Ooh yum, give me the pre fall PS1

The dynamic duo of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez who make up Proenza Schouler have given us the IT bag to lust after for next season: The PS1 Tote. While its predecessor (which was a hit with the A-list) had a softer laid back look the PS1 for Autumn/ Winter 2010 has a more structured aesthetic that will translate well for both work and play.

Proenza has been getting it right since they burst onto the fashion scene back in 2003. Seven years later, the company is still in its infancy but with classics like this tote they look set to become a fashion power house, joining the elite ranks of Chanel and Burberry.

A Plea to Kirsten Stewart's Stylist

Dear Stylist to Kirsten Stewart

As everyone gets ready for the movie event of the summer (Eclipse from the Twilight Saga dontcha know) The FBC is praying that you have started getting Miss Moody Pants ready too. Please, please please help end her goth obsession *shivers*, please end her addiction to clashing fabrics (she's done plaid and brocade- together *wave of nausea*), tell her to stay away from the trainers and do not let her stuff her hair into a hairband/ not run brush through it/ not give it the once over with Herbal Essences.

We love her movies, revere her acting talent and respect her ability to lock lips with R-Patz but the red carpet roadkill look has got to go. And while you're at it tell K-Stew to sort that scowl out. A little teeth on the red carpet never hurt a budding ingenue with her ascension to super movie star status.



If you think this job is above and beyond- hand her over to Rachel Zoe. She handles people like Anne Hathaway, a walking ad for Zoe-bot domination!


Or try Mariel Haenn Rihanna's stylist. Rihanna is proof that you can look young, directional and different without looking like you got dressed in the dark after skipping uni lectures to down £1 shots at the student union.

Espionage Gets Sexy

Espionage just got sexy again. Fact. Last week the FBI discovered a ring of Russian spies had been operating in the US for over a decade, leaking government secrets, swapping bags of money and using codes like 'the blue breasted eagle flies south in the winter' etc etc. But, the most exciting part of the story is Anna Chapman. The sexiest secret agent since Mata Hari sold out her cohorts to France during WW1.



Cheeky Chapman, much like Mata, used her sex appeal to befriend men in high places, gleaned tasty pieces of top secret information and fed this to her contacts in Moscow to ensure that the Ruskies were always one step ahead of the Masters of the Universe (otherwise known as Americans). We know what she did was sneaky, underhand and downright criminal but you've gotta hand it to this gal- she used what her mama gave her to the best advantage.

Katy Perry is Kitsch Lolita Pin-up Gawjus

How amazing does Miss Perry, soon to be Brand, look in her promo for California Gurls? The pop up colours and candy-tastic coloured wigs are things that only she can get away with. A bit like Gaga with her exaggerated shoes and telephone hair. But from her squirty cream can boobs to the iced bun bra, Katy is the light hearted Gaga antidote. She's different and kitsch without the dark cum scary underworld tip that Gaga's got.

Apart from her sweet as styling in the vid (which pays homage to the board game Candyland- if you're an early 80s baby you'll remember it), the track is pretty catchy. With Snoop on the bridge, Katy's infectious chorus and a eurotrash-tastic dance beat its got the summer track of 2010 written all over it.

Ooh and check out her cover for Esquire below. FOX! She's the FBC's latest girl crush!!

Be a Bronzed Babe!

Finally the sun has come out over the UK. And while we all love those ray's, its a well know fact that laying out in the sun and attempting to turn into a weathered piece of Italian leather is not a good idea.
Wanna get a little bronze-a-licious? Well read on beauties, cos whatever your skin tone there's a bronzing hue out there for you!


Boots No7 have the best range for turning you into a bronzed Aphrodite if you have pale/ light skin tones (you resemble Aggy Dean/ Sienna Miller's colouring). Slap on some No7 Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Body Tan. (200ml £9.25) It can be used like your usual body lotion and deeply smooths and moisturises skin, whilst its gentle self-tanning ingredient leaves behind a hint of beautiful colour that builds day by day into a natural looking glow.

Girls who already have a golden glow (think Eva's Mendes and Longoria)only need a little warming up, so go for something a little lighter that doesn't build over time. L'Oreal Sublime Bronze (£9.99) is just the ticket. Its got a great light texture and the effects only last for a couple of days.

