TOPSHOP are continuing the democratic trend with a flurry of amazing events at their Oxford Circus flagship store from 19-23 February.  Whether you’re doing the rounds at Somerset House or glued to SHOWstudio, you can stop by TOPSHOP to get  nail art done by the coolest nail techs in town, demolish some cupcakes and get insider tips on how to create a hit fashion blog.  They also will be streaming the shows that they support as part of New Gen, straight from the catwalk.

Dalston-based WAH Nails are setting up a pop-up concept salon, where the technicians will be recreating looks from the catwalk or anything you could possibly dream of, they really are THAT good.

With a huge presence of bloggers gracing the London Fashion Week shows (your truly included), TOPSHOP have invited some of the luminaries of the blogosphere to share advice on how to create and maintain a must-read blog.  Leading the workshops will be Oh Elle, Coco’s Tea Party and one of my fave bloggers, Disneyrollergirl.

But even with all the fashion madness going on, we still need sugary treats to keep us going.  I reckon even weary and famished fashion editors won’t be able to resist a ‘couture cupcake’ from pop-up store, Ella’s Bakehouse (founded by supermodel-turned-baking goddess Lorraine Pascale).

During London Fashion Week, it’s all about new creations, so it’s easy to forget about the joys of vintage garments.  Vintage experts Claire Nicholls and V&A curator, author and fashion historial Judith Watt will be showcasing a hand picked collection of vintage pieces by icon designers such as Jeanne Lanvin, Chanel, Ossie Clark, Azzedine Alaïa and Balenciaga.

Together they form The Vintage Acadème, specialising in sourcing the very best twentieth-century women’s fashion and haute couture. Clare and Judith will be on hand to give advice on the history of the garments and their designers. You’ll be able to try on some of the pieces – with tips from a TOPSHOP Style Advisor – and some items will even be for sale.

The Fashion Wall will be playing shows by TOPSHOP Unique and long-term designer collaborators Meadham Kirchoff, Christopher Kane, Mary Katranzou, Richard Nicholl, Marios Schwab, Louise Goldin and more.

The impossibly gorgeous Erin Wasson will also be teaming up with Blake Mycoskie, founder of ethical footwear brand TOMS, to host the first ‘Style Your Sole’ workshop, providing ideas to help you customised your shoes.  TOMS’ mission is to match each pair of shoes sold by donating a pair to a child in a developing country and fans of the brand include Karl Lagerfeld and Sienna Miller.

Providing the soundtrack throughout the week will be live DJ sets from Stricken City, Peggy Sue, Esben and the Witch, Wet Dog, Bleech, Chew Lips and Samual and the Dragon.

As if that wasn’t enough, every time you spend £80 in store (lets face it, that’s not too difficult), you receive a free gift – just visit the Fashion Wall to see what prize is on offer.  Gifts include free WAH Nails manicures, new season accessories and loaded gift cards to spend in store.

Visit the TOPSHOP website for details and event schedule.

The two stores will open pop-up shops in London and Paris in March and will be selling a limited edition collection of products designed and created by merci Creative Director Marie France Cohen, exclusively for Liberty of London, using the iconic floral Liberty prints.

merci was opened last year by Marie France and Bernard Cohen, the founders of childrenswear couture house Bonpoint, and is known in Paris as ‘the store that gives back’.  Mixing fashion with philanthropy, merci donates all of its profits to the Accueil des Sans Abri foundation to help women and children in Madagascar.

The store is set over three storeys in a beautiful loft space in the Marais (3rd arrondissement) with a used-book literary café, restaurant, florist, Annick Goutal perfume laboratory and a secret city garden.

It stocks a diverse range of clothes, from vintage finds to Parisian staple designers Isabel Marant and A.P.C, alongside high end pieces by Chloé, Marni and YSL.

Many designers have donated furniture and clothes to be sold at merci and they often create limited edition collections exclusively for the store.

The merci for Liberty range will include clothes for women, men and kids, accessories, stationery, homeware, soft furnishings, fabrics and gifts.  The fashion collection is set to be popular for Spring, with strappy sun dresses, playsuits and bikinis in classic Liberty prints such as Betsy, Eloise and Meadow.

There are also mini-me version of the womenswear for kids and the boys can get comfy with printed pyjamas and kurtas.  Babies can also get wrapped up in Liberty florals with adorable floral bloomers smock tops and pretty shirts.

