Espadrilles are not something I would usually choose to put on my feet, largely in part to their surge in wearers over the past few years courtest of TOM's. Since Chanel have decided to market a new range however? Well, consider my mind changed. The French fashion powerhouse have created this stunning range of two tone espadrilles that can pefectly compliment any outfit and as such, mainstream retailers have followed suit and have plenty of feminine style to offer us. Unfortunately the price tag of the Chanels are a bit too much than I'd like to spend on a flash in the pan item. Luckily the high street as always has plenty of just as nice styles for us to choose from for much more purse friendly prices.
For me, I love nothing more than a Sunday night. Bubble bath, face mask and a fresh coat of nail varnish to see me through the week. As any girl knows - the best nail varnish comes in the form of a Chanel limited edition. Every year the brand release a number of exclusive colours, and this year they came in the form of these two Nuit Magique colours.
The two colours emulate what most of us look for in winter colours. The blue 'magic' represents the sky as we see more of it in the winter months and 'Cosmic' is an expanse of the ever popular black we all know and love, this time featuring accents of blue and silver. What's not to love?
Whilst most of us are agonising over what to wear at our Christmas party and shopping for a new frock for fear of our colleagues recognising our outfit, there is one Hollywood star who doesn't seem to share our woes - Keira Knightly. The Pirates of the Caribbean actress has stepped out yet again wearing her favourite Chanel gown, the same one that she wore to her wedding earlier this year and to a pre BAFTA bash way before that in 2008. Well, as they say 'If it aint broke why fix it'.
It's been touted as 'the best show of his career' and it has now been officially announced that the Louis Vuitton show at the Cour Carree of the Louvre is set to be Jacob's last with the French fashion house. The show featured aspects from a number of the designers best shows during his time at Louis Vuitton such as the carrousel, escalators and French maids, to name a few.
Jacobs and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault confirmed this morning that the American designer would be stepping down from his role of 16 years in order to focus on his eponymous line. The departure will signify a huge change for the brand (perhaps 'loss' is a better word?') as it was Jacobs who introduced the first RTW line with the brand and has made it into the global powerhouse that it now is. His tenure at Louis Vuitton is bested only by Lagerfeld who has remained director at Chanel for 30 years.
Jacobs launched the Marc Jacobs line in 1993 whilst at Parson and both himself and LVMH own a third (the other third being owned by business partner Robert Duffy) and it is expected to make its IPO within the next few years. The brand, which also has diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs, launched its first beauty range earlier this year exclusively on Sephora and it is rumoured that he plans to focus harder on his accessories range after seeing how successful competitor Michael Kors has been with his watches in the past few years/
Whilst we'll miss Jacobs at LV, we can't help but consider who will step forward to replace him...
Everyone knows that those in the FROW of any fashion show are scrutinised just as much as the clothes on the catwalk. Couture fashion week may not be as high profile as the RTW fashion weeks that we are all accustomed to seeing all over our twitter feed, but that doesn't make these frow guests any less fabulous and worthy of our attention.
Two of my favourite style icons at the moment have both appeared at the two most substantial fashion houses this week, Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Stewart at Christian Dior and Chanel respectively, both rocking slightly daring looks compared to their usual red carpet numbers.
Jennifer Lawrence, the current face of Miss Dior, wowed in a full Dior ensemble and nailed two trends at once - baring the midriff and the ever questionable skirt/trouser garment. Whilst the look might come across as slightly too try hard for many a star, Jennifer's slick hair and basic aviators dressed the ensemble down and made it look (almost) wearable.
Wearing head to toe Chanel, Kristen Stewart showed that you can have alabaster skin and still have perfect pins. Whilst the leather gloved look isn't one that I will be trying anytime soon (Michael Jackson anyone?), it's something that K Stew, in all her grunge glory, actually manages to pull off whilst paying homage to Chanel's sometimes infamous Creative Director.
Despite the fact that Kristen originally was notoriously against the whole Hollywood/Fashionista stereotype, the star has certainly come into her own with the past years public appearances and her teams an oversized tweed blazer with barely visible leather shorts.
My favourite thing about this look? Her hair. I never fail to be jealous of the Twilight actresses hair, even when she has it scraped back and greasy it somehow looks better than mine after professional styling.
It's that time of the year again where Cannes is upon it. As
with any event of it's kind, Cannes not only brings with it the premiere of
some of the biggest movies of the coming year, but a wide variety of actress
ensembles for us to pick and choose from.
It is from the film festival that I've chosen my look of the
week, the stunning Emma Watson in Chanel. Opting to step out of her comfort
zone that includes a wardrobe of various printed mini dresses, the Bling Ring
star went to Chanel for this elegant and, in my opinion, simply perfect, floor
length gown. With a sweetheart bodice that showed of her back (who would have
thought a back could look so good!) and a floor length white silk skirt, the
dress comes from the French houses Spring 13 couture show.
From Ange's rightleg to Slimane's debut at YSL (or SLP, who actually knows), we review the best and worst of the fashion industry over the past 12 months.
