Mary Katrantzou FW12 & the No. HB Pencil skirt
Style.com, Courtesy of Swarovski

It is incredible how much hype there was around the Mary Katrantzou this season. The show, which had that tricky 9am start toward the end of London Fashion Week, had everyone queuing for coffees at the Top Shop venue well before the show. Everyone from Anna Wintour to Alexa Chung took to their seats with plenty of time to pose for their front row pictures.
The FW12 collection did not disappoint. Despite being the season of paplums, Katrantzou's expertise, the designer stayed away from her signature shapes to try new less rigid ones. We saw a lot of chiffon – the mini dresses with the flowing trail were a highlight – and once again the prints and embroidery, which is becoming more and more prominently integrated in them stole the show.
My absolute favourite piece was the HB pencil dress. I just loved how the pencils had been manipulated and how by playing with their colours it seemed only logical that the skirt finished with a ruffle. There were also clock prints, typewriter keys, telephones and cutlery. But everything so beautifully digitally put together that you would only realise after looking closely.

Take a look at my video of the finale below.

Luisaviaroma for Unicef presents "Pug dogs for happy kids"
Courtesy of Luisaviaroma

Italy's most fashionable retailer LuisaViaRoma has teamed up with toymaker Steiff and Unicef to create a collection of cute toy pugs dressed by some of the best fashion designers out there. The one of a kind collection includes designs by Roberto Cavalli, Francesco Scognamiglio, Giambattista Valli, Versace and Emilio Pucci among others.
Starting today auctions for the fashionable pugs will take place every week for the next 6 weeks with all proceedings going to Unicef to support disadvantaged children.

Kicking off this amazing initiative are the pugs wearing Balmain, Mary Katrantzou and Valentino. Click HERE to bid for this week and see the rest of the incredible collection Steiff and LuisaViaRoma have put together!

Best Dressed at the 2012 ELLE Style Awards
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Longchamp x Mary Katrantzou: Totes psychedelic!
Collette.fr

Mary Katrantzou has quickly become one of the most exciting and successful London-based designers to go global. Whether it's dressing the chicest celebrities for the red carpet, top models for magazine covers, the most popular editors, or even the most stylish TV characters she has done it all and so well! Her SS12 collection, which we saw in London last September, also proved that her now world-famous prints  can also work in an abstract way. I am constantly mesmerised by her work!
Now Katrantzou is ticking another to-do from her list by teaming up with Longchamp to produce a capsule collection of their classic bags featuring the designer's iconic kaleidoscopic prints. They are all available online and in store at Colette but they're literally flying. My favourite are the big tote bags, which you can use every day to go to work but also for travelling, going to the beach. Or you could go for the smaller options –Longchamp's signature shapes that are always practical and timeless.

We're not even halfway through season 5 of Gossip Girl but even without watching the rest I would dare say this is the best look! Serena wears one of the best pieces from Mary Katranzou's SS11 collection for Blair's shower. I can't tell you how excited I was to see this. It was something I didn't see coming (which is brilliant!) and also something that suits Blake's character so well. Not to mention how occassion-appropriate the dress was. I also have to say that I loved the accessorising –the über-long pearl necklace, the patchwork Louboutin heels (which wouldn't work in another scenario) and the super cute messy pony tail tied up in a pink bow. This is the best Serena has looked in all of this season! Hopefully we will get to see her in some of the incredible pieces Katrantzou created for FW11 and (my favourite) SS12, that would just make me so happy!

I am so ecstatic about this look I will not even mention how overdressed Serena's day outfit was. Ha!

Style.com, JustJared, CWtv.com

I think I've figured out what's wrong with Blair's styling as of late. All the necklines of everything she wears are very off. All the garments also happen to be quite loose around the waist so perhaps they're trying to give her a 'pregnant look' to go along with the plot? I wish they looked at Beyoncé or Nicole Richie for examples of how to dress pregnant. Even Victoria Beckham!

