H&M Presents.....

Hi Fashion beauties!

This week I want to focus on High street brands collaborating with designers; as it has just been released that Isabel Marant is teaming up with H&M. I love H&M as a brand; they’re very aspirational and trendy yet still attainable and affordable. Over the years they have teamed up with many designers and celebrities; which has caused females everywhere to queue for hours in big cities such as Oxford Street and Manchester.

I’d like to talk this week about my favourites picks from previous ventures that H&M has gone into; and speculate what could come in the future.

First off is H&M’s first collaboration in 2004 with the Fabulous Karl Lagerfeld: The collection is very monochromatic and minimalistic; true to his own personal style and that of the LBD made famous by Chanel. 

Next up is the fabulous Stella Maccartney; who teamed up with the high-street store in 2005 and sold clothing that stayed true to her very sport-luxe motif; giving a nice twist to the tailoring.

In 2006 H&M release a wedding collection designed by boys Viktor and Rolk; the advertising campaign was amazing; resembling the figures on top of a wedding cake (accept there’s two grooms) The collection was big and bold with bows and frills and was very limited.

Matthew Williamson release 2 collections; one for women and one for men; my favourite was the S/S 2009 beach wear collection for woman; featuring bright carribean inspired prints; the billboard pictures were very bright and inspired many high street stores to replicate that theme that year.

One of the most fun and fruity collections that H&M have ever released was when they teamed up with Sonia Rykiel; it was very 70s and eccentric; with bold striped jumper dresses and berets; they even sold clothing for girls. Christmas was good in 2009.

Lanvin was one of the biggest partnerships; with women queuing for days on end to grab one item from this very chic and sophisticated collection. The big sunglasses and pearls worn by the models in the advertising campaign was a strange tribute to Coco Chanel, I thought. But still fabulous.

Versace was next in H&M’s sights; with top models with long blonde elvish hair wearing greek-mosaic inspired embellished jackets and skirts; then there was that infamous leopard print/palm tree print that EVERYWHERE copied. Just beautiful.

Japanese Vogue Editor Anna Dello Russo guest modelled in her own accessories collection for H&M just as Paris Fashion Week ended. Including bags and jewellery. She looked stunning posed precariously on a big shoe; looks suspiciously Tim Walker- like.

Finally we have the beautiful Beyonce Carter; sporting H&M’s 2013 summer beachwear in her amazing post-baby body, it’s bright; it’s vibrant, it’s very (Sasha) Fierce.

So now H&M is getting together with Isabel Marant for their next big line; and judging by the images the collection is going to be very detailed; with lots of ethnic patterns and prints. Very exciting for H&M customers.

That’s all for this week. More soon!

Mica

Best Dressed at Cannes Film Festival...

Bonjour Fashion lovers!

Cannes Film Festival Finished yesterday (26/05/13) and I wanted to share with you all a list of my favourite outfits and looks; both male and female.

For the boys:

James Franco chose to be different wearing a medium blue Gucci suit; finishing the look off with a pair of aviators. Very Cool.

During the day time, Justin Timberlake opted for a very nautical but casual look; as if he’d just stepped off his Yacht. His blue checked shirt and double breasted cardigan screamed ‘This is how an ex-Disney star should look’. Whereas in the evening; he looked effortlessly chic in a dark navy suit and bow tie; while Garrett Hedlund went for the brighter navy suit with black dress shirt and tie. Both Saint Laurent and both gorgeous.

Leonardo DiCaprio stood handsomely next to Indian actor Amitabh Bachcham at the event opening; both sporting completely juxtaposed looks. Leo went for a traditional tuxedo and classic slicked back hair- a la The Great Gatsby; while Cannes jury member Amitabh wowed in a glittering jacket and thick framed glasses. What a contrast.

It was lovely to see Actors Michael Douglas and Matt Damon co-ordinate their navy suits with producer Jerry Weintraub; complete with cute little bow ties of course. Because bow ties are cool.

Finally, Ben Affleck’s younger brother and Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13 star Casey Affleck wore a smart blue single-breasted suit; with a very Indie skinny tie. Very chic.

For the girls:

We’ll start with the ever chic Uma Thurman; wearing a stunning Atelier Versace gown; she looked very Hollywood Glam with chandelier earrings and slicked hair.

Jury member Nicole Kidman wore a gorgeous white Giorgio Armani gown; with quite a low neck line and a red pout to the closing ceremony.

Actress Zhang Ziyi wore one of my favourite dresses; an Elie Saab couture sparkler. It cinches in her already tiny waist and is finished off beautifully with tiny dangling earrings, natural looking make up and slicked hair.

British Actress Juno temple looked alarmingly skinny and slightly gaunt in her silky grey number; her metallic shoes are awesome however.

Model turned actress Mila Jovovich looks so chic in Prada; but again too skinny; she’s starting to get a bit of a chicken neck. Her fringe frames her face very nicely.

