Even if France was to lose against England in their next rugby match, one thing is for sure: France will still be a winner, at least when it comes to fashion. Yes, this is right, since French brand Eden Park has just become the official formalwear provider of the Rugby Football Union. The official announcement was made by Eden Park founder Franck Mesnel and England team manager Martin Johnson at a party held in Kensington Roof Gardens on the 20th of October. Chic-Londres was there…

With luxurious cashmere scarves, black shoes embroidered with England roses, quirky gavroche hats, details including rugby ball shaped buttons, and each hand-tailored suits made to their individual measurements, the English rugby boys will never have been so incredibly chic. And all of that thanks to us, the French… or at least to Eden Park, which has become the first French brand ever to dress the England team, after creating an exclusive collection of bespoke formalwear. The collection is part of a six year partnership covering the next two Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015 and will see Eden Park kit out the entire 215 strong England squads, ranging from the Seniors through to the Under 18’s, management and backroom staff. read more

Once a cheap website offering copies of celebs looks, Asos.com has now become a prime destination for sophisticated fashion lovers, selling niche designer brands, the top of the high street and its own fashion forward lines, like Asos Black and Asos White. More affordable than Net-a-Porter, but just as stylish and efficient, it is now the UK’s largest independent online fashion retailer, with over 35,000 products available.

Asos has gone a long way since it was established ten years ago: originally known as “As Seen on Screen”, the website used to sell rather dubious and cheap imitations of looks seen on celebrities such as Sienna Miller or Victoria Beckham. Nowadays however, far from copying the stars, Asos does inspire them, with celebs like Rihanna, Katy Perry and Kate Hudson all wearing its designs.

Now the fastest-growing retailer in the UK, it has got over 35,000 branded and own label products available, more than 1100 brands available and over 1500 new lines added each week. It is therefore rapidly becoming the market leader in the UK online fashion world, with over 6.9 million unique visitors a month and 1.6 active buyers. read more

The Oxford Street’s department store is taking shoe fetishism to a new level, by opening on Thursday 23 September the largest women’s shoe department in the world. Bigger than the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, this new space, spread over 35,000 sq feet, will offer over 5,000 different styles from 150 brands, from high street favourites like Topshop to designer brands like Lanvin.

Shoes are like friends: even when you are lucky enough to have many, you can always do with some more… At least, that is what we like to think, us shoe lovers who just can’t resist a new pair. So what a good news -although slightly worrying for the purse- to learn that Selfridges celebrates London Fashion Week by opening the biggest women’s shoe department in the world.

Spread over 35,000 sq feet, it will stock 5,000 different styles and over 100,000 at any given time, with more than 150 brands to choose from, from high street favourites like Topshop to designer brands like Chanel or Roger Vivier. read more

Sex and the City -and every celeb’s- favourite shoe designer is launching a new limited edition collection for Liberty of London, with specially designed shoes, candles, scarves and prints available exclusively in the Regent Street shop in September.

Shoe supremo Manolo Blahnik -a London resident since 1968- is undoubtedly one of the world’s most influential footwear designers, beloved by an international set of adoring glamorous devotees across the globe.

From September, a special collection of Manolo’s shoe designs will be available in Liberty, the first time they have ever been sold outside of his flagship store in the UK.  There are exclusive shoes in Liberty fabrics from the 60’s that Manolo selected from the archives.

To complete the collection, there will also be Manolo’s very own set of Liberty prints, for sale by the metre and a collection of limited edition products, including a scented candle developed alongside English perfumer Lyn Harris, scarves, bow ties, stationery, umbrellas, notebooks, shoe horns and cushions. read more

There are some addresses you’d rather keep to yourself, and Soler is definitely one of them. In this Ali Baba’s fashion cave, you get to choose your own pattern and your own fabric, to get a piece of clothing tailor-made especially for you, at an affordable prize: unique, playful and oh so glamorous!

“Women love to get something a little bit different, which reflects their own taste and personality, and that is what we are offering here”, explains the lovely Alexandra Al-Bader (38), the Spanish model and mother of two who recently opened her first shop, after having run the Soler label for one year from her house.

In the boutique, just off Golborne Road, in fashionable North Kensington, you get to choose your own fabric, amongst 200 rolls of cotton, silk and chiffon, sourced by Alexandra in Paris, London, New York and Marrakesh, with each of them available in limited quantity of 20 metres max, to ensure uniqueness. For this extra personal touch, you can even choose a hand-painted fabric, courtesy of Alexandra’s sister, an artist who has made 25 exclusive designs to choose from. read more

The iconic brand has gone a long way from its beginnings in 1884 as the rather unglamorous Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System to its current status as one of the most successful British fashion name. Over the past few years, it has managed to retain its more conservative customers, while reinvented itself to appeal to a new younger crowd thanks to new lines like Jaeger London and Jaeger Boutique.

