Search Results for “paris fashion week”

Spotlight on…Pedro Lourenço

by on 19th October 2013 0 comments

This week’s Spotlight is on a very interesting breed of designer, almost prodigal by some standards. Starting out at the tender age of twelve, Brazilian designer Pedro Lourenço designed the autumn/collection for another designer, Carolita Joakina, which was later shown at São Paulo Fashion Week. Quite a feat for school kid, we say! Naturally, in 2005, Lourenço went on to launch his eponymous label at São Paulo Fashion Week, and has since been a steady fixture on the fashion scene, showing at the Paris R-T-W shows since March 2010, and also on the radar of many of fashion’s elite. Hailing from a family of designers, parents Gloria Coelho and Reinaldo Lourenço ensured Pedro had a suitable start in life, surrounded by fashion design paraphernalia from a very young age. With a particular interest in cutting and finishing techniques, paired with an eye for technology and appreciation for the impact of digitalism in design, 21-year-old Lourenço took an architecture-inspired direction with a noticeable amount of fun for spring/summer 2012. With the collection boasting statement jackets, wine-cork-soled sandals and embellishment aplenty; like most of the fashion industry talent we’ve seen come out of Brazil; Lourenço is setting himself up for big things to come. Shop an exclusive edit of the Pedro Lourenço spring/summer 2012 collection at LN-CC. All above shown items available at LN-CC

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Five minutes with…Christina Martini and Nikolas Minoglou of Ancient Greek Sandals

by on 17th September 2023 0 comments

What do you get when you mix ancient mythology with contemporary style? Ancient Greek Sandals, that’s what. “According to an Ancient Greek myth, the gods and goddesses had their sandals made on the beautiful islandof Crete by a gifted sandal maker who enriched each pair with magical powers. Famous for having made the flying sandals for Hermes, the sandal maker also embellished them with his personal signature…a “golden wing” buckle.” And, with this mythological summary in mind, Christina Martini and Nikolas Minoglou set about realising their dream of creating beautifully feminine sandals infused with Ancient Greek historical references. Handmade by skilled, local craftsmen using centuries-old techniques, Ancient Greek Sandals was launched for Cruise 2012, and are currently stocked at some of the best stores around the globe. We caught up with the design duo behind the name to talk holiday spots, favourite spring trends and, of course, shoes. Describe your typical working day Christina: I mostly work in the mornings and I take care of my son in the afternoons.  I sit in my office to design; correct prototypes, choose colours and materials and in general organise things.  Because I live on the island of Corfu and not inAthens, where the sandals are made, I am on the phone a lot with the technicians in the factory explaining and organising everything. I travel a lot; I usually go to Paris, which is a nice break from the daily countryside routine. Nikolas: I arrive at my office by 09:00 and find time flies as I try coordinating a million things at the same time! It is overwhelming at times but the feeling of satisfaction when I get things done makes up for it. Although I try to leave work by 17:00 in order to make it for my daily gym workout […]

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My Beauty Evolution – Laetitia Wajnapel

by on 8th May 2012 0 comments

In the third and final post of our series sponsored by John Lewis, who will open the doors to their new-look Oxford Street beauty hall this week, Laetitia Wajnapel from www.mademoisellerobot.com shares the story of her own beauty evolution. As far as my beauty routine goes, I’ve always been pretty low maintenance – of the ‘less is more’ school of thought. I don’t know if it is a Parisian thing or a family thing, but I’ve never been much of a preener. In my high school days when friends were comparing skin washes and compact powders; I used to look down, slightly ashamed of myself for not wearing any make-up. My mother and grandmother, although both very sophisticated, weren’t much into cosmetics either – to be honest neither of them needed it – so I grew up in a household where a bit of eyeliner and some mascara was considered a full face of make-up! And my beauty routine hasn’t changed much since I was 13: I wash my face (without water if possible) and moisturise well every morning and night, drink a lot of water and keep make-up to a minimum. Pretty boring, but I must have been doing something right as often people think that I’m 23 rather than 33 (maybe they need glasses)! What has changed a lot over the past decade is my hair: Hair is a great accessory and as I’ve been blessed with a lot of it I don’t mind experimenting in the name of fashion. Over the years I’ve been the proud owner of a pixie cut, a mullet, various lengths of bobs, fringes, side partings, middle partings, beehives in a spectrum of colours ranging from pitch black to bright orange, including navy blue, peroxide blonde, dip dyed ends, ginger and of course […]

