Fashionistas Item Guide

Every Fashionista should have or invest in:

BlackBerry


Used by many career-minded intellectuals in the world of fashion and business, especially the ones that starts out as an intern or assistant. This is due to the amount of daily tasks that are required to be met. Everything that you need to survive in the world of fashion is in the palm of your hand. The features include sending emails to PR companies to internet faxing. If you want to be a girly and fashionable, then I would recommend buying the pink blackberry phone or you could get the original chic black colour or the Swarovski styled red BlackBerry phone which I like the most.




Sunglasses

Extremely popular since the 1940s. Anna Wintour made it possible to wear at fashion shows. You definitely need to have a pair of sunglasses preferably black for simplicity. Can be used as a social boost to mingle around with important people at various events, such as New York Fashion.



Starbucks

This keeps every fashionistas going through those hectic schedules and long hours. Hot chocolate with cream? Iced Vanilla Latte? Frappuccino? Whatever floats your boat! And if you begin working in the fashion world the first thing that you will be doing for the next couple of weeks is getting Starbucks for everyone making sure it’s up to their standard because if it’s not then you may get on their bad side. But on the bright side, it makes you feel professional holding that special white cup around the place, feeling part of the crowd. Good old Starbucks!

Heels
The higher the better! Must be able to walk in heels and have a number of various styles, colours, and shapes.



'It Bag'
Are a must for every fashionistas! The term arose in the fashion world during 1990s and still used now. The most popular designs that I found include the following:



Fendi Spy Bag



Balenciaga Motorcycle



Chanel 2.55


Louis Vuttion Speedy



Marc Jacobs Stam




Prada Fairy Bag



YSL Downtown


If you can’t afford these bags then you can rent them at this American site called www.bagborroworsteal.com, unfortunately they don’t ship internationally. The bags on the site can be rented for either a week or a month and people will think that you can afford every single It Bag out there. There is also a UK site called www.fashionhire.co.uk where a range of designer bags can be hired per months. All of the bags are 100% genuine so get renting!


Last But NOT LEAST....

20th Century Fashion £9.95 by
Valerie Mendes & Amy de la Haye

From the turn-of the century S-bend silhouette to the bumsters and bustiers of the 1990s, this concise and comprehensive survey explores all the significant developments in fashion across the 20th century. The authors focus on key movements and innovations in clothing for both men and women and explore these through the work of the most original and influential designers and couturiers.

Chapters are organized around crucial shifts in style and major world events, placing revolutionary fashion developments in historical context. International in scope, the book encompasses all the century’s most important designers and fashion centres alongside developments in accessories, hairstyles and make-up. Mass production, advances in man-made fibres, the growth of ready-to-wear and the influence of postwar subcultural styles on contemporary fashion are also discussed.
Taken from http://www.thamesandhudson.com/books/20th_Century_Fashion/9780500203217.mxs/37/35/

Best & Worst Outfits At London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is now officially over but to London Fashion Weekend will be taking place between the 24th and 28th of September, and during that week, Fashion week will be taken Milan on Monday with designers from Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Roberto Cavalli. I may have not attended any of the fashion shows but I handpicked some of the outfits that were stunning and others were well...have a look and see for yourself.

Aquascutum


When I was looking at the London designer collections for this Spring/Summer 09 and saw the collection for Aquascutum, I was amazed. The white outfit is very floaty , simple but elegant. The use of white shows a sign of cleanliness and purity. I loved the way lace and royal blue was used in the second outfit.It's very sexy,versatile and can be worn for a special occasions. I definitely give this a thumbs up!

Stella McCartney


In this collection, Stella McCartney stated that she liked to "push it a bit further in each season" she said to style.com. If there was a fashion Olympics, McCartney would win a gold medal. I wouldn't even call it a fashion show, it was a gym with models jumping, running and flipping about in the air. One thing that I love about fashion is that it goes with almost everything including sports. She felt that while you are working out in the gym, that you should be looking good as you are trying to tone up and lose weight. I would definitely wear the first outfit because it's so comfortable, very girly, and pink and Grey is an excellent colour combination. I liked outfit the model is wearing on the treadmill because it's very light and floaty.



Giles


This collection was inspired by the eighties game Pac Man. I really liked the yellow Pac Man helmet worn by one of the models wearing this lovely pink tea dress made out of plastic material. The second outfit is a crazy camouflage quilted shift dress with two Pac Man heads on either side.


