Fashion. Free. For All.

Something happened when the recession hit. People got savvy. Marketers, producers, editors and shoppers alike. The fashion industry exploded with the help of new media and became the new ‘in’ industry. In a sense fashion became fashionable. Never before has the industry been so in demand by the public. It’s early adaptation of new media meant that every aspect of the fashion world was shared. Films like “The devil wears Prada”,shows like “The City” and blogs in abundance have propelled the fashion world to the forefront of everyone’s minds. And now it is the consumer who wields the power.

The democratisation of fashion has made everyone an expert. Bloggers such as BryanBoy and Tavi are becoming more influential than editors. Much has been written about the new upstarts upstaging the old guards of the industry. Whispers of mutiny in Milan and corruption in New York set the fashion press a buzz this past show season. And who can blame them? If one were an industry veteran with thirty years experience and one is seated behind a teenage twitterer at a Chanel show one would be terribly incensed.

What you can’t be mad at is the voracious appetite for fashion the masses now have. Bloggers are quenching the publics thirst for everything in vogue. PR maestro and all around power player Kelly Cutrone offers her two cents on the shift in power “The thing that’s exciting right now is that the keepers of the gate are being knocked over the head with the new social media, and their opinion is less important”. Consumer demands means bloggers who operate in real time will always have the edge over journalists and editors whose considered opinions will be voiced in print later. New Media + Globalisation = the consumer is in control.

Nowhere is the consumer power wielded with such desirable results than in the online stores. The new supermarkets of style offer every conceivable look your heart desires all year round. In these shopper led havens there are no seasons. No over riding trends. And definitely no rules for shopping. Gone are the days of procuring for a cold or hot spell. Online the shopper can buy bikinis in November, ski pants in July and straw boaters in January. This demand for seasonless dressing is a direct result of our increasingly global lifestyles in which we travel casually and sometimes frenetically. We need a retailer who can provide for our needs all year round.

The ever media savvy Diane Von Furstenberg has recognised her customers needs and has adapted. For SpringSummer’10 she showed a collection inclusive of wide leg trousers, capris and harem pants alongside miniskirts, baggy jumpsuits and knee length dresses. No wonder she agreed to be on the City- she’s a marketing goddess.

D&G have also adapted to the new consumer. For the past four seasons they have reinvented their sister line to coerce the global market. Satisfying shoppers is now more important to designers than fulfilling their own aesthetic agenda. Last seasons velvet ladylike luxe is transformed into the wild west woman of SS’10 to satisfy the new stylised market. Fast trends for the fast consumer.

Could it be that fashion is the only industry where the consumer wins the war on the recession? The ones spending the money wield the power. We are proclaiming trends rather than following them. Commanding the previously secret world of industry and electing new creative forces to the forefront of the fash pack (in exchange for behind the scenes tweets of course). Fashion is finally firmly in the shoppers hands. Praise your gods, and pray it lasts.

Power Bitch

In the true spirit of research (or procrastination) I am an avid follower of The City and The Hills. Never am I happier then when MTV shows a marathon of episodes. I love studying the girls clothes, obvious plastic surgery and inability have a conversation composed of more than 5 sentences.

My favourite character has always been uber business woman and self confessed “power bitch” Kelly Cutrone. Maybe it’s because she says what’s on her mind, or her unwashed vampire like presence or her cutting one liners,

“The truth doesn’t always come like a shiny bluebird on your shoulder....the truth hurts”

“You may wanna kiss her on the cheek, but put a gun to her back to make sure she stands up straight.”

So imagine my delight when I discovered Ms Cutrone now has her own show aptly entitled “Kell on earth” on the Bravo USA. I jus watched the first episode and I’m hooked. The series follows her PR firm Peoples Revolution set in New York. I was terribly vexed after watching one episode. The stress on her poor interns is monumental. Her assistant Andrew is set to be a star-he reminds me of a gothic Christian Siriano from Project Runway.

Please bear my burden of procrastination and watch the show on the following link.


Kell on Earth

I will leave you with a brand spanking new Kelly quote

“We’re all hookers”

Enjoy.

My name's Miss M, and I'm a makeupaholic

Money burns a hole in every fashionable girl’s pocket. In fact the fashionable student is much akin to the alcoholics of the world, no money for food but always cash for a bottle of vodski. My brown bag used to be a Topshop one. Disguising a few accessories I would convince myself I was not spending money. Well my poison of choice over the past few weeks has been makeup and it seems I’m not alone. There’s something stirring in the waters this spring that sees make up come to the forefront of every ladies look.

We have been stuck in a bronzed and beautiful J.LO look for a near decade now. We shunned it for a smoky Kate Moss eye for a while and a bright red lip on VERY fancy occasions. Not anymore. The tides are turning and a full face of make up in all manner of hues is crashing over us in 2010.
Blame it on the makeup heavy stars like Katy Perry, Rhianna or the stage goddesses GaGa and Florence for injecting some theatricality to the muted masks we have worn for so long. Recessionistas are realising that make up is an affordable way to update your look. A splash of colour on your lips or eyes can dramatically change a ladies face when they usually wear browns and taupe.

I know what you're drinking, makeup isn’t exactly groundbreaking blogging. We are all aware of the lipstick effect in times of financial crisis but what I’m talking about is the new hold make up now has on us. Ever since Girls Aloud launched their eyelash range I am struggling to find a girl who doesn’t use them as part of her nights out. This new staple of lashes were brought even more into the limelight because at the time the X Factor had just recruited one of the bands members and Cheryl mania had taken hold. Not since Britney Spears wore silver eyeliner in her “Oops I did it again” video did a fashion idol ignite such a fire in makeup lovers across the globe.

