Ann Louise Roswald clogs

Revolting: Chanel SS10

If you really feel it is imperative to buy into the clog trend, now that Karl & Marc (kitten heel clogs? Kill me now), have given it a stamp of approval for next season, may I suggest eschewing their eye watering markups, and buying a traditional pair of clogs from talented fashion designer Ann Louise Roswald instead?

She's known primarily for her beautiful prints and lovely pieces, but Roswald’s Swedish father was originally a clogmaker, and in her early collections Ann Louise used her own customised clogs. She has since opened The Clog Studio as an extension of the Ann Louise Roswald brand and sells traditionally made Swedish clogs with orthapeodic wooden soles for women and children. They come in a dazzling array of colours, but just three simple styles.

The Sophia clog pictured is £56 for children & £95 for women.

The Clog Studio

Fannie Schiavoni S/S 10 jewellery collection on-line launch

Hello & welcome to my visitors who have been following jewellery designer Fannie Schiavoni's new collection as it is revealed sequentially through simultaneous blog posts on six global fashion blogs at 5pm GMT today. (See here for more information)

This is the final image in our blog lookbook.

Credits:
Photographer: Charli Ljung
Model: Ashleigh Chase

www.fannieschiavoni.com

Fannie Schiavoni jewellery

I first heard about the wonderful UK based jewellery designer Fannie Schiavoni through blog posts on Kingdom of Style, so it's apt that Fannie has decided to launch her SS10 collection on-line by gathering together six fashion bloggers worldwide and asking them to simultaneously post an image from the collection. Each blog will have a link to the next on the list, allowing blog readers to 'flick' through the lookbook.

We believe this is the first time that a group of fashion bloggers have banded together simultaneously to use their collective readership to support a young designer. It makes complete sense: our blogs collectively and individually celebrate fashion. Why not use them to bring talented young designers as much attention as we can muster?

So, head to Fashion Flash today (Saturday) at 1700hrs GMT, midday US East Coast to see the first image in our celebration of Fanny's delicate & beautiful jewellery, and then keep on clicking through until you get to me for the final image.

You won't be disappointed.

England: Style Bubble
Sweden: Fashion Flash
US LA: Because I'm Addicted
Scotland: Queen Michelle from Kingdom of Style
Denmark: Anywho
US NY: Liberty London Girl

www.fannieschiavoni.com

New Topshop denim collection

I am not known for my interest in jeans. Sure denim can be useful: in the summer I have plenty of denim short shorts for mooching, and even some Bermudas to wear with heels and a blazer, but jeans? I have maybe three pairs in rotation: some wide legged ones from Gap to wear with Converse & a leather biker jacket, skinny Topshop Baxters that I wear in winter with boots/wellies/whatever I am wearing on my feet to avoid the bone-chilling NY cold, and some rolled boyfriend jeans for slouching around in.

But really, I'm just not a jeans girl, preferring to wear shorts or dresses as for those with good legs, an indifferent middle and an ample bosom, jeans aren't often enormously flattering. That doesn't stop me wanting to wear them tho. I have plenty of pairs in my storage locker, testament to the fact that I have tried - and failed.

And then, of course, there is all the wishful thinking I do. I get releases sent to me that look as if they may hold the key to my jeans antipathy and I imagine myself in the looks on display -but, truthfully, I would need a bucket of Polyjuice Potion to wear the majority.

Today's bout of wishful thinking was courtesy of the Topshop press office who sent out their autumn/fall denim manifesto this morning. They rather optimistically believe that
"For AW09/10 TOPSHOP has all your denim needs sewn up. Whether you’re looking for an
ankle-grazer, a straight-leg, a boyfriend jean, a jogger or the ultimate skinny; with styles featuring rips, slashes, studs, acid washes, paint drips or even sequins, TOPSHOP has your perfect pair."

Moving swiftly past the proffered denim jogging pants, & the promise of a 'denim harem pant' - yes, really - for later in the season, as surely only those who really believe what they read in magazines, are possessed of boundless self-confidence or those under eighteen will wear such things, I swiftly realise that to be cast as a Topshop jean aficionado, the wearer must possess the extremely lithe & toned legs of a supermodel.

