London AW10 | Day Two

It's no surprise sisters Sienna and Savannah Miller design with themselves and no doubt their friends in mind. Their Twenty8Twelve collection is in serious competition with high street chains such as H&M and TopShop though from my opinion, with no real direction other than taking inspiration from what's already available and giving it another name.
There were warrior elements blindingly obvious at Todd Lynn, armoring urban dwellers against what I'm not sure exactly, but he did it in a very streamlined and polished way that keeps his overall mood very modern and relevant.
Joanna Sykes has called her label Sykes and she performed a great impression of relaxed elegance with a sporty spin, the best surprise left for look number 12 and 15 you absolutely must take a look at by clicking here immediately. There was nothing pretentious about this collection, she approached it honestly and edited brilliantly to make sure that there were no interruptions to the balance of the story her collection was telling.
Matthew Williamson is the guaranteed go to man to never let winter dampen our spirits. Bright blues and pinks combined with black and gray to offer warmth and protection from the elements by way of adding coats to leather leggings and other garments but the detail was all in the neckline or at the hem.
Julien Macdonald gave a lace like spin on wool so to speak and kept his lace inspired collection tight with a nod to tuxedo references scattered throughout the feminine collection. Shearling lined leather jackets kept it grounded from floating away on a cloud of romantic lace notions and he showed why he stands apart from the crowd with innovative ideas with this Autumn Winter collection.

London AW10 | Day One

A game of noughts and crosses was played up the models legs at Henry Holland's House of Holland show, and the games didn't stop there. It was a bedtime story played out across slogan t-shits (his claim to fame) and onesies with strips or patters played out. But the biggest literal reference came in the form of the underwear as outwear trend sweeping the industry. He chose to bump the lingerie feminine and go for the elastic labels adjoining the briefs we love. If Calvin Klein can make his name even more worthy blazoned just above belt loops on many men the world over, why can't Holland?
Charles Anastase took deconstructed sophistication to a new level with pop colours running a muck all over his pristine tailoring. Emerging initially as a very conservative collection for anyone in need of a cream overcoat, things got interesting when he gave a very blue dress some very red tights. Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland premiers in theatres March 4 and perhaps Anastase took his inspiration from Alice’s’ wardrobe, giving it a 2010 twist. The most impressive look came in the form of a hounds tooth jacket complete with belt; however styling with a facemask kept your imagination guessing. The same jacket pops up in white later, draped effortlessly over the shoulders of a caramel coat, but the look is according to the zeitgeist when it would slip seamlessly into our growing collections at home already. Charles Anastase’s client is one who appreciates the finest tailoring, but appreciates a wicked sense of humour too. She can wear the yellow Peter Pan collar to prove it.
Hoods and prints came in all forms and patterns at Duro Olowu, however this very small but fabulously executed collection gave me a name I'll watch out for in the future. I love the coats and capes dotted throughout all the colours and floral chiffon brings movement to an otherwise structured and heavy winter selection.
Taking the cake for giving models very bushy mono's though, is none other than Unique for TopShop, trecking through the bush with antlers and all. Take away all the wild hair and headpieces though, and you've got yourself a wearable and adapdable slate of garments to work with. Long chunky knits or dainty little blazers are staples to sharpen even the most sensible of outfits. Have you seen the petition to bring TopShop to Australia? Where do I sign up.

Bake | Cook

Weekends leave time for much loved unwinding in the kitchen, and I've spent the time so far accidentally stumbling upon many an inspiration. I have an overflowing folder of cut out recipes from Good Weekend Magazine, suplimentary to The Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Edition, and the new Delicious Magazine is absolutely overflowing with scrumptious recipes I'm dying to try.
Have a look at this Caramel Pear Upside Down Cake and the Brown Sugar Hazelnut Biscuits in the Food & Wine issue of Good Weekend. Yum!
And for dinner, I'll definitely be trying out these curries and couscous options. So colourful and full of fabulous flavours, the recipes will be posted with every recipe I try.
Weekend. Happy.

n e a u t r a l

Kate Bosworth, Scarlett Johansson and Michelle Williams have all set a record for stepping out in a neautral shift and fabulous shoes. Bosworth and Johansson do it best, red lips bring this otherwise static canvas to life. Let's see who else taps into this trend, it's chic, simple and effortless.

