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• Fashion news 2010: Black lace dress: the universally popular party outfit

  
  06 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Black lace dress: the universally popular party outfit: Forget the sequinned dress, its black lace rival has overtaken it as the go-to dress of the Christmas party season.

  

  Taylor Swift in Jenny Packham 2010

  It's official, the red carpet is experiencing a black lace epidemic.

  Ever since Emma Watson bewitched the fashion world at the 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One' premiere last month, stepping out in an artfully risqué, black lacy dress by Rafael Lopez, lace , in all its vampish and seductive glory is BIG news.

  'If in doubt, go lacy"' seems to be the motto. This week alone singer Taylor Swift sparkled in Jenny Packham black sequins and lace at the CMT Artists of the Year Awards in Tennessee; Parisian fashionista Julia Restoin Roitfeld went for gothic glamour in Dolce & Gabbana at the 'Black Swan' premiere in New York; and actress Kirsten Dunst marked her return to the spotlight in sheer lace by Valentino.
  
  A recurring feature of many of the creations sauntering down the red carpet are the mid to full-length lacy sleeves - good news for those who don't possess Michelle Obama-style toned upper arms. Anyone with an 80 denier black opaque tights addiction can breathe easy too - they are the perfect companion to a LBD (Lace Black Dress).
  
  So take some inspiration from our pick of the most stylish black lace dresses from the red carpet and catwalk and let that all-over sequinned dress you bought last Christmas party season languish at the back of the wardrobe for another year.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Sexy stars and fast cars

  
  06 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Sexy stars and fast cars: Supermodel Karolina Kurkova joins Uma Thurman, Victoria Beckham and Daisy Lowe in lending their charms to the world of motoring.

  

  Karolina Kurkova and the Mercedes-Benz 'CLS coupé'

  Pretty faces are replacing "petrolheads" in the new "Motors à la Mode" style campaigns to extol the virtues of driving.

  

  Victoria Beckham and the Range Rover 'Evoque'

  Perhaps it's been realised that even the most committed motoring maniacs, car crazies and fuel fanatics would rather admire the "bodywork" of a screen siren, supermodel or sex goddess when contemplating what car they would look best in, rather than the bulging beer belly of a Jeremy Clarkson.

  

  Uma Thurman and the Alfa Romeo 'Giuletta'

  The newest model driver behind the wheel is the Czech supermodel and former Victoria's Secret "Angel", Karolina Kurkova, who matches her face and figure with the gleaming new Mercedes-Benz CLS coupé.The campaign, photographed by the British fashion and celebrity snapper, Craig McDean, will be launched during Berlin Fashion Week in January, which is sponsored by Mercedes.

  Recently, Range Rover launched a social media campaign on Twitter and enlisted the model Daisy Lowe and a host of other celebrities to Tweet on the delights of its new Evoque 4x4. The Evoque, styled as a "baby off-roader", was launched in July with a custom-designed interior by Victoria Beckham.

  In May this year, Alfa Romeo unveiled its new television ads for its sporty hatchback, the "Giulietta", which stars the Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill screen-queen, Uma Thurman. Va-voom meets vrrrooom!

  (telegraph fashion news)

  Pretty faces are replacing "petrolheads" in the new "Motors à la Mode" style campaigns to extol the virtues of driving.

  Perhaps it's been realised that even the most committed motoring maniacs, car crazies and fuel fanatics would rather admire the "bodywork" of a screen siren, supermodel or sex goddess when contemplating what car they would look best in, rather than the bulging beer belly of a Jeremy Clarkson.

  The newest model driver behind the wheel is the Czech supermodel and former Victoria's Secret "Angel", Karolina Kurkova, who matches her face and figure with the gleaming new Mercedes-Benz CLS coupé.The campaign, photographed by the British fashion and celebrity snapper, Craig McDean, will be launched during Berlin Fashion Week in January, which is sponsored by Mercedes.

  Recently, Range Rover launched a social media campaign on Twitter and enlisted the model Daisy Lowe and a host of other celebrities to Tweet on the delights of its new Evoque 4x4. The Evoque, styled as a "baby off-roader", was launched in July with a custom-designed interior by Victoria Beckham.

  In May this year, Alfa Romeo unveiled its new television ads for its sporty hatchback, the "Giulietta", which stars the Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill screen-queen, Uma Thurman. Va-voom meets vrrrooom!

  (telegraph fashion news)

   

• Fashion news 2010: Alexander McQueen fashion desinger to receive posthumous fashion award

  
  06 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Alexander McQueen fashion desinger to receive posthumous fashion award: Designer Alexander McQueen will be posthumously honoured at the 2010 British Fashion Awards with an Outstanding Achievement award.

