Joan Rivers plastic surgery send up

When I moved to London from Australia, I was captivated by the commercials, especially cinema advertising. They were so clever and the humour so witty. Now that I have just days to go before having a baby, I'm spending a bit of time on the sofa with my feet up knitting and "listening" to the TV. The ads here are terrible! They really are geared towards the lowest intelligence level, and that must be low. So corny.

WendyB said that she loves the Geico ads, but apart from the British accent in some of them they really grate on me. However, this one of Joan Rivers is hilarious! What a good sport to make fun of herself like this.

I tried to find some pre-op pictures of her but it seems she's always had that stretched out look. At least she acknowledges it and is comfortable enough to have a laugh. Love you Joan!

LFW - the venue for "second" lines?

Vogue announced that Preen will now show their second line as well as their main line this season. The main line will be shown in New York for the second season while the second line will be shown in Cophenhagen. Preen's designer's Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi said that the view is to bring the showing of the second line to London Fashion Week eventually.

Now I am a huge fan of Preen and love their second line, but I agree with LibertyLondonGirl, why should LFW only be for second lines? LLG pointed out that last season was Marc for Marc Jacobs, before that Stella's line for Adidas and now Vivienne Westwood's. With London arguably the most fashion forward of the fashion capitals and the breeding ground for many of the current top international designers, why should it be diluted with second lines?

Backstage with Peter Jensen

We're just a couple of weeks away from the chaos that is London Fashion Week. This behind the scene look at a Peter Jensen show pretty much summarises the backstage feel at all shows. Stress levels run high and designers are under a huge amount of pressure. Meanwhile the buyers and press are waiting, waiting, waiting...

Peter Jensen's preppy and yet quirky designers are so effortless to wear. For spring/summer I'm especially in love with his scribble denim jeans dress. Preorders are now open so you don't miss out on your favorite pieces.

A life of perfect imbalance

Women are very hard on themselves always reaching for an unattainable level of perfection that doesn't, sadly, exist. I think it's time we reflect on how much we're actually achieving rather than not achieving. Read more of my musings in my guest blog at Sheerluxe.com.

Marie Claire's buy of the day

Some things are best not left to the significant other in your life. With Valentine's Day only 4 weeks away it's time to drop serious hints about what you want. Marie Claire picked out this Vinnie Day heart necklace from Brittique.com as their top pick. I like this necklace because while it's hearts, it's not too fussy or girlie. Also available in sterling silver if that's more your thing. I believe there are only a couple left at this discounted price...

Inspired by a stylist

Source: Lucky Magazine

When I saw this picture I just wanted her look - the whole lot from the sharp platinum bob to the drapey dress and over the knee boots. She should look good because it is the celebrity stylist Britt Bardot, the one who doesn't take credit for Brittany Spears' look.

It got me thinking about over the knee boots and where I could get a pair. First stop ebay and I found these FAB animal print boots. I know it's controvesial, but I adore animal print. How lovley would these look with a drapey black jersey dress such as this one from Basso & Brooke? Something really understated. Pity they're about 1.5 sizes too small for me.

I am seriously considering the platinum bob though...

The answer for big bums

Source: Daily Mail. Singer Mica Paris, with and without slimming trousers

I've been singing the praises of Maria Grachvogel's slimming cut of trousers for a while now. Cut without sides seams they create a beautiful slimming silhouette and take away the bulkiness that generally comes with seams. Even with front pockets, there is no bulkiness where you don't want it. These trousers are really long so perfect for long legged ladies. Because they don't have cuffs, they're easy to have taken up.

Brittique stocks the perfect pants in a classic black or perfect tweed option and are heavily reduced to £99 from £350. We also stock Maria Grachvogel skirts which are made with the same principle - no side seams. This means the skirts sit close to the body and don't add extra width where it matters. Take a look at the plum a-line skirt and navy button up pencil skirt.

Sex and the City Movie Official Trailer

When I moved to New York in June 07 I think I was the only female in my age group who had not seen a single episode of SATC.

But when I moved here I bought the full box set and between working (I promise!) I watched the whole thing.

While I thought that some of the outfits were a little iffy, I did like most of Carrie's and many of Samantha's, but in a Dallas kind of way. It did actually spark my interest in vintage and I went out and bought a few overpriced vintage dresses which I love so much.

It seems that the movie has already inspired some trends, the most notable the over the knee socks that I seem to see everywhere in Manhattan now. Nothing like a bit of inspiration.

With the movie due in cinemas in May, now is the time to book your flight and hotel to New York for a pilgramage to the home of Sex And The City.

Ugly Shoes - are you guilty?

Source: New York Magazine

While catching up on the ever growing pile of The New York Magazine and New Yorker waiting patiently by my bed, I saw this very clever history of ugly shoes. So how many of these are you guilty of - or still guilty of?

*Clearly* I'm far too young for the Klompen Dansko and Earth Shoes, but my misdemeanor start at the Doc Martens - or the pretend ones I had. While going through my goth/hippy stage at about age 14 I longed for the real deal to match with my op-shop (charity shop for the non-Aussies) ground brushing shirts and ripped woolen jumpers. But the price tag exceeded my part-time casual McDonald's pay cheque. However, I have to disagree with the ugly tag here. I actually think they can look really nice. If I had some I'd like to wear them with a Peter Jensen white shirt dress, thick grey woollen, ribbed tights and the Tata-Naka chunky cardigan.

