Style 3: The Wedge

The good old trusted wedge, it’s come in and out and will never disappear as far as I’m concerned. Some might remember I’ve stocked up in last seasons sale and my lovely Nicole Fahri wedges have already come to good use.

I love wedges, so comfy, stylish yet so easy to walk in, none of this wobbling about on a small heel. Having recently moved to Switzerland where every second street seems cobbled, they will be the choice of heel for me this season. Although careful, as they can be heavy and depending on the strap they could get very uncomfortable as they hang off your ankle. But these little things should not hold you back and if you’ve not got already one in your collection, make sure you get one!!

Here are some of my favourites under £150 (it was so hard again as Miu Miu, Christian Dior and all the great designers have created some master pieces):

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania @ Asos £120

Purple & angel wings, how much better can it get?

Jeffrey Campbell @ Stylebop £157

How fierce do they look?

Sam Edelman’s Katrice wege @ my-wardrobe.com £145

A bit of animal print always works for me. And if leopards is not your thing, how about zebra print?

Massai @ Dune £65

Radiant @ Dune £75

I do love the selection of wedges at Dune, hard one to choose from

Carvela’s Kit wedge @ Kurt Geiger £85

Lacey @ Pied-a-Terre £135

Tribal Wedge @ Miss Selfridge £50

Feud Whisper Wedge @ asos £130

I love the rounded heel, if you do too, make sure to check out Heather Blake, although a bit pricier, their wedges are divine and they’ve mastered the rounded heel

Ash @ farfetch.com £120

Some sensible ones for the not so sunny days

Oh yes we will!! Just check out the stunning ‘Miss Butterfly’ Spring/Summer 2010 collection and you will too. We fell in love with ‘Beautiful Soul’ at the London Fashion Week and it is hard to believe it was Nicola’s debut.

Inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s, Madam Butterfly and produced from Japanese vintage komonos (dating back to the 1940’s), vintage saris, Ahimsa peace silk, Fair-Trade organic jacquard, handloom cotton, and bamboo jersey, each piece is exquisite and on top of that exclusive!! We just love the thought of going a bit greener and how easy would it be with garments like this?!

We’re so excited about ‘Beautiful Soul’ and welcome them with open arms. We’ll be getting to know Nicola a bit better so watch this space as we’ll find out what is in store for ‘Beautful Soul’.

If you can’t wait until next season, get a piece for this winter from one of the following stockists:

• Beautiful Soul
• Ascension
• Eco Chic Collection
• Junky Styling

They are fantastic aren’t they?

This amazing label is quickly picking up recognition in the world of international handbag design and fashion, despite it only being around since May 2006. Rocio’s handbags and clutches are handmade from harvested Acacia wood meaning that any eco-friendly fashionista should not be without one. And with animal prints and block colours being on the forefront of our trend list, I already know what’s on my wish list.

To check out the rest of Rocio’s colourful collection, you can visit the Rocio website and if you fancy it – Rocio sell online so you can go to the online boutique section of the site to buy. Prices are around the £300 so what are you waiting for?

As Nathalie and I are strolling through the designers’ stands at 180 The Strand for London Fashion Week, we’re instantly drawn to the Kron by KronKron stand. The first thing I notice are the couple, Hugrún Árnadóttir and Magni Þorsteinsso, then we all clock the beautiful SHOES! We go up and ask if we can take shots of their collection for our fashion blog. I couldn’t get over how lovely they both were – so happy to pose for the camera and talk to us about the their label.

Here’s a few questions Hugrún and Magni answered for me post LFW…

How did you both meet and how did it all start?

We are couple who met on a blind date 9 years ago, started to live together on the 2nd day, opened our fist store, Kron 3 months later, and that then followed with opening our 2nd store, Kronkron and then last year we launched our shoe collection Kron by Kronkron.

You’ve been a very busy couple!

The shoes you design are very Icelandic, reminds me of Heidi meets the year 2010 and fits in with the Freedom Folk trend that we’re seeing a lot of at the moment. Has this growing trend had a positive effect on your label?

Oh do you think they are very Icelandic? Maybe that’s come naturally but we have always been obsessed with being timeless and with no place in mind, more about you as individual. But back to your question, we have been getting an amazing response to our collection and that pleases us so much.

You seem like two very lovely people, do you find the fashion industry difficult to deal with? What advice would you give to emerging footwear designers starting out?

No not really, we have met so many great people but of course people are different and certain attitudes have always been ongoing in this buisness but in the end it’s about if you want to play that game or just ignore it. Experience is super important and don’t rush into things, make a plan, be patient and follow your heart.

