Alexa Chung – AmeliasMagazine

Amelia’s Magazine | So Long, Sweet Luella, and the rest…

Images throughout courtesy of Me and Zena

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, buy information pills give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

This new line of kitsch accessories comes courtesy of the eponymous, up and coming London based designer Zena McKeown. With a BA in Visual Communication from Edinburgh College of Art, Zena moved to London in 2005 to live the dream, and has seen her homemade designs go from their humble beginnings at the Brick Lane Backyard Market to gracing the pages of Vogue. Of her collection she says: “Me and Zena is about satisfying your inner stroppy teenager.”

Not only is Me & Zena jewellery easy on the eye, but it won’t break the bank either with key rings starting from £8, bracelets from £10 and necklaces from £14, a welcome relief at this time of year!

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, cheapest give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, website like this and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, sales give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, capsule and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

Re-engage with your 15 year old self and fall in love with massive ‘Broken Heart’ gold necklaces, viagra 40mg give in to your inner nerd in the chic ‘Geek Glasses’ necklace, pharmacy and take the ‘Love-o-meter’ pendant for a spin. If you want to channel Prada then there’s an ‘Atomic Robot’ key charm, or for those greedier customers, why not take the whole shop home in one of the great shopper bags, with ‘You Have The Right To Remain Romantic’ emblazoned on the side. No need to worry those of you who like a bit of matchy-matchy when it comes to accessorising, many of the pendants come in cute charm bracelet form too.

You don’t have to go far to get your mitts on a piece of these fabulous designs, with stockists ranging from Ad Hoc, Jules and Gems and Lazy Oaf– and that’s just London. So for a bit of fun, eye-catching bling to make a bland outfit pop, hit up Me and Zena and indulge your adolescent self.
Some questions define a generation: where were you when JFK was shot? Or when the Berlin Wall fell? Or when Luella Bartley announced the end of her label in 2009? Whilst I may be overestimating the cultural impact of the latter, troche for lovers of the British label’s comic-book-worm meets aristocratic-party-girl designs, erectile it was a sad day indeed.

Luella SS10, malady image courtesy of Tumblr

In a year that already claimed king of Couture Christian Lacroix, the economy took another bite out of fashion when Luella announced her eponymous brand was to become the latest fashion victims of the recession. The wearable appeal of her clothes combined with a celebrity fan club spearheaded by Alexa Chung was not enough to stop Luella undeservingly and unexpectedly falling by the wayside. Anna Wintour’s inaugural stamp of approval by way of attending Luella’s premature final show suggested the label was heading for even bigger things. The cementing of Bartley’s reputation as a new national institution came earlier in 2009 when she collected the coveted Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

Christian Lacroix Couture SS09, image courtesy of Stylefrizz.

Luella might have charmed the international stage, showing in Milan and New York, but our British capital remained her city of choice. No label out there quite captured the spirit of young London in the same irreverent but indulgent way, and whilst the clothes might be adorned with enough frills and bows to safely cater an equestrian show, there was always a unique edge to the garments that proved they were made for girls who liked to stay up all night.

Luella SS10, image courtesy of Tumblr

Collections in the past have seen a nod to Ghost World, Batman, Princess Margaret and a menagerie of mismatched acid brights, but Luella’s s/s10 collection suggests that the rebellious, awkward adolescence has been left behind and from its shadow emerges a lighter feminine appeal. Trademark bows and tulle are out in force but softer 60’s inspired curves, bold polka dots and pastels are the cornerstone of Bartley’s final outing. Luella never fails to capture the imagination and her last London Fashion Week was the perfect time to showcase her romantic vision of the thrown-together-decorum of prom dresses topped with birds nest buns, proving that whilst the Luella girl has grown up she hasn’t forgotten where she’s come from, which now has a certain irony for the label too.

Christian Lacroix AW08/09, image courtesy of Getty

So what relevance does this have for the fashion industry as a whole, you may ask. Well whilst it’s not a good thing for the industry to have lost one of the godfather’s of Couture in Lacroix, the British fashion industry and fans alike will also be reeling from the loss of one of our best loved labels in Luella. If anything good can come from this it will be that consumers – like me and you – will hopefully be much more aware of the how much money we are spending on luxury fashion, and be mindful of how fragile fashion is at present, much like every other industry.

Whilst we should support fashion in its time of need, there are many things we can do other than buy expensive items. For starters we can always do more to support independent British designers – especially those who produce and manufacture in the UK. We can also steer clear of supporting the other extreme, by not opting for disposable fashion championed at stores such as Primark. So whilst ‘we’ hate to say it, perhaps with the cyclical nature of fashion, this is nature’s way of keeping the industry accessible to designers of all abilities and financial backing. This will hopefully lead to the emergence of several new designers on the scene in the new decade, not replacing those who sadly got left in the 00’s, but honouring them by moving the industry forward as a whole.

