Let's Fall in Love

Yesterday evening I sat down with my lovely mum and a snoring cat trying to push me off the sofa, to watch a drama looking into the life of the amazing with a capital A,Dame Shirley Bassey. The documentary was called you guessed it,'Shirley' and was a revealing drama into her life. I love drama's like this. It's like an acceptable way to poke into a famous person's life,without getting dirty looks from old ladies, when you are reading a trashy magazine with 'celebs worst bunions' on the front cover.

It started showing Shirley as a child and growing up in a poor household with six other children. Her father was arrested when she was at a young age, so her mother bought her and her mixed race brothers and sisters up single handledly. Shirley left school at fourteen and worked as a pub singer in her hometown Tiger Bay. We see Shirley as a very naive seventeen year old spending her earnings on chips while giving the rest to her mother,desperately wanting to be a singer. Her mother tells her to follow her dreams, so she goes to an audition after only doing a few shows and meets her soon to be manager,Mike Sullivan.The actress that played her Ruth Negga,was absolutely spellbinding.  As soon as he hears her voice,he is bowled over,like I was. Even my cat looked up.Although,my mum was quick to add 'she's not singing that' to the mix. Yes,thank you mother.

Ruth Negga as Dame Shirley

Mike says he will take a chance and take her on,but Shirley has a secret. I didn't know this about her but she had a child,Sharon at the age of sixteen. Shirley had to go through the heartache of deciding whether to follow her dreams of becoming a singer and having her sister Iris,adopt her daughter  or staying in Tiger Bay. Shirley decided to go with Mike and soon she became a star touring around Australia and eating caviar for breakfast and wearing mink coats.That's what her dream was when she was sitting on the stairs in Tiger Bay talking to her mum,to be eating caviar for breakfast.

The film follows the press finding out the truth about Sharon, her marriage and heartache with Kenneth Hume,the birth of her second child and her desperate attempt to play happy families. Shirley was turned down for a role in Oliver! due to being mixed race,despite her amazing success. The film started and ended with her talking to her mum in her dressing room, talking about how she doesn't recognise herself anymore. Over the years you see Shirley go from a naive girl to an extremely beautiful strong,independent women burning her candle at both ends (sorry but I had to include a pun somewhere)-although there are glimpses of the naive Shirley that creep in a lot. I adored the clothes that Shirley was always wearing,with tight fitting dresses that would make even the thinnest person think twice about having another biscuit. I still ended up having a few shortbread though. Ruth Negga did an amazing impersonation of Shirley with her peculiar posturing, that would have chiropractors beating down her door and she did an great job showing that Shirley's amazing array of control and happiness, was sometimes a performance covering lots of pain and vulnerability. The front that Shirley put on all the time had me screaming at the tv, saying just be yourself you silly woman! My cat wasn't too pleased,I woke him up a few times.

I was captivated by the Shirley film and it was a shame it was only seventy minutes long and only showed a glimpse of the amazing women's life. I would recommend any Shirley Bassey fans or anyone really to watch it. In fact I would actually find out where you live,come around your house and force you to put on BBC Iplayer it is that good. For us insomniacs at midnight the BBC put 'Shirley Bassey BBC at the Electric Proms' on and then 'Imagine:Shirley Bassey' an insight into her life and the making of her latest album. I do feel slightly sorry for my family though who have had to endure her songs being on repeat all day and me scarily singing 'Big Spender' at the top of my voice whilst in the bath. Sorry to you as well Shirley, I have probably ruined that song for life now.

Shirley now lives in Monte Carlo and is incredibly private. She has been through inconceivable heartache,with her young daughter Samantha dying at just twenty one and the breakdown of two marriage's. But the lady and she is a lady, has dealt with it all with incredible poise and fenece. Before watching this film I loved her songs, but I didn't know much about Shirley Bassey. Apart from that she was behind one of the biggest hints to men ever known, 'Diamonds Are Forever' with the lyrics 'They are all I need to please me.' If that isn't a big enough hint,then I don't know what is.

If you want to watch 'Shirley' you can find it here:Shirley
You can find Shirley Bassey at the Electric Proms here:Shirley Bassey Electric Proms 2009
You can find the Imagine documentary here:Imagine:Dame Shirley Bassey:The Girl from Tiger Bay

I urge all of you to watch these films or at least listen to Dame Shirley on Youtube and I'm sure like me you will spend the rest of your days in awe of the woman. Obviously no one on this earth can sing the songs as well as Dame Shirley,but here Nan from Catherine Tate singing 'I am What I am' makes a tremendous effort at it. Well, its a lot better then I could do.

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

Father Christmas if you're listening

I have officially been a bad blogger. Or is that bloggerer? But I do have a reason for leaving you all and doing just two measly posts lasts week. Not doing anything about London Fashion Week or doing a round up of New York or doing anything about the start of Milan!! If I worked for Vogue, I'd definitely have a big red cross against my name. I've had horrible and very mean case of tonsillitis for two weeks! It started with a bad throat and then turned into full blown tonsillitis with me sounding like a very croaky Marge Simpson and going through possibly gallons of ice cream. Any excuse! But after pestering my GP for some antibiotics, I am now on the road to recovery,but sadly I can't get away with just eating ice cream anymore, so it does have its downsides. I know a bad throat and looking like a hamster does not affect my ability to type,but the only thing I felt like doing was lying in bed watching old movies and reruns of Sex and the City all day long. Anyway, due to the fact I have like a million things that I want to blog about,I suggest you all check out these fabulous websites to find out about the Fashion Weeks,because by the time I've finished telling all you lovelies about them,the clothes will be in the sale and Primark would have made several knock-offs.

For New York Fashion Week check out: Vogue,Mercedes-Benz, Youtube NY Fashion Week Videos

London Fashion Week: Vogue, London Fashion Week Official Site, The LOOK Show

Milan Fashion Week:Vogue, Fashionising

Something that I thought that I mush share with you all is the Elizabeth Taylor Collection unveiled at Christies. It is phenonemal and I'm sure would make the most unmaterialistic person go a bit green. The collection is being shown all over the world including in Dubai,Paris and London with a portion of the admission price going to the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation that was founded in 1991.It is being shown in eight places before it starts to be sold in Christie's,New York in December. Perfect timing for Christmas I think *hint hint* You better be listening Mr.Boyfriend. The collection is worth a staggering and slightly scary £20 million pounds. That's two thousand Jimmy Choo bags!! A lot of the pieces were designed by the lovely lady herself in partnership with the prestigious jewellers,Cartier and many given to her by her husbands. I can see why she had so many husbands now, I mean wouldn't you if you got a piece of amazing jewellery out of each one!?!?

