London Fashion Weeks Brings Entertainment

London Fashion Week has been anything but boring thus far. From models being served on a platter, to bold prints and haircuts, to even a choreographed routine, London is bringing it in entertainment value.

One of the top trends we are seeing in London is severe haircuts with all-black collections. Both John Rocha and Jasper Conran had collections where the models wore large black dresses with short hair cuts. While Conran's collection was based off of the twenties, Rocha's collection had black lace, cutaways, and leg warmers.

Stella McCartney tried something very new with a sit-down dinner fashion show. That doesn't sound too crazy, but the models emerged from the dinner wearing McCartney's collection and had choreography that included them being carried around on chairs through the crowd!

In the upcoming days, there will be shows by some of the biggest names in fashion, including Burberry and Vivienne Westwood.

Text Caitlin Beck
Image Ktar.com

Vote in the Fashion 2.0 Awards

Voting has commenced for the 3rd Annual Fashion 2.0 Awards, which celebrates the merging of fashion and social media. The brands and designers are nominated by their peers in the industry, and the winners are decided by you. 

There are eight awards this year, including Best Twitter, Best Facebook, and Best Mobile App. The nominees range from Betsey Johnson to Coach, but Burberry and DKNY are the front-runners with three nominations each. The voting continues until February 7 at midnight, and you can vote here. 

In recognition of their impact on the fashion industry, Gilt Groupe Founders Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson will be presented with the first ever Fashion 2.0 Visionary Award. Celebrity stylist and TV personality Robert Verdi will be hosting the ceremony from the SVA Theatre on February 8, and designer Norma Kamali is a keynote speaker. For those of you who cannot attend, but still want to watch, the Awards will be streamed live starting at 7 p.m. on http://livestream.com/fashion20.

Text Ashley Amidon

Image and Source Style Coalition

Act Neutral

One way to stand out this season: Blend in. If the latest crop of pre-fall collections are of any indication, designers are taking a detox from last season’s neon binge and are instead opting for neutrals.

Take Christopher Bailey of Burberry, who comfortably fell into the fashion house’s favorite season. (What’s autumn without a crisp Burberry coat?) The creative director showed an elegant series of structured pieces in dusty grays and chocolaty browns. The neutral shades — occasionally punctuated by muted notes of mustard yellow, lavender, and sage — translated well into fabrics like tweed and wool. Bailey’s apparent muse of a pre–World War II party girl managed to toe the fine line between gloom and grace — think Kate Middleton on a foggy day.

Another favorite take on neutrals was Thakoon’s pre-fall line (pictured above), which lightened things up in khakis, creams, and mauvey grays. Instead of playing with colors and patterns — aside from hints of pastels and some select striped garments — designer Thakoon Panichgul experimented with multi-textured layers. Textiles like cable knit, printed wool, and Mongolian lamb went together seamlessly, accessorized simply with leather loafers in, what else, nude.

Text Kara Solarz
Image Style.com

Burberry Prorsum Menswear Pre-Fall '12

Burberry has given us a preview of their Prorsum line for pre-fall 2012. Arguably, no one does trench coats or topcoats better than Burberry. These super slim silhouettes and aggressively tailored jackets are not for shy men, but they are for stylish men. This preview includes looks that are pretty much expected from Burberry: Nothing crazy or terribly different, just the quintessential Burberry aesthetic.

See the menswear looks after the jump...

Burberry Opens Flagship in Paris

As November ended and December took the spotlight, so did Burberry. It opened a brand new store in Paris, which happens to be its now-largest location worldwide. British friends — including co-host and Burberry Body fragrance face Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Cara Delevingne — were present at the grand commencement.

The 10,000-square foot flagship is made up of four floors, located at 56 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, directly across from the British Embassy. The crowd moved over to the British Ambassador's residence after the store-opening cocktail, and the British pop band known as The Feeling presented a live performance for all to enjoy.

Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey spent a few hours in the boutique, and he commented on the unified level of impressive sophistication presented by shoppers. "It's in the blood of this city, luxury and fashion," Bailey told WWD.

