Kat Maconie Shoes A/W13

This week I paid two visits to Soho House- I felt well glam- one for a lovely Butter London event with Nicole (who's got a cracking blog over here) and the other for the Profile PR AW13 press day.

Profile look after a selection of lovely brands, but i'm a shoe fiend so I was pretty much there to feast my eyes on the new collection from Kat Maconie- my favourite accessible designer shoe brand du jour (check out a couple of posts featuring her chunky but chic footwear here and here)

The Autumn Winter collection is honestly every bit as covetable as Kat's stunning Spring collection. With a versatile colour palette featuring cream, black, petrol blue and hot pink, this is an exciting collection that is instantly recognisable, not to mention a little too covetable for my liking... Or, should I say, my credit card's liking.

Kat Maconie shoes are wonderfully striking and sculptural, and I was particularly fond of these cutaway peep-toe boots complete with gleaming gold hardware, as pictured above. The style is modern but edgy and, though I am instantly drawn to the black leather style, the glistening petrol blue velvet is really quite something and would really pop with a little cream dress and some statement jewellery. 

These leather lovelies are a classic style from Kat Maconie, with her Spring collection featuring a neon yellow interpretation among others. For Winter she's gone a little to the dark side and reinvented the style in glossy black and mirror shine petrol blue. I love the bold blue which has an almost oil-slick appeal to it.

Just imagine with black leather pants and a sheer cream blouse... Gorgeous!

I must admit that Kat Maconie shoes are not really for "girly girls". If you are obsessed to spindly Louboutins and cutesy heart-adorned Charlotte Olympia styles, then these probably aren't going to tickle your fancy, but I personally love the chunky aesthetic of Kat Maconie shoes along with the directional edge they add to an outfit.

There really is a reason that these are a favourite for runway shows- they are statement shoes that don't cost a bomb and they make everything look that little bit cooler. 

What do you guys make of the new collection? 

Shiny Pretty Things: MAWI S/S 2013

MAWI Princess Necklace £530

MAWI Princess Necklace £610

MAWI Bracelet in Blue (also available in pink) £500

MAWI Pretty in Punk Necklace £570

MAWI Pretty in Punk Necklace £485

MAWI Pretty in Punk necklace £540

MAWI Neon Rocks collar in Pewter and Yellow (also in yellow gold and orange) £405

Happy Good Friday all ! The fact that it's Easter already scares me an awful lot, but I shall console myself by gazing at these wonderful new season pieces from MAWI jewellery. Ooh- aren't they just splendid?!

All pieces will be available from April, both online at www.mawi.co.uk and at the MAWI flagship boutique in Shoreditch at 11 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, E2 7JP. If you like you can give them a ring on 02070339853, just so as to know exactly when you can get your hands on these beautiful pieces.

Beautiful seems a bit of an understatement actually, dazzling feels far more apt. Worn with even the simplest of sweaters or dresses, these statement pieces will do all the talking, and all the hard work for you.

Directional pieces with a contemporary injection of femininity, this Spring/Summer MAWI has introduced three new covetable collections which nod to antique opulence while still retaining MAWI's spiky signatures.

PRETTY IN PUNK juxtaposes 'granny-chic' pearls with pewter spikes and gleaming gems for a punk-inspired punch that certainly draws on the designer's affinity with the eclectic streets of East London.

NEON ROCKS is antique jewellery on acid. Inspired by intricate antique brooches, this collection boasts timeless motifs in the most unexpected colour palette of neon brights, gleaming metals and acid pastels.

My favourite collection, though, goes by the name of PRINCESS. Growing up I simply always had to be the princess when playing dress-up, so it is little wonder that this devilishly pretty collection tickles my fancy. With enchanting softer shades of lemon, rose and aquamarine, this collection features majestic pieces dripping in iridescent acrylic stones. With strikingly complex design, these fanciful investment pieces offer a touch of ethereal grandeur.

Well, I don't know about you, but i'm going to start saving right about now!

Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall : The Time and Lace

I was lucky enough to go along to the recent Louis Vuitton Pre Fall press day this week, unlucky in some respects given that I ended up falling in love with a number of truly divine pieces that I cannot quite afford... Yet.

With a 1960s aesthetic, Prefall 2013 both classic and contemporary and full of truly covetable pieces of the utmost quality. You're best looking away now if you're trying to be good on the spending front. 

