One can now find Prada’s new jewellery collection in stores, and aren’t we excited! It is a colour explosion with a wide range of cuffs, bangles, bracelets and earrings, made with unexpected materials such as saffiano leather, crystals and exotic crocodile skin.

The collection is inspired by the innovation and seductive glamour of 1940s haute jewellery. Each piece is finely crafted using artisanal haute jewellery techniques and exquisite detailing.

The collection brings together Prada’s signature Saffiano textured leather in rich shades of orange, emerald green and turquoise with bold formations of geometric crystals, inspired by the art deco era and the natural world.

prada.com

Tags: prada

On Friday November 8, Louis Vuitton will open its doors to the Townhouse, a new urban retail destination set within Selfridges. Louis Vuitton invites clients to journey through a new retail concept and signature interior, into a dialogue between modernity and tradition, surprise and discovery.

Built over three inter-connecting floors, the Townhouse is the largest of its kind in Europe, offering two floors for womenswear and, for the first time in Selfridges, Kim Jones’ menswear line.

In the middle of it all one will find the real showstopper; a state-of-the-art glass lift that links all three spaces. The short travel in the elevator then reveals a head turning surprise, as it begins to gently revolve, in tandem with the movement of the spiral.

The architectural concept is designed by French-born, Japanese based designer, Gwenaël Nicolas.

Every journey in Louis Vuitton’s Townhouse, regardless of how short, is definitely inspirational.

The Townhouse opens on November 8 in Selfridges, Oxford Street, London, W1.

www.louisvuitton.com

www.selfridges.com

Tags: Gwenaël Nicolas, Louis Vuitton, Selfridges

Last week the Brooklyn Museum opened up the doors to The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, the first international exhibition dedicated to the groundbreaking French couturier. Playful, poetic, and transformative, Gaultier’s superbly crafted and detailed garments are inspired by the beauty and diversity of global cultures.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with Maison Jean Paul Gaultier, Paris. The exhibition is curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot of the MMFA. The Brooklyn presentation is coordinated by Lisa Small, Curator of Exhibitions, Brooklyn Museum.

The exhibition is on display until February 24 2014.

brooklynmuseum.org

Tags: Brooklyn Museum, Jean Paul Gaultier

‘A photographic love letter’ is how renowned fashion photographer Tim Walker describes his new book. Celebrating ‘little old ladies who live down the lane’, The Granny Alphabet sees Walker collaborate with illustrator Lawrence Mynott and writer Kit Hesketh-Harvey.

Their words and sketches sit alongside Walker’s portraits of elderly ladies and their belongings, arranged in alphabetical order to bring a charming British ideal to life. In this month’s Vogue Walker says, Over the years ‘I’ve been keeping my eyes open for an elderly lady with a sparkle in her eye.’ And with all proceeds from the book going to the charity Friends of the Elderly, it seems he won’t have to look that far.

The Granny Alphabet is published by Thames & Hudson on November 11. Tim Walker is donating all proceeds to Friends of the Elderly, www.fote.org.uk

Text by Beccy Hill

Tags: Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Lawrence Mynott, Tim Walker

The flats versus heels debate is a daily conundrum for some women. In recent seasons the fashion world has been paying more attention to the more comfortable shoe, giving it new life and our feet a much needed break. For autumn winter 2013 one style has come out on top (when a pair of Nike Free Runners just won’t do). The monk strap has overtaken the brogue for the boy/girl trend. Pair a dress with this season’s flat for a laid-back, cool aesthetic. Twin picks these four luxury pairs for your feet’s contentment.

Pollini Patent Leather Creeper, £475, brownsfashion.com & Henderson Fusion Monk Strap Loafer, £306.91, farfetch.com

Toga Pulla Embossed leather monk strap loafers, £276, matchesfashion.com & Ets. Callatay Womens Riveted Monk Shoes, £436.00, ln-cc.com

Tags: Ets., Henderson, Monk Strap, Pollini, Toga Pulla

Last year Farfetch started its SUPERSTORE initiative to find the best new independent boutique, and now in its second year their search took them all the way to Wadi Bunder, Mumbai. In an attempt to support the growth and creativity of these international fashion destinations, Farfetch gives the winning store a chance to promote themselves to a global fashion audience. Le Mill was once a rice mill, but now the space carries contemporary and internatonal designers such as The Row, Peter Pilotto and Isabel Marant, as well as resident Indian designers such as Sabyasachi and Pero.

