It was hardly a glittering star studded red carpet event, but the celebrities who performed and attended last night’s Superbowl XLVI made it an A-list worthy sports event.
Madonna was our celebrity of the night, performing at half time alongside Nicki Minaj. However those hoping to see a little bit of flesh as has become tradition at this event – either purposely or by Janet Jackson accident- would have been disappointed with Madge choosing a short black dress and grey tights to perform.
Nicki Minaj also kept it safe with a patchwork cheerleader style dress and leopard print tights.
Kelly Clarkson added a classic black dress to the performing mix, while over at the stands Meg Ryan went for a leather jacket.
If there is one place we wish we were right now it is New York – and Christie’s – and The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor.
After completing a three month world tour, the iconic collection has now come to its final destination before it is being auctioned off later this month. Among the pieces to be auctioned off are: the sunflower-yellow chiffon dress Taylor wore to her wedding to Richard Burton in 1964, an Andy Warhol lithograph portrait of the iconic Hollywood legend, personal mementoes and stunning jewellery pieces such as the diamond ring gifted to her by Richard.
A display of Old Hollywood glamour and the culture of America, this is an amazing collection that is almost sad to see being split apart.
The collection will be on display at Christie’s New York for ten days from tomorrow, Saturday 3December, before the auctions start on 13 December.
Take a look at some of the gems in the gallery below and visit www.christies.com for more information.
Dress owned by Elizabeth Taylor on display at 'The Collection Of Elizabeth Taylor' auction press preview at Christie's in New York City on December 1, 2011.
Most women dream of owning a designer handbag, but seeing as most of them cost the equivalent of a month’s rent it usually stays just a dream. However, what if I said buying said bag also means that you’d be doing something for a charitable cause…
British fashion model Erin O’Connor is leading the celebrity support of Save the Children’s Christmas ‘Bag to Save a Life’ appeal when it launches tomorrow, Friday 25th November 2011. Erin is joined by other well-known names such as Sienna Miller, Tilda Swinton, Florence Welch, Gemma Arterton, Georgia May Jagger, Annie Lennox and the UK’s Prime Minister’s wife and Save the Children Ambassador, Samantha Cameron to raise funds for the charity’s lifesaving work in the poorest countries.
If you fancy snapping up a bag by the likes of Christian Louboutin, Mulberry, Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, Prada and many more – donated or designed by the lovely celeb ladies previously mentioned – make sure you join in on the online auction from tomorrow on www.savethechildren.org.uk/bagtosave.
Samantha Cameron has donated her Jimmy Choo bag, Sienna Miller a Miu Miu, Tilda Swinton has donated a bag from Chanel AND a bag from Victor & Rolf, while Gemma Arterton has donated a leather patent Prada bag.
If you want to take part in the auction, the starting price will be at around a quarter of the bags’ recommended retail price. You can also donate any unwanted bags you might have laying around at any of the Save the Children stores around the UK to be included into the auction.
The online auction will be live from Friday 25th November to Sunday 4th December 2011.
My my what a pretty Miu Miu (donated by Sienna Miller)
Over the past few years we’ve seen QR codeseverywhere, on food, clothes and evengravestones. Yes, we said gravestones.
Well this Christmas, we’ll be seeing hundreds of them on all kinds of clothes, gifts and furniture items, as online marketplace eBay intends to use them to make shopping even easier in its festive pop-up shop.
The brand is launching a new Christmas boutique in London at the beginning of December, which aims to give stressed shoppers the best of both worlds, the in-store browsing experience with the selection, deals and distinct lack of queuing we’ve become accustomed to online.
The new boutique will stock a range of items and each will have its own unique QR code. Shoppers then use their phones to scan these QR codes to buy without the fuss, queuing, tills and even bags, because once you’ve purchased something it’ll get delivered straight to your door. Goodbye awkward tube journey with 5,487,823 bags and no air!
eBay’s new shopping concept seems like a brilliant idea, it gives us peace of mind that the items we’re buying actually look good in real life and it’s popping up (sorry) just in time for Christmas. However, just like buying things with a store card sometimes doesn’t feel real, buying things by swiping your phone around like you’re a little kid playing shop might not seem real too, so be careful you don’t overdo it.
London’s Victoria and Albert museum is to host an exhibition of some of fashion’s most-famous dresses next year.
Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950 will see dresses worn by the likes of late Diana, Princess of Wales and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sandra Bullock take center stage. With designs dating back to the early fifties, these famous frocks will have been seen on celebrities as they walked the red carpet at film premieres as well as the British Fashion Awards and the Golden Globes.
The exhibition will run from 19 May 2012 to 6 January 2013, and will showcase designs by Dame Vivienne Westwood, the late Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Norman Hartnell. The latter has created pieces for both Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother and the McQueen label was, as we all know, behind the stunning wedding dress worn by Kate Middleton as she joined the royal family in April.
Other dresses in the exhibition include designs worn by Bianca Jagger and Sandra Bullock.
Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 runs from 19 May 2012 – 6 January 2013
Miranda Kerr walks the runway during the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show held at the Lexington Armory in New York City, New York on November 9, 2011.
The 2011 Victoria’s Secret show took place in New York last night, and as expected voluptuous models took to the catwalk to showcase 69 amazing looks (err do we sense a bit of humour by the lingerie brand there..).
Well-known angels – and bodies – like Alessandra Ambrosio and Doutzen Kroes showed they still got it, but all eyes were on Miranda Kerr who strutted her post-baby figure (much to her hubby Orlando Bloom’s delight) in the Fantasy Treasure Bra, which is bejewelled with over $2.5 million worth of diamonds and pearls.
The OTT show reportedly cost a staggering $12 million to produce – quite horrible really when thinking of the tragic state of the European economy – and no expenses were spared to create the costumes.
Guests were treated to performances by Maroon 5 and Nicki Minaj, as well as a surprise appearance by Jay-Z who joined Kanye West on stage.
We’re sooo over the style excitement of Halloween and already can’t wait for this weekend’s firework displays. However, dressing for this event isn’t as easy as it seems.
You want to keep warm, yet stay stylish at the same time, and while the heels are calling, they are hardly practical. Therefore we suggest a casual chic look.
Go for a cutesy themed knitted jumper, which will keep you warm but also give a nod to the night and team up with a pair of skinny jeans or jeggings that can be tucked into flat on-trend knee high boots.
Finish off the look with cute mittens and a hat and a chic parka. See the gallerybelow for our best buys.
Westfield is having a car boot sale with a difference. Returning for its second year, Car Bootique takes the traditional concept of the car boot sale to new heights as some of Westfield’s fashion brands fill up the backs of flashy Mercedes Benzes (no dirty Ford Mondeos on a bit of wasteland for them then).
Taking place from Tuesday September 27 to Sunday 2 October, the event will feature new and one off pieces from brands such as Twenty8Twelve, Coach, Firetrap, French Connection, Biba at House of Fraser, Onitsuka Tiger, Reiss, Ted Baker, and River Island.
There’s also the chance to get yourself a front row seat at Westfield London Shopping Centre’s exclusive fashion shows, on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October as well as enjoy speed grooming with make-up artists. They will be applying their expertise with the latest colour palettes and products and also sharing their beauty top tips.
Like Westfield London on Facebook for the chance to win a car boot filled with £1500 of prizes. Every day for ten days a new prize will appear in the car boot including a TV, Playstation 3, digital camera and more. Plus ten fans will instantly win a £10 Westfield Gift card every day. To enter visit http://www.facebook.com/westfieldlondon
Once again Karl Lagerfeld has sprinkled his magic dust over Fashion Week again, as today’s Fendi show proved to be a kitsch 60s sportswear delight as the designer sent his models down a runway, backdropped by a giant set of baking scales, sporting teased beehives and retro-inspired mini-dresses and jackets.
Only Karl Lagerfeld could take something so completely overused a fashion reference as the 1960s and recreate it in a fresh, modern way – dark, crisp mens’ tweeds and playful coloured sunglasses brought the look up to date, while the leather Fendi satchels and flats gave it that much-needed quirkiness that will appeal to girls like Alexa Chung.
To us, the new Fendi collection was obviously 1960s, but a luxurious, wealthy European 1960s in which every beautiful girl drives a white scooter and lunches in Milan every day. The main palette of crisp whites, blacks and greys in stiff silhouettes gave it a classic feel, but clever Lagerfeld stopped things from becoming too mature with coloured leather sandals and gleaming gold details on the buttons and cuffs.
Eventually sporty, playful sun-dresses and separates made way for eveningwear, which was a sleek, shimmering selection of black dresses and jumpsuits which glittered with incredibly pretty silver embellishments, sequin collars and iridescent fringing that gleamed as the garments moved. Absolutely stunning.
You can absolutely tell that Karl Lagerfeld is behind this collection, even without his trademark tweeds and textiles that we always see on the Chanel runways – the sharp silhouettes, the flirty and kitsch set-up of the baking scales behind the catwalk, the giant oversized eyewear – all pure Lagerfeld. I wonder what he’ll have to show us in Paris?
Sexy was definitely on the menu yesterday at Milan Fashion Week as the fashion house Alberta Ferretti showed us their latest offering of panelled cocktail dresses, skirts and trench coats.
We couldn’t help noticing that, like Gucci’s show before Ferretti’s, there was a bit of a 1920s vibe going on in the drop-waisted, free-flowing dresses that we saw in virginal white, juicy coral and tropical colours and smoky greys and blacks.
Unlike the sleek, shiny finish on the garments at the Gucci show, however, the new Alberta Ferretti had a more summery laid-bck vibe to it, with pajama-style lounge trousers and tropical prints in the place of more austere tailored styles.
There’s a definite new hair and make-up trend that we saw on the show that we think could be a big look for next summer – damp, mussy hair and bright, neutral makeup tones for a look that made each model look like she’d just come straight out of a beach somewhere gorgeous in Rio, then headed off to a party in her new Alberta Ferretti dress.