What's hot? Fresh ways of interpreting lace, luxe fur detailing, boxy evening jackets and revamped frock coats with baroque lace trompe l'oeil. As ever, though, the shoes come out on top... The studded pointed courts are such a great investment piece: the perfect way to marry together gold and silver jewellery in an outfit. I am also smitten with the LV detail chelsea boots- can I have them?.. Please?

My favourite piece, though, has to be the reversible shearling and leather coat which would just make every outfit enviably chic and decadent. 

A Gothic Goddess: BE MINE.

Dress by By Malene Birger

You know when you see a dress, and you really like it, then you dream about it, then you realise it's £499. Then you cry?

Yeah. That.

I didn't actually cry, but I am so in love with this By Malene Birger dress that I dreamt about it... So sad, but true.

After spotting it at a recent Atelier-To-Go shoot (like our FB and Twitter for some behind the scenes shots), I fell a little bit in love.

With delicate lace panels, thigh splits and a darkly ethereal pleated skirt, the dress is the stuff of dreams. It's a little bit Gucci but still wearable and (dare I say it?..) veering towards affordable.

One of Atelier-To-Go's esteemed stylists, Julia Brenard of Russian Vogue, styled the dress ala Gucci A/W 2012 with deep berry lips and the most beautiful Jimmy Choo peep-to booties. The gorgeous blonde model, all wavy hair and enviable legs, pulled if off a charm- it was elegant but still gothic and beguiling.

All Hail Queen Mary!

Mary Katrantzou, London Fashion Week, S/S 2013
images from Elle UK, see their review and the full collection here.

While NYFW has the gloss, Milan the luxury and Paris the elegance, I remain convinced that the city with the truly exciting talent is, and always will be, London.

A case in point, season by season, is the Greek-born genius that goes by the name of Mary Katrantzou. Her collections always blow me away, and for SS13 this is more true than ever before.

What makes Mary Katrantzou such an accomplished designer is her approach to pattern and colour. Each collection has a clear inspiration, usually rather abstract, which influences her artful prints and luscious colour palette, as well as the overall aesthetic of the show.

With her AW collection taking us back to school with sharpened pencils and typewriters, her summer collection is aptly inspired by stamps and foreign currency, perfect for sun-soaked summer retreats.

With softer, perhaps more wearable shapes than in previous seasons, this collection feels slightly more feminine and nonchalant, but still retains the abstract beauty of Mary Katrantzou garments.

With loose silks, billowing skirts and even Current/Elliott denim, the collection is truly marvellous. My stand-out piece has to be the black and white maxi with collar detail- it is elegant but still beautifully modern.

What do you make of Mary Katrantzou's latest collection at LFW?

Ways To Wear: JW Anderson for Topshop

1. JW Anderson for Topshop Zebra Prints Skinny Pants £49.99 (available Friday 14th)
2. River Island Tee £10
3. The Kooples Dinner Jacket £340
4. Kat Maconie Heels (available online) £230
5. Zara Statement Necklace £17.99

1. Kurt Geiger Boots £295
2. JW Anderson at Topshop Tartan Tee £49.99
3. J Brand Major in Black at ATELIER-TO-GO (best. fit. ever.) £205
4. MAWI Bangle £284
5. Zara Stud Detail Clutch £79.99

Topshop really are the best at collaborations- sorry, H&M, but I will give you a close second!

After their fabulous Olympic themed collab with Ashish and all those lustworthy arty dresses by the godly Mary Katrantzou, Topshop have done it once again with a truly stellar collection by industry favourite JW Anderson.

Just as fashion's elite descend on London ready for LFW, the debut collection will hit Topshop stores. Cue stampedes, sharpened elbows and Valentino-induced injuries. I jest, of course, but I would recommend checking it out. 

There are some amazing statement pieces in this collection that exude high fashion eccentricity. From the kooky but oddly covetable tartan separates through to the gorgeous motif knits, I am a little bit smitten. What I love about this collection is that it is truly refreshing- I suppose that is what makes Irish-born JW Anderson such an exciting name in the industry.

His extensive collection includes almost a hundred pieces ranging from pinafores through to lollipops and iPhone covers and I can't wait to get shopping. Read all about the inspirations and feast your eyes on the full collection on the Topshop website (here).

From all the gorgeous pieces though, I had to pick out these two (styled up above). As a Scot, how could I NOT covet this tartan tee? And as for the zebra print trousers... Well, they are zebra print trousers, surely that is reason enough?