Written by Nina Joyce on Wednesday January 27th, 2010 5:57 pm

Categories ,Alexa Chung, ,Anna Wintour, ,British Fashion Awards, ,Christian Lacroix, ,JFK, ,London Fashion Week, ,Luella Bartley, ,Nina Joyce

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2011 Catwalk Review: House of Holland

Lu Flux S/S 2011 collection was presented in the chapel of No. 1 Greek Street, visit web also known as the House of Saint Barnabas, a space supporting those affected by homelessness for over 160 years. It is an absolutely beautiful building, with an outside courtyard and lovely lounges. The non-for-profit private members club Quintessentially Soho uses the revenue generated by members to finance the House of Saint Barnabas’s support centre.

Illustrations by Alia Gargum

The presentation consisted of live painting, as the illustrator behind the stunning designs on the shorts suit drew the models, lots of cupcakes and fabulous shoes.

I absolutely love the dress the designer was wearing from last season’s collection:

The House of Holland Team! All illustrations by Lisa Stannard

House of Holland’s show this season was held at My Beautiful Fashion, information pills in the disused Old Sorting Office on New Oxford Street. There wasn’t too much hustle and bustle when I arrived and we moved swiftly in , look along with the huge clan of the HOH friends and family who were then greeted with champagne and showed to their seats in a block close to the front of the runway.

Then in came the HOH celebrity friends which included usual suspect Aggy Deyn, who ran in and over to her friends seconds before the lights dimmed to start the show. Nick Grimshaw, Lily Allen, Jamie Winstone and Pixie Geldoff were seated together in the front row. Other celebrities included Nicola Roberts and Amber Rose…

Anyway now I’ve got the celebrities out of the way, on with the show! The show opened with Donna Summer’s ‘Love to Love You Baby‘ when the first girl walked out with an ash blonde laid back 1970s hair do, metallic banana-leaf print blazer teamed with a pleated metallic leather mini skirt and chunky era wedges. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by the first instalment of sexiness and sophistication.

As the next girls continued to strut down the runway there was a recurring theme with the banana leaves, which were in fact a woven jacquard. These fabrics came in green, purple and blue and were used as part of shirt dresses (another recurring theme) with lots of lengthy fringing, and on cropped pants, fitted cropped jackets and flares. I was really enjoying the styling, it was preppy and cool, yet was mixed with a lot more sophistication than Henry’s past collections.

Then these pieces began to change and along came jumpsuits with appliquéd stars all over followed by flowing knee length pleated chiffon skirts teamed with slouchy vests in a bold pinky/purple print. I liked this look a lot. This was Henry’s recognisable print of the season, which was a lot tamer than past slogans, crazy paislies and polka dots.

My favourite outfit was Henry’s cropped (banana leaf) print t-shirt, with rusty metallic print pleated leather skirt. It had the most amazing oversized backpack with tan leather trims. This wasn’t the only accessory in there; there was a lot of luxe towelling used on even more bags! Huge pom pom earrings, too – which I wouldn’t wear – but great fun for this catwalk show. There were also socks teamed with the huge metallic platforms with crazy fringing on them, I wonder if these will be sold amongst his hosiery range too?

Denim made a reappearance but this time it was decorated with metallic appliqued stars. I have to say that I did enjoy the non-star appliquéd pieces more. The aquamarine pleated chiffon dress and the floor length banana leaf print dress were far nicer.

Henry didn’t leave out the glitz – just when you thought you had summed up the themes of this collection, out walks another 1970s disco queen in a slinky super sparkly gold dress.

I felt that the collection had moved far away from slogan tees and tights and was a more sophisticated reflection of his inspirations. Maybe I am biased – I’m totally with his fun vibe and 1980s references, but I suppose as one of his target consumers that’s entirely the point.

I’m looking forward to future collections from Henry, but desperate to get my hands on that oversized backpack…!

All illustrations by Lisa Stannard

Written by Lisa Stannard on Tuesday September 21st, 2010 5:31 pm

Categories ,1970s, ,Agyness Deyn, ,Alexa Chung, ,Amber Rose, ,Banana Leaf, ,disco, ,Donna Summer, ,Glamour, ,Grimmers, ,Henry Holland, ,House of Holland, ,Jaime Winstone, ,lily allen, ,Lisa Stannard, ,London Fashion Week, ,My Beautiful Fashion, ,S/S 2011

Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Erdem

Illustration by Erica Sharp

So Designers Remix is the project of Charlotte Eskildsen who has designed for the woman with an “avant garde angle on sophistication” whatever that means. But her collection wasn’t shown in the archetypical fashion show setting that everyone has – no, website like this look this was a living presentation. Now without being snobbish these ‘presentations’ can sometimes be frankly boring, but this was just a bit different. Generally these designers displays their wares on some pretty coat hangers and expects you to coo over it whilst placing a few press releases on windowsills.

