Revealed! - British Fashion Council - Fashion Fund Shortlist 2014

The British Fashion Council – ‘Fashion Fund’ which is excellently supported by Burberry, Clothing at Tesco, Debenhams, Harrods, Paul Smith, TOPSHOP and VOGUE gives one lucky designer a lucrative  mentoring support programme over a 12 month period, plus a generous  £200,000 in order to boost their profile and elevate their business.

Designers in the running for this much sought after spot include Emilia Wickstead, House of Holland, Mary Katrantzou, Osman, Peter Pilotto, and Zoe Jordan. Who gets your vote? It’s a tough one to choose! Such diverse designers but equally deserving of winning in terms of talent and design ability. High profile fashion guru Alexandra Shulman, who is the Editor of British Vogue and Chair of the Fund Committee has commented on the shortlisted candidates, to which she was very pleased with.

London based designer Henry Holland of ‘House of Holland’ definitely appeals to the younger, quirky crowd with iconic slogan t-shirts featuring tongue-in-cheek titles which cause controversy and street wear inspired prints on casual pieces.



House of Holland slogan T-shirts

Greek designer, Mary Katrantzou appeals to CarrieMe for bold colour and cool digital prints. The way in which Mary manipulations colour and pattern is spot on!

Mary Katrantzou S/S 2014

Zoe Jordan is a dark horse in with a running, a relatively new designer who launched her first collection in 2011. Zoe is one to watch, her signature style of slightly androgynous silhouettes with girly finishing's are easy to wear pieces with an edgy vibe.

Zoe Jordan A/W 2013

 

This prize is in its fifth year and will celebrate the 25th birthday of the British Fashion Council, the winner will be announced on January 28, 2014. This must be a very exciting time for these rising fashion stars. Keep posted for another blog on the results!

Hollyood glamour BAFTA style for anyone?

One of the biggest fashion events in the calendar, the actresses dazzled us at this year's BAFTAs hosted by Stephen Fry who kept the stars on their toes.  With so many gracing the red carpet at the Royal Opera House in Convent Garden, it was hard but we've picked out our favourites below.

Anne Hathaway
www.dailymail.co.uk

Anne Hathaway of course won the best supporting actress for her role in Les Miserables, but she definitely scrubbed up well in her classic black Burberry number, accessorised with gold stud detailing. Simple and effective, we love the floor length which emphasized her long legs!

Gemma Arterton
www.bafta.org

Gemma Arterton - starlet of Hansel and Gretel - didn't disappoint either.  She who wore a nude and black 'Celia Kirtharioti' gown, with a flattering optical illusion print.

Jessica Chastain
www.bafta,org

CarrieMe being a fan of colour, our best dressed award goes to Jessica Chastain.  Nominated for Best Actress for her role in Zero Dark Thirty, although she didn't win the BAFTA, she definitely stole the show in a beautiful cobalt blue dress by Roland Mouret which was striking against her porcelain skin and flame hair. This shade of blue is definitely the one to watch this Spring season.

Other awards for our favourites include Les Miserables which won an impressive amount of awards including Best Hair and Makeup and Production Design, whilst Life of Pi won best Cinemaography, and also Special Effects - and having seen the film, I can see why, it was amazing!  And of course, though I was disappointed that Daniel Craig didn't win for his Bond in Skyfall, at least Skyfall won awards for both Outstanding British Film and Original Film Music.

So having had the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, who are you tipping for the Oscars?

What colours are in your wardrobe next season?

With the Big Chill on its way and dark evenings, we're already dreaming about longer brighter days, the sea, sunshine, Spring, Summer and of course what's next for Fashion.

September's catwalks got us in the mood, with the amazing choice of vibrant colours as well as delicate pastels, and the colour experts at The Ultra Bright, definitely think its going to be a bright season... so its all go here at CarrieMe to see what colours are hot for next season.

Top of our list is this new tomato or cranberry red, its brighter and more orangy than the past season reds and we love the glamour feeling it inspires.

Temperley London
www.temperleylondon.com

Moreover the new 'nipped in waist' trend seen here by Temperley London and showcased by Valentino in their Summer/Spring 2013 catwalk, just sets it off brilliantly.

Valentino

www.fashion.telegraph.co.uk

If red isn't your colour, try the aquatic blast of Colbalt Blue. Think Mediterranean, blue sea, blue sky - the perfect daydream on a winter's day.  It works across all shapes, so add an explosion of colour to your summer dresses and join the catwalks from Burberry to Stella McCartney.

Burberry Prorsum, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney, Jonathan Saunders
www.styloko.com

Watch this space as we decide which colours to add to the CarrieMe collection - which would get your vote?

The best handbags are in London!

Did you know that it wasn't until the 1920s that handbags really came into their own.  At this time, they were a symbol for female independence - a woman with a handbag could travel without a man, carrying her own things, which was a revolutionary concept in those days... as don't forget, women used to be considered the property of men, thank goodness things have moved on!  

The Italians and French brands such as Prada, Gucci and Chanel dominated the handbags market at this time, but now, it seems its in Britain where we can find the best handbags, especially in London.

Alexander McQueen, Mulberry, Lulu Guinness, Anya Hindmarsh and Burberry are leading trend setters and some of most important handbag brands around at the moment.

Lulu Guinness always plays on the fun quirkiness of being girly - we love her clutch bags, her use of recycled ideas like the old camera design and the flash sunglasses giving the bag her own personality!

These 2 examples of Anya Hindmarsh's current collection, show how she experiments with different materials and colours to create beautiful designs for different occasions... I'm definitely coveting this red bag!

But of course Burberry are queen's of the statement bag, and check out their new designs above with colour blocking.

As for Mulberry, we're loving this green pastel tote - bring on the summer it says to me!

As for McQueen, their handbags are very stylish, feminine, and chic!  This is a real knuckle duster ... and yet the designs also include these textured clutches and fold over zipped versions that look like hot pants with the fold down magnetic flaps and zippers.  Pure imagination!

So which would you pick for a night out?

Square-headed dreamers

Stripes and dots are so last year… IN go checks and geometric shapes which took centre stage at the recent Autumn Winter 2012 Fashion Weeks.

There is something distinctively British in the trending square patterns. Timeless Burberry check coats, tooth check jackets, tartan patterns, heritage tweeds and check shirts are bringing a tinge of dreamy nostalgia to the smart and stylish, working woman's wardrobe. 

From Caroline Charles' warm countryside greens and Daks' coffee-coloured palette, to Roksanda Ilincic's splashes of bright blue and Chloé's stern black upon whites… watch out for geometric shapes coupled with furs and leather accessories are dominating Autumn-Winter 2012.

Caroline Charles - London Fashion week (Vogue.co.uk)

Daks - London Fashion week (Vogue.co.uk)

Daks - London Fashion week (Vogue.co.uk)

Roksanda Ilincic - London Fashion week (Vogue.co.uk)

Roksanda Ilincic - London Fashion week (Vogue.co.uk)

Corrie Nielsen - London Fashion week (Vogue.co.uk)

Chloé (Chloe.com)

Chloé (Chloe.com)

Which is your style?