For many girls the made up face is becoming more important than the outfit. I recently bought a bright plum Armani lipstick and have since been pairing it with outfits rather than picking clothes first. It has become perfectly acceptable to wear a full face of makeup every day. I regularly spot women on the tube with fake lashes and blush on their way to work. I also spy women shopping in m&s with pastel nails and bright pink lips. French tips, matte nude lips and lashings of bronzer are on the outs. Women are allowing themselves to experiment with colours and styles of make up more and more.

It’s not surprising that women are looking for a more statement look these days. There is such an emphasis on the individual that in actual fact we are all ending up looking the same. Blame the high street if you will but the point is that with a celebration of individuality (Lady GaGa, La Roux, Dita Von Teese) we are more likely to copy them than create our own individual look when it comes to clothing and accessories. Make up gives you free reign to create your own persona without labels and price tags. And of course you never have to show your brown bag and admit you’re an addict.

All Hail

I worship her and so should all of you. Vogue's March cover star Rosie Huntington Whiteley is F.L.A.W.L.E.S.S.

Let the stalking commence.

Rosie's fashion diary on Vogue

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To bike or not to bike....

Tis March my dears. Spring has officially sprung. Cheery daffodils are popping up to say hello, the sun is out and even though it’s very cold outside I am in a summery mood. The slightest hint of warmth on my face has me thinking of summer and all the pastel loveliness that needs to be worn. A long love of internet shopping brings me almost daily to net-a-porter to make a wish list of all the items I need/want. Our relationship has evolved so much in the past year that I think I may even purchase something soon. So far I’ve been very coquettish. Filling up my bag, proceeding to check out and then continuing to shop. I’m a tease but I think we’re both aware of how the relationship works. Honesty is the best policy and as my mother always said nobody will buy the cow if you give the milk away for free.

This week I was casually browsing through dresses, always my first port of call, when I decided to branch out and think of shorts. I’m thinking city shorts, tailored shorts something Olivia Palermo would wear. (Hers are quite short so I would opt for a slightly longer length but keep them tailored not tight.)

Not a hot pant in sight. Just like my relationships there are no lies between me and my wardrobe. My thighs and eyes would not welcome hot pants in any form. The appearance of cellulite is not improved by forcing your bum and thighs into clingy fabrics. At least this is what I thought until I saw this modern take on the bicycle short.

An alternative to leggings in the warmer months they certainly hit on the underwear as outerwear trend. But are spanks appropriate as outerwear? A little more research uncovers Prada thinks so. The Resort 2009 collection sees solid black bicycle shorts teamed with shirts and under trenches. Think a city girl who bikes to the office....in heels,always with heels. The most wearable way I've found is either with an oversized t shirt (a la the Markus Lupfer lace shorts above) or with a knitted sweater channeling Prada below.

I remain undecided. The longer length shorts in a solid colour can look quite classic when accessorised correctly. Because of their clingy nature I think it would be best to dress the shorts down with an oversized jumper or teeshirt and blazer. And I would not dream of wearing them without heels. Let's not recreate the dreaded pedal pusher look of the early 90's. Cycle with caution.

To be stylish you must have no style

On a recent weekend I was lured into a shop by a sign so beautiful and life affirming it made my heart skip a beat. SALE. How I love those four little words. The letters were red and juicy and inviting. I felt like Snow White succumbing to the delicious red apple. Indeed a witch laid waiting inside for a willing damsel in fashion distress such as myself. Commonly referred to as a sales associate she was conjuring up some items to ‘diversify my wardrobe’. I’m no fool; she was trying to sell me clothes I would never wear. As soon as she uttered the words ‘quirky and geek chic’ I was instantly regurgitating my lunch. Images of, dirty hair, men’s oversized jumpers, brogues and satchels. Basically girls who dress like homeless boys.

The outfit in question was an oversized mans t shirt with an anorak and high waisted tweed pants with braces. Images of Agyness Deyn, La Roux and every T4 presenter ever struck me like a hot GHD to the temple. “And we have knee high socks that are so comfy with brogues. They really are the only shoe to be seen in this year.”

To someone of a lesser character that line would have converted me in a heartbeat. It’s true that brogues are everywhere and celebrities like Chloe Sevigny, Mary Kate Olsen and grungy pop tart Ke$ha are all fans. But they are also girls who sing about getting inebriated, don’t brush their hair for tv appearances and regularly look like they have been kept alive from copious amounts of MDMA washed down by red bull.

Geek chic is not in my repertoire and brogues are most certainly not in my wardrobe. And for this judgement I am cursed to be ‘unfashionable’. How odd it is to be “out” by being occasion appropriate and clean. Kirsten Stewart wore converse to award ceremonies and she is celebrated for ‘relinquishing the stuffy factor’. Isn’t the so called ‘stuffy factor’ the best part? The chance to dress up and be beautiful and radiant and fabulously female?

Even in everyday scenarios I can’t understand why personal appearance and etiquette have become so far removed from mainstream society. It is now completely acceptable to look like all your possessions are housed in a Tesco trolley. Of course not everyone is a girly girl. Some girls would rather sleep for an extra ten minutes than blow dry their hair. Some girls see no problem with wearing sunglasses in the rain, sleet or snow, and some think that the Nars multiple in orgasm is a group activity for swingers.

It takes just as much effort to brush your hair and wash your face as it does to find your wayfarers and that half broken smoke in your satchel. Sue me if I go out the door in the morning looking as best as I can that day without a hint of ‘quirk’ about me. Some celebrities should be admired for their style and some should be quarantined. If Audrey Hepburn said she washed her teeth with a “bottle of Jack” in the fifties things would have been a lot different. We’d all look like shit.