Coolway's first UK store offers footwear and accessories for men and women

Spanish footwear brand Coolway opens its first UK store on Oxford Street today. Continue Reading

Renowned fashion photographer Rankin is launching a new biannual magazine, 20 years after founding seminal fashion and culture bible Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack. Continue Reading

Kate Moss has created a range of seven lipsticks exclusively for Rimmel London

She’s the ultimate London girl, and now you really can get Kate Moss’s ‘London look’ with her new line of lipsticks created with Rimmel London, of which the top model has been the face for ten years.

Kate’s inspiration for the seven-piece range came from her own make-up collection. She says she wanted to ‘create a range of easy to wear, classic shades that I have always worn and loved.’ Ranging from pillarbox reds to soft nudes, the collection has ‘a shade for everyone and any occasion.’

The launch of the collection was celebrated with a host of Kate’s famous friends with a glamorous party at Battersea Power Station. Among the superstar attendees were models Poppy and Cara Delevingne and Georgia May Jagger and music icons Solange Knowles, Cher Lloyd and Dionne Bromfield.

Watch the video to see Kate Moss talking about her Rimmel London lipstick collection and other highlights from the star-studded party.

Next month looks to be a busy one for fashion fans in London: not only is it London Fashion Week, but there are also lots of sample sales, vintage fairs and other events, not to mention Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out which is set to  be bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event.  Listed below is a preview of what to expect, but as always we’ll be digging around for more details and more events, so save up your pennies and make space in your diary!

Sample Sales

• Thursday 2nd September – Sunday 5th September: Secret Sample Sale, Truman Brewery, Brick Lane; Entry £1 Expect to see a mix of fantastic labels such as Cavalli and Westwood and lesser-known names at up to 80% off.
• Thursday 9th September – Sunday 12th September:  Orla Kiely Sample Sale, Chelsea Old Town Hall; Entry £1 (for charity) Fans of Orla Kiely’s retro geometric prints can snap up a bargain – past sales have seen clothing, bags and accessories reduced by 70% or more.
• Friday 17th September to Sunday 19th September:  Women’s Designer Warehouse Sale, Islington Studios, N7; Entry £2 A legend amongst in-the-know Londoners, the Designer Warehouse Sale offers more than 180 brands reduced by at least 60%.
• Friday 17th to Saturday 18th September:  Rupert Sanderson Sample Sale, The Music Rooms, South Molton Lane Add to your shoe collection with Rupert Sanderson’s beautifully crafted heels at 60% to 80% off.
• Thursday 23rd September to Friday 24th September:  Margaret Howell Sample Sale, The Music Rooms, South Molton Lane Indulge in some of Margaret Howell’s impeccable tailoring at up to 80% off.  Also includes menswear, home and fabrics.
• Thursday 23rd September to Sunday 26th September:  London Fashion Weekend, Somerset House Now a regular fixture on the calendar after London Fashion Week, there are always some bargains to be had at up to 70% off – this year it has attracted names like Twenty8Twelve, Donna Ida and Angel Jackson.

Vintage Fairs

• Every Saturday:  Cabbages and Frocks, St Marylebone Parish Church, Marylebone High Street A regular market where you can find everything from high-end vintage to a gourmet lunch
• Saturday 4th September: Jumble and Pearls, The Horatia, Holloway Road Possibly the most fun you’ll ever have rummaging for a bargain, Jumble and Pearls is half party (with resident DJ) and half vintage and designer shopping.
• Sunday 12th September: Vintage Fashion Fair, Primrose Hill; Entry £3 A wide selection of vintage clothing and accessories from the 1800s to 1980s is always available at this regularly held fair.
• Sunday 12th September:  London Vintage Fashion, Textiles and Accessories Fair, Hammersmith Town Hall; Entry £10 before 10am, £5 after A huge fair that has been feeding the capital’s craving for vintage for more than 10 years.
• Sunday 19th September:  Frock Me!, Chelsea Old Town Hall Worth popping along to just for the fabulous tea room, Frock Me! is another long-running fair that Kylie has been known to pop along to.
• Sunday 26th September:  Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair, The Urdang, The Old Finsbury Town Hall; Entry £4 Not only can you pick up a beautiful piece of vintage clothing here, you can also have it altered to your taste at the on-site Alteration Booth.

