Luxury Meets Technology…

Apple have collaborated with British Luxury Goods company Mulberry to create a line of beautiful notebook covers and bags. The range features Daria and Bayswater inspired sleeves than come in a range of colours and leather treatments such as natural and patent leather. The Bayswater pieces feature the signature postman’s lock whereas the Daria items feature the lazer cut brass Mulberry medallion. All sleeves feature pockets for a charger, ipod and various work related merchandise, whereas the bags are more roomy and can easily combine the contents of your handbag and laptop case. They are the perfect accessories that can even be worn as a oversized clutch. So why not let your love of luxury extend to your gadgets? Ranging from £300-£600 the line can be purchased on line from either the Apple or Mulberry stores.

C’est la vie Brittany Murphy

Another star of modern pop culture has passed away, I haven’t felt this sad since Heath Ledger. Despite us also losing other stars such as Patrick Swayze, it is always more distressing when someone passes away in the prime of their life. Brittany Murphy was only 32 when she suffered full cardiac arrest at her LA home yesterday. Her mother discovered her in the shower and tried to revive her along with five paramedics but tragically she was pronounced dead. Brittany Murphy has always stood out from other starlets her age simply because of her approach to mature roles and her lack of interest in the press. Her role as Tia in Clueless is something that will always go down in pop culture history, most especially for her line “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.” A line almost all girls regularly make reference to! Its really sad most especially as she recently, in a interview with People Magazine, spoke of starting a family with her husband as she had always wanted children. This tragedy highlights that despite being young you are not invincible and should live each day as if it was your last. Unfortunately for Brittany it was her last. Rest in Peace Brittany!

Brittany Murphy 1977-2009

My SKIR LND pre-collections review…

…has been posted, check it out for a sneak peek on the hottest trends and looks that we will be wearing this time next year as well as my review and thoughts on possible trends.

www.stylishkidsinriot.com

The Future of Fashion…By Charlotte Hoyle

What will your coveted accessory be next season? Times are hard for all which is why, most likely, you are pondering over whether you should or could buy that must have Chanel Matryoshka Russian doll bag exclusively created for Russian Vogue, or whether this season it is best to stick with what you have.

Since the explosion of the luxury market a few years ago designers have realized the development of an accessory line is just as important (and sometimes more profitable) as the development of their collections. From Marc Jacobs to House of Holland, modern day designers offer a piece of their brand in the form of a tote, clutch or purse.

This spring/summer season is no exception, with websites such as Net-A-Porter, My Wardrobe and Matches offering up a variety of high fashion goods available at the click of our mouse, it is easier than ever to buy that must have Balenciaga lariat bag. No longer do we have to make a day of browsing our favorite luxury store, we can do it all from the comfort of our own home. Which is why I have taken the time to browse the best of the internet’s high end e-market.

Net-A-Porter.com: This is where it all began; the mecca of the luxury e-market Net-A-Porter was launched in 2000 and since then has gained a strong following. Video blogs of this seasons catwalk trends, reviews of must have items and even an e-magazine, the site offers more than just a retail buzz. Informative, with regular updates Net-A-Porter now has around 2 million women logging on each month to browse, shop, get style tips and learn about the latest trends.

My-Wardrobe.com: Launched in 2006, My Wardrobe sells brands from the UK, USA, Europe and Australia. If you are after sass & bide’s super hot leather leggings as seen on MTV’s Whitney Port, then My Wardrobe is the place for you. Following the style of Net-A-Porter, blogs and video casts on upcoming trends are now available on the site as is the latest fashion news.

MatchesFashion.com: Matches was originally established in the high street retail sector and has 13 stores in the Southern England area. The decision to branch out online in 2005 has strengthen the brand, as it offers the coveted Matches Limited pieces on line as well as in store. The site also has a blog so you can follow what is featured in fashion magazine’s such as iD and Vogue as well as which pieces from the site are being worn by celebrities.

What will your coveted accessory be next season? Times are hard for all which is why, most likely, you are pondering over whether you should or could buy that must have Chanel Matryoshka Russian doll bag exclusively created for Russian Vogue, or whether this season it is best to stick with what you have.

Future Fashion Illustration by Anna S M Higgie

Since the explosion of the luxury market a few years ago designers have realized the development of an accessory line is just as important (and sometimes more profitable) as the development of their collections. From Marc Jacobs to House of Holland, modern day designers offer a piece of their brand in the form of a tote, clutch or purse.

