Going Forward: #7 Asos Accessories

It's official, Asos is set to be the go-to brand for accessories come autumn/winter. Our wardrobes are crying out for their shoes - a footwear fest of bubble-gum patents, rainbow reptile-skins (fake of course) and punky skating boots. Plus, how couture is this belt?! On the designer front (yes, Asos keep adding to the high-end brands) we spotted these beauties by Chie Mihara - her 'thing' is comfort meets quality' so these heels are actually good for you! Allegedly.

New shoes

The fifties revival has been in full flow for several seasons - witness all the prom dresses and big skirt action that's been going on for like, ever. But we prefer the more tomboy version we've been seeing: big plaid flannel shirts, quiffy hair-dos and baggy 501s (turn-ups optional). We're also noticing great strides in fifties unisex footwear, namely moccasin flats, Bass Weejun loafers and Topsider boating shoes. Cuteness! The one that's really rocking our world though is the brothel creeper. Vagabond have excelled with their offering for next season (that's only *counts*...one, two, three, four months away), perfect with super-skinny jeans although we'd love to see more brothel creepers worn with short pouffy cocktail dresses like the ones at Luella.

Meet Henry Holland and get a leg-up on the fashion industry ladder!

Graduate Fashion Week (from 8-12 June) is fast becoming a must-visit on the London fashionista calendar. In the past it's been something of a hit and miss affair but this year it's upped its game. It moves to a new venue in Earls Court and has added an Education Day on 12th June for 14-18 year olds who fancy being the next Stella McCartney/Paul Smith. Actually, it's not just for future fashion designers, if you're interested in fashion marketing, promotion, PR, journalism or styling, you'll also be welcomed with open arms. And get this, there will be a careers clinic hosted by The Clothes Show's Caryn Franklin where industry insiders like Elle editor Lorraine Candy and fashion-editor-turned-designer Henry Holland will give advice and answer questions. The only snag is it's not free (meanies!) but £15 is a small price to pay for the opportunity to network like crazy and wedge your foot in the notoriously hard-to-enter door.

River Island will be sponsoring GFW and have launched their own Style Insider micro site to accompany the event. Not only will it feature live blogs, videos and backstage gossip but there will be competitions galore to win freebies and gift vouchers.

Visit www.http://gfw.org.uk/gfweducation.html and www.gfw.riverisland.com for more info.

Tim Walker - spreading the love

We're big Tim Walker fans so we're pretty damn thrilled to know he's got an exhibition starting on May 9th at the Design Museum in London. Here's an homage to Tim Walker we did when we were at CosmoGIRL!

Make-up Ladies

It was only a matter of time before it happened. First it was celebrity fashion ranges, then came the fragrances, now it's the turn of celebrity make-up collaborations. We've already got Nicole from Girls Aloud doing her Jelly Pong Pong range for fair complexions and model Daria Werbowy has created a make-up collection for Lancome with proceeds going to Rio De Janeiro's Centro Espacial Vik Miniz, a youth arts-education organisation. Latest news? Even Dolly Parton is getting in on the act, telling Billboard magazine "I want my own cosmetics line." Come on MAC, snap her up!

In Praise of the Pocket Dress

This morning it rained like a bitch but we didn't care because at least the weather's warmed up which meant we could bust out our spring wardrobes AT LAST! And what would spring wardrobes be without dresses? In particular, dresses with pockets. We love a dress with a pocket, it gives us something to do with our hands and lets us do our favourite model walk. (What? You don't do model walks when you have pockets? What is wrong with you?!) In fact, when we do fashion shoots it's always the dress (or trousers, or shorts, or skirt or...) with pockets that gets picked because it makes the photographer and model's jobs easier...fact! (Belt loops help too, for that all-important model slouch.) We found these cute dresses with pockets on Asos.com, Topshop.com and Urbanoutfitters.co.uk. Which would you wear?

