More from the London Fashion Week Exhibition

I was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of designers at the London Fashion Week Exhibition. As I was only there for a little bit, I just managed to get of few pictures of bits that caught my eye.

Martin Lamothe - a very natural colour scheme,but each piece more than made up for lack of colour with the amazing texture and shape. I loved the rope dress.

Charlotte Sparre - Copenhagen. Beautiful colours and prints on simple silk pieces. I love the striking orange Elvis dress. Also some great colourful scarves.

Kron - I love Kron shoes and just couldn't help but take lots of pictures of all the cute candy colours.

Heather Blake - The ultimate pair of elegant statement shoes.

Les Nereides - some very fun and cute enamel jewellery!

Fiona Paxton - these necklaces are amazing with almost a tribal feel about them. A black top will never be boring again.

Georgia Hardinge - I loved this wig like hat and cage dress.

More of Estethica

I thought I would finish up my round up of designers at Estethica in just one long post. There was so much more there to see, but I just ran out of time.


Izzy Lane - This traditional style collection in Shetland cloth is made from wool from their own sheep which include Shetlands and their own breed of Wensleydales. Many of which were rescued from slaughter as lambs.

Christopher Raeburn - one of the hottest new designers around at the moment. His eco credentials are just an added bonus for the very wearable jackets made from recycled military surplus.

Makepiece - another very desirable knitwear collection madee using wool and mohair from British farms and their own sheep. The undyed yarns are spun in local mills. Some lovely pieces covered in roses and embellished with circles and whirls. Some amazing accessories including gauntlets and oversized wraps.

Joanna Cave - recycled silver made into intricate shapes and then goldplated or oxidised. This jewellery had a real feeling of lightness about it. It also had Akoya pearls which respect natural and social fairtrade guidelines.

LFW Estethica - Maxjenny

I am often heard to complain about the wet weather and I am still trying to come up with a completely satisfactory solution of what to wear on a wet and windy day. What I need is something that I can put on over whatever I am wearing, including jackets, jumpers and cardigans with plenty of room for manouvering.

The 'street sculptures' (pictured above) and 'the new black' collection by Maxjenny fulfils just about everything that I want in wet weather gear. The black for more serious occasions and the bright colours for when I feel in need of cheering up. Nothing like those very practical looking jackets that outdoorsy types wear (no offence but that is so not me). I love the way these jackets are cut, lots of room to move about even if I have lots of layers to keep warm and they look so stylish.

The jackets are suitable for all year round and are made from fabric recycled PET bottles. They are rainproof, breathable and iron free. They are not cheap mind but a great investment buy I think.

LFW Estethica - Henrietta Ludgate

Another of the designers that caught my eye at Estethica at London Fashion Week was Henrietta Ludgate. I love the sculpted shapes created by the fabrics made from English woven cashmere with mink, pure Scottish wool and super fine Yorkshire wool jersey. I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked the neutral greys and camels or the shocking pink the best. But I think the grey dress with a super low scooped back was definitely my favourite piece in terms of shape. The collection was inspired by enchanted forests and legendary tales including the Grimm's Fairy tales. These clothes look so cosy but in an elegant and sophisticated way. It is almost as if they have been moulded into a cocoon shape.

Based in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Henrietta Ludgate uses fabrics produced by UK mills and produces her collections locally. I can't think of any better way to support the UK farming, textiles and fashion industry. She only uses natural and organic fibres in her clothing. She was recently awarded the Ethical Fashion Forum's 'Fashion Innovation Award' for LFW Spring Summer 2010.

LFW Estethica - Lu Flux

Whilst wandering around the Estethica exhibition at LFW, three eccentrically dressed people caught my eye, I particularly loved the bear dress (it immediately crossed my mind whether I could carry it off for the school run), it seems Woodland animals are really very trendy at the moment (checkout Topshop Unique AW10, if you haven't already). Upon questioning, I discovered that they were from Lu Flux, a London based label by designer of the same name, which upcycles redundant textiles into fun, colourful and humorous one off pieces. The contemporary designs combine salvaged, vintage and organic fabrics with traditional techniques to create contemporary and functional shapes.

