MOST AMAZING application on the H&M Website

I have discovered a new guilty pleasure. It's an adult's version of dressing our dolls. But the treat is, the clothes are real and you can, in a sense, 'try before you buy' or simply collate different outfits and see which ones you like.

Here is what I threw together today:



I love this girly day-time look with a nautical edge. The boots and the necklaces glam it up quite a bit. I'm thinking it could be paired with a boyfriend-fit suit jacket to conserve some heat as you go into the evenings.



This is a definite party outfit...in fact I think my social butterfly of a friend might own this dress! I've accessorized it with the boots to make it seem a little less conventional and let's face it, those boots will be a heck of a lot comfier than stilettos!



Now I'm not used to styling a man but I know what I like to see guys wearing. That's why I've chosen this big duffel coat. Nuzzling into it and getting that faint aroma of aftershave, it totally makes me think of snuggling up watching the fireworks (this isn't a tangent...I'm applying it to, er... the context as it's the Fall 2010 collection. Hmm, convinced?) I've injected a bit of colour with the scarf to brighten the whole outfit (the duffel and scarf combo would totally work over a suit, seen it done and it looks hot!) Absolutely love the chunky boots, even want a pair myself: super-masculine, practical but look gooooood!

The Trend for Ugly Footwear…where are the fashion police?

Let’s face it, when the Ugg was first printed in a magazine no one was jumping up and down at the sight of them. The only kudos was they were emerging on the festival scene upon the likes of Kate Moss’ feet. That was enough it seemed to propel the sheepskin-lined suede boot into becoming the ‘must-have’ footwear. It soon dominated every celebrity’s wardrobe and descended through the high-street stores with their take on the Australian boot. It needn’t have mattered that the boot wore like an ill-fitting sock, was highly unattractive to the opposite sex and the heel support broke within 100 strides on the shop door. £180 well spent, eh?

Then along came the Croc. A shoe which could be considered cute upon the feet of toddlers, but grown women? Tim Gunn, fashion consultant, told Time Magazine, “…the Croc – it looks like a plastic hoot. How can you take that seriously?” A Facebook fan page titled “I don’t care how comfortable Crocs are, you look like a dumbass” accrued over 1.5 million “likers” as of June 2010. Back in 2007 when they first emerged, celebrities such as Brook Shields and Nicole Appleton jumped on the bandwagon whilst the Style section of every magazine was in uproar. President Bush made himself unpopular with fashion journalists in 2007 when he emerged wearing matching shirt, shorts, socks and Crocs, “…there’s one thing we can all agree on when it comes to President Bush: he is not a fashionable man.” Stylelist goes on to declare Crocs as “the ugliest pieces of footwear on the planet”. According to Manolo Blahnik – the Internet’s foremost shoe blogger – “this is ground for impeachment”. Whilst the Croc was hailed as comfortable, and perhaps the reason so many celebrities endorsed it, it still came under scrutiny when a toddler was injured on an escalator due to the soft rubber upper getting caught. A safety hazard and ugly, really not much going for them!

But fear, the next edition of hideous footwear has arrived: The Wörishofer. A shoe designed based on function over aesthetic, claiming to improve comfort for bunion-sufferers. Now there’s a real hook, it may ease pain but everyone will know you have bunions! You may as well have a stamp on your forehead declaring it! Miraculously, a German podiatrist has developed a cult following of celebrities and style-stalkers. Photographed wearing the new "it" shoe is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and outspoken rapper Mia. These are two rather unlikely candidates considering The Wörishofer as only ever seen on shuffling grandmothers complaining of back pain since its advent almost 70 years ago. They have become popular on the streets of Brooklyn, and as the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell identifies, breaking into a community like this can impact the majority into thinking this is a brilliant new trend. Just think back to the Hush Puppies revival...hmm...

The fashion industry’s turn to “ugly shoes” has been explained by Harriet Quick, fashion features editor at Vogue, "It's a combination of two things, the current taste for previously geeky styles, like Clark's and chunky brogues, and the vaguely orthopaedic styles channelled on the catwalks right now. They're an active antidote to the fierce sky-high heels we've seen, and they're grounded in functionality; girls are fed up of crippling themselves."

It seems, however, to be from one extreme to the other. Surely there must be some medium ground on which we can compromise the ugliness for a little sexiness (even if there is a little pinch)?

Stella McCartney for Olympic 2012 designs

It has been reported by the Independent Online that Stella McCartney is going to team up with Adidas to design the Olympic GB team ranges.

Having been to the exhibition Fashion versus Sport at the V&A Museum back in 2008, we are seeing more frequently these two industries merging their expertise.

The Brit designer teamed up with Adidas back in 2004 to create a performance collection which was an instant hit with active fashionistas. 'Each season we are able to merge more and more performance products with style,' says McCartney

The intelligence required for designing sports and athletic wear will not be compromised by the aesthetics. McCartney’s input is creating “the chicest sportswear around” for all areas of exercise: running, gym, yoga, tennis, dance and even wintersports.

