Audrey forever

"All the responsibility for the way Audrey looked is hers. She made the selections.”
Givenchy





I am more than a little excited to hear that 30 dresses from my ultimate fave's wardrobe, Miss Audrey Hepburn are going to be auctioned off in December as part of Kerry Taylor’s Passion for Fashion event. Lucky buyers can snap up one of Audrey's Valentino cocktail dresses, an Elizabeth Arden gown she wore when she met her first husband Mel Ferrer and pieces by her all-time favourite designer and friend, Hubert de Givenchy. The only thing to ruin such a truly momentous occasion would be if Mrs Beckham (or Cheryl Cole for that matter) decided to buy themselves an early Christmas present. Rumour has it that the ex-Spice girl, turned designer has pre-ordered the lot catalogue. Somehow I don’t think Audrey would have approved of wags in fake tan.
The auction will be held at La Galleria in Pall Mall on the 8th of December.

The mighty M & S

Traditionally known as the home of fuddy-duddy clothing, sensible underwear and nice knits, Marks and Spencer has never been at the height of cutting-edge fashion. So, on a recent shopping trip with my mum I wasn’t filled with joy when she asked if we could have a browse around. Even with Twiggy, Erin and Lily giving the brand a glamorous marketing boost, I still couldn’t shake the image of dowdy twin sets and sensible pants. Much to my surprise I left with a beautiful faux-fur coat and super-soft knit for a little under £100! A bargain and dare I admit it, (I’m turning into my mother) very good quality. Marks and Sparks, I’ll be seeing you very soon.

Confession time

I have a confession. I have a little bit of a penchant shall we say, for a completely unobtainable kind of man. He is so well dressed you want to go home and change, he challenges the most smouldering of film stars and he is more than happy to have a good old bitch. My confession is that I absolutely love gay men. Not all of them of course – think Will Young, Rupert Everett, Marc Jacobs and that lovely Danyl from XFactor. These men are the new metrosexuals – they know how to dress without looking as camp as Christmas and exude a kind of confidence that I just can’t get enough of.
Over the weekend I spotted two very hot and very well dressed guys outside the Electricity Showroom in Old Street. Dressed in skinny jeans (not too skinny), worn leather jackets and a swagger that made me stand and stare at them for a good few seconds, I was quite in awe of how super cool and stylish they were. (Until they kissed of course, and the illusion was broken).
"Don’t be stupid" I thought. "Straight men don’t dress like that". If they spent that long getting ready they’d end up looking like, well, a bit of a twat really. Forget the rugged rugby type that we’re all supposed to be obsessed with. Give me a well-groomed, well dressed and slightly sensitive man any day. Now where can I find one of those?
http://cathufton-aworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

I like your style

Gritty soul singer, actress and emerging fashionista, the slightly bonkers Paloma Faith rocks a style that is kooky and cool and celebrates all things English and eccentric. When questioned about her style today on This Morning, she said that she hates girls who talk endlessly about their clothes, she just likes dressing up. I think I have a girl crush!
http://cathufton-aworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

Bonkers fashion

Streamed live through Nick Knight's SHOWstudio.com, Alexander McQueen’s S/S10 show in Paris last week was set to take his collection to an awaiting global audience. Slightly overshadowed by the looming cameras, McQueen’s apocalyptical Plato's Atlantis collection was set under the sea with models playing the part of evolved sea creatures. Balancing on 10 inch, hoof-like platforms the runway was filmed from a range of angles and broadcast live across the web. It’s a shame that the whole thing was ruined by Lady Gaga’s ego. After announcing on Twitter that her new single would be premiered at the end of the show, the site crashed temporarily. (She has over a million followers) Shame on you Ga Ga!
Images sourced from Dazeddigital.com
http://cathufton-aworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

SHOWstudio – FASHION REVOLUTION

“Our experience of fashion is changing. In these times of instant, digitally-fuelled information, the fashion image is no longer confined to the static world of the printed photograph. Today we are confronted with a dramatic new fashion universe, where photography, film, performance, music, art and technology combine to create an infinitely richer landscape”.
Nick Knight

Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio exhibition at London’s Somerset house celebrates nine years of his incredible website, SHOwstudio.com. Aiming to demystify the creative process of fashion through his pioneering forms of internet technology, the exhibition takes you through a selection of his most thought-provoking ideas and projects.
Voyeurism at its best, expect films of sleeping models dressed for a fashion shoot, voicemails live from fashion week and a rare insight into Alexander McQueen at work. The video room features a truly awe-inspiring collection of films that are a definite highlight of the exhibition. SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER shows a topless Kate Moss jumping manically around a set looking a little bit awkward. Her surprisingly intimate role in the film perhaps explains why it became the most viewed film on SHOWSTUDIO.COM, receiving half a million visits in the first 24 hours. MAKE UP YOUR MIND features Maison Martin Margiela’s SS09 collection with two naked dancers and a coat made from wigs. Sounds interesting? It definitely shouldn’t be missed.
We ended our visit with an unforgettable film by GARETH PUGH, presenting his autumn / winter 09 collection. Using just one model, Natasha V, the film combined a dramatic soundtrack alongside a series of emphatic images and digitally manipulated effects. Showcasing Pugh’s creative vision in a truly outstanding piece of film, it acted as the perfect end to one of the most inspiring exhibitions I have seen all year.
Watch Gareth Pugh's film at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C_LMYdKzWY
SHOWstudio – FASHION REVOLUTION is running until December 20th 2009
http://cathufton-aworkinprogress.blogspot.com/

English Gentleman

As a lover of street style, I really enjoy looking through the raw, untouched images of photographers such as Matt Irwin and Jeurgen Teller, and of course blogger Scott Schuman’s in The Sartorialist. Schuman’s style-seeking blog has been running for over four years and whilst I am a little tired of seeing even more photographs of affluent, trendy art students posing in front of a wall, I was pleasantly surprised by the very English sense of style that some of his male subjects have perfected in both London and New York. It seems that the Barbour jacket isn’t just hot with farmers in the depths of Sussex but it has been given a hip new makeover by London and New York’s most stylish gents. Take a look and see what you think!

Fabulous New York Fashion Week: 3.1 Phillip Lim

As New York fashion week started with a bang last week, London’s 25th is already in full flow and oh, isn’t it exciting. Unfortunately I'm not lucky enough to be there myself, so I can only recreate the whole thing via the internet and try to imagine the fabulousness of it all as I sit here on the settee, cup of tea and laptop in hand.

My favourite, 3.1 Phillip Lim didn’t disappoint in New York with his usual minimalist, tailored aesthetic and the effortlessly cool vibe that his clothes always seem to exude. The most standout piece of the collection was a lipstick-red suit that Lim calls the “new suit”. Machine washable and tailored to perfection, the short, elbow-length jacket and ankle-length pants would work just as well as statement-making separates. Lim’s preference seemed to be in making the collection as sellable as it was stylish with low-slung city-chic shorts, sleek belted macs and cuter than cute playsuits.

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Marc by Marc Jacob’s began his lively catwalk show in New York with oversized bunny bows and colour-clashing prints that followed the re-occurring nomad trend of New York. African-inspired prints were brought to life in easy day dresses, high-waisted pants and short, tiered skirts. Jacobs followed with fun floral-print sundresses, sporty sky-blue playsuits and sleek satin jumpsuits, which I'm sure will be at the top of every hip New Yorker's wishlist next summer.

DVF

Diane Von Furstenberg's SS10 runway show featured a beautiful collection of clothes that I could only have wished for when I went travelling. Featuring real-world clothes for this season’s nomad searcher, the DVF woman is “looking into antiquity for effortless beauty”. Her ultra-wearable leopard-spot shirtdresses, bold-colored macramé hippie dresses and daisy chain maxi dresses made me want to pack up and go with the hippest adventure wardrobe ever! Styled with layers of chunky paint box-bright bangles and ethereal butterfly hairpieces, the models looked stunning in metallic wedges, nipped-in belted waists and dare I say it, crimped hair. I knew the day would come when that trend came back!