Tonight It's Party Time...Party Time Tonight

Another year over. Gosh, where has this year gone? People, are you ready for 2011? And more importantly are you ready to see the night out in style tonight? Whatever you get up to whether its a flash cocktail party dressed in Isabel Marant's silver shiny one shouldered mini dress and heels, or a house gathering with friends swishing around in a forties vintage frock and satin ballet pumps or maybe you are planning to cosy-up on the sofa wrapped in cashmere knits and a mink stole. However you decide to spend this evening, dear readers- do have fun. Happy New Year!!

Santa Baby...

'Santa Baby, slip a sable under the tree for me' How many times have we heard that opening line this month?

Too many perhaps. And did he deliver? It's a rather extensive and expensive list of furs, jewels, a car and even an apartment. I ask myself where on Eartha Kitt did she find him? Sounds a generous sort does old Santa Baby.. so if you happen to be passing in the South East London area tonight, Santa Baby here are a few little things you could slip under the tree for me....




Pommellato Tabou Rings







Lanvin Fur Earmuffs



Isabel Marant Richard Rabbit Coat







Print Mash-Ups



I love a good mash up...Recently at a party on the Thames River in London, the intro to Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get Enough started playing and then quickly blended with Q-Tip's Breathe And Stop lyrics eased over the top. It's an old favourite in the clubs that play mash-ups but hadnt I heard it for ages. While dancing, I was thinking how great it was to get two songs for the price of one, so to speak, especially since our boat  was soon to dock and the party was nearly over. And also how clever the mix was. It shouldn't really work but it did. With great results. The same can be said of fashion at the moment. Why bother with a head-to-toe camel-beigey minimalist look when you can mash-up some great prints this season. Personally I am loving wearing a leopard print coat with a tonal tartan skirt one day or over a baby pink original 1960s print dress another. And it's not just me feeling the fash-up vibe, check the image from this season's Dries Van Noten catwalk show - A leopard print coat with a near on illuminous green floral skirt. On paper it sounds wrong, but on the runway looked fab. Stylists for the recent New York Lanvin for H&M show also had a good go too mixing up the prints with red leopard print tights and flouncy floral dresses. I have listened to the Q-Tip/Jackson mix three times whilst writing this and love it more each time. The same can be said of my desire to fash-it up this season. Abstract!

Listen to the mix on www.youtube.com/watch?v=94eJ8tnY05Y

Bring Me The Bling

Earrings by CA & Lou



Necklace by Erickson Beamon



Ring by Stephen Webster

 So what do you do on a week when you have a foot of snow outside and a sick child indoors? I had no chance of getting out this week apart from popping to the local convenience store. What else was I going to do in-between looking after my little daughter? Sort out all that old niggling paperwork? Clean and tidy the house from top to bottom? Yes to both of those but one can quickly tire of those type of mundane jobs.  By day three cabin fever was starting to set in and I was missing getting out and about, seeing what was happening in the world. More to the point missing out on vital style inspiration. So I got on the net to see what was going on. One internet site I can never tire of is the webstore arm of fabulous Florentine designer boutique, Luisa Via Roma. I have loved this site for a while and often check what's new online. After having recently purchased a gorgeous pair of Tom Binns earrings from their e-shop, I was keen to see what other great gems they had in store. So straight to the jewellery pages I went, quickly adding items to my christmas wish list. The great thing about their store is that shipping to Europe is free, and since I can't even get to my garden gate without seeming like a trek to Everest then the thought of having it delivered to my door is even better. Whether its a gift for someone else or you are just treating yourself, each purchase comes in a chic black box with luxury grosgrain ribbon. A beautiful package delivered right to the front door is certainly going to lift the spirits from being sat indoors all week. 