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Sacai

by on 19th October 2013 0 comments

Headed up by Chitose Abe, Japanese label Sacai has fast become a head-turner on the runway. Producing pieces she says are “made in a complex way, but its easier to wear”, Abe’s designs are worthy of being in this week’s spotlight. Already stocking at coveted fashion outlets such as Colette and Dover Street Market, Sacai was launched in 1999 after Abe spent more than eight years cutting her teeth working for Junya Watanabe. Abe showed her first runway collection for spring/summer 2012 in Paris, less than a month after opening her first flagship store in Tokyo’s trendy Aoyama district, and Sacai’s performance before the fashion elite was nothing short of brilliant, and highly praised. Merging heavy biker influences with dainty florals, lace and embroidery anglaise, Sacai is the go-to label for those seeking the perfect summer wardrobe with a gritty edge. Far from a sickly sweet rendition of the new season, the Sacai SS’12 collection offers relaxed silhouettes in a dark palette, interestingly pairing lace with linen and embroidery anglaise with cashmere and cupro. Easy-to-wear pieces in a trans-seasonal colour palette and perfectly suited for a day-to-night wardrobe; Sacai is steadily acquiring a go-to status for all the right reasons. Shop select pieces from the Sacai SS’12 collection at LN-CC. Dress and Gilet shown above, both available at LN-CC

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Damir Doma

by on 19th October 2013 0 comments

The SPOTLIGHT this week is on a designer who has taken the men’s fashion scene by storm, and now transferred his talent to womenswear, too. Paris-based, Croatian-born designer, Damir Doma, first appeared on the fashion radar when he presented his debut menswear S/S ’08 collection on the official fashion calendar, followed up three years later with a prêt-à-porter womenswear collection for A/W ’10. From the tucked away toile surroundings of his mother’s German atelier, Doma has gone onto work with esteemed names, including Belgian designer Raf Simons and Dirk Schönberger in Antwerp. Doma’s design aesthetic draws inspiration from the worlds of architecture and art, and takes a somewhat pure direction, cancelling out embellishment and embroidery. With his design roots firmly entrenched in menswear, his womenswear collections display subtle androgyny intertwined with a highly wearable appeal. For S/S ’12, Doma’s designs gave way to a focus on Grecian style, with flowing fabrics, draping and a palette of burnished gold, navy, burnt plum and paper gold, all the while keeping a modern sensibility to his looks. Shop select items from the Damir Doma S/S ’12 womenswear collection at LN-CC, and check out Doma’s full womenswear collection here.

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Five Minutes with Monica & Joe

by on 5th April 2012 0 comments

At the forefront of fashion this husband and wife duo are a style force to be reckoned with. They are the faces behind namesake contemporary online boutique Monica & Joe that stocks a range of personally selected womenswear designer collections. My Fashion Life caught up with the super-busy business and life partners to talk pet hates, favourite shopping cities and wardrobe staples. What is a typical working day like in the life of Monica & Joe? We work from home so after walking the boys to school we normally have to answer lots of e-mails: PR requests, customer queries etc, plus constant liaising with our warehouse regarding deliveries and orders. Joe and I divide our roles so I look after all the buying, PR & marketing side of things and Joe looks after the logistics, operational and financial side of things. We often have meetings during the day and when it’s the buying season we have several appointments, alongside having to squeeze in trips to Paris and Copenhagen!  Best and worst thing about being in a husband and wife business partnership? The best thing is that we see each other everyday and spend lots of time together. We go through all the ups and downs of running our own business and support each other, which is amazing. The down side is that we do talk about work a lot and it’s hard to switch off.  The idea for Monica & Joe was conceived on trip to Paris, which are your top fashion shopping cities, and why? We love Paris, the cool boutiques, the buildings, the cafes and of course the cuisine. We adore Copenhagen, too. The women are so stylish in a very relaxed and cool way and the boutiques are really inspiring. We love the bars and café culture there, too. […]

