London Fashion Week street style - D'you wanna be in my gang?

Do you wanna be in my gang, my gang, my gang, d'you wanna be in my gang..my g-a-a-ang.  

#inappropriateGaryGlitterreference

But yes, we do, for it is the most colourful gang in all of Fashion Week.  And also because you have the most nonchalant denim jacket, sheer shirt and pastel hair.


Featuring: Second from left Anna from Anna Lee Fashion and, far right, photographer Erick LeStrange

London Fashion Week street style - Aesthetics

This luminous lovely is Ivania, of Love Aesthetics, in town for fashion week from the Netherlands. Her outfit, and her whole blog, is a lesson in what I believe we are calling sport-luxe these days - an effortless mix of pale jersey and bright colours, with Ivania's own added twist of some serious lipsticks.  That lemon/lilac combo is making even the most colourful fashion week looks pale in comparison.  Ivania's shoes are Acne, the hoody is nicked from her boyfriend, and the jeans are trusty Toppers - go get (though maybe not the hoody as her boyfriend would have something to say about that) .

London Fashion Week street style - Simplicity, Kitty

Meow.  The Kitty clutch and pink pony creepers take this ensemble from simplistic denim to fashion (wait for it...) purrfection ( I apologise...). Just the job for a day in the courtyard of Somerset House, especially with the addition of that furry scarf to keep out the cold.  Plenty more LFW streetstyle to come so stay tuned.

London Fashion Week street style - Chameleon

Styleeast loves a fashion chameleon which is why I was pleased to bump into Elizabeth, who works at Elle, two days in a row at Somerset House.  Not that I recognised her the second time, but perhaps I can blame the fact that by the third day on the cobbles my eyeballs (along with my fingers and toes) had completely frozen.  Choosing my favourite of Elizabeth's looks isn't easy, so I'm going to sit on the fence and say I like her different takes on masculine tailoring in both outfits, though I do have a particular penchant for that lime green beanie.  Which is your favourite?

*post-edit.  By the way, I saw Kanye West today.  KANYE WEST!  You can see my rubbish photo here on the Styleeast facebook page.  I'm also chattering nonsense on Twitter, here

London Fashion Week street style - Gaga ooh la la

Just add pom poms.

London Fashion Week street style - Stella does neon

Fair to say that Stella will be all over the internet before you can say "paparazzi", so I thought I'd get in there first to show you her amazing Jonathan Saunders neon.  A rare flash of colour on a dull and rainy day.  Fingers crossed for sunshine tomorrow.  See you there...

Fringe benefits

The first photo was featured on the BBC's Culture Show on  Friday 9 March 2012

Spot the theme!  Brick Lane is being taken over by coloured hair.  Not that I'm complaining, especially with Fumi's interpretation of the trend - just a dash of jade in the fringe, beautifully complementing the accents in her scarf.  I'd become a bit jaded (get it!) myself recently and sick of the sight of just black black black, as if dressing to match the sky helped beat the cold weather; so this colourful ensemble was like a breath of fresh air.  Welcome to all of my new readers, joining me from the Observer article last week and thanks for following.  Don't forget you can also find me on here on Twitter.  See you at Fashion Week! 

Debatable

I was very excited to feature in this week's Observer New Review, along with a collection of other UK bloggers, in this article that began, controversially, by stating that 'what we wear is increasingly shaped by fashion bloggers'. I, an avid reader of many blogs, wholeheartedly agree that since discovering a wealth of quick, innovative inspiration at my fingertips, for free, the way I follow fashion has changed. And I bet many of you reading this would say the same.

One scan of the 100 comments left on the online article will leave you in no doubt many people do not agree. And that, of course, is absolutely fine, it is the Guardian after all, the comments always form a fascinating, if sometimes visceral, debate - whatever the topic. I didn't enjoy this particular debate any less just because I'm a part of it. Perhaps that's why I don't feel compelled to defend or justify the topic of the feature at all, that would be for the paper to do, though I'm sure they're content with having sparked such a great furore!

What I will say in response is this: Contrary to what some people tend to assume about anyone who does fashion, my day job ensures I have good perspective about what 'really' matters - family, opportunity, education, democracy (all of which the Guardian covers amply) but let's not forget that fashion is a multi-billion pound industry that creates jobs and supports our economy. I know fashion isn't important, or even interesting, to everyone and appearing in the paper doesn't mean I think my little blog, a minuscule cog in a huge wheel, will ever have the power to influence anyone (which unfortunately thwarts my plan to use it for taking over the world, Bond villain-style).

But the growth of blogging is interesting to me, and (contrary to what one comment suggests) brings me, and hopefully my readers, joy. Which, along with the fact my mum could go out for the Sunday paper and tell the man in the shop her daughter was in it, is why I was thrilled to be included in the feature. Let's not forget, fashion is allowed to be just for fun and, sometimes, frivolous. Or perhaps, as one commentator put it perfectly, fashion is simply the fetishisation of something we all have to do in order not to die of exposure.

Thanks to the Guardian staff for being helpful and courteous throughout. I hope you enjoyed reading the article, and the comments, as much as I did.

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