Check out the collections at http://www.luisaviaroma.com/





Return To The Classics (Part 1) - Beauty

In times of recession, the trends turn towards a return to the classics. Take for example the iconic quilted Chanel 2.55 handbag with the leather and chain link strap. A timeless classic, and in recent years a popular fashion choice for style leaders and ordinary folk alike. So popular that Chanel have sold more in the last year than ever before and are even increasing the price for next season. (So, put that on the top of your christmas list if you have your eye on one before the price rises!) This trend is true of beauty products too. Lately, I have noticed on occasions, the smell and the sight of Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Creme popping in and out of handbags. It took me back a few years when all and sundry were going crazy of this fair-sized tube of gloopy wonderment. Why did it get forgotten? Well along came super-brand, super-priced beauty products to rival such a great fragranced, all round beauty classic. A tube of Eight Hour Creme lasts for ages and is a fraction of the price of say,  By Terry's Baume de Rose, plus it has the added bonus that it's a safe purchase. It's been around for eons and we've all tried and tested it sometime throughout the years. We've seen too, a rush on an assortment of body cleansers, from cool organic brands like Ren to the fun and affordable at Lush. Whats more classic though than a simple bar of soap? Especially when it comes in a classic fragrance such as Chanel No5? Beauty brands have also luxed up classic products to remind us of how good things used to be. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm is celebrating it's 30th birthday this year and its still looking good. I'd forgotten how brill it was until I unearthed a tube amongst my sister's giant bathroom drawer filled with expensive must have creams. It was the only product I was familiar with, sitting next to hundreds of pricey bottles and jars. It made a great base for my evening make-up and I've been hooked ever since (Note to Sister..it now comes in a limited edition diamante lid bling-ed up version, just her style!!) Or how about a touch of modern art to jazz up a beauty staple. This Christmas I will be adding Kiehl's Creme de Corps to my list- in Jeff Koons limited edition print please, Santa.

Jeff Koons for Kiehls Creme de Corps. Looks good and a portion of the sales goes towards supporting a children's charity.  

Lanvin For H&M Hits New York



Just as I predicted!

Yes,yes Readers I have been banging on about this collaboration for weeks now, and on Tuesday Lanvin for H&M opens in UK stores. Not long to wait now... although, our lucky Amercian cousins get to shop the collection as of tomorrow morning. On Thursday 18th November a huge star-studded catwalk event took place at The Pierre Hotel in New York to celebrate the much anticipated launch . I am very excited to share the photographs of 'The High Fashion on The High Street' catwalk couture event with you here on The Style Eye. Especially since on my recent post 'Lovin Lanvin',  I described how I would like to wear the T-shirt dress with oversized fishnets. Exactly how said piece was paraded down the catwalk in the Big Apple last night (maybe lose the jacket but deffo nick the top hat idea as I plan to wear this outfit to a 'Wear A Hat Party' next weekend) Oh, and I do hope the tights are part of the collection too. As a self-confessed hoisery junkie I wouldnt mind picking up a pair of red snakeskin stockings, and would just love to gallivant around London town with those leopard legs!

For More Pictures check the full report on http://www.style.com/

Happy Birthday To The Style Eye

Today marks the first birthday of The Style Eye. Wow! One year already. Take a look how the pages have grown and progressed since it's infancy last year.  The Style Eye's astrological sign is Scorpio and can't you just tell by it's sexy and passionate nature for everything fashionable and beautiful. And it's always loyal to bringing you the most honest and up to date style stories (nothing is sponsored on this website) The Style Eye also shares it's birthday with style icon Grace Kelly and the Hollywood  beauty Anne Hathaway. (I'm hoping it's that one, not Shakespeare's Mrs!!)

Happy Birthday too, to all readers and visitors to this site who are also sharing their special day with us.  

