up the channel...

If there is such a thing as an "in word" ("in" meaning "in fashion"), then 'channeling' is the new black.

"Maybe she's channeling Donna Karan's 1992 ad..." (The Independent, on Sarah Palin)

"Beyonce channeling C-3PO" (Click here if you don't believe me)

This word is becoming horribly overused. It started off as a buzz word used by fashionistas for describing looks/ideas/things that have an air of the ludicrous about them, if only because they have a humorous (and most likely, unintentional) resemblance to something very different, i.e. Beyonce and a Star Wars droid.

It's become this year's "hot!" as every blogger on the planet uses it to pep up their posts and add a little fashion-speak to their vocabulary...which, quite frankly, I'm tiring of. Now used anytime anyone makes a slight nod or reference to anything else, they're "channeling" them. Basically, if Perez is using it, it's a phrase that does not equate with considered, intelligent journalism.

she was born in France, you know

Paris, to be more precise.

A popular subject for fashion writing and journalism is the 'fashion icon' - someone who the writer, or the public at large - continually admires and emulates. You know the names. I just can't bear to acknowledge them right now: it feels like a betrayal of my refusal to submit. Not that I want to, you understand.

However, whilst considering the subject, I've been hard pushed to actually think of any of my own. Celebrity icons, anyways. I can't think of one famous person who always, in my mind, ticks the right boxes. There is one figure though, who's recent photoshoots have been particularly dreamy and are only getting better and better as more get published. Call me crazy but Emma Watson takes a damn good photograph.

Now, I'm not the only one who thinks so either, because she's been signed (old news, I know) as the new face of Coco Mademoiselle, which pleases me, as I have a bit of a thing for Chanel. She is perfect for the role and hurrah - no more Kiera Knightley! InStyle, Vogue Italia and Harper's Bazaar also
think she's pretty hot stuff too: most girls her age are still chatting to Bliss or CosmoGirl. Watson maybe be only eighteen years of age, but has graduated into a world of fashion far above her contemporaries. Hurrah once again for a British girl who can achieve this whilst still keeping her mind on her studies - rumour has it that Watson is eyeing up Harvard University as her next step.

She's definitely not my style icon, but her innocent and slightly delicate, possibly slightly eccentric posh-girl look (captured so well by Vogue) is absolutely entrancing. It's not an image thats easy to pull off and that's one of the best things about her, because she doesn't look like all the other girls her age. In a completely different league, Emma Watson has the ability to exude an iciness and glamour remeniscent of the screen queens from days gone by.


It's not her only look though and this is another aspect I like. I think it's all in the eyebrows. She always looks a bit posh; but sometimes starlet, sometimes down to earth, one of the kids - yet always slightly other-worldly. Watson can occasionally take on an image that's a little too mature for her age - but I like the way she's taking this. No vinyl or pasties for this girl! The pictures from Vogue Italia are at the end of ths article - it's possibly my favourite shoot from any magazine this year, although it was originally the picture of Watson in the leather bomber and circle skirt that first drew her to my attention (featured in InStyle).


She is still young, there have been mistakes and there is plenty of time for more. But worldwide interest and a Chanel deal don't amount to nothing, plus beauty and brains have always been a powerful mix...watch this space.

WESTFIELD

It seems like 'Westfield' has been the word on every fashionable Londoner's lips for the past few weeks now and it's only going to get more talked about as the opening day approaches...

For those not in the know (how you could you not be by now?!), Westfield (or rather, Westfield, London, as it would like to become known) is the newest shopping phenomenon in town. With over 250 stores, it mixes up the designer likes of Chanel, Tiffany, Luis Vuitton and Armani with some of the more expected names: Mango, TopShop and Zara amongst them. Opening on October 30th, there's even a countdown-to-opening clock on the website.

Now, the bustling mix of designer and high street stores isn't something new. Britain is no stranger to the 'shopping experience'; just think of Bluewater, The Oracle or Festival Place. It's just another of these out-of-town shopping centres, just plonked slap bang in the middle of Shepherd's Bush. Which isn't known for being the most charming part of London. A cross between Terminal 5 and any of our American style malls, is this brave (not to mention expensive) development going to be the latest great suceess on our island shores?

Hadley Freeman, writing for The Guardian seems pretty sceptical about the whole idea and The Telegraph's opinion is rather doom-laden. VisitLondon.com coos over this 'pioneering shopping and leisure destination' but then, I suppose the site isn't exactly designed to put you off any of the capital's attractions. Earlier reports were more positive about the 'regeneration' of White City - however this was before all the economic breakdown talk began.

