Move over Twiggy, Myleene and Erin, and make way for Lily Cole – the striking new face for Marks and Spencer‘s Limited Collection spring-summer 2008.

I don’t know about you, but aside from their trusty bras and pants, Marks and Spencer’s has never been my first port of call for stylish clobber (probably due to the fact that it’s such a hit with the Blue-rinse Brigade.)

But wow! Do my eyes deceive me? If I’m not mistaken, I do believe that the new Limited Collection is hitting me in all the right spots. I’m in love with just everything in the look book; but then again seeing them worn on by Lilly-the-Leggy will certainly do the trick.

Here are my top picks

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

In case you didn’t know, it’s going to be all about the seaside this spring. So say ‘Hello Sailor!’ with this 40’s nautical inspired dress. Beautiful hues in blues will always look great with a contrasting vibrant red; so really think about adding a hint of scarlet to your ensemble to add a bit of punch; as in the picture below.

Tribal Dancing

This chic tribal halter dress really caught by eye; what with its sleek silhouette and graphic asymmetrical print in. If baring your legs fills you with fear, no worries! This can still work with a pair of leggings, bright tights or even jeans.

Are you a Gladiator?

I’d also like to point those Ethnic Gladiator sandals. Prepare to call upon your inner Maximus Decimus Meridius; as this summer there is going to be a huge fashion love fest for gladiatorial sandals.

Take it High

For that perfect hour glass figure, take it high with this high waisted pencil skirt. It creates a great line as it cinches you in right at the waist. Also say yes to these sexy high shine peep toe shoes, you’d be silly not to.

Yet another bargain is this longline waistcoat! Incidentally this is Lilly’s favourite garment from the collection.

Lily Cole on her favourite pieces from the collection

“I like the big white boyfriend shirt and long cardigan and I love the blue mac. I like the way a lot of the pieces are on-trend while still being individual, which I think is very clever. The collection is very wearable and the quality and finish are both good. I also like their ethical aspirations and plans to introduce more organic and Fairtrade items to the range. Yes, fashion is fundamentally about style and quality but it’s great if it’s responsible too.”Content courtesy of GirlzNight Mag.

Written by Guest Writer Janine Francois

‘Sugar and spice and all things nice that is what little girls are made of,’ preaches the nursery rhyme. Which could not possibly be truer? The Romantic look is back and has been blossoming across the four fashion capitals. Think, frivolous French Aristocrat (pre revolution of course) adorned with ruffles, ribbons and lace. All these embellishments create the look, but it would not be complete without one quintessential item; the bow. The bow provides, the finishing touch, it is the icing on the cake and other such clichés. In a nutshell, the bow will be at the pinnacle for this trend next season.

The bow has always been synonymous with elegance and chic. Year in, year out, the bow has featured on the runways of the Haute Couture shows; it has the connotation of bourgeois. Madam Carven paid homage to bow in her collections and this is still evident under Pascal Millet. Let’s cast our minds back to the late 1940’s, where oversized bows were at the forefront of fashion. Christian Dior 1947 “Corolle” collection, more commercially known as the ”New Look” returned to femininity and bows were used to epitome this. It seems that John Galliano must have been flicking through these archives, for the Dior Spring Summer 2008 show; bows were used as an accessory to nip in the waist.

Speaking of Galliano, his own collection was blazed with bows, especially with her better-looking sibling- the over sized bow. A polka-dot bow was tied under the chins, covering the ear lobes and perked on the heads of the models; appearing like Minnie Mouse.

Giambattista Valli too played with the bow, using it to create empire lines on her floor length gowns. Over in Milan, Moschino seemed to have went bow-crazy, dotting them on: shoulders, lapels, hips and hair. London picked up on this momentum, Biba displayed a sleeveless canary- yellow shirt that used bows instead of buttons. PPQ used onyx-black lace to create a bow across the chest of a body-con number. Across the pond, Zac Posen splashed the bow over a knee length dress spanning from the hip to the breast.

