Tag: london

The matchy matchy look:Jessica Biel, Rihanna and a Stella McCartney model show how it's done. Photographs: Getty; Mavrix/Xclusive

Yes, it's official - you're allowed to match your clothes again
Clashing patterns has been all the rage for what seems like an age - yes this week Fashion Statement rhymes. But Jess Cartner-Morley has just broken the news that in fact matchy-matchy is the new fashion compliment you should be hankering after. Firstly, from Stella to Whistles, there's been the surprise success of this season's pyjama set trend. Secondly, designers and the high-street are backing matching print top-and-bottom sets for next season too. This week Topshop's autumn/winter press preview was bursting with co-ordinating separates in all manner of textures and patterns. Oh and Wendi Deng got in on the act with a nail polish and cuff matching moment during Leveson.

Barjis Chohan's AW 2012 collection: "Young, fashionable Muslims are struggling to buy clothes from the Western, high-street shops" Photograph: Barjis Chohan

Muslim fashion is having a moment
Muslim fashion is worth 59 million globally. Vivienne Westwood proteg Barjis Chohan has just launched a fashion-forward, Muslim-focused line. Harrods are selling abayas. This week Sara Ilyas rounded up how Muslim fashion is having a moment while discussing hijab trends and what fashion labels are doing to target a modern Muslim audience.

ASOS Autumn/Winter 2012 key trends. Photograph: ASOS

There was a lot happening in the world of menswear
Singapore staged a men's fashion week, which Sue-Wen Quek had some issues with. The first London Collections Men schedule was released by the British Fashion Council. As Imogen Fox noted, there are a lot of Christophers (and a Prince) on board for this first men's London fashion week. Savile Row was once again in the spotlight: Charlie Porter thought it needed to "adapt its crafts to the modern world." Gustav Temple meanwhile, argued that there was no place for the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch on this hallowed street. And if this wasn't enough male fashion action then Simon Chilvers' roundup contemplated Russell Brand's select committee look, shoes, and a new knitwear neckline.

Helen Mirren on the catwalk at Dolce & Gabbana's autumn/winter 2012 show in Milan earlier this year. Photograph: Olycom SPA/Rex Features

Dolce & Gabbana made the Invisible Woman giddy
She was attending the first Vogue fashion festival and minding her own business, when suddenly the Invisible Woman found herself whisked off to interview Italian power duo Dolce & Gabbana. She loved them. They talked about older women, botox and chocolate. Obvs.

Madonna launches her first fragrance Truth Or Dare. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Cowell and Madge
Not together. Can you imagine? No, no, no. The world couldn't cope. Instead this week Ask Hadley dealt with why Simon only appears to have two outfits. And perfumer Stephen Nilsen lifted the lid on working with the Queen of Pop on her first fragrance. Cue tales of 8ft high black steel walls and bitching about musk. L.U.V Madonna!

Fingersmith: try Butter London's old-gold varnish. Photograph: Observer

Nail time! Sometimes it feels like a body isn't quite big enough for all the jewellery you want to hang on it. You've got, what, one neck? Two wrists, an ankle, a couple of fingers that are thin enough for rings? This is the opportunity to turn your nails into jewels. Metallic varnish. The way to wear it now is as matte as possible – use Rimmel Pro Matte Top Coat at the end if you like (4.59, boots.com) – and on long, pointy-ish nails, so they look a bit like serving spoons. I like the old-gold look of Butter London's Full Monty (12.50, butterlondon.com), which has the feel of tarnished wedding rings, and Mavala's Platinum Marble (4.30, boots.com), which is even odder – an old picture frame, found buried in the garden. OK. End of nail time. Back to work.

