New season, new collection

We are currently in the midst of New York Fashion week, with outstanding collections, unusual stage direction and oh, the parties! 

But today I'm not going to be reporting on Victoria Beckhams' latest collection (although it was wonderful). Today is all about another designer+store collaboration; Peter Pilottofor Target. 

Never one to shy away from colour or print, Pilotto latest collection, with wonderfully affordable price tags, hit the UK market yesterday, exclusively on net-a-porter.

As with all big name collaborations, a launch party it's the only way to showcase such a daring collection. With the likes of Dianne Kruger and Alexa Chung arriving in head to toe PP for Target, and looking phenomenal, it was set to be an extremely fashionable evening, and the cool table had just arrived. 

Sales on designer giant net-a-porter's website truly showed the consumer desire for something so wonderfully loud and bold, whilst keeping true to springs trends for florals, sheer fabrics and trainers you want to live in. With many items sold out within hours of launching, I was extremely lucky to be able to place my order, which will be up in a styled post here as soon as it arrives. 

Collaborations like this truly do open the fashion world up to a new audience, and can inspire new generations of bloggers, writers and designers; all it takes is dedication, a good partnership and a killer print, and Pilotto certainly delivered. 

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I'm back!

Sorry it's been so long, it's not you, it's me, I swear.

I've spent the last few weeks of my life with my head buried in books, straining my eyes reading complex articles online and eating way too much. But, I am pleased to say that all bar one slightly scary live presentation to the big guys (L'Oreal and Kiehl's) I have handed in all of my module one works, and boy does it look good!

My next module starts in a week (oh joy) but it should be a good one, and all will be revealed in due course.

In the mean time I am using my spare time wisely (sleeping and eating predominately) and will be uploading lots of lovely content on fashion month! It all kicked off in the magical city of New York yesterday with so much to talk about!

This month will be a fashion travel food filled one for you to indulge on.

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I feel like a snowman

Or at least like I am living with snowmen. It has become scarily cold over the past few days. Aside from buying fur lined gloves and spending a tad more on electricity bills so that getting home isn't colder than the outside, I have purchased a new coat. And boy is it good. 

When people say to me 'the picture doesn't do it justice, you have to see it on', I usually think, 'yeah its not great' and brush it off. But this coat...oh my. A blend of cotton and wool makes it the softest thing on Earth. It is warm and incredibly stylish and very flattering when on. (This is the coat I bought, so I am extremely biased) At £195 it is definitely an investment piece, but one that will last for years. frenchconnection.com 

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Returning as an old lady

Well, not quite OLD old, but still. 21 is quite big!

I took the last month off blogging due to a crazy schedule. I've just started back at university for my third (and very scary) year. It's been intense. And stressful. So a week in the sun for my birthday was also very much needed!

I am also extremely excited to share with you all that I am going to be doing some more blog pieces for the lovely Lauren at nakedfashions.com! It's been amazing working with her during fashion month and hopefully it will only get better!

This week sees my return to university and the real world. After catching up with vague and once again, scary briefs it really is time to get cracking and start preparing for my dissertation! I'm very excited to be working a live brief with the wonderful people at L'Oreal and Kiel's! It is a competition as well as a major part of my final year, so I will keep updating my progress!

For now though, I am going to focus this post on fashion. More precisely, the trend of wine, damson and all those lovely oxblood colours. This colour pallet is perfect for autumn winter, and with a massive climate shock like the one I have just had (Tenerife vs a cold and wet UK) looking good needs to be cosy too.

My wine must haves vary from accessories to clothes to makeup, and I want them all. Badly.

