Sermoneta studded gloves, Oliver Goldsmiths glasses and Fred Perry oversized bag

These beauties i fell in love with today. They are a black riveted mid arm leather glove by luxury glove brand Sermoneta. These are available to buy at the Burlington Arcade as well as a variety of other styles of gloves in all colours and sizes and styles. The lovely PR today also told me of a patent leather pair that go up to the elbow. I have thought about these at least 4 times this evening. I want these and them. Prices range from £35- £100 for these gloves which in my opinion is very affordable, all i need to do now is find £35-£100 and i will be laughing!
These were my favourite of the selection available at the press day for the current Oliver Goldsmith glasses. Most of the styles are from an archive as old as Joan Collins (what ever that is, you know that number is big), but i have heard tales today of an archive that began in the 1920s with iconic clientele ranging from Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Michael Caine and John Lennon. The classic styles and shapes from over 50-60 years ago have not aged a bit, all have stayed the same just altering the metals and plastics used. I would love love love to delve deep into the archive and rummage about. I can imaging it would be stomach churning-ly, heart wrenching-ly A-MAZ-ING! I need to get me some outrageously shaped sunnies for the approaching summer which i will fill my days with lazing in parks and strolling through Broadway Market with my insouciant style referencing Oliver Goldsmith!...So cute!! Well i use the word 'cute' very lightly, because you can not really experience the giganticism of the beast, in fashion we saw over-sized. 'Cute' as it is to me, the monster of a bag was towering over all the other bags and skimming my thigh, and i am a tall(ish) girl of 5' 6.5", so you can imagine the presence it captured. It was more of a weekend bag, no i mean weekend home. I could have crawled in there and lived in it. I would have crawled in it, and i would have loved it all!

Luella AW09 Press day...

Very impressive, and just too many things that i want. At LFW this week only a third of the collection was actually shown on the runway and i was lucky enough to get to see the rest of the two thirds. A gigantic collection with so many garments and stories running through it, and so many wearable pieces. Something that Luella does so well is creating fantastic womenswear pieces suitable for women of all ages. I doubt i can find one woman who could not pick a look or garment their covet. Here was mine:
The collection had gold or silver metal fastenings running through many of the items as a detailing such as in the skirt above with the hook and eye detailing around the skirt, or below the dress with the dungaree button detailing:

And the accessories too:

Right, mop the drool of you lips and in the meantime see the rest of the collection here, while you do that i am going to deconstruct my old dungarees for the fastenings and find any other fastening components i can, and see what i can put together....

Armani Ski collection...

At the Armani press day today i fell in love with this:It is a little bit incredible. Its from their ski collection, a new branch for their sports range (previously golf). I fell in love with it, not simply because of the Celia Blue-ness of it. Its made from faux fur and weighs about 2.5 stones, within the faux fur and the lining you can feel the layers of tech fabrics that make the cape incredibly warm in the mountains while skiing. I want it and would not wait for any old ski trip to bring it out of my wardrobe, i would wear it everywhere, Suffice to say the price would probably match the price of a small house in Sunderland, both of which are out of my price range for now, but a girl can only dream! I suppose if i bought the cape i wouldn't need a house as it is so spacious and warm.

I wonder if Armani do Mortgages...?

Press day!

The busy season of press days begins today. To those that do not know, press days are a time, normally a month after the major fashion weeks, when the clothes from the catwalk are displayed in the showrooms for press to come and see the upcoming collections. The days are normally fun, if not very hectic as a lot of labels and PR companies choose their press days on the same days, so you spend the days running from showroom to showroom to showroom. So today there were 3 which, luckily, were at the same venue: Armani, Luella and DKNY jeans on some days coming ahead, there are 12 in one day!

Its great to be able to meet up with the PRs and catch up on the latest news and gossip. Some PR you spend and age communicating via email and only ever get to meet face-to-face once or twice a year at shows or press days. Other treats include yummy canapes, drinks and then at the end a lovely goody bag. Press days season starts on the 30th March and goes on til 21st May. I will keep you posted on the highlights of the days, there will be lots of things i LOVE i am sure...

