THE WEEK IN FASHION 22nd-26th AUGUST

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

As August draws to a gloomy close, we have our usual round-up of the fashion news stories which have caught our eye this week, what better way to kick off the long weekend? Enjoy!

 Queen of the Statement necklace and bug-eyed spectacles, Iris Apfel has already (unsurprisingly) been the subject of a very successful exhibition, 2005's 'Rara Avis (Rare Bird)' at the Met. Now the 90 year-old style maven is to be filmed by Albert Maysles for a documentary.  Maysles seems to have a soft spot for the more eccentric members of New York's high society; he is the filmmaker behind  the 1975 documentary 'Grey Gardens' which charts the reclusive existence of Jackie O's aunt and cousin, Big and Little Edie Beale. While that is a heart wrenching story of dysfunctional relationships and social exclusion, we hope (and know) that Maysles' Apfel film will be more uplifting- how could it not be when it stars our favourite- in her own words- 'geriatric starlet.'

Iris Apfel is not scared of a chunky piece of jewellery (Image from fifka.pinger.pl)

After the incredible success of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at The Met in New York, speculation is building about how they can possibly follow it up. How long do they need to wait before doing another fashion exhibition without it just feeling like an anticlimax? Well it seems, that Miuccia Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli might be the answer. Before reading this news story I had never drawn the comparison between the two designers but they are actually a remarkably apt pairing, especially given their talent for making a subversive statement in their collections.
As a P.S to that Savage Beauty reference, don't forget to sign our #bringmcqueenexhibitionhome petition and use the hashtag on Twitter. The FashEd will have an update next week on the impact which the campaign has had. You will want to tune into that!

Schiaparelli in the 1930s. Image from (LisaWallerRogers.blogspot.com)

Miuccia Prada (Image from guestofaguest.com)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Anna Wintour is the most powerful woman in fashion (isn't it?) but how about in the world? Well, according to Forbes she comes in at no.69, leaving the real superpower positions to the likes of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (no.1) and businesswoman and philanthropist Melinda Gates (no. 6). The world of fashion is still well represented with Gisele in 60th place, Andrea Jung, CEO at Avon, at 64, Diane Von Furstenberg at 91 and  Angela Ahrendts, CEO at Burberry at 58. Given that the fashion industry is one of the biggest employers of women around the world, we're glad to see some of the biggest players included in the power list.

Angela Ahrendts with Christopher Bailey. Under their supervision, Burberry became the first fashion company listed on the FTSE 100 (Image from thisislondon.co.uk)

The King of all collaborations will be unveiled on 22nd September with the Gala Opening of 'Ocean's Kingdom', a ballet composed by Sir Paul McCartney with costumes designed by Stella. Ballet is one of my favourite ways to pass an evening but the prospect of a production with music and costumes from two absolute heroes of their fields, neither of whom have ever forayed into ballet before, promises to be fresh and exciting and a must-see. Hopefully there'll be a big screen showing in London.

Paul with Stella and James on their farm, photographed by Linda McCartney (image from meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com)

Finally, Westfield Stratford City opens on 13th September, just in time for a pre-fashion week spree. Given that the space is in the heart of East London, it seems only right that the area's young talent and creativity is on show. Enter the Studio East panel which includes Roland Mouret and Erin O'Connor. They have chosen up-and-coming artists and designers to contribute to  creating a unique Westfield vibe. One of the winners is Julian J Smith who has designed glamorous uniforms for lucky Westfield staff- no dodgy fleeces or polyester monstrosities for them! Also look out for art installations and renewable energy initiatives from the Studio  East crew.

Julian J Smith's design for Westfield uniforms.

FASH JUNIOR GETS A MAKEOVER @ THE BIG WARDROBE

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Working in fashion land generally means no two days are the same, which is great, but it also means that sometimes your job description can be a little...flexible.

Fashion Junior at Large: Blogger, assistant, part time model?!

I do love it when the Fash Ed comes up with one of her 'schemes'. So today I found myself in the Westfield Big Wardrobe, with my fairly distinct personal image entrusted to the hands of hair and make up artistes.

 The Go Style area at Westfield's Big Fashion Wardrobe

Before: do I look a little bit nervous to you?