Openings, Launches and Other Events

• Wednesday 8th September:  Vogue’s Fashion’s Night Out Following on from last year’s successful event, FNO will consist of hundreds of events across London, with many brands offering one-night-only discounts and in-store entertainment, all in the name of shopping.  A fashionista’s dream come true.
• Wednesday 8th September:  Launch of Browns Shop 24, South Molton Street To coincide with FNO, Browns opens its newest concept store, bringing together timeless pieces from the labels for whom classics are signature pieces – a one-stop-shop for the perfect wardrobe.
• Wednesday 8th September:  John Lewis Oxford Street relaunches its Womenswear floor Also joining the FNO party, John Lewis opens its revamped fashion floor with limited-edition pieces designed by the likes of Osman, Philip Treacy, William Tempest, Terry de Havilland and Alex Monroe.
• Friday 17th September to Wednesday 22nd September:  London Fashion Week, Somerset House Unless you’re lucky enough to have bagged show invitations, you’ll just have to do like the rest of us and loiter outside Somerset House for a glimpse of the impossibly stylish people that make the fashion world go round.
• Saturday 18th September to Sunday 26th September:  London Design Festival Celebrating design of all kinds, this festival is comprised of over 200 events in various locations across the capital, including several fashion-oriented events.
• Thursday 23rd September to Wednesday 29th September:  Origin London Craft Fair, Old Spitalfields Market Pick up a unique piece of jewellery or fashion accessory at this fair which celebrates craftsmanship in the UK and beyond, and gives you a chance to meet the people who make your purchases.

We’ll also be publishing a round-up of all the fashion-related exhibitions that are opening, closing or continuing throughout September and updating you on all the news and views as we get them, so check back soon!

Growing up, Benetton was somewhere people went for brightly-coloured sweaters, but as I got older I kind of dismissed it as a fashion destination.  However, it looks like I should go and give them a second chance, as the Benetton flagship store at Oxford Circus is due to relaunch this afternoon with a makeover and a whole load of fun and games for shoppers to participate in.

If you’re over 15, you can be dressed by the stylists and pose for a Benetton ad-style shoot which will then be featured on Benetton’s website and Facebook page.  There will also be the opportunity to meet the two UK winners of Benetton’s ‘It’s My Time’ competition, where ordinary people were given the chance to star in a Benetton campaign shot by the legendary Josh Olins – I say ordinary, but they all look like models to me!

If that’s not enough, you can shop exclusive promotions on must-haves whilst enjoying aperitifs and an in-store DJ AND the first 300 customers will receive a special goodie bag with their purchase – now if that’s not a reason to be forming an orderly queue, we don’t know what is …

Whilst I’m sure the brightly-coloured sweaters will be in there somewhere, there are some seriously hot pieces floating around in the autumn/winter lookbook and ad campaigns – I am particularly coveting the suede mid-heel hiking boots, which are surely the perfect everyday stomping-around-town shoe for people like me with an allergy to flats.  There are also some fabulous leather pieces, tailoring, prints, accessories and some super-cute Fairisle-type knits which are perfect for the snow-bunny look as seen on the D&G catwalk.  Looks like it’s definitely time to give Benetton another chance!

The official re-launch event is open from 4pm to 8pm today at the Oxford Circus Benetton store.  Enjoy!

Benetton, 255/259 Oxford Street, London W1B 2ER

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All above images © Avril Jones

At the heart of the King’s Road, Azendi‘s second central London location is a more relaxed counterpart to its high-gloss sister over at the Westfield centre, so it fits comfortably in amongst the variety of stores to be found in the surrounding family-friendly shopping district.  With a mission statement declaring the brand’s desire to “combine passion with attention to detail, creativity with fine workmanship, and modern design with elegance”, Azendi looks set to win the hearts of the discerning shoppers in the Royal Borough.

Though the name is still fairly new and exciting to Londoners, Azendi is not a brand determined to be the ‘next big thing’.  This, their twentieth store, opens in their twenty-first year of trading: clearly, the company has been built slowly and carefully with the intention of being around for years to come.

That feeling of longevity is, perhaps, key to Azendi’s entire ethos.  The design of the new King’s Road store is neither too modern nor in any way old-fashioned, so no potential customer feels excluded by highly-stylised displays or stuffy, traditional jeweller’s windows.  The grid-like wooden shelving in the windows offers a glimpse at a good cross-section of Azendi’s products, all clearly priced and named, and it’s a refreshingly simple approach to jewellery presentation.  Inside, the clean, elegant theme is continued with well-lit glass cabinets allowing a look at pieces from several angles; warm, neutral decor and an inviting seating area.

The King’s Road Azendi is not as big as the Westfield store, so no space has been wasted but it’s not overcrowded either.  It is uncluttered and easy to move around without feeling as though you’re encroaching on other customers, though there was a small, ever-changing knot of people gathered at the Shaun Leane and Stephen Webster displays on the opening day.  It’s a welcoming environment that is helped no end by the knowledgeable and immaculately presented staff, for whom nothing is too much trouble.  Our motley crew of writer, photographer and mildly-stroppy three-year-old were given every assistance, be it having jewellery brought out of the cabinets to photograph or chocolate to placate an increasingly-disinterested toddler.

