IsabelleOC » topshop

Things To Look Forward To In 2012

Isabelle — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:11:19 +0000

2012 is here and you know what they say, great minds think alike. In a similar vein to Rachael’s exhibitionerama post I’ve been stockpiling Things To Look Forward To In 2012. Great name huh? Anyway, finally at the end of Jan here it is in all it’s glory… Part two, Art & Beauty is here.

Fashion

Topshop X Julia Sarr-Jamois edit today!
JSJ is such a such style icon, the words do get bandied about a bit but she’s definitely up there with Yasmin Sewell and Taylor Tomasi Hill. Looking forward to having a blissfully quiet wander in TS’ Edited section when I’m in town on Saturday to see it for myself.

Marni X HM 8th March
This isn’t breaking news, but more a reminder to mark your calendars as Marni are collaborating with H&M on a collection due out in March. As a total Marni fan I have to say this is the H&M collaboration I have been looking forward to the most. Sorry Donatella.

Hobbs Invitation SS
Occasionwear makes me break out into a cold sweat, all I can think of is ribbons of tonged hair and shiny tan tights but Invitation, Hobbs’ new formal collection is actually pretty good. I can’t help my inner wedding misfit though, as I’m getting a hankering to wear the black(!) suit to the next nuptials I go to…

Farfetch.com Superstore 2nd Feb
Charles Anastase, Natalie Joos and Hannah Marshall (illustrated above) were among the 12 tastemakers picked by Farfetch.com to select their favourite boutiques across the world. The resulting shortlist was thrown open to the vote and it’s now down to Merci in Paris, London’s Primitive London and Voo in Berlin. You can find out which boutique is the Superstore in a matter of weeks!

Y-3 SS
I’m a bit of a party pooper when it comes to big organised events, I was cycling round Holland when the Royal Wedding happened and I’m not exactly clamouring for the Olympics to start. Y-3′s black Union Jack totes are a great way to subtly fly the flag without getting all ‘Vindaloo’ about it and the Oriah heels well because have you seen them?

Uniqlo X Laura Ashley (& more!) Feb
At Uniqlo’s SS12 press day they revealed some cracking collaborations coming up, the only one I can reveal now is the Laura Ashley UT collection which if you haven’t seen it is the epitome of English summer prettiness. Keep your eyes peeled for more exciting collabs coming this Spring.

Hermione de Paula at my-wardrobe SS
Hooray for Hermione! my-wardrobe are going to be stocking the British designer this season, this comes hot on the heels of news that the etailer are planning to go international with their website.

Aldo Rise SS
Aldo have teamed up with Selfridges to offer shoe fans the chance to snap up designs from JW Anderson, Preen and Mark Fast in a collection of footwear which hits stores this spring. I’ve totally fallen for Preen’s pixellated print slingbacks, they’re clean-looking with a dreamy print and futuristic block heel but the rest of the collection doesn’t disappoint with bicolour heels from Mark Fast reminiscent of his knitwear creations and some great ‘hairy’ heels from JW Anderson in mixed materials.

PSSSTTT!
Here’s some teaser news for the coming year…
-YSL‘s arty ring, a favourite among bloggers, is getting makeover for Valentine’s day. No pictures yet, but start dropping hints now!
-Fashion East designer Maarten van der Horst is working on a collaboration with Topshop which will hit stores in April. Uh huh!
-To celebrate their 10th anniversary Lanvin are releasing an exclusive book, again, no images but I just know it’s going to be a good ‘un.

Michael van der Ham for Topshop, say no more

Isabelle — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:20:42 +0000

Michael van der Ham for Topshop, available from 15th September. Prices from £130 to £240, jump through to see the rest of the collection.

My Summer Makeup Faves

Isabelle — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:46:41 +0000

This summer I’ve updated my makeup bag with some new purchases that have become essentials. I tend to the natural end of make-up, I’m not so interested in crazy colours, but more into looking like I’ve had a delicious 9 hours sleep, which is a rare occurance.

I don’t really wear foundation, but Aveda’s Inner Light tinted moisturiser is light enough to wear everyday and it has SPF. It’s non-greasy as well, so I can wear it and not get a sweaty mirror/forehead. Bonus. Benefit’s Porefessional is a bit of a miracle product, it’s a silicon based mattifier/pore refiner which gives an unreal soft focus glow to your skin. You just smooth it on areas like your nose, forehead and anywhere you want to smooth the texture of your skin. Lisa Potter-Dixon, head make-up artist at Benefit showed me how you can mix Porefessional with your moisturiser or foundation to give it an all-over liquid skin finish. Topshop’s Skin Glow is giving me amazing cheekbones, it’s really sheer and subtle but adds a gorgeous glow which is perfect for summer. I’ve also been mixing it with my moisturiser when I’m hungover, to give my grey skin a boost.
Aveda Inner Light Tinted Moisturiser: £23. Benefit Porefessional: £23.50. Topshop Skin Glow: £10.