Farfetch carefully curates pieces from different concept stores and boutiques from Europe and the US, Le Mill is the first Indian store to join their network. To celebrate, Le Mill worked closely with emerging designers from India to produce a range of exclusive collections which are now available online at Farfetch. Farfetch created a Bollywood inspired fashion film for the occasion.

www.farfetch.com

www.lemillindia.com

Tags: Farfetch, Le Mill, SUPERSTORE

British label, Casson London, was born out of the desire to provide easy-to-wear urban style staples with a cool contemporary design aesthetic. Hannah Casson and Ben Fletcher create minimalist styles with an unmistakable London edge. The line takes super-soft, comfortable jersey fabric into designs ensuring the highest of quality.

This unisex printed t-shirt range, modelled by Lizzy Jagger, takes inspiration from music and London life. Casson has quickly become a firm favourite amongst a devoted London crowd including; Cara Delevingne, Sam Smith, Adwoa Aboah and Chelsea Leyland to name a few.

The label prides itself on its collections being made in Britain. Any outside sourcing is always checked by the Fair Wear Foundation of Ethical Trade and Justice for Workers. £1 of every T-shirt sale on their website is also donated to London based charity Kids Company.

cassonlondon.com

Tags: Casson London

One has been able to spot jumpers, skirts and hats from the French fashion house KENZO, outside Fashion Week the last couple of seasons. It seems like everyone wants to wear something from their modern tailoring, innovative sportswear and creative prints.

In November this year they are launching a new bag. KENZO’s street chic Parisian heritage meets laid back west coast cool in the House’s new timeless handbag, Kalifornia.

Kalifornia brings their urban sensibilities, honed in downtown Manhattan, together with the spirit of sun-drenched afternoons between the shore and the pavement.

Kalifornia is relaxed, yet precise, blending KENZO’s French atelier craftsmanship with Humberto and Carol’s pacific coast nonchalance. The soft, deconstructed design is punctuated by two “K“ zip details flanking either side of the bag that double as pockets, an ode to the ultimate biker’s perfecto.

The bag is available in multiple colour ways including biker black and racer red.

kenzo.com

Tags: Kenzo

Yesterday Rizzoli Publishing released a book about the legendary editor in chief, Diana Vreeland.

Diana Vreeland Memos: The Vogue Years gives us a look behind the scenes when Vreeland became editor in chief of Vogue in 1963, where she initiated a transformation and shaping the magazine into the dominant U.S. fashion publication.

Vreeland rarely held meetings and communicated with her staff and photographers through memos dictated from her office or Park Avenue apartment. This extraordinary compilation of more than 250 pieces of Vreeland’s personal correspondence—most published here for the first time—includes letters to Cecil Beaton, Horst P. Horst, Norman Parkinson, Veruschka, and Cristobal Balenciaga and memos that show the direction of some of Vogue’s most legendary stories.

Each chapter is introduced by commentary from Vogue editors who worked with her, giving readers a truly inside look at how Diana Vreeland directed the course of the magazine and fashion world.

Buy your own copy from rizzoliusa.com

Tags: Diana Vreeland, Rizzoli New York

Quentin Jones is a London-based illustrator, a Cambridge philosophy graduate and one of fashion’s brightest young filmmakers, specializing in a cartoonish style of surreal photo-montaged animation.

In connection to Fashion Week earlier this month, Louis Vuitton released a new accessories film, directed by Quentin. Through her signature aesthetic, illustrative bold lines and pop colours brings the rings, sunglasses and belts to life. The film is styled by Fashion Editor Agata Belcen.

quentinjones.info

Tags: Louis Vuitton, Quentin Jones

Meet Alice Ashby, the designer behind BLAKE LDN. With an impressive resume and thorough understanding of the British craft, Alice founded the luxurious knitwear brand just last year and this week annouced that the designs will be stocked in the French concept store Colette. This is one brand to keep on your radar.

Twin caught up with the designer to find out more…

Having worked as Assistant Knitwear Designer for Rag & Bone, co-founded The North Circular and now BLAKE LDN, when did your love for knitwear begin?

I was taught to knit by my Grandmother one Christmas when I was around 10 years old, so that was when I held my first knitting needles. I was always doing something creative, be it sewing, stitching, anything to do with texture when I was growing up. Then it was not until I was at Central St Martins when I specialised in knitwear that I realised this was what I wanted to do and there was actually a career in it.

How would you describe the BLAKE LDN aesthetic?

It is British luxury design, it is wearable and all about texture, be it the yarn, stitch or pattern. The Blake girl is very effortless in her style and can team a piece with jeans or dress it up.

