Style Profile - Colour Me Olsen

A Fabulous Pairing: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

It is no unknown truth that I am a MAJOR fan of all things Olsen. Be it Mary-Kate or Ashley, their chic fashion lines The Row and Elizabeth & James, or their contributions to StyleMint (a lucrative website that suggests T-shirt designs to suit your tailor-made needs; something I have previously blogged about), I go giddy with excitement to see what they are going to offer the fashion world next.

In 2007 the Olsens launched The Row, a high-end apparel and accessories line taking its name from the historic street lined with luxury tailors, Saville Row. Their aim was simple: to create the perfect T-shirt. Since then, the collection has grown to include modern pieces influenced by those from the Olsens' own wardrobes, amassing a range of sophisticated tailored essentials. In 2010 they added sunglasses to The Row, and exquisite handbags in an array of materials and fabrics last year. The clothes are generally simple and chic, forgoing trends for understated classic lines and shapes akin to Calvin Klein. In 2009 the designer duo became members of The Council of Fashion Designers of America. Quite rightly so!

In the Fall of 2007, the twins launched Elizabeth and James, a more affordable designer collection named after their two siblings (yes, that's actress Elizabeth Olsen they're on about). With the ethos to narrow the gap between designer and contemporary fashions, this is the go-to brand for blending masculine yet feminine tailoring, combining uptown and downtown elements with casual and traditional styles. Look to them for a wide range of womenswear, menswear, women's shoes and a collaboration jewellery line with Robert Lee Morris. The Elizabeth and James Resort collection is now on sale at Shopbop.com.

Sue Blazer and Willie Shorts by Elizabeth and James on sale at Shopbop.com

I first forged a love for the duo when I was 16 (they were 19). They had taken the helm of their billion-dollar production company Dulstar the year before, and were rapidly becoming known as two separate people, instead of the corporate mary-kateandashley identity they had been presented to us as for all those years before. Matching uniform clothing and hairstyles were out, couture gowns and designer campaigns were in. Mary-Kate embarked on solo film roles, beginning with a bit-part in the Edie Sedgwick biopic 'Factory Girl' (which was left on the cutting-room floor for the theatrical release), while Ashley concentrated on their business ventures. I, on the other hand, was doing nothing as groundbreaking between school hours and jaunts with friends. But I was starting to find my fashion feet, and with that Mary-Kate Olsen became my style icon.

Best fashion foot forward - Mary-Kate Olsen in 2007

Her collections of chunky jewellery, modern pieces, and vintage finds thrown together effortlessly to create unique self-styled combinations struck a chord with me. She was, and is the epitome of what a fashion icon should be; millions try to recreate her looks, her energy, but there is only on Mary-Kate.

Olympic Attire

I am, in all honesty, rather short. Maybe it was because I didn't sleep much or eat enough vegetables as a child, maybe it was because my parents aren't particularly tall. Maybe it's because I stopped growing at the age of 12- who knows! I'm no scientist. Standing at just 5" 2' AND A BIT (the bit is very important) means I have to resort to wearing skyscraper, nosebleed-inducing high heels in order to see eye-to-chin with everyone else. One of the best designer brands to help we lowly people achieve this is Charlotte Olympia. All five and a half inches of heel combined with two inches of platform promises elevation like no other, not to mention the leg-lengthening benefits that kind of  height comes with.

Charlotte Olympia's creator and designer, Charlotte Dellal (sister to Agent Provocateur model Alice Dellal) launched the brand in 2007 after studying at London's Cordweiners and working at Ungaro and Giambatista Valli. She is known for her love of all things vintage, thus her shoes are formed of classic shapes, oozing elegance and sophistication. Let's not forget the humour element, though- her flats have kitty face embellishment, this season's caged heel and Pandora clutch are adorned with Russian Doll heads, along with her signature gold spiderweb placed on every one of Dellal's designs. What is life without whimsy?

