Tuesday, 21st September

I don't know why Fashion people can't seem to get along - is it all that hard? They seem to prefer to act like a pack of wild dogs but instead of turning on the weakest member of the pack - they turn on each other indiscriminately. From where I sit - I question frequently why we submit ourselves to this masochistic torture. It is almost as if the fashion shows seem to take second place to the political maneuvering found during fashion week. Of the shows today - Eley Kish had a few lovely moments, Betty Jackson - the grand maven of English fashion put a secure collection together - and I was sitting directly opposite Jennifer Saunders and her daughter - they seemed to enjoy it!

Julien MacDonald seems to have lost his way. I will always like what he does - but this season - it was a little bit too Miss Valentino, with a bit of Pucci and a 80's US prom on Acid. It was also muted on his celeb front - Rachel Stevens, Padma Rushdie and a few others but it seems (at least for this season) the crown of the King of London has passed to Giles.

Rafael Lopez wasn't as good as I had hoped - it was shown in Peter Jones in the atrium where the fabrics usually are. I would have preferred had they spent less on speakers and more on better lighting as then we might have had a chance to see it better - even from the position in the 3rd row where I was I was straining my eyes in bad light. It didn't help matters when it started so late because they were waiting for everyone - when it was clear that no on else was going to show. I rapped up the evening at the Donna Karen party, which actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Today I would also like to address DM - part of the reason I don't want to add comments (except for private ones) is it is almost sacrilegious for me to even be writing this uncensored view of the fashion pack - should they ever find out - I am sure I will be excommunicated. Any one of them - if they put their mind to it, could find out my identity (as we are a small bunch) but I prefer it if they didn't. I am hoping they can't be bothered to read the likes of a blog. The beauty of a blog such as this as I can be honest in my interpretation of events. However, I still love to hear your comments and if you care to pass my blog on to your friends - I am honored but I have no intention of putting it out there anymore than I have.

Finally - I would like to send my regards to fellow bloggers,
Belle de Jour and Pete's Posts who both after very successful runs have hung up their blogger badges for the time being - each for there own reasons. They will be sorely missed and it was because of them - I chose to take up sharing my thoughts with you.

" I only go to work to wear my outfits "

Monday, 20th September

Well an odd day on the fashion front. Jonathan Saunders was rather good - softer, more accessible. Paul Smith - well it was lovely but there were no new ideas - just Paul Smith tried and tested - stripes, floral prints and union jack emblems. It was a good collection - it will sell well but exciting it wasn't. Bora Aksu - stuck in a 70's folk chic loop and not my scene. Clements I loved - it got a bit dull in the middle but the end was very strong.

Now on to The ES Mag effort - I can't explain how much better it ended up over Style, I know I am harping on about it but I just can't believe that Style has been usurped. It is glossy, professional, interesting, engaging and the contributors each bring something to the table. Congratulations to Gianluca as his shoots are lovely. However with a magazine that has contributions by Sarah Mower, Lee Jenkins, Bay, Plum and Natalie - what do you expect. They obviously threw money at it and it shows in spade and in very good way.

Anyway - I am knackered and I am off to grab some winks.

" I only go to work to wear my outfits "

Sunday, 19th September

Well on us again - London Fashion Week. The highlight / lowlight of the day seemed to be Frost French. Now I don't care what the reports say tomorrow and I know the papers will have the requisite shots of the show and its high celeb factor, but for me - if this label didn't have that celeb quotient - it would be universally panned. It was a badly cut collection, with 50's lingerie references, stepford wives and a time warp of the worst of Laura Ashley. When thrown together it makes for nothing more than what you can buy down at Top Shop at at 5 times the price. As you can gather it didn't do much for me.

I quickly popped into the tents - mainly to get a hold of this seasons Omega Time Line number - this is what caused me to miss Elspeth Gibson. I did however manage to get a sneak preview of the ES Fashion edition which is out tomorrow. Congratulations all round - it looks good - forward thinking, a bit safe but for a first issue - not a bad effort. When you compare it to the Sunday Times - Style Fashion Special out today - Style has clearly been out classed.

