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Home > London Fashion Spy
The London Fashion Spy is a fashion addict who shares her views of London's high street fashion, with updates on what's hot and who's wearing what. Sign up to receive our Fashion Files and keep up with our London Fashion Spy. |
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25/11/11
- COLOUR BLOCKING
We were blinded by colour this spring/summer. Not that orange thing in the sky, rather the shop windows and girls everywhere blasting away with as much colour as they could throw at a London summer’s day. Even Cheryl Cole got in on the act; admittedly with limited success. Zara’s window displays were a sight to behold and warmed the cockles of everyone’s slightly damp hearts. SUMMER HAD ARRIVED!
Cole-tastic
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Mango Colour Block Skirt
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Vintage: Just how good is it really?
I’m a late convert to the HUGE craze that is vintage (that’s second hand tat to our folks). But I’ve taken to it like a rat up a drainpipe – with speed. One person’s rubbish is another’s treasure. It’s a great concept and I wonder why it took me so long to tap into this deep well of fabulousness, which while not right for X, is brilliant for Y.
My list of favourite vintage stores is long but the one that stands out from the crowd is Rellik at the edgy end of Portobello Road. So edgy that when you leave with your distinctive blue shoppers loaded with beautiful things from Westwood through to Lanvin, you sprint to the safety of your car and lock the doors with a sigh of relief. High risk fashion indeed.
http://www.relliklondon.co.uk/
WorldWear is very pleased to announce its own online vintage offering sourced all the way from London. Some special pieces that could probably tell you a story or two.
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Topshop Handbag
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Vivienne Westwood
Purse
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London Fashion week!:
Excitement as we got invited back to see Aminika Wilmot. Even more exciting when LFS got photographed in my Tod, Rellik, Pleats-Please mishmash.
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‘Try and keep your eye open this time, he pleaded.’ NOT photogenic then.
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Mmmm florals:
When you think of florals you can probably remember that dress you wore to school, that you loved and never thought you’d see again. Wrong. Florals were so of the moment that the once fussy fusty Liberty print shirts were suddenly hip and floral pinafores a must have. Yes. I convinced myself that floral wedge espadrilles were the way forward. I love them. Sadly they make me 6 foot 4. Still they are very ornamental and have pride of place in my flat; just not on my feet. Celebs got in on the act as they/re prone to. Key instigators included Rihanna and Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester below.
Imitation. Flattery or forgery? You decide.
Marc Jacobs' autumn/winter 2011 line translated into Topshop garments - both costing under £50
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14984468
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Victoria B: Heels help me concentrate:
Good old Posh shocked a sensible nation when she stepped out with baby Harper Seven whilst wearing sky high heels. Everyone held their breath as they watched her trot across the road with her tiny bundle of joy slung over her shoulder. ‘Heels help me concentrate, she declared.’ Right.
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Latest celeb man-crush:
I’m not sure what I did with my time before Drive the movie and Ryan Gosling. Gosling is probably the hottest man to grace our screens and he is handy with his hands, can fix cars and drives fast for a living. In short a dream man-crush. His style is simple, jeans, tee, and jacket. The jacket gets grubbier throughout the movie but we don't mind...
The soundtrack’s not bad either. Ryan, we salute you.
http://twentyfourbit.com/kavinsky-Lovefoxxx-nightcall
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K X
28/07/11
- KNIT 1 PEARL 2
Keeping the gloom at bay in winter, I’m all in favour of knits brightly coloured or otherwise so was delighted with psychedelic shawl gifted by a friend. If anything will get you through the winter months it’s the sight of fabulously cosy wool.
Liberty’s haberdashery is a veritable safe haven in a winter of discontent. Amy Hall, a home-grown London knitwear designer knows all about wool. As timeout magazine said: ‘When we clapped eyes on Amy Hall’s exquisite chunky knits, we wanted the temperature to plummet. Fast.’ Take a look at Amy’s website and you’ll see why winter’s not all bad.
