A la Mode

BAYNE & BLAAK

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Despite going through a time lapse and nearly missing this presentation all together (totally blaming my fashion week fried egg brain), I luckily arrived in time to see all the beautiful new pieces Zana and Thomas had slugged to London. It was pretty awesome to be able to try everything on and have a tutorial from the harness goddess herself! New favourite is the white harness that doubles up as a back spine/front spine/belt/you name it; it's pretty awesome being able to clip it up in different ways and wear it how you love it most. There was also a face harness that Zana custom made for Love magazine, as well as a new moulded leather rose headband; which is pretty striking and quite unlike anything else she's done before. I'm pretty in love with that canary bra harness too, could anything be more awesome!?

One thing is clear my leather collection is going to be doubling pretty soon.

It was so nice being able to finally meet and hang out with one of my favourite blogging ladies, I guess I'll have to go and invade new York turf soon.

You can see more of Thomas Blaak's bags here, and Zana Bayne's harnesses if you don't already know, here.

MUTED PALETTE

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:34:00 +0000

Wearing: Vintage trench from Rokit, Ann Demeulemeester jacket and shoes, Charlie May shirt, Acne trousers, Moxham taba bracelet, Alexander Wang bag, Dior sunglasses

So in love with these thick wool Acne trousers I picked up at the last sample sale, I don't think I've had the chance to put them on the blog and LFW seemed like the perfect time. LFW has been totally distorted for me this year, struggling between going to the shows as usual or staying in bed and recovering from the presentation that happened on Saturday, I think I opted for the last option on most days and it will probably get more and more that way each season. But that's ok as my brand is so much more exciting!

Thanks to Jen for the snaps

In other news the winner of the Le Specs/ Sunglass shop comp is...

MAGGIE from Love Scrapbook!

Congratulations on winning some cool new sunnies in time for Spring!

THOMAS TAIT AW12

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:08:00 +0000

When we entered the cold warehouse in East London for Thomas Tait, we were grateful to be handed a cup of earl grey tea whilst we waited with baited breath for the show to start. Real grass coated the runway and I knew that Thomas had something special in store this season. Thick wools and leathers in olives and mustards came in the form of floor length coats and bomber jackets, tight 3/4 length trousers and flowing silk shirts; there were fine pleated leather and jersey tops that came all the way up to form a rigid polo neck; and bouncy ponytails with leather scrunchies on the beauty side. We even saw the first use of denim and velvet in luxurious varsity style jackets, and baseball cap collaboration with HUF. The show ended in glorious style with inspector gadget playing for the final walk; I know for sure this will be my favourite show of the season. Well done Thomas!

SNIPPETS

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:17:00 +0000

A few of my favourite images from my AW12 presentation the other night by Zana. It's so exciting seeing reviews and images coming through as I was on such an adrenaline high, it's tough remembering what happened exactly! It was such a pleasure meeting Zana and Ivania in person for the first time, although it felt as if we already knew each other. I'll post full presentation images after fashion week, but in the mean time you can see some more from Ivania, Sandra and Jen.

CHARLIE MAY AW12 FASHION FILM

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:27:00 +0000

Charlie May AW12 Fashion Film

Shot & Directed by Mark Gostick

Art Direction - Alexxsia Elizabeth

Model - Layla Young @ Select

Hair by Alex James Fairbairn

Make Up by Tricia Temple

So excited to show you guys the short fashion film we shot a couple of weeks ago. This was the weekend when it snowed and was freezing cold in London, we shot in a chapel that had been bombed in WW2 and was freezing so kudos to the amazing Layla! What a trooper.

I didn't plan the film to be as scary as it is but when we got on set it just felt right and we felt the stronger the better. We drew inspiration from this Miu Miu film, in the way they had edited the model walking backwards and never showed the girls face. I have to dash to catch the rest of fashion week now, but I hope you love it!

LUXURY MANICURES FOR THE NEEDY

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:20:00 +0000

When you work all day every day with your hands it's impossible to keep a good manicure up. I'm a bit of a biter, unless I have a coat of nail varnish on I won't have any nails to contend with at all; so, a few days ago mid moan about the state of disrepair my nails had fallen into, Taylor Taylor said I should come along with Jen and try out their luxury manicure. As soon as we entered the salon/haven on Commercial Street, we were offered up a comfy chair and a cocktail menu (I kid you not, you can order any cocktail off the menu, any amount of times for free with your treatment). I sat downstairs whilst Jen had her cut and colour, and felt a million miles away from London and my busy studio.