Glove Love

http://www.aristide-collection.com/

Red Lips and Nail Tips. Top image by Nagel

The Great British weather is a funny old thing. Last Wednesday, which was the first week of November, I sat out on the garden bench basking in the warm air and sunshine. Just less than a week later, I have a sore throat and chill from the sudden drop in temperature and frequent blustery gusts of wind ,which hit London over the weekend. Last week, a warm winter coat was enough to see me through the day and night. Now its's time to pull out all of the winter accessories. Hats, scarves, ear muffs, and of course gloves. And, secretly I have been waiting for this day since last February's London Fashion Week , where I discovered a new brand of artisan glove makers from France called Aristide. I have been in 'glove love' ever since. The collection comprises of beautifully handcrafted gloves ranging from a leather studded and bow driving style to elbow length leather and flower applique opera gloves. Luxurious finishes and details with quirky and unique designs make for literally wearing your art on your sleeve without looking over the top or ridiculous. A pair of chic and stylish gloves with a twist will add a touch of interest to this seasons miminalist trends. Wear the wrap studded style with a bracelet length sleeved coat to give a focus point to your winter outerwear look. Or bridge the gap on the exposed arms of an on- trend camel cape with the tan puched-out star and black finger tipped mid length design. And when night falls, dress up the old faithful LBD this christmas with the black with red nail tips and lips design. The added bonus is here that it comes complete with perfectly manicured and appliqued red nail tips. Ideal during the party season when festivities take over the calendar leaving little time for a trip to the nail bar. For more information and images go to http://www.aristide-collection.com/

Aristide studded leather driving gloves. Image by Nagel.







Lovin' Lanvin

Mini Pop- Mini Price

I'm literally counting down the days until the exciting launch of the Lanvin for H&M collection. On November the 23rd, I am headed for my local store with the hopes of purchasing a few new items to bump up my christmas party wardrobe. I'll be heading to the accessories department first. The jewellery pieces and pochette bags are pretty much identical to the Lanvin original versions from the collection of a couple of summer seasons ago. Want a Mini Pop at a mini price?  If so, for just £29.99 you can bag yourself a modern classic that won't damage your purse. I have always hankered after one of Alber Elbaz's marker pen illustration and fancy embellished t-shirts. The H&M collaboration range boasts a selection of styles with my favourite being the T-shirt dress with a fishnet and heels design. If I can get my hands on one I would just love to wear it with over-exaggerated fishnet tights and my beloved Lanvin nubuck harness shoes to echo the print.

T-shirt dress, transparent jacket, ribbon ankle tie heels and ropes of jewellery- I heart!!

Good luck girls ( And boys too - the menswear range is very cool,especially the shirts and ties) and remember just get in that queue early if you want the best picks!!



There is even a lipstick as part of the range!





Halloween Chic




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Zoe and Morgan Spider Ring

  

Regular readers of The Style Eye will know I am fond of a bit of dressing up now and again. Over the past year alone I have transformed myself into a vintage vixen many times with the highlight being Mrs Mussolini, and a masked cat woman for a carnival party in Italy -  to name just a few.  Halloween is here and of course, I shall be attending a themed dress-up party in the evening. Sunday Happy Day at The Century Club in Shaftesbury Avenue is the direction  we are headed for and I don't fancy walking through London town as a scary ghost or ugly witch en route or for the duration of the night even. Instead I am going to do it my way. Incredibly long Viktor and Rolf for Shu Uemura eyelashes, dark purple glittery lips, a fluffy feather tippet, Ksubi T-shirt with 'AC/DC' style fonts naming classic composers, a black leather mini I've owned for over 20 years, fishnets with ready made holes and a pair of frighteningly high Louboutin stiletto ankle boots.

The result will be a sexy-meets-fashion-with a Halloween edge  look. If you too aren't quite feeling the fully bandaged mummy look this year then dip in with Ksubi's bondage/bandage style trousers. Or accessorise with a scary spider ring by Zoe and Morgan. Get inspired make-up wise by Pat McGrath for John Galliano too, capped off with tousled, messy hair and trashed top hat.

Spice Up Your Life

Happy Accidents! Where would be without these little things that start off as being a problem and then evolve into something we couldn't do without. The iconic red soles of much the coveted Christian Louboutin shoes started off as a happy accident. After working on creative ways to match the soles to the design of the footwear, Louboutin grabbed a red Chanel nail varnish of an assistant who was working in his studio and painted the sole of a shoe that he felt was otherwise too dark to complement the overall look. And there we have it.. a unique selling point and trademark that is recognised instantly by his adoring shoe fans. My happy accident of last weekend is a rather simple one, but nevertheless effective and handy when on a night out. In the ladies loos at a recent gig, I needed a little flush to the cheeks after going a bit overboard with undereye concealer. Nars Multiple in Orgasm, my usual go-to product for a touch of colour and sheen on the cheeks wouldnt fit into my little evening purse so, I pencilled on three little cat whisker stripes of my Mac Spice lipliner to see if that would give me the little lift my cheekbones needed. Once rubbed in it did indeed do the job, and I was swiftly complemented by the ladies at the next vanities who both tried it and loved it. My advice for this weekend, girls, is that you don't always have to have an Orgasm , just try Spice-ing up your life a now and again.

