PAISLEY, FLORALS...WHAT WE DID TODAY....

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

It's all go here at FEAL towers but fear not, we haven't forgotten you dear readers. It may be short and sweet but we wanted to share some rather awesome prints we saw today at Jonathan Saunders and Stella McCartney. Suddenly all the work we're doing on the trends for SS12 seems to have come to life and we can actually imagine wearing them- or dream of it,  more realistically, in the case of Saunders and Stella.

At Jonathan Saunders

The indescribably divine Jonathan Saunders, with models

At Stella...

I thought I could never love a nude shoe...

JONATHAN SAUNDERS FOR SMYTHSON

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Unless you live (in fashion terms) on Planet Zog then you will be well aware that Jonathan Saunders is the darling designer of the moment, a position which is under no threat given the rapturous reception which his SS12 collection received when it was shown a couple of weeks ago. We are very excited to inform you that you can now get a piece of Saunders stationery to go with your Saunders outfit (should you be lucky enough to own such a treasure).

Samantha Cameron with Jonathan at the Downing Street reception (Image from telegraph.co.uk)

The collaboration with Smythson is no coincidence. Samantha Cameron, Creative Advisor and former Creative Director at Smythson as well PM's wife, is known to be a huge fan of Saunders' work and has chosen his pieces on a number of important occassions, namely to host a barbeque with the Obamas and most recently at the Downing Street reception to celebrate British Fashion during LFW. Samantha's sister Emily is Deputy Editor at British Vogue and also seems to be a big Saunders fan; I spied her in the label during the London shows and she has turned to the Scot for the fashion dilemma that is Paris Fashion Week.

Emily Sheffield in a Saunders vest at PFW (Image from Vogue UK on Facebook)

Back to the stationery! Cameron said that Smythson 'were keen to work with Jonathan as we felt his clever use of colour and masterful treatment of textile print would make for an innovative collaboration. Our collaboration with Jonathan marks the continuation of Smythson's work with British Design Talent'.

The collection contains all the hallmarks of the AW11 offering which has proved such a hit- the clean lines, William Morris inspired wallpaper floral prints and genius use of colour. Saunders commented that 'it's been exciting for me to see prints and colours from my collection translated into such beautiful products. I've always felt a strong affinity between what I design and Smythson. Both brands share a love for colour, with a focus on detail and quality'. Saunders has created ipad cases, diaries and notebooks which are all lined with printed silk, a luxury which will surely have us all forming an orderly queue. You can buy online now and in-store from Friday.

DUCHESS KATE, WE HAVE AN LFW GUIDE FOR YOU...

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Over the Summer, we heard that Anna Wintour had given London based designers a brief: your muse must be the Duchess of Cambridge. It has already been shown that, like it or not, our new royal sells clothes in unprecedented numbers. If she wears it, a certain kind of everyday-stylish blow-dry obsessed girl/woman will want it.

The Duchess of Cambridge is under considerable pressure to wear British designers so it makes sense for them to play to her clearly demonstrated taste levels. But they can't explicitly write 'This is for you, Duchess Kate' on their show notes now can they?

The Duchess has already dipped her toe in the water of experimenting the current London line-up by choosing Erdem to wear for stepping off the plane as she embarked on her Canadian tour. This initial promise though failed to materialise as she stuck mostly to old faithfuls Issa, Temperley and McQueen for the remainder of her time away (apart from another Erdem dress for morning prayer on Day 3)

Kate, in Erdem, and William arrive in Canada (image from Daily Mail)

So, how did the London crew approach Wintour's call to arms? It is likely that the idea of using Catherine as their woman might grate, she's hardly on the cutting edge of glamour and modernity in those nude heels and fascinators is she? Well, we noticed a number of references to a kind of deranged housewife figure. The next chapter in a book begun by January Jones' Betty Draper. And actually, at the moment, that is how many people see the Duchess because she is overwhelmingly defined in the public eye by her role as wife. We don't know what she thinks or what she's passionate about. So, in my first attempt at replicating the previous Fashion Junior's Big Head feature, I have scoured images from the past few days to see what we might be seeing HRH in next Summer, and she'll have a lot to dress for what with the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations....

