Warehouse Blog

Today we love…bright prom dresses

Okay, it may not actually be your prom anymore, but that’s no reason not to treat yourself to a delectably bright prom frock from Warehouse! Whether it’s a wedding, a party or you just feel like being the centre of attention, all eyes will be in you in one of our dazzling colourful prom dresses.

A firm favourite with us this season is the new Chiffon Panel Prom, currently available in a delicious raspberry pink or royal blue. The sheer panel and sweetheart neckline will create or shape curves to die for!

We’ve all gone embellishment mad this season so another frock we’ve got our eyes on is this Embellished Waist Detail Soft Prom Dress. All the shape without the traditionally boned structure, this hot (and we mean hot!) pink frock nails all the trends with the sharp geometric sparkle nodding to this season’s Art Deco trend.

Finally, this lipstick-red Backless Cross Detail Dress will make a seriously sexy statement. If wearing this bright red mini prom dress with cutout sweetheart neckline isn’t gorgeous enough, just spin around to show the world the fabulous cross detailed back.

For more up to the minute advice on the latest looks, access to the hottest events and exclusive discounts, sign up to our newsletters here or talk to us on Facebook and Twitter.

Do the Shoulder this weekend!!

If you are searching for the perfect dress this weekend, whether it be in tribute to London Fashion Week, or simply for a fab night out, this dress is uber chic! The exaggerated shoulder is the key look for autumn winter, and currently gracing the likes of the super stylish Alexa Chung and Florence Welch. This dress is a classic piece, which is endlessly wearable but also bang on trend - what more could you want!?

 

    

Check it out in action in Warehouse Style Studio TV ‘Do the shoulder’, to see some cool styling tips and the other featured shoulder enhancing outfits all in store and online now!

 

How to... Slouch

 

Picture: Fearne Cotton and Rachel Stevens (Rex Features)

Fashion is winding down a notch - an overdose of bodycon will do that to a girl - with curve-skimming as opposed curve-clinging clothes being the order of the moment.

But before you pale at visions of tent-like sacks and kiss goodbye to that hard-earned waist, the new relaxed look is a feat of slouchy tailoring and artful understatement that can actually prove rather slimming.

Pint-sized popstrel, Rachel Stevens, is a case in point, her legs rather more shapely than the rest of her tiny body, but in those deftly cut carrot trousers (sharpened with leg-slimming heels) you'd never suspect she was anything other than a skinny Minnie all over.

Picture: Mary Kate Olsen and Kate Bosworth (Rex Features)

Style tips for Slouch:

For every slouchy piece you wear, whether it's an oversize tee or a pair of loose trousers, add something form-fitting such as leggings, a vest, a shrunken denim jacket or a waist cinching belt to balance the look. This is crucial to looking downtown cool a la Kate, Fearne and Mary-Kate.

 

   

Click here to shop more from this look >

Leg it!

Warehouse PR & Marketing Admin Assistant (and full-time stylista) Catherine Fuller on her fave wardrobe staple, leggings...

Animal Print Leggings

I wear these animal print leggings with a clashing print on top. My favourite to mix them with is a nautical stripe – a polar contrast, but a good one for working haphazard chic! My tip for clashing prints is to keep the cut simple by wearing a loose or oversized t-shirt.

             

Sequin Leggings

I will be wearing my sequin leggings throughout festival season. What better way to dress up wellies and a rain coat?!! In my books, rain is no reason not to sparkle!

           

Gauged leggings

I wear my gauged leggings with super high heels. Combined with the ruched detail they make my legs look as long as Claudia Schiffer's (if I angle myself a certain way in the mirror they do!). I might also wear them under a cute floral dress for a girlie vibe, then team with a cropped biker jacket-just to mix it up!

Most Wanted: top items from our press day

          

                           

This blurred lily dress had every journo bar none at our press day cooing. And not suprisingly as the catwalks were blooming with watercolour florals for spring/summer '09. In short, a great big must-have!

                            

We lost track of the number of stylists who asked when these leopard leggings would be available and if they could do a personal order in advance! Needless to say, they've been one of our most in demand pieces this season.

                             

This coral bandage dress became known as the Warehouse Power dress. It also comes in cobalt blue and with body-con still going strong, we recommend one of each!

                             

These striped pirate pants from our Victory trend were a huge hit with the fash pack and now that spring is here, we're spotting more and more hip young types wearing them with New Romantic blouses and beaten leather jackets.