How to wear the bow is down to a matter of taste. If you are gutsy and ooze attitude, try a Madonna inspired look from Desperately Seeking Susan. You could construct your bow in your mane while it runs wild and free. Alternatively, execute perfect revenge, by making your ex-boyfriend wince with regret.

Aspire to a Marilyn Monroe, styled pink strapless dress, with a present bow that sits snugly on your lower back; as seen in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. If that is too extravagant, you could simply tie the bow around your waist to look cute and pretty, like Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.

The prodigy that is Christian Louboutin has masterminded a pair of jet-black stiletto shoes, that has three, two-tone double bows at the back of the shoes.  Priced at £480, these shoes are flying off shelves like hot cakes.

They are currently sold out at Net-a-porter.com, where there is now a waiting list. Myla, the lingerie boutique have the most seductive pair of satin knickers in the shade of Yves Klein blue, with a huge bow that knots on the hips of the wearer. It may not be wearable, but you will never know when it may come in handy. Whilst lurking around Portbello Road, please do check out some of the independent designers, they too have caught the bow-flu.

I often find that some of the greatest things in life we happen upon mistakenly; Penicilin was discovered from everday bread mold, and fashionistas often gush over treasures they’ve found in quaint little shops on trips to Europe. This is a bit like the way I discovered Brit label David David (well, a bit less campy of a tale). I was flipping through the current issue of Missbehave sometime in late September or early October. I had purchased it not only because M.I.A. was the cover girl, but also because Missbehave is just a great mag! Well, to make a long story short, she had on a pair of David David leggings, and I’ve been in love ever since.

While the brightly colored leggings and dizzying patterns that were ever-so popular during the past few seasons are beginning to wane in their popularity, I’ll always have a soft spot for the edgy and offbeat; coming from the girl who grew up wanting to take her sequins and marabou from dress-up time to school time, I’ll always appreciate a little punch of color here and there. But don’t get me wrong, the look is far more tailored than what you might expect when “brightly colored” and “Brit” are mentioned in the same breath. The calculated, geometric prints, juxtaposed with the clean lines make for a nice contrast that is refreshingly more grown-up than a lot of the European fashions du jour. But alas, that’s their Spring/ Summer 2008 collection. And although the winter isn’t even here yet, I’m more than anxious for the warm weather to resurface looking at what they have in store.

– Posted by Virginia Jackson-Reed for WeAreTheMarket.com

Last night, I attended a very special event for More Magazine and Wilhelmina Modeling Agency, where ten finalists strutted down the runway wearing exclusive designs by Heidi Weisel. They were competing to win one of three modeling contracts and a prize package worth more than $90,000. The event, held at Cipriani’s on 42nd, was hosted by Oscar-nominated actress, Joan Allen, who served as co-host with the new Editor in Chief of More, Lesley Jane Seymour.

“We are lucky enough to celebrate 10 women with beauty, brains and style in our 10th anniversary year,” explained More’s newly appointed Editor-in-Chief, Lesley Jane Seymour. “Our three winners embody the spirit of the More woman. They have all shown success within their lives and now they will embark on new and exciting modeling careers showing the world what over 40 really looks like.”

Chung Winstanley, 45, from Short Hills, NJ – GRAND PRIZE WINNER

File this under: Oversaturated, but the Clipse (the rap duo that came out with the song “I’m So Krispy”, ah the title makes sense now) is coming out with a clothing label. Guess they finally wised up and decided to follow in the footsteps of Jay-Z (Rocafella), G-Unit (G-Unit Clothing), Eminem (Shady), Diddy (Sean John), Pharell (Billionaire Boys Club), Nelly (Apple Bottoms), Andre Benjamin (who knows???) and Kanye (Pastelle). Glad you finally made it to the foray boys. The collection is filled the “usual suspect” streetwear and will add more items, such as jeans, to its repertoire in the near future. For more on the rapper/designer (a.k.a. thank god for licensing deals cause no records are selling) check below.

