Still mourning Michael

We're still in mourning over the death of Michael Jackson. And so are our friends at Lazy Oaf. They created this fab T-shirt to celebrate the London tour - if you'd like one, contact them through the website.

Topshop treats

We're noticing loads of amazing things at Topshop at the moment. But what is all the banging and building going on in the basement? We need to know what they're cooking up!

On our wishlist:
Liberty-print shorts, £32 - makes us feel like picnics in the park
Nylon Pac-a-poncho, £25. Perfect festival kit for those improptu summer showers
Zebra print body, £18 to snazz up a jeans-n-Converse outfit
Blue lace-up heels, £60 - cute with ankle socks and shorts
Festival photo-print tee, £25 - genius!

Trend alert: Snoods

Brace yourself for the invasion of the Burberry snood. Come September it will be everywhere. Hell, it's everywhere now!

On Emma Watson in the Burberry campaign


Backstage at the Burberry show



At the Net-a-porter press day

Beth Ditto - how did she do?

Ditto Day is drawing ever-closer and we were treated to a sneak preview of the Beth Ditto for Evans collection yesterday. It rocks! What we liked:
The two-tone black-and-white shoes, the sweater dresses and the sequins, especially this sequin top!


We also loved the studded bag we were given as a gift and the invitation to the exclusive party next week. Roll on Wednesday!

She's a model and she's looking good ♫♫♫

We love a girl who gives it some welly! Here's Natasha Poly doing proper model posing, even when it's backstage. So profesh...





[Pics: Vogue.co.uk]

ASOS Ltd 100

The ASOS Ltd 100 is nearly upon us for the third year running and we were invited to the launch party on Thursday to view the talent on offer. 100 students from London College of Fashion have had their work selected by an expert panel to be included in the exclusive sale. Our favourite designer was Rie Bromley who has three of her leather and bead necklaces in the sale which goes live on ASOS.com on 3rd July. If you fancy one of these, make-sure you cancel all plans for July 3rd. You need to be super-speedy on the mouse as last year, every item was sold in two minutes flat. The good news is that some of the pieces are very reasonable indeed, each is a one-off and all the profits go to the designers.


[Double click the pics to enlarge]

Graduate Fashion Week Careers Clinic

When we told people we were going to Graduate Fashion Week yesterday, the general response was 'why are you going on the Education Day? It'll be full of kids!' But that's exactly what we liked about it. Education Day is now in its second year and is aimed at 14-18 year-olds who are thinking about studying fashion at degree level. Most useful is the Careers Clinic, brilliantly hosted by Caryn Franklin, which questions a panel of fashion experts on the nitty gritty of getting a job and working in fashion. On this year's panel were Richard Bradbury (CEO of GFW sponsors, River Island), Alison Edmond (Creative/Fashion Director of Harper's Bazaar), Vanessa Coyle (Fashion Editor of Harper's Bazaar), Adrien Parry Roberts (course leader of fashion design course at UCA Epsom), Ann Rafter (MD of Stephanie Churchill PR) and Mark Eley of Eley Kishimoto. Plus an extra surprise guest, PM's wife, Sarah Brown!

One of the key messages that came across from the panel was that the passion for creativity and learning was what drove them in their jobs (hey, it's certainly not the money). All the panellists concurred that they never stop being inquisitive in hunting out what's new and what's next, not only in fashion but in all areas of culture and lifestyle. Here are some other nuggets from the panel.

What do you look for from your work experience people?
Alison Edmond: People skills are really important, you need to be able to work as a team. I also expect people to know about photographers and fashion designers so make sure you do the research in advance.

What makes a good stylist?
Vanessa Coyle: Having a strong point of view. Depending who you're working for, the brief will always be different so you need to be versatile yet have a new point of view. For a freelance stylist you need to be able to identify different styles for different jobs.

How do you get your foot in the door for work experience?
Richard Bradbury: Be prepared. You have to understand it's your responsibility to get the job you want. If you bother to make an effort, you can get lots of knowledge so always do your research. We want to know that you're interested in us, remember you're competing with someone who may not be as well-prepared as you.

What's your advice for getting a job following work experience?
Ann Rafter: Get noticed. For me, the people that stand out are the ones that knock on my door and ask for an exit meeting at the end of a work placement.

What advice do you have for shy students?
Sarah Brown: Look for other ways to build your confidence. Volunteer in something at school, work in a shop...anything to interact and boost your confidence.

Another message that came across from Richard Bradbury was that not everyone needs a degree. Even though this was Graduate Fashion Week, Richard pointed out that half his employees at River Island didn't have degrees. This is heartening for those who don't finish their degrees or decide that academic life isn't for them. It seems the main requirements for success are passion and hard work and the only place you're going to learn those is through getting stuck in.

