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?