Loving LV's latest campaign photograph...

What do you think?

Fashion Week Dates finally confirmed...

Parker pen at the ready girls (and boys)....actually first here is some important news:

The British Fashion Council has appointed Lucy Yeomans, Editor of Harper’s Bazaar as chairman of the BFC press committee takeing over from Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, who became chairman in 2005. Alexandra committed a considerable amount of time and effort to supporting the BFC’s new management team in developing London Fashion Week and building its international reputation. During her chair she was able to support the BFC in bringing international names such as Armani and Marc Jacobs to London’s catwalks as well as the return of designers such as Luella and Matthew Williamson.

Okay you have waited long enough, for those who do not yet know the dates are:

NEW YORK: 5-12 September

LONDON: 14-19 September

MILAN: 21- 26 September

PARIS: 27th September- 5th October 2008

Introducing the Biggest ever Corsage, the Car-sage.

Listen up fashionista's i have a tidbit that is like sooooo totally out there. Vauxhall (you know the car manufacturer - dah), is introducing this summer the must have girly accessory aka the Agila. The run about town car comes in 7 colours and is set to be the new mini (clearing of throat).

Anywho, a huge corsage for the car has been created by the don's of corsage makers Johnny Loves Rosie. My "friends in the know" told me that Vauxhall gavr one specific request to Johnny Loves Rosie"make sure it resembles Carrie's". Now the question is does it? Judge for yourselves my lovelies.


Gros Bisous

Champagnista Girl

When fashion strutts...

Oh my, I was super excited to see Fashion's finest strutting their wears on the red carpet. They had put on their "Sunday best" to see Francisco Costa and Tom Ford win big at the US industry equivalent of the Oscars- The CFDA Awards 2008.

Yummy!...

I've never been that much into Matthew McConaughey: I guess it's because of being raised with brotehrs and looking up to role models like James Bond Sean Connery and Star Wars Harrison Ford: McConaughey has always been too much of a girly flick boy for me...

The new Dolce and Gabbana ad for their new fragrance the One, though, made me put a few things into perspective. The whole paparazzi scenario has been used before of course, but this time... Well, this time McConaughey takes his shirt off... and if the beginning of the ad made me laugh and wonder if it was very first degree or not, I must admit I had a completely different smile on my face at the end of it.

THE NEW FACE OF BURBERRY

I couldn't believe it when I heard Burberry dropped Agyness Deyn from their new advertising campaign; but then again, it is true that going down the runway in a Henry Holland t-shirt and an eye-patch isn't exactly Burberry style... even if the eye-patch is in check.

It is true also that the new Burberry ad campaign is going back to pure British style: back to black and white after their Spring/Summer 08 dazzling colors and funky staging, the new campaign was shot in a park at a misty hour, with leaves all over the ground, recalling the staging of the Fall 08 Prorsum runway.

It comes to evidence that Mario Testino should choose a British rose to be the face of this new season, and who better than Rosie Huntington-Whiteley could play that part? After modelling Victoria's Secret lingerie, the full-lipped British supermodel is moving to a brand that is classier but not a bit less sexy, walking in the steps of Kate Moss and Lily Donaldson towards an ever more dazzling career.

South Kensington Tube station, 6 June 2008

This street style picture has a story: I was walking in the tube station, when I see this girl in never ending legs and a cute short floral dress. I stop her and ask her if I can take her picture for a fashion blog, half-thinking that she looks way too fabulous to accept (sometimes I do give in to this kind of prejudices, shame on me), and to my surprise, she agrees to it with a sweet smile.

I can't believe my luck, snap her, run all the way to Haymarket where I have a work meeting at Burberry, arrive at the last minute, and while I am trying to concentrate on the team talk, who walks in but the South Kensington Tube station cutie... She was modelling for Burberry.

Make mine a Mojito

Be fabulous my fellow fashionistas- adorn your favourite dress and Choo's because this summer it is all about hitting the exclusive roof top bars after work where one can swap fashion tips and gossip on the who’s who whilst enjoying the cool brief air and the latest tasty cocktail.

So make mine a Mojito and I will see you there.

The pics of the above bars are the Gramacy Park Hotel rooftop and the Salon de Nig rooftop bar in New York City, the playing ground of many Champagnistas.

A year on fashion still mourns a unique style icon!

Every fashionista remembers how the who's who of the fashion world turned up at Isabella Blow’s funeral at the Gloucester Cathedral. The fashion icon Isabella Blow ended her life by drinking the deadly weedkiller paraquat at the age of 48.