The keys styles are:

The Jamie £40
Made from super-stretch denim, the ankle has Topshop’s narrowest ever circumference, 17cm. Washes will include pale grey, faded blue, black & indigo.


The Pullon Jegging £35:
A pull-on jean/legging hybrid with an elasticated waist and drawn-on fly/pocket detail. Versions include ruched sides, stirrups, zips and slits, in a variety of colours & acid washes.

The Cyber Panel Skinny £45
Features zips by the front pockets & raised linear graphic panels at the top front & on the knees.

The Anti-fit £40
Loose around the hips, for a comfortable fit with a tapered ankle. (Surely only for the EXTREMELY brave, as the loose hips & tapered ankle will give the dread carrot leg effect to all but the skinniest Minnies)

There's also a knitted denim jegging, and promise of various ripped/shredded/studded skinny numbers. And Hallelujah, Corey - a boyfriend jean and Martha - a classic straight leg make an appearance in the core collection and are worth a look.

But, if you want to sport a fashion forward pair of jeans this winter, according to Topshop, you'll need matchstick legs and a bucketload of confidence as skinny is the only way to go.

Introducing bags by Sara Berman for Isabella Oliver

It’s certainly true that it can be hard to find good bags at price points that don’t scream ‘investment’ or ‘you’ll be carrying this bag for the next ten years to assuage the guilt’, but I rather think that the first fruit of the collaboration between Sara Berman & Isabella Oliver may have hit that mark. In black satin & patent leather there’s a perfect bag for every need. I’m loving the Posey Clutch in Leather (nothing to do with the fact that my dog is called Posy).

Click to enlarge.

1. The Lulu Clutch in Satin $255
2. The Roxy Tote $550
3. The Posey Clutch in Leather $350
4. The Lulu Clutch in Leather $325
5.The Bonnie Weekender $675
6.The Posey Clutch in Satin $275

They aren’t available quite yet, but they can be reserved here for an August delivery.

Suzannah: Vintage inspired design

Eighteen months ago I wrote enthusiastically of Suzannah's wonderful debut collection, and I've been a fan ever since of her thoughtful and chic, often vintage couture inspired designs which frequently use vintage textiles.

(Parisian Coat Dress £380)
Her label is appealing on so many levels. The price point, as I wrote about here, is sensible, and her service is so personal that she can offer different solutions to the pieces in her collection: a specific garment length, a simple sleeve added or removed, a bespoke wrap to match, a swatch service with other colour ideas or print variation for many of the looks.

And I know it works, as I was thrilled to discover on one of my trips home that a wonderful friend of one had bought some semi-bespoke pieces from Suzannah on my blog recommendation.

I have fallen in love with her Petal Sculpt Dress, which could have been designed for my figure (long thin legs, no waist, lots of bosom):

And, I'm still lusting after the Future Tuck Jersey Dress, which has been reduced in the sale:

I was reading her blog this morning and was blown away by the couture wedding dress she designed recently. If you are in the market for a personal wedding dress, then Suzannah could well be your saviour.

Isabella Oliver 365

One of the thing I constantly bemoan about the fashion industry, as you all know, is the lack of clothing for women with lives in the real world. It's all very well me & a hundred other fashion editors writing about how marvellous Marni is for the quirky working woman, but it's not exactly realistic to spend £700 on a skirt.

But then neither do I want to wear Primark or Forever 21. What I want is to spend a reasonable amount on my clothes. Then I know they are ethical as possible, made from good fabrics, won't fall apart after one season and have some twist, so I don't look like everyone else.

And that's why Isabella Oliver 365 works so well. These are the pieces that may cost just a little more, but will be the mainstay of anyone's wardrobe. And I want the lot.

I've always liked Isabella Oliver's maternity clothing. Stylish, chic, definitive & worn by my best-dressed girlfriends. And, as it happens, they are based in London, just around the corner from my London flat. I discovered this when the lovely Baukjen de Swaan Arons, one of the joint founders, emailed me through the blog & we became friends.

