Gaga on the Cover of Rolling Stone

Check out the new Terry Richardson Gaga cover of Rolling Stone!

Read more:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/17386/119071

If I Were a Rich Girl...

...then I would buy this astoundingly beautiful RM by Roland Mouret jersey dress for £995 from www.net-a-porter.com: http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/94199

Mulberry and Target!!!!

OMG I am soo excited. I fell in love with Target/amazing designer collaborations when I got an Anya Hindmarch nude/gold extravaganza of a handbag at a clothes swap. Now they're doing it again! With Mulberry!!!! Read this and then make contact with understanding friends across the pond:

MULBERRY COLLABORATES WITH TARGET ON LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION

Target is partnering with world-renowned, luxury accessories brand Mulberry to launch a limited-edition handbag collection, Mulberry for Target. This collection is the ninth handbag launch in a series of limited-time-only accessory designers at Target. The Mulberry for Target collection will be available at most Target stores and at Target.com October 10 through December 24, 2010.

The range comprises 8 handbag styles and aims to evoke the spirit of the brand, rather than a compromise on quality. The key to the collection is authenticity – communicating the essence and character of the Mulberry brand. Fabrics such as denim and velvet allow the brand to be as true to its beliefs as possible whilst maintaining an accessible and democratic price point

Emma Hill, Mulberry’s Creative Director says, "We were thrilled to partner with Target on this special project! We love Target for its iconic, American status, for its sense of humour & for the fact that their corporate mascot & figurehead is a dog called Bullseye! And we especially respect and admire their commitment to philanthropy and to their vast charitable contributions, currently standing at $3M per week!”

New Shoes?

The only thing more exciting than buying new designer shoes is buying several pairs of designer shoes on sale.

The Harrods footwear silent sale was especially good this time around and I ended up with three pairs of exceptional bargains. The first was a pair of Kurt Geiger Miu-Miu-esque, clog-like platforms made from the softest tan leather imaginable. The second pair were by KG; a strappy, metallic gold orgasm of a high-heeled sandal marked down from over £100 to a single digit figure: £8. My third (and arguably) best purchase was a pair of Gina leopard print leather courts reduced from around £400 to just £59.

My friends Stacie and Claudia did very well too, each bagging a pair or two of YSL boots for around £70.

Going (as) Gaga

I decided to go as Gaga to our party and had lots of fun picking my outfit. In the end I went with: a wig from Paks beauty store in Dalston, some glasses from Primark which I customised with cigarettes, a necklace from asos.com, a bra from Freya, a vintage leather jacket from a clothes swap, temporary tattoos from a fancy dress shop at the top of Essex Road, high waisted pants from Marks and Spencer, lace leggings from Primark and some hardcore studded boots from Carvela. Most of my party make-up (including false eyelashes) was from Mac as usual.

Messtival 2010

The second Messival at our house was, for me, another party hit of this year. People came dressed in all of their very best festival regalia but the best costume award goes to the Portaloo ensemble by the talented Mr Sandy Houston. Extra points awarded for the genius 'hinged door-weighting system' which consisted solely (and usefully) of a beer opener on a piece of string. Other costumes included Lady Gaga (moi), a Glastonbury Death Rumour (well done Emily), beautiful hippies and gruesome goths. See who you can spot!

Pretty Yet Poor Packaging

There’s little more frustrating than opening up a shiny new product, adoring the contents but dreading using it again because of the frustrating nature of the packaging encasing it. If you have spent the time, energy and money creating something that is a pleasure to apply, then why pour it into something so clearly unworthy?

I love Philip Kingsley’s haircare range. A Trichologist by trade, this is a man who has built his career and become an expert in all things scalp and follicle-related. His Elasticizer (£25.00 for 150ml) is a deep conditioner legendary for giving celebrities the silkiest locks in the business and it is my weekly treatment must. When I suffered from an itchy, occasionally flaky scalp, I looked no further than his Flaky/Itchy Scalp Shampoo for aid. It worked but I broke nearly a nail a day on the bloody bottle it was presented in. If you are affluent, you will be lucky enough to purchase Kingsley’s shampoos and conditioners in the large 1000ml pump-action bottles (£47.50) but if you wish to try the products short-term or, like me, you are travelling somewhere and need something compact and convenient, the small 250ml bottle (£14.00) is the best option for you. If you have fingernails made from pure steel. The problem lies not in the shape or texture of the bottle but rather in the lid itself. Plastic, with the tiniest ridge imaginable, it is nearly impossible to open outside of the shower, let alone when water and shower gel is thrown into the awkward, swearword-inducing mix. Phil, even a screw cap would have been better than this nightmare scenario. This is a classic case of poor packaging preventing me from purchasing this product again; even though it is utterly amazing. The Elasticizer, however, in its gloriously easy-to use scoop pot, remains on my bathroom shelf to be re-stocked until I am no longer residing on this Earth.