After the beauty passed away in March this year,the entire collection of 300 pieces is going on sale. The chairman of Christie's America said the sale promised to 'captivate the auction world.' This is without a doubt the greatest private collection of jewellery assembled in one place.' It certainly is. You can why they didn't put it all on eBay. The Auction Fees would cost a bomb! The collection is full of Emerald's,Ruby's,Sapphire's and a hell of a lot of diamonds. It's a magpie's idea of heaven. The collection include's necklaces,earrings,rings,bracelets and some gorgeous brooches, which she also wore in her hair. Good recycling there Liz. 

The iconic and legendary Bulgari emerald suite which was bought by Elizabeth and Richard Burton while filming Cleopatra in Italy,(seen in picture) is being sold and just the necklace alone is set to fetch around £1million($1.5m). 

Many of the gems have a lot of history behind them as well as the six figure price tag. One of them,the La Pérégrina pearl is widely considered to be one of the most important pearls in the world. The piece dates back to the 16th century and once belonged to King Phillip II of Spain and his daughters,Elizabeth and Margaret. Elizabeth's husband Richard Burton,won it in an auction and worked with Cartier to have it included in a diamond and ruby necklace as a gift for her. That takes gifts from your man to a whole new level,most of us just get some garage flowers and an on sale box of chocolates,if that. 

Elizabeth has a gorgeous ruby suite as well, which was given to her by her third husband,Mike Todd. Mike also gave her a unique antique diamond tiara expected to fetch £60,000. There is a gorgeous angular long sapphire and diamond necklace by Bulgari, estimated to go for £450,000 to £600,000($600,000 to $800,000). There is also a gorgeous sapphire and diamond ring also by Bulgari set to fetch £100,000 to £150,000($150,000-$200,000.) And I thought the £10 rings in Dorothy Perkins were expensive.

The collection doesn't just contain her jewellery though. Yes it gets better people! Along with a total of 269 jewellery pieces being auctioned,there are rare works of art and over 400 fashion items that have been collected over the last 50 years,including dresses from Versace,Chanel and one of THE coolest dresses I think I have ever seen. But I will save the best till last.

Elizabeth had a pretty cool art collection to go along with her jewellery too, with an 1889 Vincent Van Gogh painting which is expected to reach seven million,yes million pounds. Along with a rare self portrait by Edgar Degas with an estimate of £450,000. Is it just me or does it look a bit like Michael Jackson!?!?

What I would do to have an unlimited amount of money right now. Fashion collectors and Elizabeth's fan's have the chance to buy a part of her magnificent wardrobe. For example, a beaded Versace evening jacket with portraits of her in many of her roles, is expected to fetch up to £13,000 and her wedding dress created by Irene Sharaff that she wore to her wedding to Richard Burton has an estimate of £26,000 to £39,000. Elizabeth seems to have been a fan of arty beaded jackets.She also had a Versace rhinestone and beadwork Bolero with portraits of Elizabeth I on, which is expected to reach $15,000 to $20,000.

One of the most amazing and elaborate pieces of the collection is a headpiece that she wore along with a gorgeous kimono,in the 1968 film Boom with Richard Burton and Noel Coward.
Around sixty eight of her most memorable looks that she had worn to galas,award ceremonies, AIDS benefits and two of her wedding dresses from her weddings to Richard Burton, are on show including capes,handbags,hats and shoes. They will all be auctioned at a gala evening,which will then be followed by a three day series of sales featuring hundreds more fashion accessories and items.It would be a total injustice not to show you some of the beautiful gowns from the collection, so here is a little sneak peek into the wardrobe of one of the most glamourous women to ever grace our screen. You won't find any Primark here. It is best to check these out at Auction Photos because you can see the dresses on a bigger scale,along with more of the jewellery collection, instead of me trying to squish them all into one blog post.

In my opinion the most amazing item of the collection is a simply breathtaking structured metallic dress with leaf detailing, that Elizabeth wore in 1992. I think this dress is completely and utterly stunning but I wouldn't advise wearing it through airport security. The metal detectors would have a field day.
So we all have till December to lust over her jewellery and clothes and till February to admire her art. An early estimate values the whole collect at around £94 million, but it is thought the final total will be much higher then that.The lower priced items will be part of an online auction featuring 'moderately valued' pieces that you have to register for to bid and starts on December the 3rd. I'm sure there will be some very lucky girls all over the world who will be getting something even if it's tiny, as part of their Christmas present. Men if you are reading,that would seriously put you in your girlfriends/wives good books for another year. So unless I win the euromillions,become a gold digger and marry a rich 80 year old man who conveniently has a heart attack or become a WAG pretty quickly, the only way I can enjoy these pieces like most of you, is to spend even more time ogling over them, like I have been doing for the past week.But we can all dream. I think some serious sweet talking in a letter to Father Christmas has to be done this year.

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

A nosey into the life of the Second Hand Rose

On wednesday I learnt that I was given an award for my blog!! The 'Your Blog is Great! Tell Me About Yourself Award' by the lovely Kathy over at Geek marries Chic!! Thank you so much sweetheart! As soon as I found out I squealed with delight well attempted too but due to the fact that I now have tonsillitis it was more of croak. I know its not an Oscar, although my mum was acting like it was and poked and prodded my dad to tell him,even though it was ten thirty at night. Sorry Dad. So the rules are:

Thank and link back to the person who awarded you.

Write 7 random things about yourself

Spread the love to 15 other bloggers (or to as many as you want/read)

So here are my seven random things,(I just hope I don't lose any followers after this!):

1. I have a birthmark on the bottom of my back on the left hand side. But it's not just any old birth mark,it is exactly and I mean exactly just like the map of Cyprus. This also turns out to be one of my favourite places and my birth mark has been part of the decision making on whether to go again, plus the hotel we go to has the most amazing cake EVER.I'm starting to think the my birthmark is a bit of a clair voyant and I'm waiting for it to turn into the map of another country. Hopefully somewhere nice and hot.

2. I am extremely flexible. I don't just mean I can touch the floor with my hands,no I can do the splits,put my legs over the top of my head and I have never lost a game of twister. People have tried to beat me but I am unbeatable. I have been given many nicknames over the years, Twizzle the 1957-1959 cartoon and Mrs Incredible from The Incredibles by many of the children that I babysit.I am thinking of entering the Twister Olympics if they ever decide to have one. Maybe I should contact Boris Johnson and see if he will kindly include it in the Olympics for me next year. Well at least I know that if writing doesn't work out for me I can always run away with the circus and become a contortionist. I quite
                                                                                         like those spangly outfits.

3. Along with my flexibility I have another special talent. I am able to burp on cue. My forté is burping the alphabet. I have spent many hours burping the A-Z along with other words and annoying my mum at dinner time when she asks us to have some decorum. For some reason she doesn't find me doing a huge burp that funny,everyone else does though.