I was beyond thrilled when she got in touch once I had stopped blogging last year to tell me she & her partner Vanessa Knox-Brien were in New York to show their new collection Isabella Oliver 365 and would I like to see it?

Would I heck?! I scrambled a town car after a long day at the coal face of fashion, slightly unsure as to what to expect from an Isabella Oliver non-maternity range. I needn't have worried: I loved it all.

I'm especially liking the Shirt Coat from the new Fall 09 collection in both pink & in black.($389, but there's 15% off all Fall pre-orders right now, so it's $330.)





I'm suspecting that this cape will be a best seller too come Fall($389, now $330 on pre-order):



For now tho, I'm loving these crepe de chine shorts which are just perfect for a hot & humid Manhattan summer ($145):



But the piece I really, really like is the Multiway Maxi Dress that caught my eye at their SS09 press show. Everything about it appeals: the fabric which is light enough to drape beautifully, but heavy enough to skim the body, the versatility of a piece that can be worn so many different ways, and which can easily take you from a lazy brunch to a black tie dinner and the very attractive price point ($325).



NB Someone asked in the comments about workwear of the pants/skirts variety and so I wanted to make clear: I have picked the pieces here from 365 (not maternity!) that I am thinking of buying (I never wear trousers & rarely skirts. Of course they make trousers, skirts etc. Go check it out at Isabella Oliver 365

Clothkits relaunch

When I was a little girl in the Seventies,Clothkits were the last word in style - amongst the under tens. Consisting of kits of fabric, thread & all the notions necessary for making up the garment, the USP was the avoidance of paper patterns: the pattern pieces were printed directly onto the fabric. All one needed was a pair of scissors.My friends & I all wore a lot of Clothkits, run up on cranky old Singer sewing machines. There were kapok-stuffed cotton dolls too made from designs printed on the spare pieces of fabric: I also had a beloved blue & white sailor doll & my sis had a red Golly. I'm filled with nostalgic thrills to see the company (which closed in 1985) relaunched for the 21st century. It's perfect timing: craft and home sewing has seen a resurgence in the last couple of years, and with the global recession only just starting, the low prices are a proper selling point. (The skirt kit above is just £35.)

Clothkits were famous for - and identifiable by - their whimsical textile prints, and the re-launch of the company (for adults too) by artist Kay Mawer has seen collaborations with some wonderful contemporary artists and designers including screen printer Jane Foster, the glorious Rob Ryan and designers People Will Always Need Plates. This skirt is the current Rob Ryan Design: I particularly love this skirt:
All images reproduced from the Clothkits website.

McQ by Alexander McQueen for Target

Please God no one in London dresses like this. Whatever. I thought the whole line was hideous. In my last job I attended a fair few of La Force + Stevens' Target press presentations. Being able to see the entire collections (rather than what was left on a shop floor) made it simple to judge the success or otherwise of a line. I generally thought the Target designer collaborations were excellent distillations of a label's sensibility with the mass market in mind. (Bar Alice Temperley's execrable effort.)

Jonathan Saunders' work for Target springs to mind, not because I admire his runway work and very much like the man but because it kept his signature and looked desirable. And the upcoming Erikson Beamon jewellery collaboration is beyond excellent. (Basically, if Vicky Sarge & Karen Beamon hadn't been standing next to me at the press view I would have been tempted to scoop the whole lot into my handbag.)

But this offering from McQueen said nothing to me whatsoever. (Apart from run, run in the opposite direction.) It felt cheap, ugly and tacky. The prints in particular are actively awful. Exhibit (a):

The cuffed & studded denim short shorts looked okay (for anyone under 20) and there was one high necked black coated cotton poplin mac which had some hanger appeal, but worn looked like something Nurse Ratched would have worn on her day off. Otherwise, there was a proliferation of thin, cheap-feeling jersey pieces (see exhibit a), and unflattering tailoring. Most regrettably, it fails in the scope of its ambition: this collection is unlikely to entice those new to McQueen to spend money on the real McQ pieces.