Unfortunately due to circumstances I am unable to attend LFW (crying that I am missing PPQ in particular) but I shall console myself with a whole lotta JW Anderson for Topshop. 

What are your favourite pieces from the collection? 

Partners in Parkas

Mulberry Womenswear Parka, coming soon, £995
Mulberry Doggy Parka, coming soon, £174

Harvey and Me.

I promise that i'm not one for dressing up animals, but for some reason when the doggy-apparel in question is by my beloved Mulberry, I find it much more acceptable.

This little matching parka is so beyond cute. I want to dress up my spaniel, Harvey, in this SO MUCH, and then take him for a walk as I wear this flying jacket with a cream shift, black tights and studded ankle boots. 

And if Harvey doesn't fit it, I will buy a sausage dog (called Chorizo) and dress her up in it. 

Friday's Finest: Booties

Office Dalmation Boots £80
Zara Magenta Boots £59.99
Kat Maconie Boots £260

I want all these boots so much! I just can't believe how many gorgeous boots are out there on the high street at the moment and i'm longing for payday like crazy!

The little dalmation pair are perfect with leather look skinnies (stay tuned for some AMAZING denim from ATELIER-TO-GO) and a slouchy fine knit for a casual look. The vivid magenta pair are a perfect way to tap into the purple trend this season- wear with black lace for a gothic spin or try with a sexy little dress for a great, modern evening look. Lastly I just had to include these fabulous boots by the amazing London designer Kat Maconie (see my post on her here), whose designs I first laid eyes on last fashion week. These deco-inspired boots are the perfect black ankle boots to carry you through season after season!

LFW Designer Cocktails

London Fashion Week is perhaps my favourite time of year. The atmosphere is truly electric and the talent on show is second to none.

Even if you are not one of the lucky ones clutching a handful of sought-after invitations for the SS13 shows, there will be plenty for you to get excited about when LFW comes around in just fifteen days!

The first little slice of LFW that I can't wait to share with you lovely readers is the London Fashion Week Designer cocktail selection at The May Fair Bar.

I am a little bit of a cocktail obsessive and love nothing more than a delicious concoction to sip on while on a night out. Give me a tangy, sweet cocktail and i'm a happy girl!

Imagine my excitement, then, when I caught a glimpse of these beautiful tipples, designed by some of London Fashion Week's most exciting fashion talent, all available at the May Fair hotel from the 6th to the 23rd of September.

I have, sadly, never been to the May Fair hotel, but I think this year I will certainly be paying a visit. The luxurious and stylish establishment is the official hotel of London Fashion Week (so is a good bet for some style stalking!) and their designer cocktails are just the cherry on top of some fabulous fashion week treats they have in store. Alongside hosting elite parties every night during LFW, The May Fair are also offering their Fashion Week Treats package which includes an overnight stay, breakfast, discounted beauty treatments and cocktails and cupcakes for two! If anybody wants to treat me this month, look no further. The decadent May Fair Spa has also created some express beauty treatments to revitalise those stressed-out fashion folk.

If you are simply looking for a stylish aftershow drink, you really will not beat these delightful drinkies (above). And at £13 each these cocktails are an accessible taste of Fashion Week's finest designers.

Hopefully i'll see you guys there, i'll be sipping the fruity Corrie Neilson!

For more info visit the May Fair Website or follow them on Twitter at @themayfairhotel

Fizzy Fashion

What is the world's most fashionable drink?...

Perhaps it's Champagne or a tall, extra hot, skinny, soy, double shot, no-whip latte? Or maybe it's Kate Moss' favourite Ritz cocktail (find out Kate's poison here), or crystal clear Grey Goose? 

While there is no denying that all these drinks are more than a little bit chic, the fashionable tipple of choice always has been Diet Coke, and always will be!

Calorie free but sweet and fizzy, an ice-cold bottle of Diet Coke is the perfect stylish refreshment. Over the years Diet Coke has sponsored and collaborated with a number of fashionable folk, and it is certainly the best dressed soft drink.

The latest Haute Couture designer to work with Diet Coke is Jean Paul Gaultier who, as this year's Creative Director, has designed three limited edition bottles. The first two, pictured above, are due for release in Harvey Nichols stores nationwide as of April 16th- so not long to wait at all!

The bottles are called "Day", featuring the trademark Gaultier breton stripes, and "Night" which is reminiscent of those sexy Jean Paul Gaultier Madame bottles, with lacy corsetry and fishnet detail. The third design, "Tattoo", is set to be unveiled later this year, alongside a sweet collectors set including a navy and white striped glass. 