The printing on the Style edition I have - makes Linda look like she has been mugged by a bottle of fake tan! Also really Linda and her comeback is old news - her comeback was 2 years ago now. This is where ES did the business and has Lily Cole as the covergirl. The front row censorship is a page devoted to Colin's winging - yes designers do but shhhurrly it is just to quote Colin - his own "Babyish Tantrums" by devoting a page to it (especially as we know that he was banned from Chanel for the longest time). Also an article about Stylists - come on ... Stylists are not celebrities - there work should be seen and they should not be heard! First and foremost - do we really care? Second is the celebrity stylist any more worthy of an article than say the celebrity makeup artist, hairdresser or pet psychologist? There is already a celebrity backlash but then glorifying there entourage as well - Please save us!

Claudia Croft puts in a good article on good classics - all of which I would agree with - and it reiterates the 50's mantra of buying something that will last and always look chic! But then we have Mels piece on "who is the High Street woman". Again - an article that would have been better in a marketing meeting. The companies know who there core customer is. A woman knows what suits her so why are we forced to read about it?

The best image of the whole book goes to Helen Kenny with her green accessories page - an image better suited to the glossy pages of Vogue (they should take note)! The Paulo Sutch trends piece is not his finest hour but lets face it - this is where they saved money. I am sure the Linda piece cost a bomb to produce (pity it didn't turn out better). The best main fashion goes to Sophia and Satoshi's story, and Jane Cattani's story is also strong. I await the Men's special which is a good twist due out during Paris on 3rd October.

Tomorrow is LFW full throttle so I will keep you posted and also I will give the lowdown on the full ES Fashion critique.

- "I only go to work to wear my outfits"

Tuesday, September 7th

Well I had to go and enjoy the sunshine this weekend while it lasted. After one day lounging by the pool with a few friends down in the country, I am now sporting the lobster glow I seem to acquire with no discernible effort. It was a last minute escape - I never usually decamp out of town on the eve of a big job but the sun was to much to refuse (and a convenient excuse as the house started to flood and I just didn't have the patience to deal with it). In hindsight, it was a good thing I did grab the R & R - as the job yesterday was far from easy.

As often with celebrities - they are usually delightful, and yet at the same time, bloody difficult! In the sliderule of this sort of thing however, this was mild. I emerged unscathed and no egos were destroyed in the process. All faux pas were averted and everyone is generally pleased.

I was brought back down to earth today from my fashion cloud - having to endure dealing with the insurance system. I could bury my head in the sand no longer - and had to deal with the flood. Now it is plumbers and claim adjusters for the next day or two!

Finally, I am at a loss on a great sign off for the end of my posts - email me if you have any good fashion related pithy sign off suggestions as I seem to have hit a brick wall.

Thursday, September 2nd

Ok I have had a bit more time than usual today as I am in the calm before the storm. This has lead me to check out other fashion bloggers. The winner by far for my "fab o meter" was this site Liisa's" Paperdolls - Celebrity Dress Up Games it is just a scream! Go - enjoy I dare you.

I also was interested in My Fashion Life which is a good general fashion site with very good links if you are into that sort of thing. I have to admit I haven't really looked at other fashion blogs and figure if I just do my own thing (which I have usually done in most aspects of my life) then I am happy. Generally, I find other peoples blogs far outside my own realm of experience are the most interesting. A blog is the one place where you can externalise your inner monologue and that also satisfies one's own voyeuristic tendencies in the way that a regular diary can not.

As for my inner monologue I had a "quiet day" - I spent most of it on the phone. I had a bit of Sample Sale therapy first thing. Then I interviewed a work experience girl as my assistant is away on holiday and had lunch with a PR agency owner for a catch up - which was lovely. I finally had a gander at the new Vuitton campaign and it is really a corker and going to be hard to top that ... I don't usually advocate the use of celebrities but in this case it actually worked. Now what about Kiddman and Chanel.......