Right now one of my favourite shopping sites, members-only Moda Operandi has a Charlotte Olympia pre-season 2011-2012 trunk show on right now, consisting of 13 fabulous shoes and one Pandora clutch. The trunk shows don't last long- this one ends 1st February so you need to act quick to snap up a bargain. The shoes are rather pricey at over £500 a pop but are totally worth it. You are bound to feel like the most statuesque girl in the bar/club/bedroom when balanced upon platform heels fit for Mount Olympus' goddesses. Like Charlotte says: "The higher the heel, the better you feel!" Until you fall and break an ankle of course, but that's the price you pay for such savage kicks.

Go to Moda Operandi to snap up a pair before it's too late.

Peace

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Kaiser Karl Komes Kalling

He's here. Those mysterious shades. Those black leather gloves. That ponytail. Karl Lagerfeld has unleashed on us KARL, a collection of genius staples with high-fashion spin. Influenced by his understated, yet classic personal style, the line includes crisp white shirts, detachable collars, single breasted blazers and tank tops adorned with his eponymous image. And then some. There are stand-out pieces in the form of a pair of shrunken fingerless leather driving gloves (see end), a Karl logo sweater with PVC arms, silver spray-on jeans and a white collared black jumper dress. The idea is to have fun with styling your look with the collection. Quirky pieces are there for you to update your look from any season, and to inject your love of Lagerfeld into your life. Altogether, there is nothing particularly spellbinding or outrageous, and the use of PVC probably wouldn't be material of choice, but then again I'm not a millionaire designer. It's conservative with a little Parisian bad girl edge.

Net-a-porter have been heavily promoting the new line, complete with faux news update video segments on the whereabouts of Kaiser Karl, the opportunity for the public to post images of themselves wearing Karl-esque ponytails and sunglasses on the designated Facebook page, and an ominous clock counting down the days to the collection's launch. They also held a pop-up store opening in various cities around the world, including one in Covent Garden on the 25th, for which I got an invite. Unfortunately, a missing oyster card and an empty bank balance meant I had to forgo what was sure to have been a momentous occasion. Sad times indeed, my friends.

Make sure you don't miss out on KARL like I did, and snap up the very reasonably-priced collection before it's too late- many of the pieces have sold out already. Let's just hope Net-a-porter replenishes their stock pronto!

Architectural (Shoe) Digest

Firstly, apologies for being away so long from the blog. Thanks to my laptop having a prolonged stay in the computer hospital, I have gone without surfing the internet for most of the festive period, and am now more than eager to catch up on regular blog posts. So, what better a way to start the New Year than with a post about my favourite shoe designer.

Camilla Skovgaard

Originating from Denmark, Camilla Skovgaard began her career in couture in Dubai at the age of 20 designing for the region's Sheikh's wives and daughters. After seven years, Skovgaard moved to London to study her MA at Cordwainers Shoe College in footwear design and product development; Saks Fifth Avenue bought her first collection while she was still a student. She has won a string of awards since graduating from The Royal College of Art in 2006, culminating in Accessories Designer of the Year at DANSK Fashion Awards in June 2011.

Camilla Skovgaard's website describes her shoes as "the combination of contrasting elements such as fluidity and severity, restraint and sophistication play an integral part of the character of her design". They are more like art than a form of chiropedic protection from the hard pavement beneath us. The reason why she is my favourite shoe designer is because her collections are so unique, meaning they (and inadvertently you) stand out from the crowd, stopping the fashion pack in their tracks. The severe lines- the jagged soles in particular- automatically update any outfit, and look best with a minimal amount of accessories and jewellery. That is not to say a stonking diamond ring would go amiss! Check out some of my favourite Camilla Skovgaard designs from over the years below:

Fabulous food for the sole, non?

Peace
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Oh, Marc!

Dakota Fanning for Marc Jacobs

There has been a bit of an uproar about the most recent Marc Jacobs campaign, featuring child star-turned teenage muse, Dakota Fanning. The 17-year-old is seen posing with an oversize bottle of the scent between her legs. Jacobs has described Oh, Lola! as "sensual", and is "more of a Lolita than a Lola."

Oh, Marc! The Advertising Standards Authority have pulled the advert after receiving several complaints that the campaign portrays a sexualised child, due to Fanning appearing underage and the actress straddling a questionably shaped bottle. Coty, the makers of Oh, Lola! have said that they believe the image is "provoking, but not indecent".

