Style PS - Times Online - WBLG

Alejandro Ingelmo

Even the name oozes sex appeal - He's hot and the shoes he makes are even hotter. So when I met New Yorker Alejandro yesterday at the Harvey Nichols press day, not only did we speak but when he also got me to try on a pair of his shoes that he's designed for next season I nearly wet myself.

His shoes are super feminine, super sexy and super high.  Madonna is a big fan, she wore them in her H&M campaign and then sent him a letter personally thanking him.

Check them out.  You can buy these from Browns. From left to right £305 and £370.   Harvey Nichols also stocks his collection.

Not only does he do heels he also does sneakers. When I mentioned that I was interested in one of his shoe rivals' range and he told me off and said I shouldn't get them - apparently supporting a New Yorker is the way forward.

Leona Lewis is boring bleeding broke like the rest of us, apparently.

So, according to the news today, Leona Lewis can't afford to buy a house in Hackney. Not. One. House. Nevermind that she's the first British female to top the charts in America for over 2 decades. Nevermind that this small achievement comes on the back of having the fourth biggest selling album ever in UK history. And nevermind that she is an instantly recognisable, properly paid up, fully fledged pop star. And they're supposed to get paid handsomely. Very handsomely, in fact.

But no. In spite of all of that, inspite of all the hard earned money millions and millions of people are spending on hearing her top C - she still can't afford to buy a house.  Not. One. House. Newspapers are reporting that Leona and her boyfriend tried to buy somewhere near her parents' home in Hackney, but when the seller found out who their bidder was they raised the price from £500,000 to £600,000 - meaning Leona and the boyfriend couldn't afford it. Her Dad has also been quoted in the past as saying that "It's a myth Leona is a millionaire. She earns enough to live on, but that's it."

Is it just me, or does something seem very wrong here. Either Leona needs to get herself a new manager/lawyer/money counter/stylist/dog walker/spiritual streamliner/personal juice de-pulper (or whoever it is that makes the decisions around these people these days) - because if she's not getting her hundreds of thousands of millions, then who the hell is, quite frankly.  Or she's trying to be all frugal, and keep her New Look shod feet on the ground. Which is not on either. If this girl really is going to be the next big Whitney, she's going to have to start flexing that Amex. She shouldn't be balking at a mere hundred grand. She should be tipping the owner a nifty hundred to clear out by lunchtime. And she should be buying 10 houses. With special outbuildings for her resident Scientologists, hair straigteners and chihuahuas. And they probably shouldn't be in Hackney.

Vive le flat

Carla Bruni has taught us a few things over the last couple of days.  She's taught us how to still look poised should Gordon Brown come at you with mouth open like a fish for a quick peck, how to sit without flashing your knickers (something a sleb or two we know out there could certainly do with paying attention to,) how to look vaguely interested in what people in parliament are saying, and that it doesn't matter if the whole world's seen you naked - make bigger headlines in a bit of designer garb and they'll all soon forget about the nip shots.

But most of all, she has shown us just how sleek and sophisticated and totally sexy a flat shoe can be. Mesmerised by the catwalk's current predilecton for towering heels, we've forgotten the humble flat in all it's practicality.  But Carla has brought them marching on back. Ok, so maybe her smurf size husband encouraged her, but doesn't she look good on em? And don't they look good on her?

Flats are hot. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that flats are hotter than heels in many cases. They don't make you look like you've tried too hard, they don't make you walk with your bottom sticking out, they don't mean that, should you get your bag nicked on the street and want to run after the acne ridden perpertrator of this crime, you are stymied. And in them, you're ready for any situation that may present itself - Rock Star, Queen and President alike. 

Carla in her Tods.

style PS 28/03

Jackie O

Michelle Obama

Jackie Kennedy with Mohamed Ayub Khan

Carla Sarkozy and Prince Charles

Rashida Dotti

Rama Yade and Prince Andrew

14/03 Style PS

Nicholai

Alex Curran - Liverpool Fashion Week

PS newsletter 7 March 2008

YSL AW08

MCQUEEN A/W 08

MCQUEEN A/W08

LANVIN A/W 08

LANVIN A/W O8

Amy Winehouse at Fendi

Family Beckham

ALICE MCCALL FOR TOPSHOP

Im a huge fan of Alice McCall.  So when I heard she was doing a line for Topshop I nearly fell off my chair cause now I can afford it.

Because this is breaking news there are no images of the clothes till next week and prices have yet to be decided but i'm told a dress will probably be from around £80.

If you don't know Alice McCall then this is one designer you need to get to know - her clothes are super cool, cute and fun, but don't let the cuteness fool you cause they still have lots of edgy sexiness. They are also easy to wear and can be worn with either pretty flat pumps or killer heels.

It's a nine piece collection which consists of dresses, skirts and cami-like tops which goes in to Topshop on 5th May.   Pop that date in your diary bold it underline it and don't go out the night before and see if you can beat me to Topshop.

Here are the exclusive sketches of the clothes to give you an idea of what you can expect from Alice McCall's line.