This spring/summer season is no exception, with websites such as Net-A-Porter, My Wardrobe and Matches offering up a variety of high fashion goods available at the click of our mouse, it is easier than ever to buy that must have Balenciaga lariat bag. No longer do we have to make a day of browsing our favorite luxury store, we can do it all from the comfort of our own home. Which is why I have taken the time to browse the best of the internet’s high end e-market.

Net-A-Porter.com: This is where it all began; the mecca of the luxury e-market Net-A-Porter was launched in 2000 and since then has gained a strong following. Video blogs of this seasons catwalk trends, reviews of must have items and even an e-magazine, the site offers more than just a retail buzz. Informative, with regular updates Net-A-Porter now has around 2 million women logging on each month to browse, shop, get style tips and learn about the latest trends.

My-Wardrobe.com: Launched in 2006, My Wardrobe sells brands from the UK, USA, Europe and Australia. If you are after sass & bide’s super hot leather leggings as seen on MTV’s Whitney Port, then My Wardrobe is the place for you. Following the style of Net-A-Porter, blogs and video casts on upcoming trends are now available on the site as is the latest fashion news.

MatchesFashion.com: Matches was originally established in the high street retail sector and has 13 stores in the Southern England area. The decision to branch out online in 2005 has strengthen the brand, as it offers the coveted Matches Limited pieces on line as well as in store. The site also has a blog so you can follow what is featured in fashion magazine’s such as iD and Vogue as well as which pieces from the site are being worn by celebrities.

My ‘To Bleach or Shave – That is the Question’…

…article has been posted on Stylish Kids in Riot.

Click here to have a read.

Kristen McMenamy

Style Vs Fashion – My Thoughts on the Eternal Debate…

Back in the days when Topshop was literally that – a shop that sold tops, most of us were clueless when it came to Fashion; style however was another thing. Whether it was our prized washed out Nirvana t-shirt, bizarre skirt trousers or adidas leggings and limited edition Nike Dunks, we knew we had style. Even if we look back at those times with absolute horror what is important is how what we wore made us feel. Most of us had no idea what was traipsing down the catwalks, so why now is the population systematically being exposed to ‘Fashion’?

Christina Aguilera pioneered the beaded top

Its practically being rammed down our throats. Shows such as ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix’, ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy/Girl’ and ‘What not to Wear’ amongst others not forgetting the ‘Fashion’ orientated slots that fill news and lifestyle programs adds to the over exposure of the industry. These shows aren’t even about relative Fashion, they are retail driven.

This over thought commercial dry end of the industry is harming the style cred of people who absolutely care about their personal ‘look’. More than once I have heard horror stories of guys and girls who accumulate their wardrobe pieces thoughtfully – vintage stores, thrift markets, second hand/charity shops, sample sales – so when they come face to face with someone wearing a similar outfit that is head-to-toe Urban Outfitters it is unbelievably infuriating.

A pure 'thrift' look worn by Lookbook's Daniel L.,

From every direction people are being told that they must have an idea about Fashion, even if the idea is thoughtless. My sister was recently at a group interview for a place on a coveted Fashion degree and when they were all asked who their favorite designers were, two of the girls answered ‘Topshop’. Now these girls had previously studied art/design/fashion for at least two years to get an interview so how could they be so clueless?

The fuel behind the explosion of commercialization in fashion is the desire to be effortless. To throw together a mix of Hennes and vintage and look absolutely cutting edge, for people to turn and say ‘I love those clothes’. But this isn’t fashion its style, something you cannot buy or acquire no matter how many TV shows you watch or how much money you throw at your wardrobe. The media is focused on the attire of darlings such as Lily Allen, Mary Kate and Cheryl Cole, all of which have or do use stylists to create their look. You either have it or you don’t.

Its argued that Lily Allen only became fashion pack cool after she got a stylist...

Dame Vivienne Westwood herself has launched a campaign to fight the commercial backlash of the industry; photo campaigns and manifestos push the idea of retaining style and not over indulging in the material side of Fashion. Most recently she was featured on Jonathan Ross’s show, ‘buy less choose well…don’t buy fashion for the sake of it because everyone looks alike,’ she explained, all of which is outlined in her latest manifesto.

If Fashion designers themselves are telling society to stop the excessive consumption what hope do we have? Stores have already begun to take pictures of stylish people only to replicate their outfits on a mass scale. ‘Vox-popping’ is a technique favoured by some of the UK’s top retail brands and is another way of stripping down style to be mass-produced.

So what is the answer? Do we boycott the media? No more reading of fashion magazines and watching MTV. Do we take to the streets with placards adorned with anti Philip Green slogans and never shop in Topshop again?

