Charity Begins At Home

"I probably shouldn't tell you this,

 but I wore this to Sankeys in 1996 and

pulled the best looking man of my life in it."

That was the introduction my mother offered as she bequeathed to me one of the few wearable relics of her youth; not cast aside in one of her numerous extensive clear-outs. The dress in question is a super-short, black, high-necked, sleeveless body-con number; perfectly cut, (Very Jil Sander-esque) and definitely in keeping with fashion's minimalist renaissance. Most importantly, and unsurprisingly, it fits like a glove.

There's definitely something sentimentally special about inheriting one's mother's prized LBD, or even better, two of them! The second came without the rare anecdotal insight into my mother's single past, unfortunately. Nonetheless it is still a fantastic piece and it's low-cut, low backed, halterneck shape provides all the aspects of the perfect black dress I have lusted after but haven't had the pleasure of acquainting until now.

So Mummy, I am eternally grateful to you for letting me inherit our perfect little black numbers. That said, I make no promises of proving the power and prowess of your pulling dress.

XOXO

Spotted:

Serena Van der Woodsen looking very Isabel Marant; unsurprisingly bagging the best wardrobe by far, dining with Lou Douillion and pouting in Pucci.

Blair Waldorf (no longer clad in clothes that make her look twice her age and at least twice her size) frolicking with Serena by Notre Dame, having a moonlit reunion with Mr. Bass in a beautiful red gown and judging by the astounding number of  bags she is seen carrying; spending her hard-inherited trust fund on the finest fashion Paris has to offer.

When you thought Chuck Bass couldn't get any camper he is seen wielding a cane; and often in the company of none other than Clémence Poésy.

Nate is clearly meant to have 'let himself go: all mussed up hair and baggy sweatpants whilst Dan Humphrey is seen looking despondent with a terribly unconvincing baby doll (could this cue this most irritating and pointless story of GG to date?).

Vanessa is uninspiring and irrelevant as usual but most importantly there wasn't a faintest trace of Taylor Momsen's fishnet hold-ups or ratty, bleached extensions anywhere.

She's probably too busy being made to want to die, disrupting the darkest of rock 'n' roll dinner parties by writhing around in her underwear or even just being so incredibly alternative to be involved, I imagine.

Well played Gossip Girl, Paris looks good on you.

All Wrapped Up

Akin to my yearly strife with the agonizing winter boot purchase, trying to decide what coat to buy, or rather, invest in, this winter presents another huge decision. Camel coats, shearling jackets, capes and classic, simple-lined styles; the A/W runways have left us spoilt for choice with an impressive selection of delectable designs and left me in the grips of a dilemma.

Chloé

Fendi

Stella McCartney

Burberry Prosum

Céline

In light of this I've decided to wait until I've met 'the one': be it hanging in all it's overpriced glory on a rail in Topshop or shoved in a bin bag in the back of a Salvation Army branch somewhere, I'm not losing hope that my perfect match for A/W 2010/11 is out there and instead of rushing into something, I want our eventual union to be 'special'.

Thankfully, as a wise, poodle-permed ex boy-band member once sang: "what goes around comes around" and in this case it's my beloved Zara blanket wrap coat. Purchased in November 2008, at £120 it was the most expensive thing I'd ever dared buy, after months of lusting after it's cosy, fringed, alpaca-mix glory.

Conveniently, the blanket wrap (though hardly one of this seasons super-trends) was seen scattered throughout the Autumn Ready-to-Wear collections; interpreted particularly well by Kenzo, Guy Laroche and Wunderkind. Even Chloe exhibited a beautiful charcoal-coloured, fringed number. 

Kenzo

Kenzo

Kenzo

Wunderkind

Guy Laroche

Wunderkind

Chloé

In muted shades of grey with buckles, tassels and the odd flash of colour, this year's blanket wrap provides the wearer with an easier, more versatile, yet no less chic alternative to the cape: allowing one full use of one's arms and eliminating the handbag issue. Undoubtedly less likely to date than my idealised, camel-coloured, shearling cape trend hybrid (and currently hanging in my wardrobe), I think I've found my perfect companion for no strings attached (aside from the tassels) winter warming.

Until 'the one' finds me I'm quite content with that.

"I'd happily wake up with any of them...

...to my mind, each of these women are perfect". Says Katie Grand of her eight chosen cover girls.

'The Gorgeous Issue" of Love is unleashed; claiming to represent a different perception of what it means to be beautiful with each of it's cover stars.

A brief summary:

Rosie is certainly deserving of her title 'The Bombshell'. Personifying the raw sex appeal of Jessica Rabbit, she looks quite at home in the role of tantalising seductress.

I really don't see what those small pink rectangles are trying to achieve, but I guess as an over zealous bit-part actor (playing the role of Jason, Gretchen Weiners' on/off again love interest) in Mean Girls once famously proclaimed: "it only counts if you see a nipple". Despite the not-so-subtle tits and arse focus of her cover (what else was she going to do, really?), Kelly Brook still manages to smoulder sweetly and protect her modesty with a feather boa. Hardly Groundbreaking but pretty nonetheless.

