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H&M Garden Collection

It's out now. All so elegant and feminine, the new collection captures everything summer. Great place to start your holiday shop!

To see the full collection visit the H&M website, where you will find prices of each garment.

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Launch of Brighton Mind

It's time to revolutionize charity retailing, and i'm behind the design of the new Brighton Mind shop opening Wednesday 31 March! Mind also launches a new advertising campaign also designed by me and my fellow team mates on the BA(Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing course at the University for the Creative Arts.

But, I shall leave the final outcome as a surprise.

Mind's St James' Street shop has been redesigned and refurbished to offer a directional new charity shopping experience. The boutique will stock high end vintage garments as well as original catwalk creations designed by fashion students from the university.

To design a shop and advertising campaign has definitely been a challenging brief but one that I think we all have learnt a lot about - regarding mental health and Mind in particular. It has been a great experience and I am more than delighted to have won the chance to re-design a store and have our national campaign mass produced. It's a huge achievement for myself as well.

Charity is becoming more fashionable, so it's good to see a unique shop that will encourage shoppers to consume great donations.

It's been a pleasure to do something for a good cause, so I hope that with our work we will be able spread the word that everyone should be given the right to play a full part in society.

Brit Award winning singer Florence Welch, Superstar DJ and Brighton resident Norman Cook, TV queen Fern Britten and fashion icon Daisy Lowe are among the famous faces who have donated clothes to Mind's first ever Boutique charity shop.

So, if anyone is in Brighton or nearby, please come to the launch from 11.30am and grab yourself some bargains!

Hope to see you there.

Sneak Preview: YLB for Wallis

Born in Oxford, Yasmin Le Bon started developing her status from a young age. Now 45, the ex-supermodel launches her second collection for high street chain Wallis. The S/S 10 'YLB for Wallis' collection becomes available on 29 March, and I got an exclusive preview of the 15 elegant garments, only to be sold exclusively at www.ylb4wallis.com

Spring features smoky taupe tones mixed with electric blue. Maxi dresses in luxurious silk crepe and satin, silk knitted tops combined with harem trousers and suede jackets creating the tribal trend that's key for this season.

Luxurious designs continue into the summer with a much more vibrant colour palette consisting of nude tones mixed with scarlet red and zesty orange, bringing an uplifting mood to a suspected hottest season in some time. Summer brings an outstanding asymmetric sky printed maxi dress, printed knee length silk dresses and more suede pieces with the lead-in price point starting at £35 for a silk racer back vest.

'YLB for Wallis' is a sophisticated range combined with style and glamour stamped with the Yasmin Le Bon signature with ruching, pleating and feminine ruffles present in her designs.

I think it's a range worth putting your hands on, if you can afford to that is. Remember, it's only available online -limited edition pieces!

Miss Selfridge Teams Up With Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl fans, you might want to keep your eyes opened!

The end of April will see Miss Selfridge launch an official Gossip Girl collection inspired by the four leading ladies of the successful US series. The style of Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, Jenny Humphrey and Vanessa Abrams is soon coming to the UK high street.

"We are delighted to be working with the Warner Bros television series, Gossip Girl," Yasmin Yusuf, creative director of Miss Selfridge said. "The dresses we've created based on the characters fit perfectly with our spring/summer 2010 range. Our customers love the show and the styles of the girls, so the partnership is a perfect match."

The stylish eight piece collection will feature a leopard print boho maxi dress (Vanessa), a ruffle front shift dress with a floral skirt (Blair), a black body con bandage dress (it could only be Serena), and a nude and black lace tutu-style skirt (Little J) - and will retail from £39.

"Fashion is intrinsic to Gossip Girl and a key ingredient in the continued popularity of the series," Paul Bufton, general manager of Warner Bros consumer products UK commented. "Miss Selfridge has created a collection that is true to the ideals of the show and one that young women will aspire to own. We're certain it will be a commercial success, and the beginning of a long-term relationship with the retailer." (VOGUE)

So mark the date in your diaries.
XOXO

Alexander McQueen's Last Personal Collection

The last collection designed by Alexander McQueen before his death was shown in a Parisian salon to a soundtrack of operatic music earlier today. Models walked slowly and respectfully, showcasing the 16 luxurious creations by the remarkable designer.


Models' heads bandaged and moulded with leaf or feathered mohicans that were sprayed stiff with gold and black paint. Their bodies sculptured in red or nude, gold embroidered jacquards, as their short skirts gather like a curtain surround their hips.

Stiff drapes form frock coats, as definite pleats and trumpet sleeves blossom around the shoulders. Every garment well crafted and entirely unique, and yet again McQueen blows us away with his imagination during fashion week.

“All the patterns in this collection were cut on the stand by Lee Alexander McQueen,” VOGUE.com was told.

As the show ends with the words - “Each piece is unique, as was he.”

It's so sad to see such talent disappear off the fashion radar so instantly - but let's hope the label lives on.

London Fashion Week A/W Trends

London Fashion Week has of course now ended for now. Having not been able to blog during the event, I have put together a round-up of the key trends spotted on the catwalks for the end of 2010.