This does sound a bit like a fuss about nothing. The fact of the matter is Dakota Fanning isn't a child anymore. We've watched her grow up since she was in I Am Sam, and it's hard to shake off the memory of an angelic child who was all blue eyes and blonde locks. But angelic child she ain't. Take a look at this promotional picture for her 2010 film, The Runaways:

Cherrybombshell - Dakota Fanning in The Runaways

You can't really blame Marc Jacobs for thinking Fanning was ready to tackle a provocative perfume advert. In this day and age where designers pick girls instead of women to promote their collections, I can't help but think we brought this on ourselves. Models much younger than Dakota have starred in campaigns which have been plastered on billboards around cities without a hitch, so maybe we should calm down a bit and accept a young woman modelling a perfume isn't such a terrible idea after all.

Victor/Victoria Fashion

Lady Gaga would love to think of herself as the pioneer of the latest androgyny trend from when she bandaged up her chest and donned a suit to look like this:

but alas, no. The boy-girl thing has long been working its way up the fashion scale. Over the last couple of years there have been an increasing number of sightings of women in tuxes, along with the rising star of the likes of transsexual model Lea T and “beautiful” male mode Andrej Pejic have been helping to blur the line between masculinity and feminine beauty.

Designers, such as Moschino, Ralph Lauren and Boy. by Band of Outsiders all have featured models in tuxedos and trouser suits, while Dolce & Gabbana leads the pack by their braces, bow ties and slicked back hair. The androgyny trend is a great antidote to the ultra-feminine looks which have been heavily featured this year; a welcome alternative to cocktail dresses (they are more attention-grabbing and awe-striking than a mini-dress could ever be).

Pull your socks up: Dolce & Gabbana

One fashion starlet who champions the lux tux is singer Janelle Monae. Her monochromatic uniform consisting of tuxedos and dinner jackets, saddle shoes and an incredible gravity-defying ‘do have earned her major style points- she retorts to those who don’t like her style that “they ain’t seem to mind the last three times I posed in Vogue”. While dancing like a female James Brown and belting out her fast-paced upbeat tunes, one can’t help but notice how unbelievably composed and dapper she remains throughout.

If you like the idea of stylishly upping the gender-equality stakes but still want to remain feminine, then wear 70s style wide-legged trousers with a fitted tuxedo jacket or blazer a la Gucci. Add curves with a waist-cinching cummerbund or belt, a slick of red lipstick and sky-high platform heels. Voila! The world is your oyster.

Bow Ties and Boyish Looks: Janelle Monae

Fight For This Love: A PR Battle

In the last couple of weeks it has been reported that Cheryl Cole has been getting close to 'Dynamite' star, Taio Cruz.

Blondes have more fun: Cheryl Cole loving the single life

The Girls Aloud singer has finally turned her back on serial philanderer Ashley Cole, and is rumoured to be spending a lot of time with Cruz, telling her friends "Taio is beautiful, caring and amazing".
The two singers are apparently back in the studio, after previously recording a track together for Cole's album back in 2009.

Taio, who split with girlfriend Roxy Horner earlier in the year, has been hinting at his 'lust' for Cheryl, by posting a picture to his Facebook of the singer wearing one of his designs for Rockstarr watches. Well if that constitutes two people are in a relationship, then I've gone out with everyone I've ever posted a picture of.

Tiao Cruz - all news is good news

According to Cheryl, there's "a lot of sexual tension flying around". Not so. I have it on good authority from an impeccable source from Camp Cruz this is all just a big PR stunt. Cheryl isn't giddy as a schoolgirl over Tiao- in fact, they aren't even in the recording studio together. When I asked if we could expect a collaboration single from the two in the near future, my source said "Maybe...but we're not sure yet."
Any male singer with a story about being associated with Britain's Sweetheart Cheryl Cole isn't going to have a sudden dent in their reputation, especially if they are 'allegedly' restoring Ms Cole's wounded self confidence. So good on Camp Cruz! This publicity stunt is only going to win fans.

Peace

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