Reading about the runway shows on the Internet is one thing, actually experiencing them in person, is another. Lucky for you, we’re offering the chance to score tickets to a Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show in New York. Click here to find out how to win.
NYFW: Win tickets to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week!
Categorised as: fashion
London: Channeling Paula Yates
![Octavia_-1[1].gif](http://www.kenyasstyle.com/blogs/kenyasstyle/Octavia_-1%5B1%5D.gif)
Name: Octavia Pendall-Adams
Spotted: Neal Street, London
Occupation: Fashion journalism student
What she’s wearing: “It’s head to toe American Apparel I’m afraid. I like that American Apparel clothes are super easy to wear.”
Her favorite item in her closet: “A pair of flowery Paul Smith brogues that are too cute for words.”
Her fashion hero: “Paula Yates [the late mother of Pixie and Peaches Geldof.] I love the way she dressed and her bleached blond hair — everything about her really.”
-by Romina McGuinness and Richard Peckett
Categorised as: fashion
Just in time for LFW: Andre J comes to London
Before he moved to Austria, Andre J was one of those unique, only-in-New-York personalities who made Manhattan seem cool and fun. He’s got a full, bushy beard and killer, painfully long legs. He grew up in a low-income housing project in Newark, New Jersey before moving to Manhattan to work as a party promoter. He eventually landed the cover of French Vogue after a well-known stylist spotted him on the street in the West Village.
His personal story makes you think that anything really can happen, if you’re creative and ambitious enough (with a personal look to match). When my old co-workers had Andre J sightings in Manhattan, they’d talk about it for days with wide eyes as if they’d spotted the mythological Loch Ness monster in the Hudson River. Lately, I’ve been hearing similar stories from people I know on this side of the Atlantic now that Andre has moved to London. He emailed me in June to tell me he’d be coming here to “spread positive energy around.” He arrived last week.
Clearly, word travels fast because a photographer friend of mine in Paris emailed me this morning to say that he “heard Andre is in town.” Andre says, “London to me feels like what New York used to be; I like the creative edge here. And Londoners are go-getters. I like that. I want to be a part of the creative revolution happening here.”
The people-watching during London Fashion Week should be that much more interesting.
-photo by Tinko Czetwertynski
Categorised as: fashion
London: Mad plaid
Name: Tunde Benson
-by Richard Peckett
Spotted: Convent Garden, London
Occupation: Graphic designer
What he’s wearing: “The hat was a gift and the shirt, shoes and socks are all old Ted Baker. The jeans are from Japan. I like to mix high fashion and high street.”
His favorite item in his closet: “A crushed velvet Paul Smith jacket. Paul Smith makes anyone look cool.”
His least favorite trend: “Those fat belts that girls wear over everything.”
-by Richard Peckett
Categorised as: fashion
NYFW: Studio visit with Sophie Theallet
Sophie Theallet is having a moment. Not only is she a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award, but the former right-hand woman to Azzedine Alaïa has also gained entry into the hallowed group of Michelle Obama’s favorite designers. The First Lady has worn Sophie’s timelessly romantic, brightly colored dresses three times in the past six months (most recently on a trip to Martha’s Vineyard this week). I visited Sophie’s work studio/home in Brooklyn last month to chat about her upcoming spring 2010 collection and the influence of MObama.
-videography by Andrew Beck
Categorised as: fashion
LFW: Giles’ Fashion Week balancing act
One of the great ironies of London Fashion Week’s upcoming 25th anniversary season is that as many of the city’s homegrown talents return to show their collections, Giles Deacon is heading off to Paris. His show (usually styled by Katie Grand) has always been one of the week’s most coveted tickets. But this year, he’ll be showing his spring 2010 work in France after winning the international ANDAM award, which gives him €160,000 to grow his brand. But the good news is that London Fashion Week won’t totally miss out on Giles. He’ll be celebrating the launch of his first fine jewelry line there during the collections. “It’s gorgeous. They’re all statement pieces with a mixture of semi-precious and fine jewels. There are also some quite unusual hardware pieces,” he tells me during a visit to his crowded and busy work studio (more on that later) in Shoreditch. A series of beautiful, massive, bejeweled spiders — early incarnations of items that will appear in the new line — sit on the windowsill in his office. Prices will range from £200 to £800, which means the jewelry won’t be so inaccessibly expensive that you can’t invest in a piece. It hits stores on September 21. 
