Almost every department store and boutique is hosting a fabulous party to showcase their new Autumn collections, show some love to us loyal fashionistas and keep the fashion industry booming.  There are so many exciting events, you’ll have to co-ordinate your plan of attack!  Here is the Chérie City guide to the highlights…

London’s hottest young designers will be getting out their haberdashery kits at Harvey Nichols, where they will be customising Vogue Fashion’s Night Out t-shirts.  It’s a rare opportunity to get a bespoke creation from the likes of Erdem, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders, Markus Lupfer and Vogue’s Emma Elwick-Bates, at a snip of their usual prices.

There will also be Rough Trade DJs, an exclusive peek at Christopher Kane Jeans for J Brand, a pop-up Shu Uemura lash bar and a Harvey Nichols Photobooth.

Maison Louis Vuitton on New Bond Street will be hosting one of the most anticipated parties of the night, with model Alice Dellal treating guests to an exclusive 2 hour DJ set.  There will also be two photo booths in which guests can strike some Vogue poses with bespoke props created especially for the event out of Vogue magazines by designer Fiona Leahy.

Liberty of London will be a hub of fashion frolics with the grand opening of the Manolo Blahnik ‘store-in-store’, The World of Manolo. At 6.30pm, Manolo and close friend Yasmin Le Bon will officially open the doors to a room full of shoes, candles, accessories, stationery and bow ties designed by Manolo exclusive to Liberty.

On the ground floor, Vogue’s Emma Elwick-Bates will be demonstrating how to perfect the art of tie a scarf.  There will also be a Liberty photo booth, a free expert lash application with every purchase of Shu Uemura lashes and a competition to win the entire contents of Liberty’s designer goodies-laden window display.

Richard Nicholl will be showing off his Autumn/Winter 10-11 collection live with the gorgeous Josephine de la Baume alongside his  J Brand 5×5 jeans.  Buy a pair of the limited edition jeans and Richard will treat you to a pair of tickets from Frieze Art Fair.  All this will set to a glorious Motown and Soul soundtrack by DJs Richard Sloan and Farrah.

Just a stone throw away from the Liberty festivities, up-and-coming designer Holly Fulton will be presenting her latest catwalk looks at Swarovksi Crystallized from 6-9pm.  Meet Holly and marvel at her stunning, oversized geometric neck candy.

Fall down the rabbit hole at Christian Louboutin where the shoe emporium will be transformed into a wonderland with a Mad Christian Louboutin tea party.  NARS will be on hand for consultations on finding the perfect red lippy and there will be goodie bags and a DJ set courtesy of London Guns.

Charlotte Olympia’s Mayfair store will be open for POP Bakery treats, nails by WAH Nails, champagne and canapes.  There will also be a personal appearance from Charlotte herself and a chance to preview the new Fall 2010 Collection.

Finish off your shopping evening at Cherie City’s favourite haunt, Cafe Luc in Marylebone with their special Vogue Fashion Menu. Head Chef David Collard presents a decadent, market fresh 3 course menu (£24.50) including lobster, foie gras, truffles and of course, Champagne.

On the night, Cafe Luc is launching its Bag Valet service, so you can relax while the attentive staff guard your new purchases.

Even the most seasoned London shoppers will find the sheer number of FNO events overwhelming, so Vogue have made it easy to plan the night with an online shop directory, where you can add events to your list and print it off, or share with friends.  You can even locate the stores on a map and plan your schedule down to the last minute.  What can be better than that?

Where will your fashion crawl take you tonight? Cocktails with Manolo?  Tea and cakes with Christian?  Share your fashion itinerary…

Binbin McNiven’s covetable label, t.b.a has come into its own this season with some coquettish velvet doll dresses with lace collars, high-waisted trousers, peter pan collar shirts, princess coats and metallic gold shorts.

What sets t.b.a apart from other ‘cool girl’ labels is the attention to detail – contrasting collars and pockets, delicate pompoms and flashes of velvet.

Undoubtedly luxurious, t.b.a is also very reasonably priced, given the individual look of the pieces, the most expensive piece being an illustration printed silk pleated dress with pompoms at £180.