Wednesday, September 1st

Well, another job falls through the fingers. I was up for presenting a television programme. Now I was excited about this potential project as it required a good deal of travel (something which I adore - especially on someone else's expense account) - however the Network decided they needed a name. Admittedly I am not a "name" nor do I ever have any intention of being one - so the job has gone to Jodie Kidd. Furthermore, I was then asked to co-present one of the shows but alas they are shooting next week - the same day I have a the Harpers Bazaar job - so I had to turn it down as I had a prior commitment.... I never like having to turn a job down and it would have been a great opportunity.

Apparently the Fashion gossip on the street is that Anne Marie Curtis (former Fashion Director of Wallpaper*) has landed the job as the Fashion director of ELLE. This - if you listen to gossip, is because they couldn't afford Kate Phelan of British Vogue. On the same front Ian R. Webb ( former Fashion director of ELLE ) is apparently working on his book... and I good one I suspect it will be too. I will let you know more when I do. It will be interesting to see what ELLE does as a new team with Anne Marie will be a leopard with a different set of spots than had Kate been at the Fashion helm. Perhaps she is holding out that there will be a coup at Vogue - lets face it Vogue has sorely gone down hill and I hear the ABC's are also slowly beginning to erode. Lets face it - have you seen Vogue's September issue? You have a picture of Kate Moss on the front - who is no where to be seen inside the magazine. And the post production job they have done on her is scandalous. I could go on but it speaks for itself.

Monday, August 30th

Surprising for a bank holiday - work! An unexpected email for another Harpers Bazaar job... well that will keep the week interesting! I had had a lovely email about the last job so I thought there might be more in the pipeline but not as quickly as this! As I have mentioned before the fashion world stops for no one! Glad however, that I chose to escape the carnival and have entrenched myself at a friends place. This however is being written from a Wi-Fi starbucks... isn't technology grand!

Friday, August 27th

All has been quiet on the fashion front. August is usually exceptionally quiet. The international press offices are closed and for a workaholic profession this enforced slowdown is usually a welcome relief for everybody. For some reason, compared to previous years I have had a fairly busy August. I had a lovely job working with the present #1 pop princess, who was delightful I might add. A smashing job working for Harpers Bazaar and a consultation to a young up and coming fashion company. However, now we have September on the horizon and I have to step up a gear.

I think I am going to skip New York this season for a couple of reasons, if I see another show of American sportswear/classics, I might be tipped over the edge and need catwalk prozac for the foreseeable future. Additionally, by the time I get to the end of Paris I no longer care about the beauty I see before me. There is nothing worse than fashion burnout and the shows test everyone to the limits. The London Fashion Week schedule arrived in my inbox today - nothing I am gagging to see. However I am still waiting for the off schedule show list, as Kit Willow seems to hold some promise... fingers crossed it isn't just a bunch of London hype (which is often the case).

The more interesting aspect of London Fashion week will be the contest between the Sunday Times Style and ES Magazine - both of which are heavily into sponsorship of LFW. Both are planning large extravaganzas for the public ... However the Evening Standard are taking lead in the sponsorship - have an amazing fashion issue (if my sources are to be believed) and are making a bid for the London Fashion Newspaper crown. The old battle axe that is Style has an uphill battle ahead of them. It has been looking rather Essex over the past six months to a year. They had a strong relaunch but it has been going downhill since. It is no longer the Vogue of the newspapers that it once was.

Well I am off to enjoy the Carnival... the buzz around here has started already... I better decamp to a friends house if I plan to get any rest at all!

Tuesday, August 17th

Now that the stress has subsided and I have adjusted to my new status I can tell you that I have done the impossible and joined the property owners in London, hence my absence for the past little while. I also have the liberty of being somewhat smug having paid £70,000 or so under the market value for the flat. So now I have been knee deep in rubble, tweaking here and tweaking there. I spent the last few days making an acquaintance with a breaker. I am still in a layer of dust. Rather like the Galliano show a 2 or 3 seasons back with all the powder paints! Life did take a small civilized turn when I was invited up to the widow Getty's place in Berkshire this weekend to watch the Sir Paul Getty's XI vs. I. Zingari annual cricket match. Admittedly, I am not the biggest cricket fan by any stretch of the imagination; however I couldn't turn down the opportunity to see one of the best private library's in the world. It was breathtaking - 1st editions of everything, jewel encrusted copies of Keats, the Canterbury Tales just to name a few.

