The Day I Shut My Finger In Matthew Williamson's Front Door

Today I went to have a look at Matthew Williamson's A/W 09 collection at their press day. Somehow I managed to shut my finger in the front door as I closed it behind me, if you have never shut your finger in a door you will not know the pain I am talking about here. It hurt so much that I went dizzy from the pain and had to sit down. Totally embarrassing and really bad timing, but I suppose if you're going to shut your finger in a door it might as well be Matthew Williamson's. Now I have a lovely bruise and problems typing.

Anyway once I recovered from the dizziness I took some pictures of the collection, which is absolutely stunning. I always love Matthew's collections but this one has to be one of my favourites. The pieces with the zig zag prints stole my heart.



Sienna Miller wore this dress in the orange and grey version earlier in the year



The shoes from the collection (designed by Jonathan Kelsey) were just as impressive as the clothes. I'm in love with the Zebra print boots.





Aren't they just the best? The pink sole is so yummy.

Matthew Williamson clothes can be purchased in his stand-alone shops in London (28 Bruton Street), New York (413 West 14th Street), Dubai (in the Dubai Mall) and a selection of department stores and boutiques around the world. You can also now shop at www.matthewwilliamson.com

all images my own - please credit Coco's Tea Party if you re-post

Ms Wintour says 'Do Your Homework'

Since it launched in 2003 I think Teen Vogue has easily become the best teenage magazine on the market. Sure teenagers can't afford anything featured in it but their editorials and features are far more grown up and inspirational than anything I've ever seen in Sugar etc.
And now the people at Teen Vogue have created a book on careers in fashion, The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider’s Guide to Careers in Fashion.



Teen Vogue editor Amy Astley says, '“The book is a useful reference guide: how to build a portfolio, dress for an interview, and land an internship.”
The book is said to include:

· A Q&A with the king of cool, Marc Jacobs

· Words of wisdom from Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour

· Profiles of contributing photographers

· A list of essential beauty products from industry pros

· Advice from stylists and model scouts

· Practical advice from models, assistants and interns

Who else is dying to hear what the 'practical advice' from models is?

But really I think Anna Wintour's advice is all you need. "Do your homework, go online, visit every museum, and intern. You just need to have a love for what you’re doing. It’s not about thinking that it’s the cool thing; it’s about really believing in it," she says.

Karl follows up, “Ask yourself, Are you sure this world is for you? And are you sure you are the right person to survive in this world—the world of fashion, a world with no rules, no laws?”

I LOVE KARL

The Handbook comes out on October 5th, is $24 and apparently is for 'ages 12 & up' - sorry 11 year-olds.

Sienna Miller on Tour

Sienna has been promoting her new movie Gi Joe for a few weeks now, and while the movie looks terrible her promotional wardrobe has been one to watch. First came the cute Poltock & Walsh dress teamed with Chloe boots, then her amazing Loewe trousers which got wet. Since then she has followed up with a gorgeous DVF dress and a Gucci suit, which I am not that fond of but give her credit for trying out.

The only other promotional wardrobe of 2009 that got this much attention was Emma Watson's for Harry Potter. I don't think I could decide on a favourite between the two - can you?
What I do know is that I want some of the Sienna look, here are the best Miller-like pieces online:

From top left: Anna Sui dress from Net-a-Porter; Peep-toe boots from Topshop; Christian Lacriox dress from The Outnet; Pure lipstick from Boots; Chloe boots from Net-a-Porter; Crumpet scarf from Net-a-Porter; Grey vest top from Topshop.

sienna images from the fashion spot, clothing images from store websites

"You Bought This From Ralph Lauren?"

Yesterday while out shopping I walked past a Tommy Hilfiger store. Tommy clothes aren't really my style, so my first thought is not "ooh lets go in" it's "remember Ally Hilfiger on Rich Girls?"
Rich Girls was the first reality TV show I ever loved, and I still think it is amazing - they should think about bringing it out on DVD, I would be lame enough to buy it.
Rumour has it Ally is embarrassed by the way she came across, but I liked her. My memories are of her wearing aviator sunglasses better than Jennifer Aniston does, struggling to make Mexican food and coming up with the hilarious analogy that designing a collection for her Dad is like stripping away all her makeup and re-applying it.
And she has turned out brilliantly, she looked amazing at the Charlotte Ronson show last Feb. How does she make those classes look so cool?



Anyway, I managed to find the best clip from the show, where Ally is cleaning out her wardrobe and Tommy butts in and starts insulting all her clothes (especially those by Ralph Lauren). To me this is genius - I could watch it all day.

"You bought this from Ralph Lauren? How much did you pay for this?"

