Hit and Miss of the Week: London's Calling

London Fashion Week officially ended on Wednesday, which now seems like ages ago, but it left behind some beautiful runway presentations and a host of great celebrity spots as well. As last week London was the city to be seen in.
Tuesday's Burberry show brought the golden Hollywood girls such as Kate Hudson out (who, by the way, looked super cute). And the ELLE Style Awards didn't just lure the Olsen's to the red carpet; super-super-model Naomi Campbell also made an appearance in a McQueen dress.
And we can't forget Olivia Palermo, who along with the slightly less-impressive Nicola from Girls Aloud, was on the front row at just about every London show. Will we be seeing her in a bit of Christopher Kane or Mark Fast soon, I wonder...







images from celebrity-gossip.net and thefashionspot.com

NOTE: As you can see naked Madonna is back as the header. I always intended on bringing her back at some point (and have had many people emailing about her return), but felt like shaking it up a little with the pizza image instead - which was also taken by the fabulous Steven Meisel. Do let me know what you think.

The Fashion Girl Crush



Phoebe Philo photographed by David Sims for the March 2010 issue of Vogue Paris. I can't wait to see what she does with Celine this season.

image from thefashionspot.com

UPDATE: My-Wardobe.com is currently offering Coco's Tea Party readers 30% off - just type MYFRIENDS30 in as the dissount code at checkout.

Annie in Westood

Last night, in London, the world premiere of Alice in Wonderland took place - and Anne Hathaway managed to completely surprise me with her red carpet dress. I guessed she might wear a British designer for the red carpet - as lots of American stars do when they attend a UK premiere - but I expected someone more along the lines of Alice Temperley, Stella McCartney or even Alexander McQueen. I did not expect to see her in Vivienne Westwood.



It's just that I see Anne's taste as very classic Hollywood. It's very chic, very Armani. And though Vivienne's designs have such a timeless shape (that beautiful emphasis on the waist) they've always seemed a bit too 'edgy' for Annie.
But look how wrong I was. I think she looks gorgeous in this dress. Even with the slightly in-between length it still works beautifully on Anne, who really was glowing.
Props to Rachel Zoe for putting "Armani Annie" in a Westwood dress, hopefully it wont be the last time she wears the label.
What do you think of Anne in Vivienne Westwood?

image from celebrity-gossip.net

Speedy Models and a Crashing PC

This fashion week practically every show has been screened online, so it is shameful that I had failed to watch any live up until ten minutes ago. Time difference was an acceptable excuse over New York Fashion Week, but it didn't really cut it over London. But I managed to get my act together for Prada, and watched most of it - I missed bits because my computer kept crashing.
I'm not the best at screen-capping images, and most of my images were totally blurry, but these three made it, and you get a good sense of the overall mood, very 60's, Mad Men and so distinctively Prada. I loved it. Especially the crazy glasses.



The tweets were obviously pouring in as the show took place, so here are a few of the best:

@jo_elvin the Prada show was amazing. groomed, early 60s housewives, beautiful dresses with ruffled chests. I want. may even grow a beehive.

@mrjoezee Prada: Full dresses with a tiny waist (think I Love Lucy) in painted windowpane prints, boxy jkts & full skirts in PVC or heavy cable knits.

@rzrachelzoe Have no words for the Milan Gridlock just missed Prada and so carsick! 1 1/2 hours to go 10 miles..why does LA get such a bad rap???

@avrilmair We liked Prada! Mad Men hotness, but vintage Mrs P collection. Girls looked ever so pretty too

What did you think of the collection?

images capped from prada.com

Some Blogging Tips

Over the last week or so a few bloggers have emailed me to ask for tips on getting their blogs going, especially those who couldn't make it to Topshop's blogging workshop on Tuesday. Luckily DisneyRollerGirl, Oh Elle and myself put together a hand-out with our advice, which was given out on Tuesday. So for those who couldn't make the workshop here are our top tips:



And apologies to bloggers who regularly email me asking for advice and tips, I try to reply to everyone who emails me but recently I've had very little time to get back to everyone.
And if you're a blogger reading this, and there's a tip you feel we missed out on feel free to leave it in the comments section. Hopefully I can learn from you.

LFW: Erdem

I keep planning to write about the Erdem collection and then I don't have time. So now I'm very late and I'm sure you've all seen the collection a million times. But one more time won't hurt, because it's truly stunning.
Erdem Moralioglu creates the most beautiful prints, I simply can't get enough of his work. If I had a movie coming out this year I would be banging down the door of the Erdem studios daily in attempt to my hands on one of his dresses. They are perfect red carpet dresses, and I'm dying to see Thandie Newton in the bottom right dress. It has her name all over it.



