by Sarah-Hayley Owen

Monday, February 28, 2011

When/When not to wear Jewellery with a Dress

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Inside my London Fashion Week Handbag

I sometimes wish I could use a clutch bag more often, unfortunately this has, and I presume, will never be the case! Like many women, my handbag contains lots of important possessions which cannot be apart from me, hence my passion for spacious beautiful bags.

My handbag collection, which I have built up over the years, boasts designers such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Coach, to Chloe, Prada, Mulberry and Smythson. Each bag possesses their own charm and suit a whole range of looks.

For AW11 London Fashion Week (LFW), I opted for one of my favourite bags in my collection, The Smythson ‘Agatha’, a classic graceful bag, in a stunning hibiscus shade with a contrast shagreen slide closure.

It is wonderfully generous in size, featuring two side pockets and a further second layer because of the frame. The balance of the bright coral against the turquoise works wonderfully and creates a real focus point.

For LFW my bag actually accumulated more, here I will reveal my favourite products on the move and items I carry everywhere.

Handbag must-haves..

iPod - I think I wouldn't survive a day without listening to Cee Lo Green or Rumer! I bought mine from John Lewis in Watford.

Notable Notes & Address Book - As you may tell Smythson is also one of my favourite luxury stationers. My Panama Notebook in red grained lambskin leather is one of the most used items in my bag. It is the perfect size for writing my inspiration and very handy at press appointments. The address book also from Smythson is again the perfect portable size.

Water - One of my New Year's resolutions is to keep myself hydrated and at Fashion Weeks I completely neglect it. Therefore this season I was determined to carry a bottle around, luckily the show space at Somerset House offers the necessary vitamin water. Although my water of choice is Fiji water which I buy from Partridge's in Sloane Square.

Umbrella - With the weather changing from minute to minute a small and practical umbrella is a must. This Umbrella was a gift and by Lisbeth Dahl, she designs pretty lifestyle accessories. More can be found at beautiful girly paradise Law and Co, in Stow on the Wold.

Purse - This beautiful purse was a gift for Christmas, however it was bought from a shop housing a selection of vintage and sparkly heaven. As long as it Sparkles, in Stow on the Wold, contains authentic period beaded bags in exquisite condition.

Handbag make-up...

Benefit Stay don’t Stray - I officially cannot live without this brilliant product. A power primer that works 360 degrees around the eyes allowing eye shadows to stay just where you want them without dulling and creasing!

MAC Lipstick - I always carry two shades, Lady Danger in the lipstick collection, a vibrant red and Clingpeach, a shimmering, long wear peach.

Compact and Perfume - One word...Chanel! My current perfume of choice is Coco Mademoiselle, a light floral fragrance. This practical travel set makes it so easy to be fresh and fragrant all through the day. I bought mine from Boots and it is ultimately one of the best items I have bought. The double perfection compact features a great large mirror and a flawless matte finish that is everlasting - great for last minute touch-ups!

Nail Varnish - Porchester Square is the most covetable varnish I possess. This limited edition darling from Nails Inc is the perfect neutral shade and the handy bottle size means it can fit inside my bag wonderfully. (Look out for my top SS11 varnish shades feature coming soon)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

AW11 Fashion Week

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Unattractive Fashion Week Behaviour!

Friday, February 18, 2011

London Fashion Weekend Tickets - And the winner is...

Monday, February 14, 2011

Awards Glitz and Glamour

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Debenhams Edition Launching 14/02 - The First Look

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Valentine's Style Guide

Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentines Show Cancelled at Cheltenham Racecourse

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Brush with Fashion - The Latest LCF Collaboration

‘Brush with Fashion’ is the latest collaboration between The Body Shop and the prominent London College of Fashion.

Ann Massal, International Brand and Innovation Director of The Body Shop said in our interview, “For me it is very exciting and I think it really shows that you can be sustainable, creative and fashionable at the same time, without a trade-off anymore”.

The pioneers in beauty and fashion joined forces to create a limited edition SS11 Make-up collection embracing the Body Shop's ethical commitment and passion to create on-trend cruelty free make-up in partnership with London College of Fashion who are also renowned for a similar devotion to sustainability, setting up the Centre for Sustainable Fashion in 2008.

