The Irony of the Fashion Industry

"Sometimes, I think the people who buy our clothes live in a parallel universe. Hell, we can't even afford our clothes." - Lazaro Hernandez

The lovely Proenza Schouler designer explains to Grazia's Paula Reed that the design duo can't afford a PS1 handbag either. As far as I'm concerned the PS1 is a classic (up there with the Chanel 2.55 and Balenciaga Motorcycle Bag), and it does make me feel a little better knowing the actual designers themselves can't afford one either. Life is unfair, right?

Proenza Schouler PS1 Large suede satchel

In Search of Colour
The sun has finally come out in the UK, and I even saw a few people wearing flip-flops yesterday. This means it is officially time to start dressing for summer, but the problem is the inside of my wardrobe is seriously lacking in colour.
There is colour in there; it's just mostly blue or very dark shades of green, purple and red. I need a big snap of bright colours, and I'm leaning towards to surf-friendly shades of the Proenza Schouler S/S 10 collection. Yes, it won't get me out of my blue and green rut, but at least there is some yellow in there too.
Print is also a big deal with me. I'm desperate to get some more print into my wardrobe, but I find it really hard to find quality prints on a budget. I hate the itsy-bitsy florals that dominate the highstreet, so I'm praying this season there will be a wider (and yummier) selection on offer.
Here are a few of the best summer pieces online at the moment. I love the Anna Sui sandals, which are currently on The Outnet, so hurry if you want them!


1. Emmanuelle Khanh sunglasses, from net-a-porter.com. 2. French Connection vest top, from frenchconnection.com. 3. Zimmerman jumpsuit, from net-a-porter.com. 4. Topshop bangle, from topshop.com. 5. Oliver Bonas earrings, from oliverbonas.co.uk. 6. Topshop tank, from topshop.com. 7. Adam skirt, from net-a-porter.com. 8. Anna Sui sandals, from theoutnet.com.

What is at the top of your summer wardrobe wish-list for 2010? And which S/S collection are you most inspired by?

image from style.com

The Curse is Lifted

I always say that actresses called Jessica never have any luck when it comes to fashion. Their style is either bland (Biel and Lowndes) or unflattering (Simpson). But Jessica Alba did something about it when she wore an Antonio Berardi dress at the beginning of the year. I know I've babbled on about how amazing she looked about a billion times now, but it was such a surprise.
And last night she proved that the Berardi incident was not just a fluke - she really can look fabulous. As she chose (or her stylist chose) a Proenza Schouler dress for the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival Party, last night.

I love this look on her. She wore Proenza to the Valentine's Day premiere a while back, but unfortunately ruined the look with really bad hair. This time nothing went wrong, and I think I might even like this look more than the Berardi!
I hope Jessica Alba's success will inspire Jessica Simpson. Say what you want about her, but I adore Jessica Simpson. And I'm dying to see her dressed well. Maybe a bit of Prada's A/W collection? She has the curves for it.

What do you think of Jessica Alba's look? An improvement?

images from justjared.buzznet.com

Miley's Three Steps to Fashion

I'm still not feeling 100% (which is probably quite clear, as I'm writing about Miley Cyrus) but I can't neglect the blog for another day. So here is a Miley Cyrus post. Yes, really, Miley Cyrus.
Normally she's someone I would never imagine writing about, but did you see her at the Oscars? She looked pretty good in her custom Jenny Packham dress. And since then I've been noticing her style a lot more. Perhaps she's working with a new stylist? Or maybe her taste just matured, but she's now working the LA hippy look that's popular with Kate Hudson. And it works for Miley.


First Miley showed up at the Oscars in a frothy number that proved she could do red carpet glamour. I approved, but she made a real style statement by wearing Isabel Marant on Good Morning America.


The fashion snob inside me was thinking "Miley Cyrus? Wearing Isabel Marant? Just no!" but she looks good, so I have to love it. I'm happy for the Miley's of the world to wear Marant if they do it well. Just as I'd be happy for Heidi Montag to carry a Birkin if she did it justice. Which sadly she does not.


And finally, Miley was spotted out and about carrying this very pretty embellished handbag. I can easily imagine Kate Hudson carrying this bag, and you know I love Kate Hudson. When did Miley develop such good taste?


What I'd like to see her in next: Dress by Matthew Williamson; Skirt by Marc by Marc Jacobs; Top by Proenza Schouler; Heels by Jimmy Choo; Bangle by Kenneth Jay Lane. All from net-a-porter.com

What do you think? Have I gone insane or is Miley actually looking pretty damn cool right now? Which labels would you like to see her wear next?

images from celebritycity & celebrity-paradise (both via the fashion spot) all clothing from net-a-porter.com

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

£50 Harvey Nichols Voucher Winner

I'm a little late announcing the winner of the Harvey Nichols giveaway - was just waiting for conformation.
But I'm happy to reveal the winner of the competition was Jo. Her top ten fashion labels included Marios Schwab, Isabel Marant and Acne.


Above from left: Miu Miu, Proenza Schouler & Sonia Rykiel. All S/S 2010.