I usually wear Mac Select Moisturecover concealer, because the orange tones neutralise all the blues and purples of my dark circles. In the height of summer though I switch to their Studio Finish Concealer, its thick consistency blends really well on sweaty faces and over sunscreen and the high SPF is made for sunny days (like we’re seeing any of them!) Just a few dabs is all you need for fresh-faced coverage. It’s a beauty trad favourite and I can see why, Nars Laguna bronzer gives a great sheer bronzed finish and layers up a treat. It came highly recommended from a similarly sallow-skinned colleague, thanks Rebecca! The merest hint of shimmer gives it a 3D effect, and it combines brilliantly with the Skin Glow.
Mac Studio Finish Concealer: £13.50. Nars Bronzing Powder: £24.

A date with Jacques D’Azur

Isabelle — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:02:54 +0000

To celebrate Cannes festival Stella Artois have created a film about mythical character ‘Jacques D’Azur’. A chance to revel in good old-fashioned glamour, the film sees them take a look at the scene on the French south coast in the ’60s and the legend surrounding this archetypal playboy figure.

Stella asked me to put together an outfit for his imaginary date to the Cannes Film festival. Being asked to create an outfit takes me right back to my Catwalk Queen days, I love this shiz.

I picked out a vintage dress which has a bit of louche mystery and added playfulness with the Tsumori Chisato sunglasses. Pixie Market stock these ridiculously cool Jeffrey Campbell flatforms, they add a little clunkiness to the outfit and stop it looking like a retro fancy dress costume. Dannijo earrings channel the ’60s vibe and you can trust Barry M to produce a colour-pop lippie in a shade that brings it all up to date.

Goldworm sheath ’60s dress, Blue Velvet Vintage: $135. Dannijo Thordia Earrings: $295. Barry M Lip Paint, ASOS: £4.50. Jeffrey Campbell Patent Platforms, Pixie Market: $145. Tsumori Chisato Cat Sunglasses, Creatures of Comfort: $387.

The next outfit is more of a ‘why don’t I watch you play tennis while I drink cocktails’ kind of affair. Tan-hound that I am I love an all-white outfit because it really shows off that golden, glowing skin damage. Prada’s pleated skirt is near perfect and you can always rely on Banana Republic for a nice bit of jewellery. The Topshop shoes and Marc by Marc bag give a little bit of textural interest.

Stella blazer, the Outnet: £450. Leather lily stone necklace, Banana Republic: £29.50. Prada pleated skirt, Yoox: £135. White woven sandals, Topshop: £32. Marc by Marc Jacobs raffia shoulder bag, My Theresa: £205.

*This is a sponsored post, mamma needs some new shoes*

Rock n dye, tie n roll…

Isabelle — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:31:49 +0000

I knew I was going to get the black versions of these New Look lace-ups, especially after seeing Fur Coat in them a few weekends ago. I also went crazy and got the leopard print pair, maybe it was wearing my tie dye tights all days that gave me a little reckless feeling. They’re light and I think the thick sole makes them warm, so a practicality WIN there and they really are pointed, not like the pictures from the site which hardly do them justice.

Krazy tights are from Topshop, I didn’t think they were that kooks, but they seem to be getting a reaction whereever I go which is in the street, at work and in Whistles… so jet-setting! I like wearing these with smart, buttoned up clothes; can’t wait till I FINALLY get my Carrie skirt from Whistles to have a little sheer fun with my outfits but that is a whole other story.

Confetti System party!

Isabelle — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:13:15 +0000

I’ve spent a lot of time looking for party decoration inspiration for my birthday next week. Most of my attention has been focused at the Confetti System’s beautiful garlands, their colour schemes are just brilliant. Sherbet-y pastels mixed with sludgy neutrals and metallics is something everyone can get on board with and I think I might use that as inspiration for my birthday outfit too.

Pleated skirts really give that streamer feeling, and have that wonderful ruffly party vibe. Add in some cobwebby knits and some ultrasoft leather accessories and you’ve got an outfit fit for a prom. All it needs is some kind of headband made from those ’60s nylon chiffon slips and some glitter spray and it’s party time.

BTW any IRL friends: this is isn’t a birthday wishlist, although if anyone wants to get me the SS11 Whistles skirt that isn’t out yet I’ll happily hand over my first born, or some of the lesser vital organs.

Repetto BB flat, Creatures of Comfort: $285. Chiffon ladder jumper, New Look: £24.99. Whistles pleated skirt SS11. ’60s gold Lanvin paperchain necklace, Atelier Mayer: £780. Wendy Nichol bullet bag: $550. Buckle sandal, Zara: £79.99. Boutique chintz flares, Topshop: £100. Miu Miu matelassé clutch, Net a Porter. Pleated maxi, George at Asda: £14.

Getting all Proustian in Topshop

Isabelle — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:35:35 +0000

I’m loving Topshop’s make up at the moment, it’s priced exactly cheap enough to be a lunchtime treat but not so cheap that it’s shit. Perfect medium, right? They’re also on the money with the colours, I bought the Parma Violets shade (left), and it’s sickeningly good. I also snapped up the Nutmeg cream blush, and the Iced Coffee lip polish. What? A girl’s gotta have her treats, yeah, especially if you’re trying to tackle Oxford Street on Saturday with a hangover. Ouch.

