hennes&mauritz&lanvin

At last, after 6 months of waiting since their second collaboration with Matthew Williamson, H&M have announced they next project will be working along side the prestigious and influential LANVIN. I have no idea how they managed to procure this contract, as Yves Lanvin himself has stated he would never do a high-street collection, as stated in the H&M's recent press release (which can be viewed here), but from past experience we can all assume that the collection will be gone in a flash. The collection will only be released in 200 stores worldwide, therefore it's definite only a handful of West End stores will receive limited stock. Lanvin's latest catwalk show in Paris displayed opulence at it's finest, focusing on silks and teddy-style furs, and obviously the colours of the season: camel and black. Pleats also played a big part in the recent Autumn/Winter 11 show, with cocktail dresses displaying curvy frames and chunky, extravagent jewellery.

So, assuming this collection is anything to go by (which I'm hoping it is) you will probably find me setting up on tent on the night of 22nd of November in preparation for the cat fights to ensue on the following day. Updates to come.

KATE WHO?

KATE WHO?: A collection of 18 photographs of Kate Moss by Mario Testino, which went on show last week in London. All images are life size and for sale, although I'd recommend trying to get your hands on the book 'Kate Moss by Mario Testino' instead. Only 1500 have been printed and all have been numbered and signed, although I wouldn't be surprised they'll be snapped up as soon as they're released at the end of this month.

She is timeless.

Strippers from the future.

Doing my daily browse of celebrity gossip websites, I was stunned to come across one 16 year old Taylor Momsen donning Perspex heels with the word "Tips" printed on it and dollars inside the see-through sole. I hate to say it but I'm torn between revulsion and a quiet respect I reserve only for genius.

Regardless of the confusing black toe and heel combination, (I'm sorry but what is going on there?! How has she done that? I am probably being unbearably slow but it is actually boggling my mind.) I did my bit of research and see-through accessories are a massive YES for this years Autumn/Winter catwalk. All be my observation rather belated, (I apologise again for the lack of posts) Prada, Michael Kors and Fendi all dared to bare with their transparent shoes, bags and jewellery.

N.B. Yeah so...apparently she's wearing tights? I'm fashionably retarded.

Wise words.

Every now and then I fall apart.

Yeah, so, where the fuck have I been? In bloody Windsor, that's where. I apologise for the lack of updates, but the two and a half hour commute there and back every day has been destroying me. I've been sent there in order to train for my new job role, I've made some really good friends and I'm really enjoying it. 3 weeks down, 4 to go - one of which will be spent basking in the rays in southern spain and I can't wait!
In other news, I recently went to The Clothes Show, as my friend managed to get a couple of free passes. In between swooning over George and Larry Lamb and pushing our way through crowds of 13 year old girls, we managed to get seated in the theatre for The Fashion Show. The majority of the pieces had drawn inspiration from this season, rather than next, so I wasn't particularly awed by any of it, although there were a few pieces which stood out for me, shown below. You could see Lady Gaga's influence through out, and I thought there were some Harajuku girl touches in some pieces as well. Also, I can't resist a good Slanket outfit.

N.B. I apologise for the poor quality of these photos, I have no excuse.

spring cleaning.

Big news, guys. I tidied my room.
This sadly meant throwing the spider my boyfriend and I (team work) trapped under a glass three days ago out the window. Goodbye Chuckles, you will be greatly missed.

I love my rails, they remind me of a jumble sale or a thrift store which, ironically, is probably were most of it comes from. The view makes my clothes look clashing and disorganised, which is very aesthetically pleasing for me. This one time, I organised it by product and colour but due to my poor ability to commit to anything and my affection for anything in dissarray, it didn't last long.

A couple of my favourites here are: 

1) My nude Taylor Momsen for New Look dress;

2) A little red pocket bag with an elephant pattern on the front which my sister brought my back from Thailand;

3) My UT t-shirt from Uniqlo, in purple, grey and mustard yellow

4) My brown silk shirt with leaf pattern, bought from a vintage shop in Georgia

5) My lovely Sparkle & Fade socks with lace trim, a birthday gift from Aaron

6) A Levi's denim mini dress, a bargain find in a charity shop in Whitton, bought for £3.50 and

7) My purple and yellow tye-dye play suit - surprisingly still unworn.

Note the ingenius bra hanger - thank you. Not so ingenius when you want the bra at the bottom of the heap.

In a dire need for hanging space, I resorted to using the curved ends of my rails as hat and bag stands. Some of these little numbers include:
1) A black velvet headband with 'Megan' printed across it in silver, a gift from my sister I am genuinely grateful for
2) My big red bow fascinator, which my friend Matt bought for me before he realised how much it was and
3) A foam head dress in the shape of the Statue of Liberty's crown, a gift from my friend Zoe from New York.

Due to an unfortunate lack of space in my bedroom, I have resorted to using my mirror as a jewellery box. It gives the illusion I have twice as much, which is always a nice surprise when I'm getting dressed in the morning. Here you can see, amongst other things:

1) A couple of of custome jewellery pieces bought in a lucky-dip-style bid on Ebay, including a brown and gold linked chain and chunky gold necklace.

2) My Butler & Wilson dragon necklace

3) My necklaces which I bought in Sydney which say 'OMG' and 'YEAH' and

4) An apple-shaped comb necklace purchased from an extremely cheap and extremely brilliant website named http://www.myvintagecharms.co.uk/.

And that, for now, concludes the tour of my newly spruced up bedroom.

And yes, I do love tapestry bags.

What was she thinking?