Consciously Cool - Vogue's Emily Zak on ethical fashion

    

   

Ethical fashion; this used to be a contradiction in terms with colourless hemp sacks being the clothing standard. Thankfully, things are moving on. Not only are ethically produced clothes becoming downright hot, consumer attitude is also shifting towards something altogether more selective and caring. Here, we speak to British Vogue’s Retail Editor, Emily Zak, about the future of ethical fashion as well as our newly launched range, Warehouse Organic. 

Emily, there’s a lot of buzz about ethical fashion in the press right now, but do you think people are actually buying into it?

I think most people are thinking far more carefully about where things come from. The whole process is more important to them and part of what is being invested in – for brands it’s an extension of their image and shows the customer that they care about the world and them. 

How do you view the potential success of ethical clothing on The High Street given that it’s commonly considered more expensive to produce?

The High Street is a key driver when it comes to making fashion more democratic and more accessible. Improving ethical standards across the board may raise prices slightly but I think consumers are ultimately willing to spend where this is offered as an option, especially when it’s as stylish as normal ranges.

What are your favourite pieces from the Warehouse Organic range?

I LOVE all of it, such a great idea!!!

 

 

To shop the full Warehouse Organic collection, click here >

To learn more about Warehouse Cares, our ethical fashion initiative, click here >

The Elle Style Awards 2009

 

Black Magic: Lisa Snowdon, Courtney Love, Alexa Chung and a rather risqué Alex Dellal proved that black is still number one with the fash pack.  (All pictures @ Rex Features)

On Monday night I donned my best frock and headed down to the 2009 Elle Style Awards, held at London's Big Sky Studios.

The Elle Awards are one of the top nights in the fash pack’s event calendar and with flowing champagne, wall to wall celebrities, the cream of the fashion world and oodles of jaw-droppingly beautiful people it never disappoints!

As I approached the venue, memories of holding the Warehouse catwalk show there last year made me smile, safe in the knowledge that I was not in the organiser seat tonight and could kick back and style watch to my heart’s content!

The pounding rain did not stop the none-too-shy paparazzi doing their thing (is it just me or do those lenses keep getting bigger?) on the red carpet though it must be said that the constant popping of flash bulbs did much to light up smiles and the dismal night. Aided by a godsend of a security guard with an umbrella I scurried past the scrum, getting me, myself and my towering heels safely inside!

So what was the vibe on the style front?  Well, at the risk of reviving a well-worn fashion cliché, it’s fair to say that the fash pack at large were clad in head-to-toe black. From the sexy structured numbers worn by Lisa Snowdon and Alexa Chung (the host for the evening) to biker chic from punk model Alice Dellal, black was definitely the non-colour of choice.

Another favourite of the night was the black tuxedo jacket. Whether styled over micro shorts, mannish trousers or over a dress, there were more than a handful of these sharp, versatile beauties in the room. Even the PM’s wife, Sarah Brown, who was there to talk about her charity work for Safe Motherhood with the White Ribbon Alliance, looked sleek in knee-skimming black jersey.

Thandie Newton was a kaleidoscopic delight, while Louise Redknapp proved that stacked Glads are still a footwear winner for spring/summer 09. (All pictures at Rex Features)

If I’m painting a picture that the whole affair was a shroud of black, please don’t dismay as there were those that did buck the trend with high pigment colour and boy did they do it well; Thandie Newton showed us all how to wear this season’s bright impact prints (a look coming soon to Warehouse), while Leah Wood and Heidi Range wowed in pillar box red. Animal print also formed part of the resistance to black with some great leopard dresses wriggling about on the dancefloor. Shoe wise, variations of that style essential, the stacked Gladiator heel, encased many a foot including the dainty toes of Louise Redknapp and David Walliam’s squeeze de jour, Lauren Bud.

Among the Elle Style kings and queens crowned were Courtney Love (wearing, you guessed it, black) who took the award for Woman of The Year, Sienna Miller, who nabbed the Style Icon crown, Frieda Pinto, Actress of The Year (Slumdog Millionaire fame) and Rosie Huntington – Whitley, Model of The Year (looking resplendent in her floor length pastel Grecian gown).

To sum up, my fashion tip for the season is refreshingly safe: invest in some trusty black, but also experiment with the brighter side of spring and add a multi-coloured impact print dress or top to stand out from the crowd.

