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!

These D & G looks...

I awoke this morning and i fell in love with the new D&G look.....
Those printed tees i need need need (Maria Callas i think...); and the styling with the drainpipe trousers, so lush. I love it all. And eeeekkk..... THOSE SHOES!That belt, its almost like curtain ties. The belt was present all through out the collection in many looks. I love again the styling of the printed t-shirt with the tu-tu skirt. Ive got one like this but in blue, i think i am going to dust mine out and wait for my first chance to put this look together!That Military jacket, looks like the milatary look is in next season. This might just be the most perfect military jascket i have seen. And with the tail-like detail at the back too! I can see these already trickling down onto our high streets by September.
That coat- quilted and oversized with the cropped sleeves as well. As i wipe my mouth from the salivation on my keypad, i notice the tights. Great- the print is back next season- fun fun fun!!

Altogether, the collection was luxurious but light-hearted and fun with so many covetable looks, very much a 'dress up box' collection. I think i want it all! Have a look on style.com for the full collection. In the mean time i am going to dig up my printed tees, tu-tu's, leopard print tights and super platforms!

Free shoes...

So yesterday evening i popped into the office to check on a few things as i have been out of the office most of last week due to fashion week and what not. I was very pleased (or not so pleased in the first instance)to find a pile of fashion week tickets which we had not picked up before the shows and secondly, a pastel yellow glossy paper bag with my name on it. Eyes wide open, I quickly tear open the staples sealing the bag together, and inside a box the size of a shoe box wrapped in the most luxurious purple wrapping paper! "SHUT UP!" i scream aloud, alerting Steve to my joy! I carelessly rip open the package, being careful not to salivate on its contents.... and inside were the cutest grey and beige, triangular stack heeled mary-janes courtesy of Clarks shoes. 

Now they probably were not my first choice in free gift of shoes (as a pair of Nicholas Kirkwood or those YSL cage shoes(see post below) would be there first)but they are so cute! Certainly brightened up my evening last night. I am wearing them now so comfy and they give me a bounce in my step!

 Thanks, and keep them coming!

I love the men too..

In my last post i went on and on about the brilliant womenswear shows on during fashion week and fair-do's it was. What i forgot to do was to equally go on and on about the fantastic menswear shows. Now this is no new news in the fashion world but i think they deserved a good mention. The shows were fantastic and for the first dedicated day to men's fashion at London fashion week, i think London has a lot to be proud about- I certainly am.
Lou Dalton show- The first show of the day, was a brilliant production. A small show held at Kettners in Soho, an old haunt favourite to the late and great Oscar Wild. We were sat on small round tables and fed the finest brownies, cheesecakes and sponges, teas and coffee's. A brilliant day to start the day if you ask me. If you look closely at the 2 photos, you can see me concentrating on the fine details of the clothed on the models, not the models bums! ha! I later went on to interview Lou, She was so lovely...

JW Anderson show- This was brilliant and by far the best show during the Man show at 4pm. It was all so new and exciting, Jonathan tried some new things with knitwear, and fabrics which i think worked oh so well. Including a floorlength full skirt- which somehow i must say looked pleasing to the eye. His jewellery was brilliant as usual, and although some of the pieces as a girl i can not get away with wearing, i will be the first to make an order on the jewellery.Carolyn Massey show- Possibly my favourite of the day and most anticipated show of the menswear day. At BUCK magazine, we work closely with Carolyn and have come to create a good friendship with her. And this show was not to disappoint. I dont know where to begin with all the things i love... the (pictured) PVC cape, the blue bib-fronted shirt, the interesting lapels on the blazers.....oh oh oh! In the words of Beyonce....."if i were a boy...."


Now i must not also mention a friend of mine Katie Eary who also showed a presentation as well. The collection was based on the George Orwell novel 'Animal Farm'. I have always loved Katie's collections from her graduating collection at RCA. Grabbing her inspiration from literature instead of physical imagery i think gives her some advantage to where her imagination can take her and her designs, and i am sure you agree with me, they are quite fantastical!

The excitement of it all, thinking back to it was great! I look forward to see what else London will have up its sleeves in the seasons to come- maybe we can rival Milan and Paris in the menswear shows!