I love shops that have that old world feel to them, you just know that there is something extraordinary inside and I love antique jewellery. Bentley & Skinner specialise in fine antique jewels from Faberge and silver to an array of diamonds. They have been buying and selling jewellery for over 180 years.

Much of their jewellery is from private auctions or purchased privately. Jewellery and accessories are key to creating a personal style, and by adding an antique piece of jewellery it helps to create a more personal unique look.

8 New Bond Street, London W1

I went to the Links of London press day and they were offering illustrations by Sophie McElligott and in less then 5 miniutes she drew this illustration of my fashion assistant, Stephanie!

The event took place at an art gallery on London’s very fashionable Dover Street. Links of London is very popular for it’s charm bracelets. I notice girls wearing them all the time. I’m particularly fond of clock faces - not so much the watch itself but really the face, oh and I love keys!

Sophie has been drawing since she was little - her parents didn’t like her to watch TV so Sophie drew instead. She went to art school in Italy and did life drawing and then studied fashion at St Martins and Middlesex.

It was so much fun to be drawn by someone, you feel a bit embarrassed but bit special too! I love this image, I feel like a cool villain in a video game!!

For many designers function versus fashion is optional.

- But if you’re making a watch that’s going to outer space, this is function at it’s most extreme. Somehow Seiko has manage to create a watch that displays the most accurate time in the world in outer space that looks cool! The watch maybe the only piece of jewellery that we wear that serves both as function and fashion. Seiko celebrated the launch of the Seiko Spring Drive Space Walk at one of London’s tallest building “The Gherkin”. This watch is deigned to keep accurate time during space travel and a space walk! As a fashionista I’ve really never thought how does one keep time in outer space? Hmmm, it’s actually a huge question. Just the pure mechanics & the weather, how do you keep time in extreme climates -20C to +70C? You can’t wear a battery operated watch for safety reasons and a mechanical watch can’t retain it’s accuracy in these temperatures. So Seiko created a Spring Drive that has Tri-synchro Regulators.

In October 2008, Richard Garriott, the renowned video game designer and adventurer, will become the sixth private space explorer. This is an image of the Spring Drive Spacewalk as Richard plans to wear it when he goes into free space!

Things to know when you’re designing a watch that will be worn in outer space.

This was the most amazing view and as close to space as I’ll ever get. It’s really important to think about locations for a press launch and how the location represents the brand. This space couldn’t have been more ideal for The Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk. At the very top of The Gherkin there is a reception room and of course it’s high in the sky like a glass rocket. You feel amazing and just lucky to be in such a unique space.

For those of us not going to the moon I like the Seiko Kinetic watches. I just like the idea of kinetic watches - it utilize the power from the human body to keep the watch running! So what happens if you take the watch off for a while? Well Seiko Kinetic have a 6 month power reserve. So there are no excuses for being fashionably late!

To celebrate the launch of The William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery the V&A Museum invited Comfort Station amongst 18 other designers & artists to create an exclusive piece of jewellery as part of their “Cherry on the Cake” collection.

I love this necklace:inside the book are secret treasures & inspirations from the V&A including fabric samples, prints, wallpapers, ink drawings, illustrated catalogues.
Comfort Station was started by the lovely Amy Anderson after completing a fine art degree at the Ruskin, Oxford. Amy had many adventures from working in sculpture, photography and video installation all before creating bags fashioned in oak and jewellery with secrets & hidden messages. Each piece of jewellery is handmade in the Comfort Station studio in East London.

I like going to the Debenham’s press day, it’s quite impressive as it was in a big marquee right in central London. They show womenswear, lingerie, accessories and homeware. I usually like how it’s merchandised and the how each section is theme based.

I met Eric Van Peterson a few years ago, on a shoot. He was so kind and gentle. He’s originally from the States and after backpacking through Europe he moved to London where he met his wife Lyn at the original Hard Rock Cafe. He had a stall in Camden selling “objets d’art” and jewellery and later open a shop near Sloane Square. In 1981 he and his wife opened their Walton Street store and started creating their own jewellery designs. Their jewellery is very distinct so it’s not surprising that they have a large celebrity following including Cher, David Bowie, Goldie Hawn, Yasmin Le Bon, Michael Douglas and Ringo Starr.

