Diamonds are forever.....

.....as are memories, and here is a distant memory from a time long past - London Fashion Week ss10/11!  This was a glimpse of Marina (of Marina and the Diamonds), before I had ever heard her fabulous music!  The clashing combo of colours ensures that this is an outfit that people will notice - and being noticed is a definite speciality of the British designer Ashish!

And may I just say that while the whole 'black-lipstick-thing' never really seemed to get off the ground, I think it looks really cool!  But alas, while I completely love this look, I never quite had the balls to actually attempt it myself??

xxo

Canon Couture

I was at London Fashion Week this year, and while you may have read that this or that was the latest 'must-have' accessory - for example the backpack - I can assure you that there was but ONE thing that stood out head and shoulders above all the rest.......the camera.

The silky webbed strap was generally seen in either a black, white & red, or a striking gold and black combination, and could be worn casually over one shoulder or around the neck; slung across the body, or casually wound around the wrist; low on the hip or higher, (like Paul McCartney's guitar).  Logos and brand names have pride of place, and while black is the most frequent colour, there were also plenty of retro silver options, alongside a smaller, more colourful compact range.  As with all accessory trends there were plenty who went for over the top large, with enormous lenses in a fashionable grey stripe, but I have to say that, as with heavy padlocks on a Chloe bag, I see repetitive strain-type-injuries for those that tote these monstrosities around for too long!

Oh - and as with many other accessories, Hermes has come up with a pretty covetable offering!

xxo

Scarf envy

You know....I have something to admit -

To this day I have never quite managed to figure out how to tie my scarf with the same casual class, sartorial style or insouciant air that so many women I see manage to achieve.  It is a major frustration for me, but I take comfort from the rare article I come across in magazines that attempt to teach this art to their readers - this must mean I'm not alone, yes??

So, here goes:  My name's Michele, & I'm a scarf-dyslexic. :-(

xxo

(Oh, and if I'm not mistaken, this is the fabulous model Ruby Aldridge....)

Costume characters....

When we are little we love to dress up.  I remember wistfully the large wooden 'Dressing Up' box upstairs in my grandmothers house - the way I would dive in head first, emerging minutes later as a "Medieval queen", a "fairy princess" or a "victorian lady" - (even, on occasion, as "my mother at her school ball").  One of the [many] sad aspects of aging seems to be that we lose that playful desire to dress up outrageously, (save for those special occasions when we deem it acceptable, ie. Halloween)....

.......or some of us do!  Thankfully there have always been those amongst us who retain this youthful sense of style in their daily sartorial choices - the Marchesa Casati's, the Isabella Blow's and the Anna Dello Russo's.

I love the couple above, not only for the gorgeous colour but for their sense of fun!  To me, they look as though they have just stepped from the pages of Oliver Twist, or some such novel - a modern day Artful Dodger and Nancy.

So I think why not employ more fashion fun on a daily basis - we only live once after all....

Hmmmm - I think I feel a New Years Resolution coming on......

xxo

A Gaggle(?) of Bloggers, Somerset House, London

or....would it be a bloggle?

LFW SS/11

LFW SS/11 Day 5 #4

LFW SS/11 Day 5 #3

LFW SS/11 Day 5 #2

The incomparable Erin O'Connor in Marc Jacobs....

LFW SS/11 Day 5

LFW SS/11 Day 1 - Epilogue

Things I Love To Do In London #2

I love walking past the Topshop windows late at night.....when they glow with inspiration & style - a fashion beacon!

London Fashion Week: Day One