Back to it after a long break

Well it's kind of been a break. I have been working away in the background as and when my new little man allows me. Behind the scenes here at Brittique we were kept busy by London Fashion Week, London Fashion Weekend and now the arrival of all the new spring/summer 08 collections. Here we are out and about at the Tribeca Film Festival that's running this week. I'm wearing a fabulous vintage dress bought from ebay.

During London Fashion Week Susie Bubble did an incredible job of selecting some real treats for AW08. I can't wait to show you some previews in the coming weeks. She was able to pin point exactly what the core Brittique customers love and I know her selections will be snapped up come September when they arrive online.

Here in New York the weather has been perfect - 25C days with a slight cool breeze. It means that I'm having to think about my own summer wardrobe. I am one of those people who pack away the winter woollies and plan what I'll be wearing. I then take pictures of my key outfits and stick them on the back of my wardrobe door. It helps me keep organised - something of particular importance now that I have even less time.

With my baby came a change in body shape. I've had to kiss goodbye my small waist (hopefully this is temporary) and embrace a more flowing style of dressing. Thankfully my personal shopping from Brittique hasn't been too hard. I'm just lusting after everything from Emma Cook. These drop waisted, striped denim pinafores will be perfect for this tween season over a little tee and then without as it gets warmer. The cotton voile blouse is stunning too and will hide the last of the baby blub.

We have had new arrivals from Louise Amstrup, Gil Carvalho, Aei:Kei and Peter Jensen. Now to find some time to get them all up on the site!

Fashion star of the future

Brittique.com and Fashion156.com were overwhelmed with the high quality of applicants for our Fashion Star of the Future competition. Help us select the winner and have your say here.

Monochrome Majesty

The stunning Fiocco Di Neve dress by Kirribilla was featured in Northern Woman magazine this month. While I'm a huge fan of colour, it always amazes me to see how stunning and effective simple black and white can look. And so easy to accessorise.

Cooperative Designs makes a darkly comic debut

Our newest designers from Cooperative Designs are featured by Vogue.com today. Cooperative Designs makes a darkly comic debut Vogue.com. I was so excited when I saw their new season collection with the Aztec inspired knits and it seems I'm not the only one. A certain model of the moment has preordered one of the more wacky pieces. I wonder who that could be??? I'm sure we'll see pictures of her wearing it in the coming months.

Quirky knits from Cooperative Designs

As soon as I saw Cooperative Designs in fashion156.com I just wanted to stock them on Brittique.com. This month the design duo have been featured in both Grazia and Amour Magazine. Each garment is handmade and as a knitter myself I can appreciate the work that goes into each stitch. Already I can't wait to stock the AW08 collection that features a range of knitted sweater dresses with Aztec inspired designs. It's truly original!

The summer collection is available on Brittique.com now.

Simply Fabulous!

We teamed up with Fabulous Magazine from News of the World to give their readers and exclusive 75% off these Gil Carvalho shoes. We were overwhelmed with the response and sold out within minutes - and late on a Sunday night. As a consulation prize we are giving readers another special gift so check out Fabulous for details.

A Staerk Summer

The summer collection from Camilla Staerk has arrived at Brittique.com. Vogue loves the summery dresses and voluminous coats - inspired by old-world Japan, origami folds and vintage kimono prints. Leather contrasting with silk and classic black has been softened by a palette of teal, peach and gold, embracing the designer's signature juxtaposition of hard and soft.

Louise Amstrup - new kid on the block

One of my favorite designers Louise Amstrup debuted on the catwalk this season with On/Off. The collection was darker than those previously but still the lovely cut and quality was evident. While hard to see from this clip, the finishing on Louise's garments is amazing - seams are piped and the lining is the most beautiful silk. It really has to be tried on to appreciated.

See the show here.

Vogue are also fans.

Grazia mad about Kirribilla

Grazia featured the Kirribilla Pele dress in the latest issue. While Grazia got a few things wrong (Kirribilla designers are American not Australian and the dress is not the Elizabetta but the Pele) one thing they did get right is that Kirribilla is a hot new label. Their dress only collections are cute and feminine made from easy care fabrics and finished to the highest of quality.

Why there's been no LFW commentary from me

Just in time for London Fashion Week I received a beautiful delivery, a baby boy, Ralf. While he does sleep a lot now I'm still completely out of touch with what actually happened at LFW. Luckily Susie Bubble has been buying for Brittique and reporting back on the directions of the season. It's looking like a good one!

Susie Bubble buys for Brittique

I’m thrilled to announce that Brittique has a very special guest buyer for the autumn/winter 08 season. The ever stylish and quirky Susie Bubble from the infamous blog Style Bubble will be adding yet another feather (on season of course) to her already crowded hat and injecting her style and take on the season’s collections. Susie will be attending the shows on our behalf and selecting the best of the season’s collections for Brittique.

Keep up to date with Susie’s musings on the AW08 collections and her insight into the trends and the designers to watch on her blog.

The new issue of Fashion156.com

Pictures from Fashion156.com

Fashion156.com never fails to make me gasp with amazement everytime a new issue is published - every 156 hours no less! Guy and his team have done an incredible job promoting the best new British designers in the latest issue. Here we can see a sneak preview of the new AW08 collection from Hannah Marshall, Louise Amstrup and Gil Carvalho.

One of my favorite outfits of the season by Louise Amstrup was also featured on the hot list. This 40s inspired blouse really is hot!

Louise Amstrup picture by Mads Perch.

Sheerluxe.com: my latest blog on the inital AW08 trends

Here you can read my take on the initial trends coming out of New York Fashion Week: http://www.sheerluxe.com/blog/heads-up-on-autumn--winter-trend.htm

Meet the red sole man

I alway check out shoes of a well dressed woman. To me a shoe completes the outfit and often makes it work. I've been known to create a full outfit around a pair of shoes, and from customer queries, I know you do too. So what do you think when you see the flash of red on the sole of a shoe? Are you immediately envious? Do you think victim? Celebrity follower? Personally, I prefer to let the style be more conspicuous and leave people wondering where I got my fabulous treads.

At the Saks sale in July I tried on a lovely pair of white pumps by Christian Louboutin. They were agony to walk in, even with my well adjusted feet. While I adore fashion, I don't believe that beauty means suffering so I left them on the shelf and will stick with sexy sandals from Gil Carvalho, Jenne O and Camilla Staerk.

But those of you in New York who are fans can meet the man behind the instantly recognisable red sole at Saks on 7 February between 4-7pm on the brand new shoe floor. Personally I couldn't brave the crowds, but if you're into that, it should be quite an event!

Brittique & Aveda evening of pampering

Thank you to those who attended the Brittique.com and Aveda evening of beauty and fashion on 30 January in London. The event was a huge success with over 200 women being pampered with massages, manicures, hair styling, shopping as well as wonderful drinks from our sponsors Tapio and James White.

Sign up here to be the first to know about the next event.

All pictures courtesy of Eventphotosport Picture Agency.