The Mask

Since it's Halloween this weekend, I thought that rather than doing a scary costume post, I would put together some fashion pictures of beautiful masks. It's the most stylish way to dress up in my opinion! My favourite person to covet the mask has to be Lady Gaga who likes them in varieties of studded, lace and mirrored. I myself have worn a sequined eye mask and Catwoman PVC mask. For one of my birthdays in the future I would love to have a masked ball. Vogue Paris recently celebrated their 90th anniversary with a masquerade. Attendees included Tyra Banks wearing a Victor & Rolf caged mask, and Anna Dello Russo coveting a lace mask and a Gareth Pugh headpiece over the top. One of my favourites is the lace bunny ears mask by Maison Michel. Which mask is your favourite? Have you worn or created a mask yourself?

Love from Lou Lou

Look what Lou Lou bought!

I just wanted to share with you two of my favourite things that I've bought recently and will help me get through the bleak Scottish winter that lies ahead!

First of all is my gorgeous pair of lace-up platform wedges from New Look. I love everything about them from the suede texture to the laces with tassels on the ends. So far I've only worn them around the house but I may wear them when I go out for drinks tonight. I will probably look like a giant though as the wedges make me reach 6ft 1" and my friends are a lot shorter than me!

Secondly is my faux fur jacket. Yesterday I went to work before the crack of dawn with the temperature outside around 2°c. So I decided to wear my new

fur coat and it actually kept me warm and snug. My work mates loved it too!

Love from Lou Lou

A Clue of the Collection

The Lanvin and H&M collaboration (as previously posted) is getting more exciting as the weeks go by. Today a sneeky peek was revealed for us, two weeks prior to the collection's preview and five weeks before it is available to purchase.

We can see all of Lanvin's signatures from the asymmetric dress to the feminine ruffles. I can't make up my mind which outfit I'd want out of these, never mind the rest of the collection! Alber Elbaz, the creative director, says there will be "tulle and t-shirts and printed dresses" in a variety of colours. The collection will also appeal to women of all ages as he explains "I have the feeling that mothers want to wear their daughters clothes - and daughters want to wear their grandmothers clothes." Well picked up on Mr Elbaz. My mum wants to wear almost everything I wear. Just wait until she sees what I buy from this collection!

Another Tim Walker Reference

Tim Walker has been my favourite fashion photographer for years. I'm amongst thousands of fans who have been influenced by his work and it's always interesting to see when people copy reference his images. Lily Allen's video for The Fear involved a mansion covered with balloons, just like one of Tim's most famous photographs.

Most recently, Rihanna's video for Only Girl (in the world) directed by Anthony Mandler was heavily influenced by Tim Walker. Just take a look at my comparisons.

The dress lantern tree

The giant balloons by the sea

The field of flowers

It turned out to be an incredibly beautiful video, and put Tim Walker's ideas into film rather well. Some of the outfits were also fantastic. See the video here.

Love from Lou Lou

Cozy & Cute for Winter

This is my new knitwear purchase I bought from New Look. It's a cute version of Fair Isle pattern with lots of hearts all over. I think it looks good with a burgundy skinny belt above the waist and my tights to match, both bought recently in Topshop. The boots are perfect for crunching through the leaves.

I love my H&M jumper with sequined Mickey Mouse ears! It's made with angora so it's super soft and it looks so fun in comparison with the average winter jumper. I wear it with my maxi skirt, also from H&M, or my black high-waisted shorts with thick tights underneath.

What will you be wearing this Autumn/Winter?

Love from Lou Lou

Team Dannii

Everything about X Factor was fantastic at the weekend (well, except Nicolo being eliminated). Apart from the impressive singing, I enjoyed watching on the outfits, and was pleased to hear the fabulous Grace Woodward was head of styling the contestants. Although there were a couple of questionable outfits, I think she did a good job turning everyone into superstars. 

However, it was Dannii Minogue who won the style stakes both nights. She looked incredible on Saturday night and you could never tell she'd just had a baby. The singer/designer wore a tight white lace dress by Melbourne designer J'Aton Couture with bold red lips, which made her look like an english rose.

On Sunday night she wore her own label called Project D which a black prom dress from her Spring/Summer 2011 line. Her make-up was nude and minimal so she looked very fresh faced, and her hair was up in a sixties ponytail.

I can't wait for her looks to come and I hope she keeps beating Cheryl in the style wars. Check out her Project D website here.

Love from Lou Lou

Paris Fashion Week Review

Paris Fashion Week has sadly come to a close this evening, and I caught some live footage of the Miu Miu show to say farewell. What fantastic collections there have been though. Zac Posen for me, was a flawless collection. It was the first time the American designer was showing in Paris and his collection certainly fitted in with french luxury. Lanvin was a slight disappointment after looking forward to it so much. The garments were not as beautiful as usual, as they were given a harder edge with a leather harness or zips. Although it was a slight change of direction, it just didn't seem right! Nina Ricci filled the soft, romantic gap for me and John Galliano wowed me with a colourful collection inspired by twenties theatre costumes. Karl Lagerfeld once again pushed the boundaries of the catwalk with his show for Chanel. The setting was an ornamental garden, where 80 musicians played and over 80 models walked the catwalk (that's about double the average!) 

I hope you like my selection of catwalk looks, along with a quick description of what the collections consisted of. It's safe to say that sheer fabrics will still be a trend next Summer, along with lace, animal print and pleating. There were also many capes like the Givenchy one below which may reach the red carpet rather than the high-street stores! 

What were your favourite collections at Paris Fashion Week?  

Givenchy

Leopard prints and black chiffon

Zac Posen

Feathers, chiffon and lace

Christain Dior

Sailor hats and tropical prints

 Jean Paul Gaultier

3-D prints, denim and lace

Nina Ricci

Ruffles and neutral tones

Lanvin

Body conscious, zips and metal embellishment 

Chanel

Digital prints, distressed tweed, feathered fringing.

John Galliano

Genie trousers, florals and butterfly prints.