Isabella Blow was as famous for her colourful life as her passion for hats and blood red lipstick. She was a stylist who was once described as of the 20 most influential people in fashion. She was married to the barrister Detmar Blow and worked as a style editor and fashion director for, among others, Vogue, Tatler and The Sunday Times. She renowned as a talent spotter and was credited with helping launch the careers of Mr Treacy, Alexander McQueen and Julien
Macdonald.

RIP Isabella Blow.

Pixie Geldof- The face of Graduate Fashion Week 2008

Pixie Geldof with Henry Holland

Pixie Geldof has been unveiled as the face of Graduate Fashion Week. The 17 year old was quoted saying

"There's too much attention on established designers when students are trying original, new ideas".

So if you want to attend the 17th annual Graduate Fashion Week be sure to pencil next Sunday's date in.

Breaking Fashion News of the Superficial Kind

Have you heard… following the TV death of Sex and The City, some fashionistas were lost and found themselves making fashion faux pas that before they would never have dared make due to the vital guidance of the SATC fashion show once a week.

Now fashion lemmings have a new show to follow and copy the latest trends from. Enter their new saviour- Gossip Girl. For those who have never heard of this show- I mean for the love of God were have you been- it is the new teeny bopper show from across the pond centred around young up eastsider’s who parade around wearing clothes that make great fashion statements that we could only have dreamt of making when we were young.

It is on this note that I can say “worry not fashion lemmings, you will get it wrong no more Gossip Girl Will show you the fashion light”, well here’s hoping anyway.

The One To Watch: JO BLAKE

Jo Blake is the accomplished designer who heads the Johnny Loves Rosie design team. With talent and wit, she is more than an upcoming she has arrived!

So here are your ‘Jo’ Facts

Inspired by celebrated designer Vivienne Westwood, Jo Blake knew from an early age that fashion was to be her calling.

A Central St Martin graduate, the budding designer cut her teeth at Louis Vuitton were she learnt first hand the in’s and out of the fashion accessory world.

Making positive waves at the popular LV brand, she was sent on a course in Paris where she was able to perfect her skills.

Confident in her undeniable talent, Jo left Louis Vuitton and started her own label DAJE establishing her as a regular on the Portobello and Spitalfield fashion scene.

It was whilst putting together her own collections, that Jo found her talents in demand so she started to freelance at well known and respected labels, one of those labels happened to be ‘accessories to love’ brand Johnny Loves Rosie.

Following three seasons of freelancing at Johnny Loves Rosie, Jo Blake was offered the job of Head Designer.

As Head Designer for the well known accessory brand she was given the opportunity to showcase her skills and talents fully.

She embraced the vintage look of Johnny Loves Rosie whilst adding a unique edge to the brand.

The birth of Johnny Loves Rosie bags bought about an opportunity for the designer to spread her wings and put into practice the skills that she learnt at LV whilst strengthening her skills in accessory design.

For more information please email the fashionista herself at

joanneblake74@hotmail.com

PETER BUCKINGHAM EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

The first time I met him I was on a Conde Nast shoot and he struck me as not being your typical fashion photographer: let’s pass on the fact that he is young and handsome, he is also massively talented but really down to earth and kind. The most intense moment I had in his company was when he helped me take suitcases back to the hotel room after the shoot: the lift stopped under the weight of all the luggage and I found myself stuck under his most incredible laser-blue eyes... That’s when you absolutely resent having a big annoying schoolgirl crush, really. I remember lowering my head and saying ‘ok...’, just to say something that would sound in the silence. He smiled and answered ‘what, are you claustrophobic?’... Well, I don’t like being stuck in a lift but really, it depends on the circumstances, doesn’t it?
Anyway. Here it goes, the interview of the mysterious Peter Buckingham, half-British, half-American, vibrant and up and coming New York fashion photographer who already shot for almost everybody from the New York Times to America’s Next Top Model.

Why do you think Richard Phillips’ ‘Shaking’ had such an effect on you?
... I would say it was because of the impact of such a large image. A portrait. But so big and powerful, and in a way I strived to recreate that feeling.

Which photographers do you admire?
Helmut Newton.

What advice would you give young photographers looking to get into the industry?
Where to begin? There is tons of advice to give. If I had to say one thing it would be don’t get too overwhelmed by the tech side of photography. Concentrate on the creative side of it, and make sure your photos always have some sort of meaning.

What’s been your best and worst experience on a shoot?
I try not to remember bad experiences, but I guess the worst experience I can have on a shoot is when I don’t know what I want to do, when things don’t come together. The best on the contrary is when everything happens magically and I have a great time.