Are you also under Erdem's spell?
And this is the last London post, as Milan starts today. I'm looking forward to Prada more than anything, what about you?

images from style.com

ELLE Shopgirl to Stylist

This morning ELLE Magazine hosted a bloggers breakfast to launch their national search for a new styling talent. For anyone in the UK who is currently working as a sales assistant, firstly I admire you (it's a job that's a lot harder than people expect) and secondly you may want to check this competition out.
On the 5th March ELLE is launching a six-month nationwide search to find a shop girl (or boy) with a great talent for styling.


Natalie Portman in ELLE February 2010

The winner will get the chance to style a shoot for ELLE and will be mentored by a member of the ELLE team. You can enter at elleuk.com/shopgirltostylist from the 5th of March (the page isn't live yet), where ELLE readers will also be able to get involved and pick their favourite stylists.
Lorraine Candy, editor-in-chief says "This is a unique and exciting project which heroes the men and women who literally style the nation. They deserve more credit for what they do and we'll give them that in the pages of ELLE."
I think it's great there's a competition out there which recognises those working in retail, as there must be millions of sales assistants out there styling their customers daily. Good luck to anyone entering.

For more information pick up the April issue of ELLE on March 5th or check out the Shopgirl to Stylist page.

image from thefashionspot.com

LFW: Burberry Prorsum

As you know I couldn't attend the Burberry show yesterday, and as I was reading the tweets coming live from the event I was mostly devastated that I missed the front row (Mary-Kate Olsen, Kate Hudson, Rachel Zoe, Anna Wintour, Carey Mulligan...), but when I finally got round to checking the collection out on style.com this morning it was clear that the clothes out-shined the stars yesterday.
I've noticed that this season the pieces I've liked most throughout all of the London collections were shearling jackets. I've slowly become obsessed, and it's obviously the must-have piece for A/W '10 - especially if the UK has a freakishly cold winter again.
These are my favourite jackets from the Burberry collection, the oversized collars are yummy.



Did anyone watch the collection live online? Or in 3D? What did you think?

images from style.com

I Knew It!

A few weeks ago Lorraine Candy, the editor of UK ELLE tweeted a famous-twosome had confirmed they would attend the ELLE Style Awards. I instantly thought of Mary-Kate and Ashley, and when they flew into London the other day I knew a red carpet appearance was on its way. And it was a good one.



Ashley wore vintage Christian Lacroix and to-die-for Fendi heels. While Mary-Kate wore Lanvin and carried a Proenza PS1 clutch. Annoyingly woman of the year didn't go to either of them, instead it was won by the boring Kristen Stewart.




I'm sure they'll both be front row at the Burberry show this afternoon. Devastatingly I 've been invited for a second time but won't be able to go because I'm at Topshop all day. But you can watch the collection live (at 4pm UK time) on the Burberry website, so if you're watching tweet me at @cocosteaparty to let me know how it looks. It's sure to be fantastic.

Which look did you prefer last night? Mary-Kate in Lanvin of Ashley in Lacriox?

images from celebrity-gossip.net

LFW: Louise Goldin

I have officially renamed the Lousie Goldin A/W collection the Taylor Momsen collection. The pieces tapped into that whole goth-grunge look that Momsen lives in (and millions of other copy), and beyond that the models all looked exactly like Taylor. Even the brunettes.



I think I know what Taylor will be wearing to any upcoming events now...
Can you picture Taylor wearing Louise Goldin designs?

images from style.com

BAFTA Awards 2010

I had quite high hopes for the BAFTA red carpet, especially for Carey Mulligan, but in actual fact, the red carpet dresses last night were pretty average. I didn't notice anyone who had got it totally wrong, so I guess that's a good thing. But there was little to nothing that made me really go wow. Normally you can expect a great Thandie Newton appearance at the BAFTA Awards, but it looked like she stayed home last night. Here are some of the women who were on the red carpet:


Best Dressed: Kate Winslet in Stella McCartney and Audrey Tautou in Lanvin
These two were definitely the best dressed of the night. Kate looked really elegant in the black Stella dress, I think it is one of her best red carpet looks ever. And it's impossible to dislike Audrey or Lanvin - so put them together and you have a winning look.



