Best Dressed at the 2012 CFDA Awards
Getty

This year's CFDA awards had me particularly excited for two reasons. The first was the fact that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were nominated for Best Womenswear Designer for The Row. The second was the fact that this year, for the first time, I voted for all the categories myself. So I feel like I had some part in making Ash and MK the big winners of the night.
The Olsens obviously chose to wear looks from The Row. They felt a bit more summery than they usually do, which probably has to do with the fact that they belong to their latest Cruise 2013 collection. I was also gladly surprised to see Mary-Kate has gone brunette again. I think it really suits her and it sure makes a lot of journalists' job much easier.
Joan Smalls accompanied Michael Kors in one of his designs. I loved the skirt cut and the sort of scalloped hem line. It was very much summer wear but extremely chic and Joan rocked it.
Hilary Rhoda, who has the most amazing eyes ever, went for a silk Rebecca Minkoff number. It was an unexpected choice for an event of this sort but I like the elegant yet slightly casual air of the dress. The colours and cut out details are super chic and they sure bring out her eyes.
No fashion event feels whole without Kate Bosworth so I was chuffed to find her amongst the attendees. She wore Altuzarra and was the designer's date. I was also super happy for Joseph Altuzarra, who won the Swarovski Awards for Womenswear. I, too, voted for him.

* Take a look at my blog for Harper's Bazaar Spain to see more of my favourite looks.

Best Dressed of the Weekend: Red, peplums & The Olsens
JustJared

It's always a good weekend when the Olsens are out in the open. This time they attended the Fresh Air Funds Salute to American Heroes in New York. They went for a kind of Ying and Yang look – Ashley in a ivory The Row dress with the ruffled detail at the front and Mary-Kate, also in The Row, in a black combo of silk shirt and skirt. I loved MK's (Fendi?)shoes and her choice of croc The Row bag.

Charlize Theron is currently on her press tour promoting Snow White and the Huntsman and Prometheus, which has turned out to be quite a treat. She's been choosing all the right dresses for the red carpet – especially her Dior in London – but also for travelling – here another of my favourites. Her latest hit, by Lanvin, was only last night at the MTV Movie Awards in LA. I loved the simple strapless red with the season's super trendy peplum.

I'm not sure anyone in the world hasn't heard about the Queen's Jubilee. I must admit I missed much of it but was happy to see that Kate Middleton – should I call her Duchess of Cambridge? – went not only for red, which was compulsory, but for McQueen again. The combination of the pleats in the skirt and the flat top was super chic and I liked the fact that, if very subtle, there was also some peplum action going on here.

Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen cover the new ELLE UK
@LorraineELLE, JanniferELLEUK

Over the last week or so there has been so much talk on The Fashion Spot and on Twitter about the new covers of ELLE UK. Ever since we all found out that Mary-Kate and ( my wife to-be) Ashley Olsen were covering the April issue people were arguing whether they would each get a newstand cover and a subscribers one too, since they've become quite the 'thing' as they're pretty much the only fashion magazine worth buying in the UK these days.
Lorraine Candy and Jenny Dickinson too to Twitter to let everyone know that indeed both MK and Ash would get their respective newstand cover but the 'subs', as it's known, only featured Ashley. Now, don't take this as a complaint because if it was in my hands Ashley would get every magazine cover every month but wouldn't it have made more sense to have them both on the 'subs' cover?
In any case, even though I still haven't seen the Ashley newstand cover I am loving them both. I love the fact that they're wearing Prada and I can't wait to see the full editorials inside. I must also confess that this issue finally made me go ahead and subscribe to the magazine so I am looking forward to receiving my first 'subs' cover in about a month's time.

Best Dressed of the Weekend: The former and new queens of Boho Chic
JustJared

This weekend it was super easy to put the Best Dressed of the Weekend together. I knew even if it was just for one of this ladies I would make the post. Everyone seems to be making more of an effort now that it's winter and so here we have three very different but successful ways of looking great this season.

1. Florence Welch, the new queen of Boho Chic. I can't get over how good this look it. Florence wore this to her little studio appearance at BBC Radio 1 earlier this weekend. I love the navy and maroon colour palette. She's done such a great job balancing the colourful paisley print of the maxi dress with a more muted coat and fedora hat. I love the texture that the black suede boots add and the pop of colour of the bag. Kudos to her.

