The ALDO Rise fashion programme invests in emerging designers, assisting them with producing their shows and creating the perfect shoes for their collections.

Irish designer J.W. Anderson’s collection is a particular favourite, as there’s something a little bit ‘Manolo meets Cote d’Azur’ about these slim, elegant and slightly eccentric heels.

The contrasting textures of leather, cotton and eyelet detailing are inspired by J.W. Anderson’s Spring Summer 2012 collection.  Many of the shoes reflect the designs of the garments very closely, so they’re a great, affordable way to get a piece of the collection.

The colourful, tribal cocktail hour sandals are real future classics and the fringed heel of synthetic swan feathers make them even more covetable.  They are set to be a party staple for the summer, although we might spot them even earlier on some freezing fashionista feet at London Fashion Week next week!

J.W. Anderson for ALDO Rise is available now at Young British Designers and Selfridges, and at ALDO from 8 March.

However, the Holly Fulton girl has blown all her cash on living the high life and while dressed for Las Vegas, her staycation will be on a beach closer to home – Margate!

Holly Fulton is a very clever designer – she develops her unique art deco print each season and brings back certain motifs from past seasons (coral is a continual favourite), so that her brand identity is etched onto your brain.

The 90s are a strong focus for the new collection with checkerboard tote bags, zebra-print bomber jackets, studded mini-skirts, high-cut swimwear, boxy tailoring, big earrings and acid orange clutches.

But wasn’t all 90s rave-wear for ‘the kids’, as there were some stunning, breezy strapless cocktail dresses in soft yellow and pastel blue with reflective mosaic patterns and elegant feather trims worn with statement necklaces.

Sleek palazzo pants are a big part of the collection and each pair features a print with a variation of Holly’s seaside themes – coral, checker flags, shells, jellyfish, seahorses.

The palazzo pants were shown with loose silk t-shirts, sheer blouses, slinky bandeau tops and cropped embellished silk vests.

One of the most interesting new looks was a silk shift dress featuring a Pucci-esque illustrated underwater scene with psychedelic jellyfish and other whimsical marine life.

The Pucci reference continued with patterned silk scarf bandanas to compliment the affluent poolside look.

It seems to me that Holly Fulton’s strength is Spring/Summer, as she can be more daring with the silhouettes and her signature colour palette of canary yellow and swimming pool blue lend well to a lighter season wardrobe.

My only criticism would be that the bikini tops aren’t particularly well-cut, as they don’t appear to contour the body, resulting in either bagginess or under-spillage on the models (god help the civilians)!

Overall, it was another glamorous, covetable and exciting Spring/Summer collection from Holly Fulton.  Now with her own dedicated spot on the LFW schedule (previously partnering with David Koma), Holly Fulton can develop further and lead the way for young London designers.

For more info, visit: www.hollyfulton.com

Tabio are my everyday choice of tights, so I needed no persuading about their brilliance.  However, I was amazed at just how many ranges of socks, tights, leggings and accessories there were.

Tabio have become know as the fashionista’s choice of tights, as each piece is handmade and durable, the colour range is immense and all colours comes in a selection of opaques – from sheer 30 denier to complete colour block 210 denier.

Tabio tights have featured at London Fashion Week shows for Matthew Williamson, Lou Dalton and Aminaka Wilmont.  Tabio are further delving into the fashion world with new collaborative collection with Central St Martins MA graduate, JS.LEE.

The limited edition two-tone striped tights come in ivory, mint and black and were snapped up quickly by the fashion bloggers!

Tabio have foot apparel for every occasion and some of my favourites were the cricket striped knee socks, glittery ballet sockettes, sheer black polka dot tights, woollen grey marl tights and the thick ribbed cotton tights with stripes on the thigh.

One thing that sets Tabio apart from the rest is their wonderful staff.  The Tabio crew were on hand to help with sizing and deniers and gave personal recommendation and advice on how to style them up.

Tabio kindly offered us the choice of any product in the store as a gift and 20% off all purchases.

Making a decision was pretty difficult, so luckily we were given deli sandwiches, shortbread and Vitamin Water to sustain us through our indecisiveness!

Despite the warm weather, I was drawn to the thick winter tights and went for a pair of dusty pink cotton ribbed tights with navy blue stripes on the thigh.  I already have plans to wear them with a winter floral dress, high brogues and a tweed blazer…think Anna Sui and Charlotte Ronson.  I also used the store discount to replenish my ever-growing collection of black 80 denier Tabio tights.

See the Spring/Summer 2011 collections and buy online at: www.tabio.com/uk

The temporary store will offer the chance to buy pieces from the AW11-12 collection at 30% off the retail price.  Items from SS11 and AW10-11 are also available to purchase at sample price.