And for those of you out there who like me have a beautiful brown hue all year round(Beyonce/ Naomi Campbell types) then you only want something that's gonna tip the scales and give you a little extra oomph. Guerlain Terracotta Spray Bronzing Powder mist (£33) is brilliant. It gives a nice lift without leaving a heavy colour behind.

No7 range is available from all Boots stores, L'Oreal is avaiable from all good beauty retailers and Guerlain is stocked in most larger department stores (Debenhams, Selfridges and House of Fraser)

Proud Party People...

Hot on the heels of the Proud Cabaret City venue re-launch, Proud Camden celebrated its 2nd birthday with a couple of celeb pals on Wednesday night. Staunch Camdenite Amy Winehouse came down and gave a little impromptu performance on the night during Professors Greens performance of Just Be Good To Green.
Lily Allen sings the hook on the track but she was no where to be seen on the night, so Winehouse took up the reigns. Have the famously feuding pair buried the hatchet? Was Winehouse doing Allen a favour or was she trying to prove that her version was better?

Also at Proud on the night was Plan B who performed his hit track She Said, the beautiful Ashley Madekwe who plays the ditzy escort Bambi in Diary of a Call Girl and a very merry Olly Murs. The X-Factor runner up is said to be putting the finishing touches to his album. Can't wait for this cuties stuff to drop. He's been in the studio with Take That producer John Shanks and Miley Cyrus writer Claude Kelly so we can tell good things are a brewing!

Everyone’s favourite common person Jarvis Cocker was on good form as the nights compare. T4's chislled hunk Rick Edwards came down for a bit of the action. And there was also a bit of Brand in the house. Before you get overexcited it wasn't reformed shag-a-holic Russell it was his dad Ron Brand- he's a bit of a silver fox- clearly the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

In-between celeb sightings as ever Proud put on a fan-titty-tastic display of boobs and booty. Burlesque at its finest! Proud Camden is definitely still the hottest Burlesque club in London. Two years and still going strong.

Tassles, Tits and Glitz @ Proud!

We had a whole lotta naughty fun at the re-launch of the most decadent venue in the city- Proud Cabaret. Proud is a sexy modern day slice of good old burlesque fun and vaudeville madness. On the night we were greeted by sexy hostesses, looked after by the most divalicious drag queens and served gorge cocktails and mini beef wellington’s (which were so good we had to eat them twice!)


The vibe was luxe with an immense buzz and but as soon as the first performer came out a hush fell over the audience. We were treated to a minxy melee of performances, including burlesque strippers, dancers, contortionists and jazz singers with Jessica Rabbit swagger and Marilyn Monroe tones. Intermission girls sold tit tassels, cigars and thongs during the night which added a bit of extra spice…

Special mention has to go to Miss Delilah who could do everything from rotate on the ground with cocktail glasses on her hands and feet (she didn't spill a drop) to hula hooping with a billion hoops around her hips (Ok, 6 but that’s a lot folks)

A definite crowd pleaser had to be the sexy Sophie St Villiers, who left the audience spellbound as she gave us a seductive striptease which ended with her pouring diamante all over her chest (don’t try this at home girls...those little pieces of bling can get stuck in some awkward places). Also Missy Fatale brought the weird sexy when she ended her act to reveal three boobs (one wasn't real, The FBC discovered on closer inspection!)

The piece de resistance had to be the Globe Girls. These Proud regulars have performed for everyone from Beyonce to the Royal family.

Made up of foxy blonde chicks, sassy drag queens and 4 hot boys who look like the love children of Tom Ford and Marc Jacob (they are so good looking it hurts)- they put on a bit of a show stopper which consists of dance numbers, songs and mini musical theatre (which has a shockingly murderous theme)

You can head down to the Proud for dinner, drinks or just to soak in the atmosphere and watch the acts. So if you fancy a night of sexy, naughty, decadent fun head to Proud but don’t forget to bring the razzle dazzle…boys wear suits and girls channel 1940's fitted chic structures or 1920’s flapper fashion(sparkles and tassels galore.) And when you are there- don’t forget to clap bitches! These performers deserve your applause...


Proud Cabaret is loacted @ N.o.1 Mark Lane/ Corner of Dunster Court London EC3R 7AH

Whet Your Fashion appetite with Aqua!