Pastelle [by Kanye West]

If one day you’re known from dressing like Carlton Banks and the next looking like a cast member from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, then no matter what you release from your line, your audience is going to be disappointed.

Pastelle may be the most polarizing label when it drops; it may be too out there for the conventional shoppers or too mainstream for the fashionista crowd. And anyone in the middle won’t trip, as Ralph Lauren & co already satisfies their wardrobe conundrums.

Plus, imagine the awkwardness of telling a girl that the sweater you’re wearing is from a label called Pastelle. You may as well tell her that you were born without a penis.

Eight 732 [by Young Jeezy]

After only dropping two albums, Young Jeezy decided that he may as well have his own line. Originally it was called U.S.D.A., after Jeezy’s click, but since the real USDA [the ones who inspect meat (nullus)] weren’t about to have their named soiled by Snowman, he had it changed to Eight 732, the letters that correspond the letters U-S-D-A on a standard telephone keypad.

You can’t make this stuff up. Trust us, we’ve tried.

Todd Smith [by LL Cool J]

Ladies may Love Cool James, but dudes probably won’t like his style. Sure, LL is the same guy that helped FUBU pop back in the day but considering that he’s not only about 20 years late to the rapper-wear game and is known more for having his shirt off than on, the likelihood of Todd Smith becoming the next Sean John is as slim as Immortal Technique having the number one video on 106 & Park.

Or LL for that matter.

Foreign Money (mens) & Double U (womens) [both by Lil’ Wayne]

It’s common knowledge that Lil’ Wayne spends more time drinking cough syrup and getting arrested than he does writing rhymes, so what makes him think people are going to be checking for his clothing line?

While no one has any idea what any of it looks like, (or if they will ever actually exist now that he’s looking at an up north trip) we will say that naming his women’s line “Double U” may actually take the award for Worst Name For a Rapper’s Clothing Line away from Young Jeezy.

RoyElz [by Juelz Santana]

Come to think of it, Juelz Santana may be in the running for the award of Worst Name For a Rapper’s Clothing Line too.

Santana could have taken the easy route and come out with a line of signature bandannas, but instead took the easy route as he is looking to drop apparel. As Allhiphop.com puts it RoyElz,

…does not imitate Dipset Capo Jim Jones’ Nostic clothing line.

Nostic [by Jim Jones]

That’s right, Jim Jones has a clothing line, too. But that’s all we’re going to say about that.

We like our Kufis where they are, thank you very much.

Trillion and Truly [by Lupe Fiasco]

Out of all the rapper-wear out there, Lupe’s line could be the Superstar breakout star.

Think about it: he’s got the loyal fan base, understands the market (he did have a blog on Hypebeast after all) and would be working with some of the big guys in streetwear from Japan and the U.K. to release his line.

But with recent claims of “shooting TEC-9s when we were babies,” it seems that Trillion and Truly could be end up being more ARME x Baby Gap than Maharishi x W) Taps.

CEO [by Dame Dash]

Dame Dash may not be a rapper by definition, but you’ve heard him on more tracks than those two other guys in The Black Eyed Peas, so he gets a pass. After he split from the Roc-A-Fella Dynasty, he attempted to launch his own clothing line aptly named, CEO. Presumably it’s for the Chief Executive Officer in all of us.

Think of it as the hip-hop equivalent to the Donald J. Trump Signature suit collection.

Shady LTD [by Eminem]

When Shady LTD. debuted, Eminem was one of the – if not the biggest- selling rappers out.

However, when Shawn Carter rocked Rocawear and it flew off the shelves. When Marshall Mathers rocked Shady LTD. and it was a clear indication that nobody would ever take Detroit Fashion Week seriously.