Pics: Urban Outfitters, Urban Outfitters, Asos, Asos, TopShop

We Can't Live Without...

...the new Carmex cherry lip balm. Some may say that lip balm's addictive, we say whatever, we still love stroking pout-perfecting potions on our lips. PS, talk about miracle product, it contains spf too!

Tricky Trend: Making the most of the midi

I'm not a huge fan of the new midi length, it's pretty hard to carry off if you're pint-sized like me. Yet when Roselle, the make-up artist on a shoot last week pitched up in a cotton print calf-length skirt, I thought, 'oh...midi-length! Here's a non-frumpy way to wear it!' Roselle teamed hers with stack-heeled knee-length boots and a fitted knit top, very seventies-sophisticate, very next-season D & G. Well, I have the boots already - black pebbled leather with a four-inch heel - and the skirt worked because it's fitted over the hips before flaring out. Getting this look right is all about proportion so if you're short you need some lift in your boots and if the skirt has volume then the top half needs to be sleek. Fabric weight plays its part too. A heavy fabric like tweed or tartan will add bulk to ample hips while something lighter and floaty (silk, crepe) will skim over curves. For me it's a nod back to the Charlie-girl style of the seventies so I'd like to try it in dark indigo denim with white stitching. I'd wear it with a sleek scoop-neck Lycra top (oh hang on, they didn't have Lycra in the 70s did they? Oh well, let's pretend) and a black plaited belt. Plus perhaps a beret and a vintage saddle bag from Urban Outfitters. Surprisingly, a skirt in this shape is better on curvy hips that straight figures as it needs something to hug - now how many trends you can say that about?


Navaz

Pics: D & G autumn/winter 2008 from www.vogue.co.uk

Going Forward: #6 The New Vans?

Call off the search, we've found the new Vans! KEEP is a new brand from LA which makes casual kicks in fab colour and print combos. These alpine high-tops are making us long for a weekend in a ski-lodge enveloped in a plaid blanket toasting marshmallows and sipping hot chocolate round a roaring fire. The added bonus? They're 100% animal-friendly vegan.

Going Forward: #5 Too-cool Keds

Wow, Keds are really going for it big-time. We were bowled over by their gold sneakers at the a/w preview, while these wedges left us practically speechless - too, too clever!

Going Forward: #4 PASTEL PLAIDS

Ok, plaid is going to be the Big One for autumn, so no surprises there. But we spotted a micro-trend at Aussie surf brand Insight last week...pastel plaids! We're loving this girly take on the lumberjack look.

Going Forward: #3 JUST SAY NO

Ok, Levi's stop it now. You're just being too trendy for your own good and we will never, ever wear these ugly-as-sin jeans. So there.

Going Forward: #2 NOT JUST JEANS

We've noticed that the traditional denim brands are branching out from 101 ways with jeans. Wrangler impressed us with this too-cute bib-front frock at their a/w 08/09 preview while Levi's showed the most adorable shortalls and knitwear.

Bubbling under: Are cords due for a comeback? Skinny cords showed up at Wrangler, Howie's, Made in Heaven and Antik Batik.

Going Forward: #1 SHAGGY FURS

Shaggy furs are expected to come round again for next autumn. Antik Batik is doing real fur gilets for the luxe layered look while Fornarina mixes denim-look with (fake?) fur for a more youthful spin on the trend.

Going Forward

We've spent this week traipsing the streets of London checking out the new autumn-winter collections. Check back in a couple of days when we've uploaded our photos and observations...

Donna & Navaz

Cancelling Kate?

Is Kate Moss about to be elbowed off her pedestal as the Rimmel London girl? The Daily Mirror reports that Alexa Chung and Gemma Arterton are rumoured to be in the running to take over the title. Lily Cole, Agynes Deyn and Daisy Lowe have already been screen tested and rejected so far.

