The Fashionista Diaries

I have just finished watching the first episode of what I reckon will be the show of the year; The Fashionista Diaries. This fly on the show reality series is a combo of The Apprentice and Ugly Betty. Set in the Big Apple, The Fashionista Diaries follows six twentysomethings trying to make their mark in the ultra competitive world of fashion. Each one of them is placed as a lowly assistant at a prestigious company where they try to land a job. There is Andrew and Rachel who are placed at Jane magazine, a plucky publication for real women. Rachel, 22 from New York is a complete mag hag and knows Jane from back to front and has lots of enthusiasm and initiative. Her colleague Andrew, 24 from Philadelphia is a pretty boy who relishes being the only male in the group of females but unfortunately his confidence does not match his talents. Andrew seems to lack the savviness that it takes to make it in the magazine world; in their meeting with Editor-in-Chief, Brandon Holley both Rachel and Andrew are asked for their opinions on Jane. While Rachel wows Brandon with her knowledge on the brand, Andrew not only admits his ignorance about the publication but commits a faux pau by saying that his favourite mag is GQ. Not good!!

Across the city in the ditzy world of fashion PR, Nicole and Bridget have been placed at Seventh House PR a prestigious company that represents celebrities and fashion designers. Seventh House PR is also the land of the pretty as Nicole finds out very quickly when she is subjected to a public dressing down from director, Mandie Erickson for committing the crime of wearing flip flops to work. Now I would never wear flip flops to work but I really wish that Mandie had taken Nicole to one side and spoken to her about her attire instead of humiliating her like that. Now lets talk about Nicole, at 27 she is the eldest of the pack but to me she acts a lot younger. She just seems to lack so much confidence, unlike all the others she does not have a background in fashion as she was on her way to becoming a psychologist. Nothing wrong with that at all and actually very commendable, except that she keeps going on and on about it and lamenting about her lack of experience. That and the fact that she is from Queens. Sometimes you wish she'd just get over it. Her colleague, Bridget, 25 from Pittsburgh is as different from her as you can imagine, she oozes confidence bordering on arrogance. Bridget is full of catty remarks and put downs and seems to be on her way to becoming the villain of the show. Well that is unless Mandie beats her to it. Frankly, Mandie's unprofessionalism astonishes me, it was clearly not enough for her to humiliate Nicole on her first day but she also decided to badmouth her to Bridget when Nicole did a no show at the end of the programme. Shamesless!

However there are some endearing characters like Kathleen Pierce, the Vice President of Global Communications who own Flirt Cosmetics. She is talented, tough when she needs to be but very tactful when she deals with people. Kathleen's assistants are the no-nonsense Janjay and the outspoken Tina who are poles apart in personality and appearances. Janjay, 22 from Brooklyn is the quiet unassuming grafter whose determined confidence earns her the respect of her peers while Tina is a giggly 24 year old from Long Island who says it like it is. Interesting combo but one that is heading for a showdown very soon. This show is fantastic and totally compulsive viewing. I watched it online on Sunday and I already need another fix. If you are a fan of Project Runway or Project Catwalk then you will love this.

The Fashionista Diaries airs on Wednesday on Soapnet at 9pm, you can watch it online or download it from iTunes. By the way the breaking news is that Jane magazine has folded so Rachel and Andrew will be moved over to CosmoGirl and the magazine's demise will be documented. It should make very interesting viewing and as they say, 'The revolution will be accessorized.'

Simone Williams

What do you get when you blend the originality and delicacy of designer pieces with the accessibility of high street chic? The answer is a delightful fashion label called Simone Williams whose latest collection has been inspired by the ultra glamour goddess herself, Marilyn Monroe. Using leather strips as her trademark, Williams produces a selection of delectable dresses that any lady would be proud to put on her back. Looking for that special dress for a cocktail party or a dinner or a posh do then look no further. Simone Williams is owned, designed, packaged and managed by the dynamic duo of Simone Williams and Ronke Lawal. With just three years under their belts, these two feisty women have a lot to celebrate as they have just signed a deal to have the label sold in Moborak, a chic boutique based in Leeds. I caught up with the ladies to find out what's all and good in the glamorous life of fashion.

How did the two of you meet?
We met on the council estate that we grew up on – in our local park at around 8 years of age.

Who performs what role in your partnership?
Simone is the creative vision behind the label, she designs and makes the pieces as well as styling for shoots and fashion shows. I am the business-minded entity – focusing on the organisation, marketing and branding of the label.