I really disliked B's day look in this episode. It was way too fussy even though the pieces individually were quite nice –I loved the Alberta Ferretti dress and the Moschino jacket but not together! And I wish they stopped doing head pieces! The evening look was a lot nicer, fun and very Blair. It gave her an odd flat chest but at least it was sexy and different!

Zimbio, Telegraph Fashion, Style.com

I must admit I have an obsession with fashion insiders wearing clothes from a season ahead. I think it's a bit of a shame sometimes because it loses charm by the time you get to the new season but it's exciting at the same time. These are some of my favourite editors wearing fresh-off-the-runway pieces from the SS12 collections.

If anyone could get a Givenchy skirt the dat after the show that is Carine Roitfeld. Her infamous affiliation to certain maisons was part of the reason that cost her the Vogue Paris job but, of course, she does not care. She looked incredible in a customised version of the layered circular-cut skirts that Tisci showed for the new season. It just looks like that's the way Givenchy is meant to be worn.
Anna Wintour had a similar moment. She wears dresses more than once with no shame (why should she?) but that doesn't mean she can't take advantage of her perks. Anna indulged her world-famous love for Prada by wearing one of Miuccia's SS12 pleated car-printed skirts. I loved this look because the fun print gave her a very cool air, non?

But of course, Anna dello Russo had to be in the list too. Designers know that having her wear one of their pieces is just tons of free press and they take advantage of it. ADR has been the first editor to wear some of the new Mary Katrantzou dresses of under-the-sea motifs, which she accessorised with even more colours. Also in Paris Anna wore the new Linda Farrow for Prabal Gurung sunglasses that had me obsessed. And I loved the rest of her look –the Stella McCartney dress, lacy boots, beanie hat and netting on top. Just ace!

TFS

They say 'never judge a book by its cover' but I've never been keen on clichés. With a magazine it's exactly the cover that makes you decide whether to buy it. To me, it's about choosing a great picture that captures the most interesting piece inside.It's not about having every single story's title is on the cover. It really puts me off. So this month I've chosen my six favourite covers from the October 2011 issues.

My favourite is Harper's Bazaar Australia with Miranda Kerr. I love the pose and the styling. And I really like the different fonts and colours that make all the text work. I would say it' one of the best covers anyone's ever done in months.
I also really liked the Harper Bazaar Turkey cover with Lily Cole. The white dress with the metallic collar and the movement of the skirt read so well on the picture. The contrast with the brick on the back and the layout of text are great.
I was chuffed to find Elizabeth Olsen on the cover of Nylon. I feel like they're a perfect fit for each other. Though I do wish to see Elizabeth in high fashion mag covers soon.
Even though I'm not a fan of Tavi, I love the L'Officiel cover. I love the styling and the fact that a teenager is covering their 90th anniversary issue. It's kind of funny.
The Giambattista Valli peplum skirt is another cover hit. Even more so on Kristen Dunst. I just find it's a great cover to ease people into the FW11 collections.
And I loved Vogue Turkey because it shot FW11 LV in a non-boring way. No more navy and grey backgrounds to go with it, please.

Know Wear, Style.com

For SS12 Mary Katrantzou went for a much more abstract approach to the prints that have made her so famous and covetable. It was so that it almost felt like you had walked into, say, the Gugghenheim museum in Bilbao to watch a moving abstract painters exhibition. The huge metallic tubes that served as the backdrop at the old Eurostar terminal at Waterloo station added to this illusion.

I must confess I found this new approach to prints –oversized, slightly distorted- fascinating. The silhouettes, sexier and less rigid than we'd seen before, still retained that regal air Katrantzou was famous for. Cocktail dresses carried a train at the back or had long sleeves. The most striking and, to me, unexpected of the looks was perhaps the scrap metal asymmetrical dress that closed the show. The designer had used coloured cans to create a stunning effect. Even the way the metal sounded as the model walked was charming.
It was a much more wearable collection than we've seen before but this didn't take away from beautiful and almost magical world that Katrantzou's fashion always manages to take you to.