Second Best Dressed: Carey Mulligan in Vionnet and Anna Kendrick in Pucci
This floral printed Vionnet was not what I expected to see Carey in at all, and I think it worked rather well. Anna's Pucci dress was also unexpected. I think Carey was the better dressed of the pair but they both made interesting choices.


Coming in Third: Kristen Stewart in Chanel Couture and Claire Danes in Burberry
I don't understand the fuss surrounding Robert or Kristen. Last night he looked beyond gross with the dirtiest hair I've ever seen on live TV and Kristen looked so grumpy. And Claire Danes looked pretty in Burberry, but it was a very forgettable red carpet appearance.

At least the ELLE Style Awards are on tonight (I'm 98% sure the Olsen's will be there) so at least we're safe in the knowledge tonight will bring a more exciting red carpet.
What did you think of the BAFTA red carpet?

images from celebrity-gossip.net and celebrity-paradise via thefashionspot.com

LFW: House of Holland

As well as the Unique show I also went to the House of Holland show yesterday. The HH invite this season was printed on a white bandana with aqua writing, which instantly made me think of N’sync and Jennifer Lopez in the J-Lo days.
The bandana reference was made clear once the first model walked out – purple bandana tied around her high-pony-tail. Overall I wouldn’t wear any of the pieces the way they were styled for the collection, which was just too J-Lo for me. But there were some pieces that I really liked, including the shearling jacket worn with the striped jumpsuit [bottom right] which looked so much better in real life than it does in this picture. And the candy pink printed dress [bottom left] is going to look great in editorials. The highlight of the collection for me though was watching Sessilee Lopez walk – she is beautiful.
Apologies for the use of style.com pictures, but I was sitting behind someone in a rather large hat, which was fine, I could still see perfectly, but my pictures were just coming out as this hat and the occasional models head.




On the front row were Alexa (who had changed clothes since Unique) and Pixie. The front row were given bottles of vitaminwater and Blackberry gift bags. After the show I heard Pixie tell Hilary Alexander that she adored the collection, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s spotted wearing pieces from the collection very soon.

images from style.com

LFW: Topshop Unique

Yesterday lunch time, myself and Stevie from Discotheque Confusion had a quick catch up over a sugar-free muffin (it’s fashion week, after all) and then rushed over to the Topshop Unique show. It was my first time at a Unique show and I wasn’t sure what to expect (apart from Pixie Geldof, of course), but it was actually a really cute collection.



The theme this season was camping (I never have, and never will go camping) and there were some beautiful pieces. Knee-length pencil skirts with super huge pockets were worn with braces that were covered in badges, reminding me of my days in Brownies. Tigers and wolves were screen printed onto a jersey maxi-dress, which was then worn with thick white tights. And there was even a bit of double-denim thrown in for good measure too.



My favourite elements of the collection look rather miss-matched when I write them down. I adored the animal headdresses (designed by Emma Cook), which ranged from foxes to badgers, and blended into the models wildly backcombed hair. And the shearling jackets are definitely going on my A/W 2010 wish-list.



One of the finale pieces was a little grey mini dress, with a fitted bodice and a puffed out skirt. The silhouette reminded me of one of my favourite Miu Miu collections (S/S 2008) so it’s sure to be a sell out piece – I’d say the typical Topshop customer (myself included) dreams of wearing Miu Miu, so it’s inevitable that it will be popular.



And as for the front row: there was no Kate, but I saw Alexa (soooo skinny), Pixie, Olivia Palermo (sooooo beautiful), Nicola from Girls Aloud, and I heard Peaches was there too but I didn’t see her. Though, I was most excited to turn around at one point in the venue and see Suzy Menkes behind me. She’s a real fashion star.

all images my own, if you wish to re-post please credit (although you can pinch must better ones from style.com ya know)

Hit and Miss of the Week: On a Saturday

Don't worry, you haven't somehow skipped a whole day, it really is Saturday, I'm just posting the Hit & Miss a day early this week because of LFW. Instead of the Hit & Miss expect some show updates tomorrow.
But on to what everyone has been wearing this week: two of the stylish Kate's (Moss and Bosworth) both put together top looks this week. While Mossy went cool Bosworth went sophisticated. It's hard to choose a favourite. Also doing the rounds this week were Nicole Richie (who was promoting her Winter Kate line), Maggie Gyllenhaal (promoting granny-chic) and Molly Sims. Oh, and Lady Gaga wore a poodle on her head. Can't forget that!