The History

This well established British brand, famed for its precise cuts and quality fabrics, was founded in 1884 by Lewis Tomalin, a British accountant who took inspiration from Dr Gustav Jaeger, a professor of Zoology at the university of Stuttgart, who advocated that humans would be healthier if they dressed in clothes made only of animal hair, mostly wool, and avoiding vegetable fibres like cotton and linen. After translating Dr Jaeger’s book into English, Tomalin opened his first clothing store in London under the name “Dr Jaeger’s Sanitary Woollen System”, which -despite its rather unappealing name- went on to become very successful. read more

Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore -and of course Lady Gaga!- are all showing off their underwear this season, with lingerie emerging as the new must-have and must-see fashion accessory in the catwalk, from Dior to Stella McCartney to Givenchy. If you want to work this look but don’t want to be like an extra in Moulin Rouge, Chic-Londres got some must-follow tips from Nicky Clayton, Rigby & Peller’s Creative Director.

Beauty Pageant, Fabric Watches and Erdem Dresses: this is a busy week indeed at über trendy store Liberty, which continues its year-long programme championing the power of love, rebellion and creativity to mark nearby Carnaby Street’s 50th birthday as the heart of Swinging London.

With one of the world’s most famous flower shows taking place on the other side of London that week, Liberty is holding its own petal pageant to mark the start of a Summer of Liberty with a programme of Flower Power events and activity, focusing on its iconic floral prints.

So if your name is Rose, Violet, Iris, Poppy, Daisy or Lily, you should head off to Liberty on 25th May! As part of its Flower Power Festival, the fashion store is calling for everyone with a flower related name to come along on with the chance to become the Liberty Flower Girl. Would-be flower girls simply need to turn up for the Petal Parade by 5pm with proof of identity and have their photograph taken. read more

The quintessentially English and super trendy London store Liberty is launching this week a limited edition collection of products with the visionary Parisian shop Merci: the Entente Cordiale has rarely been so stylish.

A year after the renaissance of the London flagship store, under the supervision of French CEO Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye, Liberty keeps on going from strength to strength, having firmly evolved from dusty to directional, thanks notably to some of the most original and exclusive collaborations in fashion.

After getting artist Grayson Perry and luxury company Hermès to create special designs for the store in 2009, Liberty has started the new year by launching a capsule collection with Milanese avant-garde store 10 Corso Como in February. And this week, it is followed by a new collaboration with Parisian charity store Merci, whose creative director and founder Marie-France Cohen has designed an exclusive and limited edition collection of products using her favourite Liberty floral print designs. read more

Recession might be (theoretically) over, but that doesn’t mean that we can go on splashing hundreds of pounds on designer shoes- at least not all the time! But fear not: help is at hand for fashionable party girls on a budget, with a new website offering Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin and the like for hire at a fraction of their retail price.

What? www.Cinderella-me.co.uk is the UK’s first designer shoe hire website, which offers a relatively affordable solution for fashion conscious ladies wanting to live the high life without blowing their budget. There are over 200 styles to choose from, in sizes 35 to 42, from designers such as Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Christian Dior or Chanel. While the shoes are not from the current season (that should change soon), the selection is good and extensive. Each pair of shoes retail between £250 and £870, but can be rented for the week at a rate of £40 to £80. Particularly handy for those who go out a lot but don’t want to spend a fortune on a pair of shoes they might only wear once or twice. read more

Can anyone do fashion events better than the chicest of British labels nowadays? Chic-Londres doesn’t think so… Not only did Burberry manage once again to line up the hottest Hollywood starlets and trendiest bands for its Autumn Winter 2010 show on February 23, it has also made fashion history by broadcasting it online around the world using 2D and 3D live streams, thus enabling over 100 million people to see it live.

Who would have thought only one year ago that London Fashion Week could have become so hot? Not many, but it all changed last September, when Burberry decided to move its Prorsum show from Milan to London, creating an unprecedented buzz with an after party attended by the Who’s Who of celebs, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Liv Tyler, as reported then in Chic-Londres. (https://chiclondres.com/article.php?eid=3982&lang=en)

Now Burberry has done it again last Tuesday, with its Autumn Winter 2010 show at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, which was attended by a perfect blend of trend setters (Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, Mario Testino, Mary Kate Olsen), hot Hollywood names (Kate Hudson, Claire Danes), rising stars (Twilight’s Kirsten Stewart, Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska, top model Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley), hot bands (The Kooks, Snow Patrol) and London’s A-listers (Samantha Cameron, Twiggy, Philip Green)… read more

Those super cute but stylish finger puppets, created by fashion journalist Jenny Dyson and representing five cult figures from fashion capitals London, Paris, Milan and New York, are fast becoming collector’s items for in the know fashionistas: fun and chic.