Stocking Up

Henry Holland for Pretty Polly


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Topshop 'Love' Tights



'Tis getting rather chilly out there now and about time to start stocking up on this season's hoisery and tights. Last winter, the hottest legwear trend was all about the swiss dot style stocking, as popularised by Balenciaga's 2009/2010 catwalk presentation. It was the first time in years that a sheer ten denier tight had been seen in mainstream fashion for a long time. After years of the standard-for-winter black opaque tights, a lighter, smoother finish on the legs seemed just right for last year, and this autumn the humble ten denier pushes this ideal even further by being splattered with patterns and trompe l'oeil effects .With clothing and fashion becoming more and more clean and minimalist, it's no wonder that style experimentation has moved onto tights making an fashion impact to an otherwise simple outfit. It's the perfect way to stylishly dodge the bothersome recession too. The majority of these fancy pantyhose cost around £12.00 tops, so its an economical way to make a style statement on a budget. Styles to look out for this season are the back seamed versions and I'm particularly fond of the 'Love' style from Topshop. Henry Holland's collection for Pretty Polly are pretty cool too. The trompe l'oeil Suspender style will keep the boys entertained for hours trying to figure out ' is she or isn't she wearing a garter belt' much to their (and your) fascination. On a trompe l'oeil tip, take a look at the Bonny tights by Les Queues de Sardines from Luna and Curious complete with a hand gun in garter..  just for fun of course!









Paris Fashion Week Picks Spring/Summer 2011



Ann Demeulemeester

Chanel





So its true next summer will be filled with lots of bright colours and in fact brights and the hot 'orange' shade were all over the runways of Paris at the latest round of shows. So, I guess we know that trend is well on our way to being big next season. Therefore, I am now looking at the other trends that will dominate our fashion choices for next spring.

The Biker trend continued at Balmain where Rock 'n' Roll style is always a standard and also at Balenciaga. Jackets came in a variety of finishes and styles. Quilted at Balenciaga and loose and sexy at Balmain. Leather is looking to be a big trend too. Next season invest in a piece, be it a jacket, skinny cropped pants or if you dare - a pair of leather stockings from Chanel.

When it comes to footwear, the leading style is the 'Geisha' sandal again. Chanel showed blocky soled sandals with wrap around ankle straps. Next summer will be all about the sole. Balenciaga paired chunky Rockabilly crepe soled suede shoes with their latest collection.

50s hard edged Rocker glamour is the high priority message from Paris Spring/Summer 2011

Chanel

Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011

Fendi

Prada

So last week, in my London Fashion Week round-up I was describing how London is international fashion week's wild card when it comes to the trickier and more out there trends and, how cities like Milan usually go for a more play it safe option. For next Spring though, Italian fashion houses have pulled out colour schemes not normally on their radar. When starting to plan their palettes, designers in Italy must have been taken in by popular advertising and heeded the slogan 'The Future's Orange' because eye-popping shades of orange, tangerine and acid shades of citrus were  dominant for next season. Prada, Fendi, Gucci, Jil Sander and Marni all included orange in their collections and paired it with other bright shades of purple, jade green and electric blue.  The beauty to complement this trend was to wear nothing more than bright bold lip. This was showing to be the big make-up statement for next season in Milan.

Gucci

As with all major trends there is always a polar opposite. So it was the electric shades versus romance and purity. Dolce and Gabbana , Francesco Sconamiglio and Antonio Marras embraced this trend with near on all white garments in their shows in pretty and romantic textures and fabrics such as Broderie Anglais, subtle floral prints and silks.