Alternatively

Illamasqua: Bacterium, 13.50, illamasqua.com
Nars: Diamond Life, 13.50, narscosmetics.co.uk
Deborah Lippmann: Don't Tell Mamma, 14, houseoffraser.co.uk
Topshop: Hyperreal, 6, topshop.com
Orly: Rock Solid, 9.85, orlybeauty.co.uk
Chanel: Peridot, 17.50, 020 7493 3836

Putting a vest amongst the MPs
Oh Russell, with your jokes to the Commons home affairs select committee and your rock 'n' roll cowboy fashions. This week, Mr Brand might have been in the headlines for providing his thoughts on Britain's drug policy to MPs, but, really, wasn't everyone just thinking '"what was he wearing?'" If you missed it, the full look was as follows: hat, sunglasses, a collarless leather coat, some kind of tapestry-style belt, ripped acid washed black jeans and slouchy boots. No real surprises here, as Brand has long championed the skinny-fit, dishevelled look popular on the high-street for aeons. But the shocking thing about this ensemble was when he took his coat off, and was sat, in a formal setting, wearing a vest. Vest sleeves - that's quite a look. For those who prefer men dressed up all neat and in suits, it wasn't exactly a persuasive argument for dress down Friday. However in dressing to the beat of his own drum, Brand came across as totally authentic, a message that a bland suit and a boring tie rarely manages to convey. Discuss.

Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!
Selfridges announced this very morning that they are going to launch the biggest men's shoe department ever. Coming this November, the department store is creating a 10,000 square foot space that will house 250 brands and stock around 72,000 pairs of shoes at any one time. Plus, while you're trying on new ones, your old shoes will be whisked away and polished. Not sure what happens to trainers but when we know we'll get back to you...

ASOS Autumn/Winter 2012 key trends Photograph: ASOS

Next season is gonna get busy
Yesterday Topman showcased their autumn/winter 2012 collections with lashings of print (peacock, paisley, Aztec) on shirts, suit jackets and leggings alongside colour blocked jackets, posh tailoring and fuzzy mohair knits. In comparison to the moody Topman Design collection, this was positively hectic, taking in the themes of South America, 90s Brighton alternative, 70s London and George Best. This fancy for the bold is also one of the key messages that online retailer ASOS are pushing at men for next season too. Last week during their preview at Somerset House, racks were bursting with Aztec fleece jackets, coloured cords, loud patterned knitwear and bright padded coats. The future's bright etc.

Jigsaw keyhole sweater Photograph: Jigsaw

A new neckline to obsess over
Lucian Freud and Tim Roth were both on design director for Jigsaw menswear Frances Walker's autumn/winter moodboard. Having relaunched the menswear arm of the business last month, including a standalone store in Spitafields, Walker's vision is thoroughly handsome. These clothes are well made and seem to me to be designed to get better with age. They're grown up but not boring – there's spicy tomato coats, mustard moleskin, tartan suits and a boozy claret duffle. But there are also boring but useful wardrobe staples, such as an 89 basic shirt, which has a lovely handle and something of the Margaret Howells about it. Admittedly, it's at the more expensive end of the high-street - coats are from 200ish to 450 - but the clothes have a longevity about them, matched by well-sourced fabric. I'll be buying this camel fisherman rib jumper with it's "keyhole" neckline – I do love an interesting knit-neckline. See also: next season Alexander Wang.

What I've bought this week
No, not an umbrella. What's the point, you only lose them. Instead the wardrobe is to be suitably tarted up by this marvellous Christopher Shannon collage print sweatshirt.

Collaboration of the week
It's an installation and month long shopping love-off between London's sparky designer emporium b-store and York's premium independent boutique Coggles. It launches today and is as good a reason as any to shout whoop at passerbys.

Nice dunks, McFly Photograph: Back to the Future

Retro film fashion moment of the week
Michael J Fox's hair in the Back to the Future series was truly a thing of beauty, particularly coming into its own, volume wise, in part II. Hair aside, let's take a moment to cherish the fashions of the film. Not only is there Marty's resizing jacket – a bit Balenciaga - and hi-top Nikes that lace themselves (everyone is wearing Nike trainers these days). But there's also Doc Brown's retro repeat pattern print shirt (a bit this season Prada) and visor (a bit next season McQueen). I'm also certain I saw a peplum...