London Fashion Week AW'11, Day One

One down. Four to go.

My London Fashion Week has been remarkably uneventful so far. Out of the 20 shows I had tickets for today, I made a grand total of 8 of them - classic London lateness meant I missed half of them, and the other thing LFW does so well made me miss the rest: having venues miles AND miles apart from each other. Grr!

Thankfully my new Nicholas Kirkwood skyscrapers kept me (relatively) comfy all day - I only had near twisted ankles about 3 times.

I definitely looked better in real life!! Working the sheer/opaque trend...sort of. 

(Shoe close-up to follow asap).

Right, so let's get down to the nitty gritty. The shows. Here's a very brief update...

Paul Costelloe

Err, I missed that show. Some things are more important in life - my beau returning from six weeks in Hong Kong being one of them. I chose to stay home and welcome my hubby-to-be back to London...

Jena.Theo

Draping, draping and more draping. Dull, dull, duller than dull. Though I did get Priority seating which made me feel very important. Haha!

Caroline Charles

Thank you Caroline Charles, for wasting 20 minutes of my life. No way, never, ever. But if you are in to bonnets, bustles and fancy dress, this'll be right yo your street.

Corrie Nielsen

A big green tomato and some Tudor finery? Where did that come from?!

Jean-Pierre Braganza

It was several years ago that I assisted on a Jean-Pierre Braganza show - back then I thought his stuff was a bit strange. With the evolution of his line and equally, my taste, I'm rather liking his work. He is a master of tailoring and knows just how to manipulate the female form. Definitely a highlight of the day.

Aminaka Wilmont

Yes, it was nice. Nice - that word that doesn't really mean too much. Dresses of every variety in one fabric left me feeling rather uninspired. Yawn.

Felder & Felder

Here came some fun...finally! Hair (pony or human - who knows) was attached to everything. I mean, I have enough of my own hair that I don't need it attached to my clothes too, but here it gave the pieces a fun talking point. Also great were the bodies with attached maxi skirts - very retro and chic.

Bora Aksu

Hmmmmm...not really my cup of tea. Some weird fabric combos going on there - and I'm sure some use of plastic bags. But the man cuts a good shape, so it wasn't all bad.

Ashley Isham

Head gear, the man does well. Dresses, well they aren't my thing. This collection appeared to be a homage to some current greats - Erdem style print dresses, Issa-esque jersey dresses, Matthew Williamson inspired maxis, Lacroix lace layering... Homage/copying - same thing in my books. The oriental headpieces were interesting though...

...am guessing that's what Paloma comes for.

Kimberley Walsh is deffo an Ashley dress girl though. Random celeb spot of the day too.


PPQ

Oops - didn't make it. What a shame. 

Bed...

A quick pit-stop at the William Tempest party at Maddox to top up on rum cocktails rounded off the day perfectly.

Now I'm tucked in my jammies, feet wrapped in warm towels, eyelids quickly drooping.

Same time, same place tomorrow?

New York Fashion Week - My faves!

It's the night before London Fashion Week - that means wardrobe on the floor, nails wet with paint, hair washed, London A-Z studied, high heels worn-in...and school bag packed.

Just before I hit the hay, I thought I'd give you a quick round up of all that was fab at New York Fashion Week. It seems that luxury is back - HOORAH! Fur, feathers, sequins, tassles...and more - basically everything I love!

Here are my faves (sorry I've got to be quick but my bed is calling):

Donna Karan

Fur glorious fur! And I'm rather liking the mismatched shades of grey. Tres chic!

Marchesa

The brains behind Marchesa can do no wrong (and having just made my first purchase, which you can't see until June ;-), I'm feeling very proud of myself)! This exquisite lace gown is to die for. Magnificent!

Marchesa

Emma whatsherface should take a lesson from this (see this years Baftas). 

I'm loving the ultra delicate, luxurious lace of this skin-baring dress. Heavenly.

Marchesa

I need this in my wardrobe. Lace + ruffles + scarlet + high impact = PERFECTION.

Oscar de la Renta

Another melange of the most utterly luxe fabrics. Not sure how the fur robe goes with this, but it somehow does. Oscar is the master of luxury after all.

Oscar de la Renta

Taking twin-sets to a whole new level, this animal print fur combo is going to be a hit, for sure.

Ralph Lauren

Well, who wouldn't wear a metal hood on a night out?

We're all bored of being sensible (stupid recession!) so it's great to see fashion having fun again.

Vera Wang

Sheer is here to stay, fur is clearly a must-have and colours are going icy. Nice job Vera.

This is just a minute portion of all that was fabulous at NYFW - Autumn/Winter 2011 is hotting up!!

Watch this space for London's hottest contributions...

Baftas, New York, roses and more!

Oh my, oh my, oh my - so much fabulous fashion fun going on right now. New York Fashion Week, award ceremonies galore, Katie Price launching her fashion line...

Where shall we begin?

Awards ceremonies


The Grammys - well I won't dwell on this, but let's just say that there was lots of bling, gowns with high slits, cut-out backs...nothing amazing or original. Dullness.

