The New Pompidou

Paris's centre Georges Pompidou has gone into the franchising business recently and opened its first spin off museum, which is situated in the North-eastern French city of Metz.

The gallery opened its doors to the public in May and was designed by Japanese/French architect duo Shigeru Ban and Jean De Gastines, who also delivered on a budget (10 million euros) and in a record time of 3 years after construction began.

I have previously visited the original Pompidou centre in Paris which looks slightly like a fun house from the outside but this new franchise appears to have a minimalist and European feel to the design.

The beauty of window shopping

Each year I am just as excited to go window shopping in the city than buy presents for my loved ones. And London, along with cities like Manchester and Birmingham, is no exception being the centre of extravagance in the window dressing department for Christmas 2010.

-Georgina Goodman chose golden cats for her window display on Old Bond Street.

-Ralph Lauren decided on traditional colours and pieces for their window displays. Green foliage and twinkly lights played home to a perfect Christmas scene.

-Selfridges always go a bit wacky and this year have gone for a theme loosely based around a dolls house, there was also felt creatures looking out in some windows whilst doing their Christmas shopping at Selfridges.

-Harrods decided on a fantasy Christmas, using the Peter Pan fairytale due to supporting Great Ormand Street Hospital Childrens Charity in the process.

Add some festive cheer to your post

Its that time of the year again which some people dread, but personally I love, to sit down and take some time writing your Christmas cards to the special people in your life.

And this year The Royal Mail are getting in to the spirit by collaborating with the nations favourite animated characters, Wallace and Gromit, producing a small collection of stamps for the Christmas season.

Royal Mail designers worked closely with Wallace and Gromit creator, Nick Park and an animations company for the scenes of the stamps. The scenes include usual festive acts like posting cards, putting up the tree and carol singing.

Royal Mail spokesman, Philip Parker explained that the festive stamps are one of the finest sets ever produced. The stamps which went on sale from November 2nd 2010 range from £60p for second class to £1.64 for first.

Mango Appoint Mindshare

Mango have appointed the marketing group Mindshare to its estimated £1m media planning and buying account. This is after M2M have held the business previously since 2006.


Mindshare will no be responsible for managing all media for the fashion chain with significant focus on social, events and content development.
Betsaida Fernandez Gomez, head of area media planning at Mango said "they have the ability to deliver creative, grounded in insight and have shown they have a strong focus on client service and team work".

Jo Lyall, Mindshare partner, explained "Mango is a fantastic client addition, we have the opportunity to do some really innovative work together".
Mango currently employs Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson as its face for campaigns, has nearly 1,500 stores in 92 countries, with around 20 based in the UK.

Harry Potter goes dark

On Friday night it was the global release of the new film Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows-part 1, and it was brilliant.
With reading the J.K Rowling novel about a year ago I couldn't wait to watch the film, and with all my suspense it wasn't a let down. As the characters have grown up, along with the storyline, the filmmakers had to make a decision whether to stay safe or portray the real imagery in its fullest. And so as the film unravelled I was pleased to see the sometimes funny, jokey and cuteness has passed on to reveal a darker side to the wizarding world.I also read this morning that the film has beaten the previous opening record for the franchise in the U.S and Canada. The film took $125.1m (£77.9m) at the weekend box office, taking it straight to the top of the chart.
The first of the two part film has now made $330m (£205.5m) in global ticket sales.
I now cant wait till Summer 2011 for part 2!! Hurry up!!

Debenhams Edition

Debenhams are launching a new designer fashion concept called Edition to build on its own brand fashion offering, as it reports an increase in full year sales and profit.

The launch of Edition is the next step in Debenhams' strategy to shift its focus to own bought product ranges to boost margins. Edition will include fashion collections from designers Jonathan Saunders, Preen, Jonathan Kelsey and Roksanda Ilincic who will work with the retailer for a minimum of 4 seasons.

The range will launch in Spring 2011, with a 'gallery style' area in stores. Rob Templeman, Chief Executive of Debenhams says "we remain concerned about the general retailer environment, but we are encouraged by the start to the new financial year".

Fragrance-at new heights

Olfactorialist.com is a blog/website which explores the world of fragrance with scrutiny. A relatively new blog, online since March 2010 and written by Berlin-based editor Lena Brombacher whose interest in sophisticated perfumery transcends in fashion and major brands by giving an insight into some of the best niche perfumes on the market. "A lot of big brands try to sell their products as the most amazing stuff ever, I try everything on the market but I don't write about the mainstream".

Brombacher explains that she has a hyper-sensitive nose- I smell everything perfume, flowers, food, people, apartments, streets, cities....I smell if a person is already in the office or smell fire before anyone else does. Lena's friends once told her that it is impossible to write about smell, but there are many perfume blogs and people love to communicate and get inspired. What Lena tries to do is create an image of the fragrance.

Recently Olfactorialist.com was the official media partner of the famous perfume fair Pitti fragranze.

Berry Beautiful

Berry shades seem to be the favourite for Autumn/Winter lips, from crimson to grape tones. Nars have created one of the darkest shades in a Black Berry matte lipstick, along with Topshop creating a lip marker perfect for creating the precision pout, its a must if your after a crushed rasberry colour with a velvet finish.

