Pushing That Extra Half an Inch

While adding an extra buzz to the magazine circulation, November’s front cover of Harper’s Bazaar has been as ornate as it has been a selling tool. A fresh faced Victoria Beckham, dressed in a slinky golden cami, is of course a reliable sale of a magazine that speaks the language of mainstream-to-upper fashion. And what a handy write-up for Mrs Beckham.

As Posh now releases her second book, the former Spice Girl’s appearance in Harper’s isn’t just a quick win for Alison Veness-McGourty alone. The book, That Extra Half an Inch, which we mentioned some time ago, covers Posh’s own advice on how to make the most of your wardrobe and look extra super-fabulous at all times. “Looking good isn't about money, it's about style”, says Victoria and adds that “style never goes out of fashion”. A statement like this may come across as the usual celeb-babble, but Posh proves she is well respected among both young fans as well as the fashion-circle.

As Posh now is making a serious career of her life-long passion, the first step in the style transformation has been to ditch the hair extensions that have become synonymous with WAG wannabes. Turning up in New York Fashion Week in a new sassy bob, she debuted no less than 10 high-fashion ensembles in the four days she spent there.

Henrik Vibskov, Copenhagen

Guys around the globe have been topping up their list of must-visit fashion stores in Copenhagen. The coolest spot where all Danish blonde babes will be cruising is Henrik Vibskov’s flagship store. The much-anticipated store, which opened up yesterday, is located on Krystalgade 6, not far from the prestigious promenade at Strøget. Born in Denmark, Vibskov graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. With regular shows in Paris fashion week for men, Vibskov’s work is now sold at places like Pineal Eye in London, Midwest in Tokyo, and Shine in Hong Kong. Find out more about his playful collections here and here.

Lost at E Minor

A quick note about an excellent site you may not have visited – run by our friend at Lost at E Minor – Our friend Zac and brother Zolton cover up-to-the-minute arts, fashion and music, but they do it with real style which we totally respect. Their logo and uber-cool t-shirts have been designed by Oz artist Jeremyville whose creative work has gained major international interest.

Fly on the Wall

Following a success with the world first issue of fashion films, the guys at Inside Fly are back again with another issue of sheer indulgence. This time around, there are 14 fashion films, 7 interviews & documentaries and 10 music videos. Contributing designers are Karl Lagerfeldt, Hussein Chalein, Chloe, Marc Jacobs and John Malkovich to name but a few. Having sold out on the first issue in a matter of weeks (including a collector’s edition, designed by Ryan McGinness), this issue named "Words Remembered" is likely to get a similar response. Get it while you can.

Vivienne Westwood: From Punk to Funk

Eccentric Paris glam is only to be expected, when you attend the show of a lady who signs more political petitions, than flashy restaurant bills these days. Not only did she feature her involvement in the Leonard-Peltier case, but she had the studio walls spray-painted in graffiti to add to the experience for the audience.

In the past we’ve seen provocative messages plastered over some of her clothes. Take last summer’s collection for instance, named “Active resistance to propaganda”, where “I am not a terrorist” was printed across the chest. Last night’s theme continued the Westwood tradition. The words “I Am Expensiv” (sic) had been plastered over t-shirts, and she had both a hip-length cape and a skirt to match the grafittied walls.

Unlike most other shows this season, Dame Westwood introduced colours. Pink, purple, bottle-green and yellow were featured most strongly, but the stem colours were lighter shades of grey and crisp white. Shapes were loose-fitted as always - tucked, gathered and layered. There were no corsets and crinoline, no punk nor tartan, but this still wasn’t a far cry from our usual Westwood caricature. Energetic, vibrant and fun. Long live Viv.

When Paris Brings Balenciaga We All Say Hail

Metropolis, Bladerunner, Mad Max, I Robot. There’s a long list of famous futuristic films of this genre. Though there was a striking resemblance to Fritz Lang’s she-robot, last night’s main reference had nothing to do with the full- figured German blonde bombshell from 1926. “The collection,” says Ghesquière, “is a tribute to films like Terminator and Tron”. And futuristic robot-chic was certainly on the agenda, as the audience enjoyed Ghesquière’s masterpieces in Paris.

Although based on skinny, almost gothic, masculine structures, the collection had many other objectives. While delighting a few Marilyn Manson fans, Ghesquière retained feminine touches from the 80’s; draped silk dresses lacquered into pseudo-stiffness. Then came the real icing on the cake: shiny, metallic, armour-structured leggings. This is where we’ll see a guaranteed high street retail blast next year.

Although the skinny, low-ridden signature-pants were on stage again this season, new materials and fabrics had been introduced to make this collection a unique winner. But fabrics aside for a moment, what we loved most was perhaps rare usage of metallics, combined with sharp cuts and minimalist details. Phew! Mind blowing, innovative, sexy, dramatic and tons of attitude.

Read Up on Sofia’s Paris

“This city can change your mood completely,” says director Sofia Coppola as she’s guiding New York Times’ Lynn Hirschberg in an exclusive interview/ Paris shopping guide published in New York Times recently. In the guide she’s introducing everything from her favourite chocolate & pastry shops, to specialist seamstresses, where she’s had some of her mother’s YSL shirts from the 1970’s recreated as silk dresses. We'd say this comes pretty damn handy for some fashionistas in the French capital right now.

Thongs For the Memory

Well we’ve been over-busy with research recently – hence the lull. So – back with a vengeance on Sydney streets again, to find the city leads the world of fashion yet again. It has been a long holiday weekend in NSW, with an Ozzie rules football final on Saturday, and a rugby final yesterday. So Sydney has set the trend for the rest of the year – thongs, shorts and baggy football/rugby tops. (You look simply gorgeous dahling: Mmwah, mmwah). For those of you around the globe thinking thongs are a skimpy form of sexy underwear, er, no such luck. Thongs are better known as flip-flops or slappers elsewhere. The surf dudes wear nothing else (on their feet that is – don’t get excited and book a flight just yet), but here in Sydney city, it just doesn’t seem right. Not to worry – this trend will only be with us for, er, the next six months.