When it comes to knitwear, quality is key. How do you go about choosing the Merino wool, Angora and Loro Piana cashmere for your collections?

I travel to Pitti Filati in Florence twice a year. It is the tradeshow for yarn suppliers. It is great, as I can catch up with our current suppliers and see their new yarns, textures and colours as well as sourcing new suppliers and fibres from around the world. I use a lot of British lambswool and cashmere as well as Italian yarns for angoras and more fancy yarns like boucle and textured yarn.

What inspired the AW13 collection?

AW13 was inspired by vintage ski images, adapting and creating a modern day take on this traditional chunky knit. Looking closely at the yoke, panelling and racing stripes we modernised this by adding angora and clashing hues of cashmere.

What knitwear staples do you constantly return to?

Our Adelaide is one of our signature pieces, we adapt it each season to cotton for SS and cashmere or wool for AW. It is the perfect slouchy sweater and so comfortable. Other than that, you have got to have a great cashmere sweater – when you find the right one it should last forever. Our Aubrey double ply Loro Piana hits the spot. For beanies – it has to be our cashmere Nova beanies. Perfect simple cashmere beanies, the bonus is that they are unisex too.

Twin loves the Redfern Chunky Sweater and Foskett Beanie from the AW13 collection. Which pieces are your favourite?

The Aubrey is one my favourites, I love the colourway of neon, gold, charcoal framed by rich navy. The Foskett sweater is another favourite, an oversized sky blue angora sweater. Then finally it’s the chunky Redfern in cobalt. I love bright blue and in a chunky knit its just perfect.

You are now stocked at Colette. Where else would you like to see the brand sold?

I would love Opening Ceremony, Matches and obviously Net-a-Porter, to name a few. All stores we are working towards… so watch this space.

www.blake-ldn.com

Tags: Blake LDN, Knitwear

Kate Moss will launch a new collection for Topshop in April next year.

Her partnership with Topshop first began in May 2007 and the first collection was a huge success. The collaboration ended in 2010 but now she is already working on the new range, which will be sold in 40 countries world wide and on Topshop.com.

It will comprise 40 pieces, spanning womenswear, accessories and footwear – and is expected to be inspired by Moss’s personal wardrobe.

Tags: kate moss, Topshop

When you think of streetwear, you tend to imagine logo tees, caps and a boy wearing them. Most streetwear brands are aimed at men, and if they do have a girls range, it tends to differ completely to what they design for boys. A woman trying to change this is London based Zahra Swanzy. Zahra created her label Swanz Fly in 2008, born out of her frustration for the lack of attention to women’s streetwear, “There wasn’t any streetwear or street-inspired looks for women at all. I used to wear men’s clothes and I always used to like my boyfriend’s baggy clothes, but mainly I feel like women’s clothes tend to be very tight most of the time. For daywear and casual wear, it’s just not really what you want.” Designing her clothes with a woman’s figure in mind, Swanzy’s latest collection is called Heavy. “Heavy is old London slang for cool. It’s really a feeling I felt when I was a rowdy teenager, but it’s also about strength and weightiness. I just felt like women are not often seen as strong figures and we are as strong, if not stronger than men; we have to give birth and shit. At the moment, I’m really into women empowerment especially with my youth work, so that’s how it’s come out in my clothes. Original streetwear was all about expression and oppression, so that’s what Heavy is.” Check out the full lookbook here LOOKBOOK.com, and read more about Zahra’s work with young girls here londonpositive.org.uk

Text by Beccy Hill

Tags: Swanz Fly, Zahra Swanzy

Leather is becoming a more favoured fabric than before, finding itself in many different hues and forms – the leather tee is now a wardrobe staple of sorts. Last season, the skinny leather trouser was a key player, but for your 2013 update go slouchy and loose. The conventional leather jacket is an autumn winter favourite of course, but take this sport luxe version as this season’s interpretation. So when shopping for your new season wardrobe, take inspiration from Twin’s top picks of AW13’s material of choice.

Zadig & Voltaire Leather Sydney Overalls in Black, £587, shopbop.com & Gestuz Women’s Alina Leather Top In Baroque Rose, £80, coggles.com

Derek Lam Leather skirt, £ 765.00, thecorner.com & Just Female Quilted Leather Bomber Jacket, £270, asos.com

Tags: AW13, Derek Lam, Gestuz, Just Female, Leather, Twin Picks, Zadig & Voltaire

Last week Rick Owens created a stir during Paris Fashion Week, a well needed one and a very appreciated one, as he sent out “warriors” on the catwalk for his spring summer 2014 show. A group of female hip-hop dancers invaded the stage and preformed a dance whiled they showed the collection, an asymmetric collection with lots of leather in a fairly strict colour palette of black to grey to white.