One of my favourite Pin-up esque women Dita Von Teese stuns in Elie Saab Couture; looking just as young and flawless as she always has.

Actress Zoe Saldana looked stunning in a grey-blue Valentino Gown- you all know how much I love Valentino and her tiny olive skinned-frame pulls it off to perfection. Plus the red pout is a lovely contrast.

I can’t usually look at Kirsten Dunst and not think about Bring it On, but this Michael Van der Hamm number; sculpted cheeks a red pout make her look very sophisticated and grown up! Love the white detailing, simply divine.

Now, I loved this girl anyway; her attitude to fame is just spectacular; she’s the epitome of cool. So no one but Oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence could have pulled off this simple Dior dress. Her figure is fantastic as well. 10/10.

Brazilian model Alessandra proves she is definitely more than just the face of Next in this shimmering Roberto Cavalli gown; her slender frame looks amazing in it.

Rimmel London girl Doutzen Kroes looks very much the All-American Girl in this flowing Versace dress; wearing no bra couldn’t be pulled off by anyone other than a model.

Eva Longoria’s 2 outfits were like chalk and cheese for me; one was very unflattering and pointed out very much how petite she is; whereas this flesh coloured Zuhair Murad number does wonders for her curves; she has been very skinny over the years but this curvier look definitely suits her. And she even manages a wave fit for Royalty; we bow down to you!

As if I wasn’t jealous enough of Emma Watson enough; the money, the male friends (Rupert Grint anyone?) the killer figure and now the perfect signature pose for red carpet events. This girl has it all; and once again the Harry Potter star wows in a stunning monochrome Chanel dress. Sigh.

Slum Dog Millionare actress Frieda Pinto has definitely come a long way; looking quite the Hollywood starlet in an embellished gown by Sanchita.

This is one of my favourite outfits; I haven’t seen this girl in much but she is beautiful; complimenting her paler skin with this gorgeous cream Elie Saab Couture dress; and of course, the signature red pout. Just breath taking.

Ludivine Sagnier looks so juxtaposed to all the black suits in this lemon yellow Louis Vuitton gown; she reminds me of Kate Hudson in ‘How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days’; simple but beautiful.

Sonam Kapoor wears a very typical, but still very magnificent Dolcen and Gabanna floral princess dress. The purple in the flowers compliments her skin tone; her hair sweeped to the side reminds me of Disney Princess Jasmine from Aladdin. Gorgeous.

Now here we come to Cara Delvigne; apparently she brushed off Leo himself; I am honestly not surprised; the way she pulled off her Chophard jewels at the Great Gatsby Premiere most likely made her untouchable; and dropped a few jaws I can imagine. She is stunning.

Great Gatsby actress Carey Mulligan (I remember her in Doctor Who opposite David Tenant- my does time fly by) looked the 30s babe in the just amazing Dior Haute Couture dress made from Duchesse satin. She very much suits being a blonde; and looks like she is having much more fun too-even in the rain.

Well that’s it for now, more soon, much love!

Mica

x

Graduate Fashion Week 2013

Hello all you Graduates and Students!

I want to give you guys a glimpse of my experience when I went to Graduate Fashion week on Monday 3^rd of June 2013.

I went to see the International show, and there were some amazing students from all over the world. Berlin, New York, Denmark, Turkey, Paris, Pakistan, Rome, Florence, Milan, Israel, Tokyo and San Francisco are just some of the cities that were featured in this spectacular showcase.

The show was a flurry of embellishments, flowers, and leather, strapped up arms and legs, and some really inspirational punk-esque music. My favourite collection was by Chisung Ihn from Bunka Fashion Graduate University in Japan; the leather assymetric skirts, the metallic wedge boots, and the studded helmets were just some of the cutting edge fashion forward pieces shown from that incredible collection. For me, seeing that raw talent coming from Japan just fuels my belief that Western Countries like the UK and America should definitely look for Eastern nations like Japan and China, now more than ever. They’re technology, creativity and flair is extremely advanced; as well as the discipline they drive into children from a young age. You will never see a Japanese Student misbehaving in say for example Brighton on a foreign exchange programme.

The highlight of my day, however, was going to the George stand in the centre of the exhibition to meet the some team members from Company Magazine; I was shortlisted in their Graduate competition to co-edit the October Issue. I had to send them an idea for a new trend; be it through a moodboard, PDF, series of images, or any other kind of visual document. I sent them the PDF document I created when completing my Fashion Forecasting Project for the beginning of my second year of university. They obviously liked it as I was asked to come to the sponsor’s stand with a couple of feature ideas and a cover star. I and 14 other shortlisted girls had to cut and collage our own Company cover out of previous issues onto an A5 piece of card; the sky was the limit creatively and we had to use words and pictures. My cover was very edgy and art-inspired; and had a theme of childishness and looking to Japan and China for ‘Fashpiration’ (a word they coined). It fit very well with my ‘Nextism’ trend (a word I coined) and featured ex Disney Channel presenter and Music Diva Christina Aguleira as the Cover star. Another part of this workshop was to be interviewed by features editor Lena De Casparis, artistic director Tanita Montgomery and George at ASDA brand director Fiona Lambert. I loved meeting them all and sharing my enthusiasm and ideas about what the October issue could provide for readers; as well as explain to them what my cover collage was all about.

