FLICKED AT THE HEM

 

It's that time of year when none of us know what to wear! It's still chilly outside but all we want to do is wear the gorgeous new pieces that have arrived at Topshop for spring. So when we saw one of the girls from online in these flick hem daisy print trousers, we had to take a snap. They're a must-have silhouette for the season ahead and teamed with a slouchy sweater and courts, they make for the perfect transitional piece. Come spring, we'll be teaming ours with a slinky vest - tucked in ofcourse - and some 70s inspired platforms. You?    

COLOUR ME QUICK

Our beauty regimes are about to go fashion crazy with a whole host of sartorially infused treatments! Head over to the basement floor of our Oxford Circus flagship and go wild with colour, as seen front row on a million London Fashion Week attendees.

Channel our SS11 lookbooks with a helping hand from Dalston's homegrown hair salon Bleach. Fresh from the East London high street, these rock-inspired lock smiths are the absolute last word in directional hair. From dip-dyed ends and colour washes to cute stencils created especially for Topshop, there are so many options to choose from. We're already imagining how those cute pink hearts are going to look with our new season ensembles.

Once you've had your hair perfectly personalized, simply sidle over to WAH's awesome nail bar for a manicure to shout about! They've unleashed a range of designs in league with NEWGEN talent and Topshop favourite Mary Katrantzou. Check out those animal prints! Those colours and those patterns! Tempted to have a different one on each nail? We might beat you to it!

THE FULL REPORT: J W ANDERSON

From his roots designing covetable menswear with a feminine touch, it wasn’t a far leap for J W Anderson to begin designing boyish pieces for girls. It’s a leap we’re glad he made!

Boxy shapes and tiny collars played out in silk and mohair with frilly and girlish details underlying the masculine clean lines. High necklines coupled with fine fabrics and intricate prints in a collection of clothes that, while in the designers’ unisex signature, managed to be pretty, delicate and downright cool.

In a nod to pyjama dressing – seen all over the catwalks – Anderson showed matching paisley print pieces with long sleeves and long legs. Fine knit jumpers acted as a second skin, with cute white collars peeping out of the top, while backs were unexpectedly adorned with aprons. The designers’ ethos is all about fun and not losing sight of the energy of youth. We think that this collection captures that and holds it tight!

THE FULL REPORT: NASIR MAZHAR

What there wasn't at Nasir Mazhar probably wasn't worth having. A pink tiger, a muscle-bound man, a cacophony of faces and hats, hats, hats! There were big hats, small hats, red hats and black hats, not to mention a hat to match the neon feline. We've always been big fans of saying it with headgear and, thanks to this presentation, we've got loads of new ideas. We can't decide whether we love the tangerine hood, the zip-front snood or his signature box peak cap the most, so we'll just put our names down for one of each!

Love Margot Bowman's take on Nazir's presentation...

THE FULL REPORT: FASHION EAST

Fashion East always leaves us reeling from the sheer amount of talent on show. This season we saw three incredible designers trot their creations down the catwalk and remembered exactly why it is that we love this fashion game so much. Read on to find out what they were all about and get a load of Margot Bowman's take on the shows!

ELLIOT ATKINSON

Drawing on craft traditions and leaning heavily on texture and embellishment, Atkinson’s collection took us on a journey through changing aesthetics throughout American history – not to mention unbelievable style. From the handcrafted Aran knits to the out-and-out Americana detailing, each piece was a masterclass in understated theme and beautiful cut. No sooner had our eyes gorged on a boxy faux fur jacket than a beautifully cut tuxedo piece sauntered down the runway and we fell in love all over again.

JAMES LONG

As a menswear designer, James Long won himself a cult following, and for AW11 he’s launching a womenswear collection to get excited about. Borne of a demand from would-be female clients, Long’s pieces were everything a girl could want – at once demure and feminine, sultry and cool. Graduated hues climbed up long jumpers, intense fringing fell from hems. His was a collection that fused crafty, Peruvian-style accents with prim, up-market silhouettes – we cannot wait to get our hands on that super-long silk shirt dress!

SIMONE ROCHA

This was the designers’ second season with Fashion East, and we were impressed all over again. Her signature and lust-worthy sheer-meets-opaque style was evidenced in shirts, suiting, dresses and skirts. Aran knitwear snuggled up underneath lightest layers, while strength and romance combined in structured jackets with gossamer extensions. In a palette of pure white, meadow gold and pretty coral, an occasional punch of slick black hit a serious fashion note. Suffice it to say that we’ve popped Simone Rocha on our one-to-watch list in indelible marker.