Erdem



This layered Victorian laced dress was beautifully made and I liked the touch orange around the waist, neck, and chest. It flows so elegantly, so free and light. The second outfit was like as if it was growing flowers around the bottom of the dress, working its way up and stopped, creating a forest of flowers on the dress. Nicely layered showing detail and so light and tranquil. The flowers, this time growing upside down on the pleats of the bandeau dress with sliver ballerina styled shoes.


Jaeger London



I could feel the rainbow of colours flow around the sheer tunic dress. If I had the money, I would definitely invest in this dress. The classic LBD looks so amazing and I liked the chucky flower necklace made up of orange, black, and white, just stunning. This third outfit had this oriental feel to it with the fan shaped jacket and kaftan. Jaeger did an excellent job this season.

Mulberry


I really loved the demin dress at Mulberry, it’s something that I would definitely wear out, nice and causal. The second outfit is a rich purple colour shift dress which is popular with Victoria Beckham and complements the multicoloured bangle that the model is wearing.

Luella



Sometimes being simple can be the best thing you can ever do when it comes to designing clothing. What is up with the skirt? There is so much things going on that it makes your eyes wonder all over the place. The top part of the skirt is layered and then the second and third row of the skirt is replaced with these ruffles and more layers. The second outfit could give someone fits; the whole outfit has all of these floral patterns in different sections of the dress and sort of has the same kind of design as the first outfit. I think that Luella was trying to be creative but these two outfits are just over the top.


House of Holland


The only best thing about this how show is that Agyness Dean was in it. I really don’t know what people were thinking when they show those clothes emerging into the runway. How can you combine polka dot designs with chiffon material? I really didn’t liked the holes in the jeans it looked trampy I felt that Henry should have used plain material over the crazy prints which will still keep the 80s quirky themed collection which can be used with the rolled up demin jeans , chiffon styled jackets and the three quarter length tops.


Armand


I don’t know what Armand was trying to achieve when he created these two outfits. The first look is just ridiculous with the sheer tailoring. Half of the top is a cardigan and the other is transparent? How could you possibly wear that? The second outfit is similar except the electric blue Harlem trousers made out of sequin. Not really my kind of style.

Italian Vogue: Black Issue

When I read in Pride Magazine, that Italian Vogue will be doing an all black July issue I was over the moon. I was ecstatic that finally a magazine is dedicating a whole issue on black models. When the issue finally came out, I rushed over to the Borders in Shaftesbury Avenue only to find out that they only had 150 copies and they were sold out during the weekend. I checked the other Borders in Oxford Street and they sold 400 copies in two days! I panicked and called the Borders near my house and prayed that they still had copies. Luckily, they only had two issues left and I got one and was extremely happy. I quickly opened up the pages and was happy to see people of my own kind. They even used America’s Next Top Model Toccara Jones which put a smile on my face because she is so beautiful. Each of the pictures taken was done by Steven Meisel which filled over 100 pages of the magazine. Along with models, it also covered people in the entertainment industry and society. The Editor of Italian Vogue decided to do a black issue because of the success of Barack Obama in the US. I thank her so much for doing an issue like this because there aren’t enough black models in the fashion industry and it shouldn’t matter what colour or size you are, the whole purpose of modeling to show off what you are wearing and the person modeling it shouldn’t be critized. This issue broke the barriers of fashion and these are the changes that are needed to change the world of fashion.

High Fashion Magazines- Just A Fantasy?

Haute Couture. Fashion Week. Valentino. Prada. These are the terms found in high fashion magazines. These magazines showcase designer clothing from runway shows onto the pages of magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. There is the glitz and glamour of various parties held around the world with celebrities and models gallivanting around designers, hoping that they will be invited or featured in their next show. The expensive clothing and accessories are so gorgeous but with the sky high prices, readers can’t afford the products featured feel envious, making them feel like their life isn’t complete without having the latest it bag in their closet. The world of fashion creates an illusion of fantasy with airbrushed models with perfect skin and body flaunting the latest designs for the seasons in the countless adverts which dominate the magazine.



I enjoy reading Elle and Vogue for the images, but sometimes I feel as if, why can’t the fashion world just be real. I do love fashion, don’t get me wrong but if there was a sense of reality through those expensive clothing and models, then maybe people will take fashion more seriously. I mean isn’t fashion all about style and not how much you spend on clothing? It would be nice to have a plus size model in Vogue or a black model gracing the cover of Elle. I have also noticed that they don’t feature make-up for darker women. These magazines need to target all different types of women, all shapes and sizes and colour as well as budget. The only people that can afford the products featured in these magazines are the rich and famous. Fashion affects everything in this society, especially issues such as anorexia to the environment. There needs to be change and I’m definitely ready to make this happen. My ultimate dream is to have my very own fashion magazine that will change the world forever.