Now, it's safe to say I'm a little picky when it comes to my look; in particular the hairdo that led Brix Smith Start to christen me 'Kandifloss'. What can I say, I enjoy a bit of backcombing. So I was a little bit afraid at the sight of many a GHD. However, the lovely Haf of the Ginger Group vowed to give me bubbly, voluminous hair that no tail comb could ever achieve, and she dutifully set to work untangling the crispy hairsprayed cobwebs that masquerade as my actual hair.

Work in progress...

It was truly a work of curl-tastic art.

About half way through the curling procedure we decided to go a bit mad and attempt a full on Sandy from Grease look, so the curls got steadily bigger. By this time a small crowd had gathered to watch the tongmaster at work as she produced platinum ringlets. The final look was definitely something I could never hope to achieve without her expert skills!

 The Make Up Store's vibrant eyeshadow selection: which to pick?!

Next up, I popped to the Make Up Store's multi-coloured stand for some seriously vibrant lipstick, an eyeliner touch up and some coral blush. The kind people at Firetrap loaned me a wonderful leather biker jacket (which, to be honest, I didn't really want to give back) and all I needed was a handsome bequiffed fellow to play my Danny...

Did somebody say Katie Waissel? 

 ...unfortunately, that particular fantasy didn't happen, but I did get to try out some Tyra-approved moves and work an imaginary red carpet, which was fun. Check back tomorrow for the finished results!

In the meantime, the photo area will be open until Sunday, so why not have a go yourself? Remember to 'smize!'

Also, if you want to check out the photo-finish of your fashion finds at the Big Wardrobe, don't forget to try out the Tweet Mirror too, which some of you may have seen in action on the Queen Of Shops 'Secret Service'. It's all good fun! 

PS I'm looking forward to meeting new friends from the blogosphere at the Go Blog! tutorials tomorrow. See you there! 

Photos: Mimi Richman

WESTFIELD'S VERY BIG WARDROBE ADVENTURE

Posted by Fashion Editor at Large

I have a lot of a soft spot for Westfield London. My other half  Mary Portas helped launch it, and during my time as fashion news and features editor at Grazia I came up with the idea the we move the office in there for a week to make an issue of the magazine. It was a mad idea - and we had a total ball doing it. It took popping to the shops during the lunch break to a whole new dimension. We also won a Campaign award for doing it!  As a result of all the Westfield involvement ( I was on site in a hard hat before launch, and live locally) I've spent more time than is seemly inside this wonderful behemouth of a shopping centre. And yes, I like it.

So I was happy to say yes to working on a project with the Westfield gang this week. The project, as evidenced by the above photograph, is called "Big Fashion Wardrobe". The location is the same spot Grazia built our very real working office, and it is there for fashionistas to have a deeper experience of shopping at Westfield. It is also rather good on the feet as it is all in one space.

Chelsea Girl is there at Big Fashion Wardrobe - flashback to the Eighties! I'm sure I had a phone like that when I was a kid and dreaming of being able to shop at Chelsea Girl

The idea of the Big Fashion Wardrobe is to get fashion conscious girls and women to come in and engage with some of the brands who have stores at Westfield - the bonus is the stores have exclusive product and special offers it would be unseemly to ignore. Reiss, French Connection, River Island (who are in the midst of reviving Chelsea Girl - what River Island used to be called back in the day) Jaeger, DKNY Jeans and LK Bennett to name a few have Wardrobes in the space.  There is also this attractive shoe wall.

I do like a multi-brand shoe wall.

A view across the catwalk to some of the wardrobes.

The view from above - you can see the various brand wardrobes and runway to the left and centre. On the right in the bottom corner of the picture is the photo studio and make-up area where you can get a makeover and have your 'cover photo' taken - George Langford my fabulous Fashion Junior at Large is doing this tomorrrow and reporting back for  us. Along from the photo area is the bloggers lounge where we will be later this week.  

There is plenty of fun to be had in the midst of all that retail therapy - we particularly love Daisy Lowe's lomography exhibition, all in aid of the British Heart Foundation, and the chance to win a bag at the French Connection wardrobe simply by achieving the perfect cat's cradle 'Eiffel Tower' in less than a minute. Now that's something we haven't tried in a while.  To finish the whole event with a bang, on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd April there will be live catwalk shows all through the day. 

Find out all the details by following @westfieldlondon on Twitter. Or click here. 

More from Big Fashion Wardrobe tomorrow when Fashion Junior at Large gets a makeover - I am looking forward to that!

WESTWOOD AND WESTFIELD NEED YOUR HELP!

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

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.