Jena.Theo’s stunning and wearable AW11-12 collection features voluminous blouses, ethereal silk dresses and slouchy knitwear in a palette of monochrome, grey, stone, denim and mocha.

To get a first look of the pop up store on the opening night, with DJs, drinks and nibbles, RSVP to fashion@essence-communications.com

For more info, visit: www.jeantheo.com

I’ll admit to being totally dismissive of the iPad when it first came out, but after being given one to use in the comfort of a Paris hotel room (a swish new trend), I became hooked.

With bloggers and editors tapping away from the front row on iPads at London Fashion Week, the slim and ultra-light iPad looks set to be the new fashion reporting device (and I’m still in need of one).

The app will features an interactive, insightful guide to the top 10 shows of Spring/Summer 2011, a round-up of the best accessories and exclusive footage from backstage.

You can also see the ever-stylish Team ELLE talking through the shows and sharing all the juicy details, from who was on the front row to the key looks to invest in.

Editor Lorraine Candy said: “For the first time we talk readers through the top shows, take them backstage and into the world of the catwalk, giving them access in a way no other magazine could.”

A particularly useful feature is an interactive front row, where users can click to find out who’s who and then choose to follow them on Twitter or read their blogs.

The gallery tool also offers a closer, detailed view of the individual looks as well as the name of the model.

The app is free to download now and is available from the Apple app store and from ELLEuk.com.

Read more about ELLE Collections 10th issue here…

Rather than a mere round up of the catwalk shows, ELLE Collections deconstructs the trends and makes the whole business much more fun and accessible.

The ELLE UK team bring an insider’s view of the shows, from the soundtrack at Chloe, the Prada snacks, the show scenery and all the pretty invites.

Pulitzer Prize winner and fashion critic, Robin Givhan, discusses the innate sense of glamour only achieved by curvy gals and rising Brit designers such as Peter Pilotto, Jonathan Saunders and Holly Fulton talk about the art that inspires their work.

Other visual delights include a month in the wardrobe of Anna Dello Russo, a who’s who of the front row and a montage of designers’ backstage inspiration placards – ‘think posh school girl’, was the pre-walk decree by Preen.

ELLE have even given us bloggers a helping hand with a calendar recording all of the important fashion and art events until November.  I’ll definitely be scanning a copy to stick up at my writing desk (ripping the page out would just seem blasphemous).

Other fashion treat to expect in the 10th issue include:

224 Poodles
2,000 words by a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
73 images by style blogger Tommy Ton
16 school photos of designers
10 awe-inspiring fashion moments
8 Hermes dressage horses
… and a DIY Prada banana

ELLE Collections is available to buy from 26th January 2011.  For more info, visit: www.elleuk.com

I went with my Parisian pals during a birthday weekend stay in London, so I was after somewhere impressive but informal, where we could catch up properly over some good food and wine.

Bistrotheque is tucked away in a warehouse in Bethnal Green, parallel to Vyner Street’s industrial unit art galleries.  You wouldn’t know it was there until you see a glimmer of light and activity and a couple of tables and chairs in a tiny courtyard.

Going up the concrete stairs reminded me of being back at Glasgow School of Art on a messy Thursday night and coincidentally we were greeted by a very dapper Scottish maitre d’.

Bistrotheque is noisy, busy and a bit too warm but all of these things make it fun!

Our waitress was so warm and smiley and really looked after us, making sure our glasses were topped up.  She immediately offered us a jug of iced water and brought a basket of fresh roughly sliced sourdough bread with butter.

The wine list is interesting and well-selected, offering mostly French, Spanish and Italian wines, with the odd Argentinian and Australian bottle.

As it was a Frenchie evening, we went for a bottle of Vincent Bouquet 2009 Merlot, which was fruity, rounded and easy to drink.

Being a particularly nosy bunch, we did a little pass the parcel of each other’s food, so we could all try it out.

The fish and chips (£12.50) were exceptional – crispy golden, seasoned batter and super fresh fish.  My fork didn’t reach far enough to scoop up some pea purée or tartare sauce, but on all accounts, they were also delicious.

My half roast chicken with garlic and rocket (£14.50) was so tender and tasty and the caramelised garlic cloves really added to the flavours.  It only comes with a handful of rocket and could’ve done with fries as part of the dish – I had to order them as a side.

The birthday girl’s grilled guinea fowl (£18.50) was the poshest meal on the table.  The guinea fowl was succulent and juicy and came with a celeriac dauphinoise, mushroom, fig and devil on horseback.

She loved the guinea fowl but had no idea what the ‘devil on horseback’ was. It took some googling today to identify said accompaniment.

