Get naked!

As a chronic nail biter I am always slightly saddened when a new trend of nail varnish emerges. How on earth can I partake with little bitten stumps? "On your toes" I hear you cry but truly people, look outside, it is not open toed sandal weather yet (hurry up sunshine). I have to say that I wasn't over enamoured with Chanel's coveted Jade Le Vernis polish from their Autumn/ Winter 09 collection. I'm going out on a limb but I thought the pastel green was reminiscent of hospital corridors and chalk dust left mouldering under a blackboard.

Now though there is a gorgeous wearable shade, Particuliere..a soft nude, almost faun in some lights. It's classy, grown up and not too garish. You can wear it with pretty much anything, smart, casual, no worries about it matching up with things like I've found with Nars Jungle Red or Chanel's Rouge Noir..even black which should go with everything can be a bit skater girl at times depending on the rest of the ensemble.

One problem. You can't get it, seriously, not for love, money or bribery and I've tried them all. I've tried Selfridges, Harrods, little unknown chemists, Heathrow Terminal 5, even Bendels and Barneys and Maceys and Bloomingdales. No go..until this evening when I spotted a lady in my Yoga class with beautiful taupe talons. Deciding to accost her post downward dog, I sidled over at the end of the class and said with hope, "Particuliere?". Apparently not..OPI's Over the Taupe..and it's a nearly identical colour match! At £9.95 it's cheaper too. A close second..and even cheaper is Boots No7's Beanie (£6.75) and finally..great name..Essie's Mink Muffs (£8.95). It's a little darker than the others but still looks immensely elegant if applied correctly...this is still my issue. Until I can manage to apply my nail varnish as if I was a blind child attempting finger painting...I'm still going to have to leave it to the professionals...see below..

"...brown paper packages tied up with string..these are a few of my favourite things.."

Ok so it wasn't Julie Andrews singing at Marc Jacobs unveiling (or rather unwrapping) of his new collection for Autumn/ Winter 2010/2011 but brown paper did feature and the cosumate collection certainly will..if I ever own them..become some of my favourite things. The vast room was dominated by a 12ft wooden box, wrapped up in brown paper. And as the lights dimmed, the designer himself emerged from backstage to tear the paper away. Then, as the poignant strains of Juliet Greco singing Over the Rainbow came over the sound system, the contents of the box were finally laid bare: A tableaux of 56 models that was literally as pretty – and as powerful - as a picture.

The message was pretty clear, brown wrapping paper, brown cardboard seats, wallpaper and flooring, stapled together, and not a celebrity in sight, the focus here was to be solely on the clothes.

The references, Jacobs said, touched on Edwardiana, the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s, but he had played with proportion and "tweaked" to create the contemporary mood he wanted.

“It’s about clothes which don’t look as if they’re trying to hard to be, you know, fashion-y,” Jacobs explained. One of the hardest things in fashion to pull off it must be said, but BY GEORGE! I think he's got it!

Pictures coming soon!x

Singularly Beautiful

Have you ever wandered around an art gallery and had to sit down because you were overwhelmed by the beauty of a particular picture or piece of sculpture? That is the feeling I had through my viewing of A Single Man..though fortunately, I was sitting down already. A film that was rather scathingly called, "Bereavement by Dior" to me was an eloquent and yes, undeniably stylish debut from director Tom Ford about the trauma of losing someone you love.

Based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, the single man of the title is George Falconer, an ex-patriate Englishman living in Los Angeles, a bespectacled college professor teaching English Literature. I must add that I don't remember a single one of my professors looking like the teaching staff at this place. Seriously, I know it's 1962 so I will allow for the wonderful clothes, hair and make-up but I doubt a genuinely haggard, sleep deprived, hungover or (let's be honest) ugly person would have made it past the velvet rope into Tom Ford's film. Did students at your university look like these two?

Shock and grief have made George depend on his routines so that he can conform to the image of what society thinks he should be. His repressed English mannerisms have become accentuated..perfectly pressed suits, buffing his brogues to a shine, drawers full of immaculate, identical shirts. One of my most favourite points in the film was when George lays out his clothes to be buried in and doesn't forget a detail right down to specifying the correct knot on his tie. (A Windsor knot if you must know).

