London Fashion Week – Thomas Tait AW13 Posted by Unknown |

This image from Thomas Tait's AW13 show just popped into my inbox and I couldn't not post it. Isn't it amazingly atmospheric? With masculine, very structured tailoring and bursts of bright block colour, the show took place in the garages in Carlton Terrace House in London's St James (technically defined by the four corners of Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Green Park and Buckingham Palace – did you know that? I did not, I admit). Tait describes the collection as a "teenage mutant cosmic disco trip" and Vogue described it as "agility futurist". Works for me, and I am loving those raspberry sunnies. With an MA from Central Saint Martins graduate, the Canadian (but with British roots) Tait was the youngest ever to graduate from his course.

#LFW - Mini Show Report - Topshop Unique AW13 Posted by Unknown |

I was disappointed with last few Topshop Unique season, having been bowled over by Spring Summer 2011 (remember the big frizzy hair and long flowing disco outfits?) so I was really pleased to see such fab looks for AW13, despite them being (the dreaded) 90s derived. Visually sleek and simple with strong block colours and clothes that looked easy enough to wear. I love the wool trousers in rusty brown above and the cheeky little knit pattern on the jumper below. Midriffs everywhere (in keeping with the nineties revival soundtrack, obvs), but realistically, on shorter than model types you'll probably find there's enough material to meet your waistband. There was a lot of tech hype around this show to do with live streaming on You Tube and on Google+ from every possible angle including a model's POV (on, who else, but Cara D) and being able to buy the looks straight off the catwalk which sounds like the way forward to me. You can watch the show here – the amazing underground concrete space is the Tanks at the Tate Modern.

#LFW - Mini Show Report - Mulberry SS13 Posted by Unknown |

With Issa as my favourite show of the season, I think it's fair to say Mulberry tied second with FelderFelder – both appealing to my (multiple) different fashion faces. Taking luxe to the super luxe, the Mulberry show was just so gorgeously elegant and sophisticated and I'm practically weeping into my keyboard looking at that classic English check in its various colour combos complimented by the new butterflies and woodland flowers print. Nice, sturdy chunky heels and then, of course, the bags – more structured and framed, more expensive looking and more for the sophisticated kind of lady. I sure want to be that lady. Joining the Bayswater, the Mulberry It bags of the season are the Willow (the one with a zipped envelope compartment on the front) and the Suffolk (like the Bayswater but with a metal frame at the top). Nice to see Mulberry continuing with their bright yellow rather than it being just a one season kind of thing and by all accounts, the show, which took place in Claridges Ballroom was a pretty fabulous affair with a butterfly-shaped invitation, brambleberry muffins, breakfast compotes. woodland inspired juices and Rococo chocolate ladybirds. Now that is a show list I somehow need to get on. :) Watch the show here.

#LFW - A Visit To The Maison Triumph Pop Up Exhibition & Store Posted by Unknown |

I really did mean to try and get these photos up earlier as yesterday was the last day of the Maison Triumph pop up. Official supplier of lingerie for London Fashion Week, Triumph (celebrating their 127th year) put on a lovely exhibition, talks by Caryn Franklin and Ruby Hammer among others, commissioned some beautiful designer collaboration pieces, including Matthew Williamson, FelderFelder and Louise Gray and had Helena Christensen there with her Triumph lingerie line. All very bijoux and gorgeous on one of my favourite Covent Garden streets – Monmouth Street, home to Poste Mistress and Tatty Devine among other many splendid little boutiques.

