Les Plus Dores
December 31, 2012 § Leave a comment
I have to admit, thanks to being influenced by previous boyfriends and younger brothers, I do like to watch a bit of football. Occasionally. I even have a few football shirts of my favourite players (the hot ones, not necessarily the good ones, after all I’m a girl). Yet when I saw these football shirts – I wanted each and every one. New York based label Les Plus Dorés created sport-inspired tees for an imaginary team of most influential fashion designers. These 11 creations come in white and black and carry the names and birth years of designers on their back. Unfortunately they are not available in UK at the moment but you can order them from US here for $85.
P.S. I adore that the brand goes straight to the point with their slogan: ‘Handmade in NYC, for the most golden’.
Yet Another Bracelet On My Fashion Wish List: Bibi Bijoux
October 8, 2012 § Leave a comment
When I was a little girl, friendship bracelets were the coolest thing and I learned how to weave them myself and hence ended up making tens of them for all my friends to wear. Now that the friendship bracelets are back it would have been interesting to try to make one again but due to lack of spare time actually finishing one seems unlikely. The good thing is that in our capitalist society we are no longer required to produce things we want and there is always something similar available to purchase. What is even better in this particular case, is that what is available to purchase is a much better version of what I could have made myself! Say hello to Joyful friendship bracelets by a Dutch brand Bibi Bijoux. Colourful and eye-catching those bracelets combine original friendship style weaving with crystals and metal chain to create statement piece that unlike originals comes with useful clasp. Each one is hand made and may have slight variations of design, so you are likely to get a completely unique piece! 
Available to purchase at Swarovski Elements for £176.
THE Shoes by Kanye West
June 25, 2012 § 1 Comment
To tell you the truth so far I haven’t been particularly excited by designs showcased by Kanye West. Apart from one specific item – a pair of shoes. THE KANYE WEST SHOES. They were first presented to the world as a part of Spring Summer 2012 collection during Paris Fashion Week. So why am I mentioning it now, such a long time since you might wonder? That is because I recently found where to purchase them from – LouisaViaRoma.com. And the fact that I discovered them does not mean I am the first in line to buy them, especially at £4145, but then who knows maybe one of you are! (And if so I am not judging you in any way, if I had that much to spare, I would not hesitate a second!)
Statement heels inspired by tribal jewellery and covered in pearly beads make your legs look significantly thinner thanks to thick ankle rings, and who would not want that visual effect? But Kanye is not the only one to thank for these beauties as they were created in collaboration with Giuseppe Zanotti, a brand known for their beautiful heels of highest quality – yet another reason to love them! And as much as I love them, I am by far not the only fan! Anna Della Russo wore these heels to Alexander McQueen show straight after they appeared on the runway, Chanel Iman sported them while attending Givenchy show accompanying their creator the day after and recently Kim Kardashian was seen in them, of course who would not wear your boyfriend’s designs! 
The IT Dress
May 1, 2012 § 1 Comment
There were once It bags, now there are It dresses. And this season it is Stella McCartney cut out dresses that have completely won over the fashion world and celebrities alike. Indeed the dress was chosen for Sienna Miller April cover of Vogue, and if the fashion bible gives their approval who are we to argue otherwise. 
But what makes it so special you might ask? First of all I believe the right amount and position of cut outs, especially if they are artistically shaped like these ones, add massive sex appeal to the outfit without making it, well, slutty. And who does not want to be the right amount of sexy? Secondly the print clash is a hot trend this season and Stella has done here so well! And thirdly there are so many shape and colour possibilities (it’s more of an It dress range than an It dress per se) anyone can find just the right one to suit their shape.
And celebrities were quick to demonstrate all the possibilities – Rumer Willis wore it in maxi length, Gwyneth Paltrow chose an asymmetrical mini version, Brooklyn Decker graced London’s Battleship photo-call in a mini style (completely outshining her co-star Rihanna I must admit), Leann Rhymes and Nicole Kidman went for the burgundy print versions in different lengths while Miranda Kerr shined in all black edition. And I am sure those are not the only celebrities that will be seen wearing Spring/Summer 12 McCartney creations – sexy, figure hugging and oh-so-stylish – appearing in one of those guarantees the place on the best dressed list (maybe without the black batwing cardigan sported by Rumer). 
