La Senza Set to Enter Adminstration

The High Street lingerie retailer formerly owned by Dragon Den's Theo Phaphitis, La Senza intends to enter administration. The recent poor trading conditions and the general macro environment are said to be the effect of this chain's performance. 

Trading continues across their 146 stores and 18 concessions, which has approximately 2,600 UK staff. No redundancies or store closures have yet been planned. 

Theo Paphitis tells BBC Radio 5 live, "It's sad because it's a company that I used to consider was my baby back in the early 2000s and it's sad to see it go off the High Street." (Source: BBC News)

Paphitis bought the chain in 1998, revived its fortunes, and then sold his stake in the company to private equity group for Lion Capital for £100m.

Say Ciao to D&G

Italian brand Dolce & Gabbana have announced that they are close their sub-brand D&G, the line formed almost 20 years ago to focus on their core brand. Todays show in Milan, which brought out colour and energy is said to be the last collection designed as the designers prepare to merge the youthful line into the main-line collection.

"For the upcoming seasons, D&G will become part of Dolce & Gabanna, giving even more strength and energy to our collections," designers Dominco Dolce and Stephano Gabanna have said in an email statement.

"To us, it's like going back to when we began our adventure: full of ideas,' they said. 

  

Pictures: Telegraph.co.uk/Getty

London Fashion Week Day 6 (Menswear) Highlights

London Fashion Week Day 5 Highlights

London Fashion Week Day 4 Highlights

London Fashion Week Day 3 Highlights

London Fashion Week Day 2 Highlights

London Fashion Week Day 1 Highlights

London Fashion Week SS12 is Here

Yes, it's back. London Fashion Week kicks off tomorrow. Here's a warm up to the upcoming major bi-annual fashion event. Enjoy.

David Beckham to Launch Underwear with H&M

David Beckham is following the footsteps of his wife into fashion by announcing the launch of an underwear collection in partnership with H&M in February 2012.

The top footballer is no stranger to underwear after endorsing Armani underwear in 2008. The new range is set to be sold in 1,800 H&M stores in approximately 40 countries. This is going to be a long partnership with the high street chain with new designs available seasonally.

Speaking of the new relationship with the retailer, Beckham says "the final piece in the jigsaw was a retailer partner who has the vision and capability to distribute these products globally," expressing his delight he goes on to say "I am excited and looking forward to showcasing the range to H&M customers from February."

Hopefully guys can expect quality as well as valuable underwear designed by the iconic star.

Versace for H&M....oooh!

An exciting high street collaboration is coming our way! It's time for Versace to collaborate with high street retailer H&M, following the footsteps of Alber Elbaz whose Lanvin for H&M collection launched last year.

Speaking of the news, Donatella Versace says, "I am thrilled to be collaborating with H&M and to have the opportunity of reaching its wide audience...the collection will be quintessential Versace, perfect for H&M and Versace fans everywhere."

"Donatella Versace is sharing with us iconic designs from the archives. This is such a celebratory collaboration and is perfect for the party season," Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor at H&M states.

Partnering with a high street brand was not on the agenda for Donatella, with the risk of taking the 'luxury' away from the brand. However, the launch will see menswear, womenswear and homeware, which will be available from November 17 - followed by a pre-spring collection in January.

Graduate Fashion Week 2011 Sponsored by George

Well, what a week it has been!

To be part of the Graduate Fashion Week 2011 was exciting, to be shortlisted for the 'Barclays New Business Idea' award was a huge surprise, and to even win it was an overwhelming experience. Still, today I cannot believe it. Never had I expected to get this far when I came up with the idea for Lynx to extend into young men's underwear. You can now see elements of my work here.

UCA Epsom scooped up three awards at the event held at Earls Court 2 and what a success it has been for the university. More impressively, three students from the BA(Hons) Fashion Management and Marketing were shortlisted for awards; myself for the 'New Business Idea' award and Charoula Demosthenous and Emma Randles for the 'New Marketing' award sponsored by Per Aquum, in which Charoula picked up the top prize - winning herself a luxury holiday to the Maldives on top of her £750 (Lucky girl! Well deserved.)

What everyone wanted to hear is who's going to win the top Gold Award this year? Well we now know - it was Rory Longdon from Nottingham Trent University. Speaking of his collection, the judges said he produced "a bold yet simple idea translated into a stunning collection that was instantly wearable. It was cohesive and immaculately constructed with outstanding craftsmanship." Huge congratulations to him.

Wishing all the graduates the best of luck for the future. 

TREND ALERT: Fruit Fashion

You may wonder how you can combine fruit and fashion together - well, designers have done it. From the likes of Stella McCartney to Prada, fruit has been incorporated into garments through prints adding a fresh trend to this Spring/Summer 2011. 

 

Stella McCartney, Prada

High street retailers are beginning to catch on to the new style, and you can add a touch of exoticness to your wardrobe here:  

Dorothy Perkins - Limited Edition White Lemon Print Dress, £25

Dorothy Perkins - Black Oranges and Lemons, £40

Topshop - Fluorescent Banana Print Crop Vest, £16

The Royal Wedding

With excitement and anticipation building, the time came yesterday for us to see what Catherine Middleton would be wearing on her big wedding day - the biggest secret kept quiet right up until that moment.