The cricket wasn't half bad either... Quintessentially English. We were all set out on deck chairs over looking the best private cricket pitch in the world (Getty was cricket mad for an American). Pimm's and Champagne were brought over to you, and your glass never emptied. A scrumptious Salmon lunch, a proper English tea.. and also an ice cream trolley to top it off. It was just delightful! It will definitely go down as one of the more memorable occasions, second only to my stay on the Christina O, (the Onassis Yacht) and its whale foreskin barstools. Christina O, Onassis Yacht . Anyway it was lovely to get out of London for a day. Lots of things are happening but I don't want to jinx anything by tell you now... just call me superstitious! Speak soon.....

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Wednesday, July 28th

Life on the outside of a blog sometimes infringes with life inside it.  I have been playing councilor recently to several friends who seem to have split with their respective g/f or b/f. Furthermore, many of the joined at the hip couples I know have all seemed to be questioning the validity of their relationships. I am beginning to believe it is a virus.

One such couple, the gentleman concerned broken off his engagement (much to the relief of his friends) - not a decision taken lightly. Is it a summer malaise? People are outside - chatting, flirting and then become dissatisfied with their partners' as the grass in London always seems far greener in the summer? 

I have been hermited away from the fashion fray for a few weeks because of other commitments but things are in the pipeline so I will keep you posted....

Wednesday, June 30th

Well thank goodness some things are reliable in this life. Henman lost the game the moment he was no longer cast in the roll of underdog! The country needs another sports loser... the English summer wouldn't be the same without it.

The changing of the guard has started over at Elle. Ian handed his notice on Monday. I had the ragging whispers phonecall yesterday by early afternoon and it has hit WGSN today. It looks like Lorraine is making her first new appointments... time will tell how the crumbs will fall....

Tuesday, June 29th

I am just back from Wimbledon. I haven't had a chance to go in several years so it was nice to be offered a Players Companion ticket. I have to admit I spent most of my time wondering around the crowds - as the players area was full of Tennis wives and their offspring. I didn't pull up until around 3:30 so I managed to miss the best matches of the day however it was nice to go and sit on Henman Hill. It was a good deal smaller than on telly.

I also came across a bit of American Satire (an oxymoron if there ever was one). I leave you with it today:

"We, the relatively unbothered and well off, hold these truths to be self-evident: That big government, Big Deficits and Big Tobacco are bad, but that big bathrooms and SUV's are not; that American overseas involvement should be restricted to trade agreements, mutual funds and the visiting of certain beachfront resorts; that markets can take care of themselves as long as they take care of us; that an individual's sex life is nobody's business, although highly entertaining; and that the only rights that really matter are those which indulge the Self". (Nicholas Lemann)

Monday, June 28th

A big thank you first of all to worldwide for being my GMail Fairy. I am just testing the account now before I give up my hated Hotmail account forever. Please visit and find out all sorts of goodies that he/she has compiled. It has been a crazy day today... I should have known it was going to go down hill when I find the old porn shop near my University in London is now a Starbucks! The shoot I was organizing last week now seems to have imploded - not by anything I or the photographer have done but it looks like the Magazine might close. Everything as been put on hold. Murphy's law

So what to do? Shop! Oh and torture myself in watching the Henman match. So far it isn't as much of a cliffhanger as it usually is. However I might have spoken too soon. Finally, please send good wishes to Gavin B at Storm Models, who is recuperating having been hit by a car last week. Thank goodness it wasn't worse!

Thursday, June 24th

Organizing anything in Fashion seems to be a nightmare. I have spent the last two weeks negotiating a shoot with a hot photographer. The photographer who has been in the industry ages, travels with their family between New York and Europe. Just trying to tie them down to a phone call is hard enough. However, once I did - they were sweetness and light. I have to say I am looking forward to getting it finished but I know it is going to be an organizational nightmare. To add more tension my editor is now being elusive.