London Fashion Week - Christopher Kane AW13 - Some Snaps Posted by Unknown |

Wow, I never thought I could enjoy a fashion show so much. I know that sounds silly, I love fashion therefore I should love shows, right? Granted seeing fabulous designs marched out in front of you is a pleasure but what I've found goes along with shows is highly-strung anxiety – from the musical chairs as the right people are made sure they're put in the right seats to personal space land-grabbing on the benches and neck-craning celeb spotting – which encases and is individual to each show. Or maybe it's because I haven't been in a big enough venue, where practically 50% of the audience have a front row seat like today at the Christopher Kane show, which was actually more like several shows in one. The multi-faceted collection was staged in a cavernous art gallery-like eighth floor on Cannon Street – the tinted windows flooding each section with primary colours – so spacious that any tense vibes (which sensitive souls like me always pick up on) were dissipated and dispersed. I felt relaxed and ready to enjoy the show. And boy, I did. With 55 models walking the 500m catwalk, I found myself gasping as each new mini-collection presented itself. In clumsy summary, the fur and blue camouflage, see-through coiled detailing, 3-D flowers on burgundy and black, velvet dresses with tulle bands, geometric print, feathered and filament-fringed (or tinsly?) dresses. Oh yes, and the silk-screen print of an MRI brain scan. As you can see from the photos, that's a lot of ideas crammed into one collection and that's what had me gasping in surprised delight. I loved the wide-legged trousers over the heels, the fur jacket over a mini-dress, the brain shift dress and please, please can I have a tinsly dress? And did I mention UK Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman was in the same (very crowded) lift as me? I didn't see Salma Hayek, unfortunately, whose husband is the CEO of PPR, the French company that now has a 51% stake in Christopher Kane and I'm guessing whose financial backing allowed for such an elaborate show. Anyway, bravo Mr Kane, I can't wait til next season.

What I'm Wearing - #LFW Day 4 Posted by Unknown |

So having skipped LFW day 3, come day 4, I set off nice and early for the Christopher Kane show. Just down the road from Bank tube on Cannon Street the fashion peeps were out in force congregating for one of the 'big four' shows of the season. A flurry of bulbs flashed as Susie Bubble (dressed in a supercute mix of pale pink and blues) quickly rushed into the venue while others made themselves available for copious (arduous? ;)) street style pics. Inside the mob grew, waiting to be allowed access to lifts that would take us up to the show space. Anyway, I will save the details and photos for the next post, but suffice to say the space itself (soon to be offices, oh no!) was mind-blowing and the collection even more so. I heard myself gasping as each new 'mini collection' appeared (Chris Kane must have access to some sort of magical well of never-ending ideas, where is that now?). What I wore, well, I saved up my smartest monochrome outfit for today – H&M skinnies, peplum top (c/o New Look - Petite collection), biker jacket by Next and bag (few seasons ago) by Mimi Berry.

#LFW - Mini Show Report - Issa London AW13 Posted by Unknown |

As soon as I locked eyes on the live stream, I knew – with ever-increasing certainty – that Issa AW13 would be my favourite show. The boho luxe, the feathered fedoras, the out-on-the-plain polo necks, the graphic but feminine prints all screamed camp beneath the desert stars (Brazilian designer Daniela Helayel talking about "...a trek to the desert") and dance with wild abandon. Sorry if that sounds indulgent, but something about the clothes' flowing confident abandon (apologies: repeat word) tapped into how I like to feel, and how I like clothes to make me feel. Btw I had no idea that Camilla Al Fayed bought 51% of the company in 2011 and I'd also forgotten that Issa was a favourite of Kate Middleton. Hmmm, never mind, the clothes speak for themselves and have utterly worked their magic on me at least. Watch the full show in the video below and tell me what you think.

#LFW - Mini Show Report - FelderFelder AW13 Posted by Unknown |

I thought I'd set myself the challenge of doing a series of mini show reports on my favourite shows with the criteria of choosing just four looks – the looks that stood out to me the most but also the ones which I feel defined the show. So here goes. FelderFelder AW13 feels much more evolved than previous collections; grown up in the sense of exploring and breaking new ground. The FelderFelder black body-hugging rock chick staples still underpin the collection (flared mini-skirts and cigarette pants) but there are some exciting new elements – fresh new colours, trench coats. tailoring and a dreamlike princess dress in flowing silver (LOVE) . The breathtaking show closer was two gigantic Mongolian furs in grey and white, belted and beautiful. No wonder the Felder twins were so gleeful at their end-of-show appearance, they're taking things to the next level. Watch the show below and tell me what you think. (NB – red lips throughout.)

