Alexander McQueen was bound to be a huge feature of every fashion week going. The influential and incredibly talented designer tragically died a week ago. The fashion world is in mourning but the show must go on. No one however is going to miss out on paying tribute to this remarkable man, and this was evident at NYFW. Betsey Johnson’s catwalk held a large placard with the statement ‘Long Live McQueen,’ as models strutted down the centre. Naomi Campbell dedicated the finale of her ‘Fashion for Relief’ catwalk show to the designer. Stores along 5^th Avenue displayed images, signs and other tributes, for McQueen’s passing. And it’s not likely to stop anytime soon.

LFW, which begins tomorrow, has declared its first tribute. A wall holding forty Ipod touches will be set up by OnOff and catwalking.com. Each iPod will hold 50 images, leading to a mass exhibition of 2000 photos of McQueen’s astonishing catwalk collections and career.

It has even been announced that his show will still appear at Paris Fashion Week, after much speculation. It has also been suggested that the brand will continue, and I wonder who will step up to the role. Can McQueen’s shoes really be filled?

His career was inspirational, influential and individual. His designs were stunning, detailed and breathtaking. He had an eye for design that went beyond many other designers’ creations. I cannot imagine that he will ever really pass the fashion world by. His original work is likely to continue to inspire young designers for many years to come; an astounding British designer.

Quite frankly, in the words of Betsey Johnson: long live McQueen.

Effortless Hair at Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul opened in Autumn last year, and has quickly become established as one of the area’s leading salons when it comes to hair expertise.  With its bright white interior and funky orange and black logo, the salon, at the top of Abbeygate Street in Bury St Edmunds, is hard to miss.
I was invited to the salon to experience for myself the service and the famous ‘Sassoon’ technique when it comes to precision cutting.  Lawrence Paul is a Sassoon partner salon, an accolade only given to the most ambitious and progressive independent salons.  Every member of the salon’s team is trained to the highest level at the Sassoon Academy. On-going education is something that the salon owner Lawrence himself deems integral to the team’s ability to give clients effortlessly elegant and manageable hair, from when they leave the salon to their next appointment.
My hair is extremely dry and damaged.  I guess that fifteen years of bleach, and ten years of  straightening irons, have contributed to this.  I know these things do my hair no favours, but I’m not going dark, and, to be honest, I would rather give up my little toe than my hair straighteners!
I knew that a good hair cut was certainly overdue, and that a professional salon treatment would work wonders.  My appointment began with a consultation, in which Charlotte my hairdresser, analysed the condition of my hair, addressed my needs and took time to look at my features and face shape.  The Sassoon philosophy is that perfect hair must not be a daily struggle, and should be easily managed at home.  So while the hair cut is technically precise, the haircare remains effortless.
I asked Charlotte how she determines what style will look great on clients. She explained that when cutting hair, a stylist should think of the shape of the style as arrows which point to the clients’ best features, such as eyes, smile, or cheekbones.  However,  before the scissors came out, it was time to restore and replenish my frazzled locks with an intensive conditioning treatment.  My hair was first washed, and then the treatment was applied.  I questioned what the difference was between this conditioning treatment and  me whacking on a conditioner for five minutes while I’m in the shower. Charlotte explained that first of all the quality of the product would be far superior. Many conditioners literally coat the hair; although they can make it feel lovely and smell nice, this does not nourish the hair from the inside.  To do this, the cuticle of each hair must be opened for the product to penetrate deeply, producing a long lasting result.  Also, Charlotte explained, it’s a time and motivation thing.  Have I got the time and motivation to wash my hair, towel dry it, apply a conditioner with a paint brush and then sit under heat for ten minutes, before getting back into the shower and re conditioning?  No, of course not!   At that point I  stopped asking questions and decided to let the professional get on with it!
After much precision and attention, my hair was cut and I was ready for the blow dry and big reveal.  Although I had just asked for a trim of my existing style, I got so much more; my hair seemed the same but just so much better, if that makes sense…  The layers fell beautifully, and complemented my features, whilst my hair felt amazing!
Three days later, not only did I  not need to wash my hair, but I actually didn’t want to, as it still looks so lovely.  In fact it looks the same as when I left the salon.  Knowing that the Sassoon philosophy places a strong emphasis on making a cut last for weeks after it is done, I have every confidence that when I do brave the shampoo, my hair will look just as fabulous.

