Getting big in 2009

Dan Black's first single 'Yours' is pretty amazing, he sounds a bit like Thom Yorke messing around with Beck on a drum machine, stick some Prince in there too. Hailing from Paris, Dan used to be the leadsinger in indie band The Servant (me neither). So you know the deal, unsigned DIY, cuts his own hair, probably make his own clothes (last two have no factual grounding). His cover of Notorious BIG track Hypnotize was much hyped across the blogosphere with Perez Hilton going bonkers for Black.

He's going to be massive in 2009, check his myspace

Photo of the day

Something American for Thanksgiving - Vivian Girls

Coming straight out of nowhere and exploding all over the scene are Vivian Girls, ok, so they come from Brooklyn and they are being massively hyped in the UK right now. They are playing the Windmill on Brixton Hill in London town before heading over to Vice's pub The Old Blue Last on 2nd December and 3rd respectively.

I hate it when people describe music as shoe gazey so I'm just not going to do it, imagine a more lo fi Sleater Kinney with a 60s edge and razor sharp Brooklyn vocals - oh and chuck in a bit of Jesus And Mary Chain. Sound amazing? See you at the Old Blue Last...

Check them out on myspace

Favourite purchase of the last 24hours

A.P.C pyjamas from the fabulous but sadly not around for much longer Shop at Maison Bertaux

Late of the Pier party

Designer of the Year - Luella Bartley

Another NLYM favourite triumphed at the British Fashion Awards - Luella Bartley picked up the Designer of the Year Award. Any regular readers will be aware of how much I love Luella - I popped into the shop on Monday just to cheer myself up - she inspires me with her use of colour and pattern as well as being one of the most influential designers in terms of setting trends on the High Street in the last year.

A former fashion journo for Dazed and Vogue, Luella Bartley launched her first collection in 1999, she opened her UK flagship store last year on Brook Street.

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR: Luella Bartley, presented by Alexandra Shulman

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FASHION DESIGN: Stephen Jones, presented by Erin O'Connor

ACCESSORY DESIGNER: Rupert Sanderson, presented by Roisin Murphy
Also nominated: Jonathan Kelsey, Lara Bohinc

MENSWEAR DESIGNER: Christopher Bailey for Burberry, presented by Alex James
Also nominated: Paul Smith, Richard James

MODEL OF THE YEAR: Jourdan Dunn
Also nominated: Agyness Deyn, Lily Donaldson

RED CARPET DESIGNER: Matthew Williamson, presented by Emilia Fox
Also nominated: Giles Deacon, Stella McCartney

SPECIAL AWARD FOR BESPOKE: Richard James, presented by Lord Coe and Jeremy Langmead

ISABELLA BLOW AWARD FOR FASHION CREATOR: Tim Walker, presented by David Furnish
Also nominated: Pat McGrath, Terry Jones

DESIGNER BRAND: Jimmy Choo, presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Also nominated: Agent Provocateur, Paul Smith

SWAROVSKI EMERGING TALENT AWARD ACCESSORIES: Nicholas Kirkwood, presented by Claudia Schiffer and Jefferson Hack
Also nominated: Charlotte Olympia, Anna Vince

SWAROVSKI EMERGING TALENT AWARD READY TO WEAR: Louise Goldin, presented by Claudia Schiffer and Jefferson Hack
Also nominated: Danielle Scutt, Felder Felder

Well done Jourdan

The rather fabulous Jourdan Dunn has been awarded with Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. The 19 year old was spotted by a scout for Storm model agency whilst shopping in Primark's Hammersmith branch two years ago. You will recognise Dunn from the Topshop campaign, the cover of last month's British Vogue, covers of Pop / i-D / Italian Vogue.

In a period in which the fashion industry has been criticised for not using black models, Jourdan is a breath of fresh air. She was the first black model to walk down the runway for Prada in 10 years, since Naomi Campbell.

Simone Shailes for Topshop

Having just graduated from the MA Knitwear course at London's St Martin's College, Simone Shailes has already got herself a collaboration with Topshop. The high street chain will be recreating her graduate collection for their stores, according to Shailes the knitwear has the look and feel of fur coats, she accessorises with denim and big boots for a bold brash look. This is the first time Topshop has worked in this way, ie recreating a graduate collection for the high street and its a bold move for the brand who are proving themselves to be as fashion forward as anyone else out there right now.

The collection hit the shops on Thursday and here's a peek at what you can purchase from this upcoming designer







Photos from Dazed Digital

Sad news

Its with a heavy heart that I share the news of Shop at Maison B's closing down sale with you all. My favourite shop in London by far, Shop at Maison Bertaux stocks APC / Eley Kishimoto / Obey / Vivienne Westwood / Sonia Rykiel and more.

My favourite purchases have come from Shop at Maison B including my Sonia Rykiel bow hat, APC Sailor dress and top, APC winter coat, Eley Kishimoto green dress with heart pocket - oh so much more.