This was seriously a luxury experience that I hadn't felt before and my nails have never looked so good! The luxury manicure includes the full pampering treatment with exfoliation and massage, followed by a hand mask, cleanse and shape. I think I need to start looking after myself a bit more and I'll know the place to head to next time I'm in need.

I'm wearing a dark red wine varnish with Maria Nilsdotter rings.

Thank you so much Taylor Taylor for giving me a refresh in time for fashion week!

TEASER

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:16:00 +0000

Only two more days to go.

LE GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:15:00 +0000

It's that magical lovey dovey day today (grooaaaaan) and I've team up with Sunglass Shop and Le Specs to give one of my lucky readers this pair of Le Specs Runaways that I was loving on the blog a few weeks back!

Everyone knows sunglasses are the chicest winter accessory, even Karen Walker was giving away free pairs at her AW show yesterday and these can be your for free too! All you have to do is follow Sunglass shop on Twitter and Facebook and leave a comment here with your name and email.

I'll be running the giveaway for a week before announcing the winner, good luck!

BLEACHED

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Bleaching of the eyebrows has been a big thing since 2009, sparked by Givenchy bringing out their renowned A/W 09 campaign -one of my favourites; featuring striking lips, dark eyes and bleached eyebrows. Now, two of my favourite blogging ladies, Josefin and Alexxsia, have decided to lose their brows. I know it's not for everyone, but I'm so happy seeing it on real women and not just super models. It definitely brings out the features, leaving the face looking bold, beautiful and striking. I haven't seen the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo yet, but Rooney Mara looks pretty smoking hot with bleached brows too; maybe this will spark a big comeback for 2012.

I'll leave you with this insanely hilarious must read from the Daily Mail dating back to 2009, where they photoshop Daniel Radcliffe's face, leaving him looking like an evil super villain keen to seek revenge on who ever stole his eyebrows.

NICOLAS ANDREAS TARALIS SS12

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:40:00 +0000

I don't know how I've gone so long without knowing about this guy but I discovered Nicolas Andreas Taralis randomly this morning, whilst trawling through the final markdowns online. You can watch the video to this collection on his website and watching the way the clothes move, will make you fall in love for sure. The concept for Nicolas is simplicity; clothes stripped back to their most natural form. I'm not talking about this specific collection, which has sci-fi influences but the general aesthetic. The styling is so paired back it feels like you can wear the pieces right off the runway. I've been hunting to find better images for the SS12 shoes too, but above was all I could find. Still totally amazing, of course but I want to see more of the knee high white cut out boots!

HIBERNATION

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:40:00 +0000

I am just bombarding you guys with food posts as of late. As soon as it gets cold I just want to stuff my face and hibernate! Anyway, this is about reclaiming my weekend; usually on a Sunday I'm stuck at work dying of boredom, so it was a real treat to have lunch with two of my besties, Alexxsia and Andrew (TFD). We were still on a high from shooting the film on Saturday and we walked around Shoreditch enjoying the snow. A few friends had been raving about The Book Club on Leonard St and it didn't disappoint; any establishment that offers free DIY bloody mary's is alright in my book. After we polished off some heavy tradish english grub we headed over to pudding favourite, the Albion where we all shared a sticky toffee, rhubarb crumble and rice pudding. Having a little bit of everything is definitely the way to go.

MOST WANTED

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:01:00 +0000

1. Hermes rose gold ring

2. Margiela screw ring

3. Margiela hoop earing

4. unknown silver cuff

5. Jennifer Zeuner thin band ring

6. Margiela rose gold 4 finger rings

7. Margiela twist ring

8. Balenciaga twin bracelet

9. Unknown gold spine ring

10. Margiela brass ring

Just a big Margiela love-fest, really.

SHOREDITCH IN THE SNOW

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:05:00 +0000

Wearing: Won Hundred coat, COS knit, Rachael Barrett shorts, Acne boots, Helmut Lang cuff

Weird creepy hand series. I don't know what's going on, maybe it froze in mid air.. and then switched to the other one further down. Anyway, after shooting the fashion film this weekend in sub zero temperatures the snow started to fall on Saturday night, leaving east London under a clean white blanket. These shoes probably weren't the most practical choice for getting around, but the heels did kind of act like picks in the snow. Fashion over function always!

Thanks Lexxi for the pics!