The crowds filled London, bunting out, flags waving, bubbly popped - the whole country showed the best of being British. Whilst the whole world had their eyes glued to the television, Catherine Middleton departed The Goring Hotel giving us a quick glimpse of the wedding dress. As tension built up, the soon to be Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Westminster Abbey, stepping out of the Rolls-Royce in a stunning dress designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.

An elegant and classic design - the satin gown which had a train measuring 2m 70cm had a lace appliqué bodice with the detail on the dress intricately hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. Catherine Middleton wore a tiara lent to her by the Queen, earrings by Robinson Pelham, a wedding gift from her parents and it was reported that she chose the perfume White Gardenia Petals from the illuminum collection by Michael Boadi - she couldn't have looked any better marrying her Prince.

Catherine later wore another Sarah Burton dress to the evening party. Yet again, a dress that looked fantastic on the slimming figure of hers.

illuminum perfume and Robinson Pelham earrings

A big congratulations to the William and Kate, wishing them all the best for the future!

What Do You Love About British Fashion?

24th March sees Henry Holland host the first ever fashion event for Cancer Research UK!

A fashion party takes place at One Mayfair joined by the world's leading designers, models, photographers and enthusiasts to celebrate the British Fashion Industry.

The evening will showcase exhibitions of British Fashion through the Ages and an exclusive exhibition of British Fashion Firsts from iconic British designers, all of which will be sold at auction on the night.

There are many treasures to be found at the exhibition. Some of the key pieces you can expect to see are; a custom made handbag from Kate Moss and Longchamp, a signed copy of Alexandra Schulman's first ever Vogue cover, a signed Horst photograph - the iconic ‘MainBocher Corset’ taken in 1937, a Christopher Kane dress from his first show, a custom made Tracey Boyd dress inspired by her first catwalk show, a David Sassoon dress and lots more!

Not only does it mean a lot to myself, but it's all for a very great cause and as March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, all funds raised from Debut will go towards Cancer Research UK's life-saving work into gynaecological cancers.

Tickets are £200 each and you can find more information on the events' website, Debut. 
Go show your support what ever way you can!

Sainsbury's Collaborates with Gok

Earlier this week, Sainsbury's announced its collaboration with fashion guru Gok Wan. TV personality and style genius Gok is expected to create a range of womenswear collections for the major supermarket hitting stores this Autumn. 

Gok Wan said: “I can’t wait to get started; this is a first for me. While I’ve styled thousands of women over the years, soon millions of women are going to be able to wear something I’ve created.” 

This will be a great opportunity for Sainsbury's to raise awareness for their clothing having seen ASDA take on numerous big names for their George range.   

Source: Modus PR

Gaga Ooh La La...

Lady Gaga debuts on the catwalk for Thierry Mugler at Paris Fashion Week...
Need I have to say much? - She's working it!

Photos by Francois Guillot/Getty Images

John Galliano Leaves French Fashion House

French fashion house Christian Dior has decided to fire creative director John Galliano after he was caught on camera shouting “I love Hitler” and hurling anti-Semitic abuse at people in a Paris bar.

Mr Galliano has been treading on thin ice since the news last Thursday when he was arrested after a couple complained that he had made offensive comments therefore choosing to file charges against him. 

The designer was immediately suspended following the incident and this followed shortly by a video being released showing more inappropriate behaviour by Galliano earlier in December 2010. 

Oscar winner and the face of Miss Dior Cherie perfume Natalie Portman is refusing to associate herself in any way with Galliano after these reports. 

In a statement from Los Angeles she says, “I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video...In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way.” 

Hours later, the designer is faced with the axe.

“Today, because of the particularly odious nature of the behaviour and words of John Galliano in a video made public this Monday, the Christian Dior house has decided to lay him off immediately and has begun dismissal procedures against him,” it said a statement from the fashion house.

With Paris Fashion Week commencing today and Galliano due to show in three days time, this is a huge blow for the high profile designer, but I guess the next big question is ‘who is taking over?’

Forget London Fashion Week, bring on Oxford Fashion Week...

Oh yes. Proud Oxford born, I welcome Oxford Fashion Week. Kicking off today 28 Feb - 6 Mar with designers featuring Matthew Williamson, Elie Saab and emerging labels Ahyoung Choi and Ara Jo.

Speaking of the event, founder Carl Aglim says, “Oxford is a fantastic city and it is madness that there was no major fashion festival before we created Oxford Fashion Week in 2009.”

Oxford Fashion Week is more than just a line-up of catwalks, with a Fashionable Night Out kicking it all off tonight where numerous stores will be celebrating with champagne, discounts, goodie bags, delicious cupcakes and more. Get yourself down town! 

Over the week you will be able to attend various ongoings including a Fashion Industry Networking evening, an Ethical Show, as well as a Couture Show taking place Saturday 5, while the Oxford Style Show and Macmillan Clothes Extravaganza will follow suit two weeks later on 19 March - the largest scale event on the calendar. 