4. I have a serious obsession with shoes. That is actually an understatement and I'm sure if I looked into my family history, I will find out that I am related to Imelda Marcos. I have shoes everywhere around my room,on the windowsill,squeezing out of my wardrobe,two draws full and all over the floor. The draw under my bed that I tell everyone is full of old school books is in fact full of shoes. Mr. Boyfriend has told me that I have far too many shoes, but he is yet to have met the ones in my wardrobe and under my bed. I think I am going to have to introduce him slowly to them, so he doesn't ring up the Priory or find me a Shoeaholics Anonymous meeting to go to. I have so many shoes that I didn't realise my Dad had put some of them up in my Grandma's loft for three months. My poor babies. They are not all heels but the majority of them are.I think I have been wearing them since I was in the womb and when I came out I'm sure I had some gorgeous pink peep toes on. I will officially be the old woman who lived in her shoes.

5. I adore old comedies and grew up watching in particular Dad's Army, Only Fools and Horses. Most girls first crush are some movie hunk with big pecks and rock hard abs,mine was Walker from Dad's Army.At the age of six I was taken in by his cockney charm and the sight of his gorgeous spats.I was sure that one day I would marry him. My Dad didn't have the heart to tell me that the actor who plays him, James Beck died in 1973. It was a dark day for me when I found out. I nearly turned into Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. Even now I still go weak at the knees at the sight of him. My favourite all time comedy though is Only Fools and Horses. I have watched every single episode at least twenty times and I can recite a whole episode,and tell you what episode and what series and what year Del Boy said to Boycie 'I didn't know you were at good at Maths either Boycie.' (It was A Losing Streak,Episode 3,Series 2 in 1982 incase anyone is interested.) I can tell you what episode a specific song was from and if I see it on TV I can tell you what episode it is straight away and what the next line is. I have actually thought about doing a degree in it, I'm sure I can find one somewhere. There is not a day that goes by when Only Fools and Horses is not quoted in my house. At a young age I also fell for Del Boy's charm,his awful French sayings may have not worked on the birds,but they did work on a seven year old me. My family make fun of me saying that I love spivs due to the fact that Walker and Del Boy are the biggest con artists out. I also love Porridge, Open All Hours,Steptoe and Son and a lot more. There is nothing I like better then cuddling up under the duvet with a hot chocolate,watching some old comedy. As Del Boy says, its Lovely Jubbly.

6. I am convinced to this day that my Dad wanted another son. At the age of four I was a wicket keeper and a goalie for my brother and my dad. I even had my own Chelsea kit complete with socks,hair scrunchies and a pair of black look alike football boots. My Dad taught me how to change a tyre also when I was four and all the the things that I needed to know about a car. He taught me how to do tiling and how to saw wood when I was six and I was and still am always his assistant when something goes wrong with the plumbing etc or when something has to be put together. The final thing that convinces me is that when I was five, I used to get up every morning at six o'clock and shave with my dad. He gave me my own razor to use and showed me how to apply shaving foam on your face and shave it. Not that I had a beard at five. I have many happy memories of spending time with my dad doing things and being taught 'manly' things and yes I do still know how to change a tyre and how to do tiling. I just hope I don't break a nail.

Me playing Crazy Golf at age 6

7. I have a passion for Crazy Golf. It is A-mazing! I have been playing it from a really young age,when we used to go on holiday to Cornwall,the golf club was taller then me. I am determined to go around the country (hopefully in an old vintage beetle car with a nice man that shares my passion) and play on every crazy golf course. That's my retirement sorted then.Sadly my parent's aren't keen on having a crazy golf course in the garden,my mum thinks it will clash with the hydrangeas. So as soon as I have my own house, I will have my very own crazy golf course,complete with a pink furry golf club. Every time I see a crazy golf course, I squeal with excitement and drag anyone who I'm with to come with me and play.There is in fact a Crazy Golf Championship for the other crazy golf lovers like me, which I could easily see myself wanting to do. That calls for a new outfit,but I'm not really that keen on the diamond jumpers and stripey trousers. Fitted dresses and 4inch heels all the way.

So there we are, seven random slightly odd things about me which confirms I am a bit of a geek. But a fashionable geek. Here are my 15 bloggers that I have passed the award on to. You may have received the award before but I wanted this to reflect the blogs that I myself am hooked to and I think should get some recognition.

-I am sending this award back to the lovely Kathy over at Geek marries Chic. Her blog is fabulous and I'm addicted. She is a great writer and covers a huge range of topics and her beautiful writing encouraged me to start writing again and begin this blog, so the award with a big thank you hug goes back to her.

-Beauty Bow-A lovely blog by the beautiful Bella featuring hair tutorials,her looks,makeup tips and reviews,how to do photo editing and much more.

-Dolly Daydream- The gorgeous Dolly over at Dolly Daydream with great makeup reviews,gorgeous photography and a peek into her fabulous wardrobe with lots of other lovely topics.

-Det Beauty- A new blog by the gorgeous Daniella with great product reviews and her fabulous take on the latest nail trends.

- Fashion tea at 5- A great blog by the lovely Mary, an Italian living in Tuscany. With some great posts about high fashion and a sneak peak into Italian fashion.

-Hat Box Beauty- A great new blog full of enviable wish lists,great makeup reviews and fab outfit updates.

-Hayley P Makeup blog- A fab makeup blog by the blonde bombshell Hayley,featuring the best products of the week,reviews, great tutorials and much much more.

-Laura's Road To Recovery- A very touching and beautifully written blog about fifteen year old Laura's journey through beating Cancer-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

-Lucy Locket In Your Pocket- The lovely Lucy's blog featuring Style Guides,Wednesday Wants,Book reviews, Celeb wardrobes and a sneak peek into her life.

-Lucyy Writes- A fairly new but extremely popular blog written by the very sweet Lucy who is a great writer. Her blog features some really lovely clothes that she has bought for the week, great reviews and monthly fashion favourites.

-My Woes And Wardrobe- A very new blog but really well written by the lovely Annie,who like me would like nothing better then to be just like Carrie Bradshaw.

-Sophie Feels Better- An amazing blog written by Sophie Beresiner who is a Beauty Editor at Look magazine, about her recovery and journey through being diagnosed with Breast Cancer. A very touching and moving blog that is magnificently written with lots of humour and bits of fashion and makeup creeping in.

-What Mimi Writes- A great blog written by Mimi featuring great products,her fab opinion on celeb fashion, travel destinations,wish lists,food network fridays,wedding wednesdays and much much more.

So congratulations girlies and I look forward to reading your 7 Random Things about you. Thank you for reading mine and if anyone needs any tiling done,you know who to call ;-)

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

Strepsils are the new Black

Sorry for the lack of posting the last few days. I have had an awful sore throat since last week and now it has really shown its presence, giving me the fashionable hamster look and a voice like Marge Simpson's. Very attractive. So I have spent my days lying in bed watching rubbishy TV and my favourite Murder She Wrote with my cat, trying to guess who the murderer is. My diet has consisted of porridge and ice cream with a few chewable things here and there and I have now got shares in Strepsils, Lemon squash and Honey. Mr.Boyfriend came over to keep me company, he was suffering from a sore throat too,which obviously is turning into man flu. We spent the time moaning about how awful we feel,comparing each others glands( I won by the way, mine were bigger) and watching the Rocky films. So basically the Second Hand Rose is a bit droopy at the moment and is in much need of some rejuvenation. Hmm, I think Asos is calling.

