OBE for Duchess of Cambridge's favourite designer, Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen

Who hasn't heard of Sarah Burton, the Creative Director of Alexander McQueen, after all, she was responsible for that most famous dress: Kate Middleton’s wedding dress’s of course!

Kate Middleton in that famous dress by Sarah Burton 
www.thehollywoodgossip.com

Kate Middleton with her father on her wedding day
www.graziadaily.co.uk

In only her second year, Sarah is getting the recognition she deserves - Time nominated her as one of 100 Most Influential People in the World and the Queen gave her an OBE (Order of the British Empire), so 2012 is definitely a year she'll remember as well as 2011! 

Sarah Burton
www.garziadaily.co.uk

Some of my favourite Sarah Burton creations for the Duchess of Cambridge include this scarlet number one worn for the Jubilee Flotilla:

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 
www.fashionscanner.onsugar.com

And later that weekend, this nude lace dress which looks so good on her:

Duchess of Cambridge at St. Paul's Cathedral
www.cocoperez.com

Not to forget some of our other very British stars - Kate Winslet and Emma Hill (Mulbery’s Creative Director) were also honoured, receiveing a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for their contribution to the British film and fashion industry. 

Kate Winslet
www.graziadaily.co.uk

Emma Hill at Mulberry
www.graziadaily.co.uk

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This is definitely a year to be proud of being British - who will be the new stars this year?

London - the new No1 fashion hot spot

It’s been tough living in London of late, I don’t want to dwell on why, so its good to see that our trendy fashion scene has been recognised and has improved our global rankings.

London Fashion Week (London Evening Standard)

Global Language Monitor’s recent study that revealed London as the No 1 fashion hot spot, beating New York, Paris, Milan and somewhat surprisingly, Los Angeles came in 5^th.  The rankings were calculated by tracking trends in print and social media.

There were two keys reason behind London’s rise to the top, and I’m a huge admirer of both. 

Firstly Kate Middleton (now the Duchess of Cambridge) has developed into a fashion superstar overnight.

The new Duchess of Cambridge (Daily Mail)

Pure elegance (Daily Mail)

Over 3m people were glued to the royal “I do” … as I tweeted earlier this week, people have gone crazy about her wedding dress designed by Emma Burton, with the Peacocks copy selling out in just one hour!

...and ever since, everyone is commenting on her elegant style.

The second major influence was the late Alexander McQueen – a fashion legend.  

Alexander McQueen (TeamPeterStigter)

Alexander McQueen (TeamPeterStigter)

His quirky unique use of shape, texture and colour was inspirational and captured my imagination and the whole world.  Although he died under tragic circumstances, his name and brand live on and like all great artists, his work will always be an inspiration to young fashion designers.

Being based in the heart of London and working in fashion, I’m so delighted and proud of this news that I’ll be publishing a new blog in 12 parts during the year, which will highlight London fashion hot spots, so watch this space!

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get all the latest fashion updates.

Its been a rollercoaster few months in the UK...

Eyes only for each other: Prince William and Kate Middleton's fairy tale wedding

Privacy is invaded, tabloid finally gets the boot - a stark warning to others

Warzone in London - burning and looting take over

Finally some good news: England become world's No 1 team 

Us Brits are usually very patriotic, however so far 2011 has been a rollercoaster ride for us.


When the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton took place the whole world adored Britain and we loved every minute of it and were proud to be British.  Let’s face it no one does royal weddings like us. 


However, swiftly after two appalling events shocked our island: the hacking scandal that took the News of the World under and recent riots across Britain that caused outrage.  With journalists invading people's privacy and our streets burning with looters tearing up the streets, the sick British underbelly was shown to the world.  


Our nation's reputation plummeted - it felt unreal to be in a third world country rather than the civilised life we thought we had, as one of the oldest democracies and a member of the G8.... and the nation that is hosting the 2012 Olympics next year. 


After such hooliganism, what should come to the rescue but civilised cricket of course, where England  became the world’s number one test playing nation after demolishing India, the former number one team. Congratulations England! Hopefully this will lift this nation's spirit (nevermind that few nations play, as one of my Spanish friends at the weekend pointed out...they just don't understand its underlying passion)


Cricket commands respect and that there's a gentleman's conduct and innate elegance in their all white uniform that is never flouted.  Now obviously being a brand full of colour and elegance, I would love to bring a bit of colour to the game, but being a good looking team, at least there's always the distraction of some great eye candy between overs!

Which is your best dressed actress at the BAFTAs?

February hosts this year's most anticipated red carpet moments ... but I always like to star spot at the BAFTAs.  In 2011, The Kings Speech dominated across the board winning over half of their nominations including Best Film and Colin Firth won best actor- just the ticket to restore confidence in the British film industry. Others did get a look in too though, David Finch won best director for his Social Network film and Natalie Portman got best actress for Black Swan.

Now the After Party is where the celebs get to relax and I get to have a closer look at their gorgeous fashion choices. Colour was definitely this year's theme and since CarrieMe adores the use of bold colour, I wanted to highlight my favourite looks.

Royal Blue - made fashionable again by Kate Middleton's engagement ring and dress, was quite popular on this year's red carpet with a more youthful pop of electric blue visible on Gemma Atherton.

Pinks and nudes also made a splash - this year we saw chiffon texture and floral prints making a come back, perfect for Spring.

Reds and oranges are never in short supply at award ceremonies.  This year we saw a modern take on retro glamour with clever cuts and bold prints, and gold detailing in the accessories department to enhance the Hollywood look.

Black - the ultimate red carpet staple is never far from view.  New to the industry, 14 year old Hailee Steinfeld was spotted in black Mui Mui - with a fabulous vibrant purple clutch, which we at CarrieMe love.  Eva Green also caught our attention with her vivacious red lipstick against her pale complexion, portraying a dark and mysterious Gothic look.

Which actress gets your vote for best dressed?  Let us know and also your favourite looks in each category.... I'll reveal mine next week!

Love Carrie xx