Cheap and Chic - 'Kate's Christmas Collection'

This week Kate Moss launched her christmas collection in Topshop stores Nationwide. A mixture of sequinned dresses, wide-leg trousers and chiffon blouses, there is no doubt this range will be as popular as the last. With fabrics including silk, satin and chiffon, along with enough sequins and beading to make every girl shine like a christmas bauble - this season is all about glitz and glam. Key trends include heavily embellished '20s inspired flapper dresses, tailored blazers teamed with wide-leg trousers and chiffon blouses; bondage-style atire including straps, leather and studs, along with the return of the maxi dress.
Prices range from £12 for a vest top, to £250 for a beaded flapper dress - worn by Kate Moss herslef to the Swarvoski Fashion Rocks event last week. Although moderately priced, there are so many cheaper alternatives to be found on the high-street, with the three staples this winter appearing in every shop window - the chiffon pussy-bow blouse, the sequinned dress, and the wide leg trouser. Below I have focused on the key items in the collection and gone in search of some Moss look-a-likes:

The real deal:

Kate Moss stripe wide leg trousers - £50


Kate Moss chiffon button front blouse - £65


Kate Moss stevie jean - £50


Kate Moss satin button-back maxi dress - £75


High-street alternatives:

Miss Selfridge tweed wide leg trousers - £35


ASOS pinstripe wide leg trousers - £28


Peacocks wide leg trousers - £14


Warehouse tie neck blouse - £38


ASOS ruffle front pussy bow blouse - £28


Peacocks purple chiffon bow blouse - £12


Dorothy Perkins skinny flare jeans - £25


Peacocks ink leg slim jean - £14


Miss Selfridge beaded back maxi dress - £45

Cheap and Chic - 'Shiny Shiny'

Last week at the Royal Albert Hall, celebrities, fashion designers and musicians gathered for the annual fashion extravaganza that is - Fashion Rocks. In aid of charity and sponsored by Swarovski, the event dazzled in more ways than one. From Armani to YSL and Alicia Keys to Marc Almond, the mixture of couture gowns and iconic music artists showcased a spectacular array of key trends for this season.
Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson introduced designers Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman’s stunning collection of girly dresses for their brand Marchesa, with Shirley Bassey adding an extravagant soundtrack to the range. Shy Child provided the music to Stella McCartney’s game of musical chairs, and Razorlight gave Christopher Bailey’s range for Burberry an indie-rock edge; whilst Beth Ditto, as always, added her larger than life personality to Christopher Kane’s collection.
Frontrunner in the show was Dolce and Gabbana, whose line of dazzling couture gowns glistened like the Swarovski crystals themselves on the runway. The key element of each outfit was the metal corset belt, embellished with keys and padlocks and shaping the body into an hourglass figure. Off the catwalk, this 'must-have' fashion accessory of the season has been seen on Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Britain’s own singing sensation – Leona Lewis.
Not for the faint hearted, the price tag also takes your breath away – retailing at £1,529. Of course, with such a popular trend, the high street have already come up with some fantastic alternatives.

D&G's key AW trend:

Beyonce seen here wearing the £1,529 metal corset belt


High-street alternatives:

Warehouse bugle bead belt - £25


ASOS - £12


Topshop wide panel metallic waist belt - £35


Warehouse - £20

Media Analysis - Red magazine

Looking at Red magazine, it is fair to say I am not their target audience. With articles on interior decorating, home-cooking and anti-ageing creams, it is hard not to think of only one person when reading this magazine - my mum. This certainly is aimed at the older woman, however with fashion labels such as Russell and Bromley, Jaeger and Nicole Farhi mentioned, its target audience are not short of cash and certainly have good taste.
Flicking through the pages, I am surprised at how many fashion items catch my eye - a tiered skirt with button detail from New Look worn by a model no older than twenty-five is not exactly what I expected to find in a magazine aimed at older women. I begin to realise aspiration is the key factor, with articles on botox, vasculight laser therapy and Elizabeth Ardent anti-ageing cream gracing the pages,it is clear to see what all Red magazine readers want - youth. Amidst their battle with the unavoidable, articles focus on cooking, the home and the environment, including 'eco-friendly projects' and 'how to cook a four course meal in under an hour'.
Upon further research, I found Red magazine Direct - a website selling a mixture of jewellery, accessories, bags, home-ware and kids-wear. With favourite designers including Tula, Modalu and Ollie and Nic, the website is a great online catalogue of sophistication and style - ideal for the busy housewife or working woman who does not have time to go shopping for the latest Red 'must-haves'.
Whilst Red remains a popular fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazine for women all around Britain, it seems ironic that the name shares itself with another magazine in the regions of Arizona and Texas, focusing on a very different type of subject...gay nightlife, culture and style!

