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She has been described as the most important photographer of our generation; love her or loathe her there is no way you can ignore Corinne Day. She is one of the most successful women photographers in the UK and is probably the closest thing we have to the iconic Annie Leboivitz who I blogged about here. She came to light in 1991 when she took those immortal images of Kate Moss, those pictures not only made the cover i-D magazine and were featured in The Face but they made a star out of Ms Moss. Few would argue that Corinne has changed the perception of fashion photography. Corinne feels that her contribution to fashion photography is changing the picture from being about the photographer to being about the subject. Yesterday I watched a documentary that was aired on BBC 4 in 2004 which took an intimate look into the world of Corinne by following her during a year of her life. At the launch of her Diary Exhibition at the Photographer's Gallery in 2000 Corinne's work is unveiled to a packed house. This exhibition represents 10 years of her life where she kept pivotal images of her friends, family, experiences and places she has been to. The work is striking but creates very strong reactions from the visitors at the launch which range from disgusting, sympathetic, raw and sad.
Corinne had a very happy and idyllic childhood growing up with her grandparents and brother. Her parents had spilt up when she was very young and her mother had taken her and her brother to live with her grandparents knowing that they would be cared for. Unfortunately school was not such a breeze due to her learning difficulties and she left at the soonest opportunity. She fell into modelling for catalogues and beauty shoots, travelled and lived in California for two years. The turning point of her life was meeting Mark Szaszy, an up and coming director in Tokyo, they quickly became a couple. Mark taught her how to use a camera and that was that; pretty soon she had found two great loves - Mark and photography. The couple moved to Italy where they were surrounded by starter models so she began taking images of them in their flats, surrounded by copies of Vogue magazines, smoking a spiff and swapping stories about their latest job. In 1992 back in London she found her next subject in the shape of an androgynous looking Rosemary Ferguson. She played up Rose's boyish features by putting her in masculine clothes like suits and tomboy tshirts. These pictures were featured in American Vogue in article which talked about how fashionable it looked to be on drugs. This was when the term 'heroin chic' came to the forefront and in an unlikely from of Bill Clinton. British Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman define the term heroin chic below.
While where on the topic of socialites, Laguna Beach's Kristen Cavallari, along with Britain's finest Kate Moss have been pairing inexpensive yet awesomely printed Topshop summer dresses with classic black blazers. The look isn't revolutionary but it's definitely classy and makes wearing one dress twice as fun the second time around.
Have you ever wondered what Kate Moss was really like underneath all that glitz and fame? Well you will get a chance to find out in a riveting documentary that shows the chaotic build up to the opening of Topshop store in New York. Moss opened the New York branch of the hipper than hip shop in April to much fanfare and media hype. The programme also features Topshop boss, Phillip Green and it shows the manic preparations that took place in order to get the huge US flagship store ready to open on time. You get to see a la Moss in her real form, laughing, joking and taking the piss out of herself. I know we have reality shows coming out of our ears but you have to admit that this one looks a bit special.
There was a time when you wouldn't be caught dead wearing Rimmel make up but my how things have changed. Thanks to some major rebranding and a great marketing campaign, Rimmel is now mentioned in the same breath as Maybelline, MAC, L'Oreal and Revlon. It all started back in 2001 when the company approached Kate Moss to spearhead their new directional campaign, Rimmel London. The concept was to celebrate the heritage of London and transform Rimmel from a naff brand into one that was cool, edgy and street wise. A TV and print campaign was created which focused on Moss being the quintessential London girl. Moss herself admitted that she had been a Rimmel girl when she was teenager and soon a beautiful partnership was born and one that would stay firm during Moss's drug scandal a few years later. Since then Rimmel London have gone strength to strength and last year they introduced model, Lily Cole and pop star, Sophie Ellis-Bexter to the stable.
Rimmel London's roots go back as far as 1820 and was family run until 1996 when it was acquired by Coty Inc, owners of numerous perfume and make up brands. Today Rimmel London is all about fashion and experimentation and about creating trends as opposed to following them. Aligning themselves with glamorous events such as London Fashion Week and Clothes Show London shows how far they have come. With a mixture of old and new Rimmel London produces a wide range of shades in eye shadows, nail polishes, lipsticks and foundations. These colours are constantly updated to make sure that they are on trend.