The AW10 collection is designed around the theme of British folklore including swathes of florals inspired by the tapestries of Gerard Munthe, dragons and lions. The collection also includes collaborations with the artist Alex Chinneck and Traditional Cordwainers Green Shoes. Lu Flux has previously been named as 'one to watch' by Vauxhall Fashion Scout. I didn't get the opportunity to take any more photos but on looking at their website found plenty more goodies from the SS10 collection entitled Eco life of Riley, perfect for those who take fashion or life too seriously.

pictures from www.luflux.com

Weekly Shopping and Goodies 24/02/10

picture from Shopping and Goodies

A Few Goody GumDrops is excited to share Josie Marin's lipstick and recyclable tubes with you!
Being High Maintenance, not Bitchy deflates Aqua 24 Viva Lips! cream claim to fame as a lip plumper.
Couture In The City deflates rock and roll style with 2010 fall collection Diesel Black Gold
Fashion Cents gives you the ammunition to address the style basics. Enter to win now!
Fashion Hippo can't believe the price of this chic Melie Bianco Satchel
Handbag du Jour wants to know if you think the Alexander McQueen Thriller Faithful Glove Clutch is macabre or a must-have?
Ladybrillemag.com says Lukando Face of Africa Winner Does Lunch with Iman!
Quinta Trends comments 10 reason why it still loves The Devil wears Prada.
Straighten those locks! Raging Rouge reviews the Hana Elite Flat Iron.
Shopping and Info is giving away a messenger bag from Aspinal of London.
SomeoneSpoilMe.com is giving away a Pea in the Pod gift certificate. Enter to WIN!
Style Eyes is really pleased about The Green Room for more ethical and eco fashion at ASOS.
StyleMaven is lusting after the luxe shearling aviator jackets shown at Burberry Prorsum for London Fashion Week.
TheFind Blog is replacing her heavy winter coat with a lighter and Spring-ier MICHAEL Michael Kors Sateen Trench.
What's Haute Magazine is giving away 5 copies of House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival. Enter to win!

The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan Conference

Yesterday I went to the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan Conference at the Southbank Centre in London. I signed up to the Government's Sustainable Clothing Action plan regarding promotion of recycling and reuse of clothes about a year ago through my clothes swapping website. So when I got an email inviting me to the conference and update which included lunch and the chance to have a look around the Estethica exhibition at London Fashion Week, I jumped at the chance.

It was an interesting, if quite tiring day. It took me so long to get there that I didn't even arrive until 11.30 missing the first part of the conference. The trek across Waterloo bridge (3 times) between Somerset House and the Southbank Centre (in my wedge boots) in the wind and the snow proved to a bit of an ordeal (I nearly ended up flat on my face at one point, much to amusement of some onlookers) and in the end I had to give in and change into my flat shoes for the journey home. The buffet lunch which turned out to be 2 or three canapes, the size of a one pence piece, didn't really do much to soak up the champagne which was in abundant supply and naturally I couldn't refuse.

There was an address by Environment Minister, Dan Norris and over 200 hundred representatives from the clothing industry, which got just a little claustrophobic in the Estethica exhibition at Somerset House. I did meet lots of lovely people who were inspirational in their passion for and commitment to ethical and sustainable fashion. I also saw some very gorgeous sustainable fashion at Estethica (more posts and pictures to follow)

Without boring everyone with the intricate details of what was discussed at the conference, there was lots of talk about clothes recycling, looking to the future and communicating sustainability. I though that it was a little disappointing that there was so little focus on changing culture from fast fashion to clothes that last as this would reduce so may of the other issues that were discussed. I suppose it can sometimes be difficult to see how this would fit into the whole business of making money. It was great to see how many big companies are getting involved though(with a few very notable exceptions, I shall mention no names) and lots of great initiatives going on.

I was really excited to hear of the launch of a new sustainable clothing range at Tesco this spring in collaboration with From Somewhere, I can't wait. Perhaps my pledge to buy only sustainable clothing is not going to be so difficult after all.

Finally was the drinks reception to launch Fashion Futures 2025, a project by charity Forum for the Future in collaboration with Levi Strauss & Co to help organisations throughout the global fashion industry plan for a sustainable future. A great chance to chat to more interesting people from the conference. Another more detailed post about this project to follow.

picture from www.somersethouse.org.uk

The Green Room - More Ethical and Eco Fashion

I am starting to get a little concerned about when I start shopping again after my shopping ban (although months away) and how I will manage to find what I need by just buying quality clothes to last, second hand, vintage and eco fashion. There is already quite a bit of choice in terms of affordable eco fashion from People Tree, Ascension and even a Renewal at Urban Outfitters, a brand that uses recycled materials, but there is still no where near as much as there is for conventional fashion.

I was really pleased to hear about the new Green Room at ASOS which is the latest offering of afforable ethical and eco fashion. The Green Room includes Fairtrade pieces, ASOS's own brand Fairtrade cotton, organic cotton T shirts and some pieces made in disadvantaged communities in Africa.