#LFW - Wolf & Badger Showroom AW13 - Amy Hall Posted by Unknown |

As promised here are some photos from my trip to the Wolf & Badger showroom on Dover Street. (If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a couple of these already.) My main objective was to finally meet the lovely knitwear designer Amy Hall whose pieces have featured in outfit posts on this blog (here and here) who I had a great chat with before checking out a few of the other brands on show including PPQ, Feather M and John & Pearl. It's so nice to get a feel for next season and planning colours and looks. I love Amy's selection of greys, navy and clarets and her introduction of gold chain in her crochet sections remind me of a Comfort Station necklace I teamed one of her knits with in this outfit post. The colourful John & Pearl pieces would also go perfectly. The showroom is open to the public so do pop in if you get the chance over the next couple of days. It's a great way to discover new brands.

ps. Sorry for the quality of the snaps, this was one-handed iPhone shooting :)

London Fashion Week AW13 - The Fashion Parade Contd - Candids Posted by Unknown |

Bumble bee crochet and beaded fringing – hello LFW

Some more of my snaps from Somerset House, this time candid ones while 'doing the lap' a few times over around the buzzing courtyard. Things to note, 1. new trend the neon beanie is already dividing opinion in the Twittersphere 2. snazzy pink & orange brogues with matching socks and denim is a winner 3. ideally have your photographer blog partner/real life partner/brother tailing you for the perfect street style snap 4. music and fashion do mix good – scratch beneath the fashion surface and you'll find a plethora of DJ/producers 5. cute photographers in cute sneakers are a sight for sore eyes 6. why do fashionistas love cutesy iPhone cases so much?

It takes two, baby

The serious photogs

Yes!

Team FelderFelder leaving the building & Manolo Blahnik shoe tree 

Spot the Javier the Owl iPhone case by Marc Jacobs

Mr Annette Felder aka music legend DJ/producer Arthur Baker and David Dewaele from 2ManyDj's/Soulwax

Very cute sneakers too

White fox, marillion fringing, glitter gold tights and diamante slingbacks – nuff' said. 

What I'm Wearing - #LFW Day 2 Posted by Unknown |

This is pretty low key for a fashion week outfit but as I wasn't really doing a proper fashion week day today and I had the little cookie in a sling with me, well, comfort was the main priority. Despite not having organised any shows to go to over the weekend, I still felt the pull and so I decided to head over to Dover Street to the Wolf & Badger showroom where Stylonylon favourite Amy Hall – you can see her amazing knitwear in outfit posts here and here – and others were showing (photos to come). Along the way I popped into Covent Garden to visit Triumph Lingerie's pop up exhibition and store (Triumph is the official catwalk supplier of lingerie) and the Cambridge Satchel Company's pop up/now permanent (with the express purpose of finding out more about their' Bloggers' Lounge but you need to sign up to be given a peek). Anyway, my dress down fashion week outfit. Another pair of fabby jeans c/o New Look – these are so lightweight with just enough stretch, I think I'll be wearing them all spring – an old Dorothy Perkins jumper, Topshop duffle and Liberty x Nike Air trainers from last year, soooo light on the foot. And if you squint you might be able to pick out the earrings, dangly gold-plated filigree numbers from Portuguese Heart.

London Fashion Week + FelderFelder AW13 On Vine Posted by Unknown |

Shades of red, orange. Silver, gold and wet look #felderfelder #lfw vine.co/v/brn77nOttx7
— Stylonylon (@juliarebaudo) February 15, 2013

Let's please talk about Vine and how much I love it! It's so completely addictive, although I didn't quite get it at first. But it only took a few tries to get the hang of it – it's super easy to make a six second video of absolutely anything (I am in extreme awe of the dedicated #stopanimation Viners who create captivating little clips of things I could never come up with). Anyway, it's fun, easy and brings in the results which is perfect for events like London Fashion Week – heady little snippets of the action, the style and the buzz is what people love about fashion week and this is just what Vine provides. Here are two of my videos from LFW Day 1 – the now infamous FelderFelder queue (the filming's a bit jerky, sorry about that!) in Somerset House and the screening room for all those bods turned away from the actual show itself... Take a look and if you like it, come follow me on Vine – I'm stylonylon – and I'll follow right back. Make sure to leave your tag in the comments. :)