As you may have already guessed, Alexa Chung, Tennessee Thomas, Chloë Sevigny and Maggie Gyllenhaal are among Binbin’s style muses, so get their awkward gamine look by styling up the pieces with brogues, berets, satchels and knee socks.

t.b.a Autumn/Winter 10-11 collection is available now at Urban Outfitters and at www.ilovetba.com.

Bringing together the worlds of fashion and skate culture, Liz has designed a limited edition skateboard for Opening Ceremony. Liz is in good company, as she joins fellow skater girl and friend Chloë Sevigny as a designer for the brand.

A nod to her love of the ‘golden age’, the deck features a late 1940s sketch by Rex Huntington, an American burlesque costume designer.

Liz says: “I wanted to make a deck that a skater would think was hot and that a non-skater could appreciate as an object of art and design.”

The skateboard is available at OCNY and OCLA.  Read more Q&As with Liz on her Opening Ceremony collaboration here.

Look out for the paperback release of Liz Goldwyn’s first book, Pretty Things: The Last Generation of American Burlesque Queens in December.  Christmas wishlist, anyone?

My favourite exhibitions are usually of the fashion kind and this Autumn there are some incredible happenings in the art and fashion world.

Firstly, from next week until late September, Selfridges will host a retrospective of Dame Vivienne Westwood’s iconic shoes from 1973 to 2010.

The Ultra Lounge will be devoted to five decades worth of Viv’s much-loved shoes, from the voluptuous, death-defying platform heels, to the classic Pirate Boots and her later collaboration footwear with melissa.  The infamous Super Elevated Gillie platforms that toppled Naomi Campbell on the catwalk in 1993 are also sure to make an appearance.

If you’ll be Paris during fashion week or any time from mid-September through to October, you really must take a detour to see Karl Lagerfeld’s photographer Exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, in the Marais.

Kaiser Karl’s love of photography and keen eye for detail has led him to shoot the Chanel campaigns, produce numerous editorial spreads, publish his own photography books and direct his own short films.

The featured photographs have yet to be revealed, but perhaps there may be some images of his Chanel girls Freja Beha Erichsen and Lara Stone alongside some insanely chiselled and beautiful male models such as Brad Kroenig and Karl’s muse,  Baptiste Giabiconi.

If you have time, pop in to 7L, Karl’s photography bookshop beneath his photography studio to pick up some Karl-prescribed literature.

Somerset House continues its dedication to fashion and the arts with an exhibition to the work of renowned illustrator René Gruau (1909-2004).

René Gruau’s unmistakable, iconic illustration style shaped Christian Dior’s ‘New Look’ in the 1940s and his use of bold, minimal lines has has a remarkable influence of the world of graphic design and illustration, which continues today.

The exhibition will feature original illustrations for Parfums Christian Dior, vintage perfume bottles, sketches and magazines alongside a selection of Dior Haute Couture dresses.  The exhibition also reveals the close friendship between the two creative geniuses and their shared vision of revolutionary elegance.

Vivienne Westwood Shoes, An Exhibition 1973-2010 will run from 26 August – 22 September at Selfridges, London.

Karl Lagerfeld Photography Exhibition will run from 10 September – 15 October at Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris.

Dior Illustrated: René Gruau and the line of beauty will run from at 10 November – 9 January at Somerset House, London.

The webzine follows the stylish lives of six international cool girls – New York DJ Harley Viera-Newton, LA college grad and aspiring actress Courtney Falsey, Florida filmmaker/model Tracy Antonopoulos, bobo-chic Parisian Ella, Harajuku girl U and our London girl, model Anna Brewster.

Styled by Fran Burns and shot by Matt Irwin, the girls show some inventive ways to wear an Hermès silk scarf – woven through the hair, twisted into hair accessories, worn as a mini skirt, a tied top or even a bag handle.  Now that’s one hard-working scarf!

To recreate the looks, Hermès has provided helpful step-by-step Knotting Cards, including illustrated diagrams of how to fold your silk scarf.

