LFW AW14 | Holly Fulton

I literally sprinted past one bouncer and under the massive arm of another as they yelled "Right that's it, no one else", as due to bloody trains I was late AGAIN. But I wasn't going to miss this Holly Fulton AW14 show, no way, as it's been the only one I can make so far and possibly one of the few I'll get to due to shoots and workload at the moment (and random teenagers and Z listers nabbing all the tickets, GRRR).

So anyway I made it in and shuffled on the end of a back row without much time to sort my camera, hence very few shots except of behinds from yours truly below, have had to use the pros.  In fact I spent so much time fiddling with my iPhone in one hand and camera's aperture button in the other that before I knew it the show was over. What I did see flash past was Holly's trademark graphic prints and luxe fabrics in a beautiful colour palette of camel, nude, pale blue, red and black. Hurrah, colour for Winter!

What really stood out for me were the gorgeous printed coats in cool, mannish shapes and the beautiful, delicate feminine dresses in sheers and metallics.

Here are some of my favourite looks...

Photos Kim Weston Arnold/Indigitalimages.com/Chloe Wood

#LFW Street Style: What I'll be Wearing

London Fashion Week in T minus 3 days guys...

To those of us that work on High Street mags, it isn't the be all and end all, i.e. we won't be front row with Harry Styles and Pixie Geldof, but it is SUCH a buzz and so much fun to get the chance to go to the shows. I always look forward to the Topshop Unique show (see here for a review of their SS13 show where I met Cara and Jourdan backstage) as it's so exciting to see a High Street brand put on a MAJOR catwalk affair. Plus the celeb spotting, new model face scouting and general fashion high. Oh and the champers and canapes, can't forget those.

For a feature for Look magazine this week they wanted to see what we, the editors, would be wearing to the shows. Uh - oh, This means a picture. Of me. In the mag. I prefer to be the other side telling people what to do but thank God it was a pal and old colleague, the very talented Alicia Clarke, who took our pics.

I scrubbed up a bit more than I usually would (bit of a scruffbag sometimes, me) and got to borrow some lovely bits from my PR pals including including ASOS, Topshop, River Island, Marks & Spencer's and Schuh.

I mixed in my usual faves - stripe, denim, neon and neutrals. Here's a couple of my looks:

Coat and jeans, ASOS; heels and jumper, Topshop; bag, River Island; sunglasses (in hand), Miu Miu

Dress and bag, Marks & Spencer; coat, ASOS; shoes, Schuh

All pictures ©Alicia Clarke/Look Magazine

New Website

I have finally updated my work online and built my own shiny new website one very long Monday night. So please take a peek here if you have a second. 

Launching This Week: Isabel Marant for H&M | Sneak Preview

As you'll have seen all over the fashion mags of late, the latest in a long line of designers to work with High Street fave H&M is Isabel Marant, who has for years brought us cool denim, fringed boots, wedge trainers, and general laid back luxe - styles that have seriously infiltrated the High Street of late.

And now the French fashion designer's oh-so-cool signature styles will be available for us peeps that can't always afford a high end label. The countdown is on. Isabel Marant for H&M goes on sale in two days, on Thursday 14th November, at 9am. (Not that we're counting or anything)

The British fashion press, including little ole me, were given a sneak preview the other week at the London head office of the brand. The pieces ooze that French Marant cool, yet still have the comforting H&M feel to them. I like. Easy-to-wear but not as 'out there' as some of H&M's other collaborations like Anna Dello Russo's, where, after a Season, you'll look like a bit of a twonk in those crazy sunnies, let's be honest.

Take the grey sweater below for example - a wardrobe staple. That's what I'd go for. But is it worth the queue on the 14th? Well, we all want a little designer in our wardrobes when we can, non?

Check out the full range here.

H&M's Holly rocks top to toe Isabel

You see I really WAS there!

NYC editorial | The Pink Story

Every fashion editor on the planet has done a pink story for AW13. Boring, I know, but it is THE colour of the season (though not a huge fan personally, prefer black myself...) and it would be criminal to ignore. It's tricky to make yours look different from thr next so I had always planned to make this one a bit rough around the edges, a bit gritty, and shoot it on the more run-down streets of Brooklyn whilst in NYC the other week.