To finish it all off, we ordered the white chocolate cheesecake with griottines in Kirsch and three spoons.  This was absolute heaven – creamy, dense and smooth with a gritty biscuit base.

The only thing was, we all started coughing from the extra fine cocoa powder laden on top.  We found it pretty hilarious and laughed about it all evening…cheesecake with a kick!

The sign of a really great restaurant is if you’re dying to go again the very next day!  I’m already planning next week’s brunch…

The bill came to around £87 with wine and service for 3 people.  As this was £29 per person, next time I would arrive earlier and book the pre-cabaret 3 course dinner and show for £31.

Galliano’s stunning graffiti reflects London’s quintessentially cool style and pays tribute to a long, supportive relationship with magazine.

To avoid the wrath of Boris, Galliano has used ‘reversed graffiti’, an effect achieved by creating a stencil, then pressure washing the surface beneath it.  The graffiti will soon fade away with the London grime and weather, so to catch a glimpse of this unique ‘fashion moment’, you’ll have to act quick.

ELLE challenges readers to hunt down all 10 graffiti venues and clues can be found on the ELLE website, www.elleuk.com/25thbirthday.  The first person to spot all of the graffiti will win a once in a lifetime prize – a handmade piece of artwork made by Galliano himself, which was the inspiration for an ELLE cover in 2009.

The extremely covetable artwork is typically flamboyant and uses feather, leather and more fabulous textures.

Here is a list of clues to help you discover the graffiti locations and get closer to the unique Galliano gift…

1. Contemporary art locale and address of ELLE’s exclusive 25^th birthday party
2. The hottest street in London to head for a curry
3. The home of London Fashion Week and a place to get your skates on in winter
4. Where Napoleon did surrender (and catch a train to Portsmouth)
5. London’s riverside cultural mecca
6. Dedicated followers of fashion still flock to this birthplace of 1960s chic
7. A street performer-packed piazza in the heart of theatre land
8. Escape the pandemonium of Oxford Street in this quiet boutique-filled oasis
9. Where Jimmy Choo and Harold Tillman cut their teeth
10. ELLE lives here

If you’re the lucky winner, take a snap of your Galliano artwork and send it to cheriecity@hotmail.com

The party was a relaxed but ever-so-stylish affair, with appearances from Zandra Rhodes and Andrew Logan, ELLE fashion editors, London Fashion Week press, East London clubkids, artists and the odd model.  New York’s Becka Diamond played a brilliant DJ set of New Wave and party stuff including Siouxie & The Banshees, Fever Ray and Madonna.

Blue Logan is known as the ‘pencil paparazzi’ in fashion circles and the work featured ranges from tiny portrait sketches of the likes of Olivier Zahm and Andre Saraiva to an insanely beautiful painted illustration of an Alexander McQueen dress using goldleaf.

Blue Logan also recreated a runway with two of his front row quick sketches, featuring fashion’s most illustrious characters, headed up by Kaiser Karl himself.

Key looks from the Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and  Alexander McQueen collection also get the Blue Logan treatment, as well as this statuesque portrait of the inimitable Grace Jones wearing magenta Azzedine Alaïa.

I plan to cover my dream home in Blue Logan fashion illustration one day and luckily Steven (also present at the private view) needs no convincing on that one…yes!

The Blue Logan exhibition runs until 22 September at SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED, so there is still time to drop by and view some of his extraordinary work.  Also, spend over £60 in store and get a complimentary illustrated tote bag, specially designed by Blue Logan for the exhibition.

Opening the first day at London Fashion Week with his SS11 Incendiata show, in association with Barclays, Jean-Pierre Braganza pays tribute to the partnership by designing a limited edition print to feature on a select fleet of cycles.

Known for their uniform blue frames, Jean-Pierre Braganza has injected some cool London style into the Barclays Cycle Hire bikes and no doubt there will be queues to ride a Braganza bike up and down Kingsway, come fashion week.

Jean-Pierre Braganza says: “I’m genuinely excited to be part of this initiative.  As a very keen cyclist in London, Barclays Cycle Hire offers the freedom to explore the city worry-free.”

He adds: “By customising a bike for London Fashion Week I hope to indicate the inspiration travel has provided in my work, and highlights that everyone can, and should, explore and discover our city.”

Jean-Pierre Braganza has even cited “mystical bikes” as inspiration for his upcoming collection, alongside “legends of ravens and Heavy Metal whispered softly by faeries.”

I’m curious to see how the collection will connect with the free-spirited idea of voyaging and exploring that is made possible through cycling.  With such an innovative collaboration, Jean-Pierre Braganza’s opening show at ON/OFF is set to be one of the highlights of the schedule.

For more information on how to become a member of Barclays Cycle Hire, visit www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire