February Fever

Through the snow, wind and rain it can sometimes feel that February is just an extension of the January blues, but in the fashion calendar, the Valentine fuelled month is always an exciting time and industry fashionistas everywhere are preparing for one of their busiest months. Elle magazine started the proceedings on Monday night with their prestigious style awards held at Big Sky Studios in North London which I had the privilege of attending!

Despite the rain it really was glam galore, with celebrities such as Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller and Courtney Love all gracing the red carpet in their fabulous frocks. Alexa, who hosted the awards, wore a stunning backless Chanel dress whilst Sienna Miller chose a Matthew Williamson number teamed with a Louis Vuitton jacket and looked radiant as she collected the award for ‘Style Icon.’

Alexa's Chanel dress was custom fitted just for her…I’m jealous!

My two favourite outfits were sported by Alexandra Burke (2008 X-factor winner) and ultra trendy designer Henry Holland who teamed his House of Holland tee with a vintage jacket decorated with a hot heart print. He certainly proved that fashion can often look cooler when you mix different styles, genres and brands; cheap or chic.

I absolutely love brogues, on men and women. High street favourite, Office, introduced the original Scottish shoe style to us last year but they are still hanging around and I think they look so awesome either with skinny skinny jeans or a funky dress and black tights.

Alexandra looked divine in D&G-rocking the nautical theme and highlighting just how fab this huge Spring Summer trend can look.

Other awards of the night included Rupert Sanderson for Accessories designer, delightful duo Viktor and Rolf for Style Visionaries and Christopher Kane for British designer.

Design team Viktor and Rolf are known for their quirky sense of humour. If you fancy a virtual magical trip check out their website http://www.viktor-rolf.com/; it’s certainly a shopping ‘experience.’

The fun continued into the night at the after party with free flowing Moet served in miniature bottles and Godiva chocolates being passed around on grand silver trays.

I found the chic touches made for a super evening and the whole event brought the February fashion fever to life in style.

But fast forward less than a week and the fashion pack are presented with the first of four fashion weeks spreading over Feb and March starting with New York. The phenomenon is then passed on to London before bombarding Milan and Paris. I find it impossible to comprehend how the designers cope at this time of the year, creating and organising their collections as the fashion cycle gets shorter and shorter every year. Whilst we prepare for Spring 2009, they are experimenting for Spring 2010!

If you want any information on when and where your favourite designers will be showcasing their work, log on to http://www.vogue.com/ for the full international schedule.

These next couple of months are precious for fashion history, so keep your glad rag brain in gear, be individual and fashion forward at all times (refer to previous Fabricjam tips if needed) and keep your eyes peeled for fresh style news following the new collections!

Post written by Katie Powell, London Fashion PR

Images from:

http://www.nitrolicious.com/

Fashion’s Tartan Army

OK, so when you hear the word ‘tartan’ thrown into a sentence, you’re probably not alone in picturing a man in a kilt... but not anymore!

With thanks to a few inspirational figures such as Vivienne Westwood, Agyness Deyn and her close friend, designer Henry Holland, to name a few, tartan became one of the prints of the season for Spring/Summer 08 and it looks to be staying well into the Autumn.

The eccentric partnership of Henry Holland and Agyness Deyn first experimented with tartan when Holland produced a tiered tartan wedding dress (along with eye-patch and antlers!) for London Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 08.





















Fast-forward to Paris Fashion Week, for Autumn/Winter 08, D&G featured the pattern across coats and dresses with House of Holland, Ralph Lauren and Just Cavalli echoing the movement.



















With the likes of Aggy and Gwen Stefani pioneering the look, the High Street has caught on quickly with tartan appearing across a wide range of products from dresses to jackets to shorts, all in a variety of colour ways.

The way to wear tartan differs depending on you really. Personally, I would go for one key tartan piece like this tartan trench coat from Topshop at £80.

Partner it with a simple vest, super skinny jeans and of course the standard skyscraper heels like these from Carvela (£85) for a Vivienne Westwood feel.

If even this is a little bold for you then accessories are a great way to introduce this trend into your wardrobe. We love this Tartan Flower Headband Topshop, £6

Or perhaps you could try a check shirt for a more muted attempt at the trend. Make a trip to New Look for this stunning check shirt (£14).

Alternatively, for the more adventurous, the way to wear tartan is to mix and match multiple checks throughout your outfit. Perhaps teaming a plaid prom dress, like this one from Oasis with a fitted jacket like these from Topshop, similar to the D&G look this season.

Bow Prom dress Oasis (http://www.oasis-stores.co.uk/), £70

Tartan Peplum jacket Topshop (http://www.topshop.co.uk/) , £55

Cinched waist tartan jacket from Topshop (http://www.topshop.co.uk/) , £50

Whichever way you decide to wear your plaid, just make sure it is vivid with shots of bright colours like violet, emerald and turquoise giving the whole look a younger fresher feel.

And remember; you needn’t be head to toe in plaid, make the trend work for you and your style!

Post written by:

Alexa Gilbert

(London College of Fashion)

DON'T FORGET:

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