You can also give your home a floral make-over for Spring with an adorable range of mugs, notebooks, stationery, storage boxes and gadgets like merci’s ingenious reusable napkin roll. I’ve got my eye on this beautiful Liberty fabric necklaces adorned with the merci medal.

Liberty and merci really do make an excellent partnership – Liberty have built on their strong heritage, making florals c0ol again and merci have completed redefined the boutique department store experience.  As Carnaby Street is celebrating its 50th anniversay this year, Liberty’s flower power is as vital to the London fashion scene as ever.

With beautifully designed products for all budgets, the pop-up shop is definitely worth a visit. Merci beaucoup, Liberty!

at merci opens 1 March and continues until 21 March.

merci at opens 8 March and continues until 1 April.

The ELLE Style Awards (newly sponsored by Next) have the reputation of being ‘the fashion Oscars’, but I reckon they’re the rebellious, bad gal cousin of the red carpet snooze-athons.  With not a floor length, chiffon Elie Saab dress in sight, the ELLE Style Awards are a fashion magpie’s dream and there’s always some naughty behaviour and gossip from the night  - last year courtesy of Mickey Rourke, who tried it on with Thandie Newton.

Last year’s awards saw Hollywood misfits Courtney Love and Mickey Rourke pick up Woman of the Year and Best Actor – a formidable and brave choice for ELLE, given their turbulent lives.  On the fashion side, Lara Bohinc, Rupert Sanderson, Peter Pilotto, Erdem and Christopher Kane all scooped prestigious awards, with Style Visionary going to Viktor & Rolf and Stephen Jones being recognised for his Outstanding Achievement.

This year, Naomi Campbell is being honoured with an Outstanding Contribution award for her 25th year in the fashion industry and for her role as Global Ambassador of the White Ribbon Alliance.

So, who is going to bag all of the prizes this year?  Any guesses?  I’m placing my bets on Georgia Jagger for the Model award, Carey Mulligan for Actress, Alexa Chung for Style Icon, Nicholas Kirkwood for Accessories Designer, Hannah Marshall for New Designer and Jonathan Saunders for British Designer.  If I get at least one designer right, I think I should treat myself to one of their pieces to celebrate!

Oh yes, and more ELLE-related news – they have just launched a new horoscopes application for the iPhone.  You can now get free daily astrological updates from ELLEuk.com’s resident astrologers, The Saturn Sisters.

As a horoscope sceptic, I’m hoping that ELLE will follow this with a fashion-based app, for when I finally get round to trading in my knackered old Blackberry for the phone of my dreams.

The ELLE Style Awards will take place on 22 February at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

I missed the ioannisdimitrousis show on the first day, as I was still working away - freelancers can’t make such outrageous demands, y’know.  But from what I’ve seen, his Spring/Summer 10 collection, he has continued his fishnet knits and added disc sequins, flower embellishments and contrasting panels, aka stripes.  But he has really embraced the spirit of Spring with his fresh take on monochrome and delicate silver and the collection features cropped tuxedo jackets, romantic button-down skirts, checked shirts and modified summer dresses.  There’s something Chanel Cruise collection about this dress – I love it!

So, my first show of the season was Blow PR’s catwalk show at Royal Festival Hall.  Blow always pick up on the most imaginative emerging designers and I was just dying to see Charlie Le Mindu’s hair sculptures in ‘real life’.

First up was a quick guest appearance from Joe, of Blue Peter fame (I’m sorry, I don’t know who he is) modelling… some clothes - best ask someone else about that one.

Charlie Le Mindu opened the show with an amazing Eiffel tower headpiece and from there we had hair-covered giant lips (think a Lulu Guinness purse after a blowdry), a plaited hair burka, hair-covered sunglasses and .  There was even a tufty fringe of hair on the amazing Tuk for Charlie Le Mindu brothel creeps!  Kap Bambino were responsible for the amazing soundtrack and I know that L7 was definitely played, but I forget what else, as I was so astounded by the models.

Next up was Gemma Slack with her superheroine-inspired second collection of badass leather, proper studs and metal armour plates.  Cones play a massive part in the collection, from Gaultier-style cone bra tops (complete with pierced nipples) and circular skirts to a futurist metal e-collar and oriental hats.