Visions of doing re-see appointments in the Alexander McQueen mainline showroom in Paris during the pret a porter shows kept flashing across my mind, and I found it hard to believe that a man who can produce such exquisite beauty could be responsible for overseeing such wholesale tackiness. Granted McQ is his casual jeans line & he obviously doesn't design it himself, but there's just no excuse for putting his name to such a lacklustre effort.

Last season's pop-up Target Bodega in Midtown was set up somewhat shortsightedly in a room about the size of my apartment. It was so popular it became the scene of some rather undignified fashion roadkill, a distinct contrast to this weekend's McQ pop-up shop in a vast concrete floored warehouse Downtown, obviously set up for an invasion of McQueen loving shoppers.

I understand that the preview on Friday night was rammed, but it was a ghost town today: I half expected to see tumbleweeds rolling across the floor. Exhibit (b): unmanned cashier desks:
Often these shopping preview events can be rather frustrating as all the good stuff gets snapped up at the beginning and by the last day there is nothing left. The shelves were rammed today, so I hope for both Alexander McQueen & Target's sake that this is because they over-stocked on purpose, rather than because shoppers were so turned off by the clothes.

Celebrity spawn

Christ Giles gets my goat. He continues to show in a space too small to fit in the majority of the press, yet fills his front row with fashion irrelevancies. Last season it was David Walliams, Margo Stilley & Savannah Miller, this year it was Lily Allen, Bee Shaffer, Francesca Versace and Kimberley Stewart. And what do they all have in common? They are the spawn of famous people. And let’s fine that down: people who famous for having a career of several decades, not several seconds.

Today’s published sharply falling ABCs (magazine circulation figures) are being put partly down to the public’s dwindling interest in D-list celebs. Please, please let that be true.

NYFW parties

So having slept all afternoon like a hibernating dormouse in a nest of cashmere shawls on my bed, I spent a glorious hour dancing between the bedroom & bathroom having an almighty primping session, the likes of which I haven’t indulged in since my birthday at the beginning of December. I'm not really engaging with NYFW, as I'm still not wholly well, & fashion weeks are a recipe for illness (you are continually hungry, tired & sore of foot)so only going to events where I personally know the PR, or designers.

I wore this dress with my black suede and patent ankle boots, and 120 denier black Wolfords. And felt mighty glad of it when I arrived at Aziz, a Moroccan lounge in Midtown, for the Nanette Lepore after-show party. I always forget how badly the majority of fashion people dress, especially in New York. Waaaay too many sequins for my liking and everyone in dull colours. I may have looked like a rainbow threw up on my dress, but at least I was making a nod to current trends. I’m so used to London where people really do follow fashion in a quirky & individual way that it’s easy to forget that it just doesn’t filter down so quickly in America.

Fashion week parties like this are always fun. They aren’t full of celebs and models; they’re more of a way to reward the hard working teams who put the shows together, so they are always most amusing with lots of hair letting down. We drank delicious Belvedere white cosmos and did some dancing. The party ended at midnight (as fashion parties always do – the venue is happy to host parties in the 8pm-12am period, but then they kick everyone out for the paying customers).

I actually sloped off earlier to head downtown to what is supposedly Manhattan’s most luxurious, newest and hottest lounge/club/whatever, 1OAK (stands for One of a Kind). (More of this later.)

The wonderful English men’s shoemaker Oliver Sweeney is intent on taking America (and rightly so), and to that end was throwing an exclusive Fashion Week cocktail party there (until midnight!) along with a young English bespoke tailor.

Who just about nixed his chances of being included in the feature I am writing on English tailors in America for a Very Large newspaper with his stunningly rude behaviour last night. The truly lovely Oliver Sweeney PR took me over to meet him, and we talked about his business and Savile Row. Then the owner of 1OAK came over with some badly dressed, but important guy, introduced him, ignoring me (even though we had already met), and then the three men drew together, with the tailor literally turning his back on me: he & I had been mid conversation and I was just frozen out, & left standing there outside their circle like a muppet. I waited a few minutes to see if he was going to turn back to sign off our conversation, but no.