Anyway, so I thought I would show you the cake that I made for my fabulous Mum and Dad's 31st Wedding Anniversary. I know this hasn't got anything to do with fashion or anything vintage,but the colours are well co-ordinated and pastels are in this season, so I thought it qualified to have its 15 minutes of fame.Drum roll please.....

My lovely Mum and Dad

There are two heart cakes, one Coffee and Walnut and the other one a Victoria Sponge. The cakes are my parents favourites joined together, like their hearts joined together. Cute I know. I covered the cakes with fondant and then piped little beads with stiff icing around the colours. I added a pearl dust to them to make them shiny. I created flowers,hearts,stars and butterflies with white fondant icing and then brushed them with pearl dust so they were all glittery and shiny. I'm a bit like a magpie I know.
I will post more about the end of New York Fashion Week,London Fashion Week and another zillion things that I want to blog about, when I feel a little less bleugh. Right,I'm off to get a strepsil.....

P.S. Just so everyone knows my Dad is NOT a mafia boss,even though he does look like one with those glasses on and I'm sure some Hollywood producer will ask him to be in a Godfather Part 4 film any day now.

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

New York Fashion Week:Day 5

So we reach day 5 of Fashion Week and what a busy day it was.

Jenny Packham was one of the designers to kick off the day and what a good kicking she gave it. The fashion and media were waiting with bated breath to see her designs,the Duchess of Cambridge is a fan and will probably be wearing them next. Personally, I thought she would go for Primark this time. As soon as her collection started, you knew these dresses were going to be very feminine and very elegant. Bondage and cut out dresses aren't really her thing. The collection was all dreamy and romantic with long flowing gowns and sheer layered chiffon cocktail dresses. There were short dresses that were rife with bold colours and femininity. Gowns were embellished with very intricate beading,Swarovski crystals,ruffles,her signature high slits.,lace,sequins and studs. This may seem a hell of a lot of bling, but somehow she makes it work and they don't look like an eight year olds dancing competition dresses either. Jenny toned down full on floral embellishments with cap sleeves and flutter skirted designs featured lace trim inspired by lingerie. There was a spring theme with lemon,coral,turquoise,tangerine and gold adding a pop of colour to some of the dresses. She was inspired by the Rolling Stones song 'Over the Rainbow', which was evident as the collection moved on through the rainbow spectrum.The models hair was kept natural,as well as the makeup, but they had bright red lips. The models wore bright coloured Louboutins which accesorised the dresses well. Lucky girls. This collection was the perfect mixture of long shimmering,slinky,flowing dresses and shorter dresses. My number one dress is a long flowing nude gown with red,gold and orange sequins creating a gorgeous array of flowers. This is a beautiful collection with amazingly tailored garments that have a real old Hollywood glamour feel to them. The Duchess is one lucky girl, it is the pot of gold under the rainbow.

Carolina Herrera once again produced a great collection with some long flowing gowns and budgerigar printed designs. Carolina seemed to take inspiration from the Bauhaus Movement taking their characteristic motifs and turning them into a dress with thin blocks of stripes and geometric patterns. There were a lot of panels and layers of chiffon and organza that fluttered down the catwalk. There was a real spring vibe to the collection with jade greens, terracota reds,canary yellow,pastel blue and patterned black and white. The bauhaus feel continued with the 30's style (even though she insists the collection is not thirties) slinky bias-cut dresses, that were decorated with Art Deco designs. There were some gorgeously created floor length dresses that were expertly constructed. The collection wasn't all dresses,there were some graphic knits,pleated and cuffed trousers,pencil skirts and short and snappy jackets. This is a gorgeous collection from Carolina and its really good that she is looking back into art and finding inspiration. Let's just hope next time it isn't the nude Baroque paintings.


Carlos Miele provided some gorgeous colour popping outfits. This collection really reminded me of water with the colour flowing through the fabric. Bright kaftans were draped over white swimsuits and colours were vivid and eye popping ,while fabrics were slinky.There were some gorgeous bright orange fitteed jumpsuits and dresses. A white knee length dress that had gorgeous gold detailing at the top in a fan style was also part of the collection. With tight fitting skirts and luscious coloured tops, this is perfect for the spring and hot summers. The finale dress was an absolutely gorgeous blue floor length flowing gown, with fan detailing on the bodice that made the model look like she was coming out of a clamshell,while the draping of the fabric looked like water flowing. This collection is definitely worth a look, even if it does make you need the loo.

Victoria Beckham had a second collection on day 5, for her new 'more affordable' line called Victoria. My my she is one busy lady! This collection is a lot different to her previous collection shown on Day 4. VB was inspired by cartoon character Emily the Strange. These shift dresses are straight up and down and have a lot more casual,loser,girly A-line feel to them. VB said 'The lines fit any shape, I didn't want anything clingy.Vibrant colours and childish prints that can't help but make you smile'.The collection was full of bright colours,candy pink,orange,coral,royal blue, a gorgeous bright green and bright poppy red. Prints were seen in this collection too, they were cats,crescent moons,regal style patterns and clouds. With one VB said she was inspired by a Faberge Egg. It may not be evident but a lot of craftsmanship went into these dresses. They were made out of double-faced satin,three yarns on one dress and different prints front and back.My favourite dress is an orange and white shift dress,with a black bumpy (only word I could think of to describe it) pattern. Overall this is a nice collection for spring, but at £355 to £650 I doubt any normal person will be rushing to the shops just yet.

Reem Acra

Stylist to the stars Rachel Zoe showed her first collection. It was very california girl with a hint of late 60s and 70s style. If you are a fan of Bridget Bardot its, worth a look because she was the main inspiration. Alexandre Herchcovitch created a gorgeous collection with nipped in waists, embroidered dresses,pencil skirts decorated with a bow and creative tailoring.Betsey Johnson combined innocent floral patterns with leopard print bras and created some beautiful shapes.It's worth a look. Also if you are a fan of the androgynous look check out Marc by Marc Jacobs.
A collection definitely worth mentioning is by Reem Acra's. It was full of animal patterns as well as crystals on beautifully cut satin dresses.There were other dresses that were one colour, but they were beautifully tailored to the body and looked amazing.The end of the collection turned into old hollywood glamour with floor length gold sequin dresses,some with a very low v neck and they were accessorised with fur capes.I love this collection!

That's day 5 over with. From prints that have us running to the loo,to gorgeous flowing ballgowns, day 5 was full of an array of designs and themes. Remember to check out the videos of the catwalk at Youtube New York Fashion Week videos.Enjoy!