New York AW10 | Day Seven

I admit it, I love anything to do with a bleached out brick wall or some resemblance to a converted old warehouse. So it's no surprise I look on to Reem Acra's Autumn Winter 2010 collection with some admiration for the backdrop alone. But the garments them selves could have been the result of a love child of Donna Karan and Oscar De La Renta's. Clever draping and stunning burnt colours appropriate for the season weren't exactly a new idea, but there's still hope for this label with Spring Summer to come.
The master skill in Ralph Lauren's collection for reading what his customer might now be ready for has kept him in the game for over four decades. So it's only fair that he took inspiration from his own archives to introduce floral chiffon back into his equestrian inspired look. It was perfectly reigned in though with velvet coats and tan belts, sitting pretty next to fabulous jodhpurs and his famous gowns.
L'Wren Scott started out all very prim and proper, fit for number one fan, Nicole Kidman with pastels and white all mixed back with a bit of velvet for good measure before turning all dominatrix on us. There were thigh high corset fastened black leather boots, and well, make that black leather in all forms and shapes for the middle of the collection. Then it turned it's pretty little head in it's pretty little tilted box hat back to Hollywood glamour normally associated with this brand. Keeping up?
J. Mendel is a label on many a celebrities lips, but animal rights activists the world over would be frothing at the mouth over this fur heavy collection. How many fluffy animals had to suffer to make all these fur coats, stoles and shawls? Not exactly fitting with the mood that Stella McCartney and others have so passionately fought for, this collection is a miss.
A couple of seasons ago, it was all about the fake 'padded' derrier, now if Calvin Klein has anything to do with it, all attention is turning to the arms. Over sized rigid fabric gave the illusion of sleeves worthy of 'The Incredibles', however there was nothing even remotely Disney about this collection. It was pure elegance and sophistication right through the black, white, violet, burgundy and back to black collection.

New York AW10 | Tommy Ton

Perhaps Elsa Schiaparelli is on the brain. Her vivid lips, shocking hair and bejeweled clutch took Tommy Ton's attention away from the streets of New York. But at least he was still on the ball to click and catch Anna Wintour in the snow, and a beautiful black coat breaking the harsh elements. Oh to be in NYC right now. It's ten weeks on Tuesday, the countdown is on.
These fun and fashion forward lace up stiletto's show that practicality should never overrule fabulousness, I'm pleased to see that the people attending the shows are providing more personal expressions through their wardrobe than many of the designers themselves. They've put on their uniform for the day and clearly won't be dictated to by the commercial prospects on the runway.

GoGo CoCo

Coco Rocha couldn't put it any better. She's telling her story to Vogue UK so I'm going to let you read the article word for word.

Not "Skinny" Enough? | Lauren Milligan | 18 February 2010

MODEL Coco Rocha has spoken out about the fashion industry's fixation on super thin models, claiming that at seven stone, seven pounds she is no longer working as she used to because she is deemed not "skinny" enough.

"I'm not in demand for the shows anymore," she says on her blog site Oh So Coco. "I've been told to lose weight when I was really skinny. Everybody knows that, in general, a basketball player needs to be tall and a fashion model needs to be skinny, but how skinny is too skinny?"

The model, who wears a UK size six, is slated to take part in the CFDA's yearly panel discussion on health, which this year focuses on the impact of sample sizes on the size zero debate, entitled The Beauty Of Health: Resizing The Sample Size.

"You know what, I've stopped caring," Rocha said. "If I want a hamburger, I'm going to have one. No 21-year-old should be worrying about whether she fits a sample size...I don't do nudes, I don't do semi-nudes, I don't do cigarette shots. It took me a long time in the business to realise I didn't have to do everything people told me I should if I wanted a career."

Read more on Coco's blog at http://ohsococo.blogspot.com

Go go Coco, you're better than them anyway.