 

 

              

If the shoe fits...

VB and SJP might boast 3 figure shoe collections, but then they live in La-la land. What the girl on the street (and with her feet firmly on the ground) wants to know is which one pair of heels and which one pair of get-me-around-flats she should be investing in per season. We speak to the Warehouse PR girls, style authorities who see long before the rest of us which shoes journalists and stylists are chomping at the bit for.

 

Sarah Coventon, Press Officer

 “My favourite heels are the tan stitch detail shoe boots; I love the shape of the heel (cone) and they can be worn easily across the wardrobe with dresses, jeans, hareem pants, you name it. I particularly like them to add edge to spring’s garden print dresses.”

“On the flattie front, there’s no competition: the faux snakeskin pumps. Snakeskin is a huge spring 09 theme; it adds a touch of style savvy to whatever you’re wearing and allows you to hot foot it around in comfort. Very important in my line of work - and play!”

 

Sophie Harris, Senior Press Officer

“It’s got to be the suede fringed ankle boot - really cute, totally in fashion and can be worn with just about everything to add a quirky touch to an outfit. Most importantly they give my feet the comfort treatment (while still looking cool) as I’m on my feet most of the time!”

“My heel of the season has got to be the grey lace up shoe boot. I love the shape, the versatility and I love the colour - dove grey is ultra chic and looks amazing with the season's bright palette. It’s the perfect tone to lighten up my feet during spring, but without forgoing glamour!”

 

Join the hareem

 

 

This may take a moment to get your head round, but the coolest trouser shape is no longer a curve-clinging second skin. Yep, the spring/summer 09 catwalks revealed that the new shape for trews is fluid, drapey and tapered at the ankle or knee: the hareem pant.

“It’s a new movement,” says Warehouse Design Director, Lisa Byrne, “that reflects a desire to be more experimental, but at the same time relaxed. Hareem pants encapsulate this vibe exquisitely as they’re sexy without ever trying too hard.” 

So does this mean we should be ditching our faithful skinnies? “No! Skinny is still very much in, it’s just that now we have another point of view.”

Her tip for avoiding MC Hammer (80’s rapster with a fondness for drop-crotch Ali Baba pants) style ridicule is? “For evening, go glam with statement heels and a backless jersey top; for day, it’s a case of a simple tee, shoe-boots and a cosy belted knit and when summer finally hits, gladiator sandals. ”

The office Christmas party: Do's & Don'ts

If ever there was a social dilemma, it’s the office Christmas party. It's occasion for you to see your boss as a human, to feign friendship with the girl that's had it in for you from the start and to generally strike that delicate balance of knowing how to have a good time without overdoing it. Trouble is, inhibitions tend to fly out the window in direct correlation to the flow of liquor. But fear not, we've enlisted the wisdom of seasoned reveller, Grazia's Stefan Lindemann, to guide you through the quicksand.

Do’s:

1. Do show up. It’s the courteous thing to do and good manners are always in vogue.
2. Do dress to feel your best. The nature of the event/venue will dictate how far you push it – that new taffeta mini dress you so love ‘ain’t going to fit in down the dogs, but for cocktails or dinner and dancing, it’s on the money. 
3. Do talk to your colleagues about life outside of work. You’re bound to have some common interest and it’ll keep you from sinking into wine fuelled work bitchery.
4. Do compliment your boss and colleagues’ appearances. Keep to specifics though, such as how they’ve done their hair or their totally covetable new shoe-boots / tuxedo jacket. ‘You look amazing’, might trip glibly off the tongue as you sink that 2^nd glass of champagne, but it won’t necessarily sound genuine.
5. Do have a sense of humour. Themed dress codes and group activities will usually become quite enjoyable if you realise you’re all in it together and can laugh at yourself. 
   

Stefan's top party looks: Neck-tie jacket; Armoury dress; chunky shoe-boot; sequin scarf; Moir dress.

Don'ts:

1. Don’t ignore the food. Even if the majority of the budget has been spent on pre-dinner fizz, and the food is forgettable, eat up. See the warning note below*
2. Don’t reveal too much, be it flesh or feeling. Buttock grazing skirts and plunge-to-the-waist necklines scream wardrobe malfunction quicker than you can say Britney Spears. While 'fessing up to anything you'd automatically keep schtum over when sober, is a BAD, BAD move.
3. Don’t lose track of your belongings. Mislaying your new season bow-tie coat, clutch bag with keys, phone etc greatly improves your chances of waking up in the wrong place the next day. Also see warning note below*.
4. Don’t spend the whole night in girly cliques in the loo. You might be innocently reapplying your makeup, but it’ll look like you’re gossiping - or worse.
5. Don’t forget to have fun. A sequinned dress being a surefire way to get you in the mood.  