Meanwhile, newly launched in France is KATE MOSS, a 300 page unofficial biography by French journalist Francoise-Marie Santucci. Paul Smith hosted the launch of the book in Paris on Wednesday.

Henry Holland continues his quest for world domination

We never wore Henry Holland's T-shirts but we have to say we think he has a face for telly, this presenting gig he did for Vogue TV is rather hilarious, no?

A+ for Asos

Asos.com is getting better and better and I'm not just saying that because I'm shooting for their magazine! We attended the high summer preview and the new collection is big on embellished summer dresses (dress them up or down blah blah blah) and romantic hot fuchsia very reminiscent of last summer's Rodarte. And if you're not over wacky prints yet, have a good ogle at these Eley Kishimoto lovelies which will be on sale from May.

Navaz

Waiting for Spring

It may be officially spring but that doesn't mean the bitter gales and showers storms are anywhere near abating. So all those wafer-thin floral frocks and barely-there blouses are going to have to wait a wee while longer. Why do designers even bother to have seasons? Climate change has made things so chaotic surely it makes more sense to load on the layers all year round? Looking at next autumn's shows, the go-to layering piece seems to be the humble poloneck (or turtleneck if you're a stateside reader). Missoni got the look totally nailed with their smart teal-n-tan take on seventies working-girl layers (and they've even done sunglasses for autumn!). Get in there now with a jersey poloneck from American Apparel, just the thing to go under a flirty flouncy frock until summer comes round.

Gucci girls

A few people have been dissing the Gucci show but we beg to differ. Ok, it's not groundbreaking but frankly, we don't care! We're bananas about the Sienna-Miller-circa-2006 layering and the fact that poker straight hair has finally given way to natural unkempt waves. And the best bit is we've discovered the new way to wear your hippie scarf - on your, um, hips!

Crazy colour

Sorry for the protracted absence, we've had bronchitis and been working abroad! But we're back in action now. So what's everyone thinking about the dip-dye trend for spring - yay or nay? We're feeling a bit blah about wishy-washy dip-dye dresses and tops but jeans - yes please! Especially after seeing this shoot in Teen Vogue. To get the best effect a certain amount of colour coordination needs to be administered, isn't the fluffy bolero just heartbreaking?

We also love Susie Bubble's take on dip-dye with these tasty tights. Warning: make sure you use a strong colour unless you want to look like you've got a rare mutant-cell pigment disease.

Fashion meets Fairtrade

We're a bit disappointed that Alexa Chung has jumped on the celebrity-slash-designer bandwagon but it's in aid of a good cause so we'll let her off. These £38 (!) skull earrings for Fairtrade brand Made Boutique are on sale from February 25th.

www.madeuk.com

The funnest boots ever

Forget the fact that there's as much chance of snow as there is of us sticking to our new year's resolutions, aren't these just the best boots*? Warm and beautiful, we'll have one in every colour please.

*Thanks to http://hipstermusings.blogspot.com for the pic

Can't get through January without it...

Ever since The Body Shop started hiking the price of its iconic Body Butter at a faster rate than our monthly Oyster cards, we've been looking for a suitable alternative. It finally arrived two weeks ago in the guise of J.R. Watkins Apothecary Vanilla Dry Oil Body Mist. Admittedly, it doesn't have the luxurious rich texture of a body butter but it does the same job. This dry oil sprays onto legs and arms and rubs in super-quickly without leaving any residue on our hands. If a spray's not your bag then consider the Lemon Cream Shea Butter. It's a fabulous rich hand, foot or body butter than smells of lemon meringue pie and also passes the rubs-in-fast test and kept our cuticles flake-free (and believe us, we've tried everything). The best bit? The products cost a shade over £5 and aren't tested on animals. Yay!
Find them in your local pharmacy or call 02380 460600 for stockists.

What's your can't-do-without-it beauty product?

Can't Wait For Spring?

Five spring things to do now...

