Fashion's Night Out has London all wrapped up in couture

For the past few months I have been working my ass off on photo shoots and music shoots, videos and all that jazz… I am now the Editorial Assistant of Volt magazine (BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT), having assisted my favourite stylist and Fashion Director of Volt on two of the shoots for the magazine (one of them being our main fashion story) as well working with her outside of the magazine. She has worked with Lady Gaga, Brandon Flowers and Johnny Depp to name a few, her Editorial work is amazing, she is bloody great and I am loving every minute of my fashion life!

In no way can I claim to be a devoted blogger but these things have inspired me to express my own opinions through ye old blogspot and last night deserves a post!

Run down with a cold and browsing through F.Tape (www.ftape.com) I clicked on the Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) link. As I scrolled down the page I suddenly thought now I want to go to this; free manicures and pedicures, canapés and champagne, bands and limited edition pieces, sounds like it could actually be a fun night out. The event was talked about so much whilst I was at Conde Nast that when you’re in the bubble of Vogue House sometimes these events seem not so special the more attainable they become and you just want to focus on the work as opposed to the going out (or is that just my cold talking)…

I unwillingly coerced my fiancé into driving to Bond Street when he arrived home from work, we found parking right opposite Burberry where Alexandra Shulman (Editor of British Vogue… if you didn’t know that, oh my god!) launched London’s participation in this fabulous worldwide event that was organised by the Queen herself Anna Wintour.

So, Burberry was our first stop, and the atmosphere was electric. Drinks were served and offered frivolously, Elderflower water being my favourite, however, nearly slicing my mouth open on a very chipped glass not so fun. So on that note I huffed to the waiter, told my fiancé I should have been given a free mac or at least ear muffs for cutting my mouth, stared at myself in the long mirrors (highly unfashionable but required nonetheless) to ensure no severe damage had been caused and we moved on.

I loved this girl's grey hair!!!

A very real mannequin...

Asprey's window with a very delightful party going on inside...

DKNY was by far the centre of attention with Bungalow 8 DJs and bars and DKNY champagne most certainly gaining a thumbs up for effort regardless of them not being one of my favourite fashion brands…

Dolce & Gabbana, YSL, Alexander McQueen all had champagne being served with on and off busy periods. Joseph had a lovely popcorn machine outside that was perfect in between all the champagnes and cocktails throughout the different stores.

Chanel was another hot spot as downstairs there was a nail bar with the new jade, red and burgundy nail colours being painted for free, and upstairs a Chanel photo shoot with Erin O’Connor was being arranged and shot but was far too packed.

Alexander McQueen

YSL

Louis Vuitton's manequin loses her head...

I absolutely adored Nicole Fahri’s set up of a little French crepiere with crepes and wine for sale. Before heading off to our next destination my fiancé and I sat down and enjoyed nutella and banana crepes whilst listening to French music and being treated wonderfully by the staff.

Back in the car, 3 minutes away on the TomTom which included a drive past the Bentley showroom equalling total satisfaction for the fiancé we arrived at Christian Louboutin’s flagship store where I changed into my Louboutin’s… clearly a bit too late. No more goody bags, free Revlon red manicures fully booked and a PR that seemed more interested in talking to her friend’s little pooch than answering any of my questions and so, laters Louboutin, I love your shoes, but not your staff! Ohhhh scratch that if staff includes the delightful ice cream man and his cart outside offering plum, coffee and other weird flavours to us (once again for free) as we were just about to get into the car. I don’t drink coffee unless I have to, but after tasting all the flavours, coffee ice cream was my choice and it was delicious!!

Another address inputted into the TomTom, passing Porsche who were unveiling the new four door Porsche that my fiancé “didn’t even know was in the country yet! Wow! But I don’t agree with it!” and we arrived on Sloane Street to which Dior was closing but Missioni’s door were wide open.

All of the staff at the store were in good spirits and proud of the sales of their scarves (sold out) and bags that were designed and created just for tonight in conjunction with Aladina children’s charity.

