Chanel Pre-Fall 2012 Collection

Karl Lagerfeld created some absolutely beautiful ensembles with his presentation of a Paris-Indian fusion that is the Chanel Pre-Fall 2012 Collection showcased at the  Paris-Bombay Métiers d'Art show a few weeks ago.


Rich, luxurious fabrics and elaborate accessorising and embellishments produced such opulence. 
I have a great appreciation of the intricate details in this collection, along with the combination of textures, the mixing of metallic colours and general grandeur of each piece. 
Little  commentary is needed as the creations  definitely speak for themselves..

Images courtesy of style.com

Sparkle, Shimmer and Shine - Fabulous Festive Looks

Well that time of year is upon us, once again...Christmas! And hasn't it spun around rather rapidly this year?!


Are you slightly anxious about what to wear for all the Christmas and New Year Dos that are happening?! Well, I have selected some on-trend pieces to give you ideas on what to wear for this party season along with some tips on accessorising and dressing for your shape.

It really is all about maximising on the glam this festive season! Sequins, beading and glitter in abundance and this is the time of year when you can go completely over the top and get away with it! After all, its tradition, right? What's more, the catwalk sparkles massively this season, with designers such as Dolce and Gabbana leading the way:

Dolce and Gabbana A/W '11

Now, if you really want to shine (literally!) at the Christmas Do this year, then opt for the ultimate statement dress - a fully sequined number, like the two featured below. 
Team with contrasting but complimentary coloured accessories that also contain hints of the colour of the dress or chosen footwear to pull the outfit together cohesively.
But you can also, alternatively, just let the dress speak for itself and keep accessories to a minimum. 

(left to right, anti-clockwise) River Island gold,full length, sequinned dress, Aldo green siaperas, Topshop deco embellished clutch,  Dune champagne platform court,  Kurt Geiger bejewelled black sandals, French Connection cobalt blue sequinned, cap-sleeved dress, Topshop beaded clutch.


Are you tall with super-long legs and a slim frame? Then maybe go for a dress like the gold-sequined full-length River Island gown (as above). Do you possess an enviable curvaceous figure - particularly voluptuous hips? Then you can "rock" a dress like the French Connection cobalt blue which is structured to be fitted to show off that hour-glass shape whilst still keeping it chic.


Notice the similarities between the High Street River Island ensemble and the Dolce and Gabbana gown:

Optimum glitz: Right: Dolce and Gabbana. Left: River Island. 

Metallics are also all the rage this season so experiment with mixing textures using other on-trend fabrics such as fur, velvet and leather with your chosen metallic piece for an edgy, "glam rock" look. Fur is always a great way to bring in some háute couture:

Left to right, anti-clokwise: Topshop velvet gold studded corset, Topshop silver metallic pleated skirt, Zara patchwork sandals, Topshop Premium white square earrings, Warehouse flower double Alice band, Zara metallic dress

Whatever your outfit of choice this season, ensure that you carry it off with grace, individuality and class.


Happy holidays!

Vogue's Online Fashion Week - Chanel Party Beauty Video

Make-Up Giant Chanel have shot a short video for the second day (today!) of Vogue's Online Fashion Week 2011 with ambassador Kate Montano sharing tips on how to look after winter skin, creating the perfect party looks and festive glamour along with Red Carpet make-up "cheats" using Chanel products. Enjoy....

Chanel Party Beauty Video - CLICK HERE

Oh Beyoncé! You are beautiful, but where are your clothes, my dear?!

I was one of the millions of viewers, undoubtedly, who was intently watching ITV's "An audience with Beyoncé"  last night.
It has to be said, the girl's really been blessed with some raw talent. Her stage presence and commitment to her performances is unparalleled and as a fellow singer, I do also appreciate her incredible, effortless vocal ability.

However, I have a a little gripe with our friend Bey, I'm afraid, and that is her apparent increasing desire to be "scantily clad"! A particular example being the ridiculously risqué embellished catsuit (below) that she donned on the stage during last night's performance. The design and flesh-coloured fabric was very blatantly structured to make her appear to be almost naked (tut-tut), with just a few sequins and diamontés strategically placed to partially conceal her modesty.
Suffice to say, there was almost nothing left to the imagination. 
Beyoncé has a fantastic body with covetable curves in all of the right places, but some of them should really just be for Jay-Z's eyes only.