Frame

Yesterday i awoke at the crack of dawn (7.30- so not really the crack), stretched my arms up and thought... Shall i crawl back into bed for an extra hour?
Good thing i didn't. I ushered my tired ass into the center of Shoreditch to the opening of a new 'Holistic dance and fitness studio'. The mantra behind this non-traditional gym is 'getting fit shouldn't be a chore'. And a chore it wasn't.
Offering classes such as Street Jazz, Hip Hop, Dancersize, all different ranges of yoga from cycle yoga to dynamic yoga to acro yoga (sounds painful...).
I got totally involved jumped right in there firstly with 80s Aerobics. Lots of people had got into the spirit and were donning the 80s look, with leotards over leggings, metallic lame leggings and legwarmers. Shame on me with my holey white top- So not fashion! The class was such a laugh. We learned a short dance routine to Michael Jackson's 80 classic 'Beat it'. After breaking a slight sweat i moved on to the Lindy Hop class, learned the basics of the dance and breaking, leg kicks, lifts the lot. I broke a little bit more of a sweat and having such a laugh with it. Lastly i had a one on one session with professional dancer and Frame trainer Trevor on Reformer Pilates. I am now a total convert.

A day later i am aching all over but am itching to go back to Frame. I had such a fun time there and the they have definitely taken the boring elements of keeping fit out, and injected lots of fun. I hop skipped and jumped my way out of the building and had a really great day, must be all the endorphins!

Classes range from £8 per session to £55 for a 4 week course. They offer short contracts or pay as you go discounted rates. At the moment they are offering a buy one class get one free offer, so i say get yourself down and booked for a class. I think its the most fun you could have in a gym. Gotta get trimmed for those belly tops remember....
http://www.moveyourframe.com/

Sample Sale Alert....!!

Credit crunch, recession, economic downturn, world doom, blah blah blah....BORING!

I think samples sales are the way forward! I mean who wants to pay full priced for anything, and in our current economic crisis, of which we are reminded of daily, whether it is on the news or on our bank balance.
I will pass on any news of any other samples sales i hear off through the fashion grapevine.

Chris and Tibor

I have always loved the Chris and Tibor brand. Always so fresh with a perfect mix of fashionable and functional bags that don't just look amazing in a department store or an online boutique, but also items that I can imagine on the catwalk and on my arm. I was first made aware of the label a few months back and i was lucky enough to interview them for Buckstyle.com. The design duo (Chris Liu and Tibor Matyas) met while working at Burberry Prorsum, and initially began designing bags as a solution to the problem of the perfect gym bag. The duo have moved on immensely from that now collaborating with designers such as Veronique Branquinho, Juun J and Romain Kremer. I'd like to think that the bags are very unisex and androgynous.... Well i would wear them!
Here are some of my personal favourites:




These and the rest of the SS09 collection is now on sale at online boutique The Corner.

Gingers...

Now i have always loved this trend...i say trend i mean look. Ginger hair i think is the most beautiful colour to have as a mop. I have always loved a lovely full head of ginger. I guess its the thing of loving something that is completely opposite to you, i could never have ginger hair, yet i crave it so much. Anyway i am internally automatically attracted to anything with a ginger tincture, guys included! Here are some beautifully coiffed ginger barnets from the SS09 catwalks, illustrating my love for that particular tint to hair:

Ashish SS09
Sonia Rykiel SS09Pucci SS09
Danielle Scutt SS09Chapurin SS09

And i have taken the decision to go ginger also for the 2nd time in my life...:
What do you think...?

Shooting...

Hmmpff....

I have just got in today from a long day of shooting, i am exhausted and just settling down to my first Peroni of the evening. Its been quite a busy last few days, in terms of calling all the clothes in and working with the photographer to plan and create our vision (ohhh, that sounds so gay!).
As tired as i am now, and as much as i feel like collapsing and crawling into my bed, the day has been so brilliant.
I mean shoots are never predictable i.e bad weather, equipment breaking, models been hungover, etc. And today was no different (bar the model been hungover- she was perfek-to). Starting off with blaring sunlight, we were all optimistic. By the second look, half an hour later, it was chilly willies! What happened to our premature British heatwave?? Any way the team was great:
Melissa- Model at Storm Model Management: A great unique look, possibly the next big thing i think..... In the biting cold, wearing nothing more than a peach coloured sheath dress, she managed to produce spectacular pictures (pictures to come).
Bella Cruickshank- Make up artist: She was fantastic, brilliant artistry on Melissa's face, met the brief fantastically.
Holly Falconer- Photographer & friend: Produced such brilliant pictures. Couldn't have asked for a better photographer.Molara Obanishola: My assistant for the day. Great assistance all day, good to have on a shoot.
So an all woman shoot today, and no hand bags at dawn.