The packaging is really evocative, it reminds me of old make up that I’d find in my mum’s make up bag: a long-forgotten eyeshadow which I could squirrel away and try to fill in my eyebrows with, or a shimmering powder to daub on cheekbones. I almost miss those sparse, higgledy piggledy make up bags of my youth with pink Constance Carroll make up from the local pharmacy. At one time I was using a black face-paint stick on my eyebrows, I can’t even fathom how I must have looked at the time. Sexy, obviously.

Cheska’s maternity selection!

Isabelle — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:15:13 +0000

Fashion experts get my goat a little, I actually like people’s idiosyncrasies! When an old friend of mine asked to help find her some nice maternity clothes I couldn’t help but get a bit Gok Wan. When you’re cheggers your body is busy making a human so you don’t want to be faffing around, I think the best thing to do is take a tip from men and find a clothes formula and stick to it. In this case I’ve gone for tight bottom half, with a looser top half. Things like leggings and jeggings are easy to gussy up with the tea rose Topshop blouse and bird brooches but are also really comfy. You can also layer up as it gets colder, ankle boots and thick socks will keep you warm when it’s too cold for the ballet pumps. I chose the Kate Kanziers because they’re cheap and although ballet pumps aren’t exactly cutting edge they give a bit of foot expansion leeway.

Narrow stripes are actually slimming (take that Trinnie & Sus!) and I know Cheska is a fan, add a slouchy cardie and you’ll look streamlined without feeling too exposed. I really quite like the check shirt, it’s another piece that you can quite easily slob about in and then dress up with a necklace or something else shiny. The cape is a bit of whimsy, it will safely enclose a burgeoning belly for a good few months.

Topshop maternity blouse: £32. Topshop bird brooches: £10. ASOS striped tee: £25. Kate Kanzier Eleanor flats: £25. Topshop ultimate military cape: £95. ASOS check shirt tunic: £36.

Topshop do some great high-waisted leggings, and some nice dark wash jeggings, as well as a maternity band which should stop any winter drafts from getting in. I’ve also gone for dresses, then you can mix and match with tights and leggings. Cheska has pale skin, and pale blonde hair, so the New Look graphic patterned frock will contrast nicely with her complexion, it’s not actually maternity, but get it a couple of sizes big and it will look great. I love Banana Republic jewellery, if it can transform scruffy ol’ me into something approaching groomed then it will work wonders on anyone!

ASOS cardigan: £32. Diedre chain necklace: £25. New Look oversize drape shirt: £22.99.

London Fashion Week: Topshop Unique SS11

Isabelle — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:43:35 +0000

Topshop Unique’s LFW show was held at the old Eurostar terminal which gave it a Bum Bum Train surrealness, I was half expecting to be wheeled out of the show and into some other random scene, like a boxing ring or tea room. Loved all the ‘don’t wear heels’ tweets, it was a mere minutes walk!

As much as I love ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and did a mini fist-pump when it came on the the speakers, I’m not really so down with the Stevie Nicks style. I know a lot of people who are, and they’re in for a treat with Unique’s flamboyant take on ’70s glamour. It was glam, with a hippy prettiness that ran through it, with a few looks taking Liberty to a psychedelic extreme. Btw, if I ever describe something as ‘xxx on acid’ kill me. I also had felt some real Ibiza vibrations, I think this will be a big success for glammed-up partygirls.

Flamboyant prints and sky high perspex platforms are never going to appeal to everybody but you can pick out pieces that are guaranteed to be a commercial success. Sheer printed maxi skirts are mouth-wateringly vivid and pretty lasercut leather tops provide a ventilated version of fashion’s newest BFF fabric. @susiedraff alerted me to the resemblance between the hair at the show and a certain Vogue stylist, and the nails were chunky, encrusted pink and glittery talons of fabulousness created by Sophy Robson.

While this latest collection will be de trop for a lot of people, it shows that just because Unique is part of a high street brand doesn’t mean they can’t totally do their own thing.

London Fashion Week SS11 day two

Isabelle — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:06:00 +0000

London Fashion Week started today for me, as I had a full-on few days back at work after getting my wisdom teeth removed. I say full-on, I mean I went in doing my best impression of Casper the friendly ghost and left early to collapse into bed.

Daks was the refreshing morning hit my senses needed and fit in perfectly with the sunshine. I jumped into a cab with an old school friend & Disneyrollergirl to Louise Gray, streamer filled plastic dress omg. I then grabbed some breakfast and downed some painkillers and chatted with Seb and Laura. I had just about enough stamina for Topshop Unique, which is handy because the queue was long and I was swaying in the breeze. I eventually made it in and just about nabbed a little corner from where I could observe the space age Stevie Nicks shenanigans and Grace Coddington hair. Then I must confess I went straight to bed and got some much-needed sleep! I’m kind of enjoying the truncated LFW, it means I’m getting snippets without any danger of getting the bi-annual LFW cold.

Hot trend: both Lorraine Candy and Jane Bruton turned up with their children in tow, they might take up space on the front row but boy they were cute!