Burberry- Kate and Wills were engaged in Kenya so she might be quite taken with this Kanga print

Clements Ribeiro. Lace is a sure hit with the Duchess

She already likes Erdem, florals and shifts so this is a must-buy

Giles does classic Princess-y shapes

Kate is Issa'a number 1 fan but this would be a change from the slinky wraps she usually chooses from the label

Sara Buys, Harper's Fashion Director and a relation by marriage of Kate's, chose Osman for her outfit to the Royal Wedding so surely on the radar

The most Kate worthy dress from Peter Pilotto's offering

Add heels and a fascinator and ta da, a classic K-Mid wedding outfit from Richard Nicoll

Daytime prettiness from Jonathan Saunders

Perfectly demure for a black tie event, again from Jonathan Saunders.

I don't even need to add a head to this, it has vintage Duchess Kate written ALL over it...

Issa

 And what she won't be wearing....

Meadham Kirchhoff weren't bowing to Wintour's memo, and good for them!

Images from catwalking.com

FW11 TRENDING: THE FORTIES

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

The Miu Miu advertising campaign has primed you, hopefully. Because today, we would like to focus your trend-observant eyes on the 1940s- a decade when war ravaged the world and women came into their own, making significant contributions to the war effort whilst going to great lengths to maintain all the glamour they could; painting tea on legs to look like stockings and scrupulously collecting ration coupons so they could buy a single item of clothing.

Stocking painting (image from www.25dollarvintage.blogspot.com)

Miu Miu was the greatest proponent of the 40s look for FW11

 It was not just at off-duty moments that women were mindful of keeping up appearances. The legendary land girls toiled the fields of Britain, taking over from men who were needed to fight. Despite their demanding occupations, this was nevertheless a time when a girl could not really get away with 'bed hair' or wearing her boyfriend's shirt and denim cut-offs. Grooming was not a choice.

They may have been tending their flock, but not before the headscarf was perfectly knotted and uniform belted up (Image from www.telegraph.co.uk)

And it was not all compromise. There is abundant evidence of megawatt film star glamour, even when the war was still close to home. Vera Lynn was the sweetheart of the British Armed Forces, bringing welcome comfort and eye candy to the serving soldiers who she entertained throughout the war.

Vera Lynn wearing classic forties voluminous top with embellishment- this wouldn't look the same without the pristine make-up and set hair (Image from www.dailymail.co.uk)

 Our ultimate icon for this era is Hedy Lamarr- film star and scientist extraordinaire. Not only did Lemarr star in many of the most successful films of the 1940s, such as Samson and Deliliah, but she is also widely remembered as helping to develop a frequency hopping communication system which is still used as a basis for modern wi-fi technology. So you see, Hedy is really the epitome of the 1940s spirit which this season is capturing; power, capability, independence with a double dose of glamour.

Divine Hedy

Star Quality

Dolce and Gabbana AW11- Take note of stars as a microtrend- not confined to the 40s but if it's good enough for Coco (Chanel was a fan) AND Hedy then... 

There are two ways to go with the 1940s look for AW11. Firstly, there is total commitment. Essentially this involves adopting not just the clothing but also the beauty routine. Full adoption means not leaving the house without a full face of make-up, including the most scarlett lips and blackest flicks of eyeliner, and painstakingly styled hair.

Richard Avedon's 1948 image of Elise Daniels in Paris, in a turban.

Badgley Mischka AW11 show was full of high-glamour 30s and 40s looks. Hair and make-up was high maintainance and true to the period, but ultimately this is the boring way to do it.

Miu Miu and Jonathan Saunders did it exactly the right way by achieving that finest of balances; we can tell that their looks are 1940s but the models do not look like they are at 1940s fancy dress party. Miu Miu referenced the victory waves of 1940s hair but by keeping it straight and leaving make-up to a bare minimum, this had 2011 written all over it. Jonathan Saunders did the same but his use of colour, mostly 1940s but with the occasional flash of bright or incongruous print made his pieces apt for the Land Girls of Now.

Miu Miu's take on the tea dress is a key AW11 piece.

The belted waist and utilitarian blazer are 1940s. Prints and fresh face give the AW11 update.

Louis Vuitton

 We think you would do well to invest in two key pieces for a 1940s look. The tea dress is a classic anyway which you may quite possibly already own and certainly if you don't, will be useful for seasons to come. A turban will see you through the 70s references of the coming months as well as being a gentle reference to 40s glamour. Oh, and add a brooch if you get bored! Blazers, belts, midi skirts, palazzo pants and stacked heels are also key elements.
WE RECOMMEND:

A tea dress from Warehouse £38

Turban: £12 from ASOS

Catwalk Images from www.catwalking.com

THE WEEK IN FASHION 13TH JUNE-17TH JUNE

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large
Additional research by Bethan Holt

Here's our weekly round up of the goings on in fash-land over the past five days. While most of the fashion press have been obsessing over the resort collections (more on those to come!) these were the news stories that caught our eye this week.We kick off, fittingly, with a quote from the High Priestess herself...

