Tribute to Marilyn Monroe: 50 Years On

Incredibly, this August 5th Marily Monroe's untimely suicide took place 50 years ago.  We publish an image from Red Collector Magazine France, together with an iconic image of the star in tribute to the beauty with which she graced us.

Acne and Zara Street Style

A Paler Shade of White for Summer pictured earlier this year in Paris.  Acne jacket teamed with Zara trousers for an effortlessly stylish look ...

Casasempere's Ceramic Installation

Discovered on Disney Roller Girls Blog, Chilean artist  Fernando Casasempere’s breathtaking installation, Out Of Synch  

10000 Ceramic Flowers worth viewing until 27th April.  So hurry over there now - and don't pick the flowers!

Maarten Van Der Horst - Hot Hot Hot

Central St Martin's graduate, Dutch designer Van Der Horst brings his tropical prints to Top Shop TODAY!  Snap up as many pieces as you can as they are so HOT they won't be there tomorrow.  Bring on the heatwave.

Model Pix We Like

Pretty images styled by stylist Michelle Duguid - we like!  Wished we looked so good with rollers in our hair and flour on our faces ....

Farewell Aquascutum

Just as Aquascutum seemed to be finding its feet again with beautifully tailored, pared down wardrobe cornerstones - it goes belly up!  Let's hope the label is snapped up by those who appreciate the heritage and quality of the collection.  Too sad to lose such a great British label and we don't feel it was given the time to prove itself under its recent ownership ...

HARE IT TO CONRAN!

 'Wire Sculptor' Julieann Worral Hood's enchanting works will be showcased in the windows of the Conran Shop in Brompton Cross from the end of April.  Heralding Spring, Julieanne's hares frolic across white linen whilst chickens flock around designer garden pieces.  Delightful and amusing, the windows will certainly be worth a visit.  Even more worthwhile is  a workshop with Julieann in fabulous surroundings in SW France, courtesy of our very favourite escapes -  Les Soeurs Anglaises.  We're signing up to indulge ourselves in a new skill whilst enjoying the luxury of linen bedsheets, heated pools and home made food all thrown in for the price!

Friday 13th - Fashion?

Forget fashion, forget the 13th being a BAD day!  In our search for the perfect white shirt - we've found one!  This is a staple we should all have in our wardrobes. Boring?  Non!  Splash the cash - it really will repay the investment.  We found it on a great new site offering wardrobe essentials from Uniqlo to Celine.  Enjoy.

A Win for Dior and a Loss for Jil Sander

Begian born Raf Simons who lives and works in Antwerp, has been stolen to head Dior  - leaving behind Jil Sander where his his look was all about modern proportions, pure construction and new shapes.  His training in furniture design brought a contemporary, clean and uncluttered yet desireable dimension to fashion.

Image Vogue.com, SS12

Catherine (Deneuve) the Great!

What an inspiration! Stunning, sexy, glorious at every age.  An icon for all women - France's answer to America's Marilyn.  From the exhibition of Helmut Newton's work on show at the Grand Palais in Paris until June.

A Few More Street Styles we Love

Street Style

Street Style from Paris courtesy of Elle.  We Love ...

Dotty about Yayoi Kusama

We're potty about dotty Yayoi Kusama Yayoi Kusama who started using dots almost 70 years ago. She has been prolific for decades creating sculptures, installations, novels, and films. In 2008 one of her works sold at Christie’s for $5.1 Million, setting a record for a living female artist.  Her bold, colourful, and brilliant creations can be seen at Tate Modern until 5th June.  Spot it if you can!