Look out for my future posts.... Behind the scenes of this shoot....

Right i am off to find my second Peroni.....

Office....(the shoe shop)

At the moment, i am in the midst of planning a shoot which i am shooting with a photographer and good friend of mine Holly Falconer.
I have been terribly busy (hence my lazy posting) calling in samples from PRs, running around London on press appointments choosing the best items for the shoot. And then these came in just now (delivered by a sexy french courier):
*cue salivation mechanism*Now it had nothing to do with the way the courier said 'Merci', but i melted like butter in a pan after seeing these. These shoes are gorgeous.... I want....!! (especially the Celia Blue fringed peep toe ankle number on the top.....! *GUSH*

YAY.... Office!! Go you!

Belly tops...

...and exposed bra.

Yes that's right.....I do. Here are a few of my favourites:Prada, Nicole Fahri, Manish Arora (above) YSL, Armand Basi, Chloe, Bernard Chadran (below)
The sun is out and now it is time to shed all those layer... Just make sure those belly buttons are covered, for some reason covering the belly button seems to give a more conservative illusion. There is a fine line with this trend and care need be taken to not end up looking like 90s trash.

I will be sporting my crop tops with high waisted harem pants and A-line past-the-ankle skirts.
I feel it is going to be a big trend for SS09, well i think so at least for those of us who dare to bare... I know i will be....

Right i am off to continue my tummy crunches....where was i? Oh yes 367...368...369...370....!

Acne AW09 Womenswear collection....

Arghhh! Well, this stunning collection is all a little bit too incredible for me really.

Deep breath....and go...!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the presentation about a month ago (yes that long ago, but the collection has stayed in my mind...!). It was a nice soiree to be part off, hosted in the maze-like labyrinth of Sir John Soane's Museum in Russell Square, home to a jungle of marvellous and remarkable ancient antiques and artifacts. A brilliant alternative to producing a large OTT show and spending thousands and thousands on a late running 15 minute show. Especially in the hard times we keep being reminded about, its remarkable how many designers still are able to do it... Keeping up appearances maybe? To be honest i think

 we will be seeing a lot more of these on the coming seasons, while we are in the grip of the ever looming recession. YSL did it, Acne did it, and more recently Gareth Pugh did it.
The presentation itself was lovely, treated to champagne, a close look at the clothes on the models and an in depth discussion with the designers and gaining an understanding to where the ideas an inspirations came for the collection. Plus a lovely goody bag, with look books, Acne Paper magazine and a hefty scented candle by Swedish brand Byredo Parfums. Lovely!

Now here are the reasons i love the collection so...

• The see through Jeans (Yes jeans, complete with jean detailing)
  
• The see through top (swoon)
• The one shoulder, puff sleeve dress
• The cube-on-the-shoulder elongated blazer
• The fantastical super high platforms (the models we lucky for Acne to put on a static presentation, as some of them were having problems standing in one place let alone strutting with fierceness down a runway)
• The leather painter sleeveless biker jacket and the pairing with floor length wide leg trousers
• The jewellery- huge and chunky rings, necklaces and bracelets
• The overall silhouette

I want it all to be honest, the whole collection was very impressive. And although i was there to report on the menswear for BUCK i couldn't help openly perving on the women's collection. 

Now knowing the Acne price tag, i need to start hatching up plans of acquiring these pieces.... Or as i have been thinking more and more of recently, blowing of the dust of my sewing machine and fashioning myself a pair of see through jeans! Watch this space...!

Celia Blue!

This is the colour that i have put my name too. To be fair, there are quite a few variations of this colour which also take my name:

International Klein Blue- As in this Blues Venus by Yves Klein. It seems Yves Klein had the right idea. He also had a hue of this blue named after himself.....one day...ooh one day!
Dark or Duke Blue- As in the flag of Greece
Ultramarine- As in this bit of powder...Done so well on the catwalk by Albino AW09 Why i hear you say....Well, this has been my colour for at least the past 4 years. My colour of preference in jeans, dresses, hair pins, tights, cushions, paint, cars, etc etc. Its so sumptuous and delectable. My colour of choice in everything, i guess its really comforting and i respond well to it! I wear it so much that between my peers in the office the name Celia Blue was given to shade and it became a reference name or benchmark when referring to the particular hue. It became a bit of an everyday saying within the BUCK office especially when it was very apparent in the SS09 menswear catwalk shows in Milan and Paris. The name has spilt out a little bit into the general public (well...some of the citizens of East London..... OK, 2-4 of my friends!). And now i want to give it to you....Here you have it, and please only ever call it by its proper name..... CELIA BLUE!
Yves Klein (1928-1962)
blue: immaterial sensibility
Enjoy!

