NYFW: BCBG Max Azria

Theme:  When asked who was the BCBG woman backstage, Azria answered 'She's a woman of 2014 who's in love with the world -she's modern'.  The collection hinted at 70's styled tailoring with feminine cuts and relaxed shapes.

Palette:  Began neutral with bright whites, muted blues and dusty pinks only to be followed with busy prints in darker shades before finishing with monochrome looks.

Accessories:  Box bags both clutch and worn on shoulder, wedged sandals.

Beauty: Barely there make up, softly tousled waves.

Key Look:  The shows final look of a sheer sequinned gown.



Review:  Whilst the details indicated design duo Max and Lubov Azria looked to menswear as inspiration behind their most recent fashion week venture, the collection featured twists traditional tailoring, with sheer inserts, soft draping and small but brightly coloured prints.  Core summer staples were reworked and in a contrast to the bright but neutral hues featured at the start of the show the final looks featured heavy prints not dissimilar to paint splatter.

View our favourite looks from the show on our Facebook page.

Spring Clear Out

So it's that time of year where I'm making space in my wardrobe's for this season's latest pieces.  I'm in the process of moving house so I've decided it's finally time to get rid of those pieces that I'll never again wear but insist on keeping.

Whilst between my best friend and I, we have 6 big bin liners of clothes to take to Charity Stores or to sell at a car boot (it's all about being frugal right?), there are some pieces that are too damn nice to get rid of by one of these means.

To help with my problem, I've recently discovered eBay (I know, I'm like 10 years behind).  I've only been using it for two or three weeks but have already ensured that some of my favourite pieces have gone to good homes.

Whilst I've listed plenty of High Street pieces, I've also put up a number of designer labelled pieces, from these gorgeous Marc by Marc Jacobs pumps (which after 4 years I have finally admitted defeat and accepted that they do not fit, to D&G pumps, Ralph Lauren Sweaters, Mulberry Bags and even one gorgeous BCBG by Max Azria dress.

I know everyone is a bit skeptical when it comes to buying designer pieces on eBay but rest assured they are not fakes, just pieces that no longer fit or have never even be worn.  Take a look now : Charlotte's Ebay

BCBG Max Azria AW 12/13

Continuing on from the Spring Summer trends colour blocking proved to be going strong as BCBG presented their Autumn Winter 2012/13 collection at New York Fashion Week yesterday.

Shift dresses, tunic and wide legged pants dominated the runway as models donned block printed garments in shades of navy, cream black and mustard with accents of turquoise and orange.

Fur, which we saw on sleeves, scarves and gillets, was key in making a statement on the otherwise chiffon based collection, giving garments a more appropriate autumn/winter feel with the heavier fabric adding touches of warmth which we so desperately need as the weather grows colder.

We also saw sheer and leather paneling as well as pleated dresses accessorized leather and suede clutches which made room for a more sophisticated look among the models

Fashion Week Kicks Off

Many off us have not even had the chance to try out SS 2012's new trends thanks to the blistering colds but thankfully today is the day that Autumn Winter 2012/13 kicks off, giving us plenty of time to adapt our current winter wardrobes, which given the next few weeks forecast of snow and minus degrees temperature can only be a good thing.

Mercedes Benz fashion week kicked off yesterday with shows such as DKNY Mens and Rachel Comey but today we start seeing the bigger names in fashion with shows such as BCBG Max Azria, Duckie Brown and Cynthia Rowley.

Following on Friday are fashion heavy weights Rag & Bone, Helmut Lang, Jason Wu and Nicole Miller with unmissable Prabal Gurung, Alexander Wang, Herve Leger by Max Azria and Monique Lhuillier.

Sunday's line up see's some of the newest yet biggest names with Victoria Beckham kicking off in the morning to be followed by Thakoon, Derek Lam, Diane Von Furstenburg and one of my favourites Zac Posen.

On Monday we have Jenny Packham, Preen, 3.1 Philip Lim, Reem Acra and Marc Jacobs with Tory Burch, Badgley Mischka, Rodarte and Oscar De La Renta following on Wednesday.  The penultimate day of shows brings with it the now hotly anticipated Victoria by Victoria Beckham, Marchesa, Elie Thari and Proenza Schouler whilst the final day before we move to London is filled with American classics from Ralph Lauren, L'Wren Scott and Calvin Klein.

Fashion week is always a busy one, but with the weather getting colder and winter lasting longer and a whole list of fresh new talent let's hope there is plenty of fabric.  Keep reading and we'll follow up today with reports on the best shows.

BCBG Maxazria S/S 2012

BCBG Max Azria kicked off New York fashion week yesterday with a mixture of bold brights with neutral accents carrying forward the trend of colour blocking that proved so popular this summer.

The brand, who are well known for being heavily dominated by their feminine designs, showed a collection of feather light and sophisticated dresses with an urban edge. 

The collection featured a pallette of bright orange, yellow and blues with bold aztec and geometric prints.  Dresses had peek a boo shoulder, slits and cutouts, styles that suit any sillhouette.  The models walked out with flawless make up and slicked back hair.

Whilst primarily known for their dresses, the brand also threw in a couple of jumpsuits and styled trousers, still featuring the blocked pallette, and successfully re creating the popular sportswear trend the designers were looking for.  