Cheap and Chic - 'Twenty8Twelve'

On my day off this week, my friends and I decided to take a shopping trip to Portobello market. Unfortunately, upon arrival at Notting Hill Gate tube station, we discovered that Portobello market was not on on a Thursday – as informed by my friend's dodgy piece of research. Somewhat disappointed, we headed up the streets of Notting Hill and came across Sienna Miller's new shop Twenty8Twelve. Minimalistic with white walls and a sparse amount of stock, the shop was suprisingly small with only three rails of clothes and one shop assistant. Dressed from head to toe in the Twenty8Twelve range, she Twenty8Twelve jeans with zips running up the back of the leg, ankle boots, an over-sized white shirt and black leather belt – simple and bohemian, very reminiscent of Sienna's own style. Immediately I was drawn towards the zip-leg jeans layed out on the centre table – in navy, brown and black denim, unfortunately, as designed by a celebrity, they came with a celebrity price tag - £195.
Inspired by my designer-celeb shopping spree, I went in search of some high-street Sienna alternatives with a more student-friendly price tag.

Twenty8Twelve originals:


Skinny zip-leg jeans - £195, available at ASOS.com


High-street alternatives:

ASOS black zip-hem skinny jeans - £28


Dorothy Perkins grey zip-leg skinny jeans - now reduced to £12


Warehouse zip hem ankle grazer - £45

Media Analysis - 'Free music downloads: How will they affect the future?'

My ipod is a chamillion, changing to suit my every mood. A schizophrenic in its own right, its many ‘personalities’ reflect my own – whether happy or sad, upbeat or pissed off, I have a song to listen to. Lying on my bed in my pyjamas with my trusty ipod, Eva Cassidy and Nina Simone will be my music of choice – the soothing tones of the jazz and blues beats fill my ears, guaranteeing to relax me every time. Whilst getting ready with the girls, my ipod speakers will have blasting the very best in classic garage tunes and hip hop beats – my favourites including DJ Luck and MC Neat and the God of music…Timbaland. Without a doubt, Timbaland has the power to turn every music collaboration he makes into a number one hit; not only is he ‘Bringing Sexy Back’ but he loves us ‘Just The Way We Are’ – what more could you ask for in a man?
Over the years my taste in music has changed – new experiences, new memories, new people – each associating themselves with different types of songs, genres and artists. My summer, for example, can be captured in one album – ‘Clubland 11’; the seventeen tracks each representing my holiday to Magaluf in a different way – the clubs, the people and the fantastic memories. Listening to track three with my eyes closed, ‘Work 2007’, I am back on the podium in ‘BCM’ dancing my heart out. The ipod is the new diary. The new photo album. The new product that captures a memory and can be relived over and over, every time it is heard.
However, is the ipod creating a problem for the music industry? More specifically, are music downloads creating a problem? With the mass popularity of free downloading websites such as Kazaa, Limewire, Morpheus and Gnutella, to name just a few, the music industry is losing out on millions due to the magic invention of ‘peer-to-peer networking’. This allows Internet users to share their music over a web application and within seconds, songs are transferred from the Internet to your computer. The other great advantages of these websites are their ability to generate other songs within a genre. For example, I was recently introduced to a new genre of music – speed garage, more specifically known as ‘Niche’. After hearing a song I loved – ‘Heartbroken’ by JD, I then decided to search ‘niche’ in the toolbar on Limewire and within seconds, it had generated a whole list of songs falling under the category of niche music. Another great website, which has this sole purpose, is Pandora.co.uk. The website asks users to type in the name of a favourite song or artist and continues to generate a list of songs that the user may be interested in based on their preferences.
With the huge modern culture of downloading music straight from the Internet at no cost at all, it is expected that the music industry will see a decline in the future, as musicians; songwriters and even record-store owners will no longer be able to provide themselves with a decent wage. What will happen in the future? Could music only be made by those with the personal ability to do so i.e. the rich? And how would this affect the different music genres? As many hip-hop artists rap about coming from the streets, would this ‘underdog’ genre die out with no money to fund their music?
The Internet however, is a great place for spreading music, as websites such as ‘YouTube’ and ‘MySpace’ offer anyone and everyone to have their music skills heard. New artists, songwriters and DJ’s now have the opportunity to offer their talents to anyone willing to listen, at no cost to themselves. A chance to be spotted by an audience of every taste and preference, can lead to the big break for many young talents.