The website is actually really fun and interactive, with plenty of photos to click through and be inspired by.  Hermès is going in exactly the right direction, fusing their heritage brand with fashion-forward, ‘style diary’ marketing.

I predict a flurry of designer collaborations and new, bold styles to appeal its new younger, style-conscious audience that favour beat-up satchels over Birkins.

To get instant Hermès silk scarf styling tips and find out how the Hermès girls wear their silk scarves, visit Jaimemoncarre.com

Natascha is a perfect match with bSTORE, as her wearable, tailored jersey pieces and slouchy silhouettes reflect the brand’s vision of effortless urban style.

Known for her teen grunge aesthetic, Natascha’s bSTORE collection sees her awkward prom girl take a year out in Paris and come back that little bit more chic and worldly.

Well, that was my first interpretation of the collection, as the petroleum, sludgy colours and contrasting textures made me think of Isabel Marant, Vanessa Bruno and Paul & Joe.

In fact, the bSTORE collection takes inspiration from closer to home; an imagined aristocratic family spending the weekend at their country estate in Wyndham – all faded glamour, chaise longue languishing, flushed cheeks and grazed knees.

The period is blurred between the 40s and 70s era, referencing Daphne Du Maurier’s novel, The Parasites and combining masculine and feminine shapes to get that cool ‘Natascha’ look. Luxurious, tactile fabrics like cashmere and draped silk are contrasted with more structured country flannels and tweeds.

But Natascha doesn’t lose that rebellious cool geek spirit, styling fine wool coats with cute bobble hats, ruched knee socks and arm warmers.

Natascha’s boxy jackets and wool coats feature design details such as ‘pockets-come-belts’ and detachable hoods, making them more versatile and allowing you to wear them in a number of ways.  If you’re following this coming season’s style rules of course, that means with hair tuck inside the collar or draped casually over the shoulders.

To see the full AW10 womenswear collection designed by Natascha Stolle, visit bSTORE online or in store.

]]> http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/08/19/bstore-presents-aw10-womenswear-by-natascha-stolle/feed/ 2 http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/08/15/the-kills-x-zadig-voltaire/ http://cheriecity.co.uk/2010/08/15/the-kills-x-zadig-voltaire/#comments Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:18:26 +0000 cheriecity http://cheriecity.co.uk/?p=4296 Paris rock ‘n’ roll fashion brand Zadig & Voltaire has become known for its black and white, ‘caught in the moment’ photography campaigns featuring music’s coolest couples and this time its the bandmates Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, aka The Kills.

Last season’s story centred around Mark Ronson and his Parisian love, Josephine de la Baume and before that the effortlessly chic Charlotte Kemp-Muhl and Sean Lennon.

The Kills were shot by Purple Magazine founder and photographer, Olivier Zahm, in the Parisian gardens of Parc Monceau and are wearing pieces from Zadig & Voltaire’s AW 10-11 collection.

Other images from the campaign see the pair during ‘down time’ in their hotel writing songs and reclining for Olivier Zahm’s trademark ‘bed shots’.

Zadig & Voltaire was literally made for laid-back, mussed up rock girls like Alison and her wardrobe of skinny jeans, flat ankle boots and tough leather jackets perfectly reflects the free-spirited look of the brand.  Zadig’s penchant for diamanté skull and logo knitwear may be questionable, but then again, Alison can barely be parted with her gold spangly boots.

Jamie Hince’s style DNA is unsurprisingly close to Alison’s (I’m sure he pinches her leopard print scarves) but he bring more of a dandy element, mixing up the roughness with a tux jacket, waistcoat, cravat or slicked-back hair.

The Kills have a special kind of bond and while their on-stage relationship is intense and tumultuous, Olivier Zahm has captured their closeness and unabashed intimacy.

To see more of the campaign shots, visit www.zadig-et-voltaire.com

Known and loved for capturing cool, individual London style on her blog, Show Me Your Wardrobe, Jackie shot real people wearing their own clothes mixed with Swarovski Crystallized pieces, to show the jewellery can work with your own wardrobe.