TIME TO TRULLO

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:12:00 +0000

Last Thursday Alexxsia, Michael and I were invited to try out Trullo; a restaurant in Islington with quite a reputation for tasty eats. The decor downstairs was quite rustic, with exposed light and ventilations fixtures, as well as little cubby holes in the walls for tables and chairs; hooks hung inconspicuously from the walls for the guests to hang their coats, whilst the kitchen was fairly open and you could watch your food being prepared.

Trullo is known for their great cocktails so for starters we tried out a few, favourites being the Lions Tale and the Expresso Martini. For a bite we all tried the Arancini with saffron and bone marrow, which was in short deep fried risotto. I'd been excited to try bone marrow, but to be honest I couldn't really tell it was there, it was a delicious morsel to start with though and I would definitely order it again. For more of a main, my favourite was the Braised cuttlefish with bay and red onion - their top dish without a doubt; I would also recomend trying the Mozzerella di bufala with Swiss chard and Amalfi lemon- the lemon brings out a completely new dimension to the dish, as well as the beef and polenta dish, which was tasty. It's worth saying that their menu changes on a daily basis, so I can't guarantee these exact dishes will be available, but I think the dishes always remain similar.

For dessert Michael, Alexxsia and I shared 4 puddings (which was pretty funny considering we were the only fashion bloggers there, and the rest of the table ordered 3 plates between 5 people..) Who said fashion week is on the way? The coffee creme pannacotta was pretty awesome for a bitter and sweet combination but the favourite among us all was the cheese plate to end all cheese plates, with matching wines. UH-MAY-ZING.

Thank you Alix for the invitation and to Trullo for having us.

..Also to Tim, the dishy waiter, for putting up with us

HARNESSED

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:32:00 +0000

Wearing: Zana Bayne harness, Aquascutum shirt, Jaeger trousers, Ann Demeulemeester triple lace boots

Can you imagined how excited I was to receive this gift from Zana Bayne last week!? I had already ordered a much needed triple belt, after failing to fork out £600 for the Ann D corset of a lifetime on eBay (cry), so when I lifted out the belt to find this beauty hiding below, I could have somersaulted on the spot. I think Zana has the super power of knowing exactly which harness will fulfil a girls dreams.

LE SPECS

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:10:00 +0000

I recently discovered Australian brand Le Specs through Sunglass Shop and I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of them before. Their low price points of around £50 immediately struck me as surprising, being that the campaign and frames themselves are so high fashion. After doing some research I discovered that Le Specs brought out a collaboration with Henry Holland last year, which is available to buy now. See the striking campaign images below, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself. The glasses I'm wearing above are from the main collection (also available to buy now), called Runaways; I fell in love with them for their chunky black design, and general minimalism. -Obviously.

SPRING BREEZE

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Vogue China

February 2012

Photographer: Josh Olins

Stylist: Alastair McKimm

Model: Daphne Groeneveld

How I wish it was spring already! I couldn't resist posting this as it's literally the most perfect editorial I've seen in a long time. I want it all! Top of the agenda is that Givenchy shark tooth necklace, looks so good worn with loose pastels and whites.

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue

RISING TO THE OCCASION

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:19:00 +0000

So pizza dough doesn't really rise, but you can thank my boyfriend for that title. Last Thursday evening I returned to Assaggetti, but this time I was on the other side of the wall - in the kitchen! Michael, Alexxsia and I were the only fashion bloggers there for the prosecco tasting and pizza making event. We stood out like sore thumbs in our Wang and Acne, quoting this more and more as the night progressed. It was pretty exciting getting our hands dirty in the kitchen, we were taught everything from how the dough is made to appropriate oven temperatures (400 degrees!), we even had our own chef outfits. One key fact that stayed with me, is that you know the dough is right when it feels like a 20 year olds breasts.. you can't make this stuff up. Cue blank expressions from the gays in the room. My favourite pizza was Lexxi's sizzling chorizo and chilli, so good! I think smaller pizzas may be the best way to go, we got to try out so many different flavour combinations. Thank you so much Assaggetti and Alix, from MeMo Interactive, for the invitation! - Also to Michael for letting me steal a couple of pics.

AGAINST STONE

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:11:00 +0000

Wearing: Shirt By Malene Birger, Topshop leather trousers, Dominic Jones rings, Camilla Skovgaard shoes

Kind of recycling the outfit I wore out the other night for dinner; I'm really loving olive and black, and the military tones of this shirt Zalando kindly sent me, by Scandinavian designer Malene Birger. I seem to be living in dark colours, which totally reflects the grey moody London right now. Wishing for spring to be back again; why is it so uninspiring to get dressed right now?

