London bag watch

Not quite as ubiquitous as the Mulberry Bayswater or assorted Mulberry manbags (I have still only seen one Alexa), but furlongs ahead of the third-placing Marc Jacobs Petal to the Metal with the birds on (skewing much younger), here comes the Vuitton grey Damier check bag, which I’m seeing on a wide cross-section of ladies. It has taken over from the slightly tired chocolate-brown Damier bag.

That was your London bag watch.

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HBC watch

Although somewhat in contrast to Angelina’s understated Louis Vuitton effort, HBC for Marc Jacobs achieves her own immenseness, as ever.

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via Catwalk Queen

Tie a bow on it

Tying a bow on it makes it better.

Usually.

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Square eyes

I know we go on about Glee a bit on this blog but this is because we find it wonderful. Yesterday I watched the Madonna episode, which with its twin themes of the sinewy one and female empowerment made me come over quite emotional. Through my tears I noticed that Rachel was wearing the dove belt by Marc by Marc Jacobs that I want with some urgency:

Nice loot for a high-schooler.

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Marc by Marc Jacobs birdies

These are the sort of bags that make you want to do bad things with the rent money.

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Little picks from NYFW

There is a frenzy in the fashion world at this time of year as everything new spills out onto the catwalks at NY, LON, Paris and Milan. Yes it’s a mindless orgy of The New Thing-ism but it is also ridonkulous amounts of fun. Fashion is also one of the things the UK is really good at, along with food (this is TRUE Europhile naysayers) and television. No other country can claim both. Or maybe they can but you can’t get both down the pub.

As for New York, there was a standout collection for me and it was Karen Walker (both pictures above). I am definitely a fan of the whimsical as long as it’s not too twee, and I love sweet, thoughtfully designed prints. This is controversial to some, but I think Karen Walker nails that wearable, colourful vibe that is supposedly the forte of Marc Jacobs. I used to like his clothes back in the good old days of the OC, but when the time came that I was actually able to afford Marc by Marc Jacobs (this golden era has now ended), I found it never fits me correctly and aside from nice things like parkas and the lovely utilitarian bags, nothing ever seems quite right in terms of fabric and colour. For the money I’d rather buy something from Malene Birger or Paul & Joe.

The mainline is of course, a big step up in terms of design and the “wedding dress” from the end of the Marc Jacobs show is beautiful. Whereas in real life I tend to wear very simple clothes because they suit me, in my dreams I dress like a flower fairy.

I’m also a sucker for anything in a rainbow of bright colours.

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All images from Style.com. Thank you Style.com.

The Met dresses and etc

The Costume Institute Ball was last night and I’ve been enjoying flicking through Fashionologie’s gallery of all the outfits from the night. These are the ones that really stood out for me, even though I’m sure at least one will inspire severe hate in almost everyone else.

There used to be so much love for Kirsten Dunst. She and Mischa should have a support group. I enjoy this weirdly magical dress with its feather sleeves.

Kirsten Dunst in Chanel.

I know this is disgusting. But it’s on Leighton and she has such a cool cheeky look on her face. Okay so she looks mad but if you want to do the inevitable GG girls comparison, look at what Blake Lively wore – at least Leighton’s outfit fits and is…memorable.

Leighton Meester in Louis Vuitton.

 This is simply a beautiful dress with this lovely stuctured cut-out effect. This is the only “sexy” outfit of the night I actually liked.

Claudia Schiffer in Atelier Versace.

There were a few androgynous looks on the night but Rihanna’s wins for the mega-sleeves. Once again, I salute a look that isn’t pretty-pretty and therefore is worn with intent.

 

Rihanna in Dolce & Gabbana.

I think it’s compulsory to mention Kate’s turban. Turbans are pretty great in theory – they make one think of Joan Crawford. I’m not set alight by this outfit but when I tried to post without mentioning it, the blog burst into flames.

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Kate Moss in Marc Jacobs and Stephen Jones turban.