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How many jackets/coats is too many?:
It’s no great secret that I’m obsessed with clothes – here we are after all. But I surprised even myself with the grim determination to wear my favourite jacket as much as was humanly possible. The most expensive item of clothing I’ve ever purchased came out so often that cost per wear was soon negligible. Ok not really but it got so I could look at my bank statement without having a stiff gin first.
London is brilliant for jackets and coats in winter. Duh. Of course. What are you wearing? Does it suit the frankly without warning rain or no rain territory? Is it on trend? And finally, would Kate wear it? That’s Moss not Middleton. Middleton mania has reached such fever pitch here in Blighty that it’s enough to make you go cold turkey fashion mag wise. Rein it in already. We like the fringe trend below where H&M have outdone themselves and produced this fabulous jacket – with a twist and a fringe.
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50s glamour:
We’re over a half a century beyond and yet we can’t get away from the glamour of the 50s dress. It never gets old and we never tire of it. Coco defined it and Karl continues it alongside the likes of Louis Vuitton et al. Mad Men reminded us all about being fabulous but more importantly looking fabulous. As Vivienne Westward said recently, “I just think people look awful these days and it depresses me. I so wish they looked better.’ QUITE. So swing that pony tail and do your best twirl in your circle skirt. You know you want to.
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Boyfriend cardigans:
The craze for nicking your boyfriends clothes continues apace. Boyfriend cardigans are perfect for most anything really. Wear them over jeans, leggings, anything but make sure you don’t have to give them back.
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New favourite website:
Not sure what style you are? Take a look at the new stylist website that puts you through a fashion quiz to show if you’re more Posh then Kate. It’s brilliant and surprisingly accurate. www.dressipi.com
I laughed until I cried and earned myself some weird looks on the tube but no matter, whoever wrote the following for Sunday Style magazine is a genius: On Toni Terry (wag) and her swim outfit, ‘Less of a onesy more of an up-your-bumsey, this cheek-hungry, halter necked, skimpy-sided, camel-toeing, keyhole necked swimming costume etc etc.’ Check out said swimsuit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk |
Crimes against fashion, for blokes:
We’ve all seen it, the bloke who wants to please the girl and wears an outfit so absurd you wonder how he got out the front door without someone calling the fashion police. Some are more of a surprise then others.
I give you Shane Warne and Liz Hurley. Um yup. They’re together and something strange has happened to Mr Warne. He‘s swapped that rugged Aussie look for a super smooth forehead and a slightly startled expression. Is he bewildered by how well Liz’s swimwear line is doing or are we talking something more permanent. You decide.
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Liz Hurley and Shane Warne |
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Men, bring on the heavies, double breasted jackets that is:
Gone are the 80s styles, the DB jacket is making a comeback in a shorter sleeker version with less dramatic shoulders. One just has to look at the runway from the recent autumn winter 2011 Lanvin show to see how the new appeal of the double breasted look is back. Whether you're a trend-setter or a follow the packer you know you want to snuggle into that snood.
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The shirt:
You know it, they know it. Nothing beats a good shirt. Striped, plain, paisley or checked we love them. The shirt is always in and always a classic. Ok maybe not the tropical version.
I got myself in trouble recently when commenting on my Italian friend’s rather extensive white shirt collection. ‘Why is it so difficult to believe that one white shirt can be so different from another? The collar, the material, the fit, the buttons. There’s a great difference.’ It’s hard to disagree in the face of such passion for the white shirt but I’d take a checked one any day of the week.
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David Beckham |
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KX
30/03/11
- THE LONG AND THE TIGHT OF IT
Maxi dresses ruled my wardrobe this autumn winter. Not massively cycle friendly, but no matter. T for Alexander Wang, Urban Outfitters, Acne, Warehouse, Zara, H&M - I tried them all. Like jeans the search for the perfect maxi dress became all encompassing. Suddenly I went from worrying about the long frump factor to worrying how I would be able to afford my next maxi fix. Word to the wise; one won’t be enough and stairs are tricky.
