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.

The Deluxe treats of Gizzi

Gizzi Elskine is a food writer, chef and television presenter. Most people would recognise her from Channel 4's Cook Yourself Thin where she also co-wrote the accompanying number 1 bestselling book, also called Cook Yourself Thin.

Gizzi is now in talks with other TV projects for the future and is currently working as GMTV's chef.

Gizzi seems to have a certain appeal about her and makes her unmistakably of the moment, and recently won sexiest chef in 2009 beating off stiff competition such as Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay.

NYFW Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs appeared to revive the seventies conjuring shades of that era using gold, pink, coral, mauve, cinnamon and copper.
The prints were quite bold but still feminine using floaty fabrics of chiffon and organza.

Models of the show had big, crimped hair and were accessorised with oversized flowers on the head, shoulder, waist and neckline.

NYFW Victoria Beckham

New York Fashion Week has kicked off with a bang including shows from Alexander Wang, Victoria Beckham and Marc Jacobs.

Fashion week's always get quite a lot of coverage in the press but it seems that many are focusing on the decline of the actual catwalk show and are opting for more of a video-based style. I tend to disagree that fashion shows will be phased out mainly because the more technology surrounding the event will give more enticement to wanting to actual watch the show in person. It's the entrigue and unexpected that people love.

Victoria Beckham looked on as her collection passed her down the catwalk at yet another one of her successful shows. Her fifth collection was presented in an Upper East side townhouse in New York which continued to impress editors and buyers with a slick collection of 26 elegant dresses. It also featured handbags for the first time this season.

New IT Drinks Brand

Getting the Eve look:

This September you can treat your hands and feet to a Nails Inc treatment and receive £5 off a Nails Inc service. Whether it be a manicure or pedicure, you can make sure your nails look glam this season.

This is all courtesy of Eve, a new drinks brand that is being sold in selected bars and pubs in the North West, being backed by a 500,000 press, outdoor and radio sponsorship campaign. A national launch will follow in January if the trial is successful.
Bars in the North are giving customers the chance to walk away with a special edition Nails Inc polish in an Eve Lychee inspired dark pink shade, this is travelling to all major cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and London.