Pure and Scoop International A/W11

This Friday may have been the first day of London Fashion Week but last weekend was the real start of London’s fashion whirl, beginning with PURE and a new exhibition Scoop International. PURE, located at Olympia, is a well-established trade fair for brands to show their collections to department store and independent fashion buyers, bloggers, stylists etc. For the first time the show was split between Olympia and Earls Court, the latter being where PURE Spirit was being held, which had younger brands and menswear. PURE is a very commercial show with brands such as Inwear, Jackpot and Sticky Fingers. I really loved the Darling stand and especially liked the below cream dress (www.darlingclothes.com).

I love the 3/4 sleeves and jewelled neckline

These fabulous plates were on the outside of the stand... so pretty!

Do I spy a fondant fancy??

Also, I was introduced to a feminine and very well priced brand called Valour & Valkyrie (www.valourandvalkyrie.com) by Gemma Wiseman, owner of this years Drapers Independent Store of the Year (they have 2 stunning stores, one in Stowe-on-the-Wold and the other in Cheltenham, www.shopfoundation.com). Described as ”stylish, easy to wear pieces with distinct detailing and a dash of ready to wear glamour, the range is inspired by ethereal illustrations from the turn of the century, classic black and white films and the craft in creating a garment”. The collection isn’t very big but there were some very lovely pieces with equally lovely price points. And with blouses retailing at £55 and dresses from £60, what’s not to love?

My favourite pieces were the Marje Blouse (£54.99) and Valenti dress (£69.99)…

Marje Blouse from Valour & Valkyrie

Valenti dress by Valour & Valkyrie

After dashing around the rest of PURE and bumping into my friend Katie from Threadmaker (www.threadmaker.co.uk) and more buyers than usual (a sign that people are keeping their eyes open more than ever for “something new” even though times are tough in the retail trade) I had to rush off to a new exhibition for A/W 11 Scoop International which was being held at the fabulous Saatchi Gallery on The Kings Road in Chelsea. It was raining which meant that getting there was a nightmare as there wasn’t a taxi to be seen anywhere. I did manage to locate one after a mile walk in the drizzle which meant I arrived at Scoop looking somewhat less than polished, hair slightly frizzy and pretty much make-up-less!

Scoop is “where fashion meets art, showing fashion and lifestyle brands in a cutting edge and contemporary space…focusing on premium designer and contemporary collections, accessories, emerging designer brands.” There were well known collections such as Sara Berman, Ella Luna and Margit Brandt and many others I’d never heard of. I’m very interested to see what brands come on board for next season because there is definitely a gap in the market for a more contemporary and designer exhibition in the UK… so watch this space.

One brand that really caught my eye was a Paris-based jewellery collection called GiRandOleS (www.girandoles.com). Created by friends Isabelle and Louise, these hand-made pieces are works of art. The pair pick up bric-a-brac from local flea markets, mixing these items with real pearls and charms – the result being incredibly personalized and unusual pieces. The ladies were so nice and even though their English wasn’t great, you could tell that they loved what they did and that every bracelet and necklace told a story…

Probably one of my favourites... a plastic gnome, an Eiffel Tower, buttons and a brooch - what more could you want on a necklace??

P.S. I bought the new “It” nail varnish from Chanel called Black Pearl this week… if I’m being honest it’s not quite the colour I thought it was going to be (ok… so I didn’t try it before I bought it – but it’s Chanel, it has to be fabulous!!). But I assumed from the name it was going to be Blacky-grey ish, but it’s got a definte greeny almost mouldy hue to it (have I put you off yet – someone did compliment me on it yesterday so it can’t be that bad!). If you ask me if should be called gun metal or graphite or something… Anyway, I’m sure I’ll love it when I find out it’s sold out all over the country like the last must-have colour did!!

Tags: Chanel Black Pearl nail varnish, Chanel nail varnish, Darling, Darling Clothes, Ella Luna, Fashion blog, Fiona Huntingford, Flea markets in Paris, Foundation Cheltenham, GiRandOleS, Girandoles Paris, Inwear, Jackpot, Margit Brandt, Pure Olympia, Sara Berman, Scoop International, Shopfoundation, Sticky Fingers, Style Struck, Styling blog, Styling in the City, The Saatchi Gallery, Threadmaker, Threadmaker.co.uk, Valour & Valkyrie