I was so angry that I left the party. I had trekked down to Meatpacking from Midtown for his American launch and, frankly, journalist or no, expect some politesse. Not impressed sir. You’d better learn some manners if you want to grow your business.

Mango sponsor Jean Pierre Braganza

I'm quite keen on Mango at the moment, following the announcement of an intelligent spot of sponsorship directed towards two young British designers. After having sponsored Osman Yousefzada's LFW show last season, (& whilst continuing to support Osman), they will also be sponsoring Jean Pierre Braganza.Braganza's signature sharp tailoring and deconstructed shapes can be seen at his show at the Mango flagship store on London's Oxford Street on Sunday, February 10. The utterly briiliant Osman Yousefzada, whose show also takes place at the store on the same day, debuts his collection of Little Black Dresses in 220 Mango stores worldwide from March.

Photo: Jean Pierre Braganza SS08. Vogue.com

Moet fashion bus for London Fashion Week

When I read that Moët was introducing a tour bus this February to transport editors around the east end of London to the series of fashion week shows known as The Block, I thought, what a great idea. Especially the bit that read, “Guests will be greeted with champagne.”

Then the release went on to list the designers whose shows would be included: House of Holland, Fashion East, which includes Louise Gray, Noki and David David, Roksanda Ilincic and Gareth Pugh. And I thought hmm, but isn’t Giles showing there too, and on the same day?

And then I remembered: Giles doesn’t like, indrawn breath, fashion assistants, and scabrous people who might actually not have drivers or the wherewithal to take cabs, to attend his shows. Senior editors & important buyers only darling.

Whilst I understand that designers like to show in spaces that work with their collections, that are often rather small, I also think that if you are going to be part of the official LFW schedule then you shouldn’t treat the junior editors, assistants and foreign press with such derision. Especially when London has so few big names showing.

And especially when his front row last season had David bloody Walliams, Margot Stilley and Savannah Miller perched on it. Any moral high ground gained was lost the moment he let those completely fashion-irrelevant attendees in.

LFW Schedule published for AW08

The BFC have published AW08's show schedule. The shows run from Sunday 10 - Friday 15 February, opening with the solid commercial worthy-ness of Paul Costello and ending with Julien Macdonald's star-spangled journey to the land that taste forgot.

As I noted last season, for the first time in my memory (I've been doing this for way too long), the BFC have finally decided to run schedules that makes sense geographically so we aren't pinging across London like elastic bands (when we aren't stuck in traffic jams.) There are still a few crazy back & forths between the Topshop venue (Marylebone Campus of University of Westminster) & the BFC tent (Natural History Museum), but they are mainly in the evening - or at least they will be once the shows start running as late as normal.

I understand that with the dearth of decent models doing the London season, the shows are always going t run late as designers wait for the frantic girls to zip between consecutive shows, but I am consistently gobsmacked that designers showing first on the schedule run 20-40 minute late. (I was so innured to this that the first time I covered the New York shows I actually missed a couple as they all ran ON TIME - extraordinary!)

Vivienne Westwood to show second line in London

Following a nine-year absence from London Fashion Week, Vivienne Westwood is returning to show her Red Label's AW 08/09 collection on-schedule in February. The Red Label, which has not been shown during a fashion week before, was first launched in 1994 to appeal to a wider audience and is inspired by Savile Row tailoring and French couture. Vivienne's first line the Gold Label will be shown in Paris, as usual.

I just think it's shame that London's official show schedule is becoming the place to show diffusion and second lines: Marc the season before last, Stella's line for Adidas last, and now Dame Vivienne's. Is this really the way to boost London's reputation and get the foreign press in? I think not.

BFC announces NewGen Sponsorhip for SS08

The BFC has announced the Topshop New Gen sponsorship for next season. It's a timely reminder that critical adulation doesn't mean pots of money: young designers like Chirs Kane wouldn't be able to show without this funding.

Catwalk sponsorship: Christopher Kane, Duro Olowu, Erdem, Krystof Strozyna, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab, MeadhamKirchhoff, Todd Lynn

Exhibition sponsorship: Anna Vince, Borba Margo, Charlotte Olympia, David David, Emilio de la Morena, Felder•Felder, Hannah Marshall, House of Holland, Justin Smith, Nicholas Kirkwood, Peter Pilotto and Poltock & Walsh.