1. Famously anti-tech Anna Wintour gave the perfect five word acceptance speech for Vogue's People's Voice Award at the Webbys: "Sometimes geeks can be chic." Got it in five, Anna - and come on, like we didn't know that already!


2. The fashion hackers have struck again, and it's Beyonce (in kinky Vuitton) vs. Christina  Aguilera (in, well, not a lot) on the leaked covers of this month's W magazine

 3. Alexandra Shulman stepped into the ring for the racism in fashion debate, following the recent racism related lawsuits involving Naomi Campbell and Cadbury and Rihanna and Gucci. In response to Liz Jones' claim that the industry is 'inherently racist', Shulman pointed out: "There have always been black players on the scene — at the moment look at the stylist Edward Enninful, make-up artist Pat McGrath and [models] Jourdan Dunn, Liya Kebede and Joan Smalls, who are at the top of the tree."The Vogue Editor also hinted that she has two black cover stars lined up for future issues - Michelle O, perhaps?

4. It has been a week for campaign releases, as Tom Ford poses with Lara Stone in his new make up shots
...

 

Lara and Tom try to out 'good face' each other in the Tom Ford makeup campaign

5. ...while Angelina Jolie poses in Cambodia (birthplace of her son, Maddox) for Vuitton 's core values campaign

6. Jess Cartner-Morley declares this the summer of intentional bad taste fashion, all thanks to a Prada banana

Prada SS11, and the banana skirt that started it all...

7. Aggy is back in the business! Everyone's favourite leggy blonde Agyness Deyn has re-signed with her old agency, Select Model Management, and is hoping to stage a comeback. Shouldn't be too tricky when you look like this...

Aggy shot by Tim Walker for the May issue of Vogue. Beautiful!

8. What  has Stefano Pilati been up to while his mate Kate was on her hen weekend on the Isle of Wight? Designing costumes for a new Harold Pinter production, of course! With Kristen Scott Thomas taking the lead in The Betrayal, this will be one dramatic fashion statement.

9. You thought the V&A Vivienne Westwood exhibition had covered it all? Well, now her iconic shoe designs have an exhibition all of their own

 The Gillie shoe, most notorious for bring Naomi down to earth with a bump!

10. Mulberry have had a very, very good year, reporting a 69% increase in revenue.Those cute woodland creatures from their last show are obviously hiding some savvy business sense..

 Mulberry Resort 2012. They don't just do handbags, y'know. It's all about the doggy RTW.

11. A very dapper Jonathan Saunders deservedly picked up Designer of the Year at the Scottish Fashion Awards - even though the win took him by surprise, having just been "texting Chris Kane saying 'Sam Cam's wearing your dress, you're definitely going to win it!'"

 Designer of the Year Jonathan Saunders picks up his SFA in a trendy teal tie.

11. Following the news that K-Mid's wedding dress is going to go on show at Buckingham Palace, across the pond, the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame have included Gaga's infamous Meat Dress in their 'Women who Rock' exhibit. Thankfully, the meat has been preserved so that the now well-past-it's-sell-by-date flesh dress won't pong out the exhibition! Tasty.

 

12. Stella Tennant presented the Devonshire Cup at Royal Ascot (she's related to the historic English family). On Ladies Day she was sporting a brilliant trilby avec taxidermy birds, designed, of course, by Stephen Jones. Only Stella and Stephen could make dead birds look this good! 

Stella Tennant and Stephen Jones during the design process for Ascot's chic-est headgear. Photographed by Robert Fairer

13. And finally, over the past five days we have continued to be baffled and bewildered by Bip Ling's blog posts and Tweets. A choice example from @BipLing:

"YUPP having a great holidayyyyyyyy SHUVS AND FOREST ARE GREAT FUN YAR YAR YARRR LOVE ITTTT :-) BOOM BOOOM xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

What?! Does anyone speak Bip and can help us out?!

And that, fashion fans, is the week that was...

Images: Catwalking, Vogue UK, Style.com, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, US Vogue.