But Designers Remix was done a little differently with real life models. Walking into the Portico Rooms in Somerset House you’re struck by two of the aforementioned posing together in front of a painted pillar with the highest fully coiffed beehives I’ve seen in a long time. Sporting a ruffled dress in a satin material maybe best saved for the high street it’s wasn’t the key piece I was expecting to see, but the frilled coat she was standing next to (on a model don’t worry) was very Celine-chic: minimlist and camel.

Live illustrations by Jenny Robins

The inspiration for her pieces was the Palais Royal in Paris; she looked at mixing the look of the elaborate architecture with the striped columns in the courtyard. And the ruffles on the above dress and coat were inspired by the Tuleries Garden and, ironically, French Poodles? Ok so this is very avant-garde. As you walked around the live exhibition, the pieces appealed to my taste more and more. A navy blue column coat with dainty silver buttons was stunning (collarless and mid-length is what you need for A/W 2011) whilst a silky draped tangerine dress stood out from the otherwise minimal colour palette. Strangely though, it was the clothes on the hangers that appealed to me more than the pieces shown on the models.

A rack of butter-soft leather and suede mix jackets (known as the Bilbao) and grey ribbed jumpers (known as the Kissher) with point detailing on the sleeves was so perfect I wanted to throw it on right that minute. As seen at Daks, the look du jour for A/W 2011 will be thick jumpers over silky skirts so Eskilden is right on-trend with her thinking. The pieces seemed quite disjointed as if they weren’t part of the same collection, though – as lovely as they were.

Illustration by Erica Sharp

There was definitely lots of beautiful pieces from the designer, and as my first time seeing her collection, I’m impressed if not a little bit confused. Eskilden works with the feminine shape to tailor the pieces and has an imperative knack for getting drapes falling beautifully down the body. I think it’s the concept that confuses me; sometimes fashion is just too clever for its own good.

All photography by Jemma Crow

Illustrations by Joe Turvey

Oh-how-well we know Erdem for those bold florals of his, no rx shining through to the forefront of every London Fashion Week – regardless of whether they’re ‘on trend’ or not. Luckily for him, website like this a couple of years ago his Spring/Summer floral collection ticked all the trend boxes and seduced many eyes in his direction, website including my own. And now? Well, one really had to be there, in the overflowing frenzy that was his A/W show at University of Westminster on Monday, to understand just how important Erdem Moralioglu has become.

Anna Wintour. Hilary Alexander. Sarah Mower. Rebecca Lowthorpe. It was a congregation of the some of the world’s most powerful fashion figures. The bigwigs passed me whilst I stood at the front of the Standing Tickets queue for a mere HOUR. Hence why you wear comfy shoes to London Fashion Week, people. It is, of course, extremely hard to get hundreds into a venue within a small period of time, but all-in-all entrance to the show was a bit of a nightmare. As celebs such as Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo and Sam Cam swanned-on through to comfy seats at the front row, countless numbers of us were stood in the cold. Unfortunately, this is the way of fashion, but it would prove worth it.

Standing at the front of the queue, I was expecting a spectacular view, be-it standing up! However, most of us with standing tickets, including me, were placed on a balcony high above the catwalk with only a few being able to see anything! The clothes that graced the catwalk as the lights dimmed made-up for the disappointment.

Classical music with a heavy base boomed across the space, with a catwalk that zig-zagged around the large room. Every inch of every garment was either saturated in bold print or soaked in bright, block colour, with blue, pink and purple dominating the palette. Every model was elevated by killer high-heel red footwear courstesy of Nicholas Kirkwood. The look was girly, but powerfully imposing.

The dresses were so jaw-droppingly elegant it was as if they were made solely for the red carpet. It was all floor-skimming shimmering fabric with classy high-necks and sexy low-backs. And not forgetting the long gloves in matching print to complete. The style was ever-so ladylike with many shorter dresses baring a pencil-skirt finish.

Erdem, once again, took his trademark florals in a new direction with a more blended print design that looked almost as if it had come straight-off a Monet masterpiece. After the final stretch of models had sauntered off the runway, the designer himself peeked out from the curtain with a smile and disappeared, just-in time to recieve the huge cheers and applaud from the star-studded crowd. A well-deserved appreciation for one of London Fashion Week’s most-loved designers.