2. Miranda Kerr. Her look is a bit mid-seasonal but I love it. I guess New Yorkers can still get away with this. You can never go wrong with a breton stripe top, khaki trousers and a biker leather jacket. You throw a classic Céline bag into the equation and success!

3. Mary-Kate Olsen, the old queen of Boho Chic. I guess she's not over the style that she made famous and that made her famous. She looks great (not as skinny, which is good) and I am loving this rockstar look she's got going on. The boots are a big hit!

Know Wear

I already mentioned how much I enjoyed the PR Consulting press day a few weeks ago when I posted about Damir Doma and it's stunning chokers. One of the main reasons why enjoyed it so much is because they brought to London the SS12 collection of The Row. You know how big a fan of the Olsens and their work I am so I was ecstatic to be touching (amazing!) garments that might have been in close proximity to MK and Ashley.
Even though you could tell from the runway pictures that it was a very minimalistic mainly white-based collection you also guessed how exquisitely made everything was. Which is why it was so incredible to have a closer look at the collection. The cuts of the lighter pieces were both precise and delicately made and the embroidered pieces seemed like a herculean task for a human to achieve. The top, skirt and kaftan you can see on the top right picture were as heavy as they were amazing to look at. That's what wearing jewels all over your body must feel like.
I was also impressed by the accessories –the famous sold out crocodile bag and the more classic hand bags– particularly by the understated jewellery (very Ashley) and the sunglasses, after all that's what they know the most about!

TFS

I love the Olsens. In fact, I love them so much I would become a mormon so I could marry both. But you didn't need to know that, right?
I love their style almost as much –or is that part of the reason why I love them in the first place?– so I am thrilled to see them covering the latest special issue of Vogue Best Dressed.
I am loving the little Chantilly lace veils that sort of remind me of that great picture of them from a few years ago for Numéro Tokyo wearing the lacy Maison Michel bunny ears.
My only complaint about this cover is the fact that below their 'dynamic duos' section they've included Kate and Pippa Middleton. Seriously? What does dynamic duo even mean here? People move if they're alive so it's a good thing they're dynamic.

Also this week Net-a-Porter released their latest magazine featuring a special piece about The Row alongside a video where MK and Ashley explain what are the foundations of their brand and describe each other's style. They're just so cute and elegant and cool. Click here to watch the video.

The fashion at the CFDA awards is never ad grand as that of the Met Ball but it's so interesting to see which American designers models and celebrities wear to the event. Last night we saw the usual pretty but plain Calvin Kleins and Michael Kors but also a handful of very stylish and even edgy looks made in America.

My two absolute favourites were Jessica Alba in a custom-made Diane von Furstemberg and Kristen Dunst in Patrick Ervell. I loved Jessica because the colours are very seasonal, the sort of pregnant take on the wrap dress represents the designer and the accessorising adds just the right amount of bling. And Dunst I loved because it was completely unexpected. We've seen so much Chanel with the hair down that we almost forgot what she's capable of. The matching of the nail polish colour and the velvet lapels was exquisite. I was also very keen on the (chavy?) detail of the loops. I can't say why but it works!

Second and third on my list are Miranda Kerr, who I used to hate, in Michael Kors and Karolina Kurkova in a green sequinned Diane von Furstemberg. They were both simple but the side-slit and golden cuffs on Kerr and the hood and Louboutins on Karolina really made them stand out.

The big disappointment of the night were the Olsens, mostly in The Row with a dash of Chanel, LV and Manolos. Ashley's granny look was messy and felt cheap and MK, the better of the two, got the colours and proportions wrong. The only good thing were they The Row bags, which were premiered then. A little Victoria Beckham, no?

[JustJared, Style.com]

I've been really uninspired to blog for the past couple of days. I suppose there is always something to post about but I couldn't be bothered. Still now, as I'm writing this, I couldn't think of many other things I'd like to write about.

However, I did want to share these pictures with you. I was going through Terry Richardson's diary and found these pretty recent shots of Mary-Kate and Ashley. Needless to say, I am in love with the picture at the top, which is already my laptop wallpaper. I don't know what it is about Terry's shots of people against a white background that makes everyone look so cool, no that the Olsens need any help being cool.