Aqua is an amazingly sexy, directional design line that originated in Leeds and has had fashionista’s down South hungry for a little Northern exposure for the last few years! The only way to get your mitts on the whole line was to visit the Leeds Aqua boutique. But this April, Aqua opened up a concept store on Carnaby Street! Now Londoner’s galore are getting in on the Aqua act which boasts an amazing aesthetic. I headed down to the design basement underneath the new Carnaby St location to catch up with fabulous Ryan Holliday-Stevens, one of the creative forces behind Aqua!

Your line is amazing! We’ve been waiting for ages for you to open a store in London, why was now the right time?
Well the whole design team is based in the North and we’ve wanted to open a shop down here for years But we thought we should wait until the line was well known in the South. We didn’t want to open a small shop, we wanted to have a concept store. Like the one’s you see in Paris, where the clothes are aspirational and the interior enables you to have installations and events. The difference is our clothes are affordable! I moved down to London 14mths ago and would commute everyday to work in the Leeds store, while looking for a London store at the weekend. When the Carnaby Street location came up and it just seemed perfect. It felt right and we felt at home. I hope that we bring something a little bit different to Carnaby Street!

<>

You definitely bring the fierceness and edge down here! So how did you guys start out? I know you have the triangle structure featuring heavily in your labels etc which relates to three sides of the company dynamic…The triangle shows the three entities to Aqua. There’s myself- the designer, my business partner Jules who started the brand originally up in Hull and our muse Laura. Laura started as a part time sales assistant with us 7 years ago and she loved the brand so much that she just stayed. She consults on all of the new collections. We all bring different things to the table and just work amazingly together, we balance each other out!

Love that concept! I always thought your designs were super sexy, confident and fashion forward- how would you describe the Aqua woman?
I think she’s the kind of girl who reads high end fashion magazines and she would like to buy a lot of those couture pieces but they are very much out of the realms for most people. It’s so expensive and it becomes unobtainable. What we wanted to do was give people an opportunity to dress in extreme fashion but make it accessible as well as aspirational. Most people can afford to buy pieces here, we try to keep our price points quite low and use unconventional fabrics so the product looks exciting.

And I know you’ve also got celeb fans- I’ve seen pictures of Frankie from the Saturdays wearing one of your dresses that I have, white one shouldered with a little…
…peplum on the side! Yeah it’s really nice, her stylist Robert stumbled across the shop and now we’ve started doing a couple of bespoke pieces for her music videos. Also Alexandra Burke has worn some of our designs. Its amazing being in London because although Leeds has a really vibrant fashion scene all of the press and stylists don’t really travel up North they are in London. So having a presence down here means people just pop in the shop and they are like ‘wow we love your stuff’ and I tell them we’ve got new designs in the basement. Next thing you know you’ve got Frankie here for a fitting and it feels really organic, really nice.


I guess being down here you’ve gathered momentum naturally?
Yes, it doesn’t feel contrived it just feels good.

Is there any celeb you would love to get your hands on?
Erm, gosh that’s a really hard one. You know what, it’s wonderful when someone just really likes us, they like the product and they want a piece. We’ll bend over backwards to get it to them. But I think to force dresses on people it can look contrived. Its much nicer if they just really like your stuff and ask you to work with them on some outfits. Then you can build up some rapport and you create something that’s Aqua but with elements of a stage twist. I love it when performers say go wild, make it big and use loads of sequins- it allows you to run with your creativity!


Creativity is definitely a key word I would use in describing your designs! Where did you study fashion?
Huddersfield and Leeds but I was a bit of a drop out to be honest. I just wanted to get out there and get on with things. I’d started my own line called Identity which I had up and running for three years. I met my partner Jules during this period. Identity was a wholesale brand and we used to sell to Aqua which Jules had already started up. I had a friend who was the Head of Fashion at Huddersfield Uni. She recommended the fashion degree there to me, I went for it and absolutely hated it. It wasn’t for me. If you go into it at 18 I think its very exciting but by this stage I was a mature student and I just wanted to get out there and do as opposed to learn. So I only lasted a year.

How would you sum up Aqua in one line?
Its very different. You never know what’s coming next from season to season!

Tell me more!
There are a lot of amazing designers who, with their pieces, you can always tell it’s their collection from season to season. With our stuff we try and do the opposite. We change things dramatically even if we have a commercial line that’s done really well. Cos we think it’s so easy to just rest on your laurels and make lots of the same thing in different colours. But I think it’s about having fun and doing newer, more outrageous things!


