Going to Great Lengths

The long hemlines are here. With a bang. They have actually been around for a while, but thanks to Spring 2011 collections, now they are just everywhere.

Obviously, it was rather predictable, taking into consideration the hemline index: a theory that suggests that skirt lengths and the economy coincide. The mini skirts are in vogue in good times. Just think of the 60s, 80s and more recently the early 2000s. The hemlines hit the floor in the 70s with the oil crisis, in the 90s with the global economic recession and, well now.

I rather like the 70s fashion and the hippie look but for me the long skirts really represent the early 90s. The awkward times of my early teens, discovering fashion, but not yet having a real style of my own. Luckily there have been some gems in the catwalks to reassure me that the new length may go a long way. Also, as we know, the best things to pair a long skirt with are flats, sandals and trainers. Hurrah for being able to walk again!  

Marc Jacobs Spring 2011

Jil Sander Spring 2011

Michael Kors 2011

My High Street Crush - COS

Christmas is just around the corner and with it, the real reason we love the holidays and the whole hullabaloo: the January sales. Starting right after Christmas we are even given a bank holiday to dedicate for shopping – how considerate!

The looming sales mean that I try to abstain from shopping around this time of the year. And it is REALLY hard, especially as my high street crush COS is just around the corner. COS is owned by H & M, but for obvious reasons they don't go around shouting about it. The clothes are good quality materials, they look and feel design but come with a high street price tag. I reckon the classic COS clothes (with a nice little scandi twist) even kind of justify as a sensible buy. And guys: it's worth checking the suits too. 

So far COS only operates in a handful of European countries so if you don’t have a store in your country, don’t forget to include it in your itinerary on next holiday. And if you live in London, go check it out. But remember, you have been warned: it can cause an addiction. 

Give me a C! Give me an O! Give me a S!
Give me a perfect dress for winter!

Princess for a Day - Or Maybe More

So finally the fairytale is coming true for the commoner Kate Middleton and she is getting her prince and half of the kingdom! I somehow missed the news yesterday morning and was more than baffled when a friend texted me and offered to fly to the UK for wedding. Was I getting married? And would I forget if I was, I wondered?

It was nice to see how all the terrestrial TV channels could finally air their Kate & William love story specials. It was especially interesting to see how they got around the fact that the shows were obviously recorded months ago when they had no idea of when or how would Wills finally pop the question.

It was also heartwarming to read and hear all the comments on how this royal wedding will bring the whole nation cheer and happiness in this time of recession. Indeed, if you lose your job and there’s no more benefits to claim, it does fills you with joy to see two privileged, super rich youngsters to marry, probably on your tax money...

Don’t get me wrong, I’m wishing the happy couple all the best. And I’m planning to buy a lot of wedding kitsch. Be warned, it will be a wedding overload in the press this Spring. It didn't take long from elle.uk to try and get us all into the wedding mood. Somehow, they did managed to forget the most gorgeous bride of the all, and she is a queen too!

Madonna: the cool bride 

  

I want my Lanvin!

H&M is treating us with another one of their designer collaborations. With an impressive history of guest designers such as Matthew Williamson, Jimmy Choo and Sonia Rykiel, the Swedish fashion giant really knows how it’s done. And is there anything better to bring us just before the Christmas party (and present!) season than Lanvin dresses, tees, accessories and even some men’s wear?  

Designed by Lanvin's artistic director Alber Elbaz, and menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver the line is called Lanvin <3 H&M (that’s Lanvin loves H&M to you non-facebookers). The collection will be released on 23 November, the prices start from less than a tenner (ok, that’s for lipstick, but still) and I looooove it.

Check out the collection on Vogue website, as usual H&M’s own site is a  mess... And below are my favourites. 

The Art of the Shoe

This is why I love London. Something so wonderful but at the same time so very dangerous has appeared on Oxford Street. Selfridges has opened its Shoe Galleries.

Shoe Galleries have been designed by an architect Jamie Fobert and the area is supposedly bigger than Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. It is the biggest shoe department in the world, stocking 55 000 shoes at any one time and 4000 shoes on display from over 150 brands. It will obviously offer you big brands like Jimmy Choo, Louboutin and Dior but the high street labels like Topshop, All Saints and Office are there too.

You think this is heaven? Imagine the sales. 

Not So Hot on Holiday

I’m overly excited about my upcoming holiday in Spain. Not only is the weather forecast SUN SUN SUN  when in the UK it’s misery misery misery, I’m also going to stay with a dear old friend of mine. 

Packing for your holiday is an acquired skill and something that oh so many people get oh so wrong. And according to a recent study done by  money saving website DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the tourists from Birmingham and Midlands are just the worst of them all, followed by Newcastle and Scotland. Americans were voted as having the worst fashion sense in world (Germans, Greeks and British came close), Italians the best.

The biggest fashion errors were thought to be socks with sandals and exposed beer bellies. Skimpy trunks for men, thongs for women, football shirts and logo overload were also considered to be bad taste.

I think we all agree, except that socks and sandals is one of the greatest (and comfiest!) trends of the moment. But just to make sure, I think I’ll leave them for my return to the chilly autumn. After all, the study did show that the best dressed British tourists come from East England (and Yorkshire).