Where will I shop now?? Any London people who can help me out with alternative APC/Sonia Rykiel/Eley Kishimoto stockists would be much appreciated, net-a-porter scares me!

In the meantime haul ass down to the shop for their closing sale, its going to be amazing

In love with structure

The Reiss lookbook has just made me wish I could afford to step foot in the shop more often and be grown up enough style wise to rock a good tailored trouser.

Here are some of my favourite looks.

These trousers cost £110 and totally rock my world


This jacket and dress combination is perfect for winter parties, the jacket is £79, which is not bad for Reiss, of course if it was £80 I would be shocked - oh the psychology of pricing!


I can't tell you how much I love this dress a £175 its quite pricey


Out of the lookbook and into the online store

The dress you could never get dirty - £159


The 'Mist' skirt is a real party piece


The 'Minerva' top is great too


Oh Reiss, one day I will sashay through your doors and buy whatever I want

ASOS RED

I won a competition on ASOS.com - I don't usually enter competitions so was quite surprised when I won. The brief was to detail trends for next season, which I did - pastels, 80s head ties and ripped denim teamed with rock band tee shirts. The prize was an invite to ASOS' next season showcase and the opportunity to pick out an item of my choice.

The clothes looked good, lots of structured bodice type affairs, 50s style dresses with floral prints. The shoes were sky high and chunky. I picked out a brown pair of ankle boots with studs around the toe, can't wait for them to arrive in February!

Anyways, I was speaking to some of the designers at ASOS and they told me about Asos Red, which I previously hadn't heard of. Red is a section on the website that they refer to as the 'TX Maxx' side of ASOS. I had a scout around and picked out some of my favourite bargains....

Terry De Havilland Strap Ankle Boot down from £2100 - now £140


La Roq Wet Look top now £58


Manoush bib front top down from £144 now £78


Just Cavalli U Ruch Bustier down from £130 now £85


Ok, so I like a lot of black at the moment but what the hell, love the FC top too

Cupcake Pendant from Galibardy

Today's favorite thing and its only £18

Steven Meisel too racy for Vogue

So word on the street is that Italian Vogue have refused to publish Steven Meisel's latest shoot because it's 'verging on pornography' - weird. The inspiration behind the shoot was the UK's dogging phenomenon, V Magazine have snapped up the shoot instead and yes, its racy indeed.


Phot from NYMag.com

Goth lips please

Now, would sequins from the market have the same affect?

Ms Moss has still got it

Shot from Chinese Vogue...

Get thrifty

My friends and I have heard loads about the East End Thrift Store, so much so that the other day we got super dressed up and decided to head down to the store and check out what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out like that as, having popped into the pub for a spot of lunch at 1pm, we ended up vacating said drinking session at 2am. So last Saturday I decided to go along by myself.

Tucked away on a side street of East London's Whitechapel, the East End Thrift Store is laid out similarly to Beyond Retro but in a smaller warehouse space. According to the sign, many outfits are under £10 but of course I was drawn to more expensive items, why does that always happen huh?

Something that really impressed me about the EETS was the fact that, unlike Beyond Retro, they have a tailor i the shop to alter your clothes for you. How often do you fall in love with a vintage dress that is too long / has a baggy bit? It happens to me all the time and I am always convinced that I'll take it to the tailor shop and get it altered. I never do it.

So lets get down to the nitty gritty, the clothes. The selection is not as big as Beyond Retro but the layout makes it easier to navigate if you hate rooting around for hours at a time.

Plus, when a big new shipping comes in the East End Thrift Store throw parties with free booze!!

Brand New All Star Lanes

I popped along to the opening of Brick Lane's brand new All Star Lanes opening last week. For those not in the know, All Star Lanes is London's 50s style boutique bowling experience where you can get yourself dinner and a bowling session.

Brick Lane is the third All Star Lanes to open in London and is absolutely huge! Housed in the Old Truman Brewery on the corner of Quaker Street i East London's famous Brick Lane, ASL has both public and private lanes as well as a diner style restaurant and kitcheonette.

The opening was loads of fun, the boy and I were treated to free cocktails - 8 Balls / Caiparinha / red things that I cant remember the name of (I think I had too many). The canapes were ACE, mini sausage rolls, mini burgers (of course), pumpkin tartlets, salmon mini bagels and so much more.

Plus, check out the staff outfits! The girls looked brilliant, with 50's quiffs and big bows.


Check out the shoe collection point and shop, so retro


Finally, check out those lanes....

Agent Provocateur Party

Last night I followed the Sw**r party with some Agent Provocateur fun by attending their 'Pirate' show at Koko in Camden. There were lots of familiar faces there so it turned out to be a fun night indeed.

The night was sound tracked by Mick Jones from The Clash's new band who were joined by both Bobby Gillespie and Siobhan Fahey but not at the same time. Alice Dellal was the star model of the show and really worked it, she looked brilliant, you can tell she's totally the life and soul of the party.