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

New York Fashion Week:Day 4

So day four of fashion week was on a sunday, so you think they would all have lie in,a nice rest,a full english and watch the Eastenders omnibus cuddled up under the duvet right? Wrong! The fashion world doesn't stop just because its a sunday. Oh no, sunday went on with twenty shows going on. I think I'd rather sit at home in my pyjamas all day snuggled under a duvet with the cat,but each to their own.

Day 4 kicked off with a collection by Victoria Beckham. Normally a 'celeb' turning into a designer makes me go into a two hour rant about why do they deserve their own fashion range,what do they know and they have probably done sod all of the work anyway. Poor Mr.Boyfriend. But I actually think Mrs Beckham is different to all those try hard designer wannabes,seriously don't get me started on the subject. Going by her last collections she does actually seem to know what she is talking about. I've read that she gets her £1000 manicured fingers dirty and designs the garments and is involved completely in the the whole process. But,I don't see her sitting doing slip stitch by hand on a load of hems,do you? So now Mrs Becks has started to carve her self a name out in fashion and got some respect from me which is obviously very important, so I thought I might as well take a look at her latest collection.

Well what can I say,if anyone has read one of the zillion articles about VB out there,they will know that she is all about the bag. Models walked with her bags which they had to carry in their hands due to them being so big. The catwalk rules were turned upside down and the clothes contemplated the bag not the other way around. Here's betting she designs an oversized bag to carry little Harper around in. She obviously took inspiration from when she had her little bun in her oven, because some of her designs have a more relaxed you don't have to breathe in all night kinda feel all to them. Some of the collection consisted of razor-sharp dresses with a lot of emphasis on the body,cleverly done through the use of corsets,decorative seaming and colour-blocking. Her pieces do have an air of sophistication about them and are more versatile then usual. Flowing jackets were present with her iconic zip detailing and some were given a sportswear theme with drawstrings and hoods. Floor-length pleated skirts also had a relaxed feel to them and they flowed casually down from the waist. To liven the collection up a bit VB added some glossy baseball caps which made me start singing 'Yellow submarine' by The Beatles and it was incorporated into a lot of the looks. There were no trousers in this collection and there was a real feminine simplicity but professional feel to it. It is said that she has been influenced by her oh so gorgeous hubby, which explains the baseball-style caps,racer necklines and drop-waist dresses that just make you think of Wimbledon. The colour palette consisted of navy,black,tangerine and sand. Well I guess Victoria has now gone from a 'celeb designer' to an actual designer now. I still remember her for singing 'Wannabe' though.

Since Diane von Furstenberg is one of the queen's of fashion, I thought I should give her a quick mention. She is known for her flowing dresses and use of nature for inspiration. At the start of the collection you wouldn't know it was a DVF one with earthy colours and baggy structures. If you look closely though, hints of her come in with flower decoration and her famous wrap dress included. The collection then grew into her usual vibe with her gorgeous garden style patterns and pastel colours. The colour pallette was all over the place from dull earthy tones,to pastels,then brights, and then back to pastels. You can't fault the lady, she pulls out collection after collection that is full of success and admired by everyone. She's like the kid at school that used to get everything right and never did anything wrong. Ugh.

Zac Posen bought a touch of of elegance to fashion week, with his figure hugging glamourous gowns. The immaculate tailoring,stunning cuts and beautiful romantic floor skimming gowns gave the show a romantic graceful feel to it. Ladies if you are not for corsets and having to breathe in all night, then sadly Zac won't be able to help you out. Zac paired narrow long jackets with high armholes and tight pencil skirts. The collection also contained knee length party dresses. There were an array of colours in this collection,from the gorgeous lime fitted cocktail dress to the earth toned dresses and the colour of deep jewel, all cascading to the floor beautifully and with extreme detail. There is not one gown that I can say stole the show, there are about 20 gowns that stole the show with the gorgeous mermaid style frocks with either a wrap around style on the fabric or a lot of tulle decoration making it into a truly gorgeous gown. All the gowns were just perfection and just what I need for Christmas. So, Father Christmas if you're listening! You all need to check out his designs by clicking on the link above in his name. Do it now!

Thakoon

Custo Barcelona

The rest of the day was filled with gorgeous patterns,flowing dresses and some gorgeous ballgowns  at Lela Rose and funky prints from DKNY. A good use of colours were used at  Tracy Reese to create a cool,refreshing spring vibe. Some beautiful flowing patterns were created at Tribune Standard, while there were some great aztec patterns at Jen Kao, along with some fabulous headgear that needs to be checked out and also some seriously cool extravagant belts.Y-3 has a real grungy feel to it, whilst there were wide spectrum of prints and colours at Thakoon giving it a Japanese avant-garde feel to it. The models have hair slicked back and covered in pink highlights,blue or green and there is a cool use of stetsons in the collection. Custo Barcelona have a whole mixture of funky busy prints and a great use of sequins, a real range of patterns, lots of different cuts and even clothes for men! It's worth checking out!

That's another day of fashion week highlights condensed down,tomorrow there is Betsey Johnson, Jenny Packham who is a favourite of our future queen and Marc Jacobs. It should be a good day but you will just have to wait and see!! Or you can just check Vogue.
Remember you can view the videos of the shows at Youtube Fashion Week videos.

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

New York Fashion Week:Day 3

Jill Stuart

Day 3 was as hectic as Day 2 with 22 shows. I don't know how they do it. There were only a few that stood out for me and only a couple I would actually call my favourite,so I will give you a brief description of the ones I think that are worth mentioning and I will go into more detail for the ones that I think are the best. Don't say I'm not good to you.

Ruffian was full of bright colours and were really rocking the colour block trend, with their two coloured swimsuits and dresses. The main colour combos were black and white, blue and green, blue and yellow, orange and pink and red and pink.
Jill Stuart was getting ready for spring with a pastel colour blocking theme. Dresses were not fitted, there were a lot of collars and high necks. The outfits were mainly plain with the colour doing the talking but some outfits had a hummingbird pattern.
Gregory Parkinson was rocking the whole white vibe this year. The outfits were not fitted at all. To be honest I prefer outfits that emphasise a woman's body,not hide it. I mean if you have been toning your hips for six months to wear a specific dress, you at least want to show off your hard work! Plus the whole white thing, if you are anything like me it will have been ruined by spilling something on it by about 8.30am.
Victoria Bartlett This collection was mainly a lingerie and swimsuit collection which is what she is best known for. The designer was inspired by tectonic plates this year, which can be seen clearly in the shapes of fabric and the fabric overlapping. Other geolical themes were shown with volcanoes,storm clouds and lightning patterns. Hips were built out and shoulders were given an armoured type cut. Her signature colour is nude, so it was nice to see her include coral and a totally gorgeous green that my sources ie Dulux paint swatches tell me is a seafoam green.

