I met the lovely Loulou Bontemps at an exciting showcase event in Soho House on Wednesday night. Loulou joined forces with fellow London designers MYSMUT and The Ugly Kids Club to show-off their new releases and to ofcourse share some bubbly.

Before entering the scene, Loulou was unknown to me until all things bright and beautiful from her side of the room grabbed my attention and showed that this designer is big in the game herself. Loulou showcased her gorgeous collection of vintage-inspired, leather clutches each hand made by her.

Textured leathers mixed with vintage fabrics or satin dominate the collection giving the bags a luxurious and time-less style. Over-sized bows and contrasting gunmetal spikes are also key to the exclusive collection. The spikes update and harden the look, a look which I’m sure Rihanna would approve of.  Each clutch is finished off with a touch of embellishment or a handpicked antique trinket.

My favourite bag from her collection had to be the Batlow Clutch. Loulou collaborated with Mr. Batlow from UKC and the results were dope! Batlow gave Loulou’s clutches some much needed patriotic and neon-coloured spray paint in true UKC style and creates a masterpiece (a few of them actually). These customized chocolate brown clutches have the power to liven up any outfit.

Loulou doesn’t stop at handmade bags. She also buys vintage jewelry and customizes them to create real one-off pieces. She also promotes impressive pieces made by undiscovered designers who I believe are the real hidden gems.

I saw this statement piece by Gemma Dane at the showcase event and couldn’t keep my eyes off it. It’s original. It’s gorgeous. It’s beautiful. I bought it. Done.

Check out Loulou Bontemp’s collection and blog:

http://www.loulousboutique.com

Norooz, Newroz , Noruz or Sultan Nevruz (depending on where you’re from) literally translated means new day. It is the New Year as celebrated by people of the Middle East and Asia including Iranians, Kurds, Afghans, Tajiks and Azeris, as well as some countries in Europe such as Albania.

Unlike our celebrations, their New Year does not start on January 1 but rather at the moment of the spring equinox, when the sun passes over the equator. This year that day falls on March 20.

In the run-up to the celebrations a lot of spring-cleaning is done and efforts are made to get things looking presentable. This is extended to personal attire and it is customary to buy at least one new set of clothes and shoes - the perfect shopping opportunity.

You could say that the celebrations are split into three parts: before, during and after. The first part is known as charshanbe soori and is on the last Wednesday of the year. Bonfires are lit and people take turns to jump over them. It is believed that jumping over fire on this day will cleanse you of your sins.

During the New Year it is tradition to visit friends, relatives and neighbours to wish them a happy New Year and custom for the elders in the family to give the younger ones presents. These gifts are called ay dee and are often money.

An important aspect of the New Year is the table that is laid out on the eve. This is called the haft seen and comprises of seven things beginning with the letter ’s’ in the Farsi language. Each item on the table represents something different, for example, a bowl of vinegar is placed to represent age and patience and apples laid out to symbolise beauty and health. Hard-boiled eggs are colourfully painted, sometimes one for each member of the family, and goldfish are placed in a bowl to represent life. It is said that at the exact time of the New Year, the goldfish will flinch.

However the celebrations don’t end there. 13 days later is what is known as sizdeh bedar this translates into ‘throw out the thirteenth’. Houses are left empty as people leave for the outdoors to picnic until the evening. In the past it was believed that leaving the house on this day meant that all bad luck and misfortune left with you and did not stay in the family home.

The New Year is a national holiday spent with family and friends away from the daily stresses of life. At its end, school and work resumes and the New Year is commenced with a clean house, new clothes, strengthened family ties, and with the joy of renewal.

Sale no mobarak/happy New Year.

painted eggs

Designer Osman first came onto the fashion scene a few years ago after quitting a career in banking and deciding to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a fashion designer. With what seems like overnight success he has sky rocketed to the top .His futuristic pioneering designs have made him a favourite with fashionistas like Kate Moss and Thandie Newton and his popularity is growing by the day. So this was one collection that I could scarcely contain my excitement about seeing.

This show could not have been more different than his now infamous SS 10 show last year where his models were resplendent in all white ,ultramodern pieces, save for the occasional fleck of gold.

As the lights went out we were greeted by the tinkling of classical music and a troop of four models decked out in beautifully draped knee length dresses in rich earthy brown, finished off with dove grey opaque tights and futuristic oval sunglasses like something out of a Clockwork Orange. Unlike the towering sculptural heels of his last collection his models stepped out in flat tan and black suede loafers.

These were swiftly followed by models in angular cut coats in big checks worn with billowing wide legged trousers in dove greys, lilacs and royal blues. Osman even showed us he could do ladylike ,presenting us with garments with a simple yet sophisticated edge like bright coloured high waisted trousers teamed with light, airy nude coloured shirts.

Luckily for us over the knee boots are still on trend this season and Osman added a fresh twist by moving away from the black and patent leather seen in shows last season and the models walked down the runway in taupe, nude and beige creations.

The collection was also accentuated with flashes of coral throughout whether it was peachy pink bandeau bras tucked under chocolate brown cropped suits or in the form of a comfy looking midriff bearing polo neck poncho it complemented his primarily nude colour scheme beautifully.

Osman really added the X-Factor to his collection with the unexpected bursts of colour with pieces encrusted with over-sized jewels. The flashes of red yellow and blue gems on super high beige wedges as well as eye popping jewel covered dresses and intricately bead embellished tops really stole the show.

The Parisian designer delivered his Land of the Pharaohs-inspired Autumn collection yesterday in front of a packed-out audience.

Bryce Aime, who is known for designing Rihanna’s fearless dress in her music video ‘Hard,’ displayed an innovative collection which echoed his loyalty to the theme of contrast. Soft, fluid fabrics combined with contrasting sharp cuts and shapes. Tailored waistcoats and jackets pieced together using soft satins against rusty metallics were seen throughout.

Towards the finale, the catwalk took a dramatic turn as shapes got bolder and more futuristic. An example would be a black one-piece dominated by blocks. It triggered a mass of flashing lights.

Inspired by ancient Egypt, Bryce featured models wearing head turbans and digital prints resembling bandages. Black, deep plum, purples, draping capes, layering, panels, and overstated zips also dominated the catwalk and showed us once again Aime’s trademark attention to detail.

Bryce Aime’s catwalk show kicked off day two of London Fashion week at On|Off, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square.

Catwalk exhibition pictures below. Great day. The term ‘dress to impress’ was never taken more seriously.

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