The temporary store will feature Swarovski Crystallized’s latest designer collaborations and the brand’s classic pieces such as crystal stretchy bracelets and bold crystal dome rings, all using Swarovski Elements.

My absolute favourite piece are these stunning pendant necklaces by Paris designer Shorouk.  Mixing art deco elegance with a bold contemporary look, Shorouk’s pieces are made using red sequins, Swarovski Elements and bronze-plated metal.

Other exclusive pieces at the store include Klimt-inspired rings and bangles by Paris designers Gian Paolo Maria, sparkling bracelets by New York-based Rodrigo Otazu and elegant, geometric earrings by Philippe Ferrandis.

Prices range from £24 – £200, so there are designer collaboration pieces for every budget.

The only store will run online for a limited time from the 16th August for six weeks.

Realising a 10-year dream that pre-dates the cupcake explosion, Patrick’s sexy, chic bakery is equal parts corner cake shop and Soho hangout, with glossy black interiors and neon aplenty.

The inspiration behind Cox Cookies & Cake is Patrick’s formidable mother Maureen and childhood memories growing up in Canada. Patrick and Maureen used to bake every Saturday and she continues to send him large care parcels of baked goodies from Canada even today.

Many of Maureen’s secret family recipes will be shared with the Soho masses, including her signature Nanaimo Bars – a coconut chocolate biscuit with a layer of custard vanilla butter cream coated in milk chocolate.

Bonding over fashion and their love of indulgent artisan treats, Patrick and Eric met through their mutual friend Liz Hurley, better known for her punishing beach body diets than love of cake. Perhaps as a thank you, the pair could create a wheat, dairy and sugar-free cupcake called ‘The Liz’, topped with gold marzipan Versace safety pins…just a thought.

The antithesis of girly, pastel cupcakes, Cox and Lanlard’s creations are glamorous, inventive and very Soho with a unique fashion edge.  The cakes are covered with sugar icing lips, images of Marilyn Monroe on rice paper, elegant white chocolate curls and sugared rose petals.  There’s even an amazing all-black cupcake complete with skull and cross bones that may or may not turn your tongue black.

Best of all, Cox Cookies & Cake is open from 11am to 11pm at night, so you can get dessert after dinner or pick up a scrumptious treat after a night out at Soho’s illustrious members clubs.

Cox Cookies & Cake will open on 1 September at 13 Brewer Street, London W1

With equal nods to pop art and spirituality, these velvet and plexi-glass heel platform court shoes are a cross between stained-glass windows and hard candy (Jolly Ranchers spring to mind).

As if that weren’t enough, each pair of jewel-toned heels and flats (yes, you read correctly) come with their own matching pair of luxe stockings with a glamorous back seam and woven spiders web in the same colour as the heel.  This is Charlotte Olympia’s debut hosiery collection and the stockings are also available to buy separately in store.

The stained-glass window trend continues with these killer courts and lattice sandals featuring Charlotte’s signature vertiginous slim heels, block platform and spiders web illustration on the sole.  Striking, bold metallic gem shades also make an appearance.

But if all that colour is just too much, Charlotte’s collection of ankle boots and shoe boots are a gothic girl’s dream.  Seductive corset detailing on the back reveals a contrasting textured leather heel and the Victoriana, laser-cut shoe boot with a delicate bow is the perfect mix of pretty and edgy (and very Alaïa).

Fierce, chunky-heeled biker boots don’t seem to be going anywhere, despite protestations of kitten heels, and Charlotte Olympia’s take on the new classic is spot on.  Yes, they are warrior-like in stature, but the buckles, laces and two-tone patent toe makes them super feminine and wearable.

Of course, Charlotte’s trademark leopard print hasn’t been forgotten and features on a range of platform pumps, sandals and even some flat lace-up ankle boots.  Her raspberry velvet wedges are also worth sticking on your wish list!

More of the Autumn/Winter 10 collection can be found at the Charlotte Olympia store on Maddox Street, Mayfair, and a selection is available to buy now at Luisa Via Roma.