All in all, it’s a chic, thoughtful collection with an assortment of crochet and tropical prints that make us want to book a flight to the Bahamas right now. Very simple and understated European glamour – we love.
Be propelled into the dark and eerie world of the gothic-influenced Dark Romance, reminisce about the beautiful screen sirens of 40s Hollywood in 40s Flair and embrace Kings Road 60s chic with Mod Squad.
This weekend sees The Show: Redefinition at the UK’s most visited shopping centre. A truly unique catwalk show taking place at Birmingham’s The Bullring as part of Style Birmingham Live, the event boasts real and holographic models on stage at the same time as showcasing eight AW11 trends. The Show: Redefinition uses Musion3D technology to create the illusion of a volumetric model on a holographic backdrop, while real-life models emerge onto the catwalk, including Britain’s Next Top Model 2010 winner, Tiffany Pisani, and another very special guest.
The Show: Redefinition takes inspiration from the key trends for AW11 including gothic-influenced Dark Romance combined with elegant 40s flair inspired by Hollywood luxe and beautiful silhouettes. Many of the centre’s shops, including Reiss, French Connection, Forever 21, COS, River Island and Kurt Geiger will take part in The Show: Redefinition with make-up provided by The Body Shop and hair created by Regis at Debenhams in Bullring.
You can also discover a wealth of behind-the-scenes features by visiting http://www.browsebullring.co.uk, including a rundown on the key trends, blogs from the teams involved and news of other events taking place at Bullring during Style Birmingham Live. You can also WIN tickets, allowing you to take a seat and experience the show like a true VIP!
Fearne Cotton was already nailing next season's pastel trend at LFW in a pretty lilac maxi dress with contrasting fuschia lips and leopard-print heels. Who knew it would work so well?
We love how when LFW rolls around, absolutely all the celebrities make a huge effort – even if they try to act all “oh, this old thing?” about their outfits when they’re there. Everyone’s favourite annoying radio presenter Fearne Cotton is no exception, as she wafted in to London Fashion Week yesterday to show off her new collection of designs for Very.co.uk in a gorgeous lilac maxi (we have to find out where she get it from).
Clever Fearne may just be the absolute queen of contrasting different shades and colours – after all, lilac is not the easiest colour to co-ordinate – but the tattooed nostril-ed one pulled it off with an elegant vintage bob and a plummy fuschia lipstick to contrast with the sugary tones of her dress. Adding a rock and roll twist were a pair of perfect leopard-print heels on her feet, which were teamed with a zinging yellow pedicure for a fun, playful look. We love.
We can’t find the maxi that Fearne wore (WHERE IS IT FROM??? I NEED IT!!), but there are still plenty of lilac beauties available on the high street that are great for a girlie party look. The star of this gallery, though, has to be Topshop for it’s amazing make-up range, which offers a whole rainbow of different colours of nail polishes and lips – thanks to Toppers for making the perfect fuschia lipstick just like Fearne’s, which you can find in the gallery above.
Love him or hate him, it’s pretty much impossible to dispute that when it comes to London Fashion Week, Henry Holland rules this town with his cheeky, anarchic attitude towards fashion that you get the feeling is largely influenced by his cool brat-pack of high-profile friends. The designer everyone wants to be best friends with in the hope that he’ll honour you on one of his T-shirts, his show is always going to be one of the hottest tickets in town when Fashion Week rolls around again.
The new House of Holland Spring/Summer collection that he showed on Saturday was typically Hollandesque in that there were all the bratty, cartoonish elements in his design that always remind us of old poppy coming-of-age Nickelodeon shows from the 90s and much-loved teen movies- Holland always keeps things sassy with some eye-popping prints and clunky little-girl styles that take the “Kinderwhore” look to a whole new level.
This time round the theme for his new designs was “Pastel Punks”, was immediately obvious when the first model came down the runway in a pastel colour-blocked shirt and high-waisted acid wash jeans with snakeskin heels. We bet he’s already made copies of everything in the collection for his bezzies. We loved the clever playing off of ultra-sugary pastel tones and childlike-colour blocking against the snarling aggression of sleek snakeskin boots and fishnet ankle socks.
Anyone who was hoping for some more of Holland’s patented sugary plaids won’t be let down as there are plenty of his trademark checks in bold mint and lilac colours – now all we’ve got to do is bust out our purple clogs, find some old school knee socks and we’ve got one look that Cher from Clueless would die for.
For his Spring/Summer 2012 collection, Holland has basically taken the archetypal Bad Girl, sat her down in front of some cartoons and given her a new cheeky bubblegum spin – and we have to say, trashy as the designs are, they are gloriously trashy and we can’t help loving him a little bit for just bringing some fun to the stuffiness and seriousness of one of fashion’s most prestigious events – because, really, isn’t that pretty punk and therefore pretty British of him?
Over the past few years we’ve seen QR codeseverywhere, on 
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