Best of British

I've been meaning to blog about Young British Designers for ages and ages, and now I'm finally doing it. Better late than never, eh?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then listen up because you're in for a treat! Young British Designers is a brilliant website that celebrates the very best of the UK's fashion talent. In their own very apt words, "Young British Designers is proud to create the first dedicated retail environment purely focusing upon young talent working in this country (and by young we mean still in the formative years of their brand, we don't really mind if they start designing at 60 or beyond)."

And just because a brand is new, it certainly doesn't mean that it's short on talent. Everytime I go on the site, I find myself increasingly excited by the incredible designs for sale, and the best part is each piece is an investment. You just know that these designers are going blow up and become ridiculously popular any day now, and there's nothing like getting in at the ground floor.

Here are my personal favourite pieces available to buy right now over at YoungBritishDesigners.com:

Penguin print headscarf by Charlotte Taylor, £40

Xray Velvet Dress by Draw in Light, £420

Graugans Coat in Grey Marl by borne by Elise Berger, £415

Jake Wedges by Atalanta Weller, £425

Tie Necklace with Wire Loops, Bead & Crystal Cluster by Kirsty Ward, £99

The Mayfair Scarf by David Longshaw & Dominique Mosley, £120

(Photos courtesy of Young British Designers)

And that's just a small selection! I could go on and on...

To find out more about Young British Designers, head over to YoungBritishDesigners.com right now and browse their amazing wares. You can also follow them on Twitter, which I highly recommend because they're ever so lovely.

Editorial: Ollie Henderson

You may remember a while back I posted behind the scenes photos from the shoot I styled for the amazing Lara Jade. Well, the good news is I can finally share the finished shots with you - check 'em out!

Cardigan: Neurotica

Cardigan: Neurotica
Belt: Martina Spetlova
Harem leggings: E.G. Emma.Griffiths

Flower headband: Loulou Loves You
Top: Two Weeks
Necklace: Broken Fab

Top: Two Weeks
Necklace: Broken Fab

Nude caplet: Neurotica
Nude bodysuit: Rachel Freire

I am really thrilled with the images, and I'm so happy that I can finally share them! Thanks again to the incredible team involved:

• Photography: Lara Jade
• Model: Ollie Henderson (NEXT)
  
• Styling: Frankie Murray
• Make up: Leah Mabe
• Hair: Tomoyuki
• Assistance: Daniel L
• Retouching: M Seth Jones

Come back for more photos soon!

Inside the house

Ten days later, and the London edition of the Jacques Townhouse was a smashing success!








And what a ten days! If you came and saw the house for yourself, I hope you enjoyed it. We all worked tirelessly to make sure everyone who came had a brilliant time, and I'm pleased to say it all went really well. I would also like to thank my three amazing assistants - (from left to right) Alex, Hannah and Akeela - for all of their incredible hard work and support throughout the event. I couldn't have done it without them! Oh, and Terence Webb, our incredible photographer.

The ladies take time out to strike a pose

Terence gets set up

If you didn't manage to make it to the London house, I've made a little video to show you around - check it out:



And don't forget - if you live in the north of our fair country, you can still get tickets for the Liverpool Townhouse! Just head over to www.facebook.com/Jacques to apply. And if you do come, don't forget to pop along to the Wardrobe of Wonders and say hello!

Tomorrow it begins...

Tomorrow sees the launch of Jacques Townhouse in London! As blogged previously, I will be the in-house stylist for all 10 days of the event this year, and I am very excited. In fact, I am more giddy. I just know the event is going to be amazing, and I'm truly honoured to be involved.

I will also be there for the Liverpool house in August, and there are still some tickets available - if you fancy coming along, head over to the Jacques Facebook page to apply.

If you have tickets for either location, please swing by the wardrobe room and say hello! I promise to great with you a smile and some beautiful clothes to try on.

Editorial: Light Singing

The editorial I styled for India Hobson back in May was published on the Papercut Magazine website earlier this week - check it out!

Maxi dress by Draw In Light; necklace by Monserat De Lucca

Maxi dress by Draw In Light; necklace by Monserat De Lucca

(LEFT) Bodysuit by Ayten Gasson. (RIGHT) Blouse by Fable London; shorts by borne by Elise Berger

(LEFT) Jewellery by Swell Vintage. (RIGHT) Dress by Draw In Light; necklace is stylist's own

(LEFT) Long sleeve t-shirt by Draw In Light; trousers by borne by Elise Berger. (RIGHT) Camisole by Ayten Gasson

Bodysuit by Ayten Gasson

I couldn't be more proud of all of our work - congratulations, ladies!

Photography: India Hobson

Makeup: Nina Fay Robinson

Hair: Nina Fay Robinson

Styling: Frankie Murray

Modelling: Skye

Behind the scenes: photoshoot with SJ Walton

Recently I styled a photoshoot for SJ Walton. We had been planning it for such a long time, but of course when it came to the big day we were met with torrential rain - always fun when shooting on location!


We were shooting at Hampstead Heath, and fortunately there was some shelter for us! There were even periods of sunshine, so it all turned out well in the end. The theme for the shoot was pretty and light, with lots of natural and soft colours. We were extremely lucky to feature some incredible pieces by some of my favourite independent designers, including Elizabeth Lau, Kirsty Ward and Charlotte Taylor.











It was a tough day, but it was still a lot of fun - thanks ladies! You were amazing.

Photographer: SJ Walton
Model: Lykke (M and P Models)
Make up and hair: Jenni Delfaco

I will hopefully be able to share the final photos with you all, so please come back soon to have a look!

Is this just a tribute?

If you follow me on Twitter (*cough* @frankiestyling *cough*), you may have seen that I treated myself to an early birthday present courtesy of the Browns sale...


Isn't she a beaut? I love how bold it is, and it also appeals to my inner-goth. Once I get used to the extra weight everything will be perfect!

This purchase inspired me to browse more McQueen jewellery online, and I stumbled across this seller on Ebay that specialises in Alexander McQueen "tribute" rings:


The seller does not try to disguise the fact that this ring isn't a real McQueen piece. In fact, he goes so far as to say, "Please note that this ring is NOT Alexander McQueen - it is a Tribute ring, but it is more or less identical to the £160 ring". This "tribute" can be purchased for the bargain price of £23.50.

I don't know what your feelings are on the subject, but personally I find this extremely insulting for a number of different reasons:

1. You can call it whatever you like - a tribute, a dedication, a homage - but at the end of the day, this is nothing but a cheap copy. A knock-off. A FAKE. And a bad one at that. To think that the genius and beauty of a McQueen piece can be recreated using cheap metal and subpar design skills is insane and, as this ring illustrates, impossible.
   
   
2. Do you really think that this monstrosity is a fitting "tribute" to Alexander McQueen's work? Really??!!? Poor Lee McQueen must be doing backflips in his grave.
   

At the end of the day, I'm all for a bargain and I know that designer jewellery can be pricey, but there is a reason for that. So much talent, skill and plain hard work goes into creating a ring as incredible as my new Alexander McQueen ring, and "tributes" such as this cheapen the whole process.

But what do you think? Is it ok to opt for the cheaper option every now and then? Are unaffordable designer pieces forcing people to go down the fake route? I'd love to hear what you think!