The story is out this week and I have to say it is one of my favourites from the trip. Such a great team and a model who was so insanely cool she just had to be herself.

So here it is, Pretty in Punk. Hair by Riad Azar, make-up by Ingeborg and model Maritza Veer at Next.

WIBTW (What I Bought This Week): NYC

I've just come back from two weeks working in NYC (which you will hear a LOT about in upcoming blog posts to follow), so this week's pocket money was spent in the Big Apple. We didn't have a lot of free time but my speed-shopping skills are pretty well-honed and I managed to pick up a few gems whilst there.

I discovered J Crew big time whilst out there, as although I've heard the buzz for years I've never actually been in a store till now. So I went a little bananas. But if you are selective the prices are really good (some stuff like dresses goes up to a few hundred quid) and I got a wool jumper, cargo pants, a scarf, horse print socks (of course) and a really lovely silk print skirt for less than £200, which I think is very good.  The customer service here was amazing (Simone you rocked), as it was most places in NYC. Us Brits have a lot to learn, I hate to say.

Kate Spade was a bit exciting. I wanted a lot in here, but as my bank called me whilst I was in there to check my card hadn't been stolen, I limited myself. I needed a new wallet and I got a gorgeous patent coral red one.

The cool shops of Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg were VERY tempting, with amazing designer jewellery but a little out of my price range. However I found an amazing jewellery designers shop opposite one of our many hotels on 8th Avenue called Phoenix Roze where I bought the cutest gold necklace with 'C' charm. I wear it every day now - it replaces a similar one that I bought last time I was in NYC and recently broke. So that's allowed, right?!

Here are some snaps:

WIBTW (What I Bought This Week) | Midi Skirts, AKA Mum Skirts

There's something quite comforting about slipping on the latest trend in midi skirts.

I get weird flashbacks to hiding behind my mums leg's aged about four, as these comfy, easy-to-wear, not-overly-flattering skirts scream 80s mum to me. But I like that. The light cotton and retro prints would have totally been a separate of choice for Mrs.Wood back in the day.

The midi trend is huge and this week I have totally emersed myself in 80s mum-ness and purchased these two lovelies from Topshop and Asos.

Leopard print midi with thigh slits, £36. Buy here.

Multi stripe midi, £36, Asos. Buy here.

Waiting for a train in the sun, wearing Office shoes.

Waiting for a train in the rain, wearing Office shoes again.

Metallics shoot | From moodboard to magazine...

The last of my Barbados shoots was out the other week and I was really pleased with how I managed to achieve the original concept I had with this one. It doesn't always work like that and sometimes you have to let go of much-loved original ideas.

It was a metallics story, "7 days of shine" - how to add a bit of sparkle or shimmer to your Summer wardrobe.

Here is a picture of the original moodboard I made a few weeks before we shot when I was brainstorming story ideas:

And here's the moodboard from my shoot:

I never wanted to copy any of the shots form the moodboard but wanted to capture those mouthwatering blues, the warmth, and the shine of the clothes.

It was a long hard day that day - our final shoot on a ten day trip, but we pulled it out the (sequin clutch) bag. Thanks to a fantastic team.

All the clothes are High Street unlike all the designer on the original moodboard. Check out the cheap as chips white blazer from Primark...

Here are the final pictures that went into the magazine:

WIBTW | @ Feast Festival

Today was the first Feast festival in West Norwood since we moved here. I'd heard from friends it was good, and maybe it was partly due to the blazing sun and blue skies, but I have to say it was a brilliant day. Music, food, fantastic stalls (there are 4 main areas: retro village, artisans market, fresh n green and food fair - I bought something in each!)... I have to say it's confirmed for me this is a good place to live! I even bumped into a make-up artist I hadn't seen for years selling delicious French food with her fella. Small world. 

Here's a few snaps from the day, including a few snaps of what I bought. The highlight of my buys was my gold fill stacking rings from Crystal & Stone. I have wanted some like this for a while so super-chuffed with these. We also got a great print lampshade from Rosa & Clara Designs, some lavender, and as homage to the place we used to call home, a Brixton tea towel...