I'll admit, I've never been a huge Aggy fan, but I have to admit that her cover is simply and serenely beautiful, definitely the most memorable of the various covers. It's also important to mention that anyone who can have the Sinead O'Connor hairstyle circa 'Nothing Compares 2 U' and look this gorgeous is more than deserving of the accoloade.

I have never and will never approve of pushed-up, made-up and generally overly sexed-up Sienna. I have rarely seen her look good styled in this way and her LOVE cover is no exception. She looks nothing like herself and crucially I don't think this represents her unique and undeniably gorgeous appeal; which rests, in my humble opinion, on her awe-inducing ability to look so naturally beautiful when she is barely made up, or in the most unassuming of get-up. She's basically unrecognizable in this shot.

Alessandra's cover was a pleasant surprise. It's a rare treat to see her looking so 'fashion'. The paler complexion and simple styling really highlight her strikingly beautiful features, usually overshadowed by the big hair, bulging breasts and other hallmarks of a seasoned Victoria's Secret angel.

Gilf.

Seriously, Lauren Hutton looks like she's been guzzling by the bucket-full at the fountain of youth. I guess it probaby helps if one were this utterly gorgeous in one's prime:

Chanelling the Mrs. Robinson look as her female archetype, Gisele looks like the ultimate sophisticated glamazon on her LOVE cover. With her bouffant hair, come-to-bed eyes and the strap of her slip suggestively sliding down her golden arm; this is certainly a more refined and mature image of the brazillian 'bombshell'. I must say I still prefer Gisele with her wild, honey-blonde mane, barely there makeup and preferably wearing as little as possible.

It's ok Katie, we know LOVE is a such a quirky publication, is there really any need for this?

For anyone that cares, this is Buela the Mannequin who, according to Vogue.com, is a Louis Vuitton doll lent by Fabrizio Viti.

In Conclusion I loved Alessandra, Aggy, Rosie and Lauren, am unsure as to why Kelly Brook is relevant to a fashion magazine, despised 'sexy' Sienna and I'm still undecided about Gisele. As for the mannequin? I think that's obvious and doesn't need repeating with expletives. 

Muse-ing

Since the age of fourteen I have been convinced that Chloe Sevigny, New York's Hipster Queen, indie actress and all round fashion goddess hadn't a single pretender to her style throne. Others would come and go, their 'quirkyness' obviously laboured, or their look completely formulaic and I would soon lose interest. That is until I decided I to do my research on Ada Kokosar.

After attracting hundreds of comments on the Sartorialist's blog, the profile of the Italian stylist is rising, and with good reason. Her use of colour is superb, the textures of her dreamy ensembles often juxtaposed to an undone perfection; in both her professional work and her own personal style of dress she is truly exceptional.

Here are some examples of her styling work from http://www.adakokosar.com/

Published in D Magazine, Photography by B Dayan

Published in D Magazine, Photography by B Dayan

Published in D Magazine, Photography by B. Dayan

Published in D Magazine, Photogrpahy by Sean&Seng

Published in D Magazine, Photography by B. Ripoche

Published in View Of The Times, Photograph by A. Bolzoni

Published in D Magazine by J.F. Carly

Published in D Magazine, Photography by B Ripoche

Published in D Magazine, Photography by R. Wijesooriya


So much of her own personal flair is evident within the above work: the gratuitous use of layering, strong yet subtle colour palette and fearless texture combinations are emblematic of Kokosar's styling and transcend seamlessly from one diverse shoot to another.

But it's really Kokosar's own enigmatic ensembles that have me so enthusiastic:

Exhibiting her fearless attitude to colour, this (no other word for it) fierce, all-blue ensemble is tuly striking.

Camel coat and Shearling boots months before they were en vouge, good work.
Again, working with colours in a similar palette in one outfit works effortlessly on her and the large statement clutch and simple belt provide all the accessories needed to perfect this look.

Crisp, chic and effortless in the perfect-length camel coat at Milan Fashion week

I guess it helps that she's also incredibly beautiful. With serious Sevigny tendencies. What can I say, I have a type!

I never thought i'd like coloured tights. Ever.

My favourite look of the (unfortunately very few) photo's I could find of her. Everything from the jacket, to the dark grey cabl-knit sleeves to the fabulous bag and those boots!
I'm in love.

The simple rule of teaming garments within the same colour scheme is again, proved correct as Ada teams classic pieces in a medium grey shade with muted taupe accessories.


Maybe it's the Samson effect: whilst Sevigny cut her hair into that unassuming bob, Kokosar still provides me with stunning ensembles accompanied (as mine always are) by her straggly blonde mane? Regardless, I am craving more nuggets of fashion gold from Miss Kokosar in the very near future, and in posession of a freshly-renewed desperation for the perfect camel coat.