It was harder than I thought it would be to choose a winner as every entry had at least two labels that were mega-amazing. But it was Jo's shared love of Miu Miu, Proenza Schouler and Sonia Rykiel that won it for me.

After flicking through her blog Curiouser and Curiouser I've noticed it's not just her taste in designers that's amazing - she can spot a great editorial too.

All Wrapped Up

This week it got cold, the kind of cold that needs a coat not just a jacket. Both Sienna Miller and Kate Hudson got their coats out this week. This sends me into a little bit of a panic because I still haven't bought my winter coat. This may not sound that shocking, because it is only the first week of October, but magazines constantly say all the good coats get bought in August by the over-prepared women. Is this true? Do any of you buy your coat in advance?

I don't even care much for coats. Jackets I love, I could have a whole wardrobe full of jackets if I gave into every temptation. But coats are boring, they're just practical, and bulky too. This year I'm thinking of going to Cos - hopefully they'll have something a little bit special.
I still love the coats from the Proenza Schouler F/W collection, bet again, so bulky! I think I should just move to LA.


Note: online retailer, Cocosa - which is full of juicy designer discounts, is currently offering £15 off for all new members. Check it out here: Cocosa - £15 off for new members

images from celebrity-gossip.net and style.com

Lets Go Surfing

Pictures from the Prada spring collection are slowly dripping onto the internet as I type and so far the standout pieces for me are the silk tops and jackets printed with images of palm trees and the beach. The images below are not great quality but you can make out the print.


It looks like Miuccia is the third designer to look to surfing for the spring collections. The shoes in the Josh Goot collection were inspired by surfboards, and the boys at Proenza Schoulder credited surfing as one of their inspiration points.


The only thing we need now is for Karl Lagerfeld to design a Chanel surfboard, or has he already?

images from yahoo and style.com

Blues and Greens

I've become completely obsessed with the colours in the Proenza Schouler S/S 10 collection. It could possibly be because most of the week we have been deprived of colour (there have been so many muted colours, which although nice have blended into one) that I'm just excited to see something bright.
Lazaro Hernandez told style.com "we wanted something young, something that felt fresh, so we looked to surfing and skating, the things we grew up on."
The look [below, right] with the skirt and tie-dye top is my favourite look of the whole collection, and I think it best sums up Lazaro's skating and surfing reference. I love the grunge vibe of the top mixed with the classic A-line skirt, it works so well.
And the dress worn by Natasha Poly [second row, right] is gorgeous. I bet they'll be a list of celebrities wanting to wear it on the red carpet. I'd like to see it on Kirsten Dunst or Chloe Sevigny.



Do you like the collection?

images from style.com

Back to School Bags

Even though I left school years ago I still get the urge to buy a 'back to school' bag around this time of the year. Getting a new school bag, pencil case and stationary at the end of August, ready for school in September, used to be really exciting when I was growing up - I always loved shopping. Before going to Paris I had a flick through some of my old Teen Vogue's and they all had 'back to school' features in them which made me wish for school-appropriate shopping trips even more.
So for those of you lucky, or unlucky enough (however you see it), to be starting a new year at school in September here are my favourite school bag styles, ranging from the Upper East Side to the Topshop budgets.

The Brown Satchel: I'm not an over-the-shoulder kind of girl, but recently I've been seeing people everywhere carrying satchels by the handles with the shoulder straps hooked over their arm (see Sienna below) which I think looks great. I love Topshop's take on the look just as much as Proenza Schouler's £10,000 version.


The Chic & Orange: Classic bags such as Mulbery's Bayswater and the Hermes Birkin look a lot more fun in orange. There is something about the combination of perfect structure and citrus colour which feels so right.


The Lightweight: Books are heavy, sometimes the best bag option is the one that weighs as little as possible but can hold a lot. Shoppers aren't always pretty but if you can find one as gorgeous as the Marni below you're set for the year.



images from justjared.buzznet.com and thefashionspot - all product images from store websites

The Hat Dilemma

The other week I was shopping in M&S. If you live outside the UK and are not familiar with Marks and Spencer's it is basically a shop that sells everything and tends to be followed by the words 'good', 'old' and 'reliable'. It's not exactly fashion-forward but they do great underwear and sometimes you can find some really nice clothes hidden amongst the 'reliable' styles.
While I was browsing last week I found some great cloche hats for £15. I love hats and the cloche is one of my favourites.


The only problem is cloche hats tend to be worn with 20s and 30s style ladylike clothing - just google 'cloche hat' and you'll see what I mean. I don't want to look like a wannabe Angelina from Changeling and nor do I want people to think I'm on my way to a costume party. I would love it if I wore flapper dresses everyday, but sadly real life gets in the way.

Looking back at Proenza Schouler's A/W 07 collection I have confidence that cloche hats can look equally fabulous with modern clothes. But what if I wanted to scruff it up a bit with jeans?


Playing around online I put together a 'cloche friendly' look, but I guess I'll never know if they work with jeans unless I try.



What do you guys think? Also how hot is the Topshop bag - I'll be checking that out in store.

images from style.com and store websites