 

More party pleasers: longerline tux jacket; waistcoat tulip dress; Emerald dress; Moc croc clutch. 

Behind the scenes: Dress Up

THE BRIEF

To create a fashion video to promote the Christmas party season that is so pulsing with energy and inspiration, viewers are literally compelled to pull on their glad rags (i.e. head straight to Warehouse and buy the latest) and rock out.

THE CONCEPT

What else does a girl do with all those gorgeous party dresses, sequinned boleros and bejewelled shrugs in the pre-Christmas razzle than have a turbo charged try-on session with her gal pals before heading off into the night? Sometimes the getting ready part is the best bit…

BACKGROUND

Fashion film is a rapidly growing concept. Everyone from the luxury fashion house to the avant-garde style publication is turning their hand to it and its popularity is enormous. Quite simply, film breathes life into clothes and makes the lifestyle (hot boyfriend, successful career, exquisite beauty) they promise all the more real.

THE PROCESS

Rather than merely film the dressing up ritual, we decided on an old technique (circa 1920) made modern: Stop Motion. This is an animation made from thousands of chopped up and repositioned photographs. The benefit of this technique is that it produces a sort of elegant jauntiness – the video equivalent of David Bowie if you will – that is frankly darn cool to look at. As Dress Up photographer, John Lindquist puts it:

“Stop motion is an extremely exciting medium. It allows the fast paced world of fashion to catch up with the even faster paced world of technology and the results are incredible; it’s still being discovered, so there are no rules!” 

 Click here to watch Dress Up

THE TEAM:

Photography: John Lindquist @ Rachel Elliston Represents

Video Editor: Lise Lavallee

Stylist: Beth Fenton @ Smile Too

Hair: Christian Woods

Make-up: Natsumi Watanabe @ Caren agency

Behind the scenes Videographer: Andrew Gilbert

Models: Valentine @ Premier, Stacy Martin @ Premier, Lucie @ IMG

Music: Prototypes

Support Breast Cancer Awareness!

Show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

With nearly 46, 000 women being diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK this is a disease that affects us all. Warehouse are now in their 13th year of Supporting Breakthrough Breast Cancer and have raised over £500,000 to date.

So what are you waiting for? Show your support by snapping up this gorgeous limited edition tee. Lovingly designed by the Warehouse team – those on-trend nautical stripes and crystallised pink ribbon logo are no coincidence – and at a mere £16 a pop, it’s the perfect way to get your shopping kicks conscience free. Wear (as model Hanne does here) with some slouchy jeans for dress-down chic.

Super Model

All praise the gorgeous Hanne Gaby Odiele! She’s been the star of our campaign for the last year (we like to think we plucked her from obscurity, but actually it seems her success was pre-destined), was the face of London Fashion Week this September and is, by all accounts, part of the new league of supers-in-waiting.

Trying to pinpoint Hanne’s ‘it’ quality is like bottling cool – nigh on impossible, but you know it when you stumble across it. What we will say is that her brand of beauty balances street cred with the facial proportions beloved of the Dutch Masters; she’s both fresh and classic. As they say in the industry, WATCH THIS FACE!

Hanne’s vital Stats:

Nationality: Belgian

Birthday: October 8, 1988

Born in Kortrijk, Belgium

Lives: New York

Agencies: Storm, Supreme, Women

Campaigns: Warehouse, DKNY, Simply by Vera Wang, Lord & Taylor, Alberta Ferretti and the face of London Fashion Week September 08

Get Hanne's AW look by logging onto warehouse.co.uk

*Please be aware that no celebrity featured on the Warehouse blog or on Warehouse.co.uk has endorsed any Warehouse product whatsoever unless stated otherwise. The copyright and other rights in the material on www.warehouse.co.uk is either owned by Warehouse or is included with permission of the owner of these rights.

 

Paris Fashion Week Oct '08

It’s Paris; I have a spring in my step and I’m ready for action. Well, sort of. Had a date with a hot actor on Sunday evening and the conversation was so great, I got carried away with the old vin rouge. Feel rather weary when I wake up.  Thankfully I packed the day before in a very uncharacteristically organised fashion. It’s the dog you see, he gets traumatised at the sight of an open suitcase.

