Look of the Week: Hayden Panettiere

Awards Season is a perfect time to restart the LOTW feature, not only do we have a plethora of actresses to choose from but we can compare her outfits throughout the rest of the upcoming ceremonies. Marvellous!

This week I've chosen actress Hayden Panettiere as my best looks and for - bizarrely - a reason different to her wearing the best outfit of the week (I was in love with Ms Watsons dress an trousers combo). No, the reason I have chosen Hayden is for her sheer determination to wear a designer she loved, even when pretty much told she couldn't - something us mere mortals will sympathise with. 

Now we all know that designers are quite specific when it comes to loaning their dresses and Tom Ford is one such designer, he'll loan only one dress per red carpet. This year the honor fell to Naomi Watts and Hayden was told to look for another designer for her strut down the red carpet. 

It's common knowledge of course that designers will loan dresses - what kind of actress wants to pay tens of thousands for a dress they can only wear on one occasion - but the young starlet, upon being told no can do by the house of Ford did something they didn't expect of her and actually went out a bought (yes as in spent her own money) a $10,000 dress just so she could walk down that carpet and announce his name as who she was wearing. Fabulous. 

Advent Calender Wishlist: Day Three

Onto beauty for the third item of my wishlist.  I'm not one for dramatic make up, preferring to look natural.  On a weekend I'll add some smokey eye makeup or lipstick but during the week I prefer to keep my make up as bare as possible.  I couldn't live without my Armani Face Fabric or my Touche Eclat, but one item I've discovered this year that makes me wonder how I lived without it is this Tom Ford Brow Sculptor.

If heaven was an eyebrow pencil, ladies, this would be it.  A little more expensive than a usual make up item admittedly, but definitely worth it.

Tom Ford jumping on the H&M bandwagon??

Over the past few years we've had Lanvin, Matthew Williamson and Jimmy Choo.  Even Donatella Versace who famously stated she would never do a high street collaboration tomorrow launched that exact thing (although it's not a collaboration, it's a 'capsule collection' just so you know).

Tom Ford is know for a number of things, his phenomenal make up, his high profile break from fashion to forge a career in Hollywood - and his even higher profile return for the industry.  He now joins the like of Azzedine Alaia, whom refuse to release show pictures during fashion week, preferring to showcase his collections to a private, hand picked audience of fashion editors and insiders.  A decision made as he feels there is too much over exposure in the fashion industry (basically saying he is fed up of catwalk collections being copied by the high street before the designers even put them on sale themselves).

So imagine my surprise on learning that Tom Ford is tipped to be the next big name to collaborate with the Swedish brand.  Whilst nothing has been confirmed, I'm still keeping my fingers tightly crossed.

Fashion Week In The Fashion Capital

Whats that I hear? Oh right, it's the pitter patter of well heeled feet as London Fashion Week gets ready to kick off!!

Thats right, this past Seven days have seen the beginning of some stunning trends for Spring Summer 2012, from the draw droppingness that was Zac Posen to the impetus that was Prabal Gurung but I could not be excited to see what my home town brings us for next season.

With a world famous reputation for being the edgiest of all fashion shows and celebrities all over the globe citing us as the trendiest nation, great things are expected all round.  The week will include 5 days of what are guaranteed to be show stopping collections followed by a day of menswear showcases.  Highlights will include Tom Fords woman's presentation and the Issa London - the label that hit the headlines after the engagement shot of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The shows I'm most looking for are:

Friday 16th
Sass & bide - 16.00
Basso & Brooke - 18.00
PPQ - 20.30

Saturday 17th
Ashish - 11.00
House of Holland - 16.00
Jonathon Saunders - 19.00
Issa london - 20.00

Sunday 18th
Mulberry - 10.00
Richard Nicoll - 11.00
Topshop Unique - 15.00
Tom Ford Woman's Presentation - 18.00

Monday 19th
Peter Pillatto - 9.00
Christopher Kane - 12.00
Erdem - 14.00
Girles - 19.30
Temperly London - 20.30

Tuesday 20th
Meadham Kichoff - 14.00
Amanda Wakely - 15.00
David Koma - 16.00

Wednesday 21st
NewGen Men - 13.00

Lang Loves London

Wow, it really does seem like high end designers just cant enough of the streets of London.  So far we have had Tom Ford, Isabel Marant and Victoria's Secret announce plans to open in the capital of England.  

Today, further news announced that the Austrian fashion brand is joining the ranks of fashions finest and launching it's first UK store in London's Notting Hill next month.  The store, which is to fill an 800 sq ft store on Westbourne Grove, will be the first of the brands free standing stores in Europe.  The fashion house, which is known for its minimalist yet severe designs, has said that the store will contain pieces from the A/W 11 collection against a backdrop of natural materials.

Honestly, this, coupled with Victoria's Secret's opening, I think I'm going to explode with excitement.

Isabel in England

This summer, fashion's Mr Perfectionist Tom Ford announced he was to open his first British store in Harrods, London.  This week Isabel Marant announced she is to do the same.

The French designer, who already has stores in France, NYC, Beijing and Beirut, is to open her first British store on Mayfair's Bruton Street, which is already graced by fashions finest - the likes of Diane Von Furstenburg and Stella McCartney.  The 3500 sq foot space has been taken over from the Haycon Gallery.

Alaia Turns Down Dior

There's been much speculation for the past few months over who is to replace Galliano after his uncerimonious departure from French fashion house Christian Dior.  Many names where thrown around, such as Riccardo Tisci and Alber Elbaz, even Sarah Burton.  Today the Financial Times reported that the name that was on NOBODIES lips has already declined the position - Azzedine Alaia.

I remember the first time hearing his name - in Clueles when Cher is being mugged and told to lie on the floor she protests 'but this is an Alaia' about her dress.  Around the same time he stopped showing his collections the way that most designers do, instead preffering to showcase them privately to buyers in his own showroom, much the way that designers such as Tom Ford does now.

With celebrities such as Victoria Beckham announcing him as their favourite designers, it is no suprise that he was selected for the job.  It appears that he has turned it down partly due to his age (the tunisian designer is in his 70's) and the fact that his company is part owned by Richmont (rival of CD parent compan LVMH).

Whilst it has come as a suprise that Alaia selected the job, it makes people all the more curious as to who will eventuall come to replace Galliano