In past twenty four days we have brought you some of the most fabulous and covetable fashion items out there. As people who work in fashion, that's our job and we adore it. Fashion is a part of our culture. But fashion does not exist in a vacuum. This year we have seen riots on the streets of London and more stories of economic woe which are likely to continue into 2012. Today we think it'd be nice to remember that there are many people who cannot pay rent, let alone buy into their fashion fantasies.
Around 4,000 people sleep on the streets of London every night and experts are saying that that number will probably go up next year. That thought is bad enough on any normal night but with Christmas upon us- a time for being cosy at home with our families and friends- it doesn't bear thinking about.
There are a few charities out there who are transforming another bleak day on the street into an opportunity for the homeless of cities across the UK, one of them is Crisis. For almost 40 years they have been helping the homeless, serving traditional Christmas dinner and providing all kinds of activities as well as practical assistance to help guests get out of rough sleeping. Amazingly, for just £23.39 (you probably paid more for your Turkey) Crisis can give one homeless person three good meals, advice, skills sessions and somewhere friendly to be on what should be the friendliest day of the year.
Fashion Editor at Large just donated £116.95 on behalf of all of you who read us, helping Crisis give five homeless people a special day on December 25th.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
“Just as modern motorways have no room for ox-carts or
wandering pedestrians, so modern society has little place for
As if you needed further reminder, today is the 1st day of December which means the official countdown to Christmas can begin- hurrah! This advent time we will be bringing you a new fabulous product each day- it may be a very practical item to add to your Santa's list or a completely fantastical, escapist fantasy of a purchase to give you a moment's respite from pre-christmas to-do lists.
Christmas is traditionally a time for charitable sharing as well as luxe item lusting and our very first choice combines the two rather appropriately. As well as being the first day of Christmas countdown, it is also World Aids Day today. Gap has been playing its part for a few years now with its (red) collection. Back in October, I got massively overexcited when I heard Gap were collaborating with Isabel Marant. Sadly, a range was not to be but this t-shirt is Marant's contribution to raising funds for this extremely worthy cause. 50% of profits made from the t-shirt will be going towards the continuing fight to eliminate AIDS- a very worthy start to the festivities.
Isabel Marant t-shirt £24.50 from gap.eu and Gap stores
'I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend'... Freddie Mercury
Rihanna in McQ on X-Factor (from fashionforlunch.com)
This has been a wonderful few days for London Fashion Week build-up after two of Britain's greatest fashion exports, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, both announced that they would be holding shows during February's London Fashion Week. The Alexander McQueen house's younger line, McQ will be showing for the first time ever and has chosen London for the occasion. McQ's first store will also be opening on Dover Street next Spring. Meanwhile, Stella McCartney has held her catwalk show in Paris for years now but she is bringing a special one-off presentation to the capital. Next February's London event will be an evening affair to celebrate Stella's association with the 2012 Olympics, for which she is designing kits for Team GB. Not to be outdone by McQ, Stella also has plans for another store, this time in Brompton Cross. Until then, we can satisfy our Stella love at Selfridges' 'World of Stella' pop-up in January. Be sure to check out next week's Grazia for more McQ news from the FashEd.
A stellar 2012 for Stella (image from newsonlineinternational.wordpress.com)
NEWS JUST IN: Just as I thought all the excitement was over for another week in fashion, I've just seen the breaking news on WWD that over $400,000 worth of Louis Vuitton bags have been stolen in an operation by masked thieves last night at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. After last week's Marc Jacobs burglary, the designer is not having much luck at the moment.
Someone's on the run with a hell of a lot of Vuitton (image from coachhandbagclub.com)
A quite odd announcement from the Advertising Standards Authority this week; the images of 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld sitting beside a railway line for Miu Miu's SS11 campaign have been banned. This is because they show a child in a hazardous situation. Obviously, that's completely understandable grounds for banning an image. However, they have have been all over the Internet and in magazines for months. This makes me think that the damage is done by now, so why ban the images just as they are being replaced with those from the Resort campaign anyway? I cannot help but think that is a clunky bit of bureaucracy rather than a meaningful decision. Am I wrong?
Look away children
On Wednesday evening, Net-a-Porter founder, Natalie Massenet interviewed Christian Louboutin at the V&A museum. You can see the best bits in the video below. Net-a-Porter were tweeting the event live. One of these tweets informed us that Mr Louboutin's dream woman to make shoes for would be Queen Elizabeth II. Interestingly, that very same day, some quite funny pictures were published of none other than Her Majesty (clad in her usual sensible black courts) shooting a concerned look at the Louboutin-esque footwear of Hayrunnisa Gul, the wife of Turkey's President, as she arrived with her husband at Buckingham Palace as part of their state visit to the UK.
