My Big Fat Mary Love (and a big fat catch up)...

Hello! Only me! I hope you remember who 'me' is. Sorry for the lack of blog posts - it's been a busy few weeks! The low down of my past 2 weeks:

- I went from Intern to Online Content Editor in the space of a day for Donna Ida! ( Follow the FB and Twitter to keep up with me during the day!)
- My evenings are consumed with London house hunting - not fun.
- I spent 3nights watching the news from 7pm until 3am during the riots.
- I went on slim fast for a week (don't bother - it's pointless)
- I HAVE NO CLOTHES etc etc
- I've been reading a lot of the LOOK show entries (comment or tweet me your entries)!
- I reached 500 blog followers! (YAY - and HI!)
- I said goodbye to my mum and dad who are off traveling around Canada/Alaska until the end of Aug for her birthday (and feel bad for not giving her a card to take with her - so am dedicating this post to her HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!)

If you follow me on Twitter you would have seen me tweet about my mum's awe of Mary Katrantzou following an earlier post - the design genius herself retweeted me (amazing) - so as this post is dedicated to my mother bear I thought I would share why Mary Katrantzou is my favourite fashion designer.

Autumn/Winter 2011/12.
With a soft silhouette and luxurious print the AW11 collection was inspired by museums, vases and those funny egg things that Michael Jackson collected (you will know what I mean if you watched that Martin Bashir thing years ago!)



Spring Summer 2011.
Heavily influenced by a family background of interior design, Katrantzou's SS11 collection took skirts in shape of a lampshades and dresses with extravagantly decorated windows and 3D curtains.



Autumn/Winter 2010/11.
This one was inspired by the renaissance period and featured a lot of gold embellishments! I got to see this collection up close at FashionWeek - insanely amazing! (Check out my write up on Trendland.net)



Spring/Summer 2010.
This collection was inspired by the art of Glass Blowing! Which seems like a completely natural thing to inspire a collection come to think of it - I wish I had thought of this.



Autumn/Winter 2009/10.
Her debut collection as a New Gen designer - inspired by perfume bottles. Are you seeing why I love her so much?




Does anyone else share my love for Mary Katrantzou? Or are you still angry with me for not blogging in 2 weeks? Lots of love to all of you (esp you mum) Xxx

My Blogger Feature in Look Magazine...

Hi fellow bloggers! What a surreal week! If you've followed me recently you probably know that I won a blogging competition with LOOK Magazine in February - and this week they did a feature on some of the bloggers who took part! I was one of them, and my feature is below! It's amazing! Although, just to clear up i'm not 'creating' anyones blogs - i'm merely enhancing from behind the scenes! But that's for another day :)



Oh and also, I technically didn't meet Olivia, but she did smile at us and say hi and thank you - weird, err... you're welcome Ol! And the 'package' was a t-shirt, a couple of days later hehe. But other than that - HOW COOL! It sunk in today that i'm actually in a magazine - pretty bloody surreal hey!

There was lots that I said in the interview that didn't make it in. One of the points was how grateful I am to everyone who reads my blog and comments on it! When I won I think I was a major underdog in the competition, in that I had nowhere near as many followers as the others - and it wasn't long before that, that it was kept as my blog for uni!

That's why I feel the pressure to maintain it for you guys!!! BUT i bloody love doing it. So I would like to say a big fat thank you to everyone of you reading! And I would recommend ALL of you going in for the new round of the competition - because it is one of the best things that has ever happened to me!!!

Amelia xo

PS Big thank you to Miss Lara Lain, Look's Marketing exec and my lovely blogging pal! We went for drinks on those balcony bits in Covent Garden this week (I thought they were strictly for posh people only - but I guess they weren't going to say no to a Marketing Exec and a blogger featured in LOOK were they...ha)

PPS Did you notice the lovely pink button top left? I'm going to try my luck at getting nominated for a Cosmo Blog Award (i'm sure you're all sick of hearing that!) But if you do enjoy my blog - I would love a nomination from you! X

Fashion Designers: Just how stylish are they?

I don't know what it is about me but I am fascinated by anything 'behind the scenes' - I think that comes from being a general nosey parker. Who can I blame for this? TV? Internet? Yeah, why not! Soooo anyway my latest bout of nosiness sprung whilst researching into AW11 trends. Casually browsing through Style.com's round up of Chloé and I noticed Hannah MacGibbon wearing the largest flares with the BIGGEST turn ups known to man. See below. And so a blog post was born...Fashion designers. They create the worlds most coveted clothes, but how stylish are they really?

Pheobe Philo for Celine.

Pheobe Philo. She's a bit of a big deal where fashion houses in Paris are concerned. She's worked for Stella McCartney, Chloe and now Celine. Here she is at the end of her AW11 catwalk show wearing a grey polo neck, black trousers and trainers. Sporty chic? Where are the heels?!

Here's what Pheobe made...



Diane Von Furstenberg



Ah Diane. Can't say I can fault her. She's sophisticated chic and so is her brand.

Here's what Diane (and friends) made...



Hannah MacGibbon for Chloé.

Flares. Weird wedge shoe things. I'm sorry but I could eat my dinner out of those trousers! In fact I could eat a whole weeks worth of dinner out of those trousers they are so large! Now here's the shocker. Check out what Hannah made...



Louise Gray.



Yaaaaaaay Louise Gray. She's crazy cool. Now here's a fashion designer whose personality shines through their collections.

Here's what Louise made...



Miuccia Prada for Miu Miu.



Bonjouuuurnoooo Miucciaaaa. (said in bad Italian accent) She made Bananas cool for Prada, and her sub label Miu Miu is one of my all time favourites - I would happily dress all winter long in this collection (could I afford it). Miuccia Prada has an old school glamorous style, it definitely shines through the collection right? Here's what she made...