Vivienne Tam

Vivienne Tam I think Vivienne has been watching a bit too much of Garderner's World, because a garden is the main focus of her show this year. She said at the start of the show 'I wanted to transform the elements of a Zen garden into clothes. The patterns,forms and the feeling of tranquility and lightness." Well she certainly did that with light fabrics,orchid patterns that also appeared in embroidery an applique. Some gorgeous patterns had been created and a whole array of colours were present. It's definitely worth a look.
Farah Angsana was a beautiful collection of cocktail dresses,mainly floor length but there were some that were knee length. With gorgeous silhouettes,intricate detailing and clever patternmaking,this is definitely a collection to check out if you love gorgeous cocktail dresses.
Christian Siriano Great colour blocking,amazingly good tailoring and some fab tulle laden gowns,this is a collection to look at!
Boy and Girl by Band of Outsiders is full of lovely long flowing dresses. The start of the show began with light weight suiting which reminded me of school. But thankfully the outfits are lot better then the horrible leprechaun striped uniform that I had to wear! It contained bowler hats which for some reason put 'Me Old Bamboo' from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in my head. This collection was different to everyone else who is doing strong prints and extravagant styles, it was very simplistic. Worth a look if you are into the whole innocent girl look.
Duro Olowu had some beautiful maxi and mid length dresses. There was a vintage feel to them with some gorgeous patterns,colours,silhouettes and fabrics. Definitely worth a look.

Duro Olowu

Erin Fetherston had a 60s vibe to her collection with shift dresses and the models having twiggy style hair. This is a nice collection with nice colours, but sadly it doesn't really stand out among all the other designers that are looking back. Still worth a look though. On the plus, all the collections say ready to wear and this is the most ready to wear and I'm sure it would do really well in the shops.
Graeme Armour This collection as a whole isn't really my thing what with the bland colours,weird cuts and slashed in material everywhere. It looks like the designers have anger management issues and need to go on Jeremy Kyle. But I LOVE the last few items of the show where flurescent pink is incorporated. There is a great pink black and white top and matching trousers, a pink leather top and the most amazing pink leather jackets. They are to die for!!
Altuzarra Again this collection isn't really my thing but they have used a gorgeous tropical flower and parrot pattern that is seen on some dresses,tops,trousers and jackets. I'm really not keen on the weird hairstyle though! Oh and the huge thick eyebrows,they just look like all the models have never seen a pair of tweezers before.

Now to my favourites.
Prabal Gurung's collection had a gorgeous bright purple theme to it. Violet was blotted all over the fabrics and also made fabrics look like they were dripping with paint. A lot of the dresses had sliced inserts of netting added and cutouts revealing a lot of skin and they had a hint of fetish wear to them. Lets just say some of these dresses aren't the sort of dress you would wear to meet the boyfriend's parents for Sunday Lunch,trust me. There was a lot going on in this collection and in my opinion it got better and better as it went along. It was filled with romantic prints, piping,harnesses and see through tulle, sometimes all of it on one garment. Talk about pushing the boat out. A series of photos 'Sensual Flowers' by Japanese Artist Nobuyoshi Araki inspired Prabal. He made prints in teal,purple and black which were arranged symmetrically down the front of a georgette dress. Georgette fabric is crinkly,sheer,very light and very springy so it looks like it is moving on its own. It is perfect for draping. The prints were all over dresses, fitted blazers and sporty piped track shorts. Dresses were somewhat of an oxymoron though with beautiful pretty dresses decorated with bondage corded harness.An incorporated bold metallic sheen was given to some of the clothes that gave more of a PVC look. I love a satin jacket and trouser suit that has a gorgeous purple inkblot pattern on them. I love the low cut barely there black top accessorised with rope and a lace low cut top with a gorgeous purple full skirt. Towards the end of the collection the dresses got longer and there were two gorgeous knee length A-line dresses that were decorated with an inkblot pattern and a sheer tulle camouflage. There were also two floor length gowns one black,one white that had a lot of cutouts and were slit to the hip. One of my favourite dresses was a purple floor length fitted dress with a black rope belt to accentuate the waist. The dress was decorated with small purple strips that remind you of litmus paper that you used at school. This collection had more pic'n'mix then Woolworths did and a lot of concepts, but they all somehow work and it all made a good collection. Even though, some do gooder will probably put an age rating on this collection.

Monique Lhuillier pulled off a a gorgeous collection with beautifully arranged,complex floor length dresses. Monique is known for her bridal gowns and oscar gowns, but this collection was more a bold ready to wear equipped with rich colours,black lace and intricate beading.There were a lot of bright colours and neons, with colours adding a pop of colour to white and black dresses. Sporty necklines, striping and slashing was a main theme to the collection giving it a sporty look. Although, I don't think you will get Paula Radcliffe wearing one of the dresses running just yet. There were some gorgeous knee length dresses that looked like the fabric had been wrapped around the body. Monique used a lot of intricate seaming,sequins,lace and leather to flatter the physique. To create a slimmer silhouette she used a lot of colour block panelling down the front or along the sides of a dress. There was a gorgeous blue cocktail dress wrapped in twisted tulle that was simply stunning. The last dresses would give anyone serious ball gown envy. There was a gorgeous yellow dress and some gorgeous white dresses that looked like they had large blue ink stains all over them. Monique brings it all to a new level with her amazing cuts and fabulous gowns that are to die for. I could write so much more about this amazing woman's designs but I don't want you to end up reading a novel. So if you do one thing today,please check out her designs! I have a complete designer crush on this woman. She has pure talent and it makes you want to marry any random guy, just so you can wear one of her dresses at your wedding. Or is that just me?

So there we have it,Day 3 in a nutshell. Filled with pastel colours,flowing dresses,and exhilarating ball gowns. As the song says,it can only get better! Remember you can check out all the latest videos of Fashion Week at: Youtube Fashion Week videos

P.s. My brother showed me this video that is just hilarious and is even better if you are a fan of Steptoe and Son.Big Train Fashion Show Clip The clip I want to show you is from 2.16 to 2.52. It combines my two loves, fashion and Steptoe! Enjoy!

Second Hand Rose
XxxX

New York Fashion Week:Day 2

Day 2 of New York Fashion Week consisted of 22 shows. God, it makes me tired just thinking about it! Sadly, I do not have a year to tell you a lot about every single show. That's what Vogue Fashion Shows and Elle Catwalk is for. They have many minions running around going to each fashion show and writing about it, but sadly its only little old me writing this. Well, me and Google. So here are the highlights and my favourites of Day 2. Enjoy!


Due to this being a fashion/everything vintage blog I have to mention Peter Som, regarded as one of New York's finest emerging designers kicked off Day 2. No pressure then. I am jumping around the room in joy that a designer has looked back and has incorporated the Mod look in the sixties into their designs. When designers incorporate the 60s look it is always the mini skirts and the short shift dresses. Correct me if I'm wrong but I haven't seen the Mod look incorparated into a women's fashion collection.  The mods of the early sixties took the suit to new levels of style. With tapered trousers,thin lapels and striped blazers.The number one accessory was a Lambretta.