The revealing catsuit, ITV performance

Here's another "barely there" (and trés tacky) outfit that Beyoncé rocked back in 2009:



MTV Music Awards 2009 - Red corset and suspenders...really, Bey? Oh, this is very disappointing! 

It seems to be all the rage for artists to parade in next to nothing whilst gyrating erotically across the stage - Rihanna is an avid believer in this, as is JLo, Lady Gaga and even our Kelly Rowland appears to have jumped on that bandwagon. These are all attractive and beautiful women who have no need to strip off in order to be viewed as such.

"But it's a stage outfit and she's an artist..", I hear you say. But is that ever really a viable excuse to be indecently exposed? I ask you: does a breast or derrière cease to be what it is just because it is being displayed on a stage as opposed to the street?

What is of paramount concern is that these artists are essentially "role models" to the impressionable young girls of today who hold them in high esteem. They are being conditioned to believe that there are no boundaries when it comes to attire and sadly will desire to emulate this type of tacky dress-sense.

It is not my wish to come across as self-righteous but I am expressing these views in the hope of stimulating thought and encouraging modesty.

One of my mottos that I have in regards to fashion and displaying dignity and class that I would like to share is this: you can be appealing without revealing.
Don't subscribe to the lie, ladies - less is definitely NOT more and certainly not at the expense of your dignity.

On the flip side, and in the spirit of striking a balance in this argument,  here are some images of Beyoncé where she looks postively stunning, classy....and fully dressed!

Milan Fashion Week - S/S 2012 - Gucci Blazer Beauties

"Ok, so I seriously just want absolutely EVERYTHING I see..!!" - My first thoughts whilst intently watching the Gucci S/S '12 Fashion Show from Milan Fashion Week on Vogue this week. 

The blazers, in particular, were blazing! (Sorry, a tad cheesy, I know!)

I have a thing for blazers at the moment, I tend to go through these little phases where I must have as many as I can possibly get my hands on of one particular fashion item- in varying versions, of course! 

A couple of months ago it was all things leopard print (although I had to curb that desire after a few weeks as it was just getting ridiculous!)

For the present moment, the collarless, cropped blazers and jackets are really drawing me in!

These were prominent on the Gucci catwalk for S/S '12, with splashes of embellishments to add some spice!

I'm sure it can be unanimously agreed that Frida Giannini was "right on the money" with these designs - they are just beautiful:

I love the strong structure with straight lines and the "sculptural glamour".

These blazers are perfect for angular shaped upper bodylines.

Now, where's my credit card...!

"Testing, Testing..."

Recently, it's been all about the hustle. You see, as an emerging creative, you have to be able to network effectively and be proactive about seeking opportunities for the furtherance of your career. Well, I have been doing just that! Building on the momentum of the V&A Event (Afropolitans) that I styled at, I've recently collaborated with some photographers, designers and other creatives on various projects.  One of these was a Test Shoot where I worked with a fantastic photographer named Lucy Eleanor Brown for the mutual development of our portfolios.

So, a couple of sunny Sunday afternoons ago, I traipsed over to Bank, London - my Stylist suitcase in tow - where our location shoot would take place.
The theme of the shoot was edgy, urban with a chic twist and I'd managed to"pull" some really cool and unusual pieces that I thought would work well and fitted with the concept. I was excited about unleashing my creativity!

The end result was fab! The model - Charlie Jackson (formerly with Storm Model Management) was fantastic and extremely photogenic (as you will see below). She really had that special "something" and contributed massively to the success of the shoot.

We were all pleased with the outcome and I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project!

More to come..watch this space!

For the full collection of images from this shoot, please visit my Portfolio page.



 

Style File: Victoria Beckham - Pregnant And Still Prim!

It has to be mentioned: Victoria Beckham does look pretty good in her pregnancy! She seems to have had a fortunate escape from signs of swollen ankles, bloatedness, skin break-outs or any other horrid ways that the body can sometimes alter during those 9 months of having a "bun in the oven" - much to her relief, I'm sure.
What's more, her wardrobe doesn't appear to have altered much either during her pregnancy - no frumpy floral maternity dresses or detestable dungarees for this singer turned fashion designer. In fact she has managed to maintain her impeccable style with ease throughout her pregnancy and be as consistent as ever with churning out one stylish outfit after the other. Clearly, the nonchalance with maintaining a great appearance due to the exhaustion of pregnancy is completely alien to Victoria. But hey, would we really expect anything less from this style icon who is reknowned for her efforts to always look her pristine best?!
Here's some of her latest "get-up":


I love this structured jacket - the silk lapelle and broad shoulder detail adds interest and is great for those with narrow shoulders. She has teamed it perfectly with the over-sized clutch.

