Fred Perry x No Doubt: A Supercool Collaboration for 2013

Be still, my beating heart - it's time to rock steady as one of the most perfectly matched collaborative efforts of the fashion and music world hits stores in early 2013. Say hello to a meeting of stylish minds as the talented team at Fred Perry fuses with the unutterably cool band No Doubt, whose recent revival could not be more welcome in my eyes. Having had much of my childhood and teenage years defined by songs like Don't Speak, Hella Good and Ex-Girlfriend, I was really excited to see what this collaboration would look like. 

Not your average bomber jacket - this one has the edge of Gwen Stefani (£150). 

[All images via FredPerry.com]

What I'd style it with: 

Feel free to mix up your look with this one, as the jacket combines a classic American shape with British tartan. Bombers are great for teaming with black miniskirts and Doc Martens, but if you want to smarten up the look then team yours with oxblood or navy heeled ankle boots instead. Keep make-up minimal: just add a slick of lead singer Gwen's failsafe red lipstick - I've heard that she uses MAC's Russian Red.

 The classic slim fit shirt (£60) gets its reggae on.

What I'd style it with:

There's no question that this piece works best with trousers, but the style is fairly flexible - skintight, drop-waist with braces, capri pants or even one of this season's single-stripe trousers, seen everywhere from George at Asda to J. Crew. Just make sure you don't wear it with flares under any circumstances, or you really will be taking things too far. Instead, be playful with make-up and add liquid eyeliner in one of the reggae colours from the No Doubt stripe - red, yellow or green - before either slicking back your hair or adding a quiff.

 There's a colourful but preppy edge to the v-neck sweater (£90).

What I'd style it with:

I would dress this down for daytime with a vintage calf-length skirt in a plain colour - either a 50s-style full skirt (perhaps with a petticoat) or something a little more figure-hugging from the 40s. Alternatively, tailored charcoal trousers with low-heeled court shoes or slouched boots would also work. If you wanted to accent the magenta in the pattern then now's the time to do it, as both Sonia Rykiel and 3.1 Phillip Lim are currently selling trousers in this colour.

The pieces won't be available until next year, but that isn't going to dampen the enthusiasm for many of us, especially as you can pre-register your interest online to be notified about when each product goes on sale. As with any Fred Perry range, the price point can seem prohibitive, but you are paying for a heritage label which has die-hard brand advocates from all backgrounds: it's just that some of us save up for a little bit longer than others in order to pay for that coveted laurel wreath. 

There's a whole sub-section on their website discussing emotional attachment, which is something that is much rarer with today's in-your-face labels who have to chuck special offers at you every five minutes and run re-tweet and follow competitions to get your attention. The fact that Perry has its own entire music-filled subculture, enjoyed by people of all ages, is a testament to its enduring appeal. By joining together with No Doubt, the brand has proved that it still knows what the people want.

Illustrations: Maison Martin Margiela for H&M

Tonight I'm off to the Vogue and GQ preview event to celebrate the launch of Maison Martin Margiela for H&M, which will be available online and in store from tomorrow morning. This has to be one of my favourite collaborations, especially as MMM is so intelligent as a brand and creates clothing that makes people think (rather than treat it as disposable). The archives have been well and truly raided to put together this much cheaper line, and it's your chance to get your hands on a piece of designer history.

I whipped up a few quick (read: badly executed) illustrations to celebrate, and to help put together my wishlist.

 This dress is available in black or a really bright cerulean blue.

I loved the redundant sleeve detail (on the left hand side here) which just hangs in the air.

 Plexiglass heels are having a bit of a moment right now, from Celine to Office.

I'm sure these will be a big seller on the shop floor as they're really minimalist.

The half-maxi, half-mini dress isn't one for the faint-hearted.

If you're up for the challenge then this would look great with tons of rings and bangles.

Three Margiela trademark touches to look out for across the whole brand:

• Unfinished edges and obvious oversize tailor stitching on jackets
• Unexpected use of materials - think emulsion in the main line, and fake hair on necklaces and belts as jacket material in the H&M range
• Carefully used bursts of colour - you won't look like you've been attacked by poster paints. Colour is used to accent (such as the tattoo-print top) or in blocks

If you're planning to shop the collection then I'll meet you in the queue...

Calculating Blogger ROI: Why Travel Bloggers Are Lightyears Ahead

Last week I headed off to World Travel Market (WTM) 2012, as part of my work, and it was a brilliant opportunity to find out what one of the blogging world's most innovative sectors is getting up to. Travel bloggers are some of the best networkers and negotiators, as well as being incredibly nice people, and they know how to make an impact. When I attended a seminar on how to measure a blogger's Return on Investment (ROI), I was fairly intrigued as to how this could be done, as a fashion blogger as well as a travel industry insider. 

I figured this photo had the wanderlust/style crossover covered.

[Image my own, taken at a vintage fair in Brighton].

Knowing that the seminar was being run by Melvin Böcher of Traveldudes and Keith Jenkins of Velvet Escape, I felt that I'd be in pretty safe hands - these guys are two of the most successful bloggers in the travel sector and they certainly know what they're talking about. It was chaired by the head of TBU (Travel Bloggers Unite) and showed just how supportive and well integrated these bloggers are.

