Kirsty Armstrong

Best of 2009, a Focus on Style Flashback

A look back at our favorites stories in fashion beauty, style, wellness, travel, and more 5,4,3,2,1, H-A-P-P-P-Y N-E-W Y-E-A-R!!! And, what a fantastic year it was... I wanted to honestly bring you the best of 2009 from FocusOnStyle- it's our 10th year online and our best yet. Selecting content to highlight became the dilemma of a mother choosing her favorite child. How could I possibly make exception? What about the others? It's more karmic damage than I'm willing to tinker with. Instead, I've culled some of the more timeless and sage pieces that will have you looking in check from now until the time you feel the mood to modify your look-- something you really need to renew, at most,

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In Their Words: M.A.C. Pro’s Caroline Donnelly opens up on beauty

Backstage Beauty Exclusive: Caroline Donnelly shares her insider makeup tips exclusively with Focus On Style Caroline Donnelly, M.A.C Pro Team Senior Artist talks to Kirsty Armstrong about the atmosphere working backstage during London Fashion Week, her desire to ‘make up' singer, Paloma Faith, and must-have makeup products to stock up on for Spring. Caroline Donnelly is a member of the M.A.C Pro Team and collaborates with designers to create makeup looks for fashion shows and magazines around the globe. She's worked with a range of celebrities including Erin O'Connor, Elizabeth Jagger and Kylie Minogue. Her work has been published in British Elle, The Observer and InStyle and she specialises in body painting and beauty makeup. But how do you make

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London Fashion Week: Luella Spring / Summer 2010

The Luella Bartley collection still retains the tongue-in-cheek attitude of former collections. For Spring/Summer 10 the Luella girl has grown up… Gone are the ditsy prints and layers of tulle we've come to expect from the former Voguette-turned-designer. Instead, in their place, Luella Bartley presented us with a more formal collection of fun, flirty dresses and pretty skirt suits. More moderate than Bartley's usual style, the collection still retains the tongue-in-cheek attitude of former collections. A spectrum of colours was on offer ranging from muted tones of beige, black and white to louder shades of lemon, pale blue and bright red. Dresses with sweetheart necklines, and even one with a cutout heart on the front, stole the show and are

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London Fashion Week: Osman Spring / Summer 2010

The ‘White Collection' is all about crisp, cleans lines offering wearable, pure, fresh,futuristic style Runway Review: In a single colour palette of white, accented with gold, Osman Yousefzada's Spring/Summer 10 ‘White Collection' offered simple and structured sharp silhouettes. The absence of colour draws attention to the variety of fabric textures used including cheesecloths, blended silks and soft suedes in off-white shades. Touches of gold used in patches and dip-dyed edges add a glossy, luxe-feel to the spring collection. Kimono silhouettes mirror ethnical shapes of Japan while other, more abstract, shapes provide a futuristic, modern feel. Oversized eyelets looped through with jersey hint at a nautical theme for summer. >> See runway images from the Osman Yousefzada catwalk Echoing his Autumn/Winter

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London Fashion Week: John Rocha Spring / Summer 2010

Diverse collection was certainly impressive, oozing a distinctly delicate and dream-like quality. RUNWAY REVIEW: Whimsical headpieces and ruffled mini dresses, contrasted with sculpted, sharper silhouettes made up John Rocha's Spring/Summer 10 collection. A palette of black and white was broken up with a rainbow of colours in shades of coral, green, peach, umber, almond and blue, dusted throughout with sparkling gold sequins. Rocha used a range of textures to demonstrate his craftsmanship and to create a varied, interesting result including hand crochet that was treated and sculpted to create impressive silhouettes. Sheer panels were hidden throughout the collection within sculpted dresses and tops, adding an unexpected softness to sharp, clean lines. >> See runway images from the John Rocha catwalk

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London Fashion Week: Kinder Aggugini Spring / Summer 2010

With a prominent theme and fun, well-designed pieces, the ‘Loss of Innocence' collection is creative, yet wearable and is one of the strongest collections on offer from London's Spring/Summer collections A collection of pretty, doll-like dresses inserted with juxtaposing dark fabrics, made up Kinder Aggugini's ‘Loss Of Innocence' Spring/Summer 10 collection. With a mixture of textures and printed fabrics ranging from outsized polka dots and reptile prints to houndstooth tweed and fluorescent silk, the collection takes it inspiration from the darker elements of fairytales. Tea-party frocks were ripped at the seams then reconstructed to create sexy, ragged, puffball dresses. Child-like curls created by hair stylist, Malcolm Edwards, and Cupid's bow lips designed by makeup artist, Pat McGrath, both work to

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London Fashion Week: Burberry Prorsum Spring / Summer 2010