So will this be a hit? With talk of recession every day in the papers, it seems a funny time to start the hard sell on luxury retailing, although as the TopShop account figures will show you - us bright young things still can't part with our cash quick enough. Despite an unstable economy, the UK isn't exactly short of shoppers, not to mention the millions of tourists who flock to our capital every year for the shopping. Plus the Westfield company has sites all over the world and is incredibly popular in both its native Australia and the USA (although still not with everyone). However, it's worked before, so why not here?

Well, you want to know why not? Because London already has the greatest shopping district in the world - our dear old West End. We already have a mix of designers and high street - Bond Street, right next to Oxford Street, next to Regent Street, next to Leicester Square. Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, Soho, Westminster - nowhere can you find this fascinating mixture of retail, history, high culture, politics and prostitution. Museums, galleries, theatres, bars, shops, street performances, markets - what shopping centre could ever hope to rival this? No other place in the world has such famous streets as these: think of Carnaby or Harley Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Tottenham Court Road - and that's just a few that aren't even on the Monopoly Board. I don't care how many miles of escalators there are, or how many acres of marble cover the floor - how could anything compare to what London already has?

high street hearts tartan

Walking into Zara last weekend was an eye-watering combo of red and bright tartan; colour-blocked into an homage to the AW08 D&G collection. Strangely enough, the weird old-lady scarf has yet to catch on, but tartan seems to be the latest high street hit.

Bright tartans are proving particularly popular in the form of accessories: I've spyed a number of tartan pumps, bags and coats so far, suggesting that perhaps we're happier to flirt with the trend instead of having a full-blown affair. However, the D&G look was pretty full on: as was Matthew Williamson, Just Cavalli and Ralph Lauren to name a few. Loud layers of checks and tartan walked proudly down the catwalks over the summer, off the spend the winter catching our eye in the windows of TopShop, H&M, Warehouse, Oasis and others.

This trend has taken off to the level that it's a bit ubiquitous for me to feel comfortable in at the moment, but my favourite pieces are those that have shrugged off the tire punk image and have reinvented the check as glamorous and decadent with an edge of eccentricity.

I'm sad to say that if you haven't already bought and worn your colours proudly - tartan is fast becoming last week's news, but here are some of my favourite offerings:

Oasis' tartan taffeta prom dress (left) is so passe it's already on sale - but might last you until next week. t £25 it's a steal. New Look's checked mini is cute, but not as good as some tartan mini skirt's H&M had in their winter 2005 collection - with massive bows on the back! This smart tartan number from Warehouse isn't flambouyant enough for me - I can see it looking more frumpy that fashionable on anything less than a twig-thin figure. Their blue plaid tights are mighty cool however, and will set you back £10 for the priviledge.

The best tartan item I've seen comes not from the high street but from an Ebay store, The Obsidian Gothic Clothing Shop. They'll post worldwide and what's best is that if you're not sure of your sizing, send them their measurements and they'll make it to fit! For the negligible sum of £22.69, that's not half bad.

All in all though, the pervasiveness of this trend on the shelves of high street stores has left me feeling aloof and above all the hype, ready to forgoe the contrived quirkiness and settle instead for the timelessness and versatility of plainer clothes. £25 on plaid divinity isn't bad, but £25 spent on a black dress you'll wear right through to next year is something so much better.

ring out your dead

Big, bold statement jewellery is making an impact once again. There's been a pleasing amount of column inches dedicated to rings lately, so I figured why not time for a showcase of mine?

I adore rings, especially chunky cocktail pieces that can totally change the effect of an outift. Not necessarily loud though, as large pieces can still be delicate and don't always distract the eye completely. I'm a fan of matching metals, but gold rings with silver stones or vice versa can work either way, making them even more versatile.

Not big on splashing out, I tend to shop around for costume jewellery, favouring cheaper stores like H&M, TopShop and Accessorize. All of these stores have amazing jewellery, most of which you can pick up for under £15 - which is totally my top end whilst jewellery buying. To spend more it'd either have to be unbelievably rare and awesome, or just a simpler investment piece. Working on a cost-per-wear basis (or even on a cost-per-compliment ratio, as suggested by Susie Boyt in this month's Vogue) it has to be rather fabulous before I get my card out.


This is one of my favourite rings, from TopShop as few months ago. I saw it in a store somewhere near Waterloo Bridge, but they didn't have the right size for me. I couldn't stop thinking about it though, so I went into the Oxford Circus store after work, only to find out they'd not got any left! Cursing my luck (and my over-enthusiastic desire for this ring) I forked out for postage and bought it online. It was totally worth it though; everything about this ring is good. It's massiveley chunky, but the diamante keep it cute. It goes great with black; I think it calls for a more streamlined look so the overall outfit isn't overpowering.