Azendi’s own collections are, simply put, contemporary classics.  Specialising in small, intricately crafted gold and silver charms and pendants, and semi-precious stones in simple settings, Azendi offers jewellery with a timeless quality at a price point accessible to everyone.  You won’t buy something from Azendi because it goes with this season’s dress/shoes/bag: you’ll buy something from Azendi because you’ll wear it every day, forever, but you won’t have to remortgage your house for it.  The Forbidden Fruit collection, for example, is finely wrought in solid sterling silver and nine carat gold and prices start at just £35 for a pair of bitten apple stud earrings.

Many pieces have been chosen with an eye to personally-meaningful presents, such as the Birthday Stones and Birthday Flowers collections, and the Blissed bead charms which offer an almost limitless source of gift options if the bracelet or necklace is added to each year.  Individual style is further encouraged in the shape of Azendi’s signature Stacking Rings, which are hand-made to order with your choice of semi-precious stone and band, but cost from only £95.

The King’s Road draws shoppers of all kinds from across the capital and beyond and, apparently mindful of this, Azendi have chosen to present collections from two highly-desirable British jewellers alongside their own.  Shaun Leane’s colourful and delicate enamels and Stephen Webster’s gothic-tinged statement gems offer an interesting contrast to the simplicity of Azendi’s pieces, whilst maintaining the ‘heirloom’ philosophy that permeates every carefully-selected item across the store.  Of course these collections command higher prices, but it’s not often that these high-end designer pieces are found in an environment where one feels utterly at ease asking to have something taken out for a closer look.  There is no white-gloved pretension here, only a pleasing feeling of accessibility, providing an incentive to buy that one can’t … well, buy.

Shaun Leane Cherry Blossom Ring

It is perhaps testament to Azendi’s carefully-crafted reputation that the launch of the King’s Road store was not a flashy, overpublicised affair, but rather a relaxed, low-key opening with champagne and chocolate for customers and 10% off every purchase for the day.  With no fanfare, no balloons, no garish window slogans proclaiming the news, the store soon attracted a number of intrigued shoppers based on, as far as I could tell, a glance in the windows as they walked along the street.  They took their time to look around and engaged with the sales staff (who are all of the friendly-not-pushy type) and for the most part were still there when we left.

The only trouble with Azendi is that once you’ve been, you probably won’t be able to stop yourself going back.  I should know:  I’ve got my next visit planned already …

Azendi, 104 Kings’s Road, London SW3 4TZ.

Azendi opens 6th August at 104 Kings Road

Sparkly new shop alert!  Contemporary jeweller Azendi is preparing as we speak to fling open the doors of its newest boutique to the public tomorrow at 104 King’s Road.

This is Azendi’s second central London location, and if you’ve visited the store at the Westfield Centre you’ll know they offer an extensive range of women’s jewellery in gold and silver and semi-precious stones.  The new store will also boast pieces by British talents Shaun Leane and Stephen Webster (yes, that Stephen Webster, as beloved of Christina Aguilera, amongst others), making Azendi King’s Road more than simply a jewellery store: it’s a jewellery destination.

Azendi Stacking Rings, from £95

With such an amazing choice of sparkly things, you can be fairly confident that you’ll find something you adore at Azendi.  Having never quite got over our Carrie Bradshaw obsession we’re pretty taken with the nameplate necklaces, and we also love the stacking rings (left) that can be mixed and matched to suit your personal style.

Get yourself along to the store tomorrow for a glass of bubbly and a chat with the designers while you try on your favourite pieces and no doubt leave with one or two new treasures.

And for up-to-the-minute news on the team’s progress today, make sure you follow @KingsRoadAzendi on Twitter!

Azendi, 104 King’s Road, London SW3 4TZ

Bargainista favourite TK Maxx will be opening the doors to its brand new Charing Cross Road flagship store on Thursday 22nd July, giving the West End’s shoppers a chance to snaffle famous name fashion at up to 60% off.

The new store, at the site formerly occupied by Borders bookshop, will boast 21,00 square feet packed with bargains for the style-savvy – to give you an idea of scale, the Apple Store on Regent Street is 20,000sq.ft.  Huge, right?!  It will also play host to two exciting new departments: a Gold Label area filled with high-end designer pieces at knock-down prices, and a Mod Box area featuring hot trends from the world’s most fashionable cities.

Even better, the first 500 shoppers through the doors of the new store on Thursday will each receive a £10 TK Maxx giftcard and an exclusive goody bag.  There will also be refreshments available and special guests on hand to pamper customers.

TK Maxx already has several stores across London (click here to find your nearest) but this new offering will definitely attract bargain-hungry crowds from nearby Oxford Street and Covent Garden.  We’ll be checking it out at the preview evening, so watch out for a store review going up soon!

TK Maxx, 120 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0JR