P-P-P-PICK UP A POM POM (ESPECIALLY IF ITS BY HENRY HOLLAND)

 Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Backstage at Henry Holland by Jason Lloyd Evans

Laura Atkinson, the very brilliant features editor of Grazia magazine happens to be one of Henry Holland's best friends, (they used to work together at Sneak magazine, which was upstairs from us at Grazia). I met Henry in 2006 when he still worked at Sneak after seeing Gareth Pugh wear one of his T-Shirts that said "Get Your Freak On Giles Deacon". Next I wrote a story about him in Grazia (the photos featured his flatmate - some girl called Aggy) and brought him to a Giles Deacon show.  Since then Henners has become the online darling of British fashion, and the poster boy for poppy cool and we are proud of the be-quiffed one at Grazia. So it's always nice when he remembers his homies as he did today by pressing two boxes into Laura's hands and instructing her to dispatch one to me and the other to Angela Buttolph, Grazia's most excellent web editor.

Having pom-poms dangling from ones ears is almost as good as swishing ones skirt (well, Laura was a bit allergic..), yet Laura, Angela and myself felt the need to record the moment for all time by posing in the corridor of the stairwell at the oh-so-glam Bauer Media HQ on Shaftsbury Avenue.

Angela, Laura and me in our pom-pom earrings of many colours - happy times!  (Laura's flecky jumper is new season House of Holland too)

The trend for novelty was number six of my top 10 trends of spring/summer 2011 because of wonderfully silly and fun creations like these large marabou clip-on-with-a-giant-diamante-pom-pom-earrings. Luckily for you, these earrings were not "show only" styling accouterments, but have become buyable schmutter. I have just found out that Internet entrepreneur Henry is selling them on his website. I told you he was smart!  

GIRL ON LEFT:

"SO WHERE DO YOU GET THOSE CRAZY POM-POM EARRINGS FROM - I WANT SOME!"

GIRL ON RIGHT:

"WHAT THESE? OH YEAH, THEY'VE JUST GONE ON SALE AT WWW.HOUSEOFHOLLAND.CO.UK AND THEY ARE A HUNDRED QUID."

Photos: Jason Lloyd Evans/Fashion Editor at Large

MY MOST IMPORTANT TRENDS FOR SPRING/SUMMER 2011

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Apart from being a fashion writer and editor for Grazia and POP I'm also an occasional trend consultant. Upon returning from the shows I geek out with my show notes and compile trend reports. Originally this was done as a hobby - a bit like my blog is now - then one of my friends who is a creative director asked to see one of my trend reports, so it kind of become proper, though it still feels like a labour of love. Anyway. Though me and the Fashion Junior laid these trends down last October, now is exactly the right time for me to share my top ten new trends of Spring/Summer 2011 with you. 

                                      1. MINIMALISM

Jonathan Saunders

(also seen at Celine, Chloe, Stella McCartney, Philip Lim, Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang)

 

 2. MAXIMALISM

Marc Jacobs

(also seen at Louis Vuitton, Giles, Prada, Dior, Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane, D&G, Michael van der Ham)

3. LONG

Peter Pilotto

(also seen at Lanvin, Givenchy, Fendi, Ferragamo, Unique, Vuitton, Chanel, Pucci, Richard Nichol)

4. SEVENTIES

Derek Lam

(also seen at House of Holland, Richard Nichol, Halston, Marc Jacobs, Sonia Rykiel, Anna Sui, D&G, Alberta Ferretti)

5. COLOUR

Lanvin

(also seen at Jil Sander, Prada, Roksanda Illincic, Fendi, Mulberry, Theory by Olivier Theyskens)

6. NOVELTY

Prada
(also seen at Holly Fulton, Giles, House of Holland, Unique, Mary Katranzou, Louise Gray, Mark Fast, Moschino Cheap and Chic)


7. GRAPHICS

 Celine

(also seen at Holly Fulton, Giles, House of Holland, Unique, Mary Katranzou, Louise Gray, Mark Fast, Moschino Cheap and Chic)

8. FLORALS

Jil Sander

(also seen at Jil Sander, Erdem, D&G, Cacherel, Dries, Jaeger, Clements Riberio)

9. GEISHA

Roland Mouret

(those shoes are absolute winners too. Worn with every single look in the collection they looked good with everything from trousers to evening dresses)

(also seen at Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Haider Ackermann, Philosophy)

10. SUGAR &SPICE

Miu Miu

(also seen at Mulberry, Chanel,  Rykiel, Erdem, DKNY, Marc by Marc Jacobs)

Photos: Catwalking.com/Christopher Moore

NEW YEAR, NEW STYLE RESOLUTION?

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Happy New Year on behalf of both of us - the Fash Ed is currently soaking up some well deserved down time on her holidays, so I'll be babysitting the blog this week.

The new year is traditionally a time when we all go crazy for 'newness' and change; new hairstyles, new clothes, new houses, new everything. We have all bought bargains in the sales (using our Sales Guide, naturally) and are already thinking about our Spring wardrobes, even though it is still freezing outside. This year, however, our concept of 'new style' feels slightly different.

(I think we have all thought like this on more than one occasion. 'This discounted dress WILL change my life' etc etc)

Before Christmas, the Fash Ed and I were talking about how everyone reaches a point where they have defined their own personal style. In my case, that tends to peak and trough before reaching a plateau - I haven't quite decided what my perfect 'look' is, whereas the Fash Ed has had a little more practise and knows exactly what works for her (and therefore looks consistently, annoyingly stylish!)

It is impossible for either of us to avoid being influenced by trends; we work with them on a daily basis, and we are constantly surrounded by new, exciting things. However the fact that we are so sharply aware of the transient nature of what is 'now', means that we have to be more selective about the items we choose to incorporate into our personal wardrobes.

Being the novice of the two, I tend to lean towards the more experimental, outrageous end of the spectrum. Basically, I haven't mastered the art of subtle dressing, and feel that the Fash Ed's minimal, elegant look is something that will always be out of my reach. However, I have decided that 2011 is the year that I accept my personal style for what it is; eccentric, retro, and more often than not, held together with a safety pin. Every year, I vow to stop shopping, but I think every fashion girl knows that ain't gonna happen.

 Audrey Hepburn: the only woman who could make shopping (with a deer in tow) look truly elegant.

Instead, I will vow to only buy something if it is very, very special, if it is made to last, and if it really suits me. Disposable fashion and quick fixes are officially banished. In the long run, I hope it will save me a lot of money, and a lot of fashion heartache.

With that in mind, my first purchase of 2011 has been a vintage silk Cheongsam dress with heavy embroidery from Wolf and Gypsy in Brighton, one of the best vintage shops I know! The dress is a style I have been wanting to add to my vintage collection for a while, and this summer looks set to be heavily influenced by Oriental looks. Hopefully this will be a dress I wear a lot this year, and a lot more in years to come!

So, what a your New Year style resolutions?

Images: Selfridges, Taschen, George Langford

Want to read more? Find me here.

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...SALES TIME!

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Yes, what used to be known as the January Sales have crept further and further forward, so now they start before we have even got Christmas out of the way! However, if you find the masses of 'bargains' (we use that word carefully) hard to negotiate, make sure you pick up your bumper double issue of Grazia today, featuring our Sales Guide. The Fash Ed and I have hand-picked the very best pieces for you to buy now and wear in 2011, so that you can chose items that will be on-trend for months to come, rather than yet ANOTHER sequinned dress that you don't need. After all, there is a reason why some things go in the sale.

Hope it helps, let us know if you manage to elbow your way to find the best discounted buys!