This poorly-cropped image is a cheap £5 jolly that I found in TopShop not long ago. I think £5 is quite expensive for a plastic heart, but buying a similar thing on Ebay would cost almost as much with postage and besides, it was right there in front of me. It's quite big, but very simple, so it works for me.


This is Diamond Ted - it's a long story, but, apart from a few exceptions, all my skull jewellery is named after Ted Danson. I made my boyfriend Jon stay up until about 3am to get this for me on Ebay! It's by Lady Luck Rules OK!, who do kitschy quirky pieces that get snapped up by all the cool kids. The store has also been known to do these awesome skulls, which probably deserve their own post at some point in the future.

This Ted isn't that practical - he sits on your finger in the best way but it's not very easy trying to get things out of bags/pockets etc. I'm also mortally afraid he'll fall off and I'll lose him forever, so I haven't actually worn this out yet.

This black flower ring I got in River Island in 2006 - it was the first of many, many flower rings to come in the high street stores. I've worn it a lot since then, and although some of the bronze tone metal is starting to wear through, I like the worn look it's getting. Although it looks horribly dusty here!

Yet another cheap TopShop buy and yet another getting a bit worn around the edges! I wear this quite often, because it goes so well with so many things. It's big enough to get noticed, but simple enough to remain an accent rather than a focus.

My fake Chanel ring is the best! I'm totally and utterly in love with it, it makes everything I wear look more expensive, despite its fakeness. I made my mum buy it for me from a shop in the Trocadero. I can't specifiy why this is my favourite, but my love of logos, diamante and black probably has something to it. It's the cheesiness of the idea contrasted with the sleek Chanel image, the sparkle of silver on black, the very reasonable price tag compared to more money than I'd spend on a holiday...there's a lot to be said for faking it.

rock prick!

Just got back from seeing Bonded By Blood at the Underworld in Camden (who were awesome). It's rare that I have celebrity encounters outside of work so it was pretty weird to see model Alice Dellal there watching Gama Bomb (who were not awesome).

I hear she has a punk band, so maybe she goes in for this sort of thing - the guy who she seemed to be with was some tall bald dude; Jon said he saw him sporting a tattoo on his forearm and he was up near the front for most of it. Alice on the other hand was hanging further back with some other loony blond chick who was pogoing in the most horrible manner. Ms. Dellal herself was an unbelievably lame headbanger: it looked like she was just shaking her head most of the time and to be honest, it didn't seem like she was having much fun. I was pretty happy to see her get knocked over at one point, by some guys that flew wayward out of the pit.

We saw her outside when we took a cigarette break so I got to check out what she was wearing - which was very similar to what I've seen her pictured in a few times: a black leather jacket over a long white shirt, with very short shorts, tights and some shoddy New Rock ankle boots (I hate ankle boots unless they're under trousers).

So there you have it: my minor celebrity fashion encounter. Below is a picture to prove it - but it was dark and my phone camera isn't great, so really you'll just have to take my word for it!



Disclaimer: she may genuinely like thrash and may have genuinely had a good time. The girl she was with may not have been a complete retard. However, these are my posts and my opinions, and I think they're both utter twats.

rock chic?

I can hardly even bear to type the phrase.

Every so often, the 'rock chick'* trend raises its superficial, tousled head from the sea of fashion idiocy to inspire a new generation of followers to wear black eyeliner and sling a studded belt around their leather-clad hips.

Does a bubblegum pink halterneck and mini make me Britney? Kind of, I guess. Pop stars have all the integrity of a Pot Noodle - their image, style and music are all created by someone else. A lot of them can't even sing. Which is probably why, in the same way that die-hard country fans rejected Jessica Simpson, that when I see Lindsay Lohan pouting about in an Iron Maiden t-shirt, it makes me spit blood (or actually, just cringe somewhat, then die a little inside).

Does shoving a Ramones t-shirt over some skinny jeans and a pair of red Converse give you rock chic? Apparently so, but I beg to differ. Rock music was never about wearing what someone told you, rock was about wearing what you wanted. Rock was supposed to be a rebellion, not a uniform.

"Drawing on the rock chick look which has been her signature style ever since she turned 30, Moss's new collection features skinny jeans, fake fur gilets, slouchy knits and a raft of the tea dresses which have proved so popular each season with London’s army of Moss-alikes."

Since when has Kate Moss actually had anything to do with rock music? Give old Sharon her dues: at least Black Sabbath could still beat Babyshambles to a bloody pulp.

Do country fans feel this vitriolic when the cowboy boots and stetsons get wheeled out? Perhaps. My boyfriend tells me how Hank Williams III gets pretty snotty with the 'alt-country' scene. I suppose this is similar: that age-old rant against the 'posers'.