  

  The late fashion designer Alexander McQueen 2010

  Lee Alexander McQueen, one of the finest young British designers of his generation, will receive a posthumous award for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design at the British Fashion Awards 2010, in London, tomorrow night.

  The award was announced by the British Fashion Council today and celebrates the achievement of a designer whose work had an exceptional impact on global fashion.

  Four times the winner of the British Designer of the Year 'crown', McQueen was revered around the world for his uncompromising and provocative design ethos, his razor-sharp, modernist tailoring, and his singular approach to the presentation of his collections, in London and New York, and, more latterly, in Paris.

  To commemorate his life, tomorrow night's award ceremony will open with a film, featuring some of the most iconic pieces from the Alexander McQueen archive, directed by Nick Knight and styled by Edward Enninful, and featuring a soundtrack by Björk.

  "This film is my way of speaking about a very unique and important person who changed my life. My desire was to speak in some way about the dark and the light contained with Lee, and within us all," Nick Knight said.

  Born in London in 1969, Lee McQueen began his fashion career with apprenticeships at the Savile Row tailors, Anderson & Sheppard, and, then, at the neighbouring Gieves & Hawkes. He later enrolled at Central Saint Martins, graduating with an MA in fashion design, in 1992. The entire collection was famously bought by his great friend and champion, the late Isabella Blow.

  In less than a decade, he had achieved world renown, delighting and disturbing with the emotional power and raw energy of his vision; with collections that mixed a potent fragility with historical romance, fearsome inspiration and severe silhouettes.

  Between October 1996 and March 2001 he was also creative director of Givenchy in Paris, producing the house's ready-to-wear and haute couture collections, whilst continuing to mastermind his own label.

  The Gucci Group acquired 51% of the Alexander McQueen brand in 2000, and McQueen remained as creative director until his tragic suicide in February this year.

  He is succeeded by his protégé, Sarah Burton, who had worked alongside him for 14 years.

  Jonathan Akeroyd, the Chief Executive of Alexander McQueen, said: "We are honoured to accept the BFC Outstanding Achievement in Fashion award."

  "There was only one person we felt we could recognise with this award this year - Lee McQueen," said Harold Tillman, CBE, the chairman of the BFC.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Queen of fashion, Miuccia Prada, reigns in London at Lancaster House 2010

  
  05 December 2010
  

  Queen of fashion, Miuccia Prada, reigns in London at Lancaster House 2010: Mrs Prada, wearing her favourite banana earrings, hosted a star-studded dinner party at Lancaster House to celebrate the opening of her latest Miu Miu store.

  

  Models pose in the window of the new Miu Miu store in London 2010

  Miuccia Prada, the queen of fashion, arrived to host a grand dinner at historic Lancaster House in St James's tonight in a black 'star' appliqué leather biker jacket and silver pleated midi-skirt from Miu Miu's spring/summer 2011 collection. She accessorised her five-inch platforms and white T-shirt from Prada with her favourite banana earrings.

  Mrs Prada is in London for the opening of the new Miu Miu two-storey European flagship on New Bond Street and also to announce the winner of the 2010 Turner Prize live on television on Monday evening.

  Guests at tonight's dinner included Jessica Alba, Lily Allen, Sir Nicholas Serota, Ronnie Wood, and the 13 year-old Hollywood sensation Chloe Moretz who is currently filming with Martin Scorsese in London, and spending her time off set shopping. Her favourite buy is a pair of black leather shorts from Topshop.

  Mrs Prada's guests arrived to be greeted by a man playing a silent grand piano and a model working on an impossible white jigsaw puzzle of acanthus leaves, based on the wallpaper in the new Miu Miu shop. The shop is inspired by a bank vault and features a wall of 'mock' safety deposit boxes. Not a bad idea considering the most expensive Miu Miu bag, in mustard, black or red croc is £6,900.

  Ronnie Wood, still on the wagon and drinking coca cola, was also in attendance with his girlfriend, Ana Araujo in black sequined Balmain. She was just back from a shoot with Rankin and heads to Milan to shoot with Raphael Mazzucco next.

  Jessica Alba flew in from New York just for the dinner and braved London's sub-zero temperatures and snow in a sleeveless lime green Miu Miu shift with bare legs and tan platforms. She revealed her "survival" secret was snowboarders' heat pads, which she keeps in her pockets and inside the soles of her shoes. "Sometimes at premieres, if it's really cold, I put them in my knickers, too," she said.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Coupled of The Kooples fashion 2010

  
  05 December 2010
  

  Coupled of The Kooples fashion 2010: His-and-hers hipster style rocks up in Britain, thanks to the French brand The Kooples.