JustJared

I feel spoiled for having the Venice Biennale just before the start of fashion week. It's a good way to get ready for what's to come.

However, not all of the best dressed women of the weekend were in Venice these days. Sarah Jessica Parker was in London to promote "I don't know how she does it" in a stunning printed Prabal Gurung from the Resort 2012 collection. I am loving her choices for this press tour and I can't get over how incredible her hair looks. If you saw her on Jonathan Ross on Saturday night you will know what I mean. Carrie who?
The clear winner in terms of style is Keira Knightley. Her Mary Katrantzou number for the Venice arrival and her Valentino Couture for the premiere were the most perfect choices. Once again it was the hair that did it for me. The sort of Victoria Beckham bob made her look even more chic and accentuated her signature pout.
Gwyneth Paltrow keeps wearing the same colours but at least she's trying new shapes like the much-less-body-con-than-usual of this Prada gown.
Kate Bosworth wasn't in Venice either but she dressed like she was. Her short black Valentino was perfect for her –I loved the bow at the front. 

Style.com
a. Mary Katrantzou blouse @ Matches and Markus Lupfer skirt @ Net-a-Porter, b. Mary Katrantzou blouse @ Net-a-Porter and Dolce & Gabbana skirt @ Net-a-Porter

Some times it's hard to see how runway looks could translate onto the street before designers edit their pieces for retailers. Especially with the best collections.

Mary Katrantzou is always on my top 5 favourite London designers. However, apart from Anna dello Russo and a couple of other fashion insiders who wear Mary during fashion week it's hard to find her clothes on regular people.
It looks like Katrantzou has actually done a great job adapting her famous prints on ready-to-wear items. My favourite are the printed shirts and blouses. Thinking of how you could buy them and wear them in a way to resemble Mary's aesthetic. Instead of pairing them with a printed skirt or trousers I think the best option would be to wear the Katrantzou blouses with a textured skirt like the tweet ones to the right. They work as a pattern that keeps the outfit interesting without being too overpowering or bold and staying fashion-forward and true to the designer's vision.

How would you wear Mary Katrantzou?

Grande talento

Going through my messy world the other day, I found an old insert from Vogue Italia. It was about the new era of fashion cerated by new great minds. I started flicking through the pages to see who were, for the Italian bible, the new designers to keep an eye on.
Mary Katrantzou caught my attention from the first time I saw her creations on LuisaViaRoma's website. She's definitely part of the new era of fashion where digital prints are revolutionising the way of creating patterns. Her FW 2010 collection includes a great selection of silhouettes and desing. The whole line, from the prints point of view, reminded me of the splendeur and the richness of Sicilian Baroque churches as well as of portraits of big historical leaders. The collection has a great mix of new sophisticated elegance.

Roberta Furlanetto is one of the new designers who rappresent the essence of 'Made in Italy'. After starting her career under the influence of Azzedine Alaïa, Nina Ricci, Christian Lacroix, she created her own company 3 years ago. Her collection is a mix of artisan-made garments and ethical materials. Her clothes have both a feminine silhouette and a chic semplicity. Her palette for FW 2010 mixes soft pale colours with dashes of intense ones. There are also some pieces in black, which I haven't included in the post, but are worth seeing at www.robertafurlanetto.com. My favourite piece is the fuchsia ruffle dress, a rich volume of colour which makes a woman feel confident and beautiful.

I have always been an 'accessories' kind of girl, always obssessed more with shoes, bags and jewellery rather than clothes. I fell in love with Chrissie Morris the moment I turned a page and saw her shows. Not just another shoe designer. Her shoes are edgy pieces of sculpture. She is capable of juxtaposing elements like precious materials, such as shiny python, and simple 'architectonical' lines. As soon as I saw her collection I thought of the Art Deco period, in which the line were the essence of the creative process.

- Giuls

[Pictures: Style.com, Style.it, ChrissieMiller.com]