Due to the fire in the channel tunnel, the Eurostar is running on a temporary timetable and it’s chaos.  An Editor who works on a rival title shouts at me as I almost board the train to Brussels. It would have been such a faux pas to miss the first big show of the week as it’s Dior et J’adore Dior!

It’s sunny in Paris, the streets are chic and the traffic serene compared to the chaos that was Milan. Dior is at 2.30 and we just about make it on time. The vibe is Alaia meets an early George Michael video (body-con at its best). The Supers wore swingy sexy little dresses in sorbet colours with little embellished bodices.  Jessica Stam, Jourdan et al teetered along the catwalk in the highest heels Dior had made for seasons. The hair was very Naomi meets Linda in an early Gianni Versace show, all scraped back in an Egyptian topknot. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Grace Jones made an appearance on the runway such was the mood of the show. 

Speaking of being moved, I am ashamed to say I audibly yelped when I opened up the gift that was on my seat at the show. So uncool! Still, inside the little Dior bag was a tiny Dior box containing a Dior powder compact encrusted with crystals, a black nail polish, a silver one (which I’m wearing on my paws now), and a mascara that promises lashes worthy of the catwalk.

The next day at Martin Margiela the models sported long hairy coats. Wonder if I’ll get away with working that look? Maybe I’ll go for the ginger one for added drama. Might get a few looks down the local. Speaking of drama, there’s a dinner to celebrate 40 years of Sonia Rykiel so am wearing my new Stella dress, it’s navy blue and rather woo-hoo.

 

C’est fantasique!  The dinner is in the middle of a park on the outskirts of Paris.  Team Sonia have erected a marquee in the middle of the forest and set up dinner tables around a long, mirrored catwalk.  Team ELLE have one of the best tables in the house, I am sat next to Jean Paul Gaultier and Ellen Von Unwerth and I spy Emma Watson from Harry Potter across the catwalk. 

The Supers are unrecognisable with their homage to Sonia red hair, which sits on their shoulders like a huge red triangle! As if I’ve not had enough fun (this is THE only show in Paris where the models laugh and skip down the catwalk), the finale is one of the best I have ever seen in my show going life. Twenty of the world’s biggest designers from Karl Lagerfeld to Gaultier to Rodarte pay tribute to Sonia by creating an outfit in her honour.  My favourite was Gaultier, which was a black knitted dress that was still being knitted with oversized knitting needles by the model as she dragged the ball of wool alongside her on a roller-skate.  Bravo! 

Come Saturday, nerves are tense at the Chloe show as it’s designer Hannah McGibbon’s first collection for the house.  It’s a hot ticket by the look of the standing line and even those of us with seated tickets found the bench a bit of a squeeze.  That night Hannah and Co had a friends and family to a do at Castel, a fun and naughty little private club that if your name’s not down, get outta town, it’s THE place to be seen.  Time to get out that zip-me-in Dolce lace number!

 

The next day, after getting in at 4am, is a little difficult, but it was the first ‘big’ night I had had all month, I promise.  It’s Sunday and at the Louis Vuitton show.  Que La Vie En Rose is blaring out of the speakers, the supers hve the most extravagant hair I’ve seen all week – kind of poodle parlour meets Sade. Amazing.  They worked bright red lipstick and teeny tiny mini dresses with lace cut outs on the bottom.  Must get to the gym.  Later on at Lanvin it was like a scene out of Dynasty, the cocktail dresses made me want to drink a cocktail, so I did en route to the final show of the season, Miu Miu.  Not sure if it was the cocktail, the Miu Miu show or because it was finally time to go home but I felt quite overcome with a passion for fashion.  Talk about all dressed up and nowhere to go… x

Milan Fashion Week Sept '08

I’ve had 24 hours to prep my Milan wardrobe, which is simply not enough time to work out if I’ve got all the trends covered.  Goth; black lace dress by original Goth-girl Pearl Lowe, tick.  Plaid; shirt dress by London design duo Preen, present and correct.  The tricky statement shoe; gladiators by Givenchy will cover that one nicely.  Think I’ll manage.