Red Carpet Moment - Angelina's Right Leg.
On the red carpet for this year's Oscars, Angelina Jolie decided to flaunt her perfectly toned right leg in this Atelier Versace gown, spawning a number of online virals and even it's own Twitter account @AngelinasRightLeg.
Moment - Fashions Olympic Takeover
I'm going to admit it, I didn't watch a single event barring the opening and closing ceremonies, but judging by this, I caught the best part. David Gandy led the way for some of Britains top models during the Closing Ceremony in London this year.
Store - Victoria's Secret
Famed for their multi million dollar fashion shows and models more than the actual garments sold, the US brand launched a flagship in London's Bond Street this year. Like we needed a reason to go underwear shopping!!
The American Actor became the first male to front a campaign for the luxurious perfume this year. Whilst many viewers were confused as to what exactly it was that Brad is actually talking about, no one can deny that the advert gained a lot of media coverage.
With promotional tours for Snow White, Breaking Dawn and On The Road and a partnership with BALENCIAGA, K Stew discovered that fashion might actually be something worth smiling about.
Not only making an appearance at the Olympics Closing Ceremony, they helped launch a musical loosely based on themselves. I, for one, will never be too old to admit how much I love these girls!
With Victoria being the most tweeted about designer this year and David launching his own underwear line with high street retailer H&M, Romeo joined his parents as part of the fashion elite by fronting a campaign for iconic British brand Burberry.
Stefano Pilati's seat had barely even cooled before Hedi Slimane had taken over at the French fashion house and completely rebranded it, changing the iconic 'YSL' trademark and changing it to 'SLP'/Saint Laurent Paris. Despite his complete overhaul and impressive background, Slimane has failed to impress critics meaning both his collections and advertising campaigns have been less successful than his predecessors.
Despite being the man who finally made Kristen Stewart smile, Ghesquire made a shock exit at Balenciaga at the end of October. No official reason was given to his exit, but many attributed his quitting to the lack of creative freedom he was given compared to Slimane when taking over YSL. As to where he will end up, that’s another mystery, with some sources making suggestions from him taking over from Lagerfeld at Chanel, relaunching Schiaparelli or even just being courted by LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault (Rivals of Balenciaga owners PPR).
Book - Grace Coddington
The Welsh born former model was reportedly approached by a publisher during the filming of R.J. Cutlers ‘The September Issue’ in 2009, and has spent the last 2 ½ years writing this insightful book, with help of friend Michael Roberts, of Vanity Fair.
Hot on the heels of the 2012 menswear shows, today see's the beginning of the Spring Summer 2012 Couture shows. With the official arrival of brands such as Giambattista Valli and Alexis Mabille and the return of the ever in demand Atelier Versace (which we have only seen on the red carpet for the last 7 years) which opens the shows today, the most controversial fashion house of the moment - Christian Dior, will also be showing.
Not that these clothes are anywhere close to what us mere mortals could afford, but they sure are nice to look at, and write about, dream about and so on. With the year the fashion industry has had, this a guaranteed to be a good week.
Most Spring Summer campaigns are bursting with colours, but then, when has Chanel ever conformed? With Lagerfeld behind the lens, Carine Roitfeld on hand to do the styling and with Saskia De Brauw and Joan Smalls doing the modelling, this campaign was always going to be a cut above the rest.
'The campaign is all about athletics and the sea' Lagerfeld told WWD back in October 'It's modern sportif and black and white '. Chanel's campaigns have always stood out due to the natural lighting, flawless models and overall parisienne elegance, and with the Olympics coming to London this summer, the athletic leaning is certain to make this campaign as successful as all the rest.
2011 has certainly been a positive year for the fashion industry, from the controversy of Galliano's sacking from Dior to Versace's huge launch for H&M. Here are my highlights of the year.
Style Crush - Chloe Moretz
She may only be 14, but Chloe has literally had me Googling everyone of her outfits this year, from the LBD she wore at the premier of I Am Number Four to the winning velvet top/pencil skirt combo worn at the Paris premiere of Hugo.
A hard choice considering other luxury e-tailers such as Net-a-Porter and Matches but My-Wardrobe won me over with their easy navigation, features and more importantly their Christmas room, a handy little section dedicated to helping you find the perfect gift or party dress.
Story of the Year - Diors New Man
After the suspension and consequential sacking of Galliano after his anti-semantic remarks in February of this year, the fashion rumor mill went into overdrive with news of his replacement. With everyone from Alaia to Alber Elbaz being fingered as the front runner for the job, it appeared that Louis Vuittons' Marc Jacobs was the definite successor after months of negotiations as reported in credible fashion sites such as Vogue and WWD. We're still waiting for the official announcement but supposedly Jil Sander's Raf Simons is currently in talks with the French fashion giant and is said to be 'hammering out the final details'.