With a FROW consisting of fashionistas such as Rachel Zoe, Sophia Bush and Louise Row and after such a disastrous summer in 2011, this show definitely created the desired airy feeling of hope some of us had been hoping for.

See the show here:

MBFW Mayhem

The month we have all been waiting for is almost upon us. That's right, in under 12 hours the first show of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week will begin, kicking off four weeks of previews from top designer for S/S 2012 in the worlds four top fashion capitals, New York, London, Paris and Milan (although we all know London's officially the finest :) ).

This year is set to top the rest with the return of Tom Ford and Helmut Langs first show in 5 years. New York will run from Thursday 8th - Thursday 15th, from where London Fashion week will begin.
New York see's 7 full days of over 100 shows from CFDA emerging talent 2011 winner Prabal Gurung to Marc Jacobs.

The week has had various disruptions due to Hurricane Irene with Marc Jacobs moving his show from Monday 12th to Thursday 15th and indirectly causing Bill Bass to move from 5pm of the same day to 12.30 to avoid any possible conflict.

The CFDA also previously announced that all models during MBFW will be required to show valid I.D before walking after it's chairman Diane Von Furstenburg mistakenly hired a 15 year old to walk her A/W 11/12 show earlier this year.

I can't wait to see what S/S 12 has in store for us. Whilst there are over 100 shows, I'm particularly excited for the following....

Thursday 8th
BCBG Maxazria - 10.00
Supima - 13.00

Friday 9th

Jason Wu - 13.00

Mara Hoffman - 14.30

Rag & Bone - 17.00

Tommy Hilfiger Mens - 17.30

Saturday 10th
Lacoste - 10.00
Prabal Gurung - 12.00
Helmut Lang - 13.00
Alexander Wang - 17.00
Charlotte Ronson - 18.00
Monique L'Hullier - 19.00

Sunday 11th
Victoria Beckham - 10.00
Derek Lam - 12.00
DKNY - 13.00
DVF - 16.00
Zak Posen - 19.00

Monday 12th
Jenny Packham - 9.30
Carolina Herrara - 10.00
Preen By Thorton Bregazzi - 12.00
Donna Karen - 14.00
Rachel Zoe - 15.00
Marc By Marc Jacobs - 20.00

Tuesday 13th
Tory Burch - 9.00
J Crew - 9.30
Badgley Mishka - 10.00
Vera Wang - 11.00
Rodarte - 12.00
Herve Leger - 14.00
Marchesa - 15.00
Oscar De La Renta - 18.00

Wednesday 14th
Michael Kors - 10.00
Philip Lim - 14.00
Anna Sui - 18.00
Ellie Tahari - 19.00
Proenza Schoeller - 20.00

Thursday 15th
Ralph Lauren - 10.00
Calvin Klein - 14.00
Marc Jacobs - 20.30


Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

30 And Fabulous

I’d like to start this post by wishing my fabulous sister a Happy 30^th Birthday.  There are 8 years between the two of us and it is strange but whilst she is like a mother figure, constantly steering me in the right direction and nagging me about my mistakes, I still feel sometimes likes we are the same age, in sense of humour at least.  She doesn’t hesitate to lead the jokes about our Mothers cake eating skills, or doing the waltz around the front room with the dog to entertain her two year old son.

I always thought that turning 30 would be like a life changing and emotional thing, think back to Rachel in ‘Friends’, but Samantha has shown that it is not big deal, and that it is perfectly possible to reach her 30’s with the grace and elegance she has maintained all of her life.

We have very different senses of style, I’m a fashion student who works at Topshop, so to her, I’m overly quirky and have a much messier fashion sense.  She always teases me for my funky styled shoes or tops with random prints, as I always tease her for being boring and not having a very good colour palette in her wardrobe.  In fact she is actually one of the most stylish women I know.  Half the things she buys I hate on site, then she puts it on and it just looks, excuse me for the cheesy word but I can think of no other, fabulous. 

She is one of these people, when we were younger, if she wanted something for dinner, we would get home and Mum would be making it, and it is still the same today.  She’ll see something she likes, and all of a sudden it is the next big thing, for example the Superga trainers she requested two months ago, that this month have been in Vogue and Style magazine, or Issa, the dress she purchased last summer for her wedding reception, that is now on demand due to Kate Middleton’s engagement announcement.

She has this ability to pick up even the plainest dress and make it look spectacular, just by adding the right shade of lipstick or wearing her hair in just the right way. She’s the one who taught me the importance of the LBD, she taught me how to do my own make-up and hair (literally, I moved up here three years ago and didn’t even know bronzer existed), even back in the 90’s she always had the latest Moschino or Versace piece before any of her friends knew it existed.

Whilst I made goad her for her boringness with regards to fashion, she is still the first person that I thought of when I heard Versace were doing the ‘Iconic Collection’ for H&M, and, as much as I hate to admit it, she is actually the one who informs me about all the new up and coming designers, I just nod along and pretend I already knew.  She’s taught me a lot in life and got me to wear I am today, but the one thing I have learnt is that as time goes one, you just get more stylish.

Skirt - Reiss

Shoes - Miu Miu

Dress - Dolce &Gabbana

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Dress - Diane Von Furstenburg

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Dress - Stella Mcartney

Gold Cuff - Monsoon

Sunglasses - Chanel

Dress - BCBG Maxazaria

Shoes - Jimmy Choo