1. Have a picnic in the park
Dress up in your warmest layers, pack a tablecloth and enjoy having the entire park to yourself!

2. Mix it up
Wear last summer's flimsiest floral frock with thick woolly tights, a chunky scarf and peep-toe wedges

3. Spring clean your wardrobe
Weed out all those "it was a good idea at the time" fashion fiascos and send them to a good home via www.freecycle.org

4. Pep yourself up with a self-help book
We recommend Fabulosity by Kimora Lee Simmons - cheesy but fabulous and full of feel-good fashion advice

5. Start planning your New Look
Check out the pre-spring collections at www.matchesfashion.com/lookbook/season/pre-ss08 then fathom out how to 'springify' your wardrobe with the stuff you've already got

Photo: Ellen Von Unwerth

Favourites things

So here are a few of our favourites things for next season seen on our travels. Firstly, we've noticed a cat trend coming through. Granted, it's just two cat tees at the moment but that's enough for us to warrant trend status. Next on our wish list are these Insight shorts from Urban Outfitters - how cute? On a sporty tip, Nike has finally got with the programme and stopped denying it's a fashion brand. Honestly, all this playing hard to get and insisting it's a performance sports brand was fooling no-one. This leopard-print tee is so not 'performance sports' and amen to that! Finally, we're feeling trainers again after years off-radar. Biba showed these proper old school stylee high tops and we're mad about them. Call us greedy but we want them all.







Pics - top to bottom:
TopShop cat T-shirt
Biba cat T-shirt
Insight shorts at Urban Outfitters
Nike leopard-print T-shirt
Biba trainers

Eye Candy

We've been traipsing round to all the press days and launches to find out what's in store for 2008. On the fashion front we've looked at so many floral dresses, tie dye tops and gladiator sandals, quite frankly we never want to see another one. But sunglasses are a different thing entirely. Ray-Ban Wayfarers? Pfft! A distant memory. Saucer-sized seventies sunnies? Passe. Our new obsession is the heart-shaped sunglasses we saw at Urban Outfitters and George At Asda. Not for the bashful, these are the epitome of flirty, feisty and fun!

Lordy Lourdes

A big debate is going on at www.jezebel.com regarding Madonna's lovely eleven-year-old Lourdes. The big deal? Her eyebrows. Much as we celebrate grooming for those who are interested, we wouldn't like to dictate that anyone should shave, bleach, tweeze or wax. Surely it's up to the individual? If Lourdes is aware of her downy top lip and bushy brows but making a decision to go au naturel then props to her. The key issue is choice. We think she's adorable anyway, but refusing to be swayed by conventional rules of beauty is what makes her super-stunning in our books. Hmm, wonder who she gets that from?

Bonjour Valentine

Apologies for our prolonged absence. We've been moving house (Navaz) and holidaying at Disneyland (Donna) but are back in action now. Navaz was lucky enough to work with model-about-town (and Charles Anastase's muse) Valentine Fillol-Cordier last week while shooting for Asos magazine. Sometimes a model is so inherently cool she doesn't actually need a stylist, she just styles herself! Valentine was one of those, not to mention the most charming sweetheart to boot.

Here are some of her favourite beauty products:

Hair product - "For a conditioning treatment I use Leonor Greyl Palm Oil. I put it on an hour before shampooing and wrap it in clingfilm. I also love Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray."

Lip balm/lipgloss - "Oh I hate lipgloss - it sticks to my hair! But I use lip balm by Bigelow. It's the oldest pharmacy in New York and it contains almond oil. It's really nice, I always get it when I'm in New York."

Eyeliner - "I like to mix black and brown together. I use brown underneath and black inside. Pout is my favourite, the packaging is super-cute."

Moisturiser - "At the moment I'm using Chanel Beaute Initiale. You have to moisturise your skin. I really think so. I wash mine 2-3 times a day and I always take my make-up off at night. It's so important otherwise you get spots two days later and then wonder why...!"