WHAT A WEEK FOR BRITISH DESIGN!

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Earlier in the week, we noticed two of our London based designers had been making an impact on the red carpets of international celebrity soirées, but little did we know that that was just a precursor to a brilliant week for British designers!
When Mr and Mrs Obama touched down on British soil on Tuesday, they kicked off a celebration of some of the our brightest and best fashion talent. Indeed, from the second Michelle O stepped off Air Force One in this dazzling (next season) Preen number, we knew this was the start of something big. (Have we mentioned how much we love her? Whether shaking her thang in a school hall to get kids dancing, or being the coolest First Lady in the history of time, Michelle Obama officially rocks our world.)

Michelle Obama in Preen AW11, looking sensational.

The original catwalk look Preen AW11

 Next up, SamCam continued to wave the flag for British fashion as she welcomed the Obamas to Number 10 in a beautiful - and borrowed - Peter Pilotto SS11 number (some of you will remember Paula Reed carrying out her royal fashion correspondent duty for the Beeb in this very same style). It's a fabulous dress, managing to be unusual and elegant at the same time.

Samantha Cameron in Peter Pilotto SS11

Peter Pilotto SS11

Of course, it wouldn't be a British fashion parade without the now uber-tanned K-Mid, freshly returned from her royal honeymoon and creating yet another high street mania in the 'Shola' dress from Reiss. No doubt the £175 number has already sold out, it looked great on her, with her waist still waspish post-wedding and the neutral colour set off her tan wonderfully.

K-Mid - Sorry, the Duchess of Cambridge, in the Reiss 'Shola' bandage dress. She's creating her own trend bubble. 

Back at Number 10, SamCam showed that you can accessorise Jonathan Saunders with salad tongs as she served up potato salad at a barbecue for servicemen. The dress was the perfect choice for an almost-summer sunny afternoon.

That's one garden party we would have liked to have been at. Pass the ketchup!

Jonathan Saunders SS11

Finally, it was only a matter of time before one of the First Ladies busted out some McQueen, and Michelle Obama chose the suitably dramatic setting of Oxford University to wear her Sarah Burton-designed outfit. 
















All in all, British designers did us proud this week, and it was fantastic to see their incredible designs being worn by suitably inspiring people.
Images: Daily Mail, Catwalking, Style.com, Getty

MY PICK OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK AW11

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

In our feverish excitement two days before London Fashion Week, we are getting to grips with the trends coming out of New York. While we edit the collections, it's becoming something of a tradition for us to 'try on' our favourite looks - so brace yourselves for the return of the Big Heads...

Here are my choices, which as per usual do not involve any trousers. I'm still on a quest to discover a pair that truly inspire me, maybe LFW will offer some better choices! Tune in tomorrow for the Fashion Editor's no doubt superb selection.

 The ultimate date outfit: A stand out look from the incredible Marc Jacobs collection. The stunning details, perfect colour combinations, sheer sleeves and peter pan collar are so. flipping. hot!

Weekend romanticism courtesy of Rodarte. I can't imagine a more perfect dress to wear with wellies and a cardigan and go kick leaves in. It's a little bit 70's, a little bit country and western, and a lot Little House on the Prairie. 'Anne of Green Gables' hair plaits optional. 

 

 The pure fashion outfit, for fashion meetings, in fashionable cities, by Preen. The California Art and Crafts movement provided the inspiration for the lovely, colourful patterns, so this outfit gets bonus geeky points for an art reference. Part of me wants to frame it.

 

 Rodarte - again! This collection was too brilliant to choose just one outfit from. I am making a wildcard prediction that dusky blue hues are going to be the colour of the season, and this high necked, delicate dress would be ideal for a special lunch party or for when you want to look particularly intriguing.

 

The red carpet dress by Monique Lhullier. It was love at first sight. I don't have many black tie events to attend this autumn, but if I did, this would be the dress I would like to wear. I will enjoy wearing it in my dreams.

FASHION JUNIOR'S TOP TEN OUTFITS FOR SS11

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

As you might expect, my choices are somewhat different to the Fashion Editor at Large!

David Koma:
Caters to my inner ballerina. Simply graceful.

Givenchy:
I've always been a leopard print fan, and this updates it for summer. Plus - white leopard print will always super trashy, in a wonderfully 80s way.

YSL: For when I'm feeling ladylike again, this sheer dress combines my favourite colour with just enough vintage styling. 

Moschino Cheap and Chic:
My ideal outfit for Fashion Junior-ing in.

Marc by Marc Jacobs: If I manage to go on holiday next year, I would like to look exactly like this, thanks.

Erdem:
Absolutely dreamy, I would pretend I was the romantic heroine of a movie while wearing this.

Burberry Prorsum:
Because you can't be girly all the time.

Richard Nicholl:
for sheer outrageousness.

Preen:
Bringing elegance back to the fore.

All About Resort

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

Onto a dinner attended at the weekend with Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton of Preen to celebrate their resort 2011 collection. We were at Asia de Cuba at the St Martins Lane Hotel. While I marvelled at the fact ALL of my contemporaries no longer eat carbohydrates (and look fabulously glowy and slimline for it) I sat next to Thea and we happily ate carbs - that dangerous foodstuff known as brown rice - with the Preen Resort 2011 lookbook opened out poster-size in front of us pointing at pieces and jotting notes.

Here's a preview, with commentary from the designers.

"This is our new long skirt. It has a tailored section at the waist. The skirt itself is sheer. So when you walk, you see leg. But there is a tube skirt that sits above the knee, so you see this graphic shape underneath."  PREEN

"We are slightly obsessed with jumpers at the moment."

PREEN

        "This is our new Power Dress. The straps move up and down. You can twist them."

PREEN

"The thing about resort," said Thea, "is it needs to have a bit of everything. It hits the shops in November, and this is when buyers need an injection to their autumn buy. This could be holiday wear for a hot or very cold climate [beach or ski], red carpet dresses, or party dresses for the Christmas and New Year period in Europe and America," she explains. "Or it is summer fashion in the southern hemisphere. For us it is also a chance to develop the ideas, shapes, proportions and colours that propel the label forward."

Hearing Thea explain resort so simply was pure pleasure. Time was it was known as "Cruise" but only 0.00001% of the world population go on Cruises in December so Resort it has become, and I properly love it.  The fashion-geek I am, I spent all weekend perusing resort and made myself a little trend report on Powerpoint for  posterity

Indeed so good is the Preen resort, and pre-fall collection, that the couple - who have a 20 month old daughter named Fauve - have said that these in-between ranges have been tripling in sales season on season. "We launched our resort line 2008 and since then it has become a significant part of our business."  

Looking at it you can see why. I am particularly loving their new full above-knee skirt shape, the shade of Preen red the designers use, and the animal print. Have decided every single item in the collection ought to take residence in my wardrobe asap.

"We put a lacy white bra over a white T-shirt. This is the skirt shape we are feeling for now."

PREEN

 "This is the dress I am wearing tonight," said Thea Bregazzi, "I'm wearing it as a dress, but the model here is wearing it with her legs through, like a playsuit. I love it when a piece has a dual purpose." 

PREEN

Photos: Style.com/Preen