In possibly the best news of the decade, high street giant H&M have announced that their latest collaboration will be with ultra-luxe Parisian fashion house Lanvin.

After posting a series of teaser videos on their Facebook page showing various stereotypical designer types waxing lyrical about the collection, and days of speculation as to who it could be (Bottega Veneta’s Thomas Maier and Carolina Herrera being two of the names that were bandied about), it was revealed this morning that Alber Elbaz and Lucas Ossendrijver of Lanvin will bring a touch of French luxury to the high street in November.

The collection, which will include both menswear and womenswear, will be available in 200 stores worldwide on 23rd November, but all will be revealed to the world three weeks prior on 3rd November in a video presentation online.  Unlike some previous collaborations where the designer’s vision has been concentrated into an H&M price point, it sounds as though the Lanvin for H&M pieces might be nearer the top end of the high street scale.  Still, given that in Lanvin’s mainline collection a pair of satin trainers costs more than £300, it will certainly be a vastly more affordable way for us all to buy into the Lanvin dream.  The only question that really remains to be answered: how can H&M possibly top this?!

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be keeping 23rd November absolutely clear in my diary.  Actually, that’s less than three months away …  Best start queueing now!

The long-awaited August Bank Holiday weekend is here, and though I’ve no doubt you’re all super-excited to have an extra day in the weekend, if you haven’t yet worked out what you’re going to do with it there are a number of exhibitions taking places across the capital that are definitely worth a visit.

• Until 5th September: Maison Martin Margiela ’20′ The Exhibition, Somerset House, Strand WC2 Take advantage of the long weekend to see this major exhibition in its last week, and marvel at the influence of the fashion house headed up by the unquestionably talented avant-garde designer Martin Margiela.  Featuring photographs, film and installation alongside garments, this is one not to miss.  Book online: somersethouse.org.uk
• Until 22nd September: Vivienne Westwood Shoes: An Exhibition, Ultralounge, Selfridges, Oxford Street W1 Five decades of footwear designs from Vivienne Westwood are brought together in this unique exhibition at Selfridges, including the Pirate Boots that caused an eBay frenzy when Kate Moss revived them in the Noughties, and the infamous Super Elevated Gillie that caused Naomi Campbell to take a tumble on the catwalk.  Free.  selfridges.com
• Until 26th September: Grace Kelly: Style Icon, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road SW7 A chance to see some of the dresses and other items, including Van Cleef and Arpels jewels, that made up the enviable wardrobe of silver screen star, and later Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly.  This exhibition is extremely popular, so book tickets in advance at vam.ac.uk
• Until 24th October: Horrockses Fashions: Off The Peg Style In The ’40s and ’50s, Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 For those fascinated by the roots of mass-produced fashion, this exhibition is a must.  Horrockses produced high-quality, couture-influenced designs in large quantities yet still maintained an air of exclusivity – much like our ‘designer’ brands today. ftmlondon.org
• Until January 2011:  Fashion Fantasies: fashion plates and fashion satire, 1775-1925, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 In the days before Mario Testino and Patrick Demarchelier fashion was illustrated rather than photographed, but, like ‘Worst Dressed’ lists now, was still subject to ridicule.  This exhibition brings together illustrations and satires from 150 years of changing trends. Free. vam.ac.uk
• Until 2012:  Enchanted Palace, Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, W8 An extraordinary exhibition combining the contemporary designs of such fashion stars as Vivienne Westwood and William Tempest with the magnificent surroundings of the State Apartments in a modern interpretation of the Palace’s history.  Discover the stories of the seven princesses through art and performance.  Book online: hrp.org.uk

There are few things as iconic as Dr Martens boots (they made it into Selfridges Forever Shop, after all), and over the Bank Holiday weekend you can pick up a pair for less at the Summer Warehouse Sale!

Taking place in the equally iconic location of Spitalfields Market, the sale will be held over four days, from 27th to 30th August, and will be open from 10am to 6pm every day.

Get yourself down there and snap up a bargain quick-sharp – classics like these won’t be around for long!

Dr Martens Summer Warehouse Sale, Unit SP1F, Spitalfields Market E1 6AA

A gown from Matthew Williamson's Autumn 2010 collection

We’ve been quiet for a while, and we’re sorry if you’ve been rocking in a dark corner somewhere without your sample sale fix!  But to make it all better, here’s a peace offering:  the Matthew Williamson sample sale starts at noon today!

Shimmy on over to Westbourne Grove to pick up past-season pieces from the ready-to-wear, beachwear and accessories lines at up to 70% off.  Find Williamson’s signature embellished and kaleidoscope-printed gowns and draped minidresses at a tiny fraction of their original price, and if you’re heading off to the closing parties in Ibiza soon, you’ll definitely be wanting some super-glam swimwear, so why not head over to grab a beach-ready bargain?

