Coco and James

The wedding of fashion model Coco Rocha and British interior designer James Conran.

Elegance. Romance. Decadence. And a Zac Posen dress.

View a teaser video of the beautiful (if slightly OTT) ceremony here -

http://vimeo.com/13987793

My New Interest: Graduate Shows

When it comes to house hunting you always find that procrastinating is seems to take up the majority of your time. In my case this includes reading magazines and watching fashion shows online. I was interested in getting familiar with some recent graduates and was impressed with the level of talent that's out in the world nowadays. Graduate shows are definitely something I'm going to look at more in future. One show that interested me in particular was the graduate collection of 27 year-old Dutch graduate Roya Hesam.

Her collection is revealing and provocative but very feminine and soft. I always admire a designer that can make sultry clothes but maintain elegance and Roya is no exception. Born in Afghanistan, she remarks that the culture she grew up in "Focused a lot on shame" and she wanted to evoke the lack of shame of the female form in her collection

A stand out piece for me was this dark taupe jacket that doubles as a zipped-up leotard. Innovative, fun, sexy, fashion forward, and still wearable.

Snaps for Roya.

Find out more at http://www.royahesam.com/

Saturday night and I like the way you move...

Photographed by Inez & Vinoodh.

So if Moschino's A/W campaign featuring Alessandra Ambrosio is anything to go by, 90s tackiness is making a comeback.

As the ultimate 90s child I am both repulsed and freakishly overjoyed. Bring. It. On.

And don't hold back! I want poppers down the sides of sweatpants, I want MC Hammer parachute pants, I want clashing Adidas tracksuits, everything in neon, embroidered jeans, jewellery so gold that it's yellow, I want crop tops and plaid skirts with knee-high socks and platform boots!

Ok, so maybe I don't want any of that. Maybe I'm getting slightly carried away. And I guess the Moschino campaign is slightly more upmarket than all of those things. There are definitely some 90s trends that are best left forgotten (scrunchies). It was a decade that fashion forgot, and it was forgotten for a reason, but for tongue-in-cheek purposes alone, I am welcoming the 90s back with open arms.

Egypt was a dream...

Aswan. Luxor. Sharm-el-Sheikh. Cairo.

Incredible weather, breathtaking scenery and architecture, the history there just blew me away, it was genuinely like being on an epic movie set, I couldn't quite take it all in.... so we may have extended the trip.... twice...

We went on a cruise, stayed in the most beautiful hotels and resorts, went scuba diving and hot air ballooning, we rode on camels and had a bedouin dinner in the desert, we shopped, we sunbathed, we ate, we drank, we laughed uncontrollably and had impromptu Nylon-style photoshoots on balconies, we salonged daaarling and it was Luxorious!

It was a holiday of a lifetime, and I need to thank my friends Victoria, Joe, Amy, and her stepmother Nadia for making the trip not only possible, but incredible. A big shout out to our tour guide Hermada too! What a legend.

It turned out that a holiday was exactly what I needed. For a number of reasons I was very apprehensive about going away, particularly on this trip. Being in a bubble where I was constantly with friends, when there was always something to do, somewhere to go, where the weather was never below 36 degrees and where money was no object was heavenly. For 2 whole weeks I was completely worry-free and although that may induce a slight depression now that I'm back in the "real" world, it was fun while it lasted, and it inspired me to work even harder and earn that lifestyle for myself.

This vacation was also a learning curve for me. I learned that I could be with the same people day in, day out and not be short or frustrated, being thrown into that situation I think my brain just automatically dealt with it. I learned that I'm much more patient than I once thought, and I'm also learning the art of letting go, and not letting what cannot be changed restrict me or affect the way I live my life. I have far more important things to think about than the past.

Now a healthy stack of fashion magazines has accumulated upon my bed, once I've consumed them - it's back to business and back to fashion. Stay tuned.

Ma`as-salāma

Hello all, you can expect the blog to be quiet for the next 10 days as I'm off to Egypt - Long story. Cairo, Aswan and Sharm-el-Sheikh. Nice.

I've heard lots of horror stories about thieves and insects and illnesses and God knows what else and am therefore slightly terrified to even move when I get there, but I'm sure it'll be lovely.

If I can access the internet at all when I'm out there, I'll be sure to update you all on how I'm doing.

Wish me luck

Jack.

An Intimate Affair

So Chelsea Clinton (daughter of Bill and Hillary) got married to her long-term boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky in a ceremony of Royal Wedding proportions in Rhinebeck, New York state. The town was put on lock-down with roads closed, armoured cars and constant police surveillance. It is thought to have cost the parents of both Chelsea and Marc up to £3.2million and Oprah Winfrey, Julianne Moore and Barbra Streisand are rumoured to have been in amongst the 500+ guests.

Yawn! But I always give credit when credit's due. The ceremony and venue looked spectacular, extravagant, picturesque and ridiculously romantic. The groom wore a Christopher Bailey designed suit - brownie points for that - and the bride wore £16,000 worth of Vera Wang. And she wore it well.

Chelsea also demanded that her father lose weight for the ceremony and he promptly dropped 20lbs. Lovely.

Nature's Way

Kristen McMenamy, 90s Supermodel and well-established style icon has never shied away from making a statement. In the mid-90s when she was making an estimated £20,000 a day she

made heads turn with her boyish cropped hair and shaved eyebrows (above).

Almost twenty years on and the 46 year-old mother of three shows no signs of resisting to make statements. Walking for Calvin Klein, appearing in VOGUE UK and Dazed&Confused (above) McMenamy sports long flowing grey locks.

Shunning the industry's obsession with youth, it turns out that instead of looking "old" Kristen appears effortlessly chic and sophisticated. There is an element of elegance to her appearance, she looks distinguished, confident and ethereal.

A living work of art: McMenamy at Viktor & Rolf

Owning the runway at Calvin Klein.

Unashamed of letting nature take its course, Kristen has spoken volumes to all women of a certain age. Throughout her career she has been an icon for those females worldwide who feel that they simply don't fit the mould - why should she stop now?

There's something about grey hair that can make a woman seem more comfortable with herself, more at ease in her skin and more confident than ever. For example -

Oscar winning actress Helen Mirren

Freaky Dye-day: American actress Jamie Lee Curtis

Everybody's favourite fictional editor-in-chief: Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestley in A Devil Wears Prada.

And gentleman, don't dare feel left out! George Clooney may seem too "mature" but there's another George worthy of taking the grey fox throne -

Distinguished gent: 30 year-old British TV Presenter George Lamb

Yummy.