Owens dancers fit the general dimensions of real women, and the show got reviews of being revolutionary and something different to the otherwise rather banal and commercial shows with usual silent, bored-looking models.

Style blogger Susie Bubble was among many to respond positively, suggesting Owens had made “the most powerful and provocative statement this season” while Harper’s Bazaar UK described it as the “show everyone’s talking about”.

Tags: Paris Fashion Week, Rick Ownes

Alexandra Mann started in the fashion industry as a costume designer, working with the likes of Naomie Harris, Zoe Wanamaker, Derek Jacobi and Noel Fielding.

After having caught the eye of the powers that be at Liberty in 2011 with her brightly coloured and vivid cosmetic cases, Mann has gone from strength to strength. Designing her cool and covetable accessories from her Hackney based studio, fabrics are sourced everywhere from car boot sales to waxed cloth dealers. Each washbag is completely unique and can even be personalised with names and initials through the Alexandra Mann website, we love the Skull Monogram bag.

Alexandra Mann accessories are available from alexandramann.com as well as in store and online at liberty.co.uk

Tags: Alexandra Mann

Yesterday the advanced ticket sale for the forthcoming exhibition Hello My Name is Paul Smith opened.

The exhibition will take visitors on a journey through Paul Smith’s world. The exhibition will showcase and celebrate the brand through collections selected by Paul. The different stages of design and production will be explored, offering a rich insight into his design process and highlighting how the principles of traditional craftsmanship of tailoring and techniques are retained but given a contemporary edge.

The exhibition draws on Paul Smith’s personal archive, from the company’s beginnings in Nottingham to its international prominence today.

The exhibition will be on display at the Design Museum in London from November 15 2013 – March 9 2014 and tickets can be booked at ticketweb.co.uk

Tags: paul smith

Fashion East is a pioneering non-profit initiative established by Lulu Kennedy and the Old Truman Brewery in 2000. The scheme champions emerging designers, showcasing them on the catwalk at London Fashion Week. Designers are selected by Fashion East’s panel of industry experts who offer guidance and mentoring support. As part of the scheme designers receive a bursary, a fully produced runway show and are taken to Paris to hold sales appointments with international stores. Fashion East has has kick started the careers of many of the UK’s most prolific design talent including Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland, Louise Gray, Marios Schwab, Meadham Kirchhoff, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Ilincic and Simone Rocha.

For the spring/summer 2014 the Fashion East show featured Ashley Williams, Claire Barrow and Ryan Lo.

Twin’s Trinity Eliis went backstage before the show and got some photos of Ryan Lo’s and Ashley William’s creations.

fashioneast.co.uk

Tags: Ashley Williams, Claire Barrow, Fashion East, london fashion week, Ryan Lo

Twin has had an exclusive insight into the Fratelli Rossetti SS14 collection. As inspired by Asian geometric designs, the luxe Italian footwear brand has put a spin on their classic designs combining with Japanese manga.

SS14 sees just one Derby shoe style, (a style that is apart of the Rossetti DNA) but in 21 colour ways. The white lug-sole can be seen throughout, being a key characteristic to the design and the range of vibrant colours represent the fun, surreal atmosphere of the celebrated Japanese comic strips.

www.fratellirossetti.com

Tags: Fratelli Rosetti

With fashion weeks taking place in all major capitals at the moment, it’s easy to get caught up in the beauty of the clothes and accessories being shown whilst failing to notice the girls modelling them. Iman and Naomi Campbell have teamed up with former model agent Bethann Hardison to campaign against the current ‘white out’ we are witnessing on our catwalks, and tackle the lack of racial diversity in the fashion industry.

The trio, who have named themselves The Diversity Coalition, have written to the fashion councils of New York, Paris, London and Milan, highlighting the fashion houses who consistently fail to use models of colour in their shows. “People have said we are shaming the designers,” Iman says in an interview with The Evening Standard, “But that’s not what we’re doing. Nobody is calling anybody racist; the action is racist,” she explains. “The absence of models of colour sends a message to our young girls that they are not good enough, they are not beautiful enough,” she says. “Photography and the runways are such powerful tools, and say such a lot about our society. It is so much bigger than the catwalk.” To read their letter and the compiled list of designers, visit BalanceDiversity.com

Text by Beccy Hill

Tags: Bethann Hardison, Iman, Naomi Campbell, The Diversity Coalition