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MFL Most Wanted: Cobalt blue a la Katy Perry

by on 19th October 2013 0 comments

When Katy Perry drastically went from sporting candyfloss pink locks to a bright blue Marge Simpson-esque barnet, we knew blue would hit the roof. And it appears to have done just that, in Katy’s world anyway. Spotted at the Viktor & Rolf fall 2012 show in Parislast week, the Teenage Dream singer graced front row in a cobalt blue creation from the designers’ spring/suumer 2012 collection. Katy made an envious sight in the deep oceanic hue, although verging on absolutely crazy – her blue-haired secretary-esque up do and the tidal wave embroidery on her dress and contrasting coat made the paps go wild – she kick started a bout of colour envy at My Fashion Life HQ, and now we want to douse everything in a striking shade of the colour. We won’t rattle on about the specifics of the blue a la Meryl Streep and the ‘cerulean’ rant in Devil Wears Prada. Instead we’ve selected the best cobalt blue pieces you can snap up right now. Blue hair optional, deranged paps not guaranteed. Cala & Jade Salmon Batu Clutch, £300, available at My Wardrobe  Ganni Exclusive Katie Contrast Court Shoes, £145, available at ASOS   AWear Cobalt Skinny Jean, £35, available at ASOS      A.L.C Betsee Bi-Colour Dress, £545, available at Matches       Michael by Michael Kors Chiffon Top, £170, available at Selfridges Kenzo Two-toned Denim Skirt, £219, available at My Theresa Tibi Cobalt Kayya Lace Dress, £330, available at My Wardrobe

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Is Sienna Miller pregnant?

by on 9th January 2012 0 comments

Just last week Peaches Geldof announced that she was pregnant, but it was also speculated that Rachel Zoe could very well be expecting her second child less than a year after giving birth to little Skyler. And now we have yet another name to add to our “bump watch” list as reports are suggesting that Sienna Miller and boyfriend Tom Sturridge are expecting their first baby together. 

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Five minutes with Lady Gaga’s fave shoe designer, Lungta de Fancy

by on 25th November 2011 0 comments

Despite Lungta De Fancy designer Mai Marimoto being on her way to celebrating the 10th anniversary of the brand, penning a book and branching out into lingerie in the next coming months, the Central Saint Martins graduate remains a humble and fuss-free designer with a true passion and talent for her work – and a desire to please every one of her shoppers. And, since we mention it, those shoppers happen to include some of fashion’s most famous faces from Lady Gaga to Victoria Beckham and Rihanna (and even a royal, too). The appeal, it seems, is her ability to meet every girl’s needs. You can find Lungta De Fancy in London’s New Bond Street, Knightsbridge and St Christopher’s Place, which is where we caught up with the designer last week as part of the fabulous Thank You Thursdays shopping event. Find out what Mai Marimoto told us about her inspirations, her plans for the label, and those Lady Gaga shoes…   How do you manage to balance getting the maximum out of your creativity and keeping the prices down to (relatively) affordable prices? I understand that every customer is special so I wouldn’t mind if someone came up to me and said ‘I love this’, but it needs to be a bit different here so each item can be individual if that’s how a lady wants it. Every lady is something special and everyone has different figures. For three of our stores we do free alterations so we like to make sure it fits the client perfectly before their special event. Like this client that’s come in today – she thinks the dress is a little too long so we are fixing it to how she likes for no extra cost. London isn’t the only place you have a […]

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Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry wears £50 version of Kate Winslet’s Stella McCartney dress!

by on 25th November 2011 0 comments

Our mouths literally dropped to the floor when Kate Winslet stepped out in Paris for the Carnage premiere in the figure-hugging, waist-cinching red and black Octavia dress from Stella McCartney’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection.Kate knew she was onto a winner as she wore the monochrome version of the dress in Venice for the Mildred Pierce premiere a few months ago, and received endless compliments about how stunning her curves looked in it. 