Tom Ford speaking on The Film Programme said that in his mind, his back story for George was that he had family money and an income from that which would certainly make sense as the clothes alone (never mind the stunning modernist house, car etc) would have taken up a college professor's salary. His film never ceases to be swooningly lovely: especially the scene in which George shares a cigarette with a beautiful Spanish boy, swathed in the smoggy redness of an LA dusk. But that black-and-white flashback showing George and Jim sunbathing nude on some rugged and frankly uncomfy-looking rocks – that is just outrageously ad-like..though yes..still undeniably stunning.

Julianne Moore plays George's best friend and confidante Charley, a ­fellow English expat and semi-alcoholic ­divorcee. After her appearances in Todd ­Haynes's Far From Heaven and Tom ­Kalin's Savage Grace, this role ­underlines a slight gaycentric typecasting for Moore, but like Firth she inhabits it with absolute confidence, and their friendship is touching and warm, even when George is furious to realise that Charley, in spite of everything, believes in her heart that heterosexual ­marriage is more real than gay partnership. ­Again top marks for hair and make-up and a fabulous black and white maxi dress with a cape.

To me, to judge the film purely on style takes away from not only the extraordinary performance by Firth but also the sensitive direction and adaptation achieved by Ford. Can't deny I loved the clothes though...and I will be buying it on dvd if only to learn how to achieve Julianne Moore's superb beehive.

UPDATE! After last night's fabulous Mad Men where Don and Betty went on a mini-break Rome (as I will be doing shortly)..another fabulous beehive to emulate....

Drooling over Dries

As our Prime Minister lurches towards the Chilcot Inquiry, is it any suprise that war seems to have served as an inspiration for what some regard as frivolous? Today is the opening day of the Paris prêt-à-porter season for Autumn/ Winter 2010/11. The Belgian designer Dries Van Noten opened at the historic Hotel de Ville (town hall..one of the first words I learnt at GCSE) and a procession of some of the loveliest and most wearable clothes I have seen in quite some time, came striding down the catwalk. Van Noten’s collection balanced the mix of masculine and feminine perfectly, nothing too butch or too girly. These were grown up clothes for the modern woman. In 2005, the New York Times described him "one of fashion's most cerebral designers" and this collection proves it..

Marrying military inspiration with more than a nod to 1940s/ 50s haute couture, his models strode down the runway in an astonishing combination of army-green cotton, paired with hand-painted, floral silk, which lightly referenced the “New Look” of Christian Dior in 1947. The grand, 19th century, gilded and cherub-infested "Salle des Fetes” provided the perfect backdrop to a collection that was tailored, muted and super wearable...(if only I had the cash to back it up and therefore actually be able to wear it...sigh..)

In the words of the beautiful Jane Birkin, "Je t'aime, oh..oui je t'aime..." and my absolute standout favourite piece of the whole show....

Also just saw this ...on Susie Bubble's wonderful blog and I think we should take a moment to appreciate next to the serious, elegant style we have just been looking at..this fantastic irreverent piece from Giles' new AW 10/ 11 collection..

I bring you...The Gremlin bag!!x

Springing after Alice!

So I'm going to jump onto the proverbial bandwagon (or seat myself at the tea party might be more appropriate) and get thoroughly over-excited about Alice in Wonderland. After watching the the luscious Mr Depp and intriguing Mr Burton on 'Friday Night with Jonathan Woss' and realising that Burton has in fact, totally re-written the story, I must admit to feeling slight trepidation about the plot but drinking in the design. Alice is now 19 and about to marry an aristocratic twit, she is also visiting Wonderland for the second time. How will it all turn out? Off to the Electric in the next couple of weeks to find out...

Meanwhile, it seems obvious to me that Burton and fashion go hand in hand..not so long ago we were all dressing slightly neo-goth with leather leggings, swathes of black lace and ever so slightly absurd shoes (note the heel on the YSL Tribute pumps). Hello Edward Scissorhands.