images from celebrity-gossip.net and thefashionspot.com

P.S follow me on twitter at twitter.com/cocosteaparty for updates on my day

Famous for Fashion

Last night I was a panelist at LCF for the screening of Kate from Make Do Style's short film, and a discussion about the influence of celebrity in fashion. I was so nervous, as the other panelists were Grazia's Melanie Rickey, Tamar Jeffers Thomas, author of Hollywood Catwalk and Pamela Church Gibson, Course Director MA Fashion and Film at LCF, and they all had such intelligent things to say.
The discussion did turn to celebrities who have become more famous for what they wear than what they actually do, which was interesting. And the prime example of this is Kate Bosworth.
I think I have seen one movie with her in, and would struggle to name any of her others, yet she is one of the celebrities I write about most on the blog. As we were having this very conversation she was sitting front row at the Calvin Klein A/W show, again looking flawless. And here I am posting yet another picture of her. It goes round and round.



Are you bored of 'actresses' being more famous for the shoes they wear or are you simply happy to see a great outfit on someone?
I have to admit I've kind of separated the Bilson's, Bosworth's and Biel's of the world from the Watts' and Winslet's. I'm more than happy to see a fabulous look on an 'it' girl, and I do really like most of these celebrities - but I'd rather go and watch a film with a serious actress in.
I'd love to know what you think about this, and honestly, doesn't Kate rock that skirt? You can't fault her.

image from celebrity-gossip.net

NYC: Proenza Schouler

Proenza Schouler is not just one of my favourite American labels, it's one of my favourite labels period. There's always something in their collections I lust after (most recently the PS1 bag) as Jack and Lazaro have that Marc Jacobs-like ability to tap into anything and everything cool.
The A/W collection was cool (and had a front row to rival Rodarte, with Nicole Richie, Selma Blair and Mary-Kate Olsen) but also presented me with my ideal winter dress.
See, I don't particularly like to wear jeans or trousers of any sort. Dresses are my thing, but in the winter it's hard to find styles that are warm (think sleeves retailers!) and still pretty. Winter dresses tend to fall into two categories: long sleeved but black/grey/navy or pretty print but more appropriate for LA than London. Proenza have bridged that gap - now I just need the budget to buy this entire collection.





And as New York Fashion Week slowly wraps up look what's popped up again and again. It's only the humble turtleneck. Will you be wearing one come Fall?


images from style.com

NYC: The Row

It was inevitable that I would like The Row's A/W 2010 collection. I am a die-hard Olsen fan. So much so that my friends are forever making fun of me. But as far as I'm concerned there are stylish celebrities and then there are the Olsen's. They are in a league of their own.
It's the first time that Mary-Kate and Ashley have shown their collection at New York Fashion Week, and I liked the collection. It played to that luxe 90's vibe that Ashley is so into, and reminds me of Calvin Klein, Jil Sander and Helmut Lang.
There weren't any pieces that were out-of-this-world exciting, but The Row is about timeless, well-made wardrobe basics. And they do it well.






Above Ashley and Mary-Kate take their walk, and - this has nothing to do with anything, but it's so terribly cute - Ashley poses at a NYC party with her BF Justin Bartha. She looks good in animal ears.
And on the subject of Justins, Justin Timberlake shows his William Rast collection in New York tonight (is it me or is every other show in NYC this season created by a celebrity?)
He's like the opposite of Victoria Beckham - quitting music for fashion was the best move she ever made, but JT should really make another album instead of designing pants.

Anyway, what do you think of The Row?

images from style.it and justjared.buzznet.com

NYC: Rodarte Front Row

Marc Jacobs didn't have celebrities on the front row this season, which took him out of the running for the most impressive front row lineup. Rodarte is in with a good chance of winning though; they invited Kirsten, Natalie and Chloe. I think everyone has a girl-crush on at least one of these lovely ladies, no?




From top left: Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman; Natalie Portman; Chloë Sevigny and Humberto Leon; Julia Restoin-Roitfeld; Anna Dello Russo; Derek Blasberg and Jen Brill.

As for the clothes, I liked. I'm a big fan of Rodarte, but this was in no way my favourite collection Laura and Kate have produced. The Rodarte look is well established now (and other designers sneakily take 'inspiration' from them too) so there was nothing too surprise this season.


But then I'm not that great at change anyway. And I loved the dreamy colour palette and angelic white dresses. It was a beautiful collection, and I'm sure Natalie and Kirsten will wear a few pieces between them on the red carpets this year.

images from style.com