That advice is going to help a lot of emerging designers out there – thank you.

What does ‘Fashion’ mean to you?

That it’s like the smell in the air, you can’t touch it but you can feel it.

Beautiful! And finally, If you could be another designer for a day, who would it be?

Coco Chanel & Pablo Picasso used to often spend time together in the South of France and that must have been quite good company.

END.

I absolutely love the cone heel. It’s so easy to walk in and I’m so happy it’s back again. I can see myself doing some serious strolling in a pair. Can’t you?

Here are some shots we took from their stand at 180 The Strand. You must check out the site for the new collection (stockist deatils at the bottom)

Take a look at their latest collection, I wish I could put it all up, but you’ll have to go to the Kron site for that!

You can purchase the new collection from the following online stores, www.kronkron.com or www.kron.is but these are in the progress of being updated with the new collection so make sure you check back next week. You can also buy from Rotterdam, Copenhagen & Oslo, Hong Kong and more – just contact Hugrún and Magni on kron@kron.is

I met Amr, the cute designer behind BodyAmr, at Somerset House where he was exhibiting at LFW. I was so blown away with the vibrant colours and figure-hugging outfits. The display was especially eye-catching…I loved the contrasting simplicity of the concept against the luminous creations. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Amr Ali is a London based designer who studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design and Middlesex University, set up his own label in his final year at college and blew everyone away with all of his collections.

We’re in the middle of writing more pieces on the designers exhibiting at Somerset House and we will of course be giving you all a snapshot of designers that caught our eye. In the meantime, we received images for S/S 10 from BodyAmr so we thought we’d start off our one of many designer profiles from LFW with this label.

Here’s the S/S 2010 Collection we saw at Somerset House…

I was lucky enough to get a quick interview with Amr…

Tell us about yourself, who is Amr?

Amr Good question… Who is Amr? If only I knew

Thank God for Google… So, what’s the story behind BodyAmr? When were you formed and what’s the plan for the future?

Amr Laid back glamour with a sleek, modern and seductive edge. I started BodyAmr in my final year of college, and my plan? … To enjoy the future and to create a BodyAmr army to take over the world.

I know you’re from the middle east – does your cultural background influence your designs?

Amr Of course, it’s everything I am and in everything I do. Just look at my brand…from my logo to my collections.

Do you get inspired by anything you come across or do you look deeper?

Amr Both, depends on my mood.

How did it feel the first time BodyAmr was a part of London Fashion Week? Amazing right?

Amr Amazing yes, but more like… Why the fuck did it take so long?

What does the word ‘Fashion’ mean to you?

Amr BODYAMR

Lastly, we obviously love you – how much do you love Emerging Fervour?

Amr More than I love myself… Of course!

To shop BodyAmr, you can visit Net-a-Porter their new collection will be up on the site soon and also check out the BodyAmr site www.bodyamr.com. Harrods also stock BodyAmr so make sure you pass by!

It’s bargain time! Although the autumn/winter collections have already lured us in and it’s difficult to take our eyes off new shiny things, one of our favourite sites has Nicole Farhi shoes reduced by over 80%!!!

Kurt Geiger Sale is one of the best with so many great shoes reduced and if you’re quick you could get some Nicola Farhi shoes reduced from £280 to £49. How irresistible is that?!

When bargains come along as such I’ll invest into next year. There are some clear trends that won’t go away and as long as you stick to them your shoes will stand the test of time.

Wedges will be back, as they are staplers of a summer wardrobe and we’ve not seen the last of the 80ties come back and its bright colours.

Nuala (£49 instead of £280)

We’ve also not seen the last of the cone heel, my personal favourite. And if you go with neutral colours, it becomes a timeless classic with an edge.

Noy (£49 instead of £270)

Tie-dye has also stuck its head out this spring/summer but although it hasn’t quite made it, you know it’ll come back next year. So you could stock up, enjoy them for a little bit longer (fingers crossed for good late summer) but then really go for it next spring.

Nadeen (£79 instead of £260)

And isn’t it nice to look forward to something? So be quick as there aren’t many sizes left but if yours is there, then you know it’s meant to be.

Mary Katrantzou’s first LFW collection blew us away with innovitive bold prints inspired by jewelry. This is her first print collection and we are so excited to see what she produces next, she is definitely one to watch. This is the start of our Best Of British run revealing UK’s emerging talent – watch this space!

www.marykatrantzou.com