2009 Fall London Fashion Week

You might have noticed an increased amount of fur on the catwalks last month as designers attempt to break fashion's biggest taboo. Well, it seems its appearance might not be as innocent as you think as an investigation by The Times discovered that some designers are being funded by major fur companies. Danish fur giants Saga Fur and Kopenhagen fur are involved in this scheme to encourage use of the animal fabric in catwalk collections in return for thousands of pounds of sponsorship. One designer, who wishes to remain nameless, commented, “No one appreciates just how tough it is right now. If you were offered free fur which looks glamorous and expensive and you were assured it was ethically farmed then why wouldn’t you go ahead and stick it in your show?”

To hear more about the use of fur, just read more

William Tempest didn't win the Fashion Fringe competition last year, but with a few careful placed red carpet appearances he has managed to make quite the name for himself. This season his show was off-schedule but he still had a star studded front row which included Emma Watson. He has now collaborated with Sony VAIO to share his fashion adventures. See below for behind the scenes and catwalk footage from his recent London show.

I spied the stunning, six-foot tall, 30 year-old, British model Jade Parfitt sitting in the front row of the Ashley Isham Show two weeks ago. After it was over, she stood on the catwalk palling around with Erin O'Connor and Tess Daly and I just couldn't resist the chance to ask her a few questions about her beauty regime.

Whist talking, she mentioned her love of horseback riding and her two-year old son. I also learned that Jade began modeling at 15 after winning a TV contest. Since then, she's graced many magazine covers, she's snagged some pretty hefty campaigns (Carolina Herrera Parfum) and she's walked in well over a hundred fashion shows. As if that's not accomplishing enough, Jade has also helped created a clothing project which helps HIV research in Africa.

Interested in more? For additional pictures and to find out all about Jade's guilty pleasures and her secret to beautiful hair and skin, just read more

London Fashion Week defended its place in the fashion calendar for Autumn 2009 with some of the best designs and shows in recent memory. The standard was very high, although measures were taken to adjust to the economic climate. Some argue that London played it too safe, but catwalks also presented designs which were more of an investment than a one-off splurge. Whilst handbags are being toned down and the it bag is going bye-bye, design houses also worked on creating more practical items that can be worn from day to night.

This was particularly obvious at Twenty8Twelve where the Miller sisters bravely defied the economy to show their first ever catwalk collection. Here there were day to night dresses glammed up with cropped jackets and killer heels. A similar situation occurred at Luella where party dresses were layered over shirts for an easily adaptable style.

Bryce d'Anice Aime also toyed with the idea, albeit in a more risque way. He used sheer fabrics with tailored items and metallic weave fabrics for a look that wouldn't necessarily be suitable for officewear, but could certainly be worn from day to night.

Source and Mads Perch, courtesy of BCPR

Sneaky me got to take a peek backstage at hair and makeup headquarters of the Avsh Alom Gur Fashion Show last week. Whilst the busy team from Toni & Guy were putting the finishing touches on the models hair, I caught up with head makeup artist Michael Gray.

The inspiration behind this look was edgy with a soft, girly and pretty side. The goal was to create an 80's feel by going heavy on the blusher and the brows, but doing it in a more modern and dainty way. Each girl had a pinky, golden peach on their faces, however, they all had a slightly different blue, purple or pink colours on their eyes, cheeks and brows.

To see more images from the show and to find out which Nars, MAC, Chanel and Shu Uemura products were used, read more

Late last year Jourdan Dunn was named Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards beating off competition from Agyness Deyn. At London Fashion Week this month she proved her worth to the British fashion industry by appearing on a staggering 14 runways. She walked at some of the biggest shows including Twenty8Twelve, Julien Macdonald and Vivienne Westwood. Other models who made an impact throughout the week include Agyness Deyn who opened and closed for House of Holland, Alek Wek and Stella Tennant at Aquascutum, Erin O'Connor and Lily Cole at Qasimi and Sara Blomqvist opened for Luella.

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