FD - 12th April 2012 - Fab in Fuchsia

I never thought I would say this, ever, but today I thought Coleen Rooney looked fabulous.
It was 'Liverpool Day',  at Aintree Races today and while we saw the first day of racing, Coleen also revealed her first outfit from this years races wardrobe... And for her striking Roksanda Illincic dress, I am welcoming Coleen onto Parade with open arms!

I love the colour of her dress, it's just the right side of neon, the belt is a good touch and obviously I'm not going to argue with any Louboutins... (These are 'Highness 160mm' F.Y.I.)

The big hair and the big sleeves are admittedly very scouse, but I think she's managed to keep it classy.

So while some prepare to get it very wrong tomorrow (Don't say I'm being harsh, I said some, and check last years pics for evidence!), I'll wait and see with baited breath if I'll be singing Mrs Rooney's praises again on Parade tomorrow after Ladies Day... If this is anything to go by, I'm scared I might actually be doing so!

Pictures from Dailymail.co.uk

FD - Saturday 24th March - London Bound

Firstly, apologies for being away from the blog so much, it's not deliberate, I've just been a very busy bee! Here's why...

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you will know I'm regularly 'London-bound'. My last post about Milan was written on a train to London and the manic fortnight that started with LFW meant 5 separate trips to the capital. 

I have found train journeys to be very productive times however and have written lots of things for the fab His & Hers mag over the past month, on a Virgin Pendelino of course, which can all be found in the current spring fashion issue. You can pick a copy up from the L1 visitor centre if you haven't already, or you could take a look at the online version, found on the website, here, before the new issue comes out in April.

I've also managed to get a Uni place in this time, Fashion Management at London College of Fashion, so with any luck, as of September, I will be relocating down south... excited isn't the word! I'm not going alone though, one of my friends is also joining me on the move and apparently we are the first people to get into LCF from our school, ever. Get. us. To celebrate we will be visiting Mahiki, as we said we would if we got in. Now what does one wear for that? You can be sure of a post about that nearer the time...

Aside from Mahiki, I never knew it was possible to get quite so excited about kettles, toasters, towel bales and bedsets. But trust me it is. If I'm online shopping now, I seem to find that my basket isn't just full of shoes, but scouring brushes and shoes, or soap dispensers and shoes. I have already set my colour schemes for kitchen, bathroom and bedroom , so soon I'm scared I'll find myself dressing to co-ordinate. Who's to say an artfully draped shower curtain couldn't pass as a couture dress?

I'll let you know how that one goes...

12 Milanese Observations

With the fourth City, Milan, having been ticked off on my list of 'Fashion Capitals To Visit', here are 12 things that I noticed and loved about the place...

1. We have 'ECHO' on our newsagents, they have 'Vogue' - enough said.

2. There is a Prada or a Louis Vuitton on every corner, which results in every second person carrying a very expensive and very beautiful handbag.

3. Vogue recommended visiting this concept store in its March issue, so we did. It was fab; a bit like a spaceship, a lot like Colette, on acid.

4. More Excelsior, this time the amazing displays, that you zoomed past on the travelators...

5. They also had hanging animals, fake ones of course.

6. They have about as many designer hotels as designer shops. This one is Hotel Armani... 

7. And this one Maison Moschino.

8. The Italians, much like the French, take their dogs everywhere and they always have a designer outfit on (that's both dog and owner).

9. Centrale Stazione is beautiful, and it has huge Dolce and Gabanna adverts everywhere, how marvellous.

10.  Our street adverts our about bleeding gums, theirs are Armani - again, enough said.

11. If you can look away from the shops long enough, you will notice the architecture is beautiful. It's not quite as ornate as Paris, so has the practicality of London, yet seems huge, like New York...

12. Finally, even the fire extinguishers are stylish (and the McDonalds', they are very posh indeed!).

P.s. I'm posting this on the train to LFW, look out for more on that soon...

Christian Louboutin 20th Anniversary Capsule Collection: 20 Shoes for 20 Years

Just incase I haven't made enough fuss about it, or incase anyone isn't aware, it is indeed the 20th Anniversary of the Christian Louboutin brand this year; 20 years since the opening of the first flagship store in Paris. Especially for the occasion Monsieur Louboutin has launched a capsule collection of 20 classic styles, reinvented and given a special birthday twist.

Though I love them all, here are my favourites...

You can view the full collection here.

Tonight it's Vogue Paris...

I promise I'm not being paid to say nice things about various international editions of Vogue, they're just all proving a bit exciting lately. My Paris fix dropped through the letterbox today, and I am completely in love with the cover.

The writing's pink, the jewellery is big (and Prada) and the bodysuit is sparkly (and also Prada).

Love.

Vogue Italia Loves Liverpool

It's been an exciting time for the Liverpool fash pack, but was oddly kept fairly under wraps last week. Over the last few days though, local press have been going mad over our recent visit from Italian Vogue journalists and, more importantly, their new found love for our very own city.

I met Fashion Editor Stefania Cubello last Monday, and lovely as she was then, I don't think anyone expected them to love the idea of girls in rollers quite so much. The group also met with designer Kirsty Doyle, handbag experts Nook&Willow and Cricket owner, Justine Mills, and by the sounds of it, they couldn't have been more suprised and impressed by what they found here.

We all know that as a city, our fashion confidence is as sky high as our heels, and it was that very thing that they loved the most. Stefania said, “A lot of young women in Milan tend to dress the same, and I think that is true of London as well, but in Liverpool I saw a lot of girls and women who really had their own very unique style.”

The city still abuzz about getting the seal of approval from Vogue Italia, BBC Radio Merseyside's Sean Styles decided on a fashion-themed show this morning, on which Justine Mills and I were interviewed about Liverpool style, 'The Visit' and proving that there's more to us than fake tan and rollers!

If you missed the show, you can catch it again on BBC iPlayer, here.

Justine is on at 27 minutes, me at 32, and may I forewarn you of a unusually strong scouse accent I appear to have adopted. I was obviously just being loyal to my city...

Only time will tell if the stylish Milanese decide to adopt the roller-girl style, but for now, such compliments are just a great accolade for the city and get us one step closer towards appearing on the map as a Fashion Capital.

P.S. Speaking of fashion capitals, exactly three weeks today I'll be in Milan, the fourth tick on my mission to visit all the fashion capitals - aaaaaaah! Obviously there'll be more to come on that one...

Designer Focus: Silvia Beccaria

It was doing textiles research today that reminded me of a fabulous designer I met at London Fashion week back in September, Silvia Beccaria.

Describing herself as a 'Fibre Artist', Silvia Beccaria uses materials such as latex, plastic and rubber, woven on a traditional loom, to create bold, eye-catching ruffs and collars. I love her use of colour, and the entirely different look that is created by using non-fabric textures, plus they're huge and sculptural (which we know I love). This jewellery is exciting, and this designer is going places, watch this space...