The collection takes its name from the addition of smart built in brushes in each product for convenience. There are two striking portable Quattro eye palettes, Boho Beauty provides wearable matte shades in nude, apricot and two earth tones, whereas A la Mode is a beautiful blend of pearlescent white, pink and silver with an intense black to add dramatic definition.

Two hi-shine lip treatments, made with community fair trade marula and avocado oil, compliment the collection in pastel hues of pink cream or a juicy peach. And that is not all; add warmth to your complexion with the Illuminating Face Base. This product is blissfully moisturising plus it features elements of mica and light diffusing pearls to create a soft focus effect.

William Tempest, London College of Fashion graduate and winner of a WGSN global fashion award for best emerging brand also added his creativity to the collaboration. The campaign poster inside all Body Shop stores features a model holding a giant make-up brush wearing an eye-catching strapless dress which was part of William’s debut for London Fashion Week.

Speaking to me about his role in the collaboration, William said, “This is a really great project for me to work on because I really want to help support the London College of Fashion” and “The Body Shop is a brand I have always bought ever since I was a teenager”.

The unique collection is packaged in a design created by a London College of Fashion undergraduate, following a joint The Body Shop and London College of Fashion design competition. Katarina Voloder, a German 21 year old BA (Hons) fashion illustration student, whose design was selected, used a poster featuring “cupcakes, candy mixed in with make-up as the main inspiration” for her winning design. Katarina said, “I think The Body Shop is a great company, from January I have a work placement and I am looking forward to starting a great journey with them.”

The limited edition ‘Brush with Fashion’ will be in The Body Shop stores nationwide from today. It has never been simpler to brush on spring’s fashion-driven colours, anytime, anywhere with professional looking make up on the move.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Valentine's Day Countdown 2011

Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Lights, Camera's, Action: LCF MA Class of 2011

Designs by: Suzana

Bettencourt

Photographer

Fernando Lessa

Model:

Samantha

Louise Hicks

Designs by London College of Fashion’s MA students took to the catwalk this evening at the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, in the beautiful surroundings of the Raphael View Gallery.

The show entitled MA_11 Duel, presented 22 collections of Men’s and Womenswear showcased to an audience of guests including Harold Tillman CBE, CEO of Whistles Jane Shepherdson, Artist Grayson Perry and TV personality Jo Wood to name but a few.

In this year’s class of 2011 there are students from all over the UK including Wales, Scotland and England, plus further afield such as South Korea, China, USA, Turkey, Ireland, Italy and Denmark.

Highlights of the evening included collections by Jo Power, 27 from County Cork in Ireland, who was awarded the Harold Tillman Scholarship having already picked up a number of accolades, such as Persil Young Designer of the Year 2009 and Nokia Young Designer of the Year 2005. Her collection was perfectly streamlined with strong silhouettes and clean lines in a simple monochrome palette, with vibrant flashes of poppy red. It is testament to Jo’s ability that she is already in talks with investors to set up her own label.

MA Digital Fashion graduate, Suzana Bettencourt from the Azores Islands in Portugal, designed pieces inspired by particular African Tribes whose mourning traditions are marked by joyful rituals. The collection, with an emphasis on knitwear due to her BA degree in Fashion Knitwear, was highly sculptural and body conscious using a new technology that pushes the boundaries of the shaping properties of knit - with the ultimate goal of dressing real women with garments that give them shape and support in all the right places. Susana accessorized her collection with statement jewellery hand crafted in Portugal, in collaboration with Miguel Garrido.

Menswear was particularly strong this year, with Danish graduate and another Tillman scholar Asger Juel Larsen, 28, who has already been approached to show at Berlin Fashion Week. Although the coveted MA Collection of the year, presented by Harold Tillman, went to the impressive Italian graduate Matteo Mollinari, 27, whose exquisitely tailored menswear collection fuses traditional tailoring with the more unusual textile techniques, for example hand-made crochet, ultimately creating a highly desirable and modern collection.

The show was a remarkable success, as always, and vital platform for these graduates to launch their careers, eager to replicate the success of previous graduates. Nicole Murray’s, FDT Womenswear 2010, collection was snapped up by Harrods soon after last year’s show and has now debuted her first solo collection last season at On/Off London Fashion Week. Nicole said; “The LCF MA show at the V&A is an excellent platform to put new designers and new labels into the view of major industry players, including key press and buyers. The V&A catwalk show was the turning point of my career”.

A fantastic show and make sure you see my twitter feed for my thoughts on the other designer collections.