Also randomly surfing the web I came across this super cool armadillo handbag from Rokit. I'm not usually much into quirky fashion accessories but I love this bag. It seems perfect for the summer with some denim shorts and a basic tee. Also, it looks like the kind of thing MK would love to wear, no?

[Rokit, Terry Richardson]

When I first heard of Maison Michel a few months ago I couldn't believe the brand had been around for years and I didn't know about it. It was during the FW11 fashion weeks that I really started to notice a lot of fashion insiders like Elena Perminova wearing them. I loved the fact that the colourful fedoras were mostly just classic pieces with a twist introduced by some chiffon detailing and the M logo, which I had assumed stood for Missoni.

Their SS11 lookbook, shot by Karl Lagerfeld, has a lot of standout pieces like the headbands Bambi is wearing. My favourite, however, is the rain hood with Mickey Mouse ears and pearl detailing on the trimming. It reminds me a lot of the infamous mouse and bunny ears the Olsens (who else!) wore a while back.

The hats and headpieces are a little pricey but if you're keen you can get yours from Matches or Browns and soon from Net-a-Porter too. To have a look at the rest of their lookbook and past collections click here to go to their website.

[Style.com, Michel-Paris.com]

The genius of the Olsens' style lies in the simple details. It might be surprising but Mary-Kate, the grungier of the twins, uses pink to bring that je-ne-sais-quoi to her night outfits. The first time she did this for a public event, and the best, was with the pink platform Giambattista Vally shoes at the 2007 CFDA wards. That look was genius on so many levels.
After that she wore another of my favourite looks of hers; the silk Calvin Klein jumpsuit with the fuchsia Chanel belt back in April 2008. The other two looks are more recent and they're probably the kind of thing that's easier to think of —the pink clutch with an all-black outfit and the pink mini skirt also with all black.

I had a look on Net-a-Porter and absolutely loved the pink suede Louboutin clutch and the white Miu Miu peep-toe heels. MK's Giambattista shoes were the first step in getting over my fobia of white shoes.

[Pictures: Net-a-Porter, JustJared, OlsensAnonymous, Mary-KateandAshleyImages]

Looking at these pictures of Mary-Kate Olsen wearing this season's hit item I realised this was also the first time I saw anyone wearing the Prada fur stole in a normal life situation. Well, as normal as the Olsens coming in and out of an airport can be. I'm surprised that it's taken her this long to wear it since they usually get clothes and accessories way ahead of season. In any case, this moment made me very happy and it makes sense for anyone who wants to buy the fur stole in question to get it in a rather muted colour, like MK's in navy, so that it's as wearable as possible.

Would you buy/wear one?

[Pictures: Just Jared]

This post comes a day late, I know. But I couldn't ignore the opportunity to post this amazing picture of Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen at the CFDA party where this year's nominees where announced. The Olsens are nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear (for The Row) alongside Joseph Altuzarra and Prabal Gurung. I would be surprised if they did even though they clearly deserve it because everything is pointing at Gurung, whose collections are a bit hit and miss if you ask me. My list of favourites for the awards is as follows: Womenswear designer -Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler, Menswear Designer -Michael Bastian, Accessory designer -Jack and Lazaro for Proenza (I love Reed Krakoff but the PS1 is a big hit!), Swarovski Award for menswear -Phillip Lim, Swarovski Award for accessory design -Eddie Borgo.

I am excited to see what MK and Ash wear to the actual awards, for which we'll have to wait until June 6th!! I love these The Row outfits (+ Ashley's Manolo's), which reminded me of Ashley's outfit for the 2008 awards. If this is how they dress for a party I can only begin to imagine what they'll done for the gala.

I'm off.

[Picture: Style.com]

The best Row

As I edited the pictures for this post I thought about Mary-Kate and Ashley's trajectory from teenage Tv superstars to style icons to fashion creative directors. They are, together with Victoria Beckham, the first celebrities to ever create collections that not only qualifies as high fashion but that reaches luxury standards. Just as Victoria's collection did two days ago, the Olsens' new line establishes them as rightful creative directors of young yet respected brands. It never ceases to amaze me how MK and Ashley manage to include their aesthetic in a way that becomes a language that whichever of their collections speaks fluently while allowing the clothes to bring something new to the season. For FW11 they have given into fur indulgence with over-the-top fox fur hats, jackets, gillets and estoles that contrast with the strong lines black tailoring and leather and with the ethereal laces and silk gauzes.