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Lunchtime buy: Isabel Marant Yosemite alpaca Navajo cardigan

by on 3rd October 2011 0 comments

Paris Fashion Week ended the month-long fashion processions yesterday, and in homage to iconic Parisian designer Isabel Marant, who showed her spring/summer collection at the weekend, we’re coveting this Navajo cardigan from her AW11 collection this week. The Marant girl is the cooler-than-cool chick who can just throw on a jumper and a pair of shorts and look like something straight out of a rock ‘n’ roll music video. This rich cream chunky knit with black, red and yellow Navajo jacquard detailing is one of those pieces every girl can slip on snuggle up in. Its thick knit offers a bundle of practical winter warmth whilst its tribal red, black and yellow loose threads promise to see us right through to the festival fields next summer – quite a novelty, we think you’ll agree. The South American-inspired Navajo fabric featured again on Marant’s spring 2012 runway at the weekend, so you’ll already be one step ahead of the style pack, too. Time to invest in some Parisian chic, we think. Mais, oui! Isabel Marant Yosemite Alpaca Navajo Cardigan, £635.00, available at Matches.

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Who wore it best? Kelly Rowland vs Terri Seymour in Aurelio Costarella

by on 21st August 2011 0 comments

By now we know how hard it is for a celebrity to wear a unique dress that no one else on the planet will ever wear (unless you’re Ginnifer Goodwin in a one-off Topshop dress!). So it must be even harder for a starlet when someone younger and with more star power than you dons a  identical dress a few weeks after your debut. This scenario happened to Terri Seymour, model and TV presenter, but mostly known for being one of Simon Cowell’s ex-girlfriends. She opted for the ‘Paris’ dress from Aurelio Costarella on the red carpet in LA. Her younger counterpart, in the same stunning one-shouldered dress, was none other than new X-Factor UK judge and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland. Kelly wore the dress to celebrate the release of her new album ‘Here I am.’ In an odd twist, both women styled the dress in pretty much exactly the same fashion – nude heels, a subtle bracelet and dark flowing tresses. Both beauties could have opted for a colourful pair of heels to make the beaded blush dress really pop against their skin tone The only question that remains is who wore this blush ‘Paris’ Aurelio Costarella dress best?

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Hastings Bowling Bag: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!

by on 19th October 2013 0 comments

Now THIS is what I’m talking about. I love an oversized bag to work in the day and this Hastings Bowling Bag is right on the fashion money for next season. With its stand out style and rich burgundy leather this is a definitely must-have. Not only can you slip it in the crook of your elbow, its across-the-body strap will allow you to work it in a much more laid back manner. Its sumptuous gold branded hardware compliments the rich burgundy tone, and will work effortlessly against the new season’s statement outerwear and texture play mishmash ensembles. There’s also a lot of bag here for the money (a not so hefty price tag of £299) which is a rare, if delightful, treat. It’s also got versatility on its side. Work it as that over-night bag for that weekend trip to Paris, and feel that whatever you’re wearing and wherever you are, you’re bound to look practical yet extremely stylish. The Hastings Bowling Bag will definitely be hitting my handbag wish-list for next season. Which number will it be on yours? Hastings Bowling Bag, £299, available from Jaeger