The sale opens at 12pm today until 7pm this evening, and is also open from 10am to 7pm tomorrow.   There will be a £1 entry fee but, as we’d expect of one of our fave Brit designers, the proceeds will all go to charity!

Matthew Williamson Sample Sale, 20th Century Theatre, 291 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2QH

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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.

Emma Cook Sample Sale

We are spoiling you today, aren’t we?!  If it’s not a hot pop up shop or a brand-spanking new jewellery store, it’s the news that one of our favourite British designers, Emma Cook, is having a 2 day sample sale starting tomorrow.

And as if that wasn’t enough to get you excited, wait until you hear the details:  up to 90% off of items including show pieces and one-off samples AND a £15 and under rail – that’s cheaper than some of the pieces in Emma Cook’s recent Topshop collaboration!

Offerings will include archive pieces and Cook’s signature prints, fabrics and shoes, so there’s bound to be a few real gems in there, meaning you’ve got a chance to get your hands on some unique, never-to-be-repeated pieces of fashion history.

We love a kooky print on an easy, breezy silhouette, so don’t be surprised if you find us rifling through the bargain rail next to you!

The sale runs from 6pm to 9pm tomorrow, and on Saturday it will be open from 10am to 4pm.

Emma Cook Sample Sale, Look East Studio, Studio 1, Shacklewell Studios, 18 Shacklewell Lane, London E8 2EZ

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

Victim Fashion Street/Natacha Marro Pop Up Shop via ASVOF

We know you love a pop up shop, so here’s some news for you:  fabulous London-based labels and long-time collaborators Victim Fashion Street and Natacha Marro are popping up at The Outside World in Redchurch Street at noon today until 8th August.

Mei Hui of Victim Fashion Street is known for her love of frills and frippery, creating highly individual pieces on the darker side of girly, and Natacha Marro’s fantasy shoe aesthetic are the perfect match so we’ll be interested to see what’s in store at their collaborative Secret Rendezvous pop up.  One thing’s for sure: there’ll be some truly incredible pieces of fashion and footwear mastery to be enjoyed, so stop by before it closes on Sunday evening to check it out.

Secret Rendezvous Pop Up Shop, The Outside World, 44 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DP

French Connection Sydney Knits Dress, £80

Our favourite kind of charitable deed is the kind where we end up with new dresses, and what do you know?  French Connection has teamed up with Stylist Magazine to let us do just that!

From today until 15th August, you can take an old French Connection frock (from SS09 or before) in clean, undamaged condition to a participating French Connection store and hand it over in exchange for £10 off a brand spanking new dress from the new AW10 collection, such as this classic striped Sydney Knits long-sleeved dress (right, £80).

For Londoners, there’s an extra treat in store:  from 26th to 28th August, all the donated dresses will be sold in a special pop-up-shop-in-shop at French Connection’s Regent Street store for a bargain-tastic £10 each!  Amongst the no doubt gorgeous pieces on offer will be dresses donated by French Connection’s celebrity fans, including Cat Deeley.

Lest we forget in a frugal-frock-fest-induced blackout, it’s all for charidee daahling, and all the proceeds from the Frock Swap will go to good causes for kids: Magic Bus which helps impoverished children in India through sport; and Kids Company which supports vulnerable children across London.  If ever there’s been a better reason to dig out last summer’s dress, we can’t think of it!

For the full details and Ts&Cs see French Connection’s blog and start rifiling through your wardrobe for those ‘vintage’ FC frocks now!

Here at fashionista:london we’ve been trying to get excited about the Olympics coming to town in 2012 but somehow all we can think of is how crowded the tube is going to be …

Happily, this morning we heard some good news: Stella McCartney has been named as the designer of the uniforms for the British Olympic and Paralympic teams.  Working with adidas, for whom she already designs a super-chic range of workout apparel, McCartney will not only design pieces with the technical capabilities required by our world-class athletes, but also a lifestyle collection that we’ll all be able to buy into.

Launching in autumn this year, the range will include both women’s and men’s styles and will be available from adidas stores.  They probably won’t turn you into Victoria Pendleton overnight, but at least you’ll look good in the gym whilst supporting our nation’s sporting hopefuls!

Commenting on her appointment, Stella McCartney said, “As a British fashion designer it is an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to be creative director of Team GB as the hosting nation of the London 2012 Olympic Games.”  McCartney is keen to ensure that her designs don’t negatively impact on the performance of the athletes, as she told Vogue.co.uk this morning, but we think being dressed by one of Britain’s most successful fashion designers could only boost spirits – after all, don’t we all feel our best when we know we look fab?!