London was so cold this time round that often you’d get to work and realise you hadn't worn enough so you'd have to go shopping at lunchtime. Sigh. I know - it was tough. I got my favourite fabulous leather and cotton leggings this way on a desperate mission to Urban Outfitters and I’ve never looked back.
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Royal Watch: a fashion farce
Poor old Kate - speculation that Westwood was designing her dress prompted Viv to speak frankly. 'I would have loved to have dressed Kate Middleton but I have to wait until she kind of catches up a bit somewhere with style' Ouch. No SJP moments for Waity Katy then. A nation mourns.
Not to be outdone Matthew Williamson reckons he's not bothered either. He told the Telegraph ‘Kate isn’t a fashion bunny. I don’t know why everyone in fashion is waiting to see what she wears. I’m, like, thinking: get over it.’ Quite.
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London Fashion Week:
Delightful reminder of how bonkers this city becomes. Running late for kindly gifted tickets to Aminaka Wilmot, we got the VIP treatment and were fast-tracked past the queue of fidgeting and frustrated queens - all desperate to be noticed by anyone.
The dude sitting to our left ticked this box with ridiculous hair that obstructed people’s view of the models (clothes). One jaded youngster was heard to sigh - 'For god's sake when is it going to start?'
Check out this power couple at: www.aminakawilmont.com
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LFS at London Fashion Week
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Singers turned designers: STOP THE MADNESS.
Leona Lewis. Good singer. Good initial makeover. Nice girl. 'Humph', someone muttered at work, 'The most exciting thing that ever happened to Leona Lewis was being hit by that random during her book signing.' OK unkind but kind of true. Until she turned her hand to 'designing' that is. Bring on the bow on boob dress and the lips on boob dress. I’m not sure what the blue one is. Sports bra? Whatever, Leona needs to cease and desist before she offends the world. Leona, no one is laughing with you.
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Where to start on the wrong-ness level
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A more subtle use of the bow
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Mini me: Romeo where for art thou?
Romeo has long been the one to watch out of the Beckham kids. 'That Romeo's hot.' I declared at work. 'He's 8', was the slightly judgmental response. Vindication then when GQ magazine named him on their 2011 top 50 best dressed men list. OK slight poetic licence with the 'man' tag - he's still in single digits after all - but nice to see I'm not alone in my adulation.
Victoria says Romeo takes after her with his love of fashion and one day she envisages handing over her fashion empire to him. One wonders what her much longed for daughter (due in May) will think about this. Could we have another Giovanni and Donatella brother sister combo in decades to come?
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Men: Trying stuff.
I was in Paul Smith recently, in menswear looking for a jacket for a friend. A tall friend, a tall friend of slender build with long arms. Our shop assistant was not tall and so wasn't a ready and able model fit for purpose.
Luckily my shopping pal launched a charm offensive that made even me blush and before you could say - please try that jacket - we had two delightful gentlemen only too pleased to model options. Ok it was PS but it made me wonder again about men’s supposed reluctance to try on. Please - a little flattery goes a long way. Such a successful outing we bought shoes to celebrate.
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31/12/10
- SHORT
The look: SHORT
It’s the age-old question – just what is the cut off, age wise, for the shorts wearer? I pondered this when my MD floored me with a, ‘Whoa, Are you rocking leather hot pants?’ Here it was probably more of a work-wardrobe thing than my legs on show but it certainly made me think. Shorts have taken over my wardrobe, propagating like gremlins on acid and possibly doing as much damage to the psyche. But wear them I did and so was most of London this summer. Word to the wise – team them with big knickers. Less is more, always. Sienna wears her TwentySevenTwelve’s super short. We expect nothing less.