On the other hand, I apologise for the lack of blog posts; this time next week I'll be shooting my AW12 short fashion film, to be shown at my presentation in only few weeks. There is so much to do but I'm excited for you all to see the end result. Thank you for all your comments too, they've been keeping me going the last few days!

PASTEL PINK

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:02:00 +0000

Even though this doesn't totally relate to what I've been living in the past few weeks, I found myself delving into my iPhoto past and finding these from my last MyDaily ed. I really love the thick wool and shape of this Acne jacket, which begs the question why i didn't buy it for £50 at the last stock sale, when it was still being sold online at the time for a few hundred. No wonder Acne stocksales end up queuing around the block (If you wanna get serious be there an hour previous). I didn't mean for that to rhyme.

Recently I've been thinking about how lucky Londoners must be, with dozens of questions coming my way about how I actually afford a designer wardrobe, when I don't buy anything, ever, full price. The answer is of course; the sample sales happening twice a year ranging from Christopher Kane to Antipodium; the famous London department stores, Selfridges, Harrods, Liberty and Harvey Nichols plummeting their end of line sales to 80% off in the final week; and finally my biggest weakness, eBay. Obviously eBay is for everyone, but the rest has me feeling like Londoners are pretty lucky. Obviously New York probably has it even better, and I know Antwerp stocksales are pretty unmissable, but what's it like in your city, where do you find your bargains?

A SEED CAN'T HELP BUT RISE UP

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:37:00 +0000

The work of Egle Cekanaviciute, found whilst stumbling through another new discovery drkmttr blog - a must go to for interior inspiration, Egle's 6 piece collection focuses on the idea that the human species are powerless against nature. Basic minimal silhouettes have been created out of materials such as potato sacks or tailoring canvas, and distorted to make room for the growing plants that have seeded in amongst the fabric. The whole idea is beautiful and poignant, I've been thinking a lot about nature recently and this marries my two loves of nature and fashion beautifully.

PARED DOWN

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:39:00 +0000

Wearing: Aquascutum shirt, Issey Miyake skirt/trousers (scousers?), Alexander Wang shoes, Persol opticals, Dominic Jones rings, Helmut Lang half cuff bracelet

Keeping it simple for a Friday afternoon with a classic monochrome combo (Check me out blogging on the actual day of wear!). It was kind of a bad idea wearing white shoes though due to the rain; cue horror face at every muddle puddle or building site I came across, which was quite a few. Loving this classic white silk shirt by Aquascutum, with silver studs at the collar and cuffs, it's the details that make all the difference.

STREET WEAR

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:15:00 +0000

How incredible are these boots from Givenchy pre fall? Gimme gimme gimme! The black pony/calf hair pair are my favourite. The whole collection offered an alternative to the S/S 12 collection. Those low sharky lapels; long dangling necklaces - this time a deer horn, not so keen, but there are some shark teeth in choker form which I love; the boxy envelope clutches; and the dangling bow drape blouses. Givenchy are at the top for me right now.

NEW ARRIVAL

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:09:00 +0000

Alexander Wang Jade clutch/ Dream come true

I bought this before the new year and it's still sat patiently in my wardrobe waiting for a special occasion to shine. Maybe I just need to fit it more into my everyday life. I'm getting used to not carrying a large handbag since demanding all the coats I buy have various large inside pockets. Since cutting down, I should be able to fit my life in here with relative ease. Now to take it on the cake run to Tescos...

ANOTHER BRICK WALL

noreply@blogger.com (A La Mode) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:08:00 +0000

Wearing: Dior sunglasses, Limi Feu boiled wool coat, Ann Demeulemeester shirt, Charlie May leather belt, complex geometries skirt, Ann Demeulemeester pony hair riding boots

The other day I was complaining on twitter that I didn't have any belts to go with this outfit, then when leaving the house I spotted this half corset from my graduate collection. It actually works much better as a belt I have found (see original ways of wearing here). Wearing your own designs gives you a feel of what works and what doesn't, and I want my pieces to be functional and not just for show; which is quite a learning curve! I know most of you will be asking about the shoes, recently rediscovered lurking in the back of my wardrobe, I bought them off eBay a couple of years ago; they are perfect for keeping me warm whilst running around London hoarding fabric rolls back and forth, and are beautiful alternatives to heels. Ann D I love you.

In other news, thank you Company mag for shortlisting me in your blogger awards. It would be amazing if you guys voted for me, but there's something in it for you too; everyone who votes goes in for a chance of winning £250 of New look Vouchers! A pretty sweet deal I think you'll agree.

VOTE VOTE VOTE!