The September Issue...

So this looks amazing. A Devil Wears Prada style insight into the New York Vogue offices is nearly upon us. On September 11th the UK will have the pleasure of being able to have a fly on the wall view of Anna Wintour's day to day life at Vogue. I've decided that if no one will go and watch this with me, then I will head out and go to the cinema by myself like a complete geek. It will be worth it. Here's the trailer to get you a little more excited!

Ok, so now I've gone a little video crazy. But I have found a behind the scenes video from the most recent Burberry campaign featuring Emma Watson. Now I don't know about you, but I thought it was all PR that Emma has recently been dubbed as a fashion icon. HOWEVER, after watching this video I have a new found respect and although I'm sure the PRs had a lot to do with Emma's instanious leap from Harry Potter geek to fashion leader I actually think she comes out rather well in this...

 

I also found this really cute video of Alexa Chung in a behind the scenes video of an Elle cover shoot for the October issue.

I wanted to show off my new flowery tights. I feel there is an element of the circus in them, yet despite all this I still rather like them. Though I think they need to be saved for summery days.

Vintaaaaaage shoooosies!

Thought I'd share these shoes. They are my favourites. They were my mother's back in her heyday. I love them.

'nuff said.

The Beautiful Fall

I am currently reading this beauty...

It is a delightful tale by Alicia Drake about the relationship between Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Largerfeld in the 1970's. It's a really fascinating read, but that could just be me being all geeky as I love informative tales such as this!

I thought I'd also share with you my bargain buy. I finally acquired some sunglasses (despite the fact that summer is nearly over, sob) but I have finally found a pair I actually am willing to part money for...

I love the fact that they remind me of a cross between the old aviator glasses and the more recent bug glasses that have become so popular. (p.s. I got them for the merry price of one good english pound!)

Think that is all for today, other than I feel the need to express my recent craving to go to Paris and speak french and rifle through cute parisian vintage shops and boutiques. Ah Paris!

my most recent finds...

I have managed to pick up some absolute bargains recently and I thought I would share...

This is a gorgeous faux fur coat that I've picked up from ebay in time for the winter months to come.


And these two are my treasures that I've dug out on recent charity shop trips. I especially love the inner detail on the bag (and the fact that it cost 50p!)

Oh Florence!

Oh Florence, not only are your songs inspiring and lyrics poetic but your style is adorable...

Sometimes I wish for falling, wish for the release
Wish for falling through the air to give me some relief
Because falling's not the problem, when I'm falling I'm at peace
It's only when I hit the ground it causes all the grief - Florence and the Machine


Image Source: Lastfm

I desire the vintage faux fur coat...

a la Edie Sedgwick...

The new ‘power shoe’

Seductive, distinctive and aggressive- classic Nicholas Kirkwood. With a sultry patent architectural sole and a towering stiletto, these vertiginous heels are sure to get you noticed whether it is in a board meeting or at a dinner party. An enticing web of golden leather is pitted against smooth velvet edging towards a zip at the heel of the shoe. The fusion of these materials contorts this traditional feminine heel giving birth to the new ‘power shoe’ of the season, perfect for raising your game in the office.

It is clear that Kirkwood has approached his designs with a ‘no frills attached’ policy, dismissing feminine florals in favour of fierce geometric shapes. Angular lines and a metallic palette are offered in place of embellishment. “My heels are like modern architecture as opposed to Baroque” said Kirkwood “there is no pointless decoration”. Yet despite all this, these shoes will never fail to inspire those who don them. Instead, owners of Kirkwood’s creations can expect to feel defiantly confident and self-assured in his footwear.

Nicholas Kirkwood’s designs have oozed defiance since his introduction in 2005 as the winner of the Condé Nast Footwear Emerging Talent Award. Since then we have come to expect intelligent and sophisticated footwear from the London-based designer. His most recent Autumn/Winter Collection for 2009 maintains the moniker of Kirkwood with enough sultry and sculptural pieces that would make your Mother squirm.

Kirkwood’s new collection follows a range of hard-edge heels from last season, including a pair of patent leather, open-caged boots by Yves Saint-Laurent. These predatory heels are now being taken all the way through into the autumn months, adding urban-gothic sensuality to the average woman’s wardrobe. Alongside further sculptural and architectural pieces of the season by designers such as Balmain, it seems that power dressing has been revived once more. However, this time Nicholas Kirkwood has ensured that our feet are also feeling the consequences of the ‘modern woman’ with this dramatic and architectural shoe.

Image Source: www.nicholaskirkwood.com

Making shapes with this season’s sculptural pieces

Bold shoulders, daring angles and scalloped edges. Sculptural tailoring is currently dripping off every page of high-end fashion magazines. Creating powerful body shapes that command supremacy and authority at a time of financial vulnerability, this defiant trend forces instant power status.

An increasing number of designers are now playing around with the organic shape of the body, creating defiant shapes which inhabit space beyond the body itself. Designers accommodating this trend are most notably Jil Sanders, Nina Ricci and Balmain. The movement has even been rendered by the next generation of designers at the Royal College of Art in their MA show at the Victoria and Albert Museum. New designer Abbie Shaw developed a box-like dress with curvaceous panels and an enlarged zipper protruding down to the bottom of the garment. A playful nod towards the current structured garments of the season.

Although this look has yet to make its presence known within street style, celebrities are still willing to don the trend. The likes of Lady Gaga, Kate Hudson and even Kate Middleton have toyed around with the structural styles, buying into these new and authoritative garments. “Exaggerated shoulders are the ultimate in power dressing, from Balmain’s sharp spikes to Balenciaga’s softly puffed styles”, explains Miranda Almond, fashion editor at British Vogue.

In the past, dramatic architectural formations that distort the natural silhouette have appeared in collections by the likes of Alexander McQueen in the late nineties, as well as Franco Moschino much earlier in the eighties. With such a dramatic effect created by angular definitions, it is not surprising that this trend is springing up once more.

“This season, designers cut with razor-sharp accuracy and a precision eye”, says Sarah Harris, fashion features writer at British Vogue. “Even Christopher Kane’s delicate organza looks hard-edged, thanks to heavy black piping”. This is the rise of powerfully structured garments; certainly not a trend for the faint-hearted.

Image Source: Marie Clare