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Probably the most fun a girl can have. Ever, early on a Tuesday morning. With the little sister in tow, cappuccinos and wallets at ready, we queued in ludicrously cold weather, ignoring the bemused looks of the ken high street passer-by and the questions. ‘Why are you queuing?’ When a Brit asks you this, they have FOMO and want to queue too. Not because they know it’s going to be good, just that there’s a queue so they should, you know, join it. Time slot secured we skipped off for a full English and came back at 10.05 to begin the fun. 15 minute slots, canvas shoppers to stuff your loot and a frankly hilarious / ridiculous countdown situation. Pulses racing, the H&M marketing machine has never been so slick. The H&M peeps actually looked like they were having fun.
Too many dresses, tee-shirts, bags, jewellery later, it was time to reflect before jumping back in the fiat to head to Westfield (ignoring the self imposed ban) and the last pieces of the menswear collection.
The collection was a complete sell-out. Will I wear it? Um not really the point.
Check it out here.
http://shop.hm.com/gb/lanvin
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Wills & Kate: A new Moss?
It was the news the world had been waiting for. Apparently. Finally a royal wedding and more importantly, finally a hot bride. Say what you will about Kate Middleton and her doors to manual lineage, she will rock a wedding outfit. Hey she rocked the engagement interview outfit; her dress or rather a Tesco imitation selling out in seconds. SECONDS. The little sister was very pleased she secured her vintage sapphire engagement ring well before the hype, once again ahead of the curve. Nice one.
Is Kate a new fashion icon in the making? Quite possibly, though having recently spotted a grazia pic of her in a white boot cut jeans I’m suspicious.
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Mini me: minis imitating adults
Two words: Willow Smith. Willow Smith is rock child meets um fashionista child, pre-tweening her way into fashion history with a thump. Frankly – terrifying. You know if you were to cross paths with Willow - daughter of Will and Jada Smith – she would cut you with a withering stare and say, ‘Like what were you thinking with that legging top combo dude?’ Ok she might not say dude.
Willow has been everywhere, the Ellen Degenres show, front row at Milan Fashion week and most recently gracing the cover of Sunday Style mag, featuring in Grazia and is to the child fashion world right now what Suri Cruise once was. Suri must be swinging her mini handbags in a rage and a little stamp of her mini low-heeled pump. But she can’t have what Willow has and lets face it her mum Katie is unlikely to let her out of the house rocking some typical Willow looks. Katie’s also unlikely to approve of Willow’s Lady Gaga obsession. Poker Face? Well quite.
Willow’s ‘Whip it. Watch, listen and be afraid. She’s 10 years old.
http://vodpod.com/watch/4703783-willow-smith-whip-my-hair-official-video
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Men: his & hers
These days you’d be forgiven for wondering where to draw the line between what works for men, what works for women and what works for both at the same time.
I bring you The Kooples – a clever French chain that gives us affordable unisex French chic. Men on the left, women on the right – the store is laid out in such a way that while all the clothes look the same you know once the line’s been crossed you’re in menswear and vice versa. Unisex is also on offer in the fitting rooms where a pesky door that kept swinging open made me tut in an uptight fashion while the boy in the next room over debated with his unisex hipster girlfriend the merits of a unisex parka. Confused. Yes so was I. But in a good way. All the pictures in Kooples feature couples wearing, yes, unisex outfits. And yes they’re all couples. Go it alone at your peril.
http://www.thekooples.com/-470.html
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23/08/10
- URBAN BIKER CHIC
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I was on the tube and read ‘S/S 2010 is so over’. Not for NZ it isn’t, the fun is just around the corner.
The look : Urban Biker Chic
Bike mania has taken over London. A hardcore car person, I never thought I’d see the day when a bike was more than a blot on my car / pedestrian world and red-light jumping cyclists, the devil’s spawn. And then biking became hip and suddenly it’s ok.
In my world however there are still rules – having an ugly bike is a massive fail. My bike brief was simple – it had to look good, it had to have a basket and it had to be light enough to carry up four flights of stairs. The Tokyo fixed gear boys did not disappoint and built a shiny green beauty.
