Friday Night Fashion Fun

Can you guess who these Fashimals are?

Answers here.

Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada....

...If you didn't manage to get any Versace for H&M it doesn't even matter.

Pretty sure you can get it for waay cheaper off Ebay now with no crazy o'clock queuing either. But if you're still craving a bit of Versace loving, heres some vintage campaign ads for you.

Paperself: Look Into My Eyes...

Im loving these Paperself lashes right now (they also do lovely paper interior and furniture - check out their site). They'll be perfect for any upcoming Christmas parties and there's so many designs to chose from. The full lashes come in at £12 for a pair and the smaller ones are £10. And if you have any left over from trimming them to fit your eye shape, why not use them as nail art? Two in one - cheeky bonus!

Shopping: Coggles

I've been stuck in a bit of a shopping rut since my trip to America last month. The great British highstreet is great and all but it just doesn't compare to cheaper designer brands and amazing vintage selections. "Gok's Roadshow for Less" where he tries and finds outfits for under £50 in Asda and Primark is really not helping matters either (and I LOVE a bit of Primarni). It kinda makes me want to commit fashion suicide...

So when I come across sites like Coggles, they put a smile back on my face =)

I actually knew about Coggles before but attending their press preview this week reminded me why I love it so much. This site has pretty much EVERYTHING you could ever want. Cool designer brands such as McQ, Sam Elderman and Comme Des Garcons as well as vintage and even books. There's also a bike section coming soon, but my favourite part has to be the interior design section. Im in love with their snazzy pillows and wallpaper.

The fact that they also have a sweet style section is a cheeky bonus. Its not just a site, its a brand, it's a life style. "It's about the clothes you choose to wear, the bike you ride to work, the book you read in bed, you favourite chair at home, the world you design to live in."

It puts the fun back into shopping knowing that you're buying an investment and not a piece that every other Tom, Dick and Harry will own. Something that you will keep in your wardrobe for years to come and not a catwalk rip off made by some poor 10 year old child in India, that you're going to throw away in a months time. I know the economy sucks right now but Gok Wan take note.

Turning heads: Tomihiro Kono

I didn't really have time to attend shows this season for LFW but I did come across Tomihiro Kono during a showroom based on Japanese designers. Tomihiro actually started out as a hair dresser in Japan and the moved onto session hair styling when he moved to London. His wig and head prop creations soon caught the eye of creatives in the fashion, performance, art and music industries.

On his website it says that he's style is based on Dadaism and Surrealism. He's also heavily influenced by a movement called 'assemblage expressionism' started after WWII, where 3-D compositions where created using found objects. I've always been a fan of vintage so the fact that he uses vintage materials is a plus in my books, as it makes his creations unique and eco-friendly at the same time.

Some of his pieces are available on trusty Not Just A Label.

UPDATE: Rachel Boston.

Just a quick update to say that you can now buy Rachel's pieces (from my previous post) on Not Just A Label. Prices range from £250-£1,850. She's also added a new piece that wasn't ready yet when I did the original post and overall NJAL is a great site for new designers. Check it out.

Talented Friends: Rachel Boston

Im a sucker for accessories especially when it comes to jewellery so when I saw photos of my friends new collection, I knew I had to blog about it.

The whole collection is based on the Victorian dandy and their interest in insect collecting as this was a popular hobby with the Victorians due to the publication of 'Origin of the Species' by Charles Darwin and a fascination with natural history.

Rachel describes her jewellery pieces as "collectable hunting trophies" and has incorporated "real beetle wing cases into the jewellery to produce a medley of man-made and natural pieces where they blend seamlessly into one".

The collection is unisex as it contains aspects of masculine and feminine aesthetics. Due to the pieces not conforming to traditionally upheld standards, the jewellery is able to explore elements of the unexpected. When the pieces are worn on either sex the effect is dissimilar – a woman wearing the black pearl stag beetle necklace for instance, could surprise an observer with the ferocity of the piece. However, when the necklace is worn by a man, it appears to be much softer.

You can check out Rachel Boston's collection along with other Central Saint Martins BA Jewellery graduates from this Saturday until Thursday.

BA Jewellery 2011 degree show

Central St Martins

University of the Arts London

Southampton Row WC1B 4AP

Room 109, 1st floor

Saturday 18 June 12.00 – 18.00

Sunday 19 June - closed

Monday 20 – Wednesday 22 June 12.00 – 20.00

Thursday 23 June 12.00 – 18.00

Prices range from £200 to £800 for the biggest pieces. For more info and to contact Rachel visit her site.

New Designer Crush: Gabriella Marina Gonzalez

I knew I'd be a fan of GMG's work as soon as I laid eyes on these beauties during London Fashion Week a few years back.

Four seasons later and I've developed a bit of major fashion crush. Gozalez's A/W 11 ‘Sinister Sights in Synthetic Moonlight‘ collection has stayed true to her signature style of beautifully crafted leather accessories and delicate crochet dresses and tops. What really caught my eye was her ability to do mens and womenswear as well as accessories and still keep it coherent right from the start.

Gabriella's inspiration:

“Pressure on the brain. Distant vibrations evoke visions filled with shapeless

shame. Hallucinations take a toll when we believe all that we imagine.

In delirium we sink, into a pool of fevered drips, accumulating were it counts,

in the oceans of our desires to be sound of mind but the only sound we can

hear is of our reality getting future away from us until we are merely

caricature’s of our former selves, washed up on a distant shore,

mourning the loss of how promising everything was in our former

dimension. Dreams don’t exist they are merely reality skewed in our

subconscious. We shouldn’t have to escape our lives just to enjoy them.

What would the world think if we were ourselves and set an example if

nothing else, that freedom is not on a shelf in as store. Glow bright and

be pure, this is what your souls for.”

New Photographer Crush: Ellen Rogers

Can't get enough of Ellen Rogers beautifully eerie photographs right now.

Ellen is a London based, analog photographer. What's so beautiful about her work is that she used old school darkroom techniques and doesn't use digital manipulation. On her site it says she “creates timeless dream worlds where temptresses seduce and lure you into unknown, dark lands”.

She’s already done shoots for magazines such as i-D, Glass, Tank, Dazed and Confused and Vice and also worked with Piers Atchinson and Maria Francesca Pepe (two of my fav accessory designers).

My friend Rory Manning who got singed as a model not too long ago, also got work with Rogers recently. Stunning.

Check out more of Ellen Rogers works and everything else you'll need to know about the girl on her site.

Jeremy Scott for Swatch

Im a fan of Jeremy Scott's Pop-Art esthetic and the colabs he's done so far have been pretty awesome. So obviously I'm feeling his new collaboration with Swatch. I'm not a fan of watches overall and haven't worn one for years but when I saw the frame design, I soon found myself coveting it.

The best part about the designs is that the frame and wings are removable, so the watch will stand the test of time (and they're only £42.50).

Have a look at the official site here.

Vivienne Westwood/Comic Relief Colab

Westwood has never shied away from political statements or charitable causes, so it was only appropriate that she designed this years Comic Relief t-shirts.

The grand Dame of British fashion has designed a series of limited-edition tees - all depicting iconic historical images but with a Red Nose Day twist and got some of her famous celebs to model them.

The t-shirts are available to buy from TK Maxx stores or online, with prices starting at £5.99 for kids and £14.99 for adults.

Finally a Westood t-shirt I can afford!