Also for FW11 The Row introduced their new collection of bags. All of them could easily fit into the twin's wardrobe easily as they clearly draw inspiration from their vintage pieces such as the Kellys, the 20's clutches and the velvet satchels. My other favourite are the black velvet and leopard printed loafers, which I hope they have included on the men's line.
I'm off.

PS. GG Fashion post coming later today.

[Pictures: Style.com]

Dress me, sisters

It's been a while since we last saw Ashley and Mary-Kate making a public appearance. This time they were out for the launch of Textile Elizabeth and James and their sister Elizabeth, whom I already warned you is a new style icon in the making, also made an appearance since she's half of her sisters' inspiration. I liked her outfit a lot. It was very simple but very much in line with the American Indie film circles, so she's at least looking the part. Also, you can see the Olsen touch in her flares. Ash and MK, well, they looked awesome. They both wore E&J trousers from the upcoming FW11 line, which they mixed up with some Balenciaga and The Row respectively. I can't get over Ashley's fox jumper and how super cool she looks in it when paired up with the khaki pants and the Balenciaga shoes...

I then had a look at what's left of Elizabeth and James over at Net-a-Porter as well as at the brand's SS11 look book. The fact is that everything looks like it could have easily been taken out either Ash or MK's wardrobe. In fact, we have seen Ashley wearing a ruched yellow skirt similar to the dress below before, or Mary-Kate in a rabbit-trimmed blazer and slingback wedges. For those of you trying to get some of the twin's iconic pieces for less this is kind of a no-brainer. Also, I really like their mens line. I can't wait to meet James Olsen. Maybe Ashley wants to just make it a surprise for our wedding...

I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Net-a-Porter.com, ElizabethandJames.us]

What happens in Milano...

... definitely doesn't stay in Milano. It goes around the world. There are still two days left from Milan Fashion Week but we have already seen a lot of the biggest names turn things around on the catwalk. The SS11 trends have radically changed to opulent minimalism focused on cuts and details rather than flamboyance. It's the traditionally more pompous brands like Versace which are the biggest surprises. The colours were strong but clear and red was king even though Donatella's nudes seemed even more appealing. We also saw a lot of stripes and Versace's famous Greek motifs adding dashes of colour to otherwise monochromatic dresses. I particularly liked the extra long fringe details, the cutout shoes and the just-below-the-knee pencil-skirted dresses.

While the new collections that will dictate next summer's trends keep coming down the catwalks of the world's fashion capitals, its attendees, the fashion elite, unconsciously set another handful of trends that the rest of the industry's adepts will follow later as well. The best example of this is the cropped trousers and stilettos combo that the team of Net-a-Porter have already tweeted about. A few months ago people couldn't believe that the infamous chunky heels and wedges would be kicked out of the spotlight by their skinnier sisters but everyone from our favourite style icons to Vogue's popular editors are embracing the stiletto. Good news for Prada and Marant!

I have always been and will stay a faithful Etro fan. It is one of those houses that strongly holds on to their spirit season after season yet never fails to provide contemporary takes on their staples. However, their latest line felt incredibly restrained. We did see plenty of ethnic prints and fringes but their SS11 collection had a much more sophisticated city vibe. The prints were versatile and so were the maxi dresses. It was as if veronica Etro had envisioned her bohemian muse paying a visit to the big city. Very refreshing.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Net-a-Porter.com, Zimbio.com, SaksFifthAvenue.com]

the week in news: 12.07.10

I haven't done a news post in a while because I could never find more than two seemingly important events happening on the same week enough to fill some blog space. Thankfully, this week was different. We had a store opening, an editor turned model and my generation's reality show wrap-up. Take a look.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Zimbio.com, RDuJour.com, Fashionologie.com, Style.com, JustJared.buzznet.com, HypeBeast.com, Vogue.co.uk, Telegraph.co.uk]

The last (and best) of Cruise 2011

"A resort collection used to be the equivalent of staring at pictures of Bali when you lived in Kansas and the truck was broke. The clothes were for people who actually went somewhere, who made plans that included special wardrobes". That's what Cathy Horyn said about cruise this week on the New York Times. She talk about how it has become something completely commercial and how both renowned and new designers create resort collections. She also makes a really fair point about differencing collections within the 'seasonless season': "Depending on your perspective, resort collections can have either things you’re bored seeing or gems you can’t seem to find anymore because everybody’s become such big shots that they can’t do straightforward things". A description I love because it perfectly describes the collections I like and the ones I don't.

