It's been a while....

Apologies for my lack of posts recently. However please be assured that new posts are on their way in the upcoming weeks. So much to talk about including the upcoming London Fashion Week (anyone with tickets are more than welcoming to gift them to me!), Emma Watson's new 'do (me not likely!) and my favourite upcoming trends for A/W 2010 (Burberry Prorsum Aviator Jackets, brogues, boyfriend shirts, boots, I CAN'T WAIT!)

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Writers Block

Firstly I would like to apologise for my lack of updates, recently. Life's been rather interesting in the past couple of weeks, and as blogging has kind of been the last thing on my mind.

Nevertheless, in an attempt to get the writing juice flowing again I decided answer some questions that caught my eye on the 'Writer's Block' section of Livejournal (something of which I believe may become a bit of a habit).

No.1: If you could visit just one website for the rest of your life what would it be and why?
This is a toughie, and really I suppose with me wanting to gain a career in Journalism, I should probably pick some high calibre news site, such as reuters.com, or Associated Press. But, as they say, honesty is the best policy, and as such I think I'd have to go for fabsugar.co.uk. It's my favourite blog/site, and is one of the first I go to when I log on to the internet each day. Failing that, I'd probably pick style.com. Aren't I cheeky sneeking in a second choice.

No.2: If you were to have a drink made to represent you what would be in it?
I loved this question. Well I'd probably go straight off and say Malibu, as that is my favourite spirit, and it reminds me of sunshine, beaches and holidays which I love. And then probably something like Coca Cola, because it's classic and simple. And then to be honest nothing else really goes, and I love a good Malibu and Coke. So I suppose I'd stick with that.

No.3: What would you do if you suddenly found out all the pigs in the world were dead, and the bacon you had for breakfast this morning had actually been made from human remains?
This disturbed me slightly. Either someone really has too much time on their hands to ponder such things, or has recently eaten some pretty questionable bacon. Nevertheless, I'd be concerned if I had eaten said human 'bacon' especially if I enjoyed it, however I'm sure I'd live.

No.4: Do you have a favorite park, and if so why?
Central Park hands down. I've visited it twice now, and love it more with every visit. During my last visit in February it was covered in pure, white snow, and I was driven round the park in a Bicycle Cab by a native New Yorker whilst snuggled up in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate and it was one of the best experiences of my life yet. I got to see the park in all it's glory, and it was like something out of film. The ice skating rinks were full of people, the lakes had frozen over, there were racoons and rabbits hopping around and the guy cycling was telling us all about the history of the park, and pointing out famous parts of the park featured in films and TV shows. Next I want to see it in Summer. When they do the plays in the middle of the park, and everyone goes there for picnics.

No.5: Whats the craziest thing you have ever eaten?
I ate octopus in Greece a couple of years ago, wthout my knowledge as it was hidden in the midst of this gorgeous creamy pasta dish. My parents knew that octopus was an ingredient in said dish, but neglected to tell me this until I'd devoured the thing and had happily stated that I had enjoyed it. Upon revealing the presence of the octopus however I felt ill, and as such have never eaten it, in any form, since. Other than that, nothing too out of the ordinary.

No.6: If you only had one more meal to eat on this earth, where would you go to eat it, and perhaps what would you order?
Angelo's of Mulberry Street, located in the Little Italy, New York. During the previously mentioned trip to New York in February, we met up with some friends of us who hail from New Jersey and they took us to Angelo's on our last night in the city. It was the most delicious meal of my life. The restaurant was proper, authentic, Italian-American style and packed with diners, and instead of ordering from a menu the lead waiter there (a friend of our friends) brought out plate upon plate of different dishes to try, and all were amazing. Proper Italian home cooking. And to top it off, the waiters came out at the end of our meal with a stunning dessert of Biscotti and Sweet Cream with a candle on top and sang Happy Birthday to me in their best operatic voices, in addition to the other people there, in celebration of my birthday the following week, something of which had been organized by our friends in surprise. Topping that off, they then took us round the corner to the infamous Little Italy bakery Ferrara's, for post dinner Cannaloni dessert, as seen in the old gangster films like the Godfather, much to my Dad's delight. The place was full of the most gorgeous looking cakes I've ever seen, and we were told that pratically no one eating in Little Italy has dessert at the restaurants, they all go to Ferrara's after dinner, which was probably validated by how packed out the place was. Nevertheless, most certainly where I would go for my last meal, and I'd probably just try a little bit of everything I guess!