Bike outfits are key. Forget short and forget low rise. My gorgeous desk mate Jen always looks amazing in the latest summer dresses and when it's a bit too short for comfort she ties a cardigan over her lap. Perfect. For girls with a boy's bike, as much as I love my Zara suede harems, the 'top tube' was having none of it.
The best thing: It’s good for you. Allegedly. This is why biking is good for your legs. |
Acne: The coolest label on the planet.
I first fell in love with Swedish label Acne 5 years ago with a pair of their wide legged high waisted dungaree jeans. Even then they got it that the low-rise jean couldn’t prosper.
Acne have since evolved to become one the hottest labels today. Their jeans are the perfect fit, their dresses to die for. Celebs in particular are all over them like a rash. The recent opening of their first store in Mayfair’s Dover Street was mega. Everyone who was anyone was there and of course all wearing Acne. Why name yourself after the scourge of teenagers? Because you’re so cool you can. ‘I don’t like Acne, said the boy at work. They seem full of themselves.’ Doh.Like.Of.Course.They.Are.
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Our first trip to Acne confirmed everything we’d daren’t think possible - shop assistants should be Swedish, they should be friendly and they should make you want to want everything in the shop.
One order for a grey shearling jacket I can’t afford later… See for yourselves: Acne Studios and their party:
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Acne store to open in London.
http://graziadaily.co.uk |
http://worldwear.co.nz |
Men: The new Doctor Who.
London fashion is at best eclectic and at worst weird but that’s ok. It makes people talk and we can wonder just what were they thinking when they got dressed.
A group of South Koreans stopped me in the street to photograph my outfit and quiz me on why Brits are so excited about the new Doctor Who, Matt Smith. ‘Surely not as good looking at Brad Pitt?’ ‘Well actually yes and you know he dates Daisy Lowe which ups his hotness considerably.’ Don’t get me wrong, we don’t want our men overly styled – ok a bit styled but we certainly don’t want them to look as if they hogged the mirror face time in the morning. ‘But so thin?’ The Koreans were not convinced. ‘Yes.’ I said firmly.
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Teen machine:
It’s tough being a teen – you look awkward, your acne’s not cool, the world seems annoying and you’re a style misfit. Hey wait, um that’s like really not the case any more. Teens are cool, they know clothes n’ stuff and they all want to be Lourdes (aka Lola).
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Mini me: going global
The minis’ reign continues. The cool kids in my coffee place of a Friday morning make me quake in terror. Their outfits are perfect, their smugness thinly disguised. They know they look good. I know they can’t really understand the broadsheets they’re trying to read but this doesn’t help with the intimidation. They’re 7 years old. Tops.
Bragalena’s troupe is to blame. Forget Suri. The soon to be iconic airport picture of Angelina, Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh in Japan, all wearing totally different styles, will haunt every parent who ever thought it was ok to put their kids in their brother’s hand-me-downs. Pax is the group leader, resplendent in a suit. A suit. But not just any old suit; camel coloured. The colour we’ll all be wearing but we’re not wearing it yet because we haven’t been told to. Pax is so ahead of the curve it makes heads spin. He is the male equivalent of Chloe Sevigny.
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How did they do it? They started young that’s how. Check out the shopper in training below snapped at an exclusive NYC shopping event; the gold trainers pure genius. Gwen Stefani meets the Royal Ballet. |
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Spotted by LFS
Some truly brilliant black tie eccentricity at Glyndebourne. Our favourite, a rust coloured taffeta dress which took us right back to our 6th form prom. A proud fashion moment.
http://glyndebourne.com
A bloke cycling down Kensington High Street with a tiny terrier on a lead in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. Road hazard?
Overheard by LFS
‘Give me a good price on those trousers darling or my husband’s going to divorce me.’
‘And so I said to Kate (Moss) if you want yacht wear you want Cavalli and frankly we’re too late in the season for any of that.’
‘Right so this coat is £350?’
‘No, it’s £850.’
‘Oh.’
Favourite Find by LFS
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