ASOS SS14 PREVIEW

The mighty ASOS has truly outdone itself for next season.

This is a brand who, many moons ago when I started my days of work experience in the industry, was a small, lesser known label called As Seen On Screen, and did rather cheap-looking copies of Paris Hilton's party frocks.

Cut to about 12 years later and this brand is leading the way in young British Fashion. Up there with Topshop, ASOS is creating it's own trends from it's observations of music, travel, culture and everything cool in Britain, and around the world.

I really love this brand.

I may have started to drop out of their demographic (the amazing ASOS magazine for which I used to work really is aimed at a younger audience than a thirty something like me) but from a Fashion Editor's point of view this is one of the best brands to be shooting right now. Exciting, standout and fun.

Their fantastic SS14 collections that we previewed at the Press Day today saw a few of the favourite ASOS themes remain; a heavy sporty influence, plenty of neoprene, colourful ethnic print (Indian and Hawaiian this time), digi patterns, but the grown-up ASOS White collection was a little modernist haven for the more demure dresser. And the new ASOS Salon collections were beautiful Summer wedding outfits sorted.

Accessories were also show stealers. Cool-as-they-come sunnies, crazy chunky sandals, fun logo bags, and then also more delicate, fine-looking jewellery for those of us that don't necessarily want to scream trends. (Although why not?!)

I cannot wait to see this stuff hit the site and start shooting it. Well done ASOS.

Here are a few phone snaps from the day...

Love this!

ASOS White

ASOS Salon

Accessories love | Reiss AW13

Oh hello, it's a sneaky little preview again!

Last week Reiss held their AW13 press day and although I've been ultra-busy, this was one event I was really keen to get to, as Reiss is one of the more top-end brands I get to work with on a regular basis. I do work with designer, but not that often. In fact I pride myself on making cheap-as-chips clobber look luxe (nearly every single item in the fashion editorial section of my website is High Street). Reiss makes that job a little easier for me with it's high-end quality and design.

I thought their shoes and bags this Summer were spot on, and chatting to the team at the press day in their plush boardroom (which has the softest thickest carpet in the world FYI) it seems the idea was to turn that up a notch for AW and really make sure they outdid themselves when it came to accessories.  And they did.

The Reiss design team's key idea was to merge not only male and female collections (men's and women's sat seamlessly next to each other throughout the space), but also fabric. The big 'thing' for them - they don't like to be mega trend-led - was mixing texture. This filtered to accessories too, which for me, were the stars of the show.

I love the simple, expensive designs that subtly say "I cost more than £80", without screaming designer.

Here are a few phone snaps of my edit of their AW accessories... (angles and space are never in abundance at press days, sorry!). Check out the different leathers, texture clashes, the beautiful designs... Gorgeous.

Reiss accessories designers, if you are listening, you did good. Very good.

Look out for these AW pieces hitting down from July.

WIBTW (What I Bought This Week): Miu Miu splurge

Blogging is getting tricky at the moment. Apologies for my slackness. I am working long hours on the magazine so not doing a lot else and have very little time to blog.  Very little time to do anything in fact! But it's all for the greater good...

All this hard work deserves a treat. It was payday for me last week and I felt a splurge coming on, to make up for all the late nights at the office.

Where to go when you want to spoil yourself rotten? Why, Selfridges, of course! 3 hours later I find myself in the shoe hall...

I rarely buy designer as can't often afford it but this time I felt the need. Shoes and handbags, right? Investment pieces, RIGHT?

So check out these little Miu Miu beauties. Salmon pink patent loafers. Definitely a timeless classic. Although someone did point out "What about your last pair of 'timeless classic loafers'. Go out of date?' Fair point. But c'mon, look at their cute little faces...

What I REALLY wanted was these Christopher Kane Chelsea boots with neon elastic. They are me all over. Classic but with a slight lariy twist. But at over £600 pounds, it was definitely unrequited love.

Then, just when I thought I'd seen it all, Marc Jacobs pops up with these mousey numbers. Love them. But reminded myself am not twelve... But so cute!

So I ogled something a little more grown up in the form of these gorgeous suede Acne boots. Divine.

And what other delights did this week hold for me?

It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise. I managed to go for a run, do my ballet class at The Brockwell Lido which I so rarely have time to do, and spend time with the legend that is Blue the Horse. We had hours together in the sunshine. A few of my favourite things, for sure.

Bring on the broots

Mmm, I LOVE these brogue boots (broots?) I saw in Bertie this week. It almost makes me wish it was Autumn now. Almost...