Even designers are featuring the shades like Tom Ford's lipstick in Moroccan Rouge, which is a fantastic deep plum colour perfect for Autumn weather. Makeup artists are also showing the shade is big as Rebecca Ferguson was seen wearing the colour as her lipstick on Saturday's X Factor Live show.

Eat Pray Love

I have to say that this film didn't particularly blow me away with its spirituality and neither was it a tearjerker, but I did enjoy the way Roberts' character wasn't revealed too much which left it to the viewer to decide on particular areas of the story. There was never a scene to introduce Elizabeth Gilberts occupation yet you understood she was a writer of some sort, could it of been fiction? Romance? We were kept guessing. But in reality Gilbert was a writer and a very successful one at that, releasing her first novel Stern Men in 2000, a story of brutal territory wars between fishing villages off the coast of Maine.

In 2002 her book The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

This film has inspired me to travel areas in the world that were still unknown to me, and as for Italy I would like to run away to the city of Rome, enjoy the amazing food and drink lots of wine.

Pure Spirit meets Stitch

The trade show Pure Spirit has teamed up with menswear and accessories event Stitch, to produce a trading event on the international buying calender. This will show case at London's Earls Court in February with over 250 brands will show along with catwalks, trend presebtations and business seminars.

Brian Duffy, Managing Director of Stitch, explained "we have a goal to put London on the map as a fashion city for menswear, it's better to compete with foreign cities like Paris or Milan than amongst each other".

The strategy behind the idea was to create the biggest and best buying event the UK has seen in decades.

The show is the 13-15 February 2011.

illamasqua

illamasqua have some fantastic products for dramatic, theatrical make up and have just begun to sell their items in a boutique in Manchester city centre. The brand takes its roots from the dark and illicit 1920's club scene, and combine a rich heritage in the manufacture of makeup for film and theatre.

This beauty brand is for the bold consumer, with attitude and a confident statement of self ownership. Stockists in the UK are limited selling in Selfridges, selected Debenhams stores and asos.com.

The products are hugely wearable, daring and the choice of colours in all products is extensive, blushers come in all shades of vibrant pink and orange to deep plum. And powder eye shadows available in over 80 different colours. High performance makeup is the key to this brand with a professional finish perfect for burlesque, dancing, film and stage.

New direction for fashion

Another magazine have teamed up with filmmaker Billie Walsh, starring Kate Moss, in what seems to be a new fashion trend. The film explores Moss and Walsh's experimental side using multi-dimensional image making and high fashion, which was first seen in their legendary holographic film for Alexander McQueens Autumn/Winter 2006 show.

If you fancy having a look at the film, follow this link www.anothermag.com/exclusives/km3d-1

Asos US style

The online retailer Asos has launched a sister site in the USA this month. The online boutique has tailored it's site for American shoppers with a US-focused homepage, prices in dollars and no British terminology.
It's no wonder the brand, which features the hottest trends at completely affordable prices, is branching out to America as out of the $331.4 million that Asos made between March 2009 and March 2010, the US accounted for almost 7% of those sales, which is more than any other country outside the UK.

Moss News

Kate Moss seems to be going in a new direction of work and industry according to the media. Recently, according to the Daily Mail, Moss was planning on setting up a hotel business, in the seaside town of Fowey, Cornwall. But this has been confirmed by her agency to be untrue.
However, Moss may soon be collaborating with Philip Green's daughter Chloe in a new collection. Just watch this space for the next retail boom!

Italian Reality

For most of the year, stylist and producer Annette Joseph lives in Atlanta, but her summers are always spent in Italy and have been ever since she was a child. Now, after 20 years Annette and her husband have been looking for a permanent Italian home. Six years ago they found their home in the Clinque Terra region and now have a non-stop flow of U.S visitors enjoying the good food, good wine and the beach!

Annette is an amazing stylist and has created a beautiful home for her family which is a modern take on a beach house with plenty of nautical stripes with hints of Italian colour.

Swarovski

In the world of jewellery Swarovski are a luxury brand just like that of Tiffany or Harry Winston, but in recent years they seem to have faded a little, perhaps their budgets have reduced just like the rest of us. However, Swarovski are a brand that cater for dance couture and through using this type of sport they are making themselves into one of the biggest brands in the world, exporting to Europe, America and China. Ballroom and Latin American dancing is one of the biggest sports in the world and it's ever growing through documentaries and reality TV series's, consumers are receiving more knowledge about dance than ever before.

Chrisanne is the world's leader in ballroom and latin couture, which established in 1986 and constantly sets the benchmarks in the world of dance fashion. Swarovski are part of this world providing gems, which are known as stones to dancers, dress makers, suppliers and officials. These stones are what creates the finishing touches to the ballgowns, similarly to the last detail on a Vivienne Westwood outfit.

Other brands also appear to have focused on the swarovski stone idea, as this summer Karen Millen featured peep toe shoes covered in the stones using a pale pink satin heel with crystal AB stones, they were very glam and very popular, showing that this type of detail is translating from dancewear to retail. I am sure we will see more of this trend.