A Gap in the Market

"It seemed strange that there was no way to calculate ROI on my press trips, yet I had 80,000 unique visitors to Traveldudes," said Melvin, reflecting on his website. "In contrast, I worked on a local newspaper which had 30,000 unique visitors but also had 50 members of staff; I have assistance with Traveldudes but I am the only full-time person running it."

The idea was then planted to measure your blog's success based on a combination of factors such as your AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent), Google Analytics statistics and your impact on others, such as your scores on Klout and Peer Index as well as how much you could charge for a sponsored tweet. The overall rating, applying AVE principles to content and social media outreach, would then help organisations to work out if it would be good value to collaborate with you on press trips or other opportunities. 

No, you don't need to be psychic to calculate ROI.

[Image my own, taken in Boston, USA].

Jo Johnson,deputy MD of 4BGB, said: "This is what has been missing in terms of evaluation. The travel industry really wasn't sure of the value of bloggers vs. print media. For example, the value of getting re-tweets hadn't ever been calculated, but it is important, such as if Melvin [with 100,000 followers] re-tweets you."

I can see why the travel industry is keen to improve evaluation and pinpoint those key bloggers - if you're working in fashion or beauty then you can easily send out samples or organise a press day and work to a smaller budget, whereas the travel industry is investing a lot more money in detailed press trips. What's also worth bearing in mind is that the majority of fashion bloggers are happy to post about product launches and deals, but their travel equivalents are a lot more wary about working with brands and often ask for payment. This means that developing a relationship with a blogger in travel is much more of a long-term investment and is not as simple as sending out a press release.

Your Search Visibility

Meanwhile Keith, from Velvet Escape, brought up an interesting point about how consumers find blogs and how they behave on them. "People might not cite bloggers as reasons for buying a holiday but if they use Google then, chances are, they will come across a blog in the results. They just don't realise that's what they've found, as more and more blogs look like online travel guides, so they think it's a website. Also, consumers don't tend to leave comments, but other bloggers do. Consumers tend to talk more on Twitter and Facebook."

In light of Keith's comments, it's worth bearing in mind that social proof is one of the best ways to target and grow your audience. That means if someone genuinely recommends a blog to their friends it is more trustworthy than a company, which people might assume had a hidden agenda.

What can we learn from the ROI calculator?

Now is the time to start finding out more about ROI. The calculator is currently free but will be available from €15 a month in the future, which is pretty reasonable for something that you can use to negotiate your future collaborations with brands. Plans for development include measuring newsletters with click-through rates, YouTube and Google Hangouts. 

The seminar definitely proved to me that travel bloggers are the savviest group when it comes to understanding their own worth and projecting their potential. If you're not in the sector but you want to follow their lead in terms of marketing yourself to brands then the ROI calculator is a great place to start.

Google Does Fashion: Diane von Furstenberg puts Google Glass on the Catwalk

 Diane suddenly realised she should've gone to Specsavers...

[All images via WWD, credited to Giovanni Giannoni].

I might have added comedy captions here (sorry, DVF) but I'm more than a little intrigued about Google's Glass technology being brought to the fashion world. The search engine giant already dominates the fashion industry in plenty of hidden ways - all those bloggers who want to rise to the top are at the mercy of Google's algorithm and the power of SEO overlord Matt Cutts, whilst new brands that need to be found online or department stores that need to be visible for key search terms above all of their competitors are also affected. This, in a way, is just a more blatant form of the big G's dominance, putting founder Sergey Brin on the front row and getting all of the models wearing his technology. I was half expecting someone from Bing to be shaking their fist angrily in the background and brandishing a pair of 3D specs, but somehow it didn't get that far.

The aim of Google Glass is to bring you connectivity without taking you away from real life, so you can record imagery and video or send messages but you're not staring at an intrusive screen throughout. To show how large companies and creatives can use it, von Furstenberg has been recording with Glass and will show how it's captured her work in a short video to be released, naturally, on Google +. Fashionistas were a little surprised at the design of the gadget but, as this is all in production stages, we can assume some modifications will be made before it hits the shops.

Aye aye, Google sets its sights on the NYFW runway. Parrot just out of shot.

Ok, pirate and optician jokes well and truly done, it's time to look at the practicalities of this thing. To be honest, I can see a lot of advantages to Glass, especially as I've often daydreamed about having a way of recording images and video in all of those places where you're not allowed to take your camera - art galleries that have crap postcard selections and demand you pay £60 for a print of a nice painting; times when you'd like to record a shop assistant being incredibly rude to you and send it to the smug CEO of the company after uploading it onto YouTube... ah, so many possibilities. Obviously with the introduction of Google Glass then those savvy shop assistants and gallery attendants will just tell you to take off your bloody tech device, but that's beside the point of the daydream, right? 