Emma Hill for Mulberry.



I don't know much about Emma Hill. In fact, only after my nosing around have I learned of the designer behind Mulberry. She looks stylish enough, in a very relaxed way! I love love love Mulberry. Love love loveeeeeeeee. So naturally i love her too!

Here's what Emma made...



Alice Temperley.



Alice Temperley looks like a pirate. But still, a nice lady pirate with a stylish head on her shoulders. She definitely shows personality in her dress sense. It's just not as polished as her fashion label!

Here's what Alice makes...



Mary Katrantzou.



Yasas! Greek lady Mary Katrantzou, possible the most creative female in the London Fashion scene (in my opinion) is surprisingly plain and simple in the way she dresses. Always scene wearing black, if she's saving the colour in her life for her collections - then I have no qualms as they're bloody beautiful to look at!

Here's what Mary made...



Vivienne Westwood.



All hail the fashion queen. I don't really need to say anything here do i? Everyone knows Viv is completely punk from the way she dresses to the way she designs - wouldn't have it any other way!

Here's what Vivienne made...



Sonia Rykiel.



Twit twoo. Check out miss glamour (maybe Mrs? I'm yet to nose into the life of this french designer!) It's actually Sonia Rykiel's daughter Natalie!

Here's what Natalie and Sonia make...



So that was long! Did you like it? Share your favourite designer style. Can't believe I've missed Stella out. I'm practically in awe of her life, maybe I could make this into a two parts blog post...hmmmm....

Amelia xo

Footnote: Hola! Bonjour! Hello! Hi! I am officially a rubbish blogger, no post all week. Hopefully I've made up for it with this post :) Just wanted to say a big hello to everyone, as i know I'm a bit crap at doing that. By the way - I'm a lot more interactive on twitter - feel free to follow me if you miss me! I've been so busy at the moment interning in London (hence the lack of posts) and I will admit i am the worst at replying to comments - so I would love to here from you on Twitter, I'm constantly emptying my thoughts onto it! Lots of love!

Blake Lively in Glamour

Blake Lively appeared in the July 2011 issue of Glamour Magazine USA. Interviewed by her new BFF Florence Welch the gossip girl star opened up about her red carpet secrets and her desires to play darker characters!












I adore Blake Lively in this Brigitte Bardot style. Wish I could pull off a look like this day-to-day, oh to have long legs.

Amelia xo

SJP: 'I don't think about fashion all day long'

I'm mourning. It has only just dawned on me that Carrie Bradshaw is not real. After reading the Sarah Jessica Parker feature in Vogue USA it is evident that SJP is miles away from her alter ego we all know and love. She is on the cover of USA's 'Age Issue' and the whole thing takes the 'I don't know how she does it' angle - SJP's new film.

"Bradshaw’s life is nothing – nothing – like mine. I loved playing her, and it changed my life in lots of wonderful ways, but I’m not a crazy shoe lady, I don’t think about fashion all day long, although I have a great respect for the industry.”

That is the quote that did it. What..? Crazy shoe lady?! You DON'T think about fashion all day long?! Ouch. That hurts Parker. That being said, SJP revealed in the magazine that she would be leaving Halston, the fashion brand where she was creative director. She is blatantly just acting nonchalant so the acting world welcome her back. Deep down she is probably covered in I Love Fashion tattoos and keeps deeds under her pillow to change her name to Carrie.

Here are some images from the photoshoot, shot by Mario Testino:


Wearing Chanel Resort 2012.


Wearing Bottega Veneta AW11/12.


Cover - wearing Burberry Prorsum AW11/12.


Wearing AW11/12 Marc Jacobs.


Wearing Proenza Schouler AW11/12.


Wearing Oscar De La Renta Resort 2012.


Please don't tell me I'm the only one who feels this way? Carrie was my career inspiration. I WILL have a column one day.

Amelia
xo

Take me to Paris...

The list goes like this:

- Carrie Bradshaw in the final episodes of Sex and The City.
- The September Issue.
- Episode of the Hills where Lauren rides on the back of a French man's moped.

Now I can add Givenchy AW11/12 Couture to the list of things that make me dream about being in Paris. Shot against the embankment of the River Seine, an elegant and romantic collection full of fantasy and light.



Riccardo Tisci is god amongst his angelic creations for Autumn/Winter. Intricate detail and beading encrusted onto delicate sheer fabrics creating a contrast of soft and hard. Angels in armour strike again.



This is insane beauty at it's best. Givenchy remains a firm favourite for me. Trés belle.



Formed any favourite couture collections yet??

Amelia xo

A Reluctant Royal Crush...

This is not a blog post about how OMG amazing I think Kate Middleton is nor her style, but more the 'Kate effect' that is gripping the nation. So you will know who has or hasn't read this if there are any comments saying 'WOW SHE LOOKS AMAZING' down below.

It has come to a point where I can't avoid her. She's literally everywhere. I've got a don't love, don't hate mentality when it comes to the royals, but I'm getting to the point where I am growing a small obsession with Princess Kate.



The reason it's a reluctant royal crush? Look how tiny she is! Pretty sure the circumference of her waist will be smaller than the measurements of her head. Every time I look at her I think, must diet. I won't speculate whether she has a problem, I just want to warn you all I'm developing a style crush (a long with the whole world) with someone whose shape and size I will never be - and I already have the Olsen twins filling that gap.



That being said, Kate and her personal shopper have done a great job styling this American tour thingy she's on - see, I'm only paying attention to the clothes! Favourites have to be the yellow and green dresses at the very top.

So...that was a little bit deep of a blog post from my usual 'check out this collection I can never afford' type post. Are we liking Kate? If you did read my thoughts, I would love to know yours too...

Amelia xo