Don’t step on my blue (spiked) shoes

 We all know the drill.  We read the same recycled, rehashed advice dished out by every fashion editor every time girly, dainty trends hit the runway. ‘Toughen up your feminine look with a masculine bag…warrior style shoes…armour-type jewellery’.  Ladies, and gents for that matter (we are never the type to discriminate) we know you know this.  And we aint idiots are we.   But sometimes, these ‘tough accessories’ cant be taken to extremes.  The ongoing jewellery trend which has bombarded the UK high street over the last few seasons sees disturbingly larger and larger knuckle duster-style rings adorning the daintiest of hands.  And I’m sure must have done some serious damage in late night cat fights up and down the country.  However, the current trend that seems to have infiltrated the market and trickled down from the upper echelons of luxury (Louboutin, I am referring to you, good sir) seems to be based on medieval torture tactics.  I am of course referring to the super spiked shoe trend which is fast taking over.  And I’m not talking stiletto here.  Everything from loafers to  ballet pumps, Mary-Janes to skyscrapers, now come adorned with a full-on smattering of spikiness.  It was Christian Louboutin’s Rollerballs back in 2009 which kicked this off (which are still available for a cool £765), and now the likes of everyone from Steve Madden to Jeffery Campbell have taken it upon themselves as self-proclaimed ambassadors of the Chokey style trend (remember the Chokey, from Matilda?).

Despite personally loving the trend and seriously contemplating blowing a week’s budget on a pair of the Steve Madden gold STUDLYY’s, I cant help wonder if anyone has been seriously injured by stepping on someone’s toes yet.  If you are also keen on this look to ‘toughen up that dainty summer dress’ or do as I would and rock your inner Kate Lanpher (grown-up grunge babe alert) good old Topshop are also jumping on the bandwagon (in a range of colours and for the bargain price of £28), albeit watering the style down slightly for those of us scared of impalement…

Holly Fulton at London Fashion Week AW12 // Hose me down

What: Holly Fulton AW12 at London Fashion Week

Where: BFC Showspace, Somerset House

When: Tuesday 21st February 2012, 12pm

Who: Tolula Adeyemi (in Holly Fulton, of course) and a very squished FROW full of editors

Urban gardeners, drop the herb box and listen up – there’s a new green-fingered style icon in town and it’s the AW12 Holly Fulton woman. At the Holly Fulton show this afternoon in a jampacked BFS Showspace, we got our somewhat expected art deco leanings together with brightly coloured rainbow hues of pink and turquoise on ladylike silhouettes.

All this was wrapped into beautifully styled packages of Christian Louboutin heels, Cutler and Gross glasses and messy, sometimes bejewelled buns. And we were told – via press release – that the look was straight out of a saucy Lady Chatterley-style getting-it-on-with-the-gardener scene.

As it always is with fashion, the botanical garden prints and Peter Max-inspired pop art motifs were the most sophisticated imagining of a sexed up nature-loving Lady of the Manor we could ever hope to see. Which doesn’t mean the collection wasn’t fun – there was more than a hint of Versace in the bold pink and black looks (though we preferred the turquoise section). Crossed necklines, cropped jackets and polo necked dresses kept all the frivolity in check.

Fitted skirts were cut at the hems providing another hint of naughtiness and statement earrings and accessorised short sleeves  gave the otherwise stiff outfits some girlish movement. I wasn’t a fan of the swinging, furry bags but otherwise the glasses and jewellery were grown up touches to some pretty loud looks.

The finale look – with a beautiful armoured-style cropped vest and long, skintight skirt – was a wonderful surprise after lots of print and not much texture. I’m sure Ladies looking to pounce on their outdoor staff would stumble just like the final Holly Fulton model did as she took on the bright lights of the BFC catwalk. They’d probably have more chance of being caught by a strong, young man too.

Photos taken with Olympus PEN E-PM1 – for more information see here

Bid on a Bag to Save a Life

The Bag to Save a Life auction is now open online – nab a designer handbag at a bargain price and support Save the Children at the same time.

Bag to Save a Life is this year’s Save the Children’s Christmas campaign. Launched last Friday, fronted by UK supermodel Erin O’Connor, the appeal lets fashionistas bid to get their hands on bags from Christian Louboutin, Mulberry, Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, Prada and many more in an online auction through www.savethechildren.org.uk/bagtosave.

Many of handbags were donated by celebrities, and we’re talking VERY stylish ones at that. Tilda Swinton, for example, handed over a really chic Chanel bow bag. Others came straight from designers – my favourites have got to be the two-toned Jason Wu ‘Miss Wu’ tote bag and the futuristic Christopher Kane PVC clutch, pictured above. I’ve wanted one of these ever since Sophie and I went to his London Fashion Week show in February.

The starting price of all lots will be set at around a quarter of the bags’ recommended retail price. Save the Children is also urging the public to show their support by donating and dropping off unwanted bags at any of their Save the Children stores around the UK.

The Bag to Save a Life auction is open until Sunday 4th December so get bidding now at www.savethechildren.org.uk/bagtosave.