What is your favorite Burberry possession? Purse, perfume, item of clothing? Tell us!

Text Brittney Schering
Image Stephane Feugere

Burberry Expands at Bloomingdale's

A whole new set has been added to the Burberry selection at Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship in New York City. This addition has created more Burberry in one store than anywhere else in the world, with eight areas that include children's, non-apparel, and Brit and London shops — all for men and women. 

While the size and selection of each Burberry shop differs throughout many global locations, one thing remains the same: interior design. They all consist of the same wooden decor, carpeting, and scent (which is courtesy of eucalyptus plants). This familiarity deems comforting to customers so that, no matter where their location may be, they will always recognize Burberry.

The Wednesday night opening was celebratory and included DJs, ale, and champagne for shoppers. Harper's Bazaar editor Joanna Hillman made an appearance in the women's London department on the fourth floor, and she provided customers with fashion advice and friendly conversation. How courteous!

Text Brittney Schering

Image courtesy of Racked

From Our Lips To Yours: The Burberry Lip Mist Collection

The new Burberry Beauty collection will literally put Burberry on the lips of beauty savvy girls the fashion world over. Famous for their mastering of understated, chic perfection, the Lip Mist collection has brought the essence of Burberry’s signature plaid pattern to the beauty world. The array of the Burberry Beauty Lip Mist collection combines nine richly hued colors with a sheer emollient consistency. Leaving just the right amount of color, the Lip Mist collection simultaneously moisturizes and stimulates collagen production with ingredients such as wild rose and vitamin C.

Standout colors are Rosy Red, which goes on far more subtly than the color may appear in the tube, as well as Camelia Pink, which brightens the lips and goes with a surprising wide range of skin tones. The sheer lipsticks glide on easily and their sheer quality makes them easy to apply on the go so you don’t have to worry about outside the line slippage. Of course, it wouldn’t be Burberry if the entire product weren’t impeccable from the inside out. The casing is silver and sleek and features a subdued, monochromatic version of the famous plaid pattern, etched directly onto the sides of the lipstick itself as well. Another bonus – the lipstick cover locks into place with a magnetic closure so you won’t have to worry about accidental cave drawings on the interiors of your purse. The Lip Mist collection is available on the Burberry website as well as at Nordstrom in the US and Harrod’s in the UK.

Text Tienlyn Jacobson
Source: Burberry

Sex Up Your Scent With Burberry Body

"GYM, GYM, GYM, GYM, GYM!!" That pretty much sums up what went through my mind when I came across this advertisement for Burberry's latest fragrance, Burberry Body.

As the face of the new scent,  the always perfect and totally enviable, Rosie Hunting Whiteley strikes a pose in the brand's signature staple piece: the trench coat....and only the trench coat. This racy departure from the brand's typically modest image is not only eye-catching but it is an example of how sex used in advertising can actually be done tastefully! Now I am not saying this is appropriate to show the little ones, but it far from lude. The use of a monochromatic color palette makes the ad modern and clean while the earth tones deliver a true sense of femininity. Oh and let's not forget that when looking at this we all can definitely imagine ourselves spritzing on the fragrance and possibly feeling half as sexy as Rosie looks. I can't wait to Burberry my body. How about you?

Text Lauryn Stone
Source(s): Burberry

April Showers by Burberry

Burberry's latest campaign is catered to the Spring season. "April showers bring May flowers". If you watch the advertisement video, the movie and infamous scene "Singin' in the Rain" will come to mind. While the saying and the movie have been around for years, the focus on raincoats is innovative for a Spring collection. The best part of this campaign is how fun the photographs and video are, with the playful movements of the models and "rain" they are playing in. The art director, set designer, photographer, and cinematographer must have had a blast working on this shoot.

With the translucent materials and bold color palette of greens, reds, yellows and blues, wearing Burberry in the rain will show the fun and exciting side of your personality. The way Burberry used its signature pattern in news ways shows how the line is always becoming more modern without losing its classic tough. So go ahead, have some fun in the rain this season!

Take a look at the site! You will enjoy it!