Many events are free but tickets are required to shows available online.

Here’s the full schedule for those interested -

LFW Day 6 Highlights

It's the final day and it's menswear day. Here are the highlights from yesterday -

LFW Day 5 Highlights

LFW almost comes to an end, with menswear day today. Here's highlights from day 5 -

LFW Day 4 Highlights

A selection of great talent on day 4 -

Visiting the LFW exhibition on Day 4

I debated a bit about making it to London Fashion Week this time - is twice enough?

Nevertheless, with time to spare I thought it was probably worth making the trip to central whilst battling through the kids on the streets during half term to make it to the biggest fashion bi-annual event.

As technology continues to develop, we are beginning to have accessibility to so many more things conveniently. That goes to watching the shows too. With London Fashion Week only open to press and buyers, this year a large screen streaming live ongoings from within the catwalk is open to everyone.

The LFW exhibition at Somerset house showcases an array of designer talents from accessories to footwear to clothing. Here are some stand out designers for me displaying their collections for A/W 2011:

Mark Fast -

Atelier Swarovski -

Collaboration with five designers

Stephen Jones Millenery -

Topsy Turvy Collection

Yang Du -

3times Lucky

Yang's designs are currently featuring in a window at Selfridges & Co as part of its 'Bright young things'. Selfridges are also hosting a pop-up store for Yang.

Headonism -

Not to forget, there were some lovely innovative displays at the exhibition including Fake London, Christopher Raeburn and Dominic Jones.

LFW Day 3 Highlights

Some of the best designers at London Fashion Week on day 3 -

LFW Day 2 Highlights

The rain wasn't going to stop the fashionistas. Here's highlights from day 2 -

LFW Day 1 Highlights

All you need is the highlights. Here's day 1 at LFW...

London Fashion Week Live Stream 18-23 Feb

Here it is again, London Fashion Week has come. Get your front row seat right here with live streaming of selected shows throughout the week. To find out who's showing click here for the full digital schedule Enjoy!

UPDATE: LFW has ended, view highlights from each day in the later posts. 

Sneak Preview: River Island High Summer Collection

Summer will be here hopefully sooner than later and for longer rather than shorter because yesterday River Island revealed a sneak preview of their stylish high summer collection at the bloggers evening combined with a live photo shoot, refreshing cocktails, henna art and upbeat music.

Hit by a burst of colours on entry, River Island presents a collection inspired by the Moroccan city of Marrakech for summer 2011.

Still encapsulating the key 70s style, the brand brings bright bold colours combined with soft draping pieces. Palazzo pants, maxi dresses and the bathing suit are hot pieces for next season combined with large sunglasses and wide brimmed hats.

To achieve the Marrakech look, you can expect to find an array of prints ranging from retro and vintage florals, 70s patchwork, tie dye to leopard print with plenty of footwear styles to suit.

For you guys, it's plain and simple. The city mood is seen in earthy colours with shapeless shirts and tapered bottoms in breathable fabrics such as linen and cheesecloth to form a laid back effect. Achieve the beach appearance by mixing and matching block colours.

This summers fashion is definitely something to look forward to!

TREND ALERT: The Blouse

Spring/Summer ranges are beginning to enter our high street stores and one of the must-have staples this season is - the blouse!

There will be no difficulty picking up one that's for you because there are blouses in all kinds of shapes, styles and colour for all your needs in pretty much every store, and even more now that this is a key trend.

Here are a few to get your 2011 Spring/Summer wardrobe started:

Grab your hands on an abstract printed blouse...

Topshop Feather Print Pussy Bow Shirt - £28

...or a cute sheer floral blouse...

River Island Black Print Lace Insert Blouse - £29.99

...why not an oversized blouse?...

Dorothy Perkins Terracotta Oversized Blouse - £30

Spring/Summer 2011 Trends. VOGUE reports...

A late Happy New Year to all my readers!

With busy plans over the past month or so, it's been a while since i've updated and it's already 13 days into 2011 without a blog post! [Apologies] Time for one now I think!

My favourite VOGUE issues are without doubt those with the catwalk reports, and doesn't it make you feel happier when you know Spring/Summer is just round the corner? I've had enough of the chills now (don't know about you), and certainly looking forward to some heat especially when holiday plans are on the cards again! 

So, to prepare you for your new wardrobes here are some of my favourite trends from VOGUE's 'Ultimate Catwalk Report' (Feb issue) that you might want to get your hands on over the next months. (Click on images to enlarge)

Tangerine dream

'Zesty shades of orange give even the most ladylike looks a vibrant, youthful flair'

Go with the flow
'Spring's flowering maxi gowns ripple and float around the body, revealing as much as they conceal' 

The gathering
'Join the fashion fold - pleats, gathers and delicate draping decorate every surface this season, adding texture and movement wherever they fall' 

A sea of blue
Following the announcement of Prince William and Kate's engagement, with her donning on a gorgeous navy blue dress, there's no surprise that this will be a key trend. 'Intense blues make a serious splash this season. Rippling silks and slippery satins, drenched in oceanic hues, followed throughout the collections.'

Source: VOGUE, Spring Style, Feb 2011