It did not even occur to me that Phoebe Philo would create a cruise collection for Céline. But it occurred to her. And now that we have seen the last of these collections I can officially say Céline is my favourite line. Philo created all the musts: a layered LBD in leather, a maxi dress, orange, a tailored trouser, a classic blazer with a twist and black basics to mix and match. A super well-rounded collection with a focused and fresh point of view.

It still feels a little weird seeing The Row among the names of designers whose collections are published on Style.com. The Olsens have steadily won their place amongst the big names of fashion to the point of looking forward to their new collections. Their Cruise 2011 line is mostly all black and white and features reinterpretations of garment's from Ashley's greatest hits. The cleverest part of the collection is the fact that a lot of pieces that work as long tops to go with dresses can also be worn as mini dresses. In fact, the collection seems to go from the 'mini' extreme to the 'maxi' extreme, which looks almost nun-like. All in all, I am very impressed. It isn't an unbelievable collection but it looks very very promising.
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Mary-KateandAshleyImages.com, Celebrity-Gossip.net]

shoulder doubt

I was a bit surprised to see Mary-Kate in this black jacket below not only because at first it looked like a bad excuse to wear a bin bag but because I thought the Olsens were past the big-shoulder trend. After looking at her for a while, though, I realised the jacket in question actually looks super cool on MK because it's kind of deceiving (it fooled me) as it has that grungy feel to it but it must be, of course, very pricey. Also, the shape of the shoulders doesn't follow the statement shoulder trend per se. They have more of a sculptural, balloon-y form.

I had a look around some e-tail sites to see what kind of jackets in the line of MK's I could find. I found some awesome pieces that, far from ascribing to the boring Balmain shoulder craze, the jackets below are edgier and actually have a personality.

1. American Retro @ Harvey Nichols, 2. Rick Owens @ Harvey Nichols, 3. Maison Martin Margiela @ Browns, 4. Maison Martin Margiela @ Browns, 5. RM by Roland Mouret @ Net-a-Porter, 6. Rick Owens @ Net-a-Porter.

I'm off.

[Pictures: RDuJour.com, store websites]

Collage Sunday, 16.05.10

For this week I am going a little into FW10 trends. Funnily enough, I despised gold and leopard for a long time when I was younger but I've come to understand that they are not genuinely tacky but misunderstood and worn by the wrong people in the wrong way. They're both going go be quite big next season (loving the lamé everywhere) so why not try to be ahead? Carine, Emmanuelle and Mary-Kate are.

Happy Sunday!

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Jak & Jill, Garance Doré, Net-a-Porter.com, Cartier, JustJared.buzznet.com, Celebrity-Gossip.net]

the Olsens put my distress to an end

I always run out of inspiration when I am on holiday. The utter lack of anything even remotely similar to stress relaxes me to such extent that my brain shuts down everything but the vital functions. Anyway, it is thanks to my favourite duo in the world that I have brought myself to make a new post. I love how Ashley and MK mixed romantic and sheer for their last appearance and how they added a little gothic to the equation. I am not a fan of Mary-Kate's oversized jackets but I am certainly loving Ashley's see-thru and bows —doesn't she look like a 21st-Century Coco Chanel?

I have a fixation with anything Olsen but lately I have also developed a certain fascination towards Ashley's yellow cable jumper. She has been seen using it as a cape, a scarf and a comfort blanket as well as giving it its traditional usage. It made me think of a biker jacket-shaped jumper I can't seem to stop wearing. Do you have a preferred clothing item you love wearing?

[Pictures: Celebrity-Gossip.net, OlsensAnonymous.blogspot.com, Liberty.co.uk, RalphLauren.com]

I'm off.