“It started as a joke, during last year’s Fashion Week, but it created such a buzz that we decided to make them”, explains Fashion journalist extraordinaire Jenny Dyson about her decision to launch the Fashionable Finger Puppets, which represent favourite designers such as Paul Smith, Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Ralph Lauren or Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The Finger puppets, which come in limited editions of 100 boxes for each of the four sets (Paris, Milan, London, New York), were produced in collaboration with knitwear designer Jessica Pemberton and hand knitted in Peru. Each set is housed in its own interactive, screen printed box, which works as a runaway-like mini puppets theatre. read more

Britain’s most stylish top model, who has been the “face” of French leather brand Longchamp for four years, has just taken their collaboration one step further by launching a collection of bags inspired from her rock’n roll, jetsetting, yummy mummy lifestyle: a perfect mix of French classicism and British excentricity.

She has fronted the world’s most glamorous fashion brands, launched a successful clothes collection for Topshop, and even survived a scandal or two, and now, the inimitable Moss has also set to conquer the world of accessories, launching her own collection of bags for French luxury leather house Longchamp. “It is a family business, it’s been going for more than 60 years, and I love the whole feeling of it”, says Kate Moss about the French brand, known for its flawless craftsmanship and rather classical style. read more

The very British corsetry empire -and the only lingerie brand which holds a Royal Warrant- has just celebrated its 70th anniversary. Famous for its bespoke bras, corsets and panties, and expert bra fitting, its extensive customers list include model Sophie Dahl and the Queen. Chic-Londres met with June Kenton, Rigby & Peller’s owner, and the official Corsetiere to Elizabeth II.

A few dates in the history of Rigby & Peller: 

• 1939: The brand is founded as a bespoke lingerie emporium by Gita Peller, a Jewish refugee who escaped Hungary, and Bertha Rigby, who took Peller in when she arrived in Britain.
• 1954: Tessa Seiden, a cousin of Gita Peller, takes over the company. The brand becomes a favourite with Royals and movie stars.
• 1960: Mrs Seiden is granted the highly prestigious Royal Warrant and becomes the official Corsetiere to the Queen.
• 1980: June Kenton becomes the new proprietor of Rigby & Peller with her husband Harold and opens a new shop in Knightsbridge in addition to the original shop in Mayfair, to target a more fashionable clientele.
• 1982: June Kenton becomes Corsetiere to the Queen.
• 1988: The company launches its own ready to wear range and simultaneously expands into the European and American markets.
• 1993: June Kenton becomes Corsetiere to the Queen Mother.
• 2009: Rigby & Peller celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2009 and to mark this special year launches  its Platinum collection, a limited edition of only 150 sets of lingerie inspired by chic, old world glamour Platinum, which retails at £109 for the bra and £89.95 for the briefs. In addition to its London stores (Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Chelsea, Westfield, Bluewater and Brent Cross), it opens a seventh store in Cambridge in November, the first to be opened outside the capital.

A bra fitting with June Kenton, Corsetiere to HM. Queen Elizabeth II

There is something slightly intimidating about getting a private bra fitting with June Kenton (73), the owner of Rigby & Peller and the woman personally responsible for providing Her Majesty’s regal bosom with suitable underwear for the past 27 years. However, the lively June has a way to make people comfortable right away, thanks to her no nonsense approach and empathic chatter. In a record twenty minutes, she makes me try a dozen bras, after which I learn that I have been wearing the wrong size until then: a common occurrence, June tells me, as in her experience as head of a lingerie emporium and personal fitter for over forty years, 85% of women wear the wrong bra size, often too small in the cup and too big in the back. Interestingly, none of R&P’s fitters uses a tape measure, as it cannot take into consideration body shape, and prefer instead a hands-on approach, based on trying different shapes and materials to see what suits best: “A proper bra fitting can change a woman’s life”, explains June, who points out a list of ailments -headaches, neck and back problems- that a poorly fitted bra can cause, especially for those with larger breasts. As the company responsible for resurrecting personal fitting (a practice which had virtually disappeared with the advent of high street lingerie) Rigby & Peller’s takes pride in its expert approach, with fittings which can last up to one hour. And, as with most other things, quality is key: “Cheap bras are a false economy and it makes much more sense to buy two or three perfectly fitted pieces once per year than having drawers full of poorly ones that won’t fit and won’t last”, explains June, who describes bra fitting as “an art that Rigby & Peller has hopefully conquered”, and the ultimate confidence booster. Indeed… read more

The Parisian master of fabulous footwear has joined forces with the American doll to create a glamorous line of limited edition Barbie, launching this month. A good excuse for fashionistas to lapse into childhood again…

“Barbie is such an icon, how could I resist such a collaboration?” says Christian Louboutin when asked why he would collaborate with every girl’s favourite toy to celebrate her 50th year.