Rosie has without a doubt had her most successful years yet. Not only is she one of Victoria's Secret's 'Angels' but the 24 year old moved in with beau Jason Statham, starred in Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon, became the new face of Marks & Spencer's alongside the perfection that is Ryan Reynolds, won the new Burberry Body campaign and starred on the cover of Vogue in the UK and German. That's only to name a few.
Television Advert - Paco Rabbanne One Million
So it's not a female scent, it's not the best male scent, but put together the gorgeousness that is Mat Gordon and the beat of The Chemical Brothers 'Do it again' and your onto something. It makes me dance every time it comes on!
Ad Campaign - Chanel
Freja Beha Erichsen showed just how worthy she was of Lagerfeld's approval this year with this A/W 2011 ad campaign in which she was styled by Carine Rotfield in these Parisienne shots.
Duo - Dakota and Elle Fanning
We've known Dakota since she starred in 2003's The Cat in the Hat but little sister Elle only became big this year after appearing in Super 8 and appearing at the MTV Movie Awards in the cutest D&G playsuit. The duo have not only hit headlines in the style stakes but have also caused controversy when Dakota's 'Oh Lola' ad campaign for Marc Jacobs was banned by the ASA as they described it as 'sexualising children'.
Wedding - Breaking Dawn
It was a year for weddings in 2011 with Kate Middleton, Kate Moss, Sophia Coppolla, Lily Allen and Zara Phillips all tying the knot. The dresses created were, for the most part, off the charts. My favourite however was without a doubt, a fictional one. The fourth installment of The Twilight Saga saw two of the story's main characters, Edward and Bella say 'I do' with Carolina Herrera creating the highly anticipated gown.
Not only did he put flat shoes back on the map for SS 2012 but the Scottish designer followed in the footsteps of Erdem to win the New Establishment Award and launched a new collaboration with J Brand. He's not only gone and made neon fashionable again, but was also announced to remind Italian designer Donatella Versace of her late brother Gianni after the two worked together on the brands sister line Versus.
There is little in fashion that Karl Lagerfeld can be bested at, and minimalism is high on that list. His Spring Summer 2012 show seemed to pay homage to all that is calm and white, with under - the -sea touches, such as giant white shells, one of which had the machine that is Florence Welch singing from them (pun intended).
As always, Lagerfeld gave us a little bit of everything, from fitted pencil skirts & tweed waistcoats to shell - like embelishment & ruffle overload. The collection was stunning - everything you would expect from a Chanel show and more. The youthful garments broke down the age barrier that it has struggled against for so long and if possible made the brand as iconic as ever.
We saw the ever famous Chanel Jackets, but there were also bold prints thrown in as well as a rather questionable style of bag. The models had slick hair styles with pearls carefully placed on their head and spines before hand.
London has officially taken over New York and Paris as the Fashion Capital of the world.
Statistics were released today from the Global Language Monitor (a company based in Austin, Texas that analyzes trends in the worlds languages - particularly English) that show that Fashion greats such as Kate Middleton and Alexander McQueen have helped us claim the top spot after coming in third last year.
Figures also revealed that Milan had once again entered 4th position, showing that the most famous fashion capitals gained top positions with NYC coming in second and Paris 3rd. Hong Kong has dropped from 2 to 6, but is still the most fashionable place in Asia. Berlin also entered the top 10 for the first time, making Europe the most fashionable contintnent.
See the top 10 here.
1. London, England
Up from 3rd The home of many of fashions finest, from Kate Moss to Robert Pattinson. it was the Duchess of Cambridge and Alexander McQueen that helped solidify us at the top spot.
2. New York City, USA
Down from 1st. The City that bought us Diane Von Furstenburg and Sex in the city. But we have Kate and McQueen.
3. Paris, France
Up from 4th. The city that all of us fashion lovers adore for Chanel and Isabel Marant to name a few, but maybe the media feel have fallen off of the fashion scale.
4. Milan, Italy
Up from 6th, putting the most powerful fashion cities back in the top four. Home of the late Gianni Versace and Miuccia Prada.
5. Los Angeles, USA
Held Position. The City that bought us Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port through the medium of The Hills. Maybe if they hadn't also condemned us with Heidi & Spencer they'd have a higher position.
6. Hong Kong, China
Although down from number two, the Chinese city is again the most fashionable Asian city which has bought us designers such as John Rocha.
7. Barcelona, Spain
The 16th most visited and most 'liveable' city in the world which has bought us one of the most famnous football teams in the world as well as sights such as the Torre Agbar (below) has moved up 3 places from 10.
8. Singapore, Malay Peninsula
The republics first entry into the top ten after coming in at number 15 last year. The 'gateway betweeen east and west' is home to the Textile and Fashion Federation.
9. Tokyo, Japan
Another new entry in the top 10 after only finishing 14th in 2010. Tokyo is well known for having the largest metropolitan economy in the world as well as being the setting for many Hollywood/Japanese style horror films, from Godzilla to Kill Bill.
10. Berlin, Germany
Up from 18, Berlin is one of the 16 states and capital of Germany and most famous for the wall built to seperate the East and West of the city in 1961 and the street art that covered the wall before it was torn down.