I'm particulary pleased to see lovely Nicholas Kirkwood on this list. I've been a supporter of his since the get go. After he left Cordwainers, he worked for Philip Treacy, all the while planning setting up his own label in 2005. He is way in the vanguard of shoe design, setting the agenda for footwear design way before any of his competitors. This summer he won the prestigious AltaRoma Vogue Italia award for accessories design.

Shoes by Nicholas Kirkwood

Temperley buys British leather goods manufacturer

Buried away at the bottom of a Temperley press release yesterday was the following statement,

"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of the last bag manufacturers in the UK, enabling earlier deliveries and the development of exciting new bags and concepts. Part of the accessories will be produced at this factory going forward."

I find this more interesting than the bag collection: with fashion production increasingly being outsourced to the Far East, it's highly commendable that one of Britain's most ambitiously expanding fashion companies is choosing not just to source its leather goods in the UK, but is actually invesitng in the bricks and mortar to make this happen.

Exposure US press day & Jessica Ogden for Fred Perry

In the midst of my work horror last week, I took a break to hop on my bicycle so I could freewheel down Broadway to Exposure US's press day down in Tribeca. After A plyed me with a glass of Laurent Perrier and a Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery cupcake, (alcohol AND sugar - can you tell this company is English-owned?!), always elegant HH took me through the SS08 collections.

Lots of lovely stuff: Dr Martens was partic strong: Yohji ones, with a bonkers floral design impregnated into the leather & an eyebrow raising price point, and a whole range of neon patent 8 hole boots, which have rather grown on me after the initial shock. And some rather gorgeous silver, & gold, ones too. Piles of covetable Globetrotter luggage and some pretty womens' T shirts from Mahirishi.

Nicholas K's SS offer looks wonderful, with some beautiful dresses, and a muted, yet bright, colour palette directly inspired by the designer's trip to India. Designer Caroline Priebe popped in briefly with a wonderful black, feather soft knit with an appliquéd white spine on the back from her ethical & eco friendly line Uluru - more of this later.

Fred Perry continues to collaborate with some wonderful young British designers. So many collaborations of this type fail to mesh the chosen designer's particular aesthetic with that of the larger, more corporate company, but Fred Perry manages it successfully every time. I loved the fabulous black polo material dresses from Emma Cook with the Fred Perry logo blown up and used as embellishment. But the standout is Jessica Ogden's delightful tennis dress, which is an absolutely perfect melange of her artisinal viewpoint with the Fred Perry sportswear raison d'etre

Coda to my Cavalli rant

I could rant for quite some time about big name diffusion collections, designed by their studios, produced in horrible fabrics, and sold in High Street chains, but I;ve written about it at length elsewhere, so here I will content myself by pointing out that if I want diffusion designer on the High Street, then I look for the new and interesting designers who I know will have designed tiny capsule ranges themselves, which support their main line and raise consumer awareness of their nascent brand not their over-priced handbags and umpteen licences for fragrance, cosmetics, sunglasses and the like.

Topshop Boutique is good at this: Preen, Jonathan Saunders and Emma Cook have done stand out collections of maybe ten or twenty pieces for them, and I’m particularly looking forward to Next Big Thing Osman Yousefzada’s SS08’s collection of twelve little black dresses for Mango.

Lizzie Disney appointed at Mahirishi

Lizzie Disney is designing the new womenswear collection at Maharishi - when I received the release her name jumped out at me. It's a good few years since she was one of London's hot new designers, with a slot in the third season of Fashion East for SS03 (alongside Richard Kinloch & House of Jazz), although she was unable to show as her samples were stuck in New York in the aftermath of 9/11 and, shortly afterwards, an appointment as chief designer at the newly revived Parisian House of Jacques Fath (which she left in 2004). In fact I had completely forgotten that I had written about her at the time, until I did a Google search.

A venerable Parisian house to Mahirishi's laid back casual wear: Just goes to show how much of a fickle master the fashion industry can be.