I am sorry to hear that England lost the football but it was a good game. I have to admit however I was more interested in the Tennis. I spent my evening on the phone with an fashion editor of a large newspaper. She is having a rough time of it - when the pack turns on you it is like hyeanas on a carcass. I am sure she will make it through as she is a survivor as well as a decent character (a rare thing in fashion).

It looks like an Editor in Chief also seems to be buttering up a new Sugardaddy as they were spotted in dining in Chelsea last night.

Wednesday, June 23rd

I have just returned from seeing Mean Girls, Tina Fey's adaptation of Queen Bees and Wannabes. Its seems that my life in the Fashion world is a Post Doctorate course in catty A type female behavior.

In Runway world Anna Wintour is referred to at the top of the tree with Franca Sozzani (editor of Italian Vogue) being a close second. The interesting point comes at the shows - where magazines fashion department get pitted head to head (against each other and against other magazines)....

Now the movie was just the ticket. I took a friend S, who is also just split up with her b/f. That is two in one week. I have been known from time to time to lament my single status however the two couples I always held up for scrutiny as living the "Happy Ever After" both now have imploded. I would love to blame Hollywood ... however I am the tragic lemming that buys into the Prince Charming myth.

Tuesday, June 22nd

Why do most blogs I have come across seem to be about sex? Is this a headache left over from Carrie Bradshaw et al?

I have spent the last couple of days with my limited knowledge of computers - tweaking the template of my blog so that its sight didn't offend me. Furthermore, I also researched into other blogs I visit. I was trying to see stylistically what I wanted to see from a blog.

Now I have a healthy appreciation for sex but why does it seem that at least 60% of blogs are sex based? Is that all anyone else wants to read? Now it seems there is a trend that sex blogs writers only link to other sex blog writers. I have included a few of them in my links. I must say some are wonderful - as the feted Belle de Jour or Diablo Cody but most seem to be a case of show and tell, tell and tell.

Back to the fashion fluff - my reading for the plane was Bergdorf Blonds by Plum Sykes
Now several people in the industry have trashed this book however, I loved it for what it was. No, it is never going to be a heavy weight contender but it is the perfect fodder for planes, beach loungers and while sitting under the dryer while having your roots done (heck it beats a tatty copy of US or Hello). People write about what they know and it is evident here in spades. These characters do exist and she knows them very well indeed. Plum, being as the English call it an "it" girl herself along with her sister Lucy; she has lots of material to draw on. Ok, we knew who the heroine was going to end up during in the first 10 pages and it lacked a plot, but everything else was delightful.

Now my weekend - while suffering through my jet lag consisted of escorting a friend to a ball at Blenheim Place. R has recently split up with her boyfriend of several years due to a large drug habit. She suffered through lots of rehab counseling with him but it was one relapse to many, as they say. Being the supportive friend that I am, went along to keep her company (I was glad to share some quality time with her myself!). It was an interesting night to say the least. We had a line up of Madness, Sheryl Crow, Blue and Sir Elton John. A fairly impressive lineup. It was good to see the musicians up close and personal. However, who the hell are Blue? I am sure they are lovely boys but really they are a product of a good choreographer, a good stylist (with a large budget to spend at Dolce) and some bought in songs. I have never been one for boy bands, but to put them up against three other acts that are actually musicians it was tragic. Finally, what compels sane intelligent women to scream out band members names and cry hysterically ....

I am suffering from Jet Lag so bare with me on this one - I am also stretching my blogging fingers. All I can promise is a neurotic account of the fashion life that I see around me. It ranges from the deathly dull to catty runway moments from around the world. It is a small sorority, so as I am sure will forgive me, I will tend to leave a few of the more traceable details out. Suffice to say - I travel in the rarefied world of Supermodels, Designers, Stylists, Model bookers, agents and the like.

Is it what I thought when I started it was cracked up to be? Certainly not - however like crack - it is potently addictive and has kept me hooked for almost 10 years. You meet amazing people – some that you read about on a daily basis and some that you think have jumped out of a turn of the century novel. You validate their neurosis and they yours. It is a world that likes to think it is grounded in reality – but is so far removed from it, I wonder why it pretends. There was a time that I was just a simple sunshine girl …… more of that later.