What inspires you at the moment?
Inspiration comes from a lot of different sources, and it comes from within. I want images to look very real and have some character.

Is your passion for sailing a specific source of inspiration?
I don’t know if it’s a source of inspiration. It’s definitely part of who I am, as is photography. It’s part of my aesthetic in that it’s graceful...

How would you define your aesthetic then?
I don’t want to sound too traditional so I would say what it’s not. I don’t like photography to be tacky or trying too hard, or over the top for no reason. It’s like what I enjoy about sailing compared to other forms of boating. When you see these people on big yachts, it’s often more about showing your wealth than it is about the pleasure of boating. My photography is like my sailing: it is not about what the boat is, it is about what it represents. It’s not about the affluence, it is about what it meant to sail with my family, it is about the sailing community, it’s about sporting and playing.

How do you think it reflects in your photos that you are half British, half American?
[laughing] I don’t know... They're half cold, half fat? I would say British people are quite conservative and very polite, and Americans are bold and do whatever they want... Maybe my photos are a mix of that.

Who would you like to photograph but haven’t?
Actresses.

Models?
Kate Moss maybe, five years ago. She’s getting tired now.

There are no men in your photos. Is it a choice?
Women look better in the camera. I prefer shooting women. I like going back to the style of photos of Richard Phillips. He made women iconic. I don’t feel like men can be iconic in the same way in front of the camera. I don’t admire men... maybe a few, but not in the fashion world. If I had to shoot men I would shoot actors, with charisma, with a degree of theatricality.

Who is your style icon?
You know, I never looked at anybody for style. I look at lots of things for style, but I create my own. I don’t follow after anyone; I don’t lock into one person or one thing. Sometimes I like to listen to Elvis but I would get bored if I only ever listened to him.

What in your mind was the best fashion picture ever taken?
At the moment, something by Helmut Newton. His pictures were modern for what they were. They were doing more than just being a photo: it was not just about a pretty girl in a pretty outfit, it was about having fun with it all.

But then Richard Phillips is a big source of inspiration for you, and a lot of his works seem to unveil the shallowness behind the appearance of these glamour girls. And some of your earlier work does recall this perspective, I’m thinking about this fashion story where a girl is lying on the table, and the image is really strong, with a model who looks beautiful but somewhat empty.
[oh my god, did I blush on the phone, that was really inappropriate and badly formulated]
Well it was a good story... I do think serious fashion can get silly. I guess it wasn’t totally intentional. Now I want more from my model personality wise. The personality I work on now is more intentional. I don’t like when a model just sits there, looks pretty and doesn’t know who she is.

Having shot for everyone from Interview to the New York Times, which other magazines do you think showcase the best fashion photography?
Paris Vogue and W.

What do you think of the fashion vs advertising photography debate?
Is it still on? I think advertising fashion photography used to be better. But the bottom line in advertising gets stronger and stronger and photography gets lost. But there is still a big difference between ad campaigns for these big fashion warehouses with lots of money like H&M and a campaign for Chanel.

http://www.peterbuckingham.com/

A BIG THANK YOU PETER!

Whisper Mag Launch at Maya, 29 May 2008

Yesterday the very up and coming Maya club on Dean street hosted the launch of a new online women's magazine. The launch was well in accordance with the name of the magazine, with a dim lit atmosphere and slightly jazzy band.
A lot of young people from the fashion industry were there, and the Champagnistas took pics of the most stylish of them all for you. Check out the vibrant colour of a dress here, and a humorous take on 1930's fashion there. Little did she know she would match the style of the burlesque dancers who animated the end of the party with a cheeky strip-tease from 30's evening dress to silky bloomer and bra down to strategically placed sticky dollar bills.
You can check the first dummy issue of the magazine on http://www.whispermag.co.uk/.

Death of an era

Yves Saint Laurent is dead and I think my heart just broke. He was one of these figures I believed immortal, like Mere Theresa and Ghandi... The best always disappear so early.

The New York Times this morning wrote of him: 'Coco Chanel gave women fredom, Yves Saint Laurent gave them power'. He did reinvent women: whenever I see him in interviews or in pictures, so frail, so tiny, so gay with an effeminate right hand in the air, I can't help being suprised at the strength and at the purity of lines he gave birth to. His creations were so architectured, so vibrant, so incredibly elegant, he had to love women more than the most manly man does.

It is a great loss to the artistic world and I can only mourn in silence this exquisite man whose clothes were too beautiful for words.