Fashion: Portfolio - Round Two

Thank you for everyone's feedback on portfolio front page - MUCH appreciated! I love hearing different peoples opinions on my work. So, here's a couple of other layouts from my revised portfolio for your viewing pleasure.

Have had such a busy week at work, hence the lack of posting! Although I do have some great image inspiration posts and a Newcastle Fashion Week run-done lined up...all a work in progress at the minute I'm afraid!

Let me know your thoughts!

Fashion: RIP Elizabeth Taylor

The style legend and screen icon, Elizabeth Taylor, sadly passed away today aged 79, after a long battle with ill-health. Such an inspiration, she was the last of real Hollywood.

RIP Elizabeth Taylor.
1932 - 2011

Fashion: New portfolio layout

Sorry for the lack of posting over the weekend, lovely followers, but I was struck by an evil cold and ear and throat infection! On the mend now and redesigning and updating my portfolio. Here's a sneak preview, what do you think?

Image © Alice Mary Barnes, 2010

Fashion: I might be bad but I'm perfectly good at it

That's right, fetish was a huge catwalk trend for A/W 11/12. Wearable handcuffs and kinky boots? Who'd have thought this would be possible!

Marc Jacobs showed us rubber shirts and latex, paired with ladylike Forties silhouettes and lace-up boots at his at his catwalk show at New York Fashion Week (a definite pre-curser of what was to come at his collection for Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week. This was definitely the show to show the wearability of this trend; cinched waist belts, and PVC leather gloves, to update your winter accessories.

In London, Giles showed us demure fetish again, and with an innocent bow in the hair as a final touch.

Paris Fashion Week was as risque as they get! Givenchy, Mugler, Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton showed us all how it should be done; with Gaga, Mossy and that much talked about cigarette.

Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy went wild with animal prints, sheer fabrics and leather - PVC peplums over sheer knee-length skirts are not for the feint-hearted, although I could see myself in a cat-hat; definitely the easiest way to wear this trend, meow!

Nicola Formichetti's first womenswear collection for Mugler already had the Twitterverse buzzing before the show, with rumours that Lady Gaga would be modelling. Of course, she set the show alight and I can definitely imagine her wearing every single look from this collection.

One of my favourite collections of the whole season was Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. She managed to make the fetish trend look, dare I say, elegant? The harnesses were beautifully constructed and really added edge to another astounding beautiful collection.

And last but not least, Louis Vuitton's racy show (with every model in Paris it seemed!) showed us handcuffs, ladylike silhouettes and hotpants. And amazingly, they were oh so wearable! Loved Natasha Poly's look with her hand handcuffed in front of her, almost like she was a raunchy, praying nun? I like, like it, c'mon.

All images via Style.com

Today I Have Been...

...well I've been off work with a throat and ear infection, but as always, am crap at resting! So whilst dosing up on medication, drinking shed loads of herbal tea and water, I've been...

Reading... Intelligent Life's article about the ever-wonderful, inspiring and beautiful Grace Coddington.

Such a well worded and written article by Coddington's former assistant Julie Kavanagh, Grace is truly the mother of the fashion industry.

Watching..the preview of Keira Knightley's latest campaign for Chanel 'Coco Mademoiselle' over and over again - who wouldn't want to be wearing a Chanel catsuit on a vintage motorcycle?!

Listening to...Radio 1 for Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave's marathon radio show for Comic Relief! They've just broken the 37-hour Radio 1 record and are now going for the world record. And, they raised over £1 Million which is absolutely phenomenal! Please donate if you haven't already. Txt CHRIS to 70011.

A Special Thank You...

..To Khola's Kloset for naming me as one of her favourite versatile blogs! See the post here

Fashion: Wishlist

I recently inherited some money from my absolutely astounding Granny, who sadly passed away in December. I don't want it to just sit in a bank account gathering dust until I decide what to do with it, so I've decided to invest in some classic fashion pieces, which I will treasure forever.

So I've definitely decided to invest in Chanel - a jumbo classic flap bag in caviar leather with gold hardware, along with a Louis Vuitton/Stephen Sprouse leopard print scarf and possibly a Mulberry/Louboutin's as well. 

What would you buy if you were given the opportunity to buy a classic piece?

Inspiration: Red

I'm obsessed with anything red at the moment. I'm desperate for a red fedora!

1/ Ana Stefanovic 2/ One Blue Pool Road 3/ Apartment Diet 4/ Caroline's Mode 5/ Aubreyrd 6/ From Me To You 7/ Vogue.com 8/ The Sartorialist 9/ Things Organized Neatly 10/ The Sartorialist 11/ Kris Atomic 12 + 13/ From Me To You 14/ One Blue Pool Road 15/ Zara 

16/ Apartment Therapy 17/ Coco & Zaahb  18/ Susanna Joy 19/ One Blue Pool Road 

20/ Cannelle et Vanille 

Paris Fashion Week: Louis Vuitton & Miu Miu

Louis Vuitton

So we've come to the last day of Paris Fashion Week and of the whole A/W 11/12 season. And what a way to end. Marc Jacobs showed us fetish at Louis Vuitton: models handcuffed to their bags, uniforms, leather, thigh length socks, lace-up boots...and all teamed with porters' caps and Forties silhouettes. Oh, and can I have a pair of the high heeled rubber boots for Glastonbury? Thanks.

The set was just fantastic: models came up through the floor via 1930s hotel lifts and made their entrance onto the catwalk via a bell-boy opening the lift door. We also saw the extremely welcome return of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss (smoking a post-sex fag) to the catwalk. Oh how I've missed the Supers!

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Miu Miu

Forever a Miu Miu fan, Miuccia did not disappoint me this season. Collars, oversized waist bands and the return of the bird-print. The muted colour palette accentuated the structured silhouette and how gorgeous were the glittery shoes & boots? Another thing for my A/W 11/12 wardrobe wishlist.

All images via fashiongonerogue.com