#1: Denim Shirts and Satchels

So I thought it was about time that I posted an outfit of mine to my blog, not only so you can put a face to the text, but so I can share with you what I've been wearing and getting some (hopefully positive) feedback on my outfits.

So this is the first of many. I'm off to the cinema tonight with my friends so this is what I came up with. Hope you like it. I'm so chuffed with my new bag by the way. It was an Ebay Purchase, and is meant to be a copy of the beloved Proenza Schouler PS1 Satchel Bag, which is far too expensive, hence the copy.

Denim Shirt: Topshop
White Dress (worn underneath shirt): Zara
Striped Vest (worn underneath dress): New Look
Belt: Primark
Satchel: Ebay
Necklace: Juicy Couture
Watch: River Island
Bracelets: A mixture from friends and family.

(P.S. Sorry about the weird expression!)

Karl Lagerfeld to appear on Gossip Girl?

Words cannot express how excited I am at the moment. Whilst checking through my Twitter I noticed the legend that is The Guardian's Fashion Writer Hilary Alexander tweet the following:

Blake Lively and Leighton Meester front row at Chanel

Now with prospective images of my two favourite Gossip Girls sitting front row at the show of my favourite fashion house I immeaditely scoured Google for further infomation (just call me fashion's answer to Sherlock Holmes!)

Whilst images of the pair at the show did not surface, the following image did, accompanied by an article rumouring that not only were Gossip Girl on location in Paris, but fashion god Karl Lagerfeld himself is supposedly going to make a brief appearance in the next season.

Cue minor screaming. How amazing would this be?

EDIT: Grazia are reporting that the above image is from a personal meeting between Lively and Lagerfeld, and NOT (as rumoured) an image taken during a supposed Karl Lagerfeld guest spot on Gossip Girl. Eurgh!

Review: Givenchy Fall Couture 2010

Well fall couture week is well and truely upon us, and as the press images start to filter through from Paris, I couldn't help but post a photo of this stunning gown from Givenchy's Fall Couture 2010 collection.

In my opinion Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci has come up trumps with this collection, which appears to have been heavily influenced by the structure of the human skeleton. However, whilst such a theme would prompt many to turn straight to a Gothic inspired collection, full of dark, heavy materials (a usual Tisci staple) Givenchy has finally presented a long awaited feminine collection, with luxurious materials such as Chantillly Lace being with stunning intricate beading making a Couture worthy show that is surprisingly wearable.

Perhaps critics should have seen this more wearable, feminine period in Givenchy's design history approaching, taking hints from THAT frilly purple gown Avatar actress Zoe Saldana graced this year's Oscar's red carpet with.

It appears that Tisci has finally moved away from the heavy Gothic undertones of his design, to present a collection that whilst showing hints of his character, through the influence of the human skeleton, is finally wearable and feminine.

Sofia Coppola's 'Somewhere'

So it has been a while since my last post, however no fear! With a whole summer ahead of me with nothing to do I am committing myself to putting everything into the blog, and hopefully gain far more followers.

So as a welcome back post I thought I'd share my excitement over my favourite director/fashion crush Sofia Coppola's upcoming release 'Somewhere'. For those of you who know me well enough, you'll know that I am a huge Coppola fan, so much so that I was somehow lucky (and cunning) enough to base a large part of my A2 Film Studies Coursework around her previous cinematic releases; something of which became 'a labour of love' rather than a chore.

The film, which is scheduled for release on December 22nd, features the acting talents of Stephen Dorff and Dakota's little sister Elle Fanning and from I can gather is bound to be another classic Coppola release encompassing so many of the cinematic features she is well known and loved for.

The film is said to be based around the life of Hollywood bad-boy Johnny Marco (Dorff) who, whilst taking up a long term residence at the infamous LA celebrity haunt and hotel The Chateau Marmont, is visited by his 11 year old daughter (Fanning), whose influence challenges Marco to look at his life from a completely different perspective.

Something I'm particularly excited about regarding this movie is that Coppola's long term boyfriend, Thomas Mars and his band, Phoenix (who are a particular favourite of mine) are providing the majority of the film's soundtrack, supposedly after Coppola fell in love with songs 'Love Like A Sunset' Parts 1 & 2 from the French band's latest album 'Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix'.