  

  If I was 10 years younger and a good stone and a half lighter there's one place I'd be shopping quite a lot of right now: The Kooples, a French brand that has just opened its first three stand-alone stores in Britain (with more on the way, I'm told).

  

  It is a young label in more ways than one. A massive hit across the Channel with snake-hipped rock 'n' roll types, and their groovy girl/boyfriends/civil partners/whatever, it has been going all of two years. Not that you'd necessarily know it, going by its confident swagger and the sheer number of branches and concessions in Paris and other French cities these days.

  

  This Kooples mini explosion has much to do with the fact that the founders - three brothers called Alexander, Laurent and Raphael - are the sons of the people behind the Comptoir des Cotonniers womenswear chain, which female friends of mine rave about, and so have retail in their blood. It also owes a lot to a very clever advertising campaign, which you might have spotted on the sides of taxis and buses if you happen to live in London, featuring real-life couples looking drop-dead cool in their Kooples gear.

  

  But the overriding reason, I think, for its success is what concerns us customers most - those clothes: skinny trousers and jeans, sharp blazers with narrow revers, pointy boots, and lots of dandyish little details. I am loving it all and, as I say, just wishing I was 28 (years and waist size).

  As for prices: think high-end high street. Scroll through the images above and you'll get a much better idea of the whole aesthetic.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Fashion forward fairies

  
  05 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Fashion forward fairies: As Katy Perry sparkles and Kylie goes white christmas, it's time to channel your inner fairy.

  

  You really know it's Christmas when it is opening night for The Nutcracker Suite at the London Coliseum - one of the most sparkling and traditional of ballets. This year, the English National Ballet and Swarovski are celebrating their fourth collaboration, this time on a production of Tchaikovsky's best-known ballet, opening on Friday December 10th.

  More than 100,000 Swarovski crystals have been used in creating the 400 spectacular, shimmering Nutcracker costumes. Swarovski, of course, is no stranger to the fairytale quality of the "bling" factor, having worked with many of London and the world's top designers, including Christian Dior, Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Balenciaga, Prada, Christopher Kane, Giles Deacon and Hussein Chalayan, on shimmering crystal-embellished designs for the catwalk.

  This Christmas, the glittering fantasy transfers to the stage in a new Nutcracker by ENB's artistic director, Wayne Eagling, with set and costumes by Peter Farmer. Each Sugar Plum Fairy's tutu is encrusted with 400 hand-embroidered individual stones, and a fabulous Christmas tree, glittering with Swarovski crystals, is the centrepiece of the set.

  The glittering image of the fairy is a potent fantasy, enacted in many and varied ways by designers and celebrities. Singers such as Taylor Swift and Florence Welch often create ethereal, fairy-like scenarios with their stage sets and costumes.

  Strictly Come Dancing 's costume designers have frequent "Tatiana" moments, and both Ali Bastian (2009) and Alesha Dixon, (2007 winner), have floated across the BBC dance-floor like fairy princesses.

  Keira Knightley wore a fairy-like bridal gown for her wedding dress in Love Actually , and style icon, Alexa Chung, succumbed to the temptation in a fragile, "flower fairy" creation by Valentino, at the GQ Awards, a few weeks ago. Lady Gaga was in full "future fairy" mode, designed by Giorgio Armani, complete with a sci-fi "wand", at the Grammys, earlier this year, while Katy Perry looked like something from the top of the Christmas tree in a sparkling silver doll-dress and head-dress, performing at the Grammy Nominations Concert, last week.

  Take flight with our fashion guide to chanelling your inner fairy.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Pete Doherty launches luxury jewellery 2010 line with Hannah Martin

  
  02 December 2010
  

  Pete Doherty launches luxury jewellery 2010 line with Hannah Martin: Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty launches luxury jewellery line 'Albion Trinketry'.

  

  Luxury jewellery 2010 designer Hannah Martin and Babyshambles singer, Pete Doherty launched a collaborative jewellery line at Joseph yesterday.

  Looking very on-trend in a brown shearling coat and oversized check scarf, the musician and artist unveiled 'Albion Trinketry' in the Westbourne Grove store, against a backdrop of his sketches and paintings. The line brings together his love of antiques and obsession with trinkets, in a 15-piece collection of cufflinks, rings, pins, chains and watch fobs that are vintage-inspired, but with a modern twist.

  Using oxidised silver, rose gold and black diamonds the range is made up of hand-carved discs and military-inspired crosses, slung on multi-strand or single heavy chains. Though sticking closely to Martin's signature style, the twosome have looked to some of Doherty's lesser-known passions as inspiration for the line; the mammoth tusk pendants, for example, are a tribute to a room in his house that he has devoted entirely to elephants.