Jil Sander-MFW

It was quite a beautiful and exciting lesson in colour. Raf Simons stole the show and took the neon trend to make it entirely his own using pink, orange, green, yellow and blue. Skirts were shown in mass fabric which were roughly gathered at the waist to fall to the floor over white tees to show them off in full glory. The colour was used then more subtly using parkas, raincoats and tailored trousers which were pared with court shoes revealing a dash of matching neon on the sole.
Bags of all colours were used in a combination of stripes:-bold horizontals on dresses, and big areas of matt colour on skirts and fitted trousers which was teamed with neon pink lipstick.

Aussie Boy Means Business

I recently came across a new designer when I was reading an article in a newspaper. The name Josh Goot was unfamiliar to me so I decided to see what his creations were like and how big he actually was in the fashion world.

Goot is not a household name, not yet anyway, but his designs are definitely on the way to becoming a big designer. Brought up in Australia and studied at university in the Sydney suburbs, he debuted his first collection in 2005 following this up with winning the 2005 Tiffany & Co Young Designer of the Year award.

After he won the prestigious award there was an evolution in the look and establishment of Goot and showed he was a new force in Australian fashion, and perhaps Europe in the near future.

LFW Mulberry SS11

This years Mulberry show was held at Claridges and it was hard to miss the theme of the show with flowers in every corner and huge coral blooms lining the centre of the catwalk.

The whole show was a combination of feminine cuts such as a-line dresses, culottes, loose pencil skirts with ruffled top edging, textured skirts, floral printed dresses and ruffle details on necklines or lapels and bottoms of garments.

Mulberry's Creative Director Emma Hill explained that she is always getting inspired by film and for this collection it was Grey Gardens-the documentary and remake and The Secret Garden. The shades featured were also taken from this, focusing on flowers such as crocuses and bluebells which showed through a biscuit palette to begin and then deeper tones like peach, coral, rasberry, midnight blue and black.

The bag to look out for is The Denim Tillie.

Andersons got Attitude

I congratulate Jimmy Anderson for his recent embrace of gay acceptance. His interview and photo shoot for Attitude magazine, the countries most popular gay publication, shows that another professional athlete has no problem with the gay fanbase of his sport.
The 28 year old cricketer believes he can help open a dialogue about the changing attitudes towards homosexuality in his sport, and as this subject is something close to my heart I am very pleased that these sporting icons are accepting homosexuality.
Anderson also appears completely naked within the magazine showing that he is more than comfortable with his own sexuality.

Made in Dagenham

A few months ago I read an article about new films to be released this season and was most intrigued by Made in Dagenham. I saw an image of women dressed in sixties attire walking across a bridge in London making their way to Parliament, holding protest boards, and then I noticed Jamie Winstone was one of the cast. I enjoy Winstones presence on screen be it a TV drama or film role and I think she will probably do a great job again, maybe my fascination comes from her fathers, Ray Winstones roles and feisty appeal.

Oooh La La

Luxury chocolate brand La Maison Du Chocolat believes it's time to expand to Asia, whilst staying true to their standards and reputation, even though we are at the peak of the Global recession.
This may seem obsurd but the French artisan brand are hoping to get the trend going. They have plans to open stores in Asia over the next 2 years, with aims to attract more buyers through a strategy of 'educating' consumers about the qulaity of their ingredients.
Whilst the brand has been around for over 30 years, it has only recently decided that expansion outside it's French homeland was needed, explains Geoffrey D'Abglejan, chief executive of La Maison Du Chocolat.
1977-brand founded by Robert Linxe in Paris
1987-company expands to second location in Paris
1990-expands operations to New York's Madison Avenue
1998-first Asia premises open in Tokyo
2004-two boutiques open in London

Facebook Expands Again

Facebook Places has been launched in the UK after its launch in the US last month and lets you check-in at real-life locations, similar to existing mobile services Foursquare and Gowalla. The US Places launched last month and can give companies or brands the option to create their own 'place'.

"In the UK, Facebook has 26 million active users and 10 million of those access the social site through their mobile", explains Neil Kleiner, head of social media at Havas Media Group.

LFW- Osman

This designer said he was going to channel everything he had learnt in the past 4 years into this collection and Osman Yousefzadas show was full of sophistication in tailoring and day wear.

Tunic dresses of patent cream leather and tightly woven brown linen made for statement day wear, while elegant dark trousers turned up over cool peep toe ankle boots.

Culottes with a waistcoat with tails showed a grown-up approach to Osman's collection and using denim very manipulatively showed off Osman's flare. Peach, daffodil yellow and a lurid green flapper dress were the flashes of colour to brighten up the collection.

Brandon Flowers' New Path

Brandon Flowers is the front man of one of the biggest bands of the minute, The Killers, but in the September issue of GQ magazine he explains why this was the perfect time.

Some members of the band wanted time out for a break, yet Flowers wanted to try something new so it was perfect timing to go temporarily solo. As the band are a hit in many places of the World, more so in Las Vegas, Flowers began to work with 'some pretty creative people', so producers and guys who weren't afraid to say if something wasn't great or if it was fantastic.