New York Fashion Week A/W 13/14 - Rodarte

Image source: vogue.co.uk

During Rodarte's A/W 13/14 show we were taken through the Mulleavy sister's person story with a collection inspired by their home town Santa Cruz in California. Kate & Laura Mulleavy's collection showed gorgeous tie-dye prints, cut out swimsuits and contrasting sheer and matte panelling. Staple winter knitwear was seen in the form of a matching two piece jumper and skirt in a multi-colour pattern with crystal adornment and black fringing. 

New York Fashion Week A/W 13/14 - Marc by Marc Jacobs

Image source: vogue.co.uk

I am pretty much in love with all of Marc by Marc Jacob's collection this season. Rich satins. floral prints, lilac box tees, knee length skirts... Not to mention the deep V-neck sleeveless black dress worn over the striped button through shirt. Tartan blouses and colour block knitwear, I just want it all...

New York Fashion Week A/W 13/14 - Proenza Schouler

 Image source: vogue.co.uk

My love for Proenza Schouler really began whilst trawling through their past collections in my last job as runway assistant for MPDClick. I have to admit, I was a little later then others at getting on the "Schouler hype"but in recent years their collections at New York Fashion Week have quickly become one of the handful I am most excited to see. For autumn/winter 13/14 design duo Jack NcCollough and Laaro Hernadez have created a dominantly monochrome collection, which is refined in style through simple cuts and soft tailoring. Take a closer look however and you will see that texture has become a key element this year with perforated leather and laser cut lace all executed with the utmost detail. 

New York Fashion Week A/W 13/14 - 3.1 Phillip Lim

Image source: vogue.co.uk

'Biker' and 'grunge' are key themes for Phillip Lim's latest collection. With an abundance of leather in everything from pleated mini skirts, oversized sweaters and loose-fit trousers, in shades of buttery toffee, jet black and olive green - this collection is without a doubt my favourite show from NYFW so far. Multiple layering ensured practicality, while badges handmade by Lim adorned light wash denim jeans and a matching jacket - proving to be the standout piece from the entire collection. 

New York Fashion Week - Oscar de la Renta

Image source: vogue.co.uk

While most people may have expected an Oscar de la Renta collaboration with John Galliano for autumn/winter 13/14, the collection remained true to de la Renta's style through and through. With Galliano spending three weeks in de la Renta's workshop as part of his comeback to fashion, there were, unsurprisingly, subtle hints of Galliano's approach with heavy smoked eyes and cinched waists to name a few. Ultimately, however, de la Renta's signature style remained dominant with elegance, sophistication and class. 

Brand New Scientist

My very talented best friend Callum Bishop has set up a new blog. He's been designing alternative front covers of New Scientist magazine and they are all so amazing! Please please follow him, his illustration skills are too good to be ignored!

http://brandnewscientist.tumblr.com/

Gentleman of the Road

Finally something to look forward to this summer. After missing out on every festival last summer, I made a promise to myself I'd go to at least one this year, (although the wish list is growing - Bestival, V fest, Coachella, Glastonbury... ) Having watched Mumford & Sons a heap of times already, mostly in small pubs and stages before their worldwide success, I haven't really bothered to go see them at their most recent arena gigs. However when I saw that their stop over for this year's Gentleman of the Road tour is Lewes near Brighton, and has Vampire Weekend, The Vaccines and Johnny Flynn added to the line up I couldn't resist. Planning to make a weekend of it with Josh, hopefully the sun will be shining and we can spend all of Sunday on Brighton Beach...

Burberry Prorsum - Autumn/Winter 13/14

Image Source: stylediary1.blogspot.com & thefashiontag.wordpress.com

Animal print was key for Burberry Prorsum's show, with subtle elements on display in the form of collars and shoes, while other times it was impossible to miss with oversized coats featuring an all over leopard print. A traditional feel was given with duffle coats, trench coats, utility jackets and thin knits, in shades of camel, khaki and royal red. One of the standout pieces was no doubt a rubber coat in a bold purple hue, teamed with a purple and white love-heart print shirt, giving a very contemporary feel to smart wear.  

Dries Van Noten - Autumn/Winter 13/14

Image Source: labdailyblog.com

Dries Van Noten's latest runway show explores grungy/bohemian styles with oversized coats, chunky knits, studded leather and paisley prints. While the overall look was all a bit haphazard with clashing prints, knit vs tailoring and longline coats with ankle swinger trousers, it is this contrasting element that makes the show so great, creating the most effortless and easy to wear collection

Wrangler's Moisturising Jeans

Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

I just heard today that Wrangler will be launching the first pair of moisturising jeans at the end of this month, incorporating high-fashion and skincare ingredients that help protect your legs from the "dehydrating effects of denim". The range named 'The Denim Spa Jeans' is modelled by Lizzie Jagger and comes in three finishes - Aloe Vera, Olive Extract and Smooth Legs (aimed to prevent cellulite).

While the price tag is a modest £85, the ingredients only last up to 15 days, although there is a reload spray on offer to buy, taking their shelf life up to anywhere between 67 and 95 wears. (But even this still seems disappointing to me). Anyway, anyone interested in purchasing a pair can do so from ASOS from the 28th January. 

Girls

Image Souce: latimes.com

Until last year Lena Dunham was pretty much unknown; that was of course before the HBO series 'Girls' came out. My friend Anna first recommended the series to me actually, and I got hooked on it after watching the first two episodes on my recent flight back from Australia. 

Created by and starring Lena, 'Girls' is based on four twenty-something females living in New York, trying to get by on minimum wage. It offers something entirely different to other American 'teen' shows like 'Gossip Girl' and '90210' in that it shows the reality of life at the age. Throughout the season, you see the girls' experience parties, boys, sex, even unpaid internships, all of which are totally relatable to me. I think its this that makes the show so successful - the fact that the audience can relate to one, if not all of the characters. Well that, and the fact that Lena add's the perfect amount of humour to avoid it becoming just another American show about a group of girls living in the city. 

The success of 'Girls' became apparent on Sunday evening's Golden Globe's, taking home the 'Best Comedy Series' award, as well as 'Best Actress in a TV Series' for Lena. 

For any of you that have never watched 'Girls' you seriously need to do so. It does not disappoint. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Friends!

So 2012 was a pretty damn good year. For me - 8 countries, 18 flights and too many memories to list. For my friend's - weddings, babies, engagements. Who knows what 2013 will bring, but let's hope it's even more of the good stuff!

Australia Round 2

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to go back to Australia for my second visit this year - this time to see my sister in Sydney and then to visit a few friends in Brisbane. I had the best holiday possible, we crammed so much in to such a short visit (it takes almost two days to actually get there). We had two weeks, 6 flights and all this in between - shopping, dinners, nightclubs, zoos, beaches, walks, lagoons. Check out a few favourites below. 

Quick Update

Okay so I can't quite believe how long it has been since I last blogged! I have a lot to share with you. Well since my last post I have flown back to Australia for a short holiday, got festive at Winchester Christmas Market, said goodbye to two of my good friends (one of which has left to live in Dubai and the other who is travelling around India and Australia) and of course manically shopping for everyone's Christmas presents - I'm now ASOS's new best friend. With Christmas just around the corner I am sure this weekend will be busy, however I am hoping to fit in a couple of blog posts in between gym classes and present wrapping. Keep a look out.