Posers they are though. Apart from dating guys who've been in rather incredibly awful bands, what exactly are Kate Moss's rock credentials? Hilary Duff? Often hailed as a girl with 'rock chick attitude', it's hard to see how the Walt Disney star can really be called so. When thinking about this post, upon Googling 'rock chick' I even stumbled across Amy Winehouse. I think, despite being a reasonably talented recording artist, we can all agree that MOBO award winner Amy is about as rock as Dusty Springfield.

The thing that gets me most is that people assume that, because I wear a skull ring, I like Foo Fighters and Tenacious D. That when I wear my 'Eddie Rips up Europe' t-shirt, it's because I saw LiLo in her Maiden tee and went straight out to Topshop. 'Rock' has become Ace of Spades and Jack Daniels, copycats and cliches, a pastiche of its former self.

Whilst the forefathers of rock and metal went out to tear down everything that had come before them and to rip the world apart, today's fashion pack find themselves falling over idols and trying to emulate every image...and for what reason? I suppose there isn't one: as much as I rant against their ignorance of the genre they profess to like, it's this ignorance that means they're fashion led fools, constrained by what they've been told is cool. Being the sort of person who believes that wearing the same clothes as Agyness Dean will change your life in any way makes you the sort of person who's probably quite empty-headed to start with. If someone thinks leather trousers makes you a rock chick - then it's probably because they've been told that's what rock stars wear. It's a good way to sell stock, always has been.


Which is why the rock and metal world (and I don't mean Foo Fighters; I'm talking about real rock and metal) continues to pay no attention. Slayer quite obviously couldn't give a fig what Kate Moss thinks, or Armani, Versace or any number of fashion houses: we have Kerry King as clear evidence for that. Scott Ian's ridiculous beard, Mikael Åkerfeldt and his weird musketeer look, Shagrath's absurd name and even more absurd appearance - none of them care.

Which brings me to my answer. This isn't about rock music and never has been, despite the imagery used. This is about fashion and fashion is about selling clothes, no matter the imagery. Fashion is all about wearing what someone else has told you to. No-one has ever pretended that fashion isn't completely superficial and I suppose I'm falling for it if I get annoyed by people muscling in on my turf. If I though about it, I'd see that they're not really on my turf and they're not even sure what my turf is - they just like the way it looks. Until next season, when Britney comes back...which she will. Oh, she will.






*Before anyone mentions it, we're discussing 'rock chick' the clothing style, not 'rock chick' the vibrator.

this curse I cast, you're Pumpkinhead!

This bag is possibly one of the best things I've ever bought. True, I've said that about many a purchase in the past (and I make a lot of purchases) but this has been making me feel extra special happy whenever I use it. Even the little smoking skull button is a joy to behold!

The purple on the straps goes great with the orange and matches little Pumkinhead's suit. The back is just black, but the top lace border goes all the way round so even the plain side is cute, with the brown ribbon providing our missing link between orange and black.

October 31st may come round just once a year, but this unbelievably awesome Halloween print has been getting me into the All Hallow's spirit pretty much every day!

Now, as much as I hate to give away my secrets, credit where credit's due: this was bought from Dawn and Zoe's Ebay shop Deadly Nightshade Accessories - and seeing as they're moving their whole stock to Etsy soon, this is a great time to grab a bargain. All hand made bags, jewellery and clothes, using prints from cult designers like Amy Butler and Alexander Henry. I've bought two bags now and they've both been very good quality - these girls come highly recommended.

take from me my lace...

Lace tights.

Say what you will, but I HATE lace tights. Example:


Perhaps this isn't the fairest example: Maggie Grace is wearing what can only be described as one of the most atrocious outfits ever, despite appearing to be on the red carpet. But look - to make it all worse, it looks like something's crawling up her legs! They appear to the eye as the walls do in Silent Hill: slightly psychedelic, but in a bad, scary way.

This is a perfect example of trends that inspire awe on the runways, but simply don't translate into real life. I'm not saying I haven't seen the shots and thought perhaps this would be the cheap-but-chic treat for this season, but in consideration, I have yet to see one real-life person pull it off.

Lace tights were a definite feature of the A/W08 catwalks and I have picture after picture, magazine shoot after shoot where I see waif-like, motionless figures looking stunning with their pins adorned in the finest, most intricate lace...but it just doesn't work on actual people! In 100% of cases I've seen, black opaques would have looked far, far better. Ladies, just remind yourselves: Karl Lagerfeld thinks lace tights are cool!





On a side note - these Chanel tights have just sold for silly money on Ebay - and they're also not very nice!



Disclaimer: for those of you who think Lagerfeld is god's gift to the catwalk, please continue to be duped by designers with highly dubious personal tastes and please allow them to dress you in whatever takes their fancy.