UPDATE: WHEN COURTNEY LOVE MET MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF! UH-OH

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Excuse me while I get the smelling salts for Meadham Kirchhoff....

THIS STORY WAS UPDATED MARCH 3RD WITH NEW UNPLEASANT INFORMATION - THE ADDS ARE AT THE END.  

What you are looking at right here happened last night. It is the culmination of Ed Meadham and Ben Kirchhoff's wildest fantasy.  

Courtney Love is looking unbelievably hot in a dress from the A/W10 Meadham Kirchhoff collection shown on the runway last week which was - you guessed it - inspired in part by Courtney. Furthermmore, she is standing in THEIR Dalston live/work studio while doing it!  I think we can all allow ourselves an on the spot jig for that.

How did Courtney Love get there? Well, excuse me as I brush the imaginary lint from my lapel, it was thanks to a steady campaign conducted by myself with the crucial assistance of Emily Maddick the news editor of Grazia who is friends with the iconic woman in question. 

Three weeks ago when visiting Meadham Kirchhoff for a preview of their show, which turned out to be my favourite of London Fashion Week (will show you why later) they expressed their love and admiration of Courtney, and said it would be their dying wish to see her at their show and/or wearing their clothes.

Following this inspiring encounter my fastest finger was dialling Emily who was immediately on the case planting this info with CL.  We forwarded her an inviation to their show, and the designers sent her a small gift. She didn't attend the show as busy gigging; but when Italian Vogue booked her for a shoot, Courtney knew where she wanted to borrow some clothes: Meadham Kirchhoff!  

"We lent her five pieces from the AW10 collection, and gave her a dress from last season. It was a joyous moment," said Ben last night.

 

They pinched themselves hard, and she was still there!

March 3: EDWARD MEADHAM ADMITTED YESTERDAY THAT HE THINKS HE WILL NEVER SEE THE CLOTHES HE LENT TO COURTNEY LOVE AGAIN. THEY WERE HIS FAVOURITE PIECES FROM THE NEW COLLECTION - AND MS LOVE HAS SEEMINGLY ASSUMED OWNERSHIP. 

MESSAGE TO COURTNEY LOVE: SORT IT! The pieces you have "borrowed" are samples that should be on display to potential buyers in a showroom in Paris right now and for rest of the week. The designers need them to keep their business going! If you can remember what it is like to struggle for your art you will return them honey.

BE STILL MY BURBERRY HEART

Posted by the Fashion Editor at Large

My coat

My American friend called the Burberry show Tuesday a "fashion-gasm". That about sums it up for me too, but not for the same reasons. The show was a triumph. It created need where there was none. It set trends and was dramatically staged with celebrities and plenty of pomp. Of particular note was the outerwear and leather accessories. Burberry is as Burberry does.  

Shearling aviator jacket,  olive parka coat, navy cadet peacoat. Thigh-high boot, buckled shearling ankle boot, ruched snakeskin thigh boot. These fashion jewels kept on coming and all excited desire.

Desire like this once created, demands to be sated and the sooner the better. Burberry knows this. So how to satisfy when the collection on show will not be on sale for six long months?  This brings me to the point of this post. My "fashion-gasm" if you like. Sarah Mower reported on Style.com yesterday that Burberry were to allow fans instant gratification by offering an online pre-order option for 80% of the collection.

It took me a minute to click through to Burberry and there were all the coats from the runway collection, shown on a model who moved and turned the coat or jacket seductively when clicked upon. Until 28th February she is there for you too, and she will tantalise you with that piece you want. It takes a few clicks to order and pay. Delivery in six to eight weeks. THAT is a fashion-gasm: a totally new way to access the nerve center that controls my shopping habits.  It is creating a new neural pathway in my brain as I write.

"Every step forward changes or challenges past mechanisms" one of my sage fashion critic friends emailed today. She is right. Still, I would very much like to buy the coat in the manner above, without touching it or trying it on. It costs £2,795.

Below is the jacket (£2,195) purchased yesterday by Rachael Proud the buyer in charge of designer collaborations at TopShop. She is a very happy girl today, as this jacket is fabulous and will suit her down to the ground. She followed the same path as me upon reading Mower's review on Style.com, except she sealed the deal. ""Their returns policy is as normal, so if I don't like it, I can return it," she said with audible relief. 

 

Rachael's jacket  

Kate Hudson's coat (and the dream coat of every fashion editor in the world) £5,495

During the show on Tuesday night I happened to see Kate Hudson mouth the words "I want all of it" to her neighbour. However according to my sources, she settled on this coat;  it reminds me of what she wore in 'Almost Famous.' My source at Burberry also tells me that this quilted jacket is the runaway best-seller so far. Interesting, no? If you want one the advice is to buy it one size too big. 

 

The most-clicked and bought pre-order jacket from Burberry's AW10 runway

    Kristen Stewart's coat

Back to the coat that started all this; as my finger hovered above the "click and buy" button a wise and practical friend of mine pulled me roughly to my senses. "What if you're over it before the Autumn kicks in?" And the clincher: "Isn't that half the budget for your wedding?"