We had a good root around the stands after the Careers Clinic and were especially impressed with a project by graduate Andrew Loader, who has set up a website called Fashionworkie.com. Anyone looking for fashion work experience can log on for up-to-date vacancies - completely free of charge. 

We also picked up a copy of the GFW magazine which was full of inspiring tips from fashion industry success stories. River Island had also set up a photo studio for the week where various magazines had pitched up to do fashion shoots using River Island clothes - a perfect exercise in fashion marketing right before our eyes! You can see some of the pictures on Handbag.com.

Countdown to Ditto Day

July 9th is the launch of the Beth Ditto for Evans collection and we've been sent all the info ahead of time on what can be expected. You can sign up for updates on the site here and when it launches on 9th July, we've been promised streamed music of the latest Gossip track, a share section featuring PC and iphone downloadable screen savers, plus the chance to win armfuls of Beth Ditto merch. Why are you standing there staring like that? Sign up, already!

Style stalking at Rebel Rebel book launch

Excellent people-watching last Thursday at the launch of Paul Gorman and Keanan Duffty's book, Rebel Rebel Anti-Style at Urban Outfitters. We loved all the radioactive-pink and neon-orange-with-black colour clashing going on and the perfect quiff on Marco from The Killing Floor.

The book itself is an informal and informative look back at rebellious style through the years - check it out at Amazon...

Kicking back with K-Swiss

We're over the celebs'-of-spring-as-model trend but we're fickle beasts so admit to secretly liking these new K-Swiss pics. Alexandra (daughter-of-Keef) Richards and Evan (son-of-Diana) Ross work the old school K-Swiss look to perfection while Ed Westwick does his best 'look like you're not posing' look.

Helen Asher's Make-up Recommendations

We had lunch with Helen Asher, make-up artist for Dazed, Man About Town and this amazing La Roux CD cover. Never mind this season's coral nail and peach lip, we decided to put her on the spot (whoops, no pun intended) and quiz her on the essential make-up components of her own beauty kit. What day-to-day products does a make-up pro use herself?

Best every day mascara - Clinique Lash Power Mascara Long Wearing Formula

"This mascara is perfect for everyday wear. It has a really good brush and the formula of the mascara is amazing. It can withstand tears, rain, humidity, sweat. It does not run down your face giving the dreaded panda eyes - every girl's nightmare. And if you want to remove it you can just wet your fingers or cotton pad and wipe! It won't leave any smears."

Best all-night-long mascara 
"The Givenchy Phenomen' Eyes is my favorite. The sphere-shaped tip of the wand is amazing. It really grips onto the eyelashes individually, separating each lash to make them longer and you can really get to the roots of the eyelashes. And when the wand is pulled out for application there is always the right amount of mascara on it. The texture of the mascara is fantastic. It's thick without being gluggy, dense in colour and stays on without running! Perfect for all night long."

Best face wipes  - Simple Face Wipes
"Face wipes are easy, very practical and a great invention, however, I tend to stick with a good natural cream cleanser which can be washed off with water or a water-based cleanser. I tend to find that most face wipes have a lot of chemicals in them, leaving the face coated with a layer of it. On the occasions that I do use them it will be the Simple range. They seem to be gentle on the skin, especially around the eye area."

Holy grail lipgloss that's always in your kit
"My favourite lip gloss would be the Givenchy Pop-Gloss range. Firstly I am a sucker for packaging -  I like the cleanlines of the rectangular tube. But most importantly, the texture of the gloss is perfect. It's not gluggy or super-sticky. And the colour range is fab. Some have a slight shimmery-glitter to them which picks up the light perfectly."

What's the tip everyone always asks you? 
"'How do I make my eyes look bigger?'  This is a question that I'm asked a lot. Firstly, curling your eyelashes will do the trick, this automatically opens up the eyes. Use a good pair of eyelash curlers. Shu Uemura do the best ones - every girl should invest in a pair of these. Secondly, choose an eyeliner pencil to suit and apply it right into the base and rim of your upper eye-lashes. It's more like a subtle smudge rather then a hard line. This instantly thickens the lashes. And thirdly apply a coat of mascara! Doing those three simple steps will instantly give "kapow" to your eyes.

So there you have it. We are so going to try the Givenchy Pop-Gloss range, have ditched our face wipes already (no, really) and 'gluggy' is our new favourite word!

To see more of Helen's work, check out her website

Wishlist: Hello Kitty eau de toilette

Oh wow! Our dressing tables are going to need extra reinforcements if any more delectable fragrance bottles are launched. Latest is this Hello Kitty eau de toilette, launching in July. July? We need it now!

We want these...

Just in at Totallyfunky.co.uk are these nostalgic purses and wash bags by Paper Planes. Aren't they adorable?

House of Fraser aw09-10

What we liked at the House of Fraser press preview...

Graphic tees by Gio Goi

Applique tees by Numph

We told you the black sequin blazer was everywhere!

Love this knit-print tee by Therapy. Price is good too (£20)...