  Famed for her masculine, rock 'n' roll aesthetic, Central St. Martins graduate Martin launched her eponymous line five years ago, after earning her stripes with jewellery giant, Cartier, and French fashion house, Givenchy. No stranger to fashion himself, Doherty was once a muse to designer, Hedi Slimane, and appeared in Roberto Cavalli's 'His and Hers' autumn/winter 2007 campaign, with then-girlfriend Kate Moss.

  'Albion Trinketry' is available to buy now, at Joseph stores, with bespoke commissions also available upon request.

  (telegraph fshion news)

   

• Cristiano Ronaldo's model girlfriend, Irina Shayk missing underwear

  
  02 December 2010
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo's model girlfriend, Irina Shayk missing underwear: Cristiano Ronaldo's model girlfriend, Irina Shayk, is getting her knickers in a twist over claims that GQ magazine airbrushed out her underwear from a photo shoot.

  

  Russian model Irina Shayk stars as the December cover girl of Spanish GQ magazine, seductively posing in a black camisole and holding a cigarette, accompanied by the headline: 'Want to see the most beautiful creature in the world nude?'

  A look inside the magazine reveals Shayk wearing little more than a pair of knee-high socks in one image, a lace shrug, and a pair of high heels in another.

  Yet when Miss Shayk, 24, opened the magazine, she was reported to be shocked at finding pictures of herself in the nude, claiming that she wore underwear for the duration of the shoot.

  Gael Marie, managing director of Elite, Shayk's modelling agency said: "Supermodel Irina Shayk is the victim of 'photoshop' and breach of contract over photo approval in GQ Spain." The model is said to be considering legal action against the publication.

  However the plot thickens, as the magazine has hit back via a blog post on its website, in which is accuses Shayk of lying, stating: "Irina posed nude for GQ - Irina knows it, Elite knows it, the photographer knows it, and so do the stylists and the fifteen witnesses who attended the photo shoot.

  "We have the contract, more than 15 witnesses who saw that Irina agreed to undress for the session, we have the original naked photos of Irina … What other evidence is needed? The facts, witnesses, original documents, photos … Why lie for lying?"

  Renowned photographer Vincent Peters captured Shayk for the issue, and has worked with names such as Natalia Vodianova, Eva Herzigova and Monica Bellucci during his career.

  It isn't the first time that GQ, which is owned by the Condé Nast publishing house, has courted controversy with a Photoshop scandal.

  Back in 2003, an unusually long-legged Kate Winslet appeared on the cover of British GQ. The editor, Dylan Jones, admitted that the 'Titanic' star's appearance had been digitally altered, but was quoted as saying that her image wasn't tampered with any more than any other cover star.

  "Maybe Shayk's people did it simply to boost her global profile and with it her market value", the Spanish GQ blog continues. "The more famous you are, the more money you make - hence the Ronaldo-Shayk axis. So if this 'naked pics' allegation is a cynical publicity stunt, so be it."

  And so the mystery of the Irina Shayk's missing knickers continues...

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Helena Bonham Carter laughs at winning a place on best-dressed list

  
  02 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Helena Bonham Carter laughs at winning a place on best-dressed list: Helena Bonham Carter, known for her eccentric outfits, thought her place on Vanity Fair's Best-Dressed List was a joke.

  

  When Helena Bonham Carter heard she'd won a coveted position on Vanity Fair's " International Best-Dressed List " she thought it was a joke. Bonham Carter's approach to fashion is eccentric to say the very least, and usually lands her on fashion commentators' worst-dressed lists. But the magazine's annual celebration of the world's most stylish individuals applauds "exquisite self-expression" and that's something the actress has in abundance.

  In an interview with the New York Daily News to promote her role in "The King's Speech", she describes having a "f--- it attitude" to red carpet dressing.
  
  "It was a triumph!" she says of making the list. "It made me laugh because I thought it was a joke when I found out. But when I saw the article, I thought, 'Oh, the photos they've chosen are as bad as the ones they print when I'm worst dressed.'
  
  "I don't feel any pressure to dress well," she says. "When I was younger, I cared more what people say. When I did do the Oscar thing, I did feel quite a lot of pressure to dress a certain way."
  
  Bonham Carter has long been a fan of Vivienne Westwood's designs and counts Marie Antoinette as her style icon.
  
  She tells Vanity Fair that her favourite item of clothing is "my bloomers."

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Christmas party dresses 2010

  
  02 December 2010
  

  Christmas party dresses 2010: Nevermind gifts, women will spend over £200 on average to look perfect for the Christmas party season.

  

  Christmas is supposed to be about giving, but for women, it is also a time for self-indulgence.

  A recent survey has shown that British women will spend a total of £3.5 billion this December on clothes, shoes and accessories to make certain they are party-perfect.