The Baftas - now we're talking! The stars pulled out all the stops (though obviously there were some tragedies...*clears throat* Emma Watson):

Julianne Moore looked simply divine in a deep blue velvet column dress by Tom Ford. 

What en elegant lady! 

Wearing my fave Lanvin dress of the season, Emma Stone just glows. Simple and effortless. Bravo!

Jessica Alba brings some Hollywood glamour to London in her cobalt blue Atelier Versace gown.

Thandie Newton has to be my absolute fave. She looks gorgeous in this fuschia printed Monique L'hullier floor-sweeping dress. 

New York Fashion Week

It's hard to say what trends we'll be seeing for Autumn/Winter 2011 already, but here's a sneak peek at what's caught my eye so far...

Luxury at Carolina Herrera

 DKNY finds its inner tomboy

Duro Olowu piles on the prints

 Diane Von Furstenberg ups the glam factor

 High intensity at Malandrino

Sculpture and structure take centre-stage at Thakoon

Victoria Beckham prepares for her pregnancy with loose knits. Love the hood.

It's looking good so far...let's hope it stays that way. 

More to come soon...

Katie Price

If you weren't sure if I was being sarcastic about Katie Price, take a look at her new 'fashion' line:

Oh wow...Katie, you have actually rendered me speechless. Called Day 22, because new products are going to be released on the 22nd of each month (I guess Katie needs to keep it simple), the collection seems to be...
...actually I don't know what it is. One thing I do know is that you'll never catch me dead in it!

And in other news...

My carboot sale on Sunday went very well - thank you to those of you who came down to rescue my unwanted goods.

 There's Mummy Magpie hard at work!

And finally...

Happy Valentine's Day! Although my beau is all the way in Hong Kong he managed to get me my fave roses delivered. What a lovely surprise to come home to after a long gym session. I'm a very lucky girl ;-)

BEAUTIFUL!

Ready, steady, SHOP...at Capital Carboot this Sunday!

Right, what are you doing this weekend? I think you should head down to the Capital Carboot sale in Pimlico because yours truly is selling half her wardrobe! Seriously.

Remember my pre-Spring de-clutter a few weeks ago?

Wardrobe Weeding with Miss Magpie

Well, the time has come to shift all my finds. 

Here are some more pieces I'll be selling to whet your shopping appetite:

Never worn before brown knee high boots, Size 7 - tres chic!

Bring out your inner rock chick with these hardly worn biker boots, size 8, £10

A retro style floral blazer to bring some colour to these dull February days, £7

A kimono style top, perfect for Valentine's day! £5

 

1940's inspired t-bar shoes you can dance the night away in, size 8, £5

And as if that weren't enough, I'm also selling my Soya tea-cup candles - they make the perfect gift and this weekend I'm offering discount rates to you all...just because!

Delicious coconut, £20 (normally £25)

Zingy citrus, £20 (normally £25)

Lemon fresh, £25 (normally £35)

Refreshing grapefruit, £25 (normally £35)

Spicy cinnamon, £20 (normally £25)

...plus free gift box packaging for all Capital Carboot customers...

Don't forget that all my candles are made from sustainable sources and are all eco-friendly. You're practically saving the environment by buying them!!

Now, there has to be something you've got your eye on, so pop on down to Capital Carboot this Sunday - I'll be on a stall indoors, so you can shop without the rain cramping your style!

Plus...

Find Capital Carboot on Facebook, 'Like' them and you'll gain free entry this Sunday. 

When? 1pm - 4pm

Where? Pimlico Academy, Chichester Street entrance, Lupus Street, London, SW1V 3AT
Nearest tubes and trains are Pimlico (2 mins walk) and Victoria (5 mins walk)

See you then!

StylistPick.com takes the shopping out of shopping!

I'm back! I do apologise - my grandfather has been in hospital recovering from major surgery and I have seen little in the way of fashion other than DVT socks and backless robes of late. Attractive they are not!

Anyway, I have recently met several women who all seem to be suffering from the same phenomenon - they don't like shopping.

They don't like shopping!!??!!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!

Yes, I struggled with the idea of that too. They hate going in to shops (fair enough, some are pretty nasty), but they can't even bare to shop online (something I'll never understand).

So it gives me great pleasure to introduce to those funny shopping-phobics of you out there Stylistpick.com.

Like these? 

Well, they are just two examples of what could be sitting in your wardrobe very soon. Stylistpick.com is a brand spanking new service that does your shopping for you, while keeping you totally on trend.

For a mere £39.99 a month, some of the country's top stylists will take all the hassle out of shopping for you.

Each month they will select six pairs of shoes specifically catered to your personal style (I hope you're not a form-o-phobic, because you'll have to fill one in to get this service started) - all you need to do is choose your favourite pair. Easy as that!

Check out everything that Stylistpick.com has to offer you here.

Happy non-shopping shopping!

P.S. Gramps Magpie is doing very well and will be out of hospital very soon - keep your fingers crossed for him won't you!