The models had amazing hair dos by James Brown, apparently it was pretty labour intensive and involved lots of hairspray, good job he makes the stuff.

The collection featured some pvc stockings, which I fell totally in love with, even though there would be have to be a lot of talc administered to get into them

Do you swear?

I've had a pretty full on week, hence the sporadic postings, last night I went to the Sw**r shoes launch for their 'Greatest Hits' a look book of rock n roll imagery featuring some of London's hottest up and coming bands. Images are shot in black and white by Mattia Zoppellaro showcasing some of the shoes they have in their capsule collection.

I caught Stricken City playing live at the launch and they rocked my socks as always. Here is a photo of the lovely Rebekaa Raa from Stricken City that appears in Sw**rs Greatest Hits...other bands involved in the project include S.C.U.M, Comanechi and Twisted Charm amongst more.

Strike a pose

I love reading Vogue, I read it cover to cover every month and particularly love this month's Fashion Fantasy shoot featuring Gareth Pugh, Fred Butler and loads more. I do hoard magazines, much to my boyfriend's chargrin but the look and feel and Vogue just brings me so much happiness. Sounds gushy doesn't it!

How to do tailoring

from Garance Dore

Dreaming of a Pugh Christmas

Gareth Pugh has designed a Christmas Tree for the Westfield and Oxford Street Topshop stores, the tree is 2.8 metres tall featuring 60 neon tubes.

He says:

This neon tree is my interpretation of the traditional Christmas tree shape, putting a super-slick and modern edge to it," the designer explains. "Neon was an obvious choice for me, linking it both to the aesthetic of the Moët & Chandon room I designed at London Fashion Week in September, and the set of my debut show in Paris for spring/summer 2009."
"I think the simple melding of tradition and modernity aptly suits the mood at the moment; we are all looking to a brighter future."

I wonder if he'll make a small one for my living room...

Brand new New Sins Vid

The video for the new single Feelings Have Changed by The New Sins (Lou Hayter from New Young Pony Club). The video was directed and styled by the lovely Nova Danda, pretty ace for her directing debut. Lou is wearing clothes from Nova's new collection too so do check it out.

Stole that picture from Nova's blog

Get yourself down to Hoxton Boutique

I'm sorry, what???

Leona on the cover of i-D??

Really though??

Happy Socks...

I love getting post, probably because I don't often get any fun stuff as my postbox is seemingly reserved for bills. However, this morning I received a package from Happy Socks the Swedish sock company.



Made from combed cotton, Happy Socks' aim is to give the world a 'mood boost with a blast of colour', the campaign shots were done by Loyal Magazine's Kristian Bergtsson and look like Sigur Ros styling an American Apparel shoot.

Here's a selection of my favourite designs from the website:







At 7 Euros a pair HS are definitely onto a winner...

Let's talk make up

I don't know about you but I am not very adventurous when it comes to applying my make up, its liquid eyeliner, red lippy and pink cheeks generally. However, I am definitely booking myself in for a make up lesson with the amazing artistes at Illamasqua after spending about three hours on the website!

You may have read about Illumasqua in the new edition of Vogue, here is the blurb from the website...they put it so much more eloquently than I ever could...

Illamasqua is the product of a heady mix of influences. Its roots stem from the dark and illicit 1920s club scene and combines a rich heritage in the manufacture of make-up for film and theatre. It also takes inspiration from members of the ‘alternative scenes’ for whom self-expression is paramount. Alternative cultures have always dared to be dramatic. They have an emotional attachment to making up. It’s an expression of their darker side, a release for their alter ego.

Illamasqua is for the bolder person hiding inside all of us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncracies. A confident statement of self-ownership.

The art team is headed up by Alex Box, who was omnipresent on the Boombox scene, she also is responsible for the make up at Gareth Pugh's shows. The other two members are Anja Huwe and David Vanian (leadsinger of The Damned)

Now don't go thinking that this range is a contender for shelve space at your local Boots next to Rimmel, oh no. The make up has been developed by stage and screen make up artists alongside regular make up artists and intended to be intense and long lasting.

Their collections include

1920s Berlin


Fantasy


Noir


Romance


My personal favourite has to be 1920s Berlin I think. Noir is very Grace Jones don't you think? Plus the trench in the Romance piccy is hot

There are instructional make up videos on the website hosted by Alex Box, I started watching them and was transfixed, not stopping until I'd seen them ALL. The red lipstick video is my favourite, who would have thought to use an eyebrow brush on your cupid's bow? The lipstick is called Box and Alex's black tipped nails are to die for too.

The photo below if from the launch of Illamasqua, I just love the girl with the red lip's look.


I'm a bit obsessed aren't I? I should stop talking now, ok.

Currently Selfrdiges on Oxford Street are stocking the brand and offering one hour make up lessons for £20 (redeemable on products) or if you want a 30 minute transformation they are offering this pre night out for £10, which is also redeemable.