Ten Smart Buys of the Week

There is nothing better than a bit of online window shopping on a Wednesday afternoon. I'm not supposed to be spending money until payday, but these 10 items have all tempted me this afternoon. Some are total dream pieces, like Acne's flying jacket and Chloe's gorgeous Darla tote, but others are great mid-week bargains. I adore the Topshop leather skirt - very Celine. Whether you're on the hunt for a special pick-me-up or just window shopping like me (is it even possible to window shop online?) check out these fashionable gems:

What do you think of my top 10? Did any items catch your eye?

all images from product websites

Olivia Rubin A/W 2010

Yesterday I visited British designer Olivia Rubin at her London showroom for a sneak peek at her A/W 2010/11 collection.
Olivia’s designs always feature gorgeous prints (I’m a big fan of her ‘bug’ print) in yummy colours, and her celebrity fans include Jameela Jamil, Fearne Cotton, Cheryl Cole and, most recently, Diana Vickers.
The A/W collection was inspired by ‘Hardy’s nineteenth century romantic classics’ and the silhouettes remain fun, feminine and flattering.


As soon as I saw the silver brocade Rosaline skirt (above left) I instantly thought of Blair Waldorf. I imagine she (if real) would pair it with thick tights a pea coat and a beret to go ice skating at the Rockefeller Center.


Olivia’s trademark brick print also makes an appearance in the collection. It looks great worn with the monochrome Kitty jacket, above.
But my favourite print is the ditzy nude bug design. The Belle tunic (below left) was my favourite piece in the collection, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on a celebrity sometime soon.


A/W also sees the launch of Olivia’s T-shirt range, Oli Rubin, which combines her statement prints with luxe jersey basics. My personal favourites were the zebra and brick prints.



I also got to take a look at the mood board for S/S 2011, which looks just as exciting.
If you want to know more about Olivia Rubin visit her website HERE. I've also just noticed a few of the dresses from her A/W 09 collection are on sale on her website for just £50, so if you love a bargain check them out HERE.

all images from Olivia Rubin

Wear Your Support

I'm sure you're all aware of the fantastic work Breakthrough Breast Cancer have done since launching in 1996. Last year their annual campaign raised £1.2 million, and this year they're hoping to top that with their “Wear your support” collection.
British retailers, including River Island, Topshop, Whistles and My-wardrobe.com have all designed limited edition black and white pieces for “Wear your support”.
They're a lot more fashionable than your average charity t-shirts, and you can wear them again and again - who doesn't need a LBD or a striped cardigan in their wardrobe?



From above let: Vest by Topshop; Scarf by River Island; LBD by Olivia Rubin at My-Wardrobe; Cardigan by Whistles.

The online shop ( www.fashiontargetsbreastcancer.org.uk) opens on March 29th, when the campaign goes live. And Mario Testino has photographed three famous women for the project. Their identity is top secret at the moment, but as soon as I know who they are you will too. I'm hoping one is Kate Moss. We know her and Mario are good friends...

Lets Set Them Up

Last week we were all impressed to see Jessica Alba wearing an Antonio Berardi dress to the People’s Choice Awards. For me I wasn’t just happy to see her looking so stylish, but was also excited to see her in a label that’s not a household name. While I have doubts it was actually Jessica who selected the British born designer, it’s always nice to see celebrities venturing out from the usual Versace/Marchesa/Armani red carpet dresses to something a little more surprising.
Obviously there’s nothing wrong with the big fashion labels, they produce stunning collections, but celebrities always go up in my opinion when they wear clothing from smaller labels too. It shows they have some fashion know-how.
So I’ve tracked down some gorgeous dresses by younger talent from the S/S 10 collections, and selected the celebrities who should give them a whirl at their next red carpet event.


Vanessa Hudgens always looks really pretty, but pretty is sometimes boring. It would be nice to see her in something more graphic, and I think she’d look great in this orange Holly Fulton dress.


Who isn’t a fan of Rachel Bilson’s style? I’d love love love to see her wear a Peter Pilotto dress this year. Peter Pilotto has easily become one of my favourite labels recently.


Dakota Fanning’s fashion-following is growing by the week. And I’d love to see her wear this Olivia Rubin mini to a red carpet event this year. Think slightly messy hair and a statement shoe, and it's perfect.


I’m not sure if it would work out as well as I imagine it in my head, but I wish Lady Gaga would experiment with the romantic look in an Erdem dress. I think she’d look amazing.

Are there any celebrity/designer pairs you're dying to see in 2010?

UPDATE: Olivia Rubin just tweeted me to say she would 'LOVE to see Dakota Fanning in the pink Opie - will try my best to make it happen!'

images from style.com and celebrity-gossip.net

Put it in Print

Earlier in the year I interviewed London designer Olivia Rubin [read the interview here if you missed it] who does some of the coolest prints around.
The brickwork print is my favourite, and you can now buy her Brick Embroidery Zip Tunic along with her Embroidery Pink Peplum Dress at My-Wardrobe.com.

The brickwork top will look great paired with skinny jeans and studded boots. And on the subject of boots I'm looking for some inexpensive flat black boots - you would think they would be easy to find but I can't seem to find any nice styles anywhere, if anyone spots any please let me know.