HAWT - Poppy Delevigne in Louis Vuitton

Hawt = A late 1940's and early 1950's acronym for "Having A Wonderful Time."
Now the word is used on the internet as slang for something reeeeally hot.

Poppy Delevigne arrived to take her seat on the Louis Vuitton  SS’13 FROW on the final day of Paris Fashion Week looking très chic.  The model wore a beautiful midnight blue pleated chiffon dress from the Louis Vuitton Cruise 2013 collection accessorised with the label’s navy blue perspex heels.  Some red lipstick and a poppy red Louis Vuitton  Speedy Bandoulière Monogram Empreinte bag added some colour to her look, and the shape of the bag made this outfit far more appropriate for the daytime than if she had chosen a clutch. Ooh la la. Très bien Poppy!

Debit Buy: H&M Floral Trousers

The first day you are forced to wear you A/W coat is always a sorry one.  I was so glad that on this particular dreaded day I had my new pair of H&M floral trousers to help with this seasonal transition (my glittery shoes may also have helped too!)  I adore this print - the same one that Lana Del Rey models in the latest H&M campaign (below).  The high street is still currently blooming with many fabulous floral pieces after having a summer inspired by designers such as Erdem and Celine. So hurry and pick your favourite bunch...

H&M Floral Trousers  RRP. £24.99

PFW - Alexander McQueen

'Bees' was the buzz word at the Alexander McQueen SS’13 show in Paris.  Luckily without a stripe in sight (could there have been a more prevalling trend for next Spring?!) this collection honed in on the female form, going 'back to womanhood' and merely using bees, which designer Sarah Burton explained are “a matriarchal society where the females rule,” as inspiration to portray this.  

There were clinched waists, caged peplums and figure-hugging cigarette pants in honeycomb prints, jacquard fabric and golden hues.  Flowers and bees were seen decorating dresses, and models even wore bee-keeper style hats and glittering, golden platforms as they strutted to the tune of ‘Sugar Sugar.’  The McQueen Bee. 

PFW - Chanel SS'13

‘Fashion Month’ always ends on a high in Paris with the iconic French fashion houses in competition to put on the most memorable of shows.  Chanel was never going to disappoint. Karl Lagerfeld had models parade his SS’13 Chanel collection along a wind turbine and solar panel lined runway in the cavernous hall of the Grand Palais.  Playing with this concept of wind and energy, the collection was, as Lagerfeld explained, “all about volume and lightness, because usually volume and lightness don’t go together.” 

Left:  Karl Lagerfeld in THAT shirt and THAT tie. A huge difference to usual monochromatic style.

Below:  The towering wind turbines. “Energy is the most important thing in life,”  Karl Lagerfeld told reporters backstage after the show.

The collection reflected the traditional heritage of the label and the elegance of Coco Chanel, particularly reflected in the tweed and pearl embellishment but with a distinctly modern aesthetic.  I really enjoyed seeing the cocoon cuts and bell sleeves which provided a relaxed feel amongst the summery, neutral colour palate that was chosen. 
 
Below and Left:  Before this model had even left the catwalk this hoola-hoop style handbag had caused a veritable storm on the Twittersphere.  I can't imagine this being the easiest of bags to manipulate whilst shopping, dancing or on the tube?!  I cannot wait to see who is seen out and about next summer with this particular piece of arm/shoulder candy! 

Above and Below:  Oversized pearls embellished a huge proportion of the Chanel SS'13 collection, with many of the models also wearing pearl chokers around their necks and pearl clusters around their wrists, and they all wore a single pearl in their ponytails. 

Below:  My favourite piece from the collection - the movement in this dress was gorgeous.

Below:  The beautiful Chanel-clad FROW (L-R)  Stylist (and fashion favourite of mine) Caroline Sieber, model Laura Bailey, DJ Leigh Lezark and model Poppy Delevigne.

Cara Delevigne - Model Du Jour

Phew!! Was there a single catwalk in the past fashion month that Cara Delevigne did not walk?!  The British model du jour, Cara appeared in 28 shows over the course of New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, making her the most booked model of the season. Cara walked for Burberry, Matthew Williamson, Marchesa, Jason Wu, Rag & Bone, Fendi, D-Squared, Sass & Bide, Mary Katrantzou, Ermanno Scervino, Acne, Marc Jacobs... And the prestigious list goes ON! This girl deserves a BIG holiday (and a foot rub...)

