Marni at H&M

I love Marni.  Always have.  The prints.  The colours. The clashes.  Love it all.  Especially the shoes.

Exhbit No.1 - my fave Marni shoes:

Exhtibit No.2 - my second fave Marni shoes:

So I'm totally overexcited about the newly announced Marni collaboration with H&M, coming to stores and online next Spring, date to be confirmed.

What do you think? Will you be buying into the high street version of Marni? Or are all those prints and colours too much for you to bear?

Happy Trick 'n' Treating!

Spooky ghosts, vile vampires, dusty cobwebs.... yes, it's that time of year again!

And this is how I'll be doing my eyes tomorrow night....

Here's what I WON'T be wearing!!!

What's your Halloween get-up this year?

Happy Trick and Treating 

xxx

A little R&R with the girls.....

And here's where I'll stayed....

The Box

You simply can't turn over a showbiz page without seeing a picture of some celeb or young royal falling out of of-the-moment uber-trendy club The Box.

So when I was invited there to the launch of the amazing new skin perfecting balm Nanoblur (which you can read about here), you can bet I didn't hesitate.

Famously The Box allows no photography AT ALL, even during a private party or launch, so I just sneaked a few photos in when I thought no-one was looking, but the big man came over and told me off, pronto!

I'll have to learn to be a little more surreptitious with the camera next time!

Street Style

Many's the time I've gone up to a perfect stranger on the street to inquire where her lustworthy shoes are from, but never before have I asked someone if I could take a photo of her look. 


But standing outside Harrods one morning waiting for it to open, I couldn't not ask. I just loved this lady's look from top to toe.  Admittedly, it was the shoes that drew my attention at first (it was ever thus!) but her whole ensemble was just so stylish yet so effortless that I just had to! 

And wouldn't you know it.... She works in fashion! 

Shoes: Lanvin
Bag: Balenciaga
Jacket: Chanel
Top: Vanessa Bruno
Fashion week bag:  Mary Katranzou A/W 2011

Prêt à Portea at the Berkeley

Given that we are in the middle of London Fashion Week, it seemed only fitting to take tea at The Berkeley Hotel and partake of their highly acclaimed Prêt à Portea.  

So, with a group of like minded girls, we descended en masse for an afternoon of designer tea blends, chi-chi sandwiches and mountains of cakes and biscuits. But not just any cakes and biscuits. Oh no. 

Each little cake, biscuit and delicacy is a replica of or inspired by a famous designer label's key piece from the current collection. So, the bikini biscuit is Miu Miu, the structured handbag is a Victoria Beckham design and the striped little cake is inspired by a Roger Vivier zebra print shoe. All just so darling! 

Teas were fabulous blends such as Vanilla, Pear & Caramel (my favourite) and the Berkeley blend. Sandwiches included tuna, cucumber and cream cheese (how English) and smoked salmon. Savouries were an amazing array of canapés including quinoa in a mini-artichoke cup, asian marinated beef and a very delicious lobster in a sushi roll. 

The stars of the show were undeniably the sweet treats. A melon juice amuse bouche with a chilli kick as it went down was very popular. The marzipan fruit figures drew gasps as did the  bikini and dress biscuits and the Beckham bag. It was almost a shame to eat it..... But we managed to, all the same!  

The refills just kept on coming till we were all fit to burst, but just in case we hadn't really eaten our fill, we each took home a little doggy bag to munch on later. 

A lovely way to spend a couple of hours with friends, and a definite must-do for small celebrations with close friends. 

My Style... in Monaco

Monte Carlo... A living, breathing catwalk!

Long overdue - but here is a small selection of the outfits I wore for the fabulous wedding last month in Monaco.  There are more, but I didn't want this to look like it's my holiday album!  (Those of you on Twitter will have seen them - and the missing ones too -  so if you're not into repetition, then look away now!)

TopShop dress, Louboutin shoes

Issa dress, BV Clutch, Brian Atwood shoes (under the table!)

Missoni playsuit, Louboutin sandals

Alice + Olivia dress, BV clutch, Louboutin shoes

Young Fabulous and Brok playsuit, DVF flip-flops

Rachel Gilbert dress, BV clutch, Philippe Auibert bracelet, YSL Tributes

Missoni dress, HTC belt, Louboutin sandals, Primark hat, 

Monaco, here I come!

Yes, my lovelies, it's been an inordinately long time since I posted here, and it's about time I did, so here I am.  My thoughts are all about the clothes, shoes, bags and jewellery - you know, all that important stuff!!

I've spent the whole day packing for a four-day trip to Monaco for what promises to be an amazing wedding, and never before have I put so much thought into what I'm going to wear.  Literally from top to toe, I've had to organise more than thirteen outfits, including the bags, the shoes, the belts, the jewellery - each and every minute detail - it's almost like styling for a magazine shoot.