  

  That's the equivalent of £206 for the average woman to update her festive wardrobe, or, if funds will allow, create a new one.

  

  It might sound like a lot of money - especially as this figure doesn't even factor in the cost of actual shopping for gifts - but with the prices of cotton soaring, it comes as little surprise. And, as a spokesman for Indesit, the appliance manufacturer who carried out the survey added: "The spending soon adds up, especially when you get jewellery, make-up and beauty treatments as well."

  The study of 3,000 women revealed that an average of £76.50 will be spent on a new dress or outfit, while a further £41.22 will go on new shoes to go with it. Factor in the issue of having more than one Christmas party to attend, and 84 per cent admitted that they would be 'recycling' their new outfit, wearing it more than once to save money.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Tom Ford women's catwalk show 2010 pictures finally hit the web

  
  01 December 2010
  

  Tom Ford women's catwalk show 2010 pictures finally hit the web: Glamorous at every age, Tom Ford women's wear is the collection we've all been waiting for.

  

  Tickets were like gold dust and the anticipation sent shivers through New York Fashion Week in September. Tom Ford was back - but on his own terms. Mr Sexsational's first women's wear collection since leaving Gucii and Yves Saint Laurent was unveiled with the secrecy of a James Bond spy thriller, cloaks but no daggers.

   

  No photographers (except Terry Richardson, shooting for the house), no pre or post publicity, and above all, no internet. Mr Ford was adamant the pictures would be released to the glossies when he was ready - not before.

  The collection was shown in his Madison Avenue store, watched by 100 and modelled by the women who inspire him, including Beyonce Knowles, Julianne Moore, Marisa Berenson, Stella Tennant, Rita Wilson and many more. Mr Ford posed against a marble mantel, manned the microphone, introducing each one, and providing a detailed description from the silk turbans and feather-trimmed Fedoras down to the black lace boots.

  The collection for spring/summer 2011, is previewed in the December issues of both US Vogue and Paris Vogue, and now in the new issue of UK Harper's Bazaar, out December 6th. The cover features the British actress Emily Blunt in a striking, cobalt blue fringed dress by Mr Ford, and the issue also features a bird's eye view of the show by editor, Lucy Yeomans, and an interview by Clare Coulson.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Young girls play dress-up in Paris Vogue

  
  01 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Young girls play dress-up in Paris Vogue: Tom Ford edited Paris Vogue features heavily made-up girls in ballgowns, Bulgari and children's T-shirts.

  

  Hollywood's latest fashion sensation - 13-year-old actress Chloë Moretz - is already facing competition from models less than half her age. Paris Vogue's December issue has hit the newsstands with an editorial spread featuring a bevy of little girls who look barely old enough to write their age in double digits.
  
  The 15-page feature about Christmas gifts, ' Cadeaux ', shows the 'model-ettes' dressed up to the nine-teens, their hair styled in glamorous 'up' do's and chignons, or tumbling in curls around their shoulders; their naive attempts at a smouldering gaze disconcertingly adult and at odds with their baby-face complexions, albeit these are enhanced with blusher, lipstick and blue and green eyeshadow.

  Reclining on tiger-skins, or sprawled on beds, they wear ballgowns from top designer labels including Versace, Lanvin, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent; their necks, wrists and ears bedecked with diamonds from a host of haute jewellers such as Cartier, Boucheron, Bulgari, and Van Cleef & Arpels; their feet in pint-sized gold sandals from Balmain, or leopard-print mules with crystal spike heels by Christian Louboutin.
  
  According to New York Magazine's website, nymag.com , the models are 'heavily made-up 6-year-olds', but the only things which look remotely as if they really belong in the little girls' wardrobes are the white singlets and vests from the French children's wear specialists, Petit Bateau, which are visible underneath Giorgio Armani and Valentino gowns, for example, or dressed-up with a satin bra from Sabbia Rosa and diamonds and emeralds from Harry Winston.
  
  Photographed by Sharif Hamza, originally from London, and a former first assistant to Steven Klein, the feature is one of the highlights of French Vogue's Christmas issue, edited by Tom Ford, who appears on the cover, with Lara Stone, and has illustrated his 'Le Point De Vue' de Vogue (editor's note), with a shot of himself giving photographer Terry Richardson, a full-on smackeroo on the lips, and a cheery 'Merry Christmas' sign-off.
  
  In complete contrast to the little girls, the Ford-edited issue goes to the other extreme, with a fashion spread photographed by the designer himself entitled 'Forever Love'. Here, two 'Golden Oldies', so wrinkled they clearly have never had an intimate relationship with Botox, demonstrate that you may be geriatric but you can still get it on - and you are never too old to know better.