Whilst it is a fairly small selection at the moment (which I really hope will increase), there are some great basics/ essentials, some very lovely jewellery, a designer collaboration and even some organic cotton T shirts designed by some of my favourite fashion bloggers.

ASOS Fairtrade Cotton Crop Top

Fairtrade Owl T Shirt by Designer Chrissie Abbott

Brass multi charm bracelets by Made

Bottle Top Necklace by Made

Organic Cotton T Shirt by Kingdom of Style

Organic Cotton T Shirt by Fashion Toast

Organic Cotton T shirt by Style Bubble

Read my post on affordable ethical and eco fashion

Links à la Mode : The IFB Weekly Roundup - Style vs Fashion

Edited by Retro Chick

With the Fashion Week season in full swing and Fashion Pulse Daily live blogging from the IFB conference it can be easy to forget that there are other things going on in the world, where real women are shopping and dressing for real occasions.

There were actually surprisingly few Fashion Week oriented posts submitted this week. Possibly the Fashion Week attendees are still too busy to partake in Links á la Mode, but what I did find was a lot of posts focused on fashion, style and image in the real world. A Typical Atypical calls for a low fashion revolution and Idiosyncratic Style urges you to bring out your cocktail frocks for every day. Meanwhile, in the body image arena Intrinsically Florrie learns to love her specs, Sugar & Spice discusses tanning and Mariels Castle weighs in (see what I did there?) on the body size debate.

It would be impossible to leave this weeks links without mentioning the untimely and incredibly sad death of Alexander McQueen. There were posts submitted on this issue but I made the decision not to include them, not because they were bad, but because I felt that if I included one persons post I would need to include them all. There has been so much personal reflection on the life and designs of this amazing man in the fashion blogging world that to choose a small selection seemed impossible. If you would like to read these posts then, as ever, the full list of submissions is available in the forums.

Links à la Mode: February 18th

• A Typical Atypical – What girls really want to read about, and why fashion bloggers are changing the face of fashion
• Bonne Vie – Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Inspiration: What you borrow from another culture when it comes to wardrobe should be thoughtful
• Confessions of a Fashion Editor – Dear New Look; it’s over!
• Eternal Masquerade – Covering the Parallels Between Our Current Winter Wonderland and Under the Sea Fashions
• Fashion Pulse Daily – Fashion Pulse Daily blogs live from the Future of Fashion Blogging panel during IFB’s Evolving influence conference this week!
• Hot Beauty Health – Ready for Spring? Here are 9 Big Beauty Trends for Spring 2010!
• Idiosyncratic Style – Fashion Dare – Let your party frocks come out and play!
• Intrinsically Florrie – Making a spectacle of oneself: learning to love glasses and finding the right pair
• Mariels Castle – It’s not about been skinny or fat its about being healthy!
• Retro Chick – Love, Lust & Burlesque with the Bridewell Collective
• SFindiefashion.com – Spring comes early to Golden Gate Park. Showcase of spring 2010 looks from San Francisco designers.
• Stacie Blair – Show your Olympic spirit with fashionable gear from Aritzia!
• Style Eyes – The dilemma of a fashion blogger and why I’m taking Dame Vivienne Westwoods advice to stop shopping
• Style Symmetry – Fashion Blogger Interview Kingdom of Style’s Queen Michelle
• Sugar and spice and all things nice – Discussing the dangers of tanning and why the only safe tan is one from a bottle!!
• The Clothing Menu – interview with independent jewelry and clothing designer, Norwegian Wood
• The Fashion Planner – The Fashion Planner is hosting an eUndies.com Giveaway!
• The Very Subjective – very subjective (and therefore – very true) observations about style do’s and do not’s.
• Thread Style – Heel-wearing fashionistas also can be feminists.
• twentyteneightyfour – My thoughts on style vs fashion and how our appetite for fashion blogs is part of our quest for style
• ventures of jenn – The Great Vintage Debate: the ‘price’ of vintage both within and outside of the western world and what it really means.

Just some of my favourites from NYFW

Proenza Schouler - the usual mix of very desireable pieces. I loved the scribble prints and jackets.

3.1 Phillip Lim - mmm very simple, stylish and wearable - as usual.

Peter Jensen - a very British collection with a touch of quirky eccentricity and school girl chic.

Gary Graham - a modern take on the vintage look with amazing draping and tapestry.

Christian Cota - bold bright patterns and jigsaw piece designs.

Rodarte - much lighter than their previous collections but equally as lovely. Loved the combination of chiffons and other fabrics.

Rag and Bone - lots of tweed layered tweed layered with knits and leather in a very English sort of way. Some great accessories!

and Alexander Wang of course, loving the red velvet.

pictures from www.style.com