I'll post the outfits here over the next few days - I'll welcome your comments :)

Maharini Resort Wear

London life seems to be full of lunches and dinners interspersed with exhibitions (for which read 'sale') for a variety of things, ranging from homewares, jewelry, shawls and clothing.  Invariably organised by ladies who lunch for other ladies who lunch, it's all too easy to get a little jaded by the onslaught of invitations for these 'exhibitions', but for some reason I was really excited to be asked to attend a ladies tea party held to introduce the new label, Maharini.  And with good cause, it turned out.

The buzz in the swish apartment in London's Mayfair as I walked in to the venue was nothing compared to the excitement generated by the clothes hanging nonchalantly on the rails.  This first collection by Jag Gill, ex-banker, raised so many ooh's and aaah's that you would think George Clooney had just walked into the room!

Little dresses with wrap around skirts in the finest of silks, graphic and digital prints on long flowing maxis, sequined kaftans just perfect for throwing on over a bikini in St Tropez and mad harem pants perfect for cocktail hour - it was all here.

Just a little something I couldn't resist.... 

There were queues to get into the changing room, queues to get a chance to try on clothes already being tried on and queues to speak to Jag.  For a first foray into designing a capsule collection, I think it's safe to say it was well received!

Yumi Press Day

Sometimes a day full of madness and frustration can have a little ray of light tucked away - you just have to look for it. 

At present, I've got my head full of preparations for my new TV show, a ten-part series all about beauty, which I'll write more about very soon! So the days are full of phone calls, emails, meetings and more phone calls. 

A quick meeting with my stylist Nasima found me at the Yumi press day for a fly-by visit where I saw lots of pretty, sixties-inspired dresses and cute cardies that I've now got my eye on. 

And as we left, the lovely PR handed me a great big bag with so many goodies in there that I just had to share them with you! (not literally, although you never know!)

Chocolates, skincare, soap-on-a-rope, more chocolate and soooooo much more...what's not to love?

It's all just so.... Cute! 

Are you offended by this swimsuit?

Photos: Getty

We've had the burning of the books in the streets when Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses was published, we've had the fatwas when the un-pc cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (saw) were published in the Danish newspaper and now we have the Australian flag being burnt in the streets of India.

Photo: Reuters

What is the cause of this outrage?

During Australian Fashion Week, models were sent down the catwalk wearing swimsuits and bikinis covered in pictures of of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi in front of an audience of hundreds.

Such was the outrage in India that demonstrators in Amritsar took to the streets and burned the Australian flag in protest along with photos of the clothing that they found offensive.

For those who don't know, Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, fertility and courage - in other words, she is highly revered, not to be mocked and certainly not to the strewn all over a holiday swimsuit.

The Australian fashion house responsible, Lisa Blue Swimwear, has apologised and production of the particular line has been stopped, saying, "This range will never be available for sale in any stockists or retail outlets anywhere in the world.  We apologise to the Hindu community....at no time would we ever have intended that the brand would cause offence".

This is not the first fashion faux pas made by the esoteric fashion world when it comes to Indian gods.....anyone remember the Ganesh Guess Tank tops or the Lord Rama Minelli shoes?

While I'm not Hindu myself,  I suppose I am a little offended by it.  I just don't see why any designer would take the risk of using any religious image on their garments.  Aren't there enough other images, visuals and prints that they could harness before risking the wrath of the world's great religions?  I'm not into curtailing freedom of speech, but where do we draw the line?

Or is it that all publicity is good publicity?  I''m sure I'd heard of Lisa Blue but it wasn't never top of my mind when I thought about swimwear, but now, even though this design will never see the light of day in retail stores, the name is definitely one I won't forget.

What do you think? Are you offended by this swimsuit?  Would you have worn it, if you had been given the chance?

Money's too tight.....NEVER!!!!

So it's finally happened.  I've been put on a spending ban.  No more shoes, bags or dresses for a while.  Mr Bank Manager was getting worried, called the other half and now I've been rumbled.  Been getting away with it for too long, so can't really complain.

So what did I do? Wore a summery candy-pink Halston dress and Tabitha Simmons snakeskin shoes in defiance!

Yah boo, sucks to you, Mr Bank Manager, you can't cramp my style!

My latest Lust-Have! Brian Atwood Balleto platform sandals

In love..... again!

    

Obviously NOT me, or, sadly, my legs!!!

Are these just the last word in girlie high heels? a whopping 6 inch heel  height, with a 1 inch platform, with little crystals glittering away with every step.  And only £1,430! Bargain!

I sense an over-draft coming on!