  (telegraph fashion news)

   

• Fashion news 2010: Alexa Chung to star in US fashion reality show: 'Thrift America'

  
  01 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Alexa Chung to star in US fashion reality show: 'Thrift America': Alexa Chung is in New York working on a her latest television show, 'Thrift America', to air next summer.

  

  According to the New York Times , Alexa Chung is the "most famous person you've probably never heard of". This is obviously not the case in Britain, where she is seen at every party and featured in every fashion magazine, but Chung has yet to successfully launch her career in America.

  It's not likely her anonymity in the US will last much longer, however. She is currently in New York filming a fashion reality show called "Thrift America". Her first foray into American television was short-lived: her show for MTV, "It's On With Alexa Chung," was cancelled after only two seasons.

  "Thrift America" - scheduled to air on PBS next summer - will see Chung travel across the States trawling flea markets, second-hand shops, and garage sales. She will stop off in New York and then visit Alabama, Nashville and Orlando amongst other cities not normally known for attracting the fashion crowd.

  "She's become the Kate Moss for this new generation," Jane Keltner de Valle, the fashion news director for Teen Vogue explained to the New York Times .

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Chloë Moretz heads up a new generation of junior style icons

  
  01 December 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Chloë Moretz heads up a new generation of junior style icons: Forget Emma Watson, these days designers are falling over themselves to dress the under 16s.

  You're 13 years-old and you're going to a party. Where do you get your dress? River Island? New Look? Or, if you're really pushing the boat out, maybe Topshop.

  

  However, if you're Chloë Moretz, the hottest young actress in Hollywood, star of 'Kick Ass', and vampire flick 'Let Me In', you get Karl Lagerfeld on the case.

  Moretz put in a stylish turn at the British Academy Children's Awards in London on Sunday night in a candy striped Chanel 2011 resort dress - accessorised with a sweeping blow-dried bob, and ample attitude - and cranked up her fashion icon status another notch.

  Quite the clotheshorse, already this month Moretz has been lavished with a checked satin and sequin dress from Proenza Schouler's autumn/winter 2010 collection for the 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows' premiere, a floral Christian Dior dress at the 'Dior Illustrated: René Gruau and the Line of Beauty' private view, and black lace Stella McCartney dress for the 'Let Me In' premiere at the London Film Festival.
  
  All these treats and she's barely out of primary school, how will she ever wear high street again?
  
  Moretz is not the only child star being courted by big name fashion designers either.
  
  When 12 year-old Elle Fanning, younger sister of 'veteran' actress Dakota (16) went to the Academy Governors Awards in Los Angeles last week to promote her latest movie 'Somewhere', she was arm-in-arm with Sofia Coppola and head-to-toe in gold lace Valentino. And for the Venice Film Festival? Marc Jacobs of course!
  
  But it seems that, far from simply copying the grown ups, this generation of junior superstars are the style setters.
  
  Take 10 year-old Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada Smith, whose single 'Whip My Hair' is already an internet sensation with 3.7 million views ahead of its December 6 release. Her brightly coloured avant-garde style and Rihanna-esque curly crop have spawned an army of lookalikes. She no doubt has a stylist, but her look is all her own.
  
  Other names to watch include Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan, 16, rumoured to be the next face of Burberry, and Abigail Breslin, 14, a big fan of Marchesa who was spotted front row at the Nanette Lepore show during New York Fashion Week earlier this year; and the unavoidable Justin Beiber who has just been named the most Googled person on earth.
  
  Emma Watson may as well give up and go home. At the ripe old age of 20, she' s positively past it - in fashion terms at least.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• 2010 Christmas Gifts Collection

  
  28 November 2010
  

  2010 Christmas Gifts Collection: With Christmas just around the corner designers start offering us their souvenir collections. We have recently discussed a pretty 2010 Christmas range by Sonia Rykiel and now let’s see Lanvin’s stocking-fillers. The collection includes everything from girls’ notebooks to keyfobs of various types.

  Photos of 2010 Christmas Gifts Collection

  

   

  

   

  

   

  

   

• Fasion news 2010: Elie Saab exhibition at Harrods

  
  28 November 2010
  

  Fasion news 2010: Elie Saab exhibition at Harrods: London department store Harrods is hosting an exhibition of twelve red carpet gowns by the Lebanese couturier Elie Saab.

  

  If your Christmas shopping trail sends you around the luxury enclave that is London's Knightsbridge, be sure to pop in to Harrods for the ultimate fashion treat.

  The department store is hosting an exhibition of 12 dresses by the Lebanese 'couturier to the stars', Elie Saab. And the gowns on display are no ordinary designer frocks; they have been worn by the likes of Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger.