Makaveli Branded [the estate of Tupac Shakur]

We’re not really sure how putting the late, great Tupac Shakur’s face on pair of jeans pays homage to his life and legacy, but then again we’re really not sure how even in death, he’s still managed to release more albums than Raekwon The Chef, so we’ll digress on this one.

Fetish [by Eve]

Right now, Fetish is currently on its third launch.

It takes NASA less attempts to launch a shuttle into space and they’re successful without having had a TV show, multi-platinum albums, Dr. Dre or being BFFs with Gwen Stefani.

If the clothing game didn’t work out twice thus far, it may be time to wrap it up and apply the Fetish name to something more fitting, like a line of whips, chains and gimp masks.

We’d keep this post going but there’s way too many rappers with clothing deals to list. Feel free to throw them in the comments.

[Hint: Fabolous, Busta Rhymes, DMX, Snoop Dogg, Master P, Foxy Brown, & Lil’ Kim have all had clothing lines. As you can imagine, they’ve been awesome.]

Courtesy of Satchel of Gravel

Simple and clean-cut, with an exciting twist. This young Russian designer strives for “stability in the crazy world of fashion.” Showing on February 3rd, Alexander Terexov put on an elegant show – he started the show with a black long sleeve wool dress detailed with a black belt. For color, he uses red, purple, and burgundy pieces to give his collection a range hues. He plays around with minidresses, turtle necks, and jackets, which he accents with a belt or a bow.

Terexov still considers himself a “very young designer”, with that he is “eager to learn more” … and we’re excited to see what he has in store for the future!

Entire collection available on GettyImages.

Amy and Sam were like two meteors – one from New Jersey and one from The Bronx- crashing into each other in the workplace, which happened to be a heavy metal record label. But it wasn’t a messy crash; it was slicked in lip gloss and smoky eye make up.Realizing their mutual adoration of metal music and gorgeous make up, the two forged a beautiful friendship, offering each other tips, suggestions, support, and often sneaking into the company bathroom to play with that new eye shadow they bought on their lunch break.

Sam has a degree in fashion and is a certified make up artist, actively continuing her education in the make up industry by attending courses, workshops, and enjoying he regular make up gigs such as fashion shows and photo shoots where she is in high demand. Always with her finger on the pulse and with an eye for style and an ability to transform a plain face into a flawless, work of art, Sam knows the ins and outs of make up and loves sharing her knowledge with everyday girls, helping them feel more confident and working with them on an individual basis, teaching them how to apply make up. There’s a lot make up artists in NYC, but there’s only one Sam.

Amy is a veteran rock journalist, spending (or misspending, depending on who you ask) her youth backstage at rock shows and rocking out. She also spends her days as a professional babysitter for rock stars, and loves every minute of it. Along the way, she fell in love with make up and refuses to be seen without eyeliner, mascara (she used to resist using it because of her impossible-to-curl lashes, but after Sam taught her how to apply it correctly, she was hooked), or lip gloss. In between calling radio stations and writing press releases at work, Amy often saunters over to Sam’s desk for her critique of her daily eyeshadow look, which Sam was always waiting for while dealing with $10 million budgets. Amy has been writing about beauty products for 3 years, offering herself as a guinea pig for the hottest new products, willingly. Oftentimes, coworkers at the office asked Amy and Sam for advice, tips. Angela, the make up loving receptionist, never went a day without saying, “Your eye make up looks amazing today.”

Realizing that they were doling out advice and suggestions by the hour, the lightbulb went off and Fashion Indie caught on. It was time to go beyond the office. Hip and fun-loving, girly girls at heart, with a love for super aggressive music, Amy and Sam want to share their knowledge. They’re not snobby, elitist, hipster, too cool for room, nose thumbers or bitches. They love make up. They love fashion. They love talking to other people about what they like. And they want to talk to the readers of Fashion Indie.

www.myspace.com/slennonmakeup

www.myspace.com/amysciarretto