I felt that Missoni focused on charity much more than all of the other stores, and where some stores were giving discounts, Missoni was giving 10% of all sales of the night to their elected charity as well as a percentage of the proceeds of the bag. I seem to get so many free ‘gifts’ in fashion that I hardly buy anything any more, but while my friends’ often refer to me as the materialistic one, charity has always been close to my heart as my father was a devoted member and twice president of his Lions club organisation and so buying a Missoni bag where I would be helping children with Leukaemia couldn’t be a bad thing! Especially as these bags are sure to become limited editions. The Manager of the store was a breath of fresh air in these times of hard sales and self-absorbed PRs (yes I am referring back to Louboutin) and she spoke of the charity with a fondness that even my fiancé noted was sincere and lacking in all of the other stores we visited.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

But after all it was 'Fashion's' Night Out, and some went to shop, some to mingle, some to celebrity/fashion spot (Brown's Focus was the place to be if you wanted to see and be served by designers themselves), it was certainly a fun night out and a great success for fashion lovers who dressed up for a party and indeed created a buzz in the build up to London Fashion Week. Whilst secretly wishing my own Amalita (you know, the Italian woman that buys Carrie the Dolce's) would walk up to me and bestow me with a gift I managed to find my next desire - a long glass beaded YSL necklace with a crystal encrusted logo that outdates the Chanel faux pearl necklaces that are becoming as common as the Return to Tiffany heart tag bracelets. And so after much couture intoxication, after lots of free food and drinks, paid for but worth every penny crepes, a lovely night out in London’s West End and my Missoni bag my gorgeous fiancé bought me, our contribution to charity and to fashion retail, we headed home.

"Can you please spell Gabbana?"

I struggle with the idea that a girl living in New York had really never heard of Gabbana?! But a girl living in New York, London or Paris will certainly have a similar reaction to Andy Sachs (as did one of my fellow fashionistas,) when I say Dolce & Gabbana and make-up in the same sentence.

Please note that I tend not to stop in the beauty department of Selfridges (unless it’s Christmas and I’m gift searching or unless I really have to). My make up palette is precise. I am a MAC girl, along with my YSL Touch Éclat, and a bit of Diorshow Backstage Mascara. In addition, is the fact that I seldom buy make up in London unless I’ve run out of Touch Éclat, and then it’s duty free at Heathrow or Stansted. My MAC stack is more or less all purchased in the US of A, primarily on Fifth Avenue, glamorous yes, much less expensive, hell yes! And as the saying goes, “once you go MAC, you never go back,” well that was my motto...until Friday.

There is no better way than to start my first blog entry, than with Dolce & Gabbana. My first fashion love, my first fashion buy... ok, it was D&G not Dolce, and there is a difference, but ultimately the thrill is the same, the ‘sex’ is the same, and on Friday, whilst wearing a D&G gold vest (emphasis on the gold), I found the need to stop on the ground floor of Selfridges' beauty department, where before me was something that was not there two weeks ago and that took me very much by surprise.

For the first time, the fashion Gods that are Dolce & Gabbana have released a make-up collection that is exclusive to Selfridges. The face of the collection, Miss Scarlett Johansson is a more than perfect choice, as a blonde of course (her newer darker look is not so Dolce). Quoting Stefano Gabbana, ''she’s a beautiful girl, but she’s really easygoing. She is very Dolce & Gabbana,’' but trust me when I tell you there is nothing easy going about the collection. It is - simply stunning - simply sex.

I think I was staring at the products for so long that the lovely make-up artist came over just to see if I was ok. We sat down and she applied a lip colour. Cute and pink, “perfect choice for my complexion,” but I already have a similar colour in Estee Lauder (yeah ok I never said I bought that either - blah). She asked me if I would like to try the red that Miss Johansson wears in the ad campaign. I have a MAC red, but it tends to bleed into the edge of my mouth, and after a drink, or few, no one tells you this and you only find out when the photos are uploaded onto facebook and then realise I look like I was in training for clown school. I wasn’t intending on buying anything so what harm could it do, I would try it out. All reds are the same surely?

She applied The Classic Lipstick in Devil Red, no lip liner, but with a lip brush (which annoyingly enough are not yet available to purchase). She then covered the lipstick with The Lipgloss in Ruby and my lips were the sex.

I also tried the foundation that can be used as a powder, or can be used wet to provide more coverage. This again was amazing, especially for my post holiday tanned skin that is too dark for my MAC foundation.

I asked the lovely make up girl for the details, and asked what the foundation came in. Dolce & Gabbana eat your heart out. Gold. Sophisticated. Sexy. Sleek. The collection is perfect to throw in my speedy without making a mess, but a joy to reveal to onlookers wondering where on earth these gold jewels are from.

I didn’t buy the products immediately. I decided to have a think about it, all the while staring at my lips in every reflective material I walked past. On Saturday I woke up and was asked where I was going that I had applied red lipstick first thing. And that was my deciding factor. I have had a stressful week, and yes, shamefully, did not take off my make-up on Friday night. But the fact that my lips were the same as when first applied said it all.
I went back on Saturday and collected my first pieces of Dolce & Gabbana. There are blushes, nails colours, eye shadows, lip liners, and I'm sure the list will develop quickly. The only thing that the new collection couldn’t provide me with was a Scarlett Johansson cleavage... I think it would be Dr 90210 for that...