Top Looks this Spring/Summer

Spring/Summer 2010 boasts a profusion of styles. Nicolas Ghesquière shocked us all when he featured cutting edge laser cut technology with a luxurious sportswear appeal. Thomas Maier is still pioneering the Grecian look for Bottega Veneta. Erdem has updated its signature florals. Lanvin is still pushing asymmetric voluminous cocktail dresses. Purest classic Chanel suits have completely whitewashed the entire collection. Celine has veered away from 80s bodycon and opted for 70s flowing chiffon. Alexander McQueen has pushed the boundaries on shoes and digital printing techniques. Balmain is opting for the distressed glamorous look. With all the designers going in so many directions, it’s easy to get confused; now February is here the high street has taken the best of these trends and is featuring literally everything. So what do you buy to achieve that sophisticated, glamorous ‘I’ve just jumped off my yacht’ Riviera springtime look?
GLAMOROUS GRUNGE
This look has had quite a sophisticated overhaul this season; distressed sequins with leather, denim, studwork and battered shoes equates glamorous grunge. Leather hot pants with a denim shirt for the boyish figure, or sandblasted skinny jeans with a white tank top and a cropped stud worked leather jacket are great on just about everyone for a daytime look. In the evening follow Balmain’s collection of dishevelled fabric with distressed sequins. Never polish the shoes or ankle boots, as this finishes the look perfectly.
TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED
Everyone is featuring laser cutting and digital printing in his or her collections. It’s the latest in technology; McQueen has pushed the boundaries of digital printing to the extreme by featuring impressive symmetrical animal-inspired intricate prints. Basso & Brooke, Anna Sui and Peter Pilotto have all featured bright clashing colours inspired by animal prints; anything symmetrical will enhance and contour your figure. Laser cutting can fuse fabrics and remove tiny segments to create complex patterns; Balenciaga has created delicate laser cut trousers. Anything featuring colourful digital symmetrical prints and laser cutting is the fashionistas’ choice look.
COLOURS
The only thing not really happening this season is fluros; bright yes, but fluros are a no no. Bright lime green has been a huge accent colour in most collections. Dolce and Gabbana featured red, white and black - no surprise there - but provoked a fresh appeal with an accent of tonals. Tonals are still key this Spring/Summer 2010, with Chloe, Miu Miu and Stella McCartney all using them as the main body of their work. Black and white goes without saying, as they’re a staple in all our wardrobes. Pastels also featured in Milan, Paris and London. Springtime definitely presents the opportunity to indulge in colour. If you feel awkward with colour, then contrast a dash of blue with tonals or white. A fully-fledged colourful outfit always makes me happy.
FLORALS
They’re hardly ground breaking; every year we all purchase a new springtime floral piece. This season, florals are small scale in a loose painted style; however oversized or miniscule, they’re always a winner for that fresh-faced look. Look to Erdem for the latest on florals as they feature brighter colours, but pastel florals can also convey a relaxed street style vibe. As a dress, cardigan, hotpants or shirt, florals radiate springtime femininity.
SHEER TAILORING
Chiffons, transparent jerseys and plastic have featured on the runways in sheer layering. Macs, t-shirts, cardigans, trousers, dresses and blazers have all been transparent at times, and worn with just a bra or vest top create a seductive, mature look.
RAZZLE DAZZLE
This season, sequins are slightly diminishing; gone are the disco ball days, and it’s hello subtle sophistication. Balmain and Miu Miu have used glitz to highlight delicate detailing. By day, try jumpers or cardigans with matte sequins for a glamorous appeal. By night, dresses with glitzy detailing or body contouring sections, will be dainty yet powerful.
KEEPERS & INVESTMENTS
Shoulders from Winter/Autumn will still have that fashionable edge in Spring/Summer; the jumpsuit was featured in most collections, and can be worn with a pair of sandals and a hat for that Riviera look. The boyfriend blazer will still be an effortless glamorous look with short dresses or hot pants. Whilst we slowly leave the 80s and embrace the 70s, leggings are one 80s item most of us can’t bear to part with; they’re steadily becoming more inventive. Denim is a key player, with denim hot pants and shirts still adorning the catwalks; team it with leather for the latest trend.

Cubiqdesign’s recent project, Pimp My Art has been getting some great reviews but at the moment we are chuffed to have found our artwork on the best design blog, possibly in the world: DirtyMouse!

So, I was on my way out to work this morning when the postie knocks with a 5-foot tall package. John from Pimp My Art had kindly sent us some huge samples from his excellent range. If you follow the Dirty Mouse Twitter stream you’d have seen that I posted a couple of pics from my iPhone. Without wanting to sound all sales-y, I am genuinely impressed with the quality of the artwork and the product, and would not hesitate to purchase a couple more - even my wife loves them. Check out their site, and especially collection 3, which is spot-on.

Click here to see the entire post: www.dirtymouse.co.uk

Or click here to browse more of the artwork: www.pimpmyart.co.uk

TS

In the office we spend a lot of time behind our computers, and we always thought that the bosses mega mac was the computer to rival all computers…. until it died (this was a sad, sad day)!! However, every cloud has a silver lining, and this one being that of a 27″ iMac!

For those of you that use PC’s, this may be the mac to turn you! It runs similar to a PC with the new windows software, but is comfortably faster, sexier than any PC (I don’t know if you can call a computer sexy, but it is!!),  and just looks so, so cool! It also comes standard with the new magic mouse which is wireless and has the new apple multi-touch technology (depending on which way you run your fingers over the top of it the mouse does something different - Very clever) and it also come with the mini wireless keyboard, it’s tiny!!

Now from how i’m going on about it, you’d think it would be a bank breaker, but no - they are very reasonable for what you get, and to be honest with the size of the screen, you could double it up as a TV and DVD Player….so technically buying one would save you spending fortunes on one of these new fangled LED TV’s!

Check them out at: www.apple.com