Christopher Bailey has given the trench a new-found attitude. It's not just a coat, it's a Burberry Prorsum trench coat. It was the hottest ticket of London Fashion Week and the much-anticipated Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 10 show impressed a star-studded audience with perfect pastel shades and trench coats with attitude… With a move from Milan to London, and a front row including Gywneth Paltrow, Liv Tyler, Mary-Kate Olsen and Victoria Beckham, Burberry Prorsum's Creative Director, Christopher Bailey was under pressure to put on a good show and boy did he succeed. Enjoy the Burberry spring catwalk video:   The classic Burberry trench had been completely transformed and modernised into something young and fresh. Coats morphed into stunning mini dresses, while

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The September Issue(s) In A Nutshell

Words of wisdom curated from the fashion mags on your newstand now... In a pinch to find that clever quip? Kirsty accumulates the best who said what in fashion in style from the top Brit and U.S. magazines.   --------------------------------------           "Is our world getting smaller or are there just more people doing more intelligent and exciting things and getting them out there in faster and more futuristic ways?" -- Mr. V, V, September 2009 "September is historically our biggest fashion issue - the one in which we bring you the Vogue take on the new season."-- Alexandra Shulman, Editor, Vogue (UK), September 2009 "This season, getting noticed means testing limits, so follow what the man

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Milliner Extraordinaire Stephen Jones on Exhibit in the Hat Capitol of the World…

A bonnet by any other name never looked so chic… Get your hat inspiration here: Easter is the season of the hat, which makes it the perfect time to pay a visit to legendary London milliner, Stephen Jones' ~Hats: An Anthology' exhibition showing at the Victoria & Albert Museum. As a celebration of the life cycle of the hat, the exhibition is categorised into areas of inspiration, creation, the client and the salon, exploring the process of how a hat is realised from it's point of inception to the wearer's head. Exhibiting a vast collection of elegant, experimental and whimsical hats ranging from those designed by Stephen Jones' for designers such as John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood and Jean

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London Fashion Week: Mary Katrantzou Fashion Show Review

Mary Katrantzou Catwalk - Fall / Winter 2009 … Bold graphic prints of perfume bottles in vivid colours printed onto silk fabric made up Mary Katrantzou's debut catwalk collection during London Fashion Week. >> See our complete runway coverage and fashion show photos Showing at 9am, a sleepy-eyed fashion crowd were soon awoken by the vast array of flattering shift dresses and fluted skirts as well as skinny trouser shapes in shades of orange, blue, peach and gold. The collection, inspired by Coco Chanel's opinion: "A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future", used the printed shape of a perfume bottle to flatter the body, by accentuating an hourglass figure and coaxing the eye into believing the waist to

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London Fashion Week: Osman Yousefzada Fashion Show Review

Osman Yousefzada catwalk - Fall / Winter 2009 … Structured clean lines and sculpted shapes in a cool palette of grey, pale blue, white and teal gave a sci-fi feel to Osman Yousefzada's Cosmic Mughal' collection that strutted the catwalk at London Fashion Week. In a variety of textures ranging from boiled wool and cashmere blends to crepe jersey, the collection of A-line dresses and ultra wide high-waisted trousers looked simple and chic.   >> See our complete runway coverage and fashion show photos The daywear section of the collection presented panelled wool coats and dresses as well as cropped jackets and high-waisted skirts. Draped gowns and short cocktail dresses dominated the eveningwear pieces. The collection was accessorized with black

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London Fashion Week: Krystof Strozyna Fashion Show Review

Krystof Strozyna Catwalk - Fall / Winter 2009 … Experimental, wearable designs in a variety of fabrics made for a striking, sophisticated Krystof Strozyna show with a fun, rebellious attitude.   The London Fashion Week fall - winter 2009 / 2010 collection of black, beige and nude tones was teamed with unexpected shades of neon pink and bleach-washed denim to liven the mood. A mixture of fabrics and textures in the form of silk, leather, denim and translucent voile made for an interesting collection from the Central St. Martins graduate. >> See our complete runway coverage and fashion show photos   Structured tailoring was softened with flowing sheer fabric and silk mini dresses woven with coloured thread made for a

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London Fashion Week: Mark Fast Fashion Show Review

Mark Fast Catwalk - Fall / Winter 2009 … Body-con knitted dresses in shades of black, orange and dusky pink gave a sexy, rebellious feel to Mark Fast's sizzling second runway collection at London Fashion Week. >> See our complete runway coverage and fashion show photos As a winner of Topshop's New Generation award, Mark Fast presented another collection of tiny knitted dresses with intricate detailing and embellishment. Ladder stitches allowed flesh to be exposed, while giving a cobweb feel to the dresses and the length of the hem worked to the advantage of the leggy models. Knitwear this sexy is unthinkable and for day-wear you'd definitely have to team the dresses with leggings or trousers, but for evening-wear the

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