As if I needed to feed my addiction to Diet Coke any more! I reckon Gaultier's are even more covetable than Lagerfeld's designs (see them here)

See the television commercial below!

Cheap but Chic

It's Valentines soon but BLEUGH let's just forget all that silly nonsense (can you tell i'm single?), and focus on the upcoming London Fashion Week which, naturally, is going to be jam packed full of fashion fabulous events that budding fashion journalists like me live for!

There are SO many things going on that i'm just longing to be a part of but, alas, i'm not big enough, clever enough or important enough to actually be invited to any shows (and cue violins) so will just have to linger around Somerset House and observe the beauty of the best of the fashion weeks!

However, for plebs like me there are still some lovely bits and bobs to look forward to in the capital over the next few weeks. Firstly we have the launch of Topshop's latest project, which is a celebration of their fantastic work with NEWGEN from the last ten years. Low and behold some of the most gorgeous t-shirts I have seen in a very long time coming from a number of cool brands like Christopher Kane and MeadhamKirchoff and even my beloved Erdem.  The t-shirts will also help to raise money for the Centrepoint charity, so it's fashion fabulousness sans guilt! The best part? They are just £30, so you can flaunt your fashion credibility loud and proud, without having to abuse your credit card. The t-shirts go on sale on the 17th at Topshop and the exciting LFW pop-up at Selfridges. I will no doubt be seeing you there (hands off the Holly Fulton one in S/M... it's mine.)

The New Team...

There are names in fashion that we can all just rattle off- Prada, Chanel, Gucci and so forth. The internationally renowned designers who have the abundant shops in cities, the concessions in the department stores and the ads stretched out across every other page in every other magazine. These are the original fashion houses that are the pinnacle of the fashion industrybut nowadays fashion is moving in anew direction- where these big names are nothing and less established designers are making waves.

I am not necessarily talking about the up-and-coming designers that are of such excitement to the fashion industry (like the geometric prints at Holly Fulton and the 'designers of the future' seen at Graduate Fashion Week 2010) I am referring more to the labels and fashion houses that have a name, have a following yet have not quite reached the dizzying heights of the Louis Vuitton-like powerhouse.

The new season collections are a key example of this. Flicking through a

prestigious magazine showing the trends to adopt for A/W 2011 the names which are jumping out from the pages in bold type are not those of Chanel or Gucci, they are brands like Erdem, Isabel Marant, Markus Lupfer, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Emma Cook among many others. And rightly so I think.

Naturally I adore Prada and Dolce as much as the next girl but I genuinely think that the people who make fashion new and exciting each season are these latter names- far from world domination but still some of the most covetable collections you could ever imagine!

Their clothes are all beautifully designed and sculpted. At Erdem the florals and patterns are somewhat majestic, so beautifully crafted that they are more like art than clothing. In a past Vogue issue, an editor was searching her dream wedding dress and Erdem adapted a scarlet

red dress from their then collection to a demure, delicate cream lacy dress that sent her (and no doubt her husband to-be's) heart racing. This is the stuff of dreams but these designers can almost make dreams a reality. They are generally accessible, not always in terms of price, but in the sense that they do not have the arrogant prestige that is associated with the fashion powerhouses. This all lends to the creativity of the designs, the freedom with which they work and the excitement that each new collection brings to their followers.

Followers of these designers tend to be those who know a lot about the fashion industry, the type who flick through glamorous magazines on a daily basis. The people who know that money is better spent on a

Markus Lupfer piece, which very few people will own, than on a Prada dress that will be seen on the back of every starlet from Cannes to Hollywood. These designers are never flashy, they are never emblazoned hazardously with labels and names, they are just beautifully cut and beautifully stylish and seldom will you hear a whisper of "is that Marant?".

This is where the beauty of these names truly lies. Yes, they are crafted out of materials second to none. Yes, they are cut to perfection. Yes, they are some of the most stylish attire money can buy. But most of all they have an ambiguity rarely seen in fashion. They are mysterious and wonderfully far from mainstream- so key in creating your own fashion identity. Why, when someone asks "Who are you wearing?" would you want to retort with a generic "Prada dah-ling!"? Surely it is far more exciting to be able to keep your air of mystery intact- attracting stares for your idiosyncratic style and not for that same-old LV scattered all over your handbag?