1. The essential blazer

This gorgeous burgundy blazer from Ted Baker features stunning branded buttons, a beautiful printed lining and elbow patch detailing. Ted loves hidden elements that make his customers smile; this jacket features a red mustache on the coat loop inside. MODESTA, £249 available at tedbaker.com

2. The wardrobe must have tee

French Connection know exactly what to do when it comes to essential must haves, and their new Polly Plain tops are just that. My favourite is this stunning wine colour, with a silky front and jersey back,  but they are available in different colours. My neighbouring French concession at work sells tons of these, and at only £27, it is clear why. frenchconnection.com

3. The velvet shoe

Labelled the Geek shoe, these velvet wonders from TopShop are far from geeky. Teamed with barefeet or cute ankle socks, these shoes are perfect to brighten the cold cloudy days ahead. £32 topshop.com

4. The lippy

OK. So I know that this lippy is a little redder than the rest of the colours in my burgundy post, but its so badly needed! Named Maneater, this little beauty from Illamasqua, the people who do makeup for your alter ego,  is a perfect compliment to the burgundy tones in your outfit. £16.50 illamasqua.com

5. The bag

Once again I'm in love with the simplicity and beauty of the Cambridge Satchel Company's bags. In stunning oxblood leather, this bag is ideal to complete your outfit. £116 asos.com

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Black Tied

I love jewellery. I'm a sucker for anything shiny, with sparkles, and pieces that I can wear everyday. 

I do have my favourite pieces that I wear on a daily basis, like my antique blue stone necklace, but I love it when new favorites appear.

That is exactly what I got from the lovely people at Black Tied.

Their lovely handmade pieces all the way from Ireland arrived at my door last week, and I have been in love ever since.

My favourite pieces have to be the beautiful triangle black stone earrings. They are so light, and go with everything!! I can wear them to work to glam up my Saturday outfit, and with jeans and a top for dinner or shopping. I also love the rings. These sit at the tips of your fingers and look amazing!

I'd really like to thank the lovely Laura at Black Tied for all of her help and advice; and for supporting fashion bloggers like me.

Have a look at their beautiful website, you won't be disappointed. 

Www.blacktied.co.uk

It's all happening this month!

We are now firmly in Fashion Month, and with so many shows, beautiful clothing and people to write about, I am feeling very lucky to have been given the opportunity to contribute articles to www.nakedfashions,com !

This lovely little website ran by the fantastic Lauren Johnstone reports on everything fashion, from high end high-street to luxury goods.

My first report, on Victoria Beckham's NYFW collection is available to read here.

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Big Name Collaborations

We've seen many big name collaborations over the past few years, from Versace and H&M to McQueen and Puma, however this season, it is the turn of the photographer.

Karen Millen, French Connection and Marks and Spencer have all teamed up with world renowned photographers to create stunning advertising campaigns and look books for their autumn winter 2013 collections.

At KM, a beautiful portrait look book was created by David Bailey. In preparation for their global expansion, KM wanted to create something visually stunning and beautiful. Baileys portraits aim to show the brands story of 'creativity and craftsmanship'. The beautiful precision of the images he creates are a perfect reflection on the stunning quality and care that Karen Millen put into every garment.

French Connection took a different route. With their AW13 collection going back to the brands roots as a grungy, shocking and risqué brand, they have certainly ticked all of the boxes with the help of Rankin. His campaign, the first ran by his new agency, The Full Service, offers the customers a chance to see how a garment is created and developed to be a garment for purchase. The cleverly titled From Sketch to Store, features completely naked models, who have had a garment sketched on top of the print by illustrator Jo Bird. The model is then photographed in the actual garment. This campaign has shocked and sent ripples of awe and astonishment through the fashion world, which is just what they wanted to achieve.

Finally, we come to Marks and Spencer, who’s latest TV campaign has been shot by Annie Leibovitz. The campaign, featuring some of the most influential women in the UK including Katie Piper, Monica Ali and Darcey Bussell, embodies the brand perfectly. Their aim is to show intelligent, confident women who have innate personal style. The sheer variety of women featured; from singers, visionaries and campaigners, truly shows these women as pioneers within their field. Annie does a beautiful  job of capturing their beauty, intellectuality and of course, a stunning AW13 collection.  

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