rain rain...

If this bad weather is going to continue, can someone at least buy me this set of burberry accessories? I would love to own these one day.

Fashion or Faux Pas?

Didn�t mean to do another entry on Burberry so soon, but my uberfab� boss brought this to my attention as she was really appalled because it seems insensitive to people who may have been affected by the holocaust to have barbed wire jewelry. I want to know what my readers think, so please leave comments.

Premature Imagination

When I thought of Burberry in the past I imagined beige and check. After I saw Christopher Bailey's vision of Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer (S/S) 2010 show during London Fashion Week (LFW) I felt I was a bit premature in my expectations. The show started with some sexy and elaborate variations on Burberry's classic trench and blossomed into frothy pastels and shimmery metalics. Burberry are yet another fashion house to show short dresses this season, which appears to be the most prominent trend of S/S shows at LFW. I loved the soft and delicate fabrics, pleated dresses toned down with short rain jackets, daring furs, and an array of this seasons colour palette. Off the catwalk it felt like there was an air of competition between the audience and the designs. With the likes of Emma Watson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Victoria Beckham in the front row it was hard not to shift focus from time to time. The models stood their ground in the battle for the limelight, however that may be an overstatement since part of the reason why the catwalk was so exciting is the sky high heels which caused a couple of shaky moments here and there. Accessories were equally as exciting, with over-sized bracelets, cute clutched handbags, and the whole show belted up at the waist with classic leather silhouette defining creations that cut, complimented and enhanced the mellow hues.

S/S Trend Watch, Burberry: metalics, short dresses, pastels, waist belts.

Watch the show here: http://www.burberry.com/en-row/#/en-row/collections/burberryprorsum/womenswear/s/s10/show

On Motherhood and Maternity Dresses

The lady behind London Fashion Trends is officially 2 months pregnant. Yes, you've read it right - PREGNANT!

And I regret having to miss out posting even a single entry for a month, thanks to the overwhelming feeling of nausea and morning sickness.

But I'm thankful for this gift that was bestowed upon me by the heavens. :)

I'm currently not in the right state to wear jeans for my tummy's getting bigger everyday. I need a chic maternity dress. I'll go dress hunting by the weekend, and hopefully I might get to post my picks here when I'm not that busy.. or lazy.

I'm currently loving Katie Holmes' maternity dress by Burberry. Suri loves Burberry too, I bet.

Mario Testino: Diana's Favourite Photographer

"He sells a dream," says Anna Wintour. "You want to be that woman in that glorious house, on the glorious beach and in that incredible dress"

"Mario gives them a heightened and more beautiful version of reality," says Tom Ford. "Mario's pictures are very mystic and they're about having a great time. They are about not being afraid of being rich or being famous or being a little bit excessive and are really a celebration of that. A celebration of life."

However, actress Gwyneth Paltrow nails it on the head, "He's very good at doing young, sexy and vibrant pictures."

There is no argument that Mario Testino produces images that are vibrant, sexy and utterly glamorous. Therefore it is no surprise that one of his books is called Alive which when you think about it is totally appropriate because when Mario Testino shoots someone he makes them come alive. In 1997 he took a post divorce suffering and depressed Princess Diana and managed to produce images of her that made her look so radiant and delirious that I am sure Prince Charles must have doubted his decision to let her go. As these images made the rounds in newspapers and magazines, Mario found himself zooming up the A list. Mario was born in Lima, Peru and in 1976, after completing his studies he left Peru to pursue a career in photography and spent his initial years living in a squat in South London. Success was not instant for him and he spent a lot of years struggling to get work - the problem was that instead of finding his own style he was trying to emulate his idols, Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon. His break came in the 80s when he met a certain Carine Roitfeld (before her French Vogue days) while working on a fashion shoot. Roitfeld was working as a freelance stylist and the two hit it off and began working as a team.

Over the years he has amassed a remarkable body of work from magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and V to fashion houses such as Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Estee Launder, Hugo Boss, Miu Miu, Shiseido and Michael Kors. The cream on the cake was in 2002 when his portraits were showcased in the National Portrait Gallery (NPG). Portraits was a landmark exhibition that became the NPG's most successful exhibit and also drew celebrities from afar as well as huge media attention. That year Mario was also the subject of a documentary made by the BBC. I meant to catch that exhibition back in 2002 but never got round to it but I watch the documentary about Mario and I fell in love with his enthusiasm and zest for the life. The man oozes energy and charisma and his passion for life and people are surely key to his ability to make his subjects warm to him during shoots. Mario's success is that he wants his subject to look their best and will go to great lengths to achieve that. This is the man who made the ever so stiff Prince of Wales look cool and relaxed in those chic images in Vanity Fair circa 2001. He has gone on to take the photos of other royals such as the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Prince Harry, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent who normally would have given Lord Snowdon a call. As well as taking images, Mario has published seven books of his work and edited one which is dedicated to contemporary art and artists from his native Lima, Peru.

Here are some more of Mario Testino's images below:






Pictures taken by Mario Testino

Oh Elle!

Think back to when you were at school and there was a boy who you knew for ages but never took notice of because he was just there. Then one day you looked up and he had gone from being just some boy in your class to this drop dead gorgeous guy. You just shook your head and went - wow - when and where did that happen? Well that is what has happened with UK Elle magazine. In the 70s and 80s UK Elle was the very poor relation to Brit Vogue; not as heavy, not as glam and not as glossy. Then in the 90s and the heyday of maverick, Glenda Bailey, UK Marie Claire started kicking ass and put Elle even further in the shade. Now it seems that has all changed because Elle is right up there making waves. Since Lorraine Candy come to the helm in 2004 she has shaken the magazine to the core by bringing in the popular and much respected Chloe Sevigny as a style advisor and snapping up photographer, Mary McCartney. She also commissioned a new design that would shape the magazine into a style and fashion bible.

The April issue of Elle features the Elle Style Awards with pictures from the event, there is a black and white pictorial of the winners as well as profiles. Donning the cover is Hollywood's sweetheart a la Jennifer Aniston. We are also treated to an interview with Burberry's creative director, Christopher Bailey which is conducted by his close pal and original Pop Idol, Will Young. With wonderful images and great layouts the overall look is extremely fresh. Normally when I buy a glossy I have only found one or two articles that are worth reading but with Elle there have been at least four or five stories that I could sink my teeth into. The next issue in May looks to be a real scorcher with pop kitten Kylie on the cover looking all 60s. So with Brit Vogue getting all generic on us and Marie Claire now getting a touch bland it looks like Elle is here to save the day for glossy magazines.