Socks so chic! Prada Autumn 2010 Collection

Princess for a Day?

I’ve never understood the traditional wedding dresses (I don’t really get the whole fuss about weddings in general to be honest, but more of that some other time). I’ve never had a dream of being a princess for a day. To dress in white, looking like you just jumped out of a Disney movie and marry your prince. The wedding gowns are useless after your wedding day, they cost a fortune and most of them really look rather dreadful.

A good friend of mine got married this summer so we went wedding dress shopping. Luckily she is my type of girl and even the sight of the Bridal Boutique at Liberty’s gave us both the chills - and not in a good way.  She found a beautiful dress in the end, the wedding was a hoot and they are now living happily ever after. 

Now I think I’ve found my fairytale. The story was told on New York Fashion Week. The Marchesa’s S/S 2011 show was full of most gorgeous, breathtaking and stunning dresses that just knocked me out. I still wouldn’t wear a wedding gown but the princess inside me was born.  

Autumn Coat Picks

Yes, it’s getting chilly out there! If you got totally bored with your winter warmer last year, it’s time to get a new one. Pick one of these trends to be in vogue. 

Camel Coat, the biggest trend of the autumn by Stella McCartney 

Military is back -again, loving Matthew Williamson's Military Wool Coat

Aviator jacket is big this season. Think Top Gun. By Acne. 

Capes are possibly my favourite coat trend EVER. This trench cape is from H&M

Sexy Seventies

I’m loving the Marc Jacob’s S/S2011 collection at New York Fashion Week. I don’t care what anyone says, the 70s style was awesome! I love the floating dresses and massive accessories (although they are terribly difficult to travel with, don’t you think?). The accessories are also the cheapest and quickest way of updating your look. So go on, ebay your hair straighteners, get your hot pants on, and get ready to disco!

Check the collection on the Vogue website: 

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/show.aspx/catwalk-report/id,9762

Abba was real hot in the 70s

High Street Fashion Evolution

So the news is that the big high street fashion chains are going online. H & M online shop is already open for “VIP shoppers” (meaning anyone who’s subscribing their newsletter) and launches officially on the 16th. The Spanish fashion giant Zara opened its website for shopping on 2 September and Gap launched its UK site in August.

I don’t get it. Sure, I do shop online. You can find awesome bargains from websites like koodos.com or brandalley.com. It is however always a bit irritating. You can never be sure of the size, you have to wait for your orders for days, sometimes for weeks and you obviously can’t try anything on. But you’re willing to go through all this because of the amazing designer bargains you can find (and because you can do it on work time. Oh come on, we’ve all done it!).

But isn’t the whole point of the high street fashion that you can just wonder in the shop and get yourself a new outfit for a price you don’t have to feel guilty about? And you want it instantly. And you surely want to feel the material knowing the quality of the products sometimes?

Speaking of online shopping: I found a really cute Louise Amstrup dress from Koodos (they’ve got 20% off all dresses today) for under hundred quid on lunch. How fabulous is that?!

Manolo Mania

Every girl’s shoe god Manolo Blahnik teams up with Liberty. The department store is launching Manolo Blahnik's pop-up store, The World of Manolo, on the night of London Fashion Night Out next Wednesday 8th September. In addition to a line of shoes, Blahnik will design a new set of Liberty prints as well as specialty items like candles, scarves, Christmas tree decorations, cushions, shoehorns etc.

I do think that Manolos are basically works of art, and I’m not alone. The maestro will be signing shoes at his Old Church Street shop after his appearance at Liberty on the Fashion Night Out.

I wouldn’t dare to go close. After realising that I’ve got a good 30 pairs of beautiful heels in my closet (and I don't have Carrie Bradshaw's walk-in closet) but still run around mainly in comfy plimsolls, trainers and flip flops (which I own in every shape, form and colour as well), I’ve banned myself from buying ANY new heels until I wear out at least one old pair. Then again, I guess a quick visit to Liberty’s wouldn’t hurt...

Get Your Cargos On

Everyone’s favourite Swedish fashion warehouse H & M is having Jeans Days with £10 off all jeans (http://www.hm.com/gb/#/fashion/, until 15 September). And as the prices are not massive to begin with, this is a good chance to bag yourself a bargain. I finally jumped on the skinny cargo jeans trend. They’re super comfy and cheap at £19.90 and my answer to  J Brand’s Houlihan cargos, sported below by everyone.

Vogue's Fashion Night Out gets a touch of Finnish flavour

Just found out today that Sanna Annukka has designed a really cool T shirt and tote for this year’s Fashion Night Out (happening in London on September 8^th). She’s half-Finnish half-English illustrator & print maker and using Finnish folklore as her major influence. Check out more of her awesome prints http://www.sanna-annukka.com

Kate Moss is being replaced by a younger model

So unlike it was commonly thought, there is some justice in the world: Kate Moss has been sacked is leaving Topshop as a "designer". The cokehead supermodel (I like to affectively call her "the rat face") whose overpriced rags are selling less and less is being replaced with Topshop owner Philip Green's 19 year old daughter Chloe. Moss is likely to return to her life as a second class groupie. Bye love, you won't be missed!