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Vivienne Westwood knocks Kate Middleton off her throne

by on 9th August 2011 0 comments

Before you read the title and assume the royal marriage is now defunct, read on. Kate is still very much married to Britain’s most eligible bachelor and she still has to curtsey before the woman with a penchant for pastels and lady like handbags: Queenie. But the woman: our future- squeakily clean and perfect dimple sporting – queen has recently come into the spotlight for matters other than her immaculate Reiss and Whistles ensembles. Simultaneous firing from the fashion gentry, criticising Kate’s elevated style status, overindulged eyeliner and ‘thrifty’ trait has been interesting. See, in fashion, it is believed some people have the ‘right’ to comment and reflect, while others should silence their opinions for lack of a Vogue subscription. In my opinion: Kate Middleton is good at being as normal as they get. ‘They’ being the girls, who shop in local supermarkets, wear the same dress on more than one occasion and even agree to wear silly hats to match their husbands – who in Kate’s case just happens to be a prince. That’s all. If anything, there is a heightened need for Kate to maintain normality when reflecting on the haunting past of her late mother-in-law. In an interview with Sunday Times magazine, fashion veteran Vivienne Westwood spoke of her disagreement with Kate’s heavily kohl-rimmed eyes. This followed on from the comments made by Dutch design duo, Viktor & Rolf, who pleaded with Kate to de-kohl in order to let her natural beauty shine though. A fair criticism, considering there have been times I have seen images of Kate with her eye makeup looking stark in comparison to her rosy complexion, but you have to applaud her confidence for going DIY with the makeup brushes – even on her wedding day! But it isn’t so much Kate’s makeup […]

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Rachel McAdams is adorable in Azzaro

by on 19th May 2011 0 comments

Er, when did Rachel McAdams get so cute? The actress has been pulling out all the stops at Cannes over the last week, but last night she hop-footed to New York for the private screening of her new Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, where she wore a black jumpsuit from Azzaro’s AW11 collection to the after party. The simple shape is perfect for Rachel’s petite figure, and the sheer-panelled button-up front provide just enough sexiness – but it’s the wallop of whimsy that’s got us ‘aww-ing’. That silk bow tie and those super-curly short locks look like they’ve come straight out of the cutest Twenties slapstick we’ve ever seen. Accessorising with black patent Louboutins, naturally, and punchy peach lipstick, we reckon she looks utterly charming. A lesson, ladies, in how to be adorable, effortless and chic. [poll id=”119″]

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Cannes 2011: Best Dressed (pt 1)

by on 18th May 2011 0 comments

One of the most prestigious film – and fashion – events of the year has begun. Yes, after kicking off on Wednesday, the exclusive Cannes Film Festival is well under way, and so is the red carpet action that always incurs at the lavish two-week ceremony. Our favourite occasion in the calendar – the dresses are more daring, the glamour’s knocked up a notch and the risque rises with the utmost chic – the A list have been presenting the very best of red carpet couture in their masses. And with two days of serious sartorial success under its belt already, our selection for the first part of our best dressed list has been particularly hard, but not for lack of gorgeousness. From Rachel McAdams’ many hits to Uma Thurman in Versace, see below for our favourite picks from Cannes so far… Rachel McAdams Rachel McAdams hit the red carpet with her man Michael Sheen to promote their new film Midnight in Paris looking every inch the Hollywood star.  The Mean Girls actress wore a breathtakingly beautiful sheer gown with embroidered red lace by Marchesa. Together with her gold Casadei courts and voluminus curly hair she looked the epitome of old school Hollywood glamour.   Uma Thurman Attending the Midnight in Paris premiere Uma Thurman pulled out all the stops. Looking stunning in an an angelic custom-made white Versace gown, complete with a feathered train, Uma totally show the show on the red carpet. Even the actress herself knew how great she looked – when photographers complimented her dress, she said, “It’s sexy isn’t it?”   Angelina Jolie Angelina is a rare sighting on the red carpet these days but her appearance at Cannes yesterday to promote her new film Kung Fu Panda 2 showed she hasn’t lost he touch when it comes to ultra elegant dressing. The queen of simplicity, she looked understated […]

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