Judging from the mood of these songs, this film is bound to be a classic Coppola dreamy like affair, and I for one can't wait.

Check out the trailer below

Claudia Schiffer in Chanel Spring 2010 RTW Campaign

After such a strong farmyard theme featured heavily in Chanel's Spring 2010 Ready To Wear catwalk show (which also featured a surprise appearance from the outspoken Lily Allen), Karl Lagerfeld clearly wanted to move away from the barnyard bonanza in the fashion houses ad campaign to accompany the collection.

Enter Chanel Muse and acclaimed supermodel Claudia Schiffer in an Argentinian inspired Gaucho hat and a patent reincarnation of the classic Chanel 2.55 bag and the countryside seems miles away.

Now don't get me wrong, I think Lagerfeld made the right choice by stepping away from the haystacks and distressed wood beams for the adverts, but the whole feel of the print campaign seems to be lacking that certain something. Looking at the campaign as a whole black seems to be the predominant colour, making the gorgeous white with red and blue embroidery seen on the collection's runway debut absolute. Those quirky clogs that adorned the feet of Lara Stone and co on the catwalk are hardly seen and whilst Schiffer is one incredible model I think it would have been nice to seen some fresh faces at the helm at one of the most anticipated ad campaigns of 2010.

A bit of a disappointment in my eyes, espically after those gorgeous images of Lily Allen for the Chanel Coco Cocoon print campaign.

DKNY Pre Fall 2010 - Alexa Chung American Style

After a couple of years under the radar in the fashion stakes, Donna Karan's diffusion label DKNY has come up trumps with it's Pre Fall 2010 collection. Continuing the military and nautical trends which are going to be huge in '10, the collection has a strong All American feel, with a strong pallette of navys, whites and reds being juxatposed with hints of smoky grey; which looks stunning on a particular loose cut maxi dress later in the collection.

Personally I also see strong influences from our very own Alexa Chung, with Breton shift dresses and striped blazers looking like they walked just out of the now Pepe Jeans wearing presenter's closet.

Overall a really strong collection that shows this years military/nautical trend perfectly.

Image couresty of style.com

Review: The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider's Guide to Careers in Fashion

With Christmas drawing to a close I thought it was only fair that shared a review of one of my Crimbo presents with you all (especially because I'm slightly too in love with it).

The Teen Vogue Handbook (Published by Razorbill Books) is just what Anna Wintour calls it: 'An indespensible resource for anybody who wishes to work anywhere, really, in the fashion industry'. With a vibrant mix of interviews with top fashion designers; including Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs and Rodarte, alongside top fashion writers and editors, such as THE before mentioned Anna Wintour, and a whole host of photographers, stylists and make up artists, unwrapping this on Decemer 25th made a certain someone very happy.

The book is incredibly well arranged, with each area of fashion (design, journalism, photography, beauty and styling) divided into easy to read, accessible sections. The images alongside the text are beautifully striking, making this book altogether a fashion essential.

I've been a devout reader of Teen Vogue for years, despite the fact it's primarly an American magazine aimed at the American Teen Market, and I'm stuck in my little English town. Add in the fact that a long train journey is also involved in order to reach a newsagents that even sells a copy, you may think why bother? But for me Teen Vogue is everything English teen magazines are not. Instead of being obsessed with boys, sex and everything in between, Amy Astley's publication actually includes a crafted mix of incredibly fashion articles, spreads and features with some really thought provoking articles on health and education issues that have global appeal. It has come to my attention however, through my readership, that many American girls find Teen Vogue too pretentious, however I have to disagree. Price points of the clothes, accessories and beauty products featured seem to have an mix from high end to budget, seemingly in keeping with the eclectic styling featured throughout, and whilst the girls featured in the magazine seem to have some sort of relation involved in the fashion industry (such as Josephine Becker, daughter of Vera Wang, who seems to be constantly referenced and photographed for editorial) their input adds to the underlying concept of Teen Vogue: to be a fashion magazine for fashion concious, intellegent teenagers who want to be challanged and excited by fashion and culture rather than bombarded.

An excellent and intriguing read.

Whilst the book appears only to be sold exclusively in the US (for example the book does come with a one year free subscription to Teen Vogue only available in America) The Teen Vogue Handbook is available on Amazon UK.