And so Christian Louboutin has customised three dolls -including one with a new terracotta tan skin tone- and having never before experienced the delights of such gravity-defying heels, a new in-step to enable her to take giant Louboutin steps for doll-kind.

Four Barbie-sized pairs of shoes with their statement red-soled heels accompany each doll, each pair in their very own Louboutin shoe boxes, in which delicate tissue paper reveals such miniature delights as crafted leopard skin Christian Louboutin boots. read more

After Jimmy Choo, this is the turn of the “Queen of Knits”’ to unveil a new designer collection for H&M. The iconic Parisian fashion designer is the first guest designer to create a lingerie collection for the high street brand, which is on sale from Saturday 5th December.

The Collection includes not only briefs and bras but also camisoles, night slips, nightgowns and kimono-style peignoirs, and an array of accessories including slippers, mules, brooches and hairbands and even a velvet pillow (bearing the message “Belle en Rykiel”).

The colour schemes focus on pale pink and black, as well as the Rykiel signature multi-stripes in old rose, violet and black, with luxurious looking material like silk, velvet, satin and lacy tulle. The price range is from £6.99 for a brief to £59.99 for the velvet gown. read more

The celebs’ favourite fashion designer has just launched a new children collection in collaboration with Gap : a must have for every budding fashionista!

Who Stella McCartney (38), daughter of former Beatles Paul McCartney, made a first name for herself when she revamped aging French fashion house Chloé in 1997, before launching her eponymous brand in 2001. Since then, she has become a firm favourite with the Celebs set -with Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Biel- all wearing her designs on the red carpet. She has also worked on highly successful collections with H&M, Adidas and Puma.

What This is the first Baby and Kids range of clothes designed by McCartney, herself the mother of three. Designed for boys and girls aged 0 to 12, the 70 pieces collection features her signature touches -a soft colour palette and a unique mix of unexpected pieces- while fun and practicality at the forefront of the design intent. For girls, key pieces include a great cable knit dress with trendy leopard print, a girlish tutu in soft pink and an original “I Love You” as the lining in a classic trench. Designs for Gap boys mix monster and superhero graphic tees with practical pieces like a navy wool peacoat with nylon concealed hood. Stella McCartney’s “Days of the Week” underwear concept is presented as a set of seven in her trademark style “drawer” packaging. read more

Computer bags are not usually considered like the epitome of high fashion. However, this might change this November, when über-trendy Mulberry unveils its first collection of luxury accessories for Apple

The goods: A collection of nine trendy leather pieces designed by the luxury British brand Mulberry, which includes bags and sleeves for MacBook, iPhone and iPod.

The style: These accessories for men and women retain the fashion favourite exteriors of Mulberry icons -such as the Bayswater for women and the Brynmore for men- but the inside is enhanced with features like padding, pockets and headphone access.

The colours: The collection comes in natural shades, bold fashion colours (patent pink for example) and a very hip leopard print for the most daring amongst us. read more

Ever dreamed of being the Next Mum Top Model and posing with your delightful offspring for a fashionable and very chic French brand? Here is your chance… Just pop into Comptoir des Cotonniers Chelsea store this Wednesday for an open casting.

What? Comptoir des Cotonniers, one of France’s favourite fashion brand, is known for their pioneering ad campaigns, which feature real mothers and daughter pairs, who reflect the brands’ effortless style. And -good news for all wannabe models- they are hosting an open casting in London this coming Wednesday. The winning pairs will become the face of the brand’s Spring-Summer 2010 collection and in return receive an all expenses paid trip to Paris, followed by a fashion shoot for their new ad campaign. read more

London Fashion’s darling, whose fans include Donatella Versace and Diane Kruger, returns with his awaited third collaboration with Topshop and a new collection launched for London Fashion Week.

Who? Despite his young age (27), Glaswegian Christopher Kane has become London’s favourite fashion designer. While still a student at Central Saint Martins School of Arts in 2004, he was asked to hold a private viewing of his graduate collection for high fashion priestess Anna Wintour and invited by Donatella Versace to work with her in Milan. Since then, he has become a favourite amongst celebrities, including Diane Kruger, Rihanna, Freida Pinto and Emma Watson,

What? The 39 pieces created by Christopher Kane for Topshop form the largest Topshop Boutique collection with a designer to date and includes accessories and footwear. His luxurious but minimalist signature style appears through the mix of manmade embellishments and body conscious pieces, while simple garments are given an element of luxury. read more