MFW Top Five

Milan is my least favourite of the fashion weeks. I just don't find it as tasteful and exciting as the others, although I'm still interested in what the Italian designers are showing. Instead of my usual top ten round-up, I have five favourites I want to share with you. What was seen in Milan? Well, as it is the capital of fashion luxury, there was lots of expensive looking embellishments. Does anyone want to buy me one the Dolce and Gabanna dresses with multi-coloured jewels? Drop-waist dresses were seen on the catwalks once again and most surprising of all, VEGETABLE prints were seen at Moschino Cheap and Chic and Dolce and Gabanna. I have to say, chili prints look hotter than last Summer's lemon prints...no pun intended!

Enjoy!

Dolce and Gabanna

Giorgio Armani

Gucci

Jil Sander

Roberto Cavalli

What do you think of the collections in Milan for next Spring/Summer?

Love from Lou Lou

Polka-dots and Bows

What a beautiful sunny day it is - thankfully I'm not stuck at work and instead I went for a walk at Cramond with my mum. I'm dressed in Topshop head-to-toe which may be a regular feature on my blog as in a few days I start my job there! Hello discount! 


Right, I've got to get back outside into the sunshine and read the stack of magazines I bought. 


Love from Lou Lou

LFW Top Ten

Wow! London Fashion Week came and went so quickly! Following on from New York Fashion Week, we can see more sherbet shades and acid brights, more bold prints and more metallic fabric. Love, love, love! The most surprising repetition of both fashion weeks to me was all the ostrich feathers, seen at Matthew Williamson, Giles, Oscar de la Renta and Prabal Gurung. 

My favourite thing about researching the London Fashion Week shows was reading about all the completely different inspirations. Erdem (who was my favourite as per usual) was inspired by the novel Bonjour Tristesse which is about a teenage girl who spends her summer on the French Riviera with her playboy father as she begins to embrace her womanhood and sexuality. You can really see this character in the collection with Erdem's new sexier angle such as the hot pants with lace side-panelling. 

I also love Mulberry's theme of the British sea-side which includes rain coats and ribbed leggings. It was very humorous to see after such a miserable summer!

Below are some of my favourite looks from London, along with a little summery of each collection.

Mary Katrantzou

Theme: Nature & scrap-yard metals

Colours: Every bright colour of the rainbow!

Details: Printed carnations & tropical fish 

Christopher Kane

Theme: "the girls you hate at school"

Colours: Electric blue, pale grey, pale mint

Details: Brocade & rubber soled sandals

Mulberry

Theme: The British seaside

Colours: Pink, mint & yellows

Details: Jewel encrusted pieces & ribbed tights

Topshop Unique

Theme: Cleopatra

Colours: Gold, black & white

Details: Hieroglyphic prints & gold jewelry

Erdem

Theme: Wedgewood and novel Bonjour Tristesse

Colours: Blues, yellow & white

Details: Lace boater hats & tiny sequins

Matthew Williamson

Theme: Japan

Colours: Burnt orange, greens & pink

Details: Ostrich feathers & beading

Felder Felder

Theme: S&M

Colours: Black, pale green, tan

Details: Leather harnesses & metallic fabric

Basso & Brooke

Theme: Journey from London to Siberia

Colours: Acid brights & grey

Details: V-shaped cut-out backs

Jonathan Saunders

Theme: American fifties housewife

Colours: Pale blue, yellows & greens

Details: Baroque swirls & metallic knits

Giles

Theme: Swans

Colours: White, silver & crimson

Details: Laser-cut leather & ostrich feather headdresses

Did you enjoy the collections at London Fashion Week? Which were your favourites?

Love from Lou Lou

NYFW Top Ten

It's the last day of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer '12 and I've been dying to share my favourite catwalk looks with you. Even though it's not my favourite Fashion Week, I was really impressed by some designers. My top 3 would have to be Jason Wu, Alexander Wang and Prabal Gurung. 

I would wear anything in Jason Wu's new collection. The petal print was a collaboration with graffiti artist KAWS and it's officially my new favourite print! Alexander Wang stayed true to his tough-girl aesthetic and yet managed to push it forward and create something exciting. I also found it quite futuristic. As for Prabal Gurung, the bright colours are absolutely stunning. I wasn't aware of his work before but he will most definitely be on my fashion radar from now on!

Not all collections on the catwalk can live up to my expectations however. Zac Posen was a disappointment for me. It was a collection of old Hollywood looks including the mermaid silhouette and I was surprised that nothing really grabbed my attention. 

I'm thrilled to see that Spring/Summer next year will involve a lot of bold prints and bright colours. I therefore predict I'll be spending a lot on clothes next Summer! Another trend-to-be is the drop waist dress which I'm less excited about. Sportswear will also be popular next Summer, inspired by the Olympics of course! 

In no particular order, here are my ten favourite catwalk looks and a little bit about each collection.

Victoria Beckham

Theme: Sportswear

Colours: Tangerine, navy & plum

Details: Double-faced satin & nylon straps

Thakoon

Theme: Bollywood & Western

Colours: Turquoise, saffron & orange

Details: Embroidery & two-tone cowboy hats

Diane von Furstenburg

Theme: New beginnings & Africa

Colours: White, mint & turquoise 

Details: Vibrant floral prints

Alexander Wang

Theme: Motorcycle racer

Colours: Black, white & blues

Details: Mesh & over-sized pockets

Jason Wu

Theme: Pop art

Colours: Pale pink, grey, lime green & blue

Details: Petal prints and embellished collars

Anna Sui

Theme: Studio 54

Colours: Purple, red, black

Details: Chiffon turbans & tiny prints

Prabal Gurung

Theme: Fetish & florals

Colours: White, violet, electric blue

Details: Dripping paint & ostrich feathers

Marchesa

Theme: Koi fish

Colours: White, nude & grey

Details: Fish embroidery & horsehair

Rodarte

Theme: Vincent Van Gough paintings

Colours: Purple, yellow, green

Details: Sunflower prints & metallic embroidery

Oscar de la Renta

Theme: Seemingly none!

Colours: Yellows, greens & red

Details: Crochet & ostrich feathers

Love from Lou Lou

My feature in Company

As if my job offer at Topshop wasn't exciting enough, I have now been featured in Company magazine as one of their favourite fashion bloggers! The October issue is in shops from today and if you flick to page 102, you will see a half page feature with my favourite outfit pictures. I was interviewed by journalist Diana Best who told me that she and Company's editor Victoria White love the way I capture my style and that what I write is really relatable. What a huge compliment from two highly successful industry insiders!

Thank you Company, this is a great reminder of how worthwhile it feels to have my own fashion blog.

Love from Lou Lou

Uniform-to-be

I have some exciting news to tell my lovely followers, that I have been offered a job at Topshop! I have been wanting to work for the company for a while so I am really looking forward to starting next month. My job as a care assistant in a busy hospital taught me about a side to life that most people don't see at my age. I worked really hard and met lots of people, but after almost two years I am totally ready to get back into the world of fashion! I'll be surrounded by beautiful clothes and colleagues who share the same passion. Plus I'm really looking forward to swapping my baggy hospital uniform for well fitted, colourful Topshop clothes. I couldn't help but start to search for my new uniform...

Love from Lou Lou