Theo Fennell, Erikson Beamon & Eric Van Peterson all have collection for Debenhams.

This is titled New Goth.

I think we tend to forget or ignore how important department stores are in the fashion retail world. If you live outside a major city a department store can offer you the latest trends and since most of them have a concessions shops you have access to numerous designers and high street looks.

FYI:Debenhams has a total of 135 department stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland and 10 Desire by Debenhams stores, which are a new small store concept featuring a mix of womenswear, accessories, lingerie, cosmetics and childrenswear. Debenhams has a further 40 international franchise stores in 16 countries.

Designers at Debenhams include: Matthew Williamson, Betty Jackson, John Rocha, Jasper Conran, Julian MacDonald, Ben Di Lisi, Antoini & Alison and French Frost.

We had a great shoot day. We did lots of prep for this shoot; we went to PRs and designers and found lots of fabulous dresses!!! It was an easy, happy shoot day - lots of shoots are - everyone wants to get as much out of the shoot as possible and to do a really good job. It’s great to work with people who really love and care about what they are doing - it makes a difference. The hair and make-up were great, this was really important because it brings everything to life. Alex Foden, (also Amy Winehouse’s hair stylist) did the hair, he not only styled it but did the cut & colour - how fab is he, and Samantha Hosker did the make-up!

The first English Bakelite phone!

Bakelite was used to make tape measure! Check out Old Tools, they have lots cool items and a good selection of tape measures!

We often see many fashion items and we don’t know their influences or their significance. Top Shop and most high street shops have a good selection of plastic bracelets that are art Deco inspired and a plastic bracelet is nice but it doesn’t seem very special until you start looking at the original ones and their history.
Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-American chemist working in New York applied for The “Heat and Pressure Patent” on July 14th, 1907. The name Bakelite was originally a brand - trademark name, but it’s become a generic term for all phenolic resin products. It’s hard to imagine that one patent was used in so many different objects: saxophone mouthpieces, cameras, solid-body electric guitars, rotary-dial telephones, tape measures, early machine guns, appliance casings and jewellery. Many of these pieces have become collectors items and are extremely sought over. Phenolics are presently used in the electronics, power generation and aerospace industries.
In London you can find a selection of the popular JMP (Paris) 70s Bakelite jewellery pieces - manufactured for Dior at Palette London.

The team!!

Great Assistants!

Karen Millen hosting the event

Kit - she said she reads my blog -how cool!!!

A Louis Mariette headpiece!

There were lots of fabulous people at this event, Christina is one of them!

Model Lianna Fowler was at the casting, I met her at the PPQ party a while back so I’m so happy we can cast her. I think she’s fab!
I love styling shows and working with designers. I’ve been styling a fashion show this week. There’s lots to organize: you need a hair and make up team, a manicurist, dressers, and music for the show etc. You might need shoes & stockings etc. Most importantly it’s all about the model. Castings can take time but when you find the right girl it’s worth it! You know you want someone tall who fit’s the clothes perfectly and has a certain look and then it becomes about personality. Of course the model has to meet certain criteria but then the finally casting is all about the girl!

I loved choosing the jewellery for the show. I went to Old Bond Street to look at all sorts of wonderful necklaces, earrings and bracelets that we might use! It’s so exiting to see the looks come together. Should be fun!

I really enjoyed Premiere Classe. I love accessories and the selection was overwhelming - there are over 300 vendors; there were 3 glove exhibitors, 79 shoes designers, 80 jewellery designers, 51 hat designers, 81 bag designers plus scarf, sunglasses and umbrella designers! I think it’s so difficult to be a buyer!!!
Amy from Comfort Station has been showing at Premiere Classe for several seasons!

This is the lovely Lara Bohinc showing her new collection in Paris. Lara has collaborated for Gucci and Lanvin, and she’s currently working as a design consultant for Cartier. Lara’s style is very recognizable, with her knot motifs and chunky jewellery. Her bags are gorgeous and I love using them in shoots.