Another shoe I disagree with is Birkenstocks. How wonderful are they? I know my German in-laws cringe when I wear them but they are the most comfortable and practical shoe. They look nicer than a thong/flip flops and now come in so many different styles, even with crystals and designed by a certain supermodel if that's your thing.

Uggs I completely agree. They are UGLY! As an Aussie I really can't get it. I did own a pair while at boarding school because they were the best thing to walk from the dorm to the cafeteria of a cold morning. Then I also have a pair that I wore while travelling and snowboarding around Canada a couple of years ago. Perfect to wear in the car and quickly slip off into my snowboard boots.

As for Crocs, HIDEOUS! I don't care what you say. Only kiddies under 8 look cute in them after that they're just horrible. And seeing grown men wear them with shorts is too much. I also hear that they get rather smelly rather quickly...

I'm surprised Converse boots are not listed. While I love and live in mine, when you think about it, they're a very long narrow canvas shoe where the white gets really dirty and when worn with skinny jeans make people look like they're walking around with two canoes strapped to their feet. Attractive. But somehow they do work. Just to be safe though I only wear them with wider leg jeans.

Brittique in Stella Magazine

Stella Magazine featured the stunning purple silk Louise Amstrup dress on 23 December. The dress is absolutely beeeeautiful with it's asymmetrical collar and skirt detailing. As I've said before, Louise Amstrup's clothing really needs to be tried on to be believed. Unlike many designers, Louise designs for the real woman with clothes to fit real life waists and hips.

Interview with Gil Carvalho

Gil Carvalho is really building a name for himself. While not my thing, having celebrities such as Kylie, Jo-Lo, Liz Hurley and Madonna, wear his shoes has really helped to build his profile.

Sterling Magazine, the inflight magazine for Danish airline, recently interviewed Gil. This is what he had to say about living in London, his heros and what inspires him (scroll to the bottom).

Here is a sneak preview of just one style that will be available on Brittique.com from March.

Our sale has started!

In the true spirit of festivity Brittique.com went on sale today. I've marked down all the autumn/winter stock by up to 40%. Some past season stock is well below the wholesale price at up to 90% off. So 'tis the season to snap up a bargain.

Fashion Forward Winners

The British Fashion Council announced the winners of the Fashion Forward funding by Westfield, the Australian based shopping centre developer. The three winners are Roksanda Ilincic, Richard Nicoll and Jens Laugesen.

Roksanda Ilincic has a super fem style which I do really love and I've had my eye on her for a couple of seasons. Her AW07 collection was actually my fav. I attended the show with Susie Bubble and we both sat there with wide eyes and our cameras clicking as each model sauntered past. It was actually my favorite show of the season.

Jens Laugesen seems to be a favorite among bloggers and is regularly written about. His range is more masculine but still very wearable.

Congratulations to all three designers on the win and it will be great to see Roksanda on the on-schedule catwalk in February.

Congratulations to... yes, Hannah Marshall

The British Fashion Council announced the winners of the Top Shop New Gen Scholarship. And the winner includes, yep, Hannah Marshall. Hannah along with Anna Vince, Borba Margo, Charlotte Olympia, David David, Emilio de la Morena, Felder Felder, House of Holland, Justin Smith, Nicholas Kirkwood, Peter Pilotto, Poltock & Walsh will have a space in the main tent at London Fashion Week in February while Christopher Kane, Duro Olowu, Erdem, Krystof Strozyna, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab, MeadhamKirchhoff, Todd Lynn will be on the catwalk.

Congratulations to Hannah who has worked so hard to get where she is and deserves all the credit she is getting. Look out for her collection available for preorder on Brittique soon.

More creations from my needles

As with anything I do, once I start I get rather obsessive about it. Knitting is no different. I now have so many projects on the go that I'm not sure which one to start - the baby blanket (must complete by 11 Feb) or a beautiful creation for my mum's birthday (must complete by 24 Feb) or a present for a friend's baby (must complete by 8 Feb).

But as I explained before, knitting has become important as a way to spend some "me" time and also as a creative outlet. So let me share with you my two latest creations the Headigan (cardigan for your head) and Calorimetry headband.

The Headigan (a sideways cardigan for your head) was an easy knit but I really needed it! I used Naturally Harmony 10 ply 100% wool. It feels wonderful to wear although I'd prefer it a little longer. But it's my fault for using too small needles.


The next creation is the Calorimetry. I used the same yarn as the Headigan, but made this much smaller so that it's just a headband and ear warmer rather than something that covers most of my head. It's invaluable for my morning walks (or waddles now I'm so huge!) as I like to wear my hair up in a ponytail, something you can't do stylishly with a beanie.

So after all these scarves and hats, you'll be pleased to know that I am doing some "real knitting". Here's a preview of a jumper I'm doing as a Christmas present for the man. So far, so good. It's a long long knit though, but seeing him wear it will be worth every little stitch.

Also on the needles is a baby vest, mittens and colourful socks. More about them later.

When previewing this I noticed that all my knitting is looking really grey. I'll add some colour to future projects.