Having recently been in NYC and taken in the Tim Burton exhibition whilst there, I'm struck that upon my return to the UK, Spring has Sprung and the designers are embracing it, most notably Louise Goldin. Goldin showed ice-cream parlour shades of lilac, yellow and powder blue, but her complex body-con dresses and directional knitwear were pure sci-fi. Look out for her studded courts in Topshop. (in Lewis Carrol's book the label on them would be 'Buy Me') This is the thing about Burton you see, the potential saccharine sweetness is tapered by the Gothic, the dark, sometimes almost the punk. Think again of Edward Scissorhands wandering down those streets of pastel suburbia standing out a mile and not just because he had clippers for fingers or Catwoman's bondage-esque catsuit juxtaposed with her alter ego (shy secretary Selina Kyle) all fluffy jumpers in pale colours and pencil skirts.


Christopher Kane's Spring collection showed delicate pink and blue gingham-check dresses, made from chiffon and covered in intricate sequins and appliqué patterns. So far, so sweet, you might think, but bear in mind that the collection was inspired by a Texan cult...Mad as Hatter. ”

How can one work the Alice trend? Hats always make me feel like I'm making a statement. A mad hat is fun for about half-an-hour, for example, possibly for a chic run to to the shops. Headbands are very on-trend and arguably easier to pull off, and bunny ears never go out of fashion (Louis Vuitton did them, after all). Just remember not to wear them with hot-pants. I bought a wonderful nude headband from J.Crew in the States with a fanciful chiffon concoction attached to it but Topshop has a good selection or make your own by buying a plain one from Boots and trimming it from the fabulous selection of fabrics at V V Rouleaux. If you don't wish to channel Alice, take inspiration from Anne Hathaway as the White Queen...creamy skin, dark plum lipstick and pristine white and cream lace accesorised with pearls.

Finally I am going to try and banish black from my wardrobe whilst the sun is shining, throw a tea party and have a hunt round for the croquet set...

The Dales are Alive..with the whisper of fashion

Before anyone even starts reading this..really this should have been my introduction as it's probably the longest blog I'll ever write...so feel free to snooze, doze or make a cup of tea half way through..this was my musing...

So after recently being in New York, living in London and zooming off to Kings Cross to spend the weekend at my family home in Yorkshire, I have been pondering on what style actually means..depending on who you are, where you are or what you were brought up with. As The Sartorialist has shown us, style is universal and it's not just about what you wear but how you wear it.

In 'The Sound of Music' when Maria dances down the street on her way to meet the Captain and his seven children for the first time, she sings about how much confidence she has whilst dressed in what were presumably, the only things she owned other than a habit. With her beaming smile and guitar case banging against her knees as she twirls around lampposts, she is dressed in a grey linen skirt suit and large straw hat, clothes that are deemed dreadfully dowdy when she appears at the Von Trap mansion but wouldn't have looked out of place on the Chloe catwalk a couple of years ago and don't prevent the happy ending that we all know is coming. Maria, you see, knows the secret, as does Scarlet O'Hara, Jane Eyre, Marie Antoinette, The Count of Monte Christo, Dorian Gray, Blair and Chuck from Gossip Girl..to name a few. To me, the secret of style, was tragically unknown for many years.