Like the Motley Crue soundtrack would suggest, her vision comes from 80s hair-metal girls and fetishised comic book characters.  Gemma’s girl is unapologetically sexual and powerful and of course has an incredible cutaway bikini for lounging ’round the pool on Sunset Strip…jealous, moi?

Gemma spent two years as an apprentice to Gareth Pugh and it’s clear that the experience has made her into a bit of a perfectionist, creating really well-formed, striking pieces.  I could go on about her for ages, but I’ll move on…

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Up next was Lina Osterman with a sophisticated, gothic and well-tailored collection.  It was her first catwalk show since graduating from Central St Martins and it also showcased her new jewellery collection featuring chunky silver rings and dirty metal chains.

Like many Swedish designers, Lina is more interested in design than colour and used a palette of black, navy and a momentary flash of white.  The collection features cropped blazers, belted coats, skin-tight jeans with studded knee-pad details.  Lina has developed a darker edge from the simple deconstruction aesthetic of her first label Pudel and the faces half covered with net and bowl cuts (styling by Robbie Spencer) add a subdued goth rock element.

Iris Van Herpen finished the show with an exquisite, fluid and complex collection.  Iris explores the movement of the human body, focusing on waves and radiations surrounding it.  She interprets how these lines may appear through the incredible manipulation of leather and ponders a future where we can actually see them.

This would explain the great energy of the pieces, from endless spirals and almost tribal marks to uniformly abbrasive ’metal shavings’.  Iris also referenced Burmese ornamental neck rings, metal animal skulls and the concept of waves attacking and protecting the body.  The beige and gold dress was breathtakingly detailed and the oil-slick black pieces really expressed Iris’ rather fearful vision of the future.

So, after such a great and varied show, I went to check out what was going on at Blow PR Presents…Juniors downstairs.  The kids were having a blast, getting their hair and make-up done, putting together their own outfits even crazier than those in the East End and being snapped by We Are Photogirls.  Future fashionistas in the making, for sure!

Later on, I hit the exhibition, drank some Chambord and champagne in the media lounge and caught up with some of the ELLEuk.com girls of past and present taking street style pics and making good use of the Toni & Guy Blow-Out Bar.

Next stop, Steve J and Yoni P presentation followed by the Bryce d’Anice Aime show…more to follow!

Fashion folk and spottings: V.V Brown, Diane Pernet, Kate Nash, Paloma Faith, Katie Jane Garside, Caryn Franklin, Brix Smith-Start, Portia Freeman, Michael Tempranillo, Dani Stahl, Johnny Make-up, Jameela Jamil, Tommy Ton,  Angela Buttolph.

All images (expect ioannisdimitrousis) by Neily Alimohamadi/cheriecity

British label YMC (You Must Create) opened their new loftspace a few days ago in Soho and French fashion house A.P.C (Atelier de Production et de Création) have made themselves at home close to Dover Street Market in Mayfair’s most minimalist neighbourhood.

YMC has been delivering well-made classics with a twist since 1995, but is having a bit of a ‘moment’ right now, with devotees Alexa Chung, The Horrors and Claudia Schiffer championing the label.  Their Spring/Summer 09 collection was awash with twee embroidered knits, sailor girl dresses, patterned playsuits and a multitude of stripes – mixing folk and prairie chic with a good old dose of Northern Soul.  The store is now stocking their Autumn/Winter 09/10 collection, but if birdwatching chic isn’t your thing, then it’s still worth a gander round the shop.

YMC’s loftspace is like an old curiosity shop with victoriana artefacts, retro gym equipment and some creepy taxidermy.  You’ve got to be impressed by a two-headed crow, but I can imagine A.P.C owner Jean Touitou’s gallic lip curling at the sight of such antiquated articles of yore.  

A.P.C’s new London flagship store is a much sleeker affair, and has just been officially launched, despite being already open this summer.  The interior is just as unfussy as A.P.C, with smooth wooden shelving and plenty of natural light.

A.P.C are best known for their innovative denim, but their Autumn/Winter 09 collection is all about checks, bright statement colours and marine-inspired tops – so, not that far away from YMC, then.

While a £100 plaid shirt doesn’t feature highly on my new season wish list, it’s good to know that it’s now a lot easier to find a decent winter coat to go with the H&M coral angora mitten I’ve got my eye on!

A.P.C  35a Dover Street, Mayfair, London

11 Poland Street, Soho, London W1