Land in Milan and discover the weather is warmer than it has been all summer in Blighty, which isn’t exactly hard.  Decide to work all my winter dresses with bare legs and my new Jonathan Kelsely ankle boots.  Oh thank Gucci for St Tropez Everyday fake tan that’s all I can say.

Run straight from the airport to the Emporio Armani show, which is so worth it.  He shows the most exquisite little tailored jackets worn with harem pants. I pop them onto my fashion scroll immediately.  I am loving the harem pant, but be aware that heels are essential to making this look work if you don’t want to come over all backpacker in Thailand.

  The look of the week is still the chunky high heel ankle boot worn with tailored day dresses and cute boyfriend jackets. The French press are currently working a glam rock look in homage to Iggy Pop.  Super skinny jeans are a favourite.  Almost all of them seem to own a shrunken leather jacket like the ones that were in the Rick Owens show a couple of seasons ago.  The difficult-to-wear-and-impossible-to-walk-in-statement-shoe has become a global phenomenon!  Young or old, the most important editors and fashion buyers are embracing this trend!  This does mean however, that you have to cling onto your driver’s arm in order to carry out the simplest of activities (i.e cross the street) so forget carrying a handbag.  Wonder if the tricky shoe was responsible for the demise of the ‘it’ bag?

After ploughing through what feels like a thousand or so invitations every evening, I come across an invitation to attend a Tod’s event hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow and Dennis Hopper. I haven’t seen a man, at least a straight one for days and I can’t wait to put on my black lace slinky number! Sadly Dennis couldn’t make it, which was probably a good thing as I may have been arrested for getting ‘too close’… Gwynnie, however, looked fabulous in red whereas the fashion press look like they needed a good night’s sleep!

Next day, I bump into the celebrity PR outside the Dolce & Gabbana show and by the look of stress on her face I can tell it’s going to be a good celeb turnout.  I hug her and whilst she’s nestling into my bosom for comfort I grill her on the celebs that are making her day one from hell and immediately brief my photographer to be on the look out. Evil I know.

The Dolce & Gabbana show is held in the Dolce HQ. Inside it looks like a nightclub, all Studio 54 pitch black with mirrors. But damn, no alcohol, which can be very disconcerting when you arrive at 2 in the afternoon into a black cavernous space - I started taking a torch two seasons ago. As I walk in I am swept along with the crush that is J-Lo’s security. She’s looking bootilicious in hard-to-wear white. It’s hard to imagine she gave birth to twins just months ago.  She’s hugging Claudia Schiffer who in turn is having a love in with Eva Longoria.  How many celebs can you fit under one roof?  As for the clothes, I so want to be a Dolce girl next spring. The designers sent the Supermodels out in PJ’s and platforms. Finally, a legitimate reason to stay in my pyjamas all day!

For the latest catwalk coverage visit www.elle.tv

Photos: Rex Features

London Fashion Week Sept '08

London Fashion Week was a sorbet coloured, cocktail fuelled 80’s flashback for Elle’s Stacey Duguid, but boy did she embrace it. Read on to hear about the hottest looks and what it was like dancing the night away with Roisin Murphy and getting an eyeful of Pammy!

Hop off the red eye at terminal 5 at 9 am, having had a wonderful night’s sleep thanks to the lovely man sat next to me on the plane. I have never seen so much Duane Reade (big US pharmacy chain) shop stock in one little knapsack!

How many beautiful young things are there flitting around London these days? I spied Alexa Chung at Ossie Clark looking ever so cute in a vintage paisley print dress with bare legs and ankle boots (a look that yours truly has been working since early summer I might add). The next show was all about the 80’s and so were the crowd (even though few were born circa ‘85). While London designers were mad for the ‘Me’ decade, I felt like I was on the set of Dynasty for most of the week! To illustrate, it was jumpsuits galore over at Charles Anastase, statement heels at PPQ and lace was rearing its holey head again (I did actually wear lace tights the first time around).

Literally melted in the manner of the wicked witch of the west in the Moet room designed by Gareth Pugh. “I told them to use low-watt bulbs but they didn’t listen, never mind,” he whispered in my ear whilst we downed champagne to stay cool. Thankfully, I was wearing a cute little smock dress with not much else.