Will Mr Louboutin be hearing from Her Majesty shortly we wonder? (image from dailymail.co.uk)
Rumoured supermodel couple Arizona Muse and Freja Beha Erichsen are the stars of Chloe's SS12 ad campaign. They were spotted at Chateau Marmont in LA, posing in dresses from the collection and generally having a fab time. We have hair and tan envy.
Summery fun for Arizona and Freja (Image from fashionologie.com)
And now for something a little more sobering. Most of us probably think of Arcadia as the behemoth of the British High Street; an almost untouchable retail giant. So, when it was announced yesterday that the company's profits had dropped by 38% and that 250 stores would be closing it was a signal that the economic environment is massively challenging right now. We may have been expecting bad news from smaller chains and businesses but Arcadia's decision to close nearly 10% of its stores shows that nobody is immune.
If you need help with your Christmas party attire then may we suggest you pop along to Harrods which is hosting a day of activities in their 'Way In' partywear department (on the 4th floor) on Saturday 3rd December. Fashion Illustrator David Longshaw will be there drawing customers in their new purchases. Henry Holland will also be transformed for one afternoon only into a shopfloor assistant, on hand to advise customers on the best looks. Actually, that all sounds like a bit of a party in itself, non?
Karl Lagerfeld gets the David Longshaw treatment
As Christmas is on its way, we thought we'd let you know about a couple of good causes to get involved in during the Season of Goodwill...
Erin O'Connor with some of the bags which are up for grabs.
For the next week, Save the Children are hosting an online designer bag auction to raise funds for their No Child Born to Die initiative. There are plenty of beauties to choose from including bags previously owned by Sienna Miller and Samantha Cameron. Also in the mix are some beauties from Alexander McQueen, Sophie Hulme and Christopher Kane (his liquid clutch which Erin O'Connor is holding is AMAZING). You can bid until 4th December. If all that doesn't make you visit the site, then perhaps Tilda Swinton can persuade you... She says:
“Bid high! Bid so much higher than you think you will or can! Think of a dicey number and double it. And then double that. No fancy bag can ever carry what your generosity will mean to the children it will help to live. Make this beautiful object truly valuable by investing real money in real life - and carry the evidence with pride. Don't count the cost. Think of it as paying something back for all there is to be grateful for in your days.”
If you're still feeling charitable then Volcom are asking for your donations of denim you no longer want... More details can be found here.
When I was 15 I used to wear my Fashion Targets Breast Cancer t-shirt relentlessly (I think I was inspired by the troops of celebs showing their support for the cause on GMTV. Bit embarrassing really!). It's amazing to think that the t-shirt campaign - originally started by Ralph Lauren in memory of a close friend - has been going strong since 1996 and has raised over 10.5 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
This year the Wear Your Support campaign has revamped the t-shirt formula, collaborating with Topshop, M&S, River Island, Whistles, and mywardrobe.com amongst others, to produce black and white themed pieces.
Trekstock is a cancer charity that was set up in 2006 by Sophie Epstone, who wanted to find inspiring ways to get people involved:
'Trekstock has a great way of engaging with young people by channeling our efforts into fundraising through music and fashion. Ours is a warm and inviting brand, conveying a positive message that celebrities all over the world have been proud to support over the last four years'.
Her efforts have paid off, as Trekstock is having its official launch at Downing Street tomorrow evening (!) and the charity's latest project Trekstock Loves - a collaborative collection designed by House of Holland, Ksubi, James Long, LPBG, MariaFrancescaPepe, PPQ, and Richard Nicoll - goes on sale at Browns Focus today. All profits go to Cancer Research UK and support its work on cancers that affect children and teenagers.
Trekstock loves LPB, £240
Trekstock Loves House of Holland, £65
Henry Holland just tweeted with pride: ' http://twitpic.com/18y44x - Look at my nipple tee!! (Browns focus x TRECKSTOCK windows) get involved Londoners'.
Some of my friends are social workers and drugs councilors, and I often feel a little bit embarrassed that I have chosen to pursue such a glossy career path after hearing heartbreaking stories from an average day in their shoes. But then I remember that no matter what our profession we all have values and morals which are important to us, and of course we strive to find our own way of helping when a situation like the Haiti earthquake demands it. Well the solution is here people...
To support The White Ribbon Alliance Vivienne Westwood is opening a pop-up store at Westfield shopping centre from 19th - 21st February. The shop will be selling limited edition charity t-shirts, and the proceeds will boost the charity's efforts to rebuild Haiti's healthcare system for mothers and babies (who are often the most vulnerable in the aftermath of a disaster). It's your chance to help Haiti and get a piece of Viv history at the same time.
Westfield will also be meeting the faces of Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief show tomorrow, and will be streaming live fottage from www.westfield-uk.com.