  Remember when Halle Berry made history in 2002 by becoming the first African-American woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars? The sheer, embroidered haute couture gown she wore to collect her award was created by Saab and features in the exhibition. So does the long black dress with sleeves which red carpet veteran Helen Mirren chose for the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

  The Elie Saab showcase will run at Harrods until December 22, in the store's Luxury Collections Display Lobby, on the first floor. There is no entry fee.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: British Fashion Council Chairman Harold Tillman receives CBE

  
  28 November 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: British Fashion Council Chairman Harold Tillman receives CBE: Tillman, who owns Jaeger and Aquascutum, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace.

  

  The chairman of the British Fashion, Harold Tillman, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace.

  The retail entrepreneur, who owns British heritage brands Jaeger and Aquascutum, was named CBE in the 2010 Birthday Honours list for his services to the fashion industry.

  On receiving the CBE Tillman said: "It is a real honour to be recognised in this way. The UK is home to some of the world's leading fashion brands and I am proud to be associated with a number of them through the British Fashion Council and directly with Jaeger and Aquascutum."

  Tillman, 64, joined the British Fashion Council in 2008, and is credited with strengthening the international reputation of London Fashion Week. By inviting global brands such as Burberry Prorsum, Matthew Williamson, Antonio Berardi and Pringle of Scotland to showcase their collections at London Fashion Week, the event has reaffirmed itself as a global player in the fashion marketplace.

  He was also integral to the launch of the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund, which provides talented British designers financial with and mentoring support. The shortlist for the 2011 prize was announced this week and includes some of the brightest stars of London Fashion Week: Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, Charlotte Olympia, E Tautz, Nicholas Kirkwood, Osman and Peter Pilotto.

  The British Fashion Council hosted a party to celebrate Tillman's CBE at the newly reopened Savoy Hotel, where Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose, GQ editor Dylan Jones, designer Ozwald Boateng and businessman Mohammed Al Fayed congratulated him on his honour.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion trend 2011 with duffle coats

  
  25 November 2010
  

   Fashion trend 2011 with duffle coats: With the UK snow forecast, it's time wrap up warm in a duffle coat.

  There was time when duffle coats were synonymous with Paddington Bear and small children. Not anymore.

  

  Kate Bosworth in a covetable duffle coat by Proenza Schouler

  When super-stylish actress Kate Bosworth is pictured covering up in a digital-print duffle by hip New York label Proenza Schouler, you should take note. Add to the mix sightings of a duffle-clad Sienna Miller, Rihanna and Taylor Swift looking cute as a button in a Topshop version, and it's a full-on micro-trend.

  

  Rihanna rocks a short duffle jacket

  Duffle coats have been keeping Brits warm since 1890, when a manufacturer of outdoor clothing turned to duffle - a coarse, woollen fabric originating from Antwerp in Belgium - to market a new breed of coat. The British Royal Navy then issued their version during World War I, resulting in large quantities of army-surplus in the Fifties.

  

  Taylor Swift spotted in London wearign a duffle coat from Topshop

  This season however, French designers have got in on the act, as Chloé, Carven and Paul & Joe offer their interpretations.

  The great British high street has also come up trumps with styles to suit every pocket. Head to Topshop and you might struggle to choose between a caped, tartan-print or three-quarter-length duffle coat. The khaki style with a faux-fur trimmed hood by Whistles is also worth a look, and if you want a twist on this season's camel coat, Aubin & Wills' grown-up duffle is punctuated with red toggles

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Dannii Minogue’s Christmas style tips 2010

  
  25 November 2010
  

  Dannii Minogue’s Christmas style tips 2010: Dannii Minogue reveals her 'how-to's' for Christmas party dressing at the launch of her latest Project D collection.

  

  Dannii Minogue took time out from her mentoring and judging on the X Factor to launch the spring /summer 2011 Project D capsule collection - a design collaboration between her and best friend Tabitha Somerset-Webb.

  Started-up three seasons ago, Project D fuses Dannii's sophisticated glamour and Tabitha's rock 'n' roll groove.

  A highlight of the new collection for next season includes day-chic tea-dresses in chiffon and satin in a painterly, butterfly-print in beige, fuchsia and black.

  There is also an oriental feel - a key trend from the designer catwalk shows - in kimono and wrap-around tops, in block-coloured chiffon.
  
  The collection clearly demonstrates the new sense of fashion identity Dannii is displaying on this new series of the X Factor.
  
  Weekend after weekend, she delights audiences with her cool sophistication, evident in everything from her gleaming short bob and glowing make-up, to her savvy mix of flattering designs by the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Marchesa, Victoria Beckham and her own Project D label.
  
  Her new image is a complete transformation from the Dannii of old. How does she do it?
  