Kudos to you Christina, you've found a new low, and that new low is a shit version of Lady Gaga. Maybe the reason you're 'not yourself tonight' is that you're definitely not behaving like yourself?
You know when someone's fame-hungry when they start desperately parading around in their underwear and thrashing themselves around. Has Lady Gaga done us a favour by desensitizing us to this kind of thing or is it awful that the thing I find most shocking about this video is that I'm not even shocked at the sight of a gimp mask?
She does look hot though, I definitely would.

And now for something completely different.

Scrolling through Vogue's cover of the recent Autumn/Winter 2010-11 shows, Christopher Kane's range is really head and shoulders above the rest. With his rise to fame only a couple of years ago, Kane has been pressured to wow his audience each new season, and in my opinion he does so with surprising ease. Once again focusing on lace, leather and embellishments (all be it a scaled down, more mature take on them), his new season has really struck a chord with me, and I can't help smile at his inclusion of Scottish motifs such as the kilt-like skirts and sheepskin collar. And has anyone else noticed the take on the pattern collar? The Miu Miu trend continues.

agy agy agy...

Let's see how many teeny boppers copy this hair style.
As much as I hate to say it, though, she kind of pulls it off. Loving the high waisted skinnys and Lady Gaga/John Lennon/Victoria Beckham-esque shades, but Natalie Portman did bald better.

On repeat.

meow.

This seasons Miu Miu collection has been circulating for a long time now, and for good reason! I love the whimsical animal print and soft silkiness of the fabrics. Their shoes make me swoon and were Miu Miu's were one of my first glimpses of this seasons now infamous clog. (Between you and me, Zara have a similarly printed dress in a navy and white at a steal for £19.99! Unfortunately I have no picture available at the moment but just head over to the Zara website and take a look for yourself.)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand: How stunningly creative is the miu miu silk collar? I know we're well into autumn/winter catwalk season now, but i couldn't move on without first posting about it.

It's swooping, geometric shape and and contrasting prints really draw the eye into an outfit and are a nice alternative to some statement jewellery pieces that have been dominating the accessory hot list for a while now. Thankfully though, despite it being actually quite difficult to find a cheaper version of these collars, they are really quite easy to recreate, with an old shirt and a pair of scissors.

So we all know how I'm spending my afternoon. I'm considering creating a denim/floral version?

birthday photos.

As you will probably know, it was my and my twin sister's 21st birthday recently, and we went to All Star bowling lanes in Holborn. It was a brilliant venue, teaming a bowling alley with a diner, bar and dance floor! I had a really brilliant time, thank you to everyone who came! And while were on the subject, yes, I did win the bowling. Thank you, thank you.
Now here are some pictures, courtesy of my good friend and talented photographer, Jack Martin Rupert Hughes.

once you clog, you just can't stop.

That's right, I have jumped on the clog band wagon, but it's pretty hard to avoid when they are EVERYWHERE at the moment! My reaction to this trend should be 'Oh God no!' as I  recoil from other people clomping around in all their Dutch hideousness but catwalk shows from S/S 10 from fashion leaders including Chanel and Louis Vuitton, has sort of made me fall in love! Especially with Kurt Geiger making them accessible for us normal people I just couldn't resist, and this paticular style, from Topshop and of which I am now the proud owner, have the useful (and in my opinion, essential) sling back strap to make your gait that bit more elegant.

Teamed with this dress from Pins and Needles @ Urban Outfitters, and a chunky boyish skull charm necklace/beautiful new Vivenne Westwood ring (never miss a chance to mention it), and you've got yourself a birthday outfit!

return from the random hiatus.

So that was the shortest birthday list ever. But now my 21st birthday has come and gone and the floral tote has been forgotten about because I am now the owner of this beautiful Vivienne Westwood poison orb ring! I can't believe I actually got it! Thank you so much Mum and Dad! Nobody piss me off, because this ring opens up for a small space to hide poison, similar to the ring Lady Gaga wears in her video for 'Paparazzi'! And the fact it is Vivienne's ord symbol makes it even more timeless! SO PLEASED.

the irrational birthday list begins.

1) this vivienne westwood floral tote, £788.

I forget to breathe when I look at it.

Sorry Mark.

So the dream of becoming a beautiful model shattered in front of me the other day when my natural reaction to a camera being a pointed at me was this:

Sad times.

Clearly, i need a distraction.

I have an interview tomorrow for a VM role within the company I work for, so clearly constructing a shopping list of birthday gifts for my 21st (being only 22 days away) seemed appropriate.

At the beginning of our relationship, my boyfriend, Aaron, gave me a brooch that he had found in a charity shop before we met. He spent about £2 for it, and after scanning the pages of Butler & Wilson for a birthday gift to go with my beautiful necklace (see below), I found these for sale:

Despite the obvious differences of mine being gold, and missing the row of diamonds along the lower lash, on closer inspection (thanks to my mother) mine does actually have a butler and wilson stamp on the back of it. Brilliant find, I feel like Indiana Jones. And a pat on the back for Aaron, who can buy me more things if he wants :).

my beautiful, and most treasured possession, b&w necklace I got for christmas:

I may be slow on the uptake, but...

how have I lived without this for so long?



MAC lip erase (and I quote) 'visually neutralises and erases natural colour from the lip". And only £11! My perfect product? I have always used concealer on my lips, purely because their natural colour reminds me of Justin from Hollyoaks, so I really pleased to have seen this in amongst the pages of this month's Vogue. Shame it's a MAC-PRO product, otherwise I'd be dipping into the overdraft now. I think a trip to Selfridges really is necessary now, especially since it's my birthday coming up...