 

Don't you just love that little rectangular bag? Very versatile.
I need to get myself a pair of skinny leather trousers!

 

There's just so much I like about the first outfit - the woollen jumper dress: the loose-fit and how comfortable and easy it is to wear. Also the fantastic way that she has accessorised the dress with that lovely scarf in a low-contrast colour (thumbs up!), the suede ankle boots (absolutely fab!) and tote bag. This dress is a good option for slim, angular or cuvacious (slim) body types alike and is great for the AW 11 wardrobe!
The leather trim on that casual LBD (second image) adds a touch of pizzazz to what would otherwise be a very plain dress, and again, those great ankle boots.. Love!

This is quite inspiring and I hope to look equally as good when I am pregnant!



Afropolitans - V&A Museum

Last Friday was truly the highlight of my Fashion Styling career thus far and I find that I am actually still slightly overwhelmed by how amazing an experience it was!  Ok, so let me explain: I was invited to come on board as the Lead Stylist for a fashion installation at an event called Friday Night Late: Afropolitans, which was held at the prestigious V&A Museum, London.
It was an evening exploring African photography, fashion, style and identity in celebration of the exhibition Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography.

I had the pleasure of collaboratively working with the Show Producer - the lovely Minna Salami (MsAfropolitan) and Ola Shobowale, who was  the Creative Director and host of the show.

I was absolutely thrilled and very honoured when Minna called me, one evening, to ask me to be a part of this fantastic project.  It was great to throw ideas around with her and Ola and be involved with organising certain logistics.
As Lead Stylist, my role, in particular, was mainly to liaise with the MUAs, hair stylists, the shoe sponsor, my assistant etc and brief them on the concept for the outfits and make-up that Minna had chosen. 

I therefore put together a style board and make-up concept board (below) which provided a useful visual aid for the MUAs and hair stylists and made it easier to share with them the looks that she wanted to create:

Afropolitan Style Board

Make-Up concept board

On the day of the event, I was almost ready to combust with excitement!

It was my first experience of having so much freedom to be as creative as I pleased and put together outfits using beautiful pieces from talented African designers: Eki Orleans, KemKem Studio, Duro Oluwo, Chichia London, Beatrice K Newman, Bestow Elan, Tiffany Amber and many others.

Accessories were by Bianou, Hayley Kruger et al and the fantastic shoes were kindly lent to us by Mosaic.

The requisite purpose of the Afropolitan fashion installation was to harness and display the essence of African beauty, elegance and splendour. 

So my whole aim was to do my best to fulfill that by enhancing the model's natural beauty by creating a variety of outfits teamed with accessories to suit their body-shape, height and complexion. I wanted to ensure, above all, that each model looked strikingly beautiful, distinguished and somewhat endearingly unusual in order to ultimately emphasise the uniqueness of the beauty of African women .

Compounded with this, Minna and I also discussed creating original and eccentric looks that the ordinary woman would not necessarily wear, which I believe I managed to pull off!

Here is a taster of the finished products:

KemKem Studio (left)

Beatrice K Newman

Eki Orleans

Chichia London (jacket) and Zebra (trousers)

Beatrice K Newman

Neckpiece by Bianou (left)

Headpiece by Hayley Kruger

The Kora player - Jally Kebba Susso. Models strutted down the catwalk to his renditions

Some of the Designers: (l-r) Hazel of Eki Orleans, Christina of Chichia London and Erzumah of Bestow Elan and MUA Misha Terret-Njie

Myself with Shingai Shoniwa from the Noisettes (centre) and models

Dream team: myself, Minna Salami (Show Producer) [middle] and Ola Shobowale (Creative Director).

[I will aim to add a few backstage shots as soon as I can!] For more catwalk images, please see my Styling Portfolio.

What an amazing event it turned out to be! The response and turn-out was incredible, so much more than we anticipated! The Raphael Gallery where it was held was completely full to capacity, to the point where, unfortunately, some were unable to enter!

We have received rave reviews and there have been requests for us to recreate a similar event at some stage..so watch this space!





[Images courtesy of Photographer Rob Sheppard - www.robsheppard.com ]