#felderfelder queue #lfw #fall13 vine.co/v/brnaMPBQIu3
— Stylonylon (@juliarebaudo) February 15, 2013

What I'm Wearing - #LFW Day 1 Outfit Posted by Unknown |

All morning I avidly watched the #lfw tweets come in – you can't but help feel energised by the pace and level of excitement of the bloggers, journalists and PRs and come the afternoon I set off for the FelderFelder show. Stepping into Somerset House was a bit overwhelming at first, lots of fashion people milling about, the majority camera in hand looking for a shot. A huge queue snaking through the square turned out to be for FelderFelder and I realised arriving on the dot of two was probably pushing it given that I only had a standing ticket. An oversubscribed show means that the late standing don't always get in – which is exactly what happened to about 30 of us :( However, despite a few showboats storming off, we were ferried into an adjacent screening room where we got to watch the live stream. Almost as good (see my Vine clip of the show). Anyway, after the show and bumping into the lovely Rebecca and Phoebe from xoJane, I joined the loitering hoards of snappers to see what street style and moments I could capture. It went great, I was beyond thrilled to snap Andy Torres of Style Scrapbook (I don't think that girl can take a bad picture) and Olivia Grace from What Olivia Did among others. I can't wait to upload all the photos and get them posted. And, for my own outfit (my gorgeous Sophie Hulme satchel was snapped by Phoenix magazine) I am wearing, as you probably know by now, my new By Malene Birger cardigan, Sam Edelman booties and a last-minute change to these petite supersoft skinny jeans (c/o New Look – thankyou!) which arrived just in time. I'm really impressed with the fit and feel of these skinnies and they are down to £14.99 in the sale. Bargain.

Watch London Fashion Week Fall 2013 Live Stream Posted by Unknown |

                     
How brilliant is the live stream? Check back in for any of the shows you want to watch this London Fashion Week. Schedule below. 

Friday 15th February

10am Zoe Jordan
11am Bora Asku
1pm KTZ
2pm Felder Felder
4pm Jean-Pierre Braganza
5pm PPQ
8pm Central St Martins MA

Saturday 16th February
9am DAKS
12pm Jasper Conran
2pm John Rocha
4pm Todd Lynn
6pm Issa London
8pm David Koma

Sunday 17th February
8:30 pm Marios Schwab

Monday 18th February
11am Michael Van Der Ham
5pm OSMAN

Tuesday 19th February
12pm Emilio de la Morena
2pm Ashish
3pm Maria Grachvogel
5pm Aminika Wilmont
6pm Haizhen Wang

Outfit Planning - London Fashion Week - For Day 1 Posted by Unknown |

It's pretty intimidating figuring out what to wear to fashion week – street style has rocketed so high into the stratosphere that the very thought of being on the same pavement as the myriad style star editors, models, stylists, photographers and, of course, bloggers is enough to bring you out in a cold sweat. This year I'm lucky enough to be doing just a tiny bit of fashion week and though it's only a toe-dip (two shows – FelderFelder tomorrow and Christopher Kane on Monday) I do want to feel good on the outfit front. So here's today's outfit prep. Rocking the monochrome trend with this fabulous oversized cardigan By Malene Birger, going a bit casual and spring-like with Free People daisy denim and proudly sporting two of my most cherished leather items, a Sophie Hulme satchel and Sam Edelman Petty booties (both excellent sale purchases I must add :)) and jewellery by my new favourite Portuguese Heart. So wish me luck and check back in over the weekend for some fashion show snaps. 

ps. Happy Valentine's Day! I'm writing this in a rush as, shock horror, we are actually going out for a meal tonight. And I'm wearing a new dress! Oh, the excitement...