Still made it to the PPQ after party later on to shimmy on down with the aforementioned beautiful young things at La Vendome. I loved the light-up dance floor and cheesy 80s music. Pah! The Geldofs ducked out early leaving yours truly bopping the night away with Roisin Murphy and Henry Holland. Roisin and I are probably the two oldest swingers in town! Never mind, we’ve still got it. Speaking of old, I LOVED Luella, “it was all about a psychedelic granny,” she told me backstage. Get in line Luella - I’ve been working pensioner chic for the whole of fashion week! I loved the tangerine bubble skirt and matching knit, think I’ll pass on the funny specs and crazy hairpieces though.

On a different note, how hot are the Kings of Leon? Très hot, that’s what. When rumours started to fly around that they were due to play at the ACNE jeans party, news spread like wildfire. Absolutely unbelievable and absolutely untrue - a PR had concocted it to get everybody to the launch. Kind of genius in a way!

Not so genius was trying to get into the Westwood show. It was SUCH a scrum but my goodness it was worth it when I realised I had been seated next to Pamela Anderson. Viv had dressed her in a gold bustier dress. I tried so hard not to look down. Viv’s front row was the best in fashion week. I spied Kate Moss (looking jaw-droppingly beautiful), Dita Von Teese, Jasmine Guiness and Kimberly Stuart, who were all wearing Westwood. Definitely the party of the week!

As for the rest of London, it was all about sorbet coloured clothes and sorbet coloured cocktails and that’s almost all I can remember!

Photos: Rex Features

Catwalk Special

Want to know what you’ll be wearing next season and what trends the dress press are working right now, then tune into our catwalk special from Elle magazine’s Stacey Duguid. She’s torn round the Big Apple, hopped on the red-eye back to London before flitting off to Milan and then Paris, all in the space of a month with scarce a wink of sleep, so that you can remain smugly stylish and in the know. Thanks Stacey, you rock!

It always kicks off in New York, the city that never sleeps so I rarely bother [sleeping] either, but that’s mainly thanks to Beatrice - the hipster restaurant de jour - owned by Chloe Sevigny’s brother Paul.  First stop on the fashion merry-go-round is the DKNY show.  Can you believe it’s been going for 20 years?  The collection was as cute as ever; Donna is queen of cool-girl-uniform.  It was all exaggerated bows and neon and there were lots of cute dresses worn sporty with boyfriend jackets and trainers.  Talking of which, I love the oversized boyfriend jacket; I’ll be wearing a black one by Stella all this winter. Oo-la-la, the trench went on my must-have-it-now-list, I love a great trench for Autumn too.  The highlight of the show came at the end, when a parade of children hit the catwalk to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday’, ahhh, even the most cynical fashion hags smiled away. Donna looked about 20 herself when she came on to take her bow, not bad for 60-something-year-old.  Next it’s off to DVF (that’s fashion speak for Diane Von Furstenberg), and it was all groovy goddess, a little bit 60’s, a little bit 70’s, a little bit yay!   I liked the longer flowing chiffon maxi’s and imagine that Coleen Rooney has her name on at least 12 of them already.  Wonder if Cricket were at the show?

  By the way, it’s all about jumpsuits next spring.  Get one for day and for night. In fact, get a selection and wear nothing but jumpsuits all spring long!  Daytime jumpsuits are casual and best in denim or electric blue worn with cute flats (everyone here is loving the tap shoe), at night go for black silk with killer heels.  Even with my passion for a jumpsuit, I draw the line at the heart printed one I saw at a show which will remain nameless – it was more ‘care home’ than catwalk, yikes!  I am so loving the oversized clutch!  It works with everything next season and looks so-right-for-now.   

 

My favourite show of the week was more of a presentation by designer Alberta Ferretti who showed her younger line Philosophy in a huge downtown loft.  There were perky parkas worn over purple mini dresses, embellished maxi dresses worn long and loose with Pocahontas fringed sandals.  Oh I want to be a Philosophy girl next summer! Maybe it was the fabulous lychee vodka martins but I felt quite overcome by a passion for fashion as I hugged the designer so hard security got twitchy.

The New York women really do know how to get a look and run with it.  This season they are all head to toe in pretty patterned delicate dresses worn with a statement pair of shoes, it happens to be a look I have personally been working all summer and plan to carry through into autumn by adding a pair of leggings now there’s a wee chill in the air.  There is a toughness to the look which us Brits don’t really do, having said that, that’s not all we don’t embrace from these chicks, I’m not sure I’ve seen such so much plastic surgery in under one roof! Talk about Joan Rivers on a bad day, I even saw a knee lift!

For the latest catwalk coverage visit www.elle.tv