Powder Play at Pretaportre

Just discovered a site we like on Tumblr - PretaPortre.  We've borrowed the image they've taken from the March issue of Vogue entitled Powder Play

Grace at Chanel

The grace of Lui Chen at Chanel, AW 2012, March.  Photo:  BoF

Hermes takes Flight

Christophe Lemaire produced a luxe collection for Hermes which demonstrated the veracity of the adage "less is more".  Worn anywhere in the world - and the gaucho theme was based on the Hermes ethos of travel - these fabulously simple pieces could not fail but to turn heads .  Most items were worn with an understated simple starched white shirt, beautifully complementing the fluidity of the garments. Androgyny was strongly evident but these clothes were designed for women confident in their own sexuality.   Black, brown and rust made up the colour palette.  A truly luxurious collection - we want!

Simons v Sander: The Rift

Who knows why Raf is "leaving Milan FOREVER", or where he might go, but he has not only managed to retain the Jil Sander ethos for design but built the fashion house into a must have label for those who love his pared down style - as we do!  Check out his last collection for Sander before Jil returns to take over the design helm.  Beautiful, simple, stylishly designed pieces for the sophisticated woman who appreciates less is more ....  Let's hope his next stop is an eponymous womenswear line or a hop to Dior.

Acne for Men: Soft and Cuddly

Just love these furry knits from one of our favourite labels - ACNE - for AW 2012/13.  We plan to steal them off our boyfriends' backs:   Images found on The London Style Journal

His Shoes to Vy For

If you can tell a man by his shoes (as my father always said) then this man is tall, dark and handsome!
Corthay, a French company created by Pierre Corthay, has just opened a shop making elegant shoes. Following his apprenticeship, Pierre Corthay spent two years working at John Lobb, then six years as senior craftsman at Berluti before starting his own company in 1990.

He was joined by his younger brother Christophe and the Corthay family business now sells their ultra chic handmade-to-measure and ready-to-wear shoes across the world including shops in France, New York and Japan. There are rumours that some customers, so enamoured by Corthay's cobbling, order up to 150 pairs at a time.
Courtesy Vanity Fair

Picasso Oh Oh Oh so much better than the others

There's nothing quite so flattering as imitation, but some of painters 'influenced' by Picasso - as juxtaposed with his works at the new Tate Britain exhibition - merely mimicked this genius including Henry Moore and the Bloomsbury group of artists.  Hockney's homage to Picasso was tongue in cheek whilst the influence Picasso had on Bacon was a revelation.  The Tate has used this exhibition as an excuse to drag all the unhung pictures (the Bloomsbury group not the Picassos) out of the basement and put them on show - but nontheless worth a visit to remind oneself of Picasso's genius.

LONDON FASHION WEEK END FAVOURITES

Autumn Winter 2012 Collections

Mulberry

Temperley

House of Holland

Margaret Howell

Aquascutum

Aquascutum

Antoni & Alison

Desire for Dries

http://21arrondissement.com/about-le-21eme/
LOVE these trousers spotted in New York by 21 Arrondissement, a New York street style blog

I call that a HAT!

As seen on the Marc Jacobs catwalk ....

Eyes Right

If the NY shows are anything to go by we'll all look as though we didn't take our make up off the night before.  You might larf but it don't harf make life easy!

Happy Valentines: Chanel Style

Posh - er than Before in New York

On trend ready to wear from Victoria Beckham.  However much you dislike her, her collections get better and better ....

The Biggest Splash: Hockney at the RA

Catch it if you can. This is a breathtaking - literally - exploration of colour. Hockney is undoubtedly the world's greatest living artist and has, in his mid seventies, conquered the iPad and introduced a new artform. The Gallery was crowded with small children oooohing and ahhhhhing so he has also introduced a new generation to art. If like me, you were unable to get a ticket for the exhibition, join the RA and go as many times as you like and take a friend too.  There is no doubt it is worth it -stand up close and view the amazing brush strokes and courageous andvivid use of colour.  I was reminded of Gaugin

Jewels in the Crown

We just love these images of jewellery from Susannah Lovis featuring brand ambassadress, the stunning Sophie Alderton.  Visit the shop in Burlington Arcade - and drag along your other half as a less than subtle hint! - to browse amongst fabulous antique and vintage jewels or to have your own pieces redesigned.  Mouth watering selection.