No. We just carry on wearing what we want, how and when we want and forget about the consumers out there who buy every new item recommended by Look magazine. We revel in the smugness that is our own style, our unique look that others may want but can’t have and hope that the wannabes learn to develop their own style.

The Kids are Too Cool

Wanna hear something awesome? I am the new London Blogger for S.K.i.R, thats Stylish Kids in Riot for those of you who haven’t heard about the movement. Its a wicked site packed full of international updates on what is cool in the world of music, fashion, art, life and events! You can subscribe by RSS feed so you can get regular updates on what is going on out there! I <3 it so check it out!

Stylish.Kids.in.Riot

My S.K.i.R Profile/Posts

A Dusting of Coco…

This year sees the release of Warner Brothers ‘Coco avant Chanel’. Following the life of fashion legend and pioneer Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel the movie is a biopic of her life with Audrey Tautou starring as the woman who revolutionized fashion.

© Warner Bros. France

Born in a poorhouse in France in 1883 Coco had a troubled childhood and from the age of twelve she spent several years in an orphanage where she learned the trade of a seamstress. Her sewing skills were developed during summer vacations when she spent time with female relatives and at the age of eighteen she left the orphanage to work for a local tailor. This would be the beginning of her becoming ‘Coco’ and the start of her creating the fundamentals of Maison Chanel.

Modern simplicity became the muse behind Chanel’s creations; she first worked as a milliner and went on to become a tailoress. Using menswear as an inspiration she used jersey to create her garments as the textile was low cost due to it primarily being used for men’s underwear. Drop waist dresses and the flapper lifestyle became associated with her designs.

By 1923 she had established herself; simple designs with complex construction and quilted silk linings became her signature as well as her vivacious outlook on life. She encouraged women to be free, to lose the restrictions of corsetry and to throw caution to the winds something that embodied her first signature fragrance, Chanel No.5. Released in 1921 and named after her favorite number, the perfume was initially banned because of its provocative scent.

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

The transcendent design of the Chanel jacket which we associate with the house was developed over a number of years, its exterior made from tweed – a cheap fabric at the time favoured by Chanel for its construction – with a silk quilted lining and ribbon trim was created with the notion of form fitting luxury. Its heavy finishing’s of chain and buttons added weight to the garment which is now a staple in hundreds of women’s wardrobes as it still retains the power to transform any outfit. The quilted design and style of adornments was captured in the classic Chanel 2.55 bag, which was created in 1955.

Luxury, sensual femininity and Parisian style all come to mind when we think of Chanel. However we must remember the powerful, confident and revolutionary mind that created the luxury house. ‘Coco avant Chanel’, ‘Coco before Chanel’ is released on the 31^st July in the UK.

Art=Fashion, Serpentine Summer Party

This week in London town the weather has been absolutely miserable however the glitterati still managed to grace our town with their presence as it was the Serpentine Gallery Summer party on Thursday. Art is very much in vogue don’t you know and this year there was a mix of very famous and not so famous faces.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld in Topshop

It turned out to be London’s biggest party and Kensington gardens were filled with the likes of social butterflies Olivia Palermo and Dasha Zhukova as well as the crème de la crème of London’s art/fashion/party scene Daphne Guiness and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld (who was wearing a Topshop embellished dress, no Chanel in sight!). It seems the social lines between the art and fashion worlds are becoming more and more blurred which is the way it should always be.

Tallulah Riley Blonde!

Emma Watson for Burberry

Yesterday I received my August issue of Vogue in the post. Following my usual ritual I sat down with a large cup of coffee and began to flick through its glossy pages. I always take time studying the latest campaigns that are usually situated at the front of the magazine and this time was no different. It was when I about an eighth into the magazine when I realized I was looking at the latest Burberry campaign, featuring the new face of the luxury house Emma Watson. The crisp images shot in natural light are softly focused on the face and the contrast is strong thus highlighting the clothes and accessories. They are sophisticated and represent the Burberry Autumn/Winter 09/10 collection well, however I can’t help but feel that perhaps there would have been a better alternative to Ms. Watson. Don’t get me wrong, she is a perfect example of the English Rose, but her looks do not compete successfully when teamed with the clothes. She almost fades, making her nondescript and the eye becomes focused on either the bag she is carrying or the model she is paired with. This usually is not an issue, as models are there to represent the clothes not overpower them however her reputation isn’t enough to hold the images together. You finish looking at the campaign thinking, why Emma Watson? When Burberry used Kate Moss it added a concentrated edgy London feel and made Burberry seem cool again, a wave Burberry has been riding since. Its makes you wonder exactly what Christopher Bailey wanted to represent when he chose Emma.

Emma Watson for Burberry