When I was growing up during the 80s in darkest Yorkshire, I was unaware that this was not the place to start life as a burgeoning fashionista, that one day those golden years were going to be referred to by some as the era of bad taste. To me, I was surrounded by glamour and beauty and clothes I could only aspire to. Mrs Gray, my primary school teacher, was one of my earliest images of what it was to be stylish. Always flamboyant in jewel brights and neons, flawless makeup with lilac blue eyeshadow and coral lipstick, topped with a towering bouffant of hair the colour of her surname, I would gaze in awe at her from across the playground. Once, when being picked up from school, I remember tugging on my mother's hand and confiding in her that, when I was grown up, I would look just like that. My mother, who did and still does prefer neutrals, breton stripes and Ferrangamo loafers, smiled at me indulgently and straightened the collar of my dull, navy dress. So began my realisation that 'style' can mean different things to different people, an ongoing battle that carries on to this day with my darling Mama, who when she doesn't like my outfit will simply look me up and down and say, " That's interesting darling." (Clearly Mummy was ahead of the game..as we've seen recently, the shops are full of 'sensible shoes chic' Note Alexa Chung again wearing Russell and Bromley loafers!) Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Criticism is subjective but we can all relate to the crushing feeling of somebody judging you on your appearance. Even if you have stepped out of your front door feeling that buzz which radiates from wearing your new shoes/ cardigan/ oversized leather flying jacket for the first time, a snigger, a judging look..can, kill it. Equally there is nothing more empowering than feeling you look wonderful but then seeing someone who, to your eyes, looks better than you can produce the darker sister of admiration, jealousy. An emotion that perhaps my sex excel at is becoming green, because the other females are the competition. The impossibly thin girl who wears nothing but black yet always looks like she has stepped out of a French art house film or the friend who always looks unique but when you ask where all her clothes are from they're all things from the Topshop sale rail that you fought tooth, nail and knife edged elbows to get to on the first day, or the elegant woman in the office who looks like she was born to wear a suit whereas on you, it still looks a little like you are trying to dress as a grown-up. Style, for me you see was, for a long time, aspirational and tinged faintly with bitterness because I wasn’t sure who I was.

I hadn't realised you see, that it didn't all have to be so serious. The clothes that I wore everyday could be as fun to put on as the ones in my old dressing up box, the clothes that would take me from being a dead bride (wearing my Aunt's old wedding dress and perfecting a zombie walk) to an Amazon explorer (exceptionally large combat trousers, tweed and builder's hat). Look at Mr Ben, surely a style icon! One minute a pinstripe suit that wouldn't look out of place if one was strolling down Saville Row..the next minute...getting lost in his costuumes and appearing in a magical adventure!
Style wasn't about how people saw me but more about how I felt. Style and fashion you see, walk the parallel lines of perfection and perversity. There are many men and women in this world who are sartorially stylish but don't give a fig for the correct hemline of the season or that plum is the new black or velvet the new cashmere. Style for me is appreciation of what I look like, even on one of the dreaded ‘fat’ days, I can still look in the mirror and smile at myself, to pay a compliment to a total stranger when I’ve been secretly admiring their shoes on the Tube, to smell Chanel lipstick and think of my mother and how swipe of it could give her the confidence she needed to face the day or to be struck simply by the way someone carries themselves. An ephemeral explanation I might have offered, but to you what style is will be different because you, reader, are unique...if you're still with me. Right..now wear did I put my guitar and dungarees made of curtains.....

Where do you go to my lovely?

As Coco Chanel said, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. It is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening..." Welcome to my blog which will deal largely with fashion but will also stray out of that ballpark on occasion...Really, I believe you should write about what makes you happy so those things for me are largely fashion and books, pottering about London (where I pretend at having a grown up job in publishing), my travels, nesting and trying to find the beautiful in the ordinary. Largely most things I see relate back to fashion but occasionally you may find snippets of culture here too

The title of this post comes from that wonderful song by Peter Starstedt makes me smile everytime I hear it, go and listen....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_dduKiZb6w
And check out the wonderful tache on him too..

Today it is dull and gloomy so I am dreaming of lazy Summer days and wearing bright Sonia Rykiel stripes to compensate. My favourite fashion rabbit Fifi Lapin was also working the brights on Sunday....

Dress by Henry Holland, Illustration by Fifi Lapin.

As I'm sure everyone and their wife knows..Fashion Week in London is coming to a close. I was in New York last week too on a craftily timed holiday, however fashion wasn't high on the agenda. New York was slightly frantic as I think city breaks can tend to be but we found solace in sleeping in and waking up to blanket snow on our first day...


Walking in the snow in Central Park...wearing Vivienne Westwood for Melissa wellies..stylish and so practical! (Had to wear extra socks though as rubber ain't exactly warm).

Taking in some culture at the Met by seeing their new exhibition of Bronzino sketches before rushing to see the launch of Alexa Chung's new collection for MadeWell...


Then lounging at The Crosby Street Hotel with my girlfriends having a delicious afternoon tea and cocktails!x