Text Alexandra Faye

Cara Delevingne Makes You Wanna Bust Out Your Granny's Trench Coat

With her green eyes, bushy brows and blond, disheveled tresses, Cara Delevingne is a slightly off, classic beauty. Her name may sound familiar because of her sister Poppy Delevingne, also a model and a well-known socialite. However this 18-year old Brit definitely deserves acclaim all her own. Cara has been one of the main faces of international retailer ASOS and she currently stars in the Spring/Summer 2011 Burberry ad campaign, shot by none other than Mario Testino. If that doesn't amaze you enough, the girl has impressive street and red carpet style to boot. Cara's look expresses a striking blend of innocent and sexy; one minute she's your girl next door and next she's a sultry high fashion model. And boy, that Burberry trench coat never looked so fresh. Check out more of her pictures after the jump!

Best Designer of the Year

The British Fashion Awards took place last night and the bigger winner of the night was Christopher Bailey, Burberry's Creative Director. Bailey was named best designer of the year.

This is not Christopher Bailey's first British Fashion Award, he has previously been recognized with the Menswear Designer of the Year award in 2007 and 2008 and was also named best designer of the year in 2005.

At 38 years old Bailey is Chief Creative Director of Burberry, and is responsible for the design of all Burberry collections and product lines as well as the overall image of the company.

Bailey has helped turn Burberry into a global luxury label and for that we thank him.

Congratulations Christopher Bailey!

- Erin Jones

Fashionable and Functional Winter Feet

As temperatures drop and your layers increase, your footwear need not feel embarrassed next to that cute new coat with matching scarf, gloves, and hat you just bought. Whether you are preparing for the cold or the snow, there are some very chic yet functional boots on the market this season.

If you are a label-lover, you can find a good tread and warm lining in some of the most popular Fall 2009/Winter 2010 boots. The Chanel Fall-Winter 2009/10 Collection and Pre-Collection offer several gorgeous boots: heels, flats, varying heights, and varying amounts of lining. The tall metallic shearling boot with metallic signage and 85 mm heel or the medium-height calfskin boot with zip pocket and signature, both from the Pre-Collection, are the perfect examples of the union of fashion and function. Burberry also offers a few winter boot choices, my favorite being their High Weather Boots: a black leather, knee-high, lace-up, flat boot with fur trim.

If you are an outdoorsy girl, Sorel has created a line of seasonal boots that are waterproof, have a full-length fleece lining, are insulated, and are available in a number of fabric designs and styles. With all of the choices, it's likely you will find more than one to-die-for pair to match your favourite cold-weather gear. Their boots are available in sizes 5-12, and in heights ranging from ankle to knee-high.

Depending on your climatic needs this winter (and your footwear budget this holiday season) there is guaranteed to be a fashionable and practical footwear option for you, because you never know when you'll want to have some fun in the snow.

-Erin O'Hara

Emma Watson As The New Face of Burberry

You've probably seen Emma Watson as the cute sidekick in the Harry Potter movies but to much surprise, Emma is all grown up now and is sporting a killer trench coat in the Fall 09 photos as the new face for Burberry.

Burberry designer Christopher Bailey has managed to do it again combining a classic, traditional look with a slight edge. Watson is featured in Burberry's ads with nude lipstick and smoldering eyes, a look always favorable for fall temperatures. With only a few more months left of summer and fall outfits looking like this, I'm already looking forward to to my new wardrobe.

London Fashion Gets a Celebrity Makeover

It's no secret that it's been quite some time since London Fashion Week carried the names of major fashion industry heavy-hitters. For as long as we can remember, Vivienne Westwood has reigned as queen of the event and only a handful of other major labels have been able to find their niche in the city's style semana. However, although the fashion week across the pond often has to cater to lesser known lines, it soon will be getting an injection of celebrity power come Fall when both Burberry and Matthew Williamson will be showing their spring/summer lines (both fashion houses made announcements over the past week).

Considering that this fall will be the 25th anniversary of fashion week in London, it looks like the city got its anniversary presents early. Who's next? McQueen? McCartney? We'll have to wait and see.