  With the Christmas party season on the way, we thought we would find out Dannii's way to achieve an X-factor look. This is what she told us:
  
  - "Go with what you know. It makes you feel great and you will ooze with confidence."
  
  - "Always be prepared. Make sure that everything is secure and nothing will fall out, fall off, or unravel. Although the party season is time to have fun - you do not want any fashion-accidents".
  
  - "Add a touch of shimmer and sparkle. It is the festive season after all." ( We like Stargazer Hair Glitter Spray )
  
  - "Wear the 'Star' dress , (£350), which is a perfect super-sexy, Little Black Dress with a sheer mesh embellished front and back top-half. You will not have any 'wardrobe malfunctions' with this."
  
  - "Don't forget that perfume is the hidden accessory."

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fashion news 2010: Supermodel Natalia Vodianova relaunches Etam in the UK

  
  24 November 2010
  

  Fashion news 2010: Natalia Vodianova relaunches Etam in the UK: Supermodel socialite Natalia Vodianova is on modelling and design duty for Etam's UK comeback.

  After a five year absence from the British high street, French clothing label Etam is set to launch online in the UK in December.

  The site will focus on lingerie and loungewear and will sell the highly popular 'Natalia Pour Etam' range designed by supermodel socialite Natalia Vodianova.

  This will be the fourth collection Vodianova has produced for the brand alongside her role as the face of Etam.

  Etam's disappearance from the UK went almost unnoticed in April 2005, when the label failed to keep up with the high street boom and closed all stores. The business remained bouyant in Europe however, and is ready to try its luck here again, with a much needed injection of glamour from Vodianova.

  "Etam's lingerie has been completely revamped and is now a leading part of the brand" a spokesperson told us. "Whereas before Etam was the go-to place for reliable basics, it now has a completely new product range in terms of higher quality and style, and will be the only affordable sexy, sophisticated French lingerie brand in the UK."

  Campaign pictures of Etam's autumn/winter collection appropriately titled 'An International Love Story', feature ex Calvin Klein underwear model Vodianova looking natural and sexy on a white fur rug, wearing bras that start from £20. The images from Vodianova's own collection show her posing against a simple grey backdrop wearing a black lace body-stocking and brightly coloured bra. Pieces from this collection start from £29.

  Looks suppermodel Natalia Vodianova 2010

  

  

  

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Fshion news 2010: Natalie Portman - She Wears It Well

  
  24 November 2010
  

  Fshion news 2010: Natalie Portman- She Wears It Well: While camel is the colour we're officially meant to be falling all over this season, on the streets a royal blue tsunami is gathering momentum. You may have noticed this yourselves. Something about an engagement?

  

  Whether or not the ever-immaculate Hollywood star Natalie Portman was taking her lead from Kate Middleton when she pulled on her coat this week, I do like the cut of her jib.

  There's something not just cheering but absolutely luxurious about a winter wool coat in a rich colour. And royal blue or Yves Klein blue is perfect for a brunette or a dark blonde. (On a platinum blonde I'm more inclined to think doors-to-manual).

  This just-under-knee length is great if you're a frequent dress wearer. Portman's bare legs are a good call too. Black opaque tights wouldn't be particularly flattering with this length (though hell knows we love 'em and if you haven't tried Falke's 100 denier I urge you to immediately). But if you don't dare to bare go for a sheer denier.

  Worn with a modern take on the court shoe this is a look that says modern princess - whether you get to be one in real life or not.

  (telegraph fashion news)

• Prada Spring Summer 2011 at Milan Fashion Week

  
  23 November 2010
  

  Prada Spring Summer 2011 at Milan Fashion Week: “It’s time to be bold” Miuccia Prada said and sent her beauties down the runway wearing colorful sun frocks, stripy suits, extraordinary bright shoes and simple but classy handbags. I guess I forgot about huge sunhats and fake fur accessories in plenty. This was her Spring/ Summer 2011 collection that she presented as a part of Milan Fashion Week.

  

  In contrast to Prada Fall/ Winter 2010/ 2011 collection (see Prada Fall/ Winter 2010/ 2011 ad campaign) that seemed granny-like to me, the new Spring/ Summer 2011 one is much fresher and more youthful. We see neon hues playing with elaborate cartoonish prints, bold flesh-exposing designs combined with strictly official minimalistic ensembles, and lots of fun derived from unusual shoes and chic colored fur tails.
  
  I like the collection very much. It reminds me of my teen years when I pulled on various clothing pieces that at first sight seemed absolutely incompatible but when together and assembled right gave that pretty exravagant and sophisticated look I was always proud of. But Prada is Prada and even now being a smarter lady I feel I still can wear such pieces, designer pieces actually.

  Photos of Prada Spring Summer 2011 at Milan Fashion Week