A long term sufferer of oily eyelids (I won’t get wrinkles for a while but it is a pain), I jumped for joy when I heard Benefit was launching another eye primer, Stay Don’t Stray (£19.50). I was even happier when I tried it in the store, found it worked and promptly bought some. I was less pleased the next morning when I tried to make my new purchase dispense some product and it refused. Perhaps I was being impatient, I thought. I took the offending tube back to Benefit where even the helpful (and patient!) shop assistant couldn’t make it function. She got me a new one and that wouldn’t work either! Third time lucky, she sent me home with a new one. This bugger works far too well and dispenses enough product to prime my entire face and body and a waste of product equals a waste of money for me. I will buy some Muji plastic pots and reluctantly decant but, at the fairly hefty price of £19.50, I would have hoped that Benefit could have designed something that might actually work properly first time. I love the rest of their products and especially like their funky 50’s design ethos but this product, despite working better than anything I have used previously, has made me feel a little bit disappointed.

Come on lovely beauty brands, please sort it out. I want to buy lots your products without fear of losing a finger or looking like a particularly well-primed Jordan!

Alexandra Collette

There is just one thing I love more than a beautiful pair of shoes and that is a gorgeous new handbag. For my next purchase I plan to buck the boring established designer trend and go for something a little bit more interesting. I have been doing some research and came across Alexandra Collette's rather fabulous website:

http://alexandracollette.homestead.com/index.html

Alexandra began her career at Gieves & Hawkes whilst studying Accessories Design at London College of Fashion (my ex uni too!). As she was working on the Savile Row, she was so inspired by the tailors and their attention to detail that she decided to only ever make her bags in England.

These designs have evolved from Alexandra's personal inspirations rather than forecasts and trends, whilst keeping the Cordwainer craftsmanship alive in the UK.

I love all of the delicate quirks of these designs; the little ties and tassels that embellish contemporary tote shapes framed in creamy leather.

I had a quick chat with Alexandra about her fabulous arm-candy:

What was your main inspiration for this collection?

My main inspiration behind the concept for the collection was from vintage men's accessories. I was inspired working on Savile Row during my placement year there and take an interest in menswear - I like how you can't tell that is where my inspiration came from for my collection of women's bags.

Which material(s) do you enjoy using the most?

I like using leather the most, here I used a luxury canvas with a neutral vegetable tanned leather for a fresh summery collection.

Which other accessories designers do you admire the most?

I love Chanel - although I wish that quilted bags hadn't been copied everywhere in the high street, Chanel however, will always be Chanel! I also love Beverly Feldman - I have some of my mums bags and shoes that she bought in the 80's which I wear all the time and can't get enough of.. I wish she had kept more!

What would you be doing if you weren't designing handbags?

I would do more drawing and painting, something that I love but don't have much time for lately; it's something that I need to find time for. I'd also love to try out Fashion Illustration.

If you could design a bag for anyone (dead or alive!) who would it be and why?

If I could design a bag for anyone it would have been for Audrey Hepburn, I have always been inspired by her and I love all of her movies!

Being Joan

What would you wear to a Joan Collins themed house party? I chose a Jasmine di Milo dress with a vintage brooch, a leopard print jacket by Topshop and lots of crystal jewellery (a mixture of designer, vintage and Dorothy Perkins!). Don't forget to clip in some extra hair and ignore the 'one strong item of make-up at a time' rule; lips, eyes, cheeks, everything goes when you are Joan.

Russian Standard Vodka and the Noisettes

I went to the HMV forum recently to see the Noisettes (and drink Russian Standard Vodka and ginger beers to capacity) - the performance was really good, wow, Shingai has really perfected her moves since I saw her in the tents of Glastonbury 3 years ago! Loved her metallic outfit too.

Topshop in Knightsbridge!

Oh goody Topshop opened in Knightsbridge May 20th. No longer must I battle through tweenies to get to my maxi dresses! No, now Topshop browsing is a very mature, sophisticated affair which was celebrated, erm, with free ice-cream sundaes!!! Woo hoo!!!

Snapshots of Madrid Part 3 (the Final Part!)

Okay, I promise this is the final Madrid photo post! It was just such a beautiful city, I couldn't help but take this many pictures. Tell me if you start feeling like you're getting bored of just looking through someone's bloody holiday pictures haha.