Visit the new store @ 12 Fouberts Place, Carnaby St London or if your up North head to The Victoria Quarter, 36 Queen Victoria Street Leeds.

Also view online @ http://www.aquabyaqua.com

A Fashionable Night with Lageneve North

Last night I snuck backstage at the exclusive Lageneve North fashion show held at the London celeb melting pot that is Movida.


Delicious designs galore floated by as I spoke to models and designers just before the show started. Designers on the night included the award winning Kerry Knowles, Chantal Gibbs-Jones,Leeanne Ripley-Garret and Rae-Emily Smith of my Fair Lady Lingerie. LGN's speciality is fostering fledgling fashionista's on the cusp of going OOC on the fashion scene.

My favourite designer on the night had to be Chantal Gibbs-Jones her delicious cupcake inspired designs were fresh, sweet and perfect for this summer. Plus the oh so kitsch aesthetic of her fairytale-esque dress designs aroused my inner Little Boo Peep (see pic below)!

Peering out onto the runway while the models were getting ready I noted the heaving to capacity crowd, this was definitely a fashion show that the tout de londres wanted to see.

To find out more about LGN and the talent they promote visit www.lagenevenorthevents.co.uk

Wendy Williams hits London

Last night we headed over to the Soho Hotel to meet up with the latest chat show export from the States- Wendy Williams. For those of you who don't know, Wendy is a larger than life controversial radio DJ, bestselling author and chat show host basically a one woman media phenomenon. Her modus operandi is picking celebs up on the dirt that's been dished in glossy mags. Drugs, divorce, sex and surgery- nothing is off limits. Never far from gossip columns herself, Williams famously alluded to rumours that the late rapper Tupac was raped in prison. She also faced sexual harassment charges in 2008 when a former employee claimed Williams and her husband(who is her manager) subjected her to sexual harassment- namely Wendy's hubby propositioned the girl while Williams did nothing to stop it and encouraged the employee to dress like a "sexy little bitch" per her husbands request.

Her show is pretty huge in the US with the likes of Whitney Houston, Heidi Montag and and Tori Spelling all laying themselves as victims on her couch. She's bringing her whole in your face "shock jockette I wanna dig the dirt on celebrities" format to British soil on the 14th of July to BET.
The best thing about her is that she knows how to ask the questions we are thinking....basically she is your everyday celeb goss loving individual and the only difference between her and her viewers is she has access! And she's not scared of getting us Brits to dish the dirt on her show. She's had a bit of Jay Sean, Jamie Olivers got his turkey twizzlers out on her couch and she's has a Brit themed show coming up that will feature the likes of Estelle (airing on BET July 2nd). She confessed that the show is "a fulfillment of my wildest dreams!" Can't wait to see Williams asking the naugtiest of questions on the show, something along the lines of "Amy are you jonesing for a little brown right now?" Ooh her personality is as big as her wigs and surgically enhanced boobs!

Burke's Latest Beau Derulo?!

After an intimate little chinwag with Alexandra Burke we can confirm that a) she is NOT dating Rickie from Kiss FM and b) she is HOT for a certain young Jasooooonnn Deruuuuloooooo (ya gotta sing that last bit in your mind). Alex excitedly confirmed that the r&b crooner is just her type after meeting him a few weeks ago"he is too fine! When I saw him I thought mmmmm, yeah I need to have a few glasses of champagne with this boy!" She invited him for a bit of a boogie and drinks at hotspot Mahiki. However we also had a sly word with the Derulo and he didnt seem as keen, he stated "Nah, its not a date. She said come out, like as in friends." "I think Pixie Lott will also be there, that will be cool cos Pixie is a great girl."
Sounds like he's more into the Lott than the Burkester, and Pixie recently confirmed that she is single. We want to know who will be singing is name?? Will our next celebrity couple morph be Jalex or Pixson. Derulot or Burkelo. ...place your bets folks!

Chasing Pluto

I Won't Settle For This - clip by Chasing Pluto

Absolutely love this band they have a real atmospheric electro/ dub/ Nu wave kinda vibe- check out the sound clip for the track I Won't Settle For This. Chasing Pluto are made up of Jamal Hadaway and Corrine Shields- she has the most beautifully haunting voice and he can pull out a mean falsetto (and Jamal produced the track- dirtiest dub beat I've heard in 2010)! Chasing are playing their first gig Saturday 18 June at 93 Feet East in London's Brick Lane. Can't wait!