The problem is, for most of us the dresses are completely unobtainable as they cost a few months rent (could not avoid the comparison, my idol Carrie Bradshaw always calculates rent payment equivalent for shoe prices). The ‘cheapest’ one I found is £2,195 with prices climbing by over 150% for the most expensive. (In case you are planning to purchase one I suggest possibly staying away from net-a-porter and choosing other online or brick and mortar retailers as the prices for the dresses are significantly higher there). Below are my online finds – as expected in all shapes and shades!
- £2,745 at mytheresa.com
- £3,645 at net-a-porter.com
- £3,225 at net-a-porter.com
- £2,195 at matchesfashion.com
- £2,865 at harveynichols.com
Model’s Own
February 10, 2012 § Leave a comment
Kate Moss designed for Topshop and Elle Macpherson has own range of lingerie – we no longer consider ex-top models turning into designers shocking. Indeed it is very fashionable now for any celebrity to be involved in fashion. There are success stories: think Victoria Beckham, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (two very-chic fashion lines The Row and Elizabeth and James) and of course Sienna Miller (and her sister’s Twenty8Twelve). But there are as many failures: Cheryl Cole designing shoe collection with stylepick was one of them (read more here). And now, for the second consecutive season Claudia Schiffer has been working on her own line – Claudia Schiffer Cashmere.
It is far away from her glamourous modelling days, but that is the attraction of this collection – it is authentic to the real Claudia Schiffer and her current happy life as a wife and mother. The idea behind it is designing clothes for busy mothers that are pressed for time: a few minutes for getting dressed before making a school run is all a modern mother has and so she needs something easy to pull on, that can last all day with just small changes (of bag or accessories) and is soft and comfortable when you feel down about being up all night with the kids. And above all it is of top quality as Claudia is working with long established to produce the pieces. Here are my picks of super-comfortable yet stylish line:
- Cashmere Boyfriend Sweater Dress, £445
- Cashmere Dress with a Belt, £495
- Block Stripe Mini Dress, £290
- Colourblock Jumper, £325
To try some of the pieces on in UK, head for Harvey Nichols, it is stocked at all branches. Otherwise check the websites for stockist or shop online here.
House Of Dereon Lands in UK
November 21, 2011 § Leave a comment
No, I am not talking about flying houses like the one in the cartoon UP. House of Dereon is an American brand established in 2004 by famous singer Beyonce and her mother Tina Knowles (known for styling Beyonce and other members on Destiny’s Child) and now it is finally available in our country.
The brand is intergenerationally inspired – Beyonce acts as a muse, Tina Knowles as a designer and her late mother Agnes Dereon who worked as a seamstress and dressmaker in Louisiana as an inspiration. Targeting 20-30 year old fashionable women (that is their own positioning, I on the other hand do not believe that fashion needs to be age-specific) the brand provides a range of sexy dresses and other outfits that would make your fashion choices for a night out on the town easy.
In my opinion even if House of Dereon was not Beyonce-related I would love the collection. It is feminine and definitely sexy – who would not want a piece from their collection, especially now that we are all thinking about holiday season outfits?
Above are two of my favourite dresses from the collection: Shimmer Strap Bodycon Dress in Gold £90-£100 and Assymetric Mini Dress £80. I would also like to add sequin pieces from the collection to my wishlist: I love waterfall blazer (£110) and a wrap front skirt (£75) especially since both come in a choice of black and gold colours. See the whole range in the special concession at London Selfridges, online at http://www.selfridges.com and http://www.lipsy.com.
Little tip, if you are shopping online try Lipsy as the prices are up to 10% lower and you will be able to get free delivery on orders over £75 with a special code: AW11SHIPPING but not all items are available at both e-locations.
MY FASHION WISH LIST 