A Good List

I love a good list, and thanks to our friends over at Sparkling Whine, I’ve been poring over fun lists every day I can get myself onto the internet (I’m still waiting for net connection at home, *wail*).

And my love of lists is what got me excited to see Friday’s ES Magazine with its fashion week(s) round up. I devoured every detail of New York, London, Paris, Milan, etc with everyone else, but even I had fatigue despite only surveying the shows from the comfort of my own home. Now, I tend to take ES Magazine with a pinch of salt – the Friday supplement from London’s foremost newspaper, the Evening Standard, has a terrible habit of writing articles about failed property developers and musing over other ‘society’ type stories. But ‘style director’ Gianluca Longo’s ‘Best of’ list was perfect; pithy, light but with enough depth to satisfy a fashionista.

So, here’s my Best of ‘Best of’:

• Best Performance: At Sonia Rykiel’s Paris show, the models managed to walk and talk. And smile, instantly making them more attractive.
  

  Sonia Rykiel AW09

• Best Paris Party; The Gossip played a private gig at the pop up club Fendi-O, watched by  bemused looking Karl Lagerfeld. Beth Ditto stage dived into the ‘very thin and fashionable audience’. Brillant, just brilliant.

Marc Jacobs AW09

• Eighties Watch; Neons, big hair and hats at Marc Jacobs in New York; big shoulders & satin at Balenciaga in Paris.

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House of Fraser

I generally do not go in House of Fraser unless it is to seek out the Benefit counter, partly due to a brief but traumatic experience working there. I was vaguely aware it sold brands and I think I went into the one on Oxford Street looking for Elle McPherson lingerie a while ago but in the main I give very little thought to HoF.

But with some time on my hands yesterday before meeting friends I went and had a look around the one at Bank and Monument and it turned out to be awesome! It must be new because it is small but perfectly formed, with a sort of art deco vibe. I scooted round the beauty hall and will have to come back for some supplies that ran out while I was jobless, but the best bit was a really excellent clothes department, which basically comprised the obvious Coast and Oasis sections as well as designer bags from Chloe, Marc Jacobs, Anya Hindmarch and Mulberry, and then a D&G, See by Chloe, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Day Birger and Mikkelson section. Joy! Just my level, especially if they have a sale… Shoes came courtesy of Kurt Geiger and French Connection.

I now have a little shopping list of things that I shall enjoy buying in this mini-HoF, which was the perfect amount of busy, i.e. just enough people to distract the perfume ladies but not heaving.

• Benefit Coralista blusher
• Lancome Adaptive foundation
• Black bow sandals from KG
• Yellow ultra-padded wooden heels from French Connection (I need a manicure before I can enjoy wearing either of these new sets of shoes)
• And this perfect white summer dress from Day Birger, which fulfils all my frolicking in the pastures dreams. When you see it in real life, it is that perfect white cotton dress.

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p.s. I have not been able to find a picture of the bow sandals so this is my MS Paint interpretation for you.

 

My 2009 bag lust

I have decided which bags I am going to fruitlessly desire all of this year and I’m going very simple after last year’s Ymail “address” bags, for which my heart still whimpers once in a while.

Instead, I am looking at bags which, on the deeply theoretical day when I buy them, I could then use every single day of the following three to fifteen years so it would receive as much love as it really deserves. A beautifully designed and executed leather bag that doesn’t stand and say “hullo! I am expensive.”

I’ve had my eye on various versions of this Marc by Marc Jacobs bag for almost a year and I love this new paler blue colour. I was planning to buy the dark blue when it went on sale but when I got to the shop (I was planning to buy it at Heathrow duty-free) it was sold out. Sad face. The Miu Miu bags are the perfect non-brown designs and look solid enough to deal with being my bag. I would probably buy the blue but I also love the pistachio, even though I hate pistachios.

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Miu Miu bowling bags £680.

Marc by Marc Jacobs shoulder bag £328.