DRIES VAN NOTEN: AND DRIES SAID, “LET THERE BE PRINT”

SHORT REVIEW: POWER PATTERNS TAKE CENTRE STAGE
LONG REVIEW: In a season full of dark clothes, sombre silhouettes, it’s good to see Dries Van Noten providing a gorgeous alternative to aesthetic austerity. His collection majored on print and prettiness. Multi-coloured marbled, feather and flower patterns featured on everything from coats to trousers and evening dresses. Van Noten also sees chiffon as a year round fabric. Wispy, semi sheer dresses and tunics were amongst the key pieces even though this is a winter collection. They were worn in layers over trousers and under warm coats in wool and fur.  This mix of light and heavy is a key theme running through the international collections. CLAUDIA CROFT

COMME DES GARCONS: SO BAD IT’S GOOD

COMME DES GARCONS: SO BAD IT’S GOOD
SHORT REVIEW: BAD TASTE IS THE THEME FOR KAWAKUBO
LONG REVIEW: Rei Kawakubo was celebrating the energy of bad taste this season and referenced a litany of fashion crimes including, cute heart motifs, leopard print, bubble gum pink, polkodots, prom dresses and plain white bras worn on the outside. In Kawakubo’s creative hands however, these things were so bad they were good. She cleverly played around with proportion, cut peek-a-boo holes in things and generally ran amok. There was a kinky edge to the collection too, in the lip shapes cut into jackets and rimmed with garter frills, and there were hints at bondage with deconstructed pinstripe jackets held together with straps and a frou frou white prom dress encased in a black ribbon cage. It signified an interesting move away from the child like themes of previous collections. CLAUDIA CROFT

Chanel's grande encore!

Paris is just the best place to see some really fantastic fashion and set designs...Designers splash out on production to create the most novel shows and backdrops.  The finale of the Chanel show was just amazing....Karl L pulled out all the stops and created a Chanel merry-go-round (complete with gilt over sized quilted bags and jewellery).  At the end of the show all the models posed and danced around.  Front row celebs included the Olsen Twins, Mario Testino, Rihanna as well as Claudia Schiffer.  By Sara Hassan

A fabulous french beauty tip!

OK...so my make-up artist mate who has just finished doing the shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris gave me the best beauty tip ever!!  She told me about a cream called Homeoplasmine by Boiron which is normally an antiseptic, healing ointment used for skin irritations, burns and chapped skin.  Well on top of this it has to be the best lip gel ever and beats Liz Arden's 8 Hour cream hands down!!  Can be purchased in any French pharmacy for just 6 Euros!  By Sara Hassan

A fabulous french beauty tip!

OK...so my make-up artist mate who has just finished doing the shows in New York, London, Milan and Paris gave me the best beauty tip ever!!  She told me about a cream called Homeoplasmine by Boiron which is normally an antiseptic, healing ointment used for skin irritations, burns and chapped skin.  Well on top of this it has to be the best lip gel ever and beats Liz Arden's 8 Hour cream hands down!!  Can be purchased in any French pharmacy for just 6 Euros!  By Sara Hassan

JUNYA WATANABE: PURE POETRY

SHORT REVIEW: An evocative show, that told a story through clothes.
LONG REVIEW: Fashion shows don’t usually have a narrative and when they do it is usually the silly sort. But Junya Watanabe gave us a show laced with gravitas and poetic thought. It began with models in long, dark, draped clothes, their faces and sculpted hair shrouded with black chiffon. They appeared to signify the dignity of mourning but their grief and their veils were eventually lifted. The show closed with clothes strew with optimistic flower prints. Perhaps it was the elongated shapes and the oversized hairdos wrapped in chiffon, but it brought to my mind stories of all the grieving First World War women who had to soldier on without their men. In fact everyone who watched it had different stories running through their heads. Watanabe provoked all this thought and took in some trends too. If you are looking for a very wearable version of the long lean skirt (a key silhouette for Autumn), then Watanabe had it. CLAUDIA CROFT

VIKTOR AND ROLF: PROTESTING TOO MUCH?

SHORT REVIEW: Say no to gimmicks and yes to great clothes
LONG REVIEW: “No. No. No” boomed the sound track as the first model thundered down the catwalk. Her  gray wool coat, echoing the music, had the word “No” moulded onto its breast in oversized letters. The show oozed angry energy and almost everything was emblazoned with either “No” or “Wow”.  The sloganeering, worked on sweatshirts but looked overplayed on everything else especially the fur coats. Even when it was cleverly rendered in chiffon for an evening dress it felt like a protest too far. A more successful motif was provided by bold gold staples which defined seams or gathers and reigned in volume. CLAUDIA CROFT 

BALENCIAGA: THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE

SHORT REVIEW: High-tech fabrics, a futuristic vision and plenty of fashion daring create a bold new look.
LONG REVIEW: From the very first outfit this Balenciaga collection made the heart beat faster. Out came three classic black cocktail dresses re-imagined, in wool or silk, which had been bonded to special foam. This created silhouettes so smooth and precise that they looked like injection moulded, futuristic fashion sculptures. Designer Nicholas Ghesquiere is rare because he doesn’t rely on nostalgia to give his work emotional impact. He believes in the future more than the past but his great skill is in making something that we’ve never seen before look familiar and suddenly desirable. These truly were 21st century LBD’s.
Ghesquiere can also make something we’ve all see before, in this case needle heeled pointy shoes and glittering diamante costume jewellery worn at the throat and wrists, sing with newness (buy shares in diamante, as thanks to Balenciaga, this is going to be a huge accessories trend for Autumn). As if that wasn’t enough, the show finished with an extraordinary display of artisanal skill. Out came a parade of Latex sheath dresses, which were hand painted to with oriental scenes and beaded by hand. Rumours, that if they ever do make it to a shop, they will cost upwards of £50,000 are probably not exaggerated. It was an awesome display of design ideas. CLAUDIA CROFT