London Fashion Week - Spring/Summer 2011

Michael Van Der Ham

Burberry

Charles Anastase



Acne

London can always be relied on to provide the more leftfield side of trends. Slapped in the middle of New York and Milan, the cities where playing it safe and a heavy dose of commercialism reign high, London is always there with the trends that perhaps won't necessarily sell well, but are fun and frivoulous, lightening the international fashion week trawl up a notch or two. Crazy Lace, acid bright colourways and Good and Bad taste all featured in the week of Leftfield London. That said, trends that are key and will sell for next season also made an appearance on the British catwalks. Burberry stands out once again with the key jacket shape of the season. With the popularity of  their Autumn/Winter shearling Aviator blouson, Christopher Bailey moves on to an edgier version for spring, which comes in the form of cropped motorcycle jacket taking its styling cue from the brand's classic trench coat. Acne also included a shoulder studded biker jacket in their spring /summer presentation. At Erdem and Michael Van Der Ham, peasant patchworking was a key fabric of the season. Erdem's floral  triangle-cut prints served to create a beautiful full skirted fifties style prom dress and Van Der Ham played with cutting and pasting random garment parts to form colour blocked dresses. After a winter season of dainty kitten heels, London designers have decided that for spring our feet will be back in patforms, although the newness next season will come in the form of oversized wood block wedges with 'Geisha' style leather toe-thongs and ankle ties.



Erdem

New York Fashion Week Round-Up

The biggest trends to emerge from  New York's latest round of catwalk collections were colours and era. This fall's fliration with the seventies turns on to a full on affair come next spring. With high waisted flared trousers and tiny hotpants becoming wardrobe staples accessorised with platform sandals and Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver style 'doll' hair and make-up. Dresses and skirts fall to the knee or lower in circle shapes or left floating around the legs in silk satin fabrics and an emphasis on the waistline. Think of the strong and sensual women that feaured in the iconic photographs of Guy Bourdin and also of Sonia Rykiels personal look in the seventies then you have the image of next season's woman. The colour palette for next spring starts with copper as the key shade which moves on to bright hues of tangerine and acid orange on one side and vibrant yellows on the other. Styling details for the summer are to add one oversized accessory. It could be a giant floppy hat or a huge obi sash belt as seen at the Marc Jacobs show.
Pictures: Top left - Marc by Marc Jacobs S/S 2011
Bottom Left - Marc Jacobs S/S 2011
Bottom Right - Karen Walker S/S 2011

It's ShoeTime!

To mark the launch of London Fashion Week, Selfridges opened its new Shoe Gallery last week. Oooh, the excitement of having approximately 55,000 pairs of shoes in stock set within 'apartments' from designers such as Louboutin, Chanel , Prada as well as high street brands is more excitement than one can take in an afternoon. It would be like the old cliche..opening a large box of chocolates and which to taste first. My advice, ladies would be to search for a certain style of shoe. After a ten year hiatus, the pointy kitten heel is back with a vengeance and its the shoe that ticks all the trend direction boxes of the season. Sixties inspired, ladylike with a nod and a wink to the popular MadMen style. Coming down a couple of heel inches does wonders for the legs too. Calves have had to endure a few years of those darn 'Extreme' heels with their heavy platforms, strapping and bandaging ,adding extra pressure to reveal, as in some cases ugly, chunky muscles. A neat little 7 cm heel will just give enough lift to a sexy leg and won't have you walking like and extra from Michael Jackson's Thriller video. If time and money wont allow you to browse and buy from Selfridges shoe heaven emporium then find these styles from vintage vendors. There's lots to be had from this shoe genre as was the sixties was a popular time for mass production in fashion and accessories. That's where I'll be looking for a mid heel pump with a bow until I can get my hands on Isabel Marant's suede Poppy pump.
Pictures
Top right - Giambattista Valli two-tone satin pump A/W 10
Top Left - Topshop camel patent sling back kitten heel
Bottom Right -This season's Isabel Marant's suede Poppy shoe
Top Left