Overall, a truly unforgettable day; filled with creative excellence, artistic passion and a real hope for future talent. Every Fashion Students’ dream come true. 

Met Ball 2013

Howdy all you fashion lovers!

I wanted to share my opinion on the ‘Punk Chaos’ theme taken on by celebrities and famous fashion faces alike at the 2013 annual Costume Institute Gala in New York, known as the Met Ball.

I have to tell you, out of the picks of crazy couture and wacky dresses, there were only a few that I really liked; the rest were either a bit bleh, or I could do without to be honest.

The most horrifying thing of all, is that 2 of the women sashaying on the Met Ball’s red carpet this year were in my list of Iconic women that I am currently taking a break from whilst I think of more, and, I didn’t like what they were wearing (Gasp!)

I know it’s supposed to be punky and daring, but, come on Sarah Jessica Parker; do we have to see that much? Her weird socks/boots things totally clash with the big floral mess of a dress; and why does she feel the need to wear a massive feather on her head? You’d think she’d learn after the SATC wedding incident. Carrie would not approve….

Beyonce has an amazing figure, we all know that (she says gritting her teeth); but why would she swamp in in that unflattering black thing. Quite frankly it looks like 2 pieces Gok Wan has just stuck together with ‘a gorgeous studded belt; you work it girl’ (sorry Gok I still love you). And she has matching gloves; just ick.

Now Anne Hathaway has definitely come a long way since her Princess Diaries days (I still love the brown frizz); and she definitely suits the blonde pixie crop better than her fellow ex-Disney star Miley Cyrus (I mean, what is going on there Miles? I know you want to push yourself as far away from the Hannah Montana image as much as possible, but have some pride girl!) And Miss Hathaway definitely looks good with (a very tangoed) Valentino on her arm, and on her tiny frame.

Ah, now on to the Wests (Kim, Kanye and bump). Kimmy looks quite glamorous, although I’m not too keen on the middle parting, plus, she’s HUGE; which isn’t a bad thing by all means, it’s just a lot of flowers to take in.

Ah Miss Stewart, a smile! Shame it’s teamed with a frumpy silk jumpsuit, minimal make-up and boyish hair style. You need to step it up if you want to rival a certain Miss Perry….

Now I’m going to be nice, and compliment the fabulous Anna Wintour on her beautiful Chanel Couture gown. Very elegant yet edgy.

Next are three very lovely ladies in bold and bright yet tasteful Roksanda Ilincic, I especially love the yellow beauty worn by Joely Richardson.

Now we have the lovely Ivanka Trump; the former model and business women is radiant in green Juan Carlos Obando; I bet Donald and Ivana are very proud of their fashionable daughter.

Alexa Chung is up next and looks very elegant in Erdem; teamed with her very natural hair and make-up, (as per) and some cute black sandals covering the end of her tiny pins.

Heidi Klum is one of my favourite look; the bronzed beauty goes very classic yet chic in a Marchesa dress.

You wouldn’t think she’d been through a nasty separation/divorce from major actor and Scientologist Tom Cruise; as Katie Holmes wowed in a flowing white Calvin Klein number. No little Suri by her side; instead a very nicely attired silver haired gentleman; oooh!

Uma Thurman brought some old-fashioned Hollywood Glamour to the Mel Ball this year with a Zac Posen Fish tail silk dress, finished off nicely with her flaming red hair and an equally red pout. Very beautiful.

Now Sienna Miller does ‘Punk Chaos’ very well; almost too well in fact. Her spiky head band and cropped jacket; juxtaposed with the silky smooth white dress is just stunning.

Miss Minogue shines in a monochrome Moschino dress. She’s very small in height; but small things do come in small packages!

Well, well, Taylor Swift, someone’s grown up immensely; long gone are the boho, Southern girl days; she’s all woman now; in a very revealing black J Mendel gown.

Now here is an example of a child star gone wrong if I ever did see one; it’s all just so…. much Miley; the red pout is probably the best bit; the spiky Vivienne Westwood inspired hair and Marc Jacobs netted dress is all a bit too much I think.

From bad to worse; 54 year old Madonna horrifies in a Givenchy outfit and black Jessie J looking wig. Madge; you’re not in your Vogue days anymore; no matter how many young males you date. So let it go honey.

Well that’s the lot; hopefully they will have some better looking costumes at the Cannes film Festival.

Until next week!

Mica