I have always liked the TV adverts which I found to be quirky and kind of hippy chic and I really admired Rimmel London for standing by Kate Moss during her troubled period even though everyone else dropped her like a hot potato. However, to be honest I never really took notice of the Rimmel London products till a work colleague and I popped into Superdrug and stopped by the stand. To say I was impressed would be putting it lightly, the range on the stand was fresh, hip and almost retro. I fell in love their nail varnishes especially the New I Heart Lasting Finish range which comes in a wide range of mouth watering colours. If you are in a hurry then there is the new 60 Second polish and if you want easy application then check out the Lycra Pro range.
Christophe Decarnin's designs were first seen on Paris' fashion elite including Vogue's Fashion Director, Emmanuelle Alt, top model Natasha Poly and mini pop sensation Kylie Minogue. Now they've made their way across the pond and have been seen on the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Rihanna, Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham, Ellen Pompeo, Nicole Richie and Kate Moss.
You can never go wrong with a pair of jeans, whether you are going out on the town, shopping or chilling in the house, these classic gems never let you down. What is so exciting about jeans is the wide variety of styles that are out there. There are bootcut, flared, wide leg, roll up, kick flared or skinny jeans. My favourite style are kick flares which are skinny on the top but flared at the bottom. I find them very flattering as they hug the leg but also give me extra length. Over the last three years it has been all about the skinny with everyone from celebrities to fashionistas wearing them. Naturally Kate Moss is to blame after she was snapped donning a pair with flats a few years back. Fashion observers took note and the rest as they say is history. The skinny can be seen on the streets of the UK either tucked in boots, worn with a pair of killer heels or with the popular ballerina flats.
This year, the The Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was a rather daring fashion affair. The theme, "Models and Muses" was definitely being overplayed by guests including supermodel Kate Moss who turned up hand in hand with designer Marc Jacobs. She wore an off the shoulder gold lame mini dress with matching turban head gear by Milliner, Stephen Jones. I actually liked this look a lot, it's 'Mumbai meets Manhattan'.
Ashley Olsen looked wore a draped creation by her own label, The Row. She looked sophisticated and gorgeous as always, but a lot less frisky than the others.
Her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, kept her unique style in a Christian Lacroix sequin, tulle and lace dress. It was a pimped out Esmeralda, from Hunch Back of Notre Dame costume. 
I'm sorry, but WTF is this? I'm all for following themes, but seriously WTF? Madonna looked like a haggard old mess in this Marc Jacobs concoction for Louis Vuitton-fashion victim at its finest.
Finally, a bunch of girls that looked decent at the event. Kate Hudson, Kate Bosworth, Liv Tyler and designer Stella McCartney arrived as a fabulous foursome. The girls played it really safe and sophisticated as they wore designs by Stella McCartney. Stella's lace jumpsuit was definitely a hit, she looks fabulously unique.
And now someone who's dying for me to stuff my two fucken dead finches in her hair. Tyra Banks wore a brutal Buzz cut style bun with a gorgeous black Badgley Mischka Couture fishtail gown and jewels by the designer.
Although Anne Hathaway's look was criticised, the disco-tec hair is super cute with yet another Marc Jacobs dress. She accessorised with Pour La Victoire shoes and Van Cleef and Arpels Camelia earrings.
Now back to the theme "Models and Muses", aren't models meant to look hot? If that's the case, then Eva Mendes definitely suited the part. This look has been seen a thousand times before, it's boring but it still works. 
Finally, Rihanna. This is her first public appearance after the alleged assault by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. RiRi's gorgeous make-up was worn with a Dolce and Gabbana satin tuxedo featuring exaggerated 80's puffy shoulders. I hated it at first, but the more I look at it...wait...i still don't get it. Hey, but you allowed to have fun with your look right?
So the Fashion Week marathon kicks off this Friday which will be a mega fest of fashion shows, launches and parties. Such a hard life eh? Who would want to be a fashion journo? New York, London. Milan and Paris hosts four of the most prestigious fashion weeks where the best designers across the globe take part in. Journalists from all over the world attend the shows to check out the latest trends; from indie websites, local bloggers to upscale glossy magazines. Of course no self respecting fashion show would start without the editors from Vogue(s) present. The magazine's influence on style and fashion is immense and a nod or shake by a certain bobbed editor has been known to break or make a designer's career. Anna Wintour (American Vogue), Alexandra Shulman (British Vogue), Franca Sozzani (Italian Vogue) and Carine Roitfeld (French Vogue) are the ladies who everyone will have their eye on during Fashion Week.
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