View her previous collection at: http://www.net-a-porter.com/Shop/Designers/Adidas_by_Stella_McCartney

Visual Merchandising Trends AW10

My programme leader Tim would be so happy to know what an impact his lectures on visual awareness has had on me. Having initially been extremely overwhelmed by the mass of images we experience day-to-day, Tim made the point that as fashion marketers we have to stop letting this information go over our head and stop and acknowledge what is around us. Therefore I found myself putting down my copy of Stylist and looking out the window of the bus on my journey from Ladbroke Grove to Oxford Street. The no.23 bus wound its way through Portobello market and headed for Paddington before passing the Marble Arch and driving up the UK's busiest shopping street; the haven to all shopoholics and fashionistas, Oxford Street.

I wish the bus driver hadn't been lurching between stop and start and flooring the accelerator at any opportunity as I might grabbed some half-decent photographs to share with you. However, the key theme I picked up today is documented below:

- - - It will sound silly and you'll think, Well that's obvious but 'shopping' seems to be an umbrella trend for VM displays. Trolleys, in particular, seem to be heavily featured for once off the shop floor and in front of the window's street audience. One instance was a minimalist white stage and backdrop and in the fore-ground just two shopping trolleys placed one behind the other. Granted it was effective but I have no idea what the shop was or what in fact they sell. I know window displays are meant to catch you're eye, and that is certainly did, but aren't they supposed to lure you inside? I guess being intrigued would but those who are simply window shopping and never been to the area before might not have the same urge to follow it up...

A reflection of New York's shoe service...

Sitting in a crowded and undignified shoe department of New York's Lord & Taylor, it astounded me that the designs of Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein were being discarded and treated in the same manner as if they had been found in a Century 21 or TK Maxx. Aren't these names supposed to be up-market? How have these prestigious labels been displayed so shambolic considering their high price tag?

Surrounding me are millions of uncoordinated shoe boxes, stuffing, pop-socks and abandoned shoes littering the shop floor. It is quite acceptable for a shoe sale of this size to attract so much excitement, and in turn disarray, but when it is DKNY shoe boxes in question, you have to ask yourself if the market is really segmented? After all, I think you will all agree that environment is emblematic of your standard high-street retailer which accompanies economy-class service. You really would expect more when you are buying a bit of First Class footwear.

Shoe shopping experiences offered within New York has been a varied. Saks 5th Avenue had their breath-taking Eighth Floor devoted entirely to the biggest and most successful names within shoe design; Christian Dior, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Laboutin...a total shoe haven. Given its spacious allowance of space per designer, immaculately presented displays and perfectly positioned shoes, it was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the mid-market stores.

Most identifiable is the change in pace that I, as the consumer, experienced from store to store which emphasised the significance of the shopping environment on the feeling of ease or unease from being present there. The calm atmosphere created by light, space and pleasant music meant that I was automatically at ease (despite the high prices!) The highest number of shoppers was around the sale section on Saks' Eighth Floor (not surprisingly) but this was displayed respectfully on glass shelves and tables. No metal racks would dare show their face in this store.

Brighton-Belle

I returned to Brighton today for the first time in ten years. I can't believe I don't go more often! It's a great place for shopping, sunbathing and socialising and you can tell from walking around The Lanes that it is a vibrant place full of eclectic people. I wish I had taken my camera and I could have conducted a bit research for trend-setters.

Parking, admittedly, was a total nightmare and unless you succumb to stumping up £4 an hour(!!) then you'll have a tough job negotiating the maze of streets for a more reasonable alternative. Having offloaded quite a way out of town, I enjoyed quite a brisk walk to the centre which was made more enjoyable by the blazing sun. Having pulled out of the closet my straw hat and perfectly matching straw bag, I felt extremely summery and, for a moment, forgot I was only half an hour from home and not in fact a plane journey away!

Whilst the shopping centre hosts the same familiar brands, it seems the case that many of the stores, where possible, stock a wider variety of lines. Having spent almost an hour in one shop and another half an hour deciding which androgynous-styled shoes I fancied from Aldo, it was lovely to walk through the winding streets bordered with alfresco-dining and quirky shops.

I had heard the rumours about a particularly special chocolate shop and had to restrain myself from entering 'Choccywoccydoodah' which had the most lavish window display that was certainly enticing! See their websiite: http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/#intro

Another shop which made my mouth water was Fizziwigg's which was situated in the heart of The Lanes (27 Meeting House Lane) and is far more up my street as a candy girl. The mention of cola-bottles and flying saucers plus the animated visual merchandising reminded me of Chessington World of Adventure's Professor Bubbleworks ride.

I definitely want to go back with my friends; it's the perfect place to chill-out and with the sunny weather we've been lucky to have recently, it really does feel like you have escaped away on holiday (although the pebbly beach and sore bum does remind you of the reality!)

Now I wouldn't wear them, but they do totally sum up the angle I have taken for my blog. I just need to Photoshop a rose pattern over the frames and you've got an image which perfectly illustrates that my blog is a collection of ramblings from one person's point of view.