Written by Georgia Takacs on Friday February 25th, 2011 5:00 pm

Categories ,A/W 2011, ,Alexa Chung, ,Anna Wintour, ,Catwalk review, ,Erdem, ,fashion, ,floral, ,Hilary Alexander, ,London Fashion Week, ,Monet, ,Nicholas Kirkwood, ,Olivia Palermo, ,Rebecca Lowthorpe, ,samantha cameron, ,Sarah Mower

Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with jewellery designer Daisy Knights

Illustration by Emma Block

From student life to Vogue fame in one action packed year, page cure Daisy Knights’ creations have already been snapped up by our most loved style icons and proved that ethically responsible jewellery can still be achingly cool.

Splitting her time between the simple life in the countryside and the rush of her production process, buy Daisy tells us a little bit more about the passion and inspiration behind her jewellery collections and what the future holds for this wonderfully British label.

Your collection has taken off at incredible speed, viagra dosage how does that feel?
It’s great, I’m so happy that people want to buy and wear my designs! I saw my bracelets in Vogue this month and had a moment of “wow, this time last year, I was at university and now my jewellery is in Vogue!”

Illustration by Holly Trill

Two of your pieces, the Oxidised Feather ring and the 22 Karat Skull ring have recently been worn by Daisy Lowe and Alexa Chung, two of the UK’s biggest style icons. Did they approach you personally or was it just a wonderful surprise?
Well, we share the same publicist who made them aware of my pieces and happily, they seemed to love them!

Which inspirations lie behind your jewellery designs?
Every collection is named after a friend and I use them as a muse for that collection. I aim to embody that person in the collection, My new one is Talullah, after my friend Tallulah Harlech.

You pride yourself on having an ethically responsible ethos throughout your collection, is this something you have always had a strong belief in?
My workshop is in Britain and even my pouches are made here. I really try to be responsible but it’s not possible yet to get everything transparent sourced, which is what I hope for one day! There are so many grey areas within the industry in regards to where things come from. Keeping things in Britain means I know every person working for me, I know exactly how things are made and every person in my workshop is a highly skilled craftsman/woman. It means that my prices are higher than if I used a factory in India or China but I think the kind of people who buy my jewellery respect that it is very high quality and British made.

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Each one of your pieces is hand made from recycled materials, which is becoming increasingly popular in a society where everything seems so disposable. Is this something you aim to maintain and something you think your buyers appreciate above anything else?
I don’t want the main aspect of my jewellery to be that it is recycled. For my brand, it’s about the design and the recycled silver is just a plus! Not every piece is recycled silver but the majority is. For example, the chain is not recycled because it’s not possible to obtain. I would love my jewellery to be made from ethically mined silver rather than recycled but right now, not enough is produced and I’m not even sure it is possible yet, so right now recycled is better than nothing. I do hope, however, for it to be ethically mined silver one day in the future. My fine jewellery and bespoke engagement rings are ethically mined gold and diamonds.

You personally make one of your designs, the Studded Wrap Around ring, at your home workshop away from production, is there any particular reason as to why you chose this one to work on alone?
I don’t ever want to be separated from the making process and this is a very popular piece so it’s nice to feel involved. I also make the Michelle stacking rings and a few others. It keeps my skills up for when I make engagement rings and bespoke pieces! I hate being away from the bench and I’m constantly making new samples for collections or adding pieces to existing ones.

Illustration by Cat Palairet

Are there any designers out there that you would compare yourself and your work to?
At this early stage in my career, (I only graduated from Central Saint Martins last year) I’m not sure I could compare myself to anyone yet! However, my favourite designer is Matthew Williamson and I like to think my jewellery matches his clothing quite well!

Which of your pieces are you the most fond of?
My favourite piece has to be the new skull ring that I’ve done in an exclusive collection for Urban Outfitters… it’s not out yet though so you will have to wait and see!

What do you get up to in the spare time that you have away from designing?
I live in the Cotswolds and I love going for country walks with my boyfriend and our dog, Ace Ventura Pet Detective (Ace for short). There’s a great pub in my village called the Falcon Inn which serves amazing locally sourced food and I love sitting by the fire there. I also love to sail and surf and when my boyfriend is back from work (he’s a pilot in the RAF) we go on surf trips together. I also love going to the British Museum and the V&A.

What does the future hold for Daisy Knights?
Well hopefully it holds a long and happy career. But for the immediate future keep your eyes peeled for my new Spring/Summer collection…

Written by Siobhan Fagan on Thursday January 13th, 2011 6:30 pm

Categories ,Ace Venturer Pet Detective, ,Alexa Chung, ,Britain, ,British Museum, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Cotswolds, ,Daisy Knights, ,daisy lowe, ,Diamonds, ,Emma Block, ,ethical, ,Falcon Inn, ,Feathers, ,Gold, ,jewellery, ,Matilde Sazio, ,Matthew Williamson, ,Silver, ,skulls, ,Talullah Harlech, ,Urban Outfitters, ,va, ,vogue

Amelia’s Magazine | So Long, Sweet Luella, and the rest…

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