Peter cleverly used real photos of roses blown up for a pattern,he called this his "bicolour super-rose dress."The roses were mulitcoloured and very bright. A print of zebra heads also appeared as well as a twill style pattern.  The collection was full of bright colours except for a couple of khaki pieces, different to the monochrome and earthy colours of Day 1. Shoes made by Charlotte Olympia were chunky-heeled loafers that were aqua, fuschia and tangerine. These may sound weird colours for shoes but they went perfectly well with the outfits. The hair was a grunge meets sixties look with the models having a sweep of florescent pink through their hair,the makeup was natural.He had created some fabulously structured silhouettes with boxy knit t-shirts, shift dresses,gorgeously structured 60s style bikinis, Mod-style trousers, jackets and dresses. He also created a lovely cobalt feather dress with black appliques and a yellow shimmery feather skirt. Yay! One of my favourite things are feathers so extra points to him! Peter used leather for a gorgeous bright yellow panel dress and a deep pink trouser suit. However,this wasn't just any old leather,it was eel leather.Lovely.

Peter likes to bring a twist to things and joined jackets with 60s style printed bikinis and swimsuits with structured Mod style knit jackets.Towards the end of the collection there were some beautiful long gowns, there was a strapless fuchsia gown wrapped from the bust and a high slit. It was very simple but totally gorgeous.The collection was closed with a stunning maxi dress that had a mini-rose print in different shades of blue,it was finished off with a high slit and a pleated hem.  Peter Som's collection bought a breath of fresh air to fashion week as it was very different to the looks seen in Day 1 and it was lovely to see bright colours,fabulous prints and gorgeously tailored clothes all in one. Oh and the feathers! The man is a genius and has made me jump up and down and sing my heart out to 'Simply the Best' by Queen. Figuratively speaking of course,I won't subject you all to my cat schreeching singing.


Another collection I wanted to mention was by Cynthia Rowley. The theme was glitz with a glittering golden set and a mirrored runway. The show started with gorgeous metallic printed dresses and separate jackets, trousers and flouncy skirts.A theme for a lot of the dresses and tops was a clinched in waist and full bottom or a full skirt. Paint splatters and haphazard brushstrokes decorated the fabric, along with psychdelic florals and baroque style patterns. Black leather lattice was used to clinch waists in and fabric was smothered by fabulous geometric designs. The shapes created were very feminine with swirly skirts that just make you want to do a twirl and some gorgeous shimmering formalwear. There were also patterned tight trousers to show off your pins in and some slouchy jumpers to make you feel fabulous, even on your off days. I love the shimmery effect to the material and the messy paint splatters,brushstrokes and geometric designs.

This is a fabulous collection by Cynthia and she is at the top of her game. I absolutely loved the closing dresses. They reminded me of Japanese style dresses,they both had a gorgeous mixed pattern on them. The pattern reminided me of putting lots of little bits of paints in water and seeing the swirls that they make. The first dress was a black satin shift dress which was gorgeous but the last dress got me counting my pennies hoping I could afford it. I doubt it will be sold for £4.57 though. It was a gorgeous ivory satin dress with a low v-neck long sleeved top. The dress was then clinched in with a matching belt and the skirt blossomed into a gorgeous full swirly skirt, that makes you want to put your party shoes on and dance to Dancing Queen. This is a beautiful collection and has got to be admired. I wonder how long it will take to see paint splattered and brushstroke tops in Primark for £2.50?

Day 2 was a great day and had a huge mix of designs and colours. You need to check out Suno for their gorgeous satin dresses,great patterns and cuts.Nicole Miller has some great patterns and colours,while Costello Tagliapietra has made some beautiful dresses with smudgy,painted florals. Mandy Coon has made a great use of satin and has done some beautiful designs with a deep blue and black, while Luca Luca designs spell out spring with gorgeous pastels and soft cuts.

Enjoy the highlights of Day 2 and remember you can watch videos of the catwalk at Youtube Fashion Week Videos.
Stay tuned for Day 3!
Second Hand Rose
XxxX

New York Fashion Week:Day 1

All the fashion elite were hustling to New York last week for the start of Fashion Week. I know its now the 14th and it started on the 8th and I'm a bit behind with the reviewing! Sorry Anna Wintour, I know you would be giving me evils right now. Anyway so instead of going through every designer that showed I will give you a sneak peek into the highlights and the stuff I thought that was worth mentioning. Plus I don't have a decade free to go through every designer! I don't know how the fashionistas do it. It's a busy month in fashion. First New York, then London (the best of course!),then Milan and finally Paris! No wonder Anna Wintour is always seen in sunglasses,she must have bags the size of balloons under her eyes* from all that running around and in four inch heels too. My hero.

So New York Fashion Week kicked off with a Ready to Wear collection by Nicholas K. Just to clarify it is not a collection from Nicholas Kirkwood and he hasn't changed his name to sound more hip like P Diddy does every five seconds. If that's even still his name. It was a collection by a New York design company called Nicholas K that was set up by siblings Nicholas and Christopher Kunz. Its easy to tell who won the heads or tails on the name.
So to their collection. Yeah not really my thing, it was full of oversized layering for all seasons. I mean, summer is for showing off that booty that you have been toning up since autumn for summer right? A lot of the collection was made from linen, cotton and jersey to make the clothes appear light, but it did include some leather and fine knits. The 70s were back with tye dye appearing and some faded puddle prints. The colours were mainly monochrome and earthy colours consisting of White, Khaki, Ash,Teal and Misty Blue. Sadly, not really good for us pale English Roses.


Day 1 continued with colour block dresses, geometric designs,tribal patterns and high slits from BCBG Maz Azria Ready to Wear. Richard Chai incorparated  lively colours,futuristic patterns and put a feminine twist on his trademark grunge looks.Some of the models were wearing coloured lipsticks such as blue and purple,they are obviously taking inspiration from me here ;-). Duckie Brown (Mens) consisted of loose fit trousers and shirts,earthy colours and a pale blue.

Kimberly Ovitz's collection was inspired by the Japanese Earthquake. The designer explored the concept of "Disaster versus relief and man versus nature." The clothes were very sheer and lightweight-one of them was made from Japanese paper. The colour pallette was mainly white and orangey colours. Don't worry I'm not gonna quote a Dulux paint list to you with muted butternut and blood orange. There was also a volcanic print as part of the collection. I particularly like a black dress cut above the knee which I think is sheer polyester, with an orange volcano print on. The back of the dress flows down with extra black sheer poly material on the back beautifully flowing down. This collection is a great tribute to the people affected by the Japanese Earthquake and its nice to see fashion supporting such a great cause. And you thought they were all selfish bulldogs.

M. Patamos's collection was a very eco friendly collection with seamless 'zero waste sweaters and earthy colours. Patamos's motto is 'Saving the environment one string at a time'. At Kevork Kiledjian there was amazingly tailored leather, tiny bustier dresses,lots of skin,lace,khaki green and flower prints.