Lara studied industrial design at the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts in Slovenia and then did an MA in jewellery and metalwork at the Royal College of Art London. The following year Lara debuted her collection at London Fashion Week and won the New Generation Design Award!

Lara’s client base that reads like a who’s who: Madonna, Kate Moss, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani. She’s just recently opened up a shop in London at 149F Sloane Street.

If you’re looking for a pre-loved authentic Chanel 2.55 bag French Touch is the place to find one. Samantha Thayi is the owner and she’s collected so many delightful little bags, scarves and accessories!

French Touch
11 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London WC2H 9JN

If you don’t know the name Hannah Martin you should. Vivienne Westwood, Christopher Bailey and shoe designer Georgina Goodman are all fans and Givenchy and Cartier have asked her to consult for them. Hannah’s jewellery is like sculpture - it feels luxurious, and you feel powerful when you wear it. It’s very masculine: she uses Tahitian black pearls, 18-carat red gold, diamonds, rubies and black sapphires.

I love this ring. It’s solid 18-carat gold and black rhodium with traditional pavé set brilliant cut rubies. I’m not really an accessory girl although I like lots things but it’s rare that I find some thing I want - and I want this ring. I think Hannah Martin is amazing, actually I want most of her collection - it’s just so very rock ‘n’ roll!

When I did the online chat yesterday for koodos.com the most frequent request was for suggestions for party dresses. Here’s my latest “Dress for Your Shape” article for Health & Fitness magazine.

I think the most important thing is to not be afraid of dressing up! It’s much better to be the one at the party who went all out and got really dressed up, than to be the person who’s not dressed as festive as everyone else, so it’s the season where you should really just go for it!

I love tea parties and this one was for the launch of Red or Dead’s Watch Collection. I think a tea party is always a great event - what girl doesn’t love cake?! I love cake; it always looks so inviting, so delicious and tempting that I can’t decide what I want. I almost can’t think at all! Yet somehow cake always seems to disappoint me, it’s never as delicious as it looks, it’s so deceiving; the excitement and the high of choosing a piece of cake is so grand that perhaps the taste cannot live up to my expectations. Ice cream, on the other hand, although not as aesthetically pleasing as cake but nice enough, generally seems to taste quite nice. I am almost never disappointed by ice cream, but the anticipation just isn’t there.

The watches were quite lovely and fun. Lots of bright colours and some really great styles. I never wear a watch to tell the time, I use my mobile for that, I think a watch has really become an accessory. More so for a women than men. I think a watch is still really a status symbol for a man and of course it can be too, for a certain type of woman but for the most part I think we wear a watch more as an accessory.

This is Katie Greenyer, the creative director of Red or Dead. How super cute is she!

Guess Jeans founder George Marciano bought the largest brilliant-cut top - quality diamond ever to be offered at an auction. The diamond received the highest possible grading from the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), making it the purest ever to appear at auction in a round cut shape. The diamond weighs 84.37 carats and was bought for just under 16.2 million USD. Marciano has named it after his daughter, the “Chloe Diamond”! What a great dad!!

Source:Reuters

I do love accessories, although I have to confess I often run out of the house without being bejeweled at all, only to find myself hours later feeling naked, disheveled and a bit unhappy. I find if I wear something shiny and it catches my eye during the day, it some how pleases me and makes my day a bit nicer. I was recently visiting jewellery shops on New Bond street and was partial to some lovely necklaces in Boucheron. I love platinum - I’m not really a gold girl. But, oh to go to the Sotheby’s autumn semi annual jewel sale in Geneva. Wouldn’t that be a treat!

We forget how tactile jewelry is, that it’s handmade, created by an artist. One of the reasons I love going to nude contemporary jewellery is I get to watch Nikki making jewelery. You just don’t think of a jeweler as a metal worker, someone who works with their hands!

Jewellery has become such a big part of fast fashion- which is great because it means that people are using accessories to create a whole look. But how do you make your look personal? I think boutique shopping is the answer. If you want to have some individual style, jewellery boutiques that offer something special and unique that’s not available on the high street.