And behind the scenes... Some of Cara's Tweets. What's NOT to love about this girl?!!

Martha Freud's Exhibition

As part of the London Design Festival I recently went to Covent Garden’s Hospital Club, for a private viewing of Martha Freud’s latest exquisite design exhibition, ‘Light Impressions’.  The stunning imprinted porcelain work results from Martha’s continued fascination with nature and the beauty of short-lived organisms.  In particular I loved the contrast between the illuminated sprat fish staged amongst the more romantic and ethereal ceramic flowered light fixtures which I have long adored.  The beautiful and talented Martha, the Great-Granddaughter to Sigmund and Granddaughter of Clement, who is expecting a baby with partner Adam Smith (below right, and below left with brother Jack) said, “it will be interesting to see how the little one influences my work… I feel I still have a lot to explore in my quest to harness an element of nature’s beauty.” 

MFW - Prada SS'13

I think when I look back on this year’s Milan Fashion Week the images that will first spring/summer to mind will be THOSE PRADA SHOES.  With obvious Harajuku and Geisha Girl references throughout the whole of Miuccia Prada’s latest collection (floral appliqué and stenciled white flowers adorned kimono style dresses overcoats) it was the shoes that will have left the most lasting impression amongst the fash pack.

The controversial sock/clog combo boots, decorated with satin bows and flowers, left the show’s audience divided but ultimately fascinated.   Love them or hate them, I cannot wait to see how Topshop and H&M reinterpret and filter down this seemingly unuuusual style of shoe onto our high street next year, and who will be brave enough to wear them...

Jean Paul Gaultier Diet Coke

This must be the most chic Diet Coke Break possible.. French designer Jean Paul Gaultier has followed in the feet of Matthew Williamson, Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli by becoming this year's creative director for Diet Coke.  The limited edition designs (left) named 'Day' and 'Night,' are available at Harvey Nichols but I was lucky enough to be given one at Vodafone's London Fashion Weekend.

Below:  With my haute bottle of Diet Coke.

Vodafone London Fashion Weekend

Just when I thought London Fashion Week was over and the ungodly swarm of models that invaded London had all jetted on to Milan, taking their insanely long legs with them, Vodafone UK sent me an invitation to their London Fashion Weekend... 

Twice a year, Somerset House hosts London’s largest and most exclusive shopping event holding catwalk shows, pop up shops, fashion panels whilst offering mahooosive discounts from designers to the public. DJ/Presenter Izzy Lawrence (left) and I attended on the first day where we watched the Daks’ A/W’12 show (presented by a leather-clad Zoe Hardman, below) and made good use of the genius Vodafone mobile rechargers on the Front Row and then watched a talk held by elle.com editor Carrie Tyler and designer Henry Holland (above) both of whom I interned for maaaany years ago! This event really makes Fashion Week a little more accessible to everyone, the vibe is very welcoming and unpretentious and I would definitely recommend getting tickets next season.

LFW - The Mulberry Willow

Known for its British eccentricity, Mulberry transformed Claridges into an English country garden for its SS'13 show.  With astro turf, a sprinkling of gnomes and pastel-layered cream cakes, the quintessentially English summer mood was perfectly captured.  With the world’s most perfect FROW, Alexa Chung, Kate Moss and Lana Del Rey, the scene was set for the sophisticated, 1970s inspired, softly coloured collection to be unveiled.  The star of the show was the latest addition to the Mulberry family, the Willow.  The tote bag comes in three sizes and has a detachable clutch (a clote?!) which makes it perfectly practical and suuurely (with its 2 for 1 allure), a more than justifiable purchase?!  Mulberry’s creative director Emma Hill said, “everyone likes something that you can take off or add on, well I always do.  I think it’s the kid in me that likes Transformer toys when you can turn something into something else.” 

With Mulbabes Lana Del Rey showing off her Mulberry Del Rey, and Alexa Chung clasping her Mulberry Alexa, did Kate Moss feel a little put out and pouty that the Mulberry Willow had not been named after her?  Her declaration after the show, whilst holding said black snakeskin Willow (below) would suggest as much, “I wanted this one to be the Mulberry Moss bag but it’s not, it’s the Willow. But I love this one because it doubles as a clutch. It’s genius.”  Keep those fingers crossed for next season Kate...