I have picked three designers to talk about more in depthly ie. ramble on about how much a dress would look so good in my wardrobe. Cushine Et Ochs-Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs created a gorgeous collection. Incorparated were their gorgeous body-con dresses, but given some edge and some amazing tailoring to create some gorgeous silhouettes. There was a Barbie theme to the collection with candy colours such as Bubblegum and Canary Yellow.There was also a 50's housewife stereotype feel to the collection with full circled skirts bouncing beneath sharp-cut blazers or a full skirted dress with a tight fitting top. There was also an edge to the clothes with monochrome tones and stiff ruffles attached to the waistline(peplum) and leather. Part of the collection were button-fronts,long slim blazers, sheath dresses (dresses designed to fit to the body) and cropped skinny trousers.There was some more great tailoring with center skirt slits, angular sweetheart and keyhole necklines and meticulous cutouts. This is definitely a brand to watch. Cushnie Et Ochs have really upped their game with this collection adding an edgy-sexy look to their usual designs. If housewives did dress like that, I wouldn't mind having to cook pies all day.



Another collection I wanted to mention is a collection by Wes Gordon. Wes wanted to appeal to the younger girl and mix day and cocktail together. The collection was full of muted snake skin prints and colours, but there was still a hint of summer to them. There was a mixture of high waisted flowing trousers and coloured cigarette trousers made out of luxurious fabrics. There was a beautiful beaded shift dress, a gorgeous terracotta halter-neck dress that beautifully flowed to the ground and a gorgeous floor length deep blue satin full skirt with white stripes on. Absolutely stunning. I really liked the black cigarette trouser look with a lace top and a yellow ribbon tied at the waist. I also loved the terracotta printed floor length jumpsuit that was tied at the waist with a black ribbon. Father Christmas is you are listening, I'd like to put that on my list please!
Wes also included his first shoe collection. He collaborated with Manolo Blahnik a.k.a one of the eternal shoe gods and made some beautiful glitter,green,yellow and white striped Mary Jane heels and ankle straped heeled sandals tied with primary coloured ribbons. Come on, it was obvious it was going to be a gorgeous collection,what with the help from the devine being, Manolo Blahnik. Overall this was a gorgeous collection with some well structured pieces in. Wes only started showing last year,so he is pretty new to the catwalk scene, but you can't tell this from the quality of the designs. I'm sure Wes will go on to do some more fabulous collections and we will be hearing a lot more from him. Plus he will be going on my to dream about list!

Finally the last collection I wanted to talk about is Tara Subkoff's imitation of Christ. The show was set up as a wedding procession, with models dressing as bridesmaids and groomsman wearing suits. The look was a dressed-up depression-era style, with many aspects of the dresses from that time incorporated. There were lots of pastel lace bias-cut dresses, (dresses cut across the grain of the fabric,to make dresses hang more gracefully)drop-waist chiffons decorated with floral patterns and floral patchwork and some flapper looks. Some of the dresses were updated with patchwork, chiffon decorations,applique and embroidery of flowers and birds.

However,some of the dresses looked like they were made from scratch.The designer said she wanted to get back to handwork and that hundreds of hours went into the dresses. This wasn't just a fashion show though,it was an actual wedding. Yes,folks the new way to get married is during a fashion show.  Model and Actress Lydia Hearst got married in front of the audience. At first some of the audience weren't actually sure if it was a real wedding or not, so congratulations to her and her partner. Boy that is one seriously cool way to get married! As well as the marriage, the clothes were beautiful and I unlike some other reviewers like the handmade sewing aspect to it. It made the clothes seem less commercialised and more like an amazing garment to treasure that took hours hours to make. So wedding's in fashion show's,how long will it take for that idea to be snapped up by someone? I can't really see any old person getting married in the middle of a Chanel fashion show can you? I don't think the head of Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld would be too pleased. More gorgeous pictures of the wedding fashion show can be found here: Imitation Fashion Show. Who doesn't like to look at wedding pictures? But I must warn you,there are no bridesmaids with rediculously ugly dresses on, making the pictures look bad so the bride looks better. It wasn't that kind of wedding.
So there you have it. Day 1 of what is going to be and has been a very exciting week, so check back here for more info on the best of the rest of the week. If you want more check out Vogue Fashion Shows 2012 and Youtube-Mercedes Benz Fashion Week videos.

P.S.Because I'm so lovely to you all, I have come across some lovely vouchers for you shopping obsessed. Just put me in a magic lamp and call me the voucher genie! I think I'd look good with a turban,maybe not the moustache though.
Asos: Have given us a 20% off discount to celebrate London fashion week. The code is HAPPYLFW. Enjoy everyone,I'm finding it very hard not to go on the Asos website and use it!
Dorothy Perkins: A fabulous 25% off everything, yes ladies and gentleman everything! The code is:DPVIPD. It lasts from last Sunday (the 11th) to Sunday the 18th. Enjoy everyone,again I'm finding it very hard to resist!
La Senza: Not a code but they are offering an internet exclusive!! £2 bras for £20. So go on ladies, buy buy buy!
Debenhams: 15% off fashion and home. Code is PEWP. You can also get 5% off  beauty and fragrance and some electricals. Code is PEZP. Both expire Friday, so be quick!
New Look: 15%off. Code is NLVCTP, expires Sunday the 18th. They have some lovely new blouses in, so be sure to check them out!
BHS: £5 off £25 or £10 off £50. £5 code is SEPTEMBER111. £10 code is SEPTEMBER 112. Codes expire 1st Oct 2011. Also if you spend over £30 you get free delivery.
InStyle magazine have a lot of vouchers including ones from £10 off £25 at Warehouse, £10 off Reiss dresses and £10 off £30 at Urban Outfitters. On sale until 5th October 2011.
Body Shop:15% off until the 31st December. Code is VC15. Get some lovely bubble bath for those cold winter nights and you can get all your christmas presents there at a discounted price, so there is more money for you to spend on that dress that you really need! Result!
You can also get money off vouchers by subscribing to H&M's newsletter, Wallis's newsletter and Dortohy Perkin's newsletter.
Jaycott's: For all you sewing lovers, they are offering 40% off Butterick patterns, ending tomorrow at midnight and half price Simplicity Sew Simple and Sew Easy patterns.Expires September 17th. They also have some great offers on Janome sewing machines. So everyone get sewing now! Right, I am off to buy some patterns. Hey, patterns don't exactly count as clothes, so I can buy them on my shopping detox right?
Enjoy all these scrummy vouchers! Remember every purchase can be justified, but maybe don't tell the bank manager that you spent a whole month's salary on clothes, due to feeling a little down that Mr sun has not greeted us with his presence recently. They just won't understand!
*Oh and Anna Wintour if you are reading this, which I highly doubt you are, I'm sure you don't really have bags the size of balloons under your eyes. In case you do though,try some cucumber on them it works wonders.
Second Hand Rose
XxxX