Media Analysis - 'Murdoch: Libertarian or Oppertunist?'

Rupert Murdoch has a finger in every media pie. Whether it be television, film, the Internet or newspapers, as the leading investor of News Corporation, it is fair to say he is one of the most powerful and influential men in the media industry. His influence upon the newspaper industry is illustrated by the somewhat inconsistent political stance of each. His own political stance however, is a rather controversial subject. A supporter of both left and right wing parties over the years, the question posed by many is – where do his true loyalties lie? A self-described libertarian, believing in freedom of speech and free will can sometimes be seen as a tactic rather than a true affinity, used to cover his own back.
Owning The Sun, News of The World, The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, the political stance of each has changed several times over the years. In the eighties and nineties, Murdoch’s publications were generally right wing, supporting Margaret Thatcher and the conservative party. So right wing in fact, on the day of the 1992 general election, The Sun’s front page headline read ‘If Neil Kinnock [Labour leader] wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the light’. Priding itself as being ‘The Sun Wot Won It’ for the conservative victory, it seems surprising that at the end of the Thatcher/Major era, Murdoch’s publications became prominently left wing, supporting Tony Blair and the Labour party during the 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections. Critics believed Murdoch’s political views to be untruthful and fickle, claiming he would support the party that seemed most likely to win an election in order to benefit his own business. After the 1997 general election, controversy rose again as people claimed The Sun had only supported Labour as it knew there was no chance of the conservative party winning and could not be seen thereafter to back the loser. Immoral? Dishonest? Shallow? A few words that many might see appropriate when describing Murdoch’s decisions.
Whilst The Sun remains predominantly left wing, New of The World and The Times traditionally pose their views as being center-right; however during the 2001 and 2005 general elections supported the Labour party, with Murdoch allying himself with Tony Blair. Complicating matters further, Murdoch’s strong critical view of the BBC, believing them to have a left wing bias, surely implies his right wing beliefs? Whilst the BBC reported in June 2006 that Murdoch and News Corp. were ‘flirting’ with the idea of backing David Cameron, Tory leader, in the next general election.
Contradicting himself once again, a recent interview with Murdoch saw him describing the new conservative leader as ‘not much’; proving to us once and for all that this man, with few morals and few loyalties will always cover his back, contradicting himself and switching parties in order to benefit News Corp for the better.

Cheap and Chic - 'Trimming prices'

As a treat for my birthday, my mum paid for me to have my hair cut at top London salon - Vidal Sassoon. Costing £90 for a cut and blow-dry, it was a rare treat of extravagance, however my taster of top quality hairdressing led me to find the high-street alternative to the designer haircut.
Vidal Sassoon - School Of Hairdressing. This college, situated in Knightsbridge and in spitting distance of Harvey Nichols, costs only £4.50 for a cut and blow-dry; with the students at the school being taught by the best in the business and tutors checking their every move, you can feel assured to always come out satisfied.
The salon has a young, cool, pop-culture vibe and runs every day of the week, offering two sessions - a morning and an afternoon, starting at 9.30am and 1.00pm respectively. Taking approximately three hours for each haircut and a little longer for colour, be sure to book your session a few days in advance as only thirteen seats are available for each session and fill up pretty quickly.
Feeling a little more daring? Vidal Sassoon also have their 'Advanced Academy' situated on Grosvenor St in London; again very cheap and cut by students, this salon offers more 'out-there' hair cuts and is great for those unsure looking to experiment with a trendy new style.