"I got it at a discount price"

"Was it on sale or something? It looks like it would be on sale, I don't think anyone would really wanna buy this"

See - genius!
I you haven't seen it you must watch it, and if you have watch it again anyway. Link is here - clip is one minute in.

image from the fashion spot

Money, Money, Money

Recently I have become obsessed with purses, I've never really cared that much about what I put my money in but now it seems really important. For one, a good purse instantly makes the mess inside your handbag look less disgusting. And my bags are always filled with empty wrappers and old train tickets.
When it comes to wallets and purses I prefer them to be on the fun side, with bright colours, studs and maybe some snakeskin, but there are also some great classic styles out there too. These are my favourites:

Classic - From top left: Quilted large clasp purse £12 from Topshop; Rosso classic leather Orb purse £96 by Vivienne Westwood at My-Wardrobe; Brown leather wallet £275 by Chloe at Net-a-Porter; Oyster Card holder £5 from Topshop.

Fun - From top left: Python long wallet $21 (about £17) from Marc by Marc Jacobs; Studded leather heart purse £125 by Miu Miu at Net-a-Porter; Owl Purse £6 from ASOS; Patent logo wallet £136 by Tory Burch from Net-a-Porter.

All images from store websites

Tuesday Talking Point: Vogue Revamp



Rumour [source theimagist] has it that US Vogue is getting a revamp: "US Vogue is quietly getting a revamp in light of the on-going ad slump. Think a new circle of models, an influx of fresh, young photographers and a desire for "unpredictability" in the stories."

To be honest I've been pretty happy with the recent US Vogue issues, although I did chose not to buy the Sienna cover. But I would love to see a wider variety of models and photographers used in Vogue, and also a lot less of the society-princess types.

What I wanted to know is what would you change in US Vogue's 'revamp'?

Which Hat is Right for You?

The Fall 2009 collections were filled with quirky headwear. But how do you know if you're more of a headband girl or a Minnie-mouse ear type?
In the style of the good old fashioned teen magazine quiz you can now work out which style is the one for you. No cheating....



Which style will you be wearing this Fall?
catwalk images from style.com

Hit and Miss of the Week: Sienna needs an Umbrella

This week Sienna Miller was promoting her new movie GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra (which I will not be going to see) and for some unfair reason all her press events appeared to be outside - and it rained. At least she still looks fabulous even when her Loewe trousers are soaked.
Diane Kruger was also busy promoting this week, and took to the London red carpet in Balmain. I like it a lot, but the dress isn't one of my favourite Balmain creations. And then there was Emmy Rossum, who I sometimes love and sometimes hate, who wore Phi for a premiere. I love Phi - I'm pretty sure this time next year we'll all be Phi obsessed.





images from celebrity-gossip.net and the fashion spot

NOTE: Thank you for the 'get well soon' wishes. I am finally feeling a lot better so regular posting will continue again next week.

Me and Victoria Beckham


Ages ago I wrote a piece on my first ever fashion icon (Victoria Beckham) for The Fash Pack.

You can now read My Muse: Revisiting Spice Girls-Era Victoria Beckham here.

The Cheats Guide to a Designer Handbag

I love these Oonagh O'Hagen for Browns Focus totes. They're really funny.


"This is not a Chanel Bag" £40

"This is not a Louis Vuitton Bag" £40

Both available at Browns Focus.

Note: I would like to apologise for my lack of interesting posting this week. I have been battling possible swine flu since Wednesday and have only been able to post in my short half-hour paracetamol induced energy bursts.

This September

Who isn't excited for September this year? We've got fashion weeks to look forward too, Ashley Olsen on the cover of Harper's (just a rumour, MUST be true...), The September Issue is released on the 11th and Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist has a book coming out on the 3rd.

Now there is more good news to add to the mix: The September Issue will be out on DVD on September 14th in the UK. That means you can see Anna everyday if you wish.

If like me you hate waiting for things why not fill your wait with the Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton documentary? I watch my copy a little too much, I can't help it, I love Marc.

P.S Can someone please tell Rachel Zoe to bring The Rachel Zoe project out on DVD - but to the UK too.

Glamour Model and the City?

I never wanted a Sex and the City movie, but like a dedicated fan I stuck with it and saw it twice. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't great either, not even half as good as it was on TV. The fact that they're making a second movie makes me really angry - it originally ended perfectly, we don't need anymore.

But nothing prepared me for the rumours that Katie Price aka Jordan is planning to audition for the sequel. A source told Grazia 'It is not 100% confirmed, but the part she is auditioning for is rumoured to be a sexy British nanny, potentially for Big and Carrie who are said to be moving to Britain as part of the story line.'

Yippee. Not.

Not only will the storyline revolve around Carrie changing nappies but we'll have to watch an ex glamour model trying to act. This is one rumour that better not have an inch of truth to it.

Do you think they need to make another film? And do you want Carrie to have a baby?

Chubby Is In

As you know fashion doesn't 'do' chubby. But the Chubby coat is big news this Fall. Remember Carine's pink Chubby that she wore to all the Fall shows? At first it was slightly amusing but as the weeks went by and the coat stayed on it started to look kind of perfect. Carine is always ahead of the game, because the Chubby was everywhere...

Wear Chubbies with skinny pants and statement heels to really nail the look. And if like me you don't like the idea of wearing fur (not that I could afford to anyway...) look for Chubbies in knit styles like Margiela's.
What do you think of the look? Wearable or best left to Carine?

images from style.com