-photo by Nick Cunard
Categorised as: fashion
London: A cool look for less
Name: Shinhye Park
Spotted: Covent Garden, London
Occupation: Management student
What she’s wearing: “My red shoes are by Toms and the trousers are from a street market in Korea. The shirt is vintage. It cost $4! The bag is also from a street market back home.”
If she could banish one look it would be: “The whole ‘university’ look — tracksuit bottoms, shorts, Ugg boots. I can’t stand it when people dress like that.”
-by Romina McGuinness and Richard Peckett
Categorised as: fashion
Too funny not to share: Leggings
Several days ago, I received this reader letter in my email inbox: 
Amber Rose: Keeping all of the leggings makers of the world in business.
“How long do you thing leggings have before they are way, way over? Leggings have had a good 2-3 year run now and I’m sure that run is coming to an end. I recall a couple of mags/blogs/people predicting the end of leggings a year ago, but they won’t die. In fact they came back with a vengeance: ripped up, liquidy, metallicy and short. I honestly adore leggins. I think I always have (notice that I sometimes drop the last g in leggins – lollololol!). I remember being all into them when The Limited first came out. The Limited was leggins central. They were white, or black or lemony yellow with lace around the bottom and I would spend my entire summer youth employment check on them! But you HAD to pair your Limited leggins with a bright-assed drawstring top, also from The Limited, back in the day. There was even a period before that – the precursor to the whole leggins movement when we would actually WEAR (nay ROCK) BIKER SHORTS! I was in day camp and we actually had Biker Short Day. Can you imagine 100 little day campers in biker shorts?! It was ridiculous. Mine were black with the hot pink stripe down the side and yes, I had a hot pink t-shirt to match. In fact, I feel like that Amber Rose was rocking a full bodied version of those very shorts in Paris this year – craziness. Anyway, I want to know when it will not be okay to wear leggins. I guess I need to prepare myself to let them go, again.” -Anya
Well, Anya, first I’d like to thank you for your completely exhaustive timeline of leggings in ’80s and ’90s American street fashion. I have been quietly chuckling at the visual image of Biker Short Day ever since I read this. Second, I think leggings have got a few more years of life yet — or at least for as long as American Apparel keeps churning them out and hipsters keep buying them. Plus, the fashion world is currently having a major crush on all things ’80s, and leggings fit firmly in that category. So I think you’re safe. I’m still not a fan of the leggings as pants trademark that Amber Rose has been working so hard (you can’t accuse her of being inconsistent). But they can look totally great paired with, say, a long cardigan and thigh-high boots for fall.
Categorised as: fashion
Fall trends: Leather clad bikers are the new leather clad goths
If you haven’t noticed already, the tough girl chic, road worn biker look is a big fall trend. Consider it a not too distant cousin to last season’s gothic punk; both feature lots of black, studs, distressed denim and leather. But unless you count a Harley Davidson as part of your morning commute, you might want to experiment with the idea in strategic doses — a great jacket here, a stand-out handbag there. Here are a few great items for doing just that. 
Acne moto jacket
Categorised as: fashion
Today’s pick: Gap’s budget-friendly denim
Remember when Gap used to be known for its affordable denim? The brand returns to its roots with the latest incarnation of its 1969 line, a premium men’s and women’s range featuring jeans in a variety of fits and washes for a wide spectrum of body types. The best part: They’re all priced under $70 and fit well (no camel hoof, no weird waistline gaps in the back). It makes a nice counterbalance to all of the designer jeans priced at $200 and over. ![alwaysskinny[1].jpg](http://www.kenyasstyle.com/blogs/kenyasstyle/alwaysskinny%5B1%5D.jpg)
Categorised as: fashion