Cheap and Chic - 'Leather Lover'

This season every fashionista will be wearing the leather jacket. Made famous in 1946by Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One', it was revived by the bad boys in the '60s and made cool again by Michael Jackson in the '80s - the famous 'Thriller' look inspiring matching leather jackets and trousers, not forgetting the one leather glove. Usually studded and undone to create a messy, unpolished look; the Jackson-inspired look is back, with the huge trend of studded attire and accessories being seen everywhere. Burberry Prorsum's patent leather jacket with shoulder detail and Thomas Wylde's biker jacket, complete with studded neckline and hemline, are great examples.
The 'aviator' look, made famous by 'Top Gun' in the '80s, inspired 'the bomber jacket'; a couple of decades later and we can see Belstaff's leather jacket, complete with fur trim, reviving the fashion, with Malene Birger offering a mousse-coloured, quilted bomber jacket in her collection.
With every designer doing different versions - cropped, quilted, studded or fur-trimmed, in classic black, brown or patent; key designers include Malene Birger, who's collection offers cropped, biker and bomber styles; and Belstaff, founded in the 1920's and now Britain's leading motorcycle clothing designer, offering a huge range of the stylish item.

Designer brands:

Burberry Prorsum's patent leather bomber jacket - £1,500


Malene Birger's cropped leather jacket - £250


Thomas Wylde's 'Easy Rider' leather jacket - £2,190


Mylene Birger's bomber jacket - £400


High-street Alternatives

M&S leather biker jacket - £149


Miss Selfridge diagonal-zip leather jacket - £90


Topshop studded leather jacket - £150


Topshop patent leather jacket - £70


ASOS quilted leather jacket - £85

Media Analysis - 'Trickle up, trickle down'

The Hush Puppy, classically uncool and far from hip, caused a phenomenon in the 90's, when New York club kids started wearing them. Taking inspiration from this, a stylist famously used them in the John Bartlett's Spring/Summer 95 fashion runway show and as the trend spread, the Hush Puppy became a fashion 'must-have', selling out in all its stores. This phenomenon, known as the 'trickle-up' trend, is a great example of how a niche street fad grew into a mass hit. Similarly, the urban trend of men wearing their trousers low, exposing their pants follows this trickle-up system, as prisoners banned from wearing belts resulted in their trousers falling low onto their hips. This ghetto look had a massive influence in the urban scene and became a huge trend in the hip-hop world. What was once a downbeat convict image became a style familiar with hip-hop stars and fashionistas.
Fashion, generally works on a 'trickle-down' system - designers are the inspiration that lead to mass production of any particular product. A great example would be Burberry. Once famed for their upper class status, Burberry's iconic check fabric was worn by Kate Moss and other fashion icons. However, their iconic print led to their downfall, as the masses knocked off cheap bags, clothes and accessories. Burberry struggled to retain its polished image and resulted in a new advertising campaign, seen today rarely displaying the traditional check. Famously, Louis Vuitton and Hermes both suffered the same blow, as the classic LV monogram bags and Hermes Berkin bag were once again mass produced.
In 1926, Rene Lacoste, the worlds number one tennis player, sported the first flat-framed collar t-shirt - now known as the 'polo shirt' - and founded the Lacoste brand. This had a huge trickle-down effect as brands such as Fred Perry and Ralph Lauren went on to exploit this look, now mass produced in an array of colours in every high street shop.
Katherine Hamnett illustrates the idea of the trickle-down effect once again as her famous slogan t-shirts, reading 'Relax' across the front, became a huge trend in the 80's and recently was revived by designer Henry Holland. The trickle down effect, although not always beneficial, gives the conclusion that designers, along with those bold enough to make a statement, are the most powerful players in the fashion world.

Cheap and Chic - 'Super Studs'

As do most women, I love to shop. Described as 'retail therapy', the damage to the bank balance is far from therapeutic. Fashion comes at a cost. Designer labels, luxurious fabrics and exquisite embellishments can only mean one thing...big price tags. On a constant search to find the latest trends and this-season 'must-haves', I find myself wondering if I'll ever be able to afford the latest Marc Jacobs bag, Zac Posen dress or pair of Christian Laboutin shoes. One day. Until then, I intend to relentlessly scour the high-street, finding fashion alternatives for the designer originals and sharing my findings with fellow fashion lovers everywhere...

This week, 'super studs'...Following the huge success of the gem-embellished metallic dress featured in their Spring collection, Burberry have continued the theme of diamonds and studs in their latest collections, embellishing everything from umbrellas and belts to coat-cuffs and bags in the now somewhat iconic, metallic square studs. Their latest range of bags, studded and quilted on every surface, are set to be the definite 'must-haves' this season, but with price tags starting at £625, I went to Oxford St. in search of what the high-street alternatives had to offer.

The Burberry Original:


The Knight Bag - £1,595


Studded Ashcombe - £625

High-street alternatives:


Mango - £30


Mango - £35


Bershka - £12


Primark - £2