams – super exciting
If you think of a designer who epitomised the late 1960s/early 197os, the name that probably springs to mind is Ossie Clark. The flamboyant designer created a wealth of beautiful, floaty garments that featured the glorious prints of his wife, Celia Birtwell. These were the clothing of choice for all who were famous, beautiful and beloved of the generation. Bianca Jagger wore an Ossie Clark design for her 1971 wedding to Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenburg. Marianne Faithfull, Ali McGraw, Angelica Huston, Twiggy and Mick Jagger himself all shone in Ossie’s designs, which were characterised by beautiful prints, fluid movement and those long sweeping sleeves. Ossie Clark died in 1996, murdered…
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Jools Holland Hootenanny – Paloma Faith, Lianne La Havas and Emeli Sande
Jools Holland Hootenanny is always a tradition in my house for New Year, with a small child we’re usually back in well before the clocks strikes Midnight(no Cinderella moments for me) and so always welcome the new year with Jools and his guests. And in recent years I’ve noticed it’s become a bit of a fashion event too. Last year Jessie J was Louise Brooks in 1920s style fringes, and this year we had Paloma Faith rocking origami styling and looking incredible (was it Sass and Bide – it reminds me of the Sass and Bide dress that Nicole wore on this series of X Factor), Lianne La Havas in…
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Style Icons – Two Kates – Moss and Upton
Kate Middleton hasn’t been the only Kate making fashion waves this year. Two model Kate’s have also made waves in the world of fashion, albeit of different varieties. Both Kate Moss and Kate Upton have proven that blondes still have more fun, and have both featured on Vogue front covers. But whereas Moss remains the cover girls all others aspire to be, Kate Upton has frankly divided opinions. Should the former Sports Illustrated Model be an editorial cover girl at all, least of all on the cover of Vogue. Isn’t the gorgeous blonde more cheesecake than High fashion? The debates have raged. Personally. I loved seeing Kate Upton on…