What are the brand qualities of your label?
Strong sense of femininity and sensuality make up the core vision behind the Simone Williams brand. It’s the wearability of each garment that reflects Simone’s desire to celebrate the beauty of womanhood, hoping that any woman that sees a Simone Williams dress will see herself in it.

What do you get your ideas from when designing your items?
Simone gets her ideas from everything and anything – a simple flower in the garden or the city landscape can excite her creative energy and drive her to design something amazing.

Which designers do you admire?
Roberto Cavalli and Oscar de la Rente

What is your take on celebrities who are now designing collections?
Its an interesting new trend, the main idea being following a desire to dress like the celebrity designing the clothes. It can take away attention from new and raw talent on the market however fashion is a business which can be quite biased; focusing more on who you know than what you know. We feel that regardless of this fact quality and talent always shines through eventually.

What are your grand plans for Simone Williams?
To take the brand to the international arena – this is more than just another fashion label. We’re here to stay and really want the whole world to one day be able to see this home grown talent from Hackney, East London . We would love to be able to take part in the world Fashion Weeks and supply major international boutiques and stores. It can only get bigger and better from this point onwards.

Where can people buy your collection?
They can log onto http://www.simonewilliams.co.uk/stockists.html and as of next week Mobarak – 1 Harrogate Road, Leeds.

Picture from Simone Williams

The Shopaholic Series

One of my favorite books are the 'Shopaholic' series; they are written by Sophie Kinsella and are a collection of books about a character called Becky Bloomwood. The titles are Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties Knot, Shopaholic and Sister, Shopaholic and Baby. They are all riveting books and have developed something of a cult following. Becky is a financial journalist who shares a lovely flat in a lovely part of London and has a pretty charmed life. A few years out of University, she is on the career path and living a life full of fun and challenges just like many other twentysomethings. The problem is that Becky has money issues due to the fact that she cannot stop spending and has amassed thousands of pounds in debt. So what does she do? She burys her head in the sand, hides her credit card and bank statements and carries on spending. I read this book on a very long flight from Sydney to Tokyo in 2000 and take it from me, time flew by very quickly and I was really sad when I finished the book. Confessions of a Shopaholic is a warm, funny, witty and pacy book and most important of all, Becky is very endearing. There are times when you want to strangle her because of the silly things she does but her loyalty to her family and friends win you over. This book proved so popular that it spanned a sequel; Shopaholic Takes Manhattan and after that, three more titles and each one has been as good as the first. We see Becky go from being a single gal about town to a bride to be, wife and a mother and no she does not learn the errors of her ways and still continues to splurge and get herself in scrapes. However, let me tell you, the lady has spirit and she is one of my favourite fictional characters of all time.

Picture from Sophie Kinsella website

The Clothes Show

The 80s is a decade that will always be dear to me because it is when I spent most of my teens, discovered my love for books and magazines and also when TV was at its finest. There were some brilliant TV shows on in the 80s and one of them was The Clothes Show. It was the ultimate style bible and was showed the latest trends and what was hot in fashion. It was fronted by the frosty Selina Scott, the passionate designer Jeff Banks who apparently runs Graduate Fashion Week and the wonderful TV presenter, Brenda Emmanus. The cool and kooky Caryn Franklin joined a few years later to add an edge to the mix. The demise of the show in the 90s was a complete shock as it left a massive gap in fashion which was never really filled. Thankfully, The Clothes Show has been revived and is now alive and kicking on UKTV Style. Caryn Franklin is thankfully still there but she is joined by Brendan Courtnay and the sweet as apple pie, Louise Redknapp. I managed to catch an episode of the show and I was very impressed. The show is slicker than slick and has many exciting elements to it such as 'Catwalk Challenge' where Caryn is joined by a selection of fashion editors who provide tips on the seasons best buys. There is also stop and search where Louise stops chic looking people in the street to interrogate them about what they are wearing and where they got it from. Now I thought the Brits were a bashful lot when it came to being on camera but the people on The Clothes Show are totally at ease with this. There is also a great slot called 'Body Matters' where Caryn offers valuable advice about how to dress for your body and this week her muse was a young lady who was over six feet tall. Another great segment is 'Stop & Chop', where a celeb hairdresser grabs an unsuspecting punter and treats them to an impromptu new hairstyle. Thsi week we had Nicky Clarke tending to the tresses of a busy PR lady. All this packed in an hour. Whew, I felt pretty exhausted after watching The Clothes Show but very inspired at the same time. The snazzy production values and gorgeous cinematography really capture the excitement and vibrancy of the fashion scene and I will definately be tuning into the next show.

You can catch The Clothes Show on Monday at 10.00am on UKTV Style.

Picture courtesy of UKTV Style press office