Trends to miss...?

Now i know that this blog is about things i love. Things that inspire me, things i like and would like to scream to the world. But there are also some things that i am not sure about such as these...now i don't hate these, as hate is such a strong word. I guess these are just my"Hmmm, ok, lets see the next look..." but your thoughts and comments welcome.....Pam Hogg- A little bit new rave-y, Boombox era for my liking. To be fair the rest of the collection was fun, a range of metallic geometric leotards and dresses. Some things i would wear(to the shock and horror of my peers), but this post is trends to miss so.... The reason to miss this trend is A) Real fur...?(I've got a fur coat but its vintage, i am not a fan of new real fur) B) Multi coloured real fur- Yukerella! C) The yeti look!
House of Blue Eyes- One word: BALLS!
Barbie Runway show- In a way i secretly covet this collection, but that is the 6 year old in me. Add 17 more years and i say NO! I mean really it was a collection of dresses and situations we have seen Barbie in over the years but this...Celia doesn't Love! For this instance I think its the Diane Von Furstenberg-esqu dress and the large Barbie head. No screw it, the dress is OK, it's the big head! Oh and whats that i spy- is that a Barbie luggage range i see in the near future...?(Swoon)Iceberg- Sequined bingo wings- I guess that one way to hide them....Antonio Marras- Yes we are in the grips of the recession but lets try and live a little! Right lady(in the picture), get some scissors, crop that jacket to the belt, carelessly toss that scarf over your shoulder, tie your hair in a high top knot and swap the grey socks for a flash of yellow! Hey presto...Celia Loves!Blumarine- In the words of S-Club-7: "Hootchie mama show your Na-Na!' I guess on some poeple it would look amazing. Cheryl Cole could carry this off well! (That was a compliment!)

Right i am finished been negative! Phew, that took it out of me! More posts to come of things i love love love!

Huuuge news of the day! Arena Magazine.....

.....is closing....well in their words "suspended". The news came early this morning at BUCK HQ to our shock and surprise (although some people did see this coming). Its is all quite sad really as Arena has been going for 22 years, could this be the end of an era. Arena Homme Plus is still going to begoing as the biannual. It looks like a route that a few magazines will be going down, first BUCK now Arena. It seems the recession is making no exception and taken another casuallty! Who next..... Seems like the pulishing industry will have to tread carefully and watch their backs! Watch out for the recession finger of death!

Over the knee, Thigh high, or fanny skimming boots

Ok, so we saw this look ever so slightly for AW08 trends with the OTK boots. I know i had them down on my 'need to get' list from October last year and i did, and i have worn mine to the death and i still love them. They were/are a pair of suedette OTK flat boots, got them for a bargainous-must-never-repeat-price from eBay. I was happy. I thought that my thirst had been quenched.... Oh fashion why do you tease me with you fabulousness....!

Emillio Pucci - I mean come on.... I have been looking for these for so long! The whole Pucci aesthetic this season is to die for. Earthy tones and prints with some flashes of pink and blue. With silhouettes proportions moving from large furs with drainpipes to mini dresses with wide OTK boots and floorlength billowing evening dresses.
Noir/Bllack Noir- These are fun, they were repeated twice in the collection. I wonder, are these attatched a stilleto or is this a one piece? What i like the most about these are they are almost like a transition from the leather look leggings and leather pants. The leather legwarmer...?Very sexy... I want! And last but by no means least... Prada. If you are going to do it, do it properly! My mum always says: "If something is worth doing at all, its worth doing well!" And this is done brilliantly. To be honest, the whole Prada show was incredible, at first i was not sure as it looked like a very similar to a dated catalogue collection(oops sorry) and a bit lazy (double oops), but a few looks in and the brilliance of Miuccia shone through. Her execution and deliverance of the collection- the frizzy haired models with their fierce eyes, the furniture style fabrics on the petite silouettes with the cinched waists. And not to forget the fur and leather seen in complete garments. Yes thats right, i mean fur tops and skirt. Truely daring. And the boots, they are like fishing wading boot!

I guess the next and most direct transition for me, in terms of high bootwear might be these....?
F.I.T!