In simple terms, Glass is going to be about a personal view of the world for style mavens, whether that's used for promoting your fashion label or capturing every moment of a fabric buying trip to India. It'll keep you connected as you go, allowing you to filter ideas in something resembling a stream of consciousness. I think that, as long as they improve its slightly off-putting appearance, this will be a useful tool for everyone from designers to bloggers. Personally I can't wait to watch DVF's film and feel like I'm seeing through her eyes, if only through this new technology.

Fashion's Night Out: The Global Schedule

Serious shoppers, pay attention. Vogue's annual event, Fashion's Night Out, will be hitting our style capitals in just a couple of weeks, boosting the economy and our wardrobes along with it. This year sees all 19 countries where the magazine is published taking part. Here's your global forecast (they don't all take place on exactly the same night, sorry to upset sticklers for detail) of where to shop, with a particular focus on London.

The Official T-Shirt for London

 [Image via the official FNO page for British Vogue].

Designed by Jonathan Saunders, the t-shirt supports Refuge, which is a really great cause that helps women who are victims of domestic violence. I've written in the past about the charity's campaign with beauty blogger Lauren Luke, and it's great to see them staying high-profile with this.

06/09

New York (and across America, from Boston to Philadelphia and beyond)
Milan
Seoul
Sydney
London 
Paris
Madrid
Mexico City
Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver
Berlin
Moscow

07/09

Shanghai
Dusseldorf
Berlin
Beijing
Delhi
St. Petersburg

08/09

Taipei
Tokyo

10/09

Sao Paolo

12/09

Rio de Janeiro

13/09

Lisbon
Amsterdam
Rome
Guadalajara
Istanbul

20/09 

Thessaloniki

25/09 

Athens

Balenciaga's Exclusive Bag - Just One Example of Brand Involvement

 [Image via the Balenciaga Facebook page].

A collaboration between the amazing Nicholas Ghesquière and Vogue's Grace Coddington, this is part of the limited addition Pumpkin line of accessories, featuring sketches of Grace's cat wearing Balenciaga creations from over the years. It's whimsical and somehow it works.

Basically, FNO is the perfect excuse to either window shop or spend some hard cash. Take some friends along and make a night of it!

Top Tips for London's FNO

1. Check out the map on the website to help you get your bearings in terms of who is involved. Brands are listed along with a description of what they're offering, whether it's a discount or in-store make-overs.
2. Expect the unexpected. In 2010's event we were treated to an incredible flash mob of dancers in River Island.
3. Make sure you remember to eat - you'll be trudging the shops for hours if you attend the entire thing, so don't miss out on getting a decent dinner. The main areas participating are Oxford Street and Regent Street, with plenty of restaurants nearby, from chains to independent ventures.
4. Keep an eye on the hashtag #FNO on Twitter for more ideas of where to go.
5. Take your camera or be prepared to use your camera phone, because there will be some photo-worthy moments.
6. If you buy too much, remember to tell everyone you were just caught up in helping us out of the economic deficit...

If you're heading to Fashion's Night Out anywhere around the world, I'd love to hear from you.

Gareth Pugh for MAC - the sumptuous official shots

[All images courtesy of MAC, via Fashionista].
Be still, my beating heart... the MAC collaboration with fashion's Prince of Darkness, Gareth Pugh, is finally upon us! Launching in the USA on 23rd November and shortly after internationally (I heard 25th, but Fashionista states that it's December), it's all you could want from Pugh and from the cosmetics giant that does killer colours so well. This first promotional image demonstrates the power of a Pugh lash, which he created after being sent some typical MAC examples and cutting them up for a destructive anti-curve. I am so glad that MAC hasn't tried to water down Pugh's goth chic; I was a little worried that they'd try and lean him towards pink or bronze, which would go against the sumptuous depths and lights of the designer's palette.

With a brief look at the whole range, you can see how comprehensive it is. Although the make-up bag will set you back £46 (at the current US dollar exchange rate) and the Kabuki brush is £37, other items are going to be at pretty standard MAC prices, so you don't feel ripped off. When Pugh talked to Fashionista back in July, he spoke of the packaging being like armour, which you can clearly see from the simplified silhouetted cross logo. It's fair to say that if you were brandishing some of these coveted nail varnishes or eyeshadows on the launch day then you might be in for a fight with fellow customers.

The Flightlash lashes (£11) are just as dramatic when they're not on the model - with a triangular feel and a thickness that will make your eyes look beautifully edged, they're a great statement piece. If you really take care of your falsies then you can re-use them a couple of times, so it's not just a one night investment.

Possibly my favourite product, this lipstick is called Restrict - I love the punchy name and the solid bleached nude shade. It contrasts well with the other lipstick, an almost black purple named Fervent (both £14), which looks similar to the Lanvin for H&M shade that I own. Both of these options are likely to be popular with the fashion crowd, but I think that the nude will be more successful commercially as the high street shopper hasn't quite managed to embrace berry lips yet.

Lipglass is a staple MAC favourite so it's unsurprising that Gareth Pugh should develop two of his own. I've opted for Vacant, which is a sheer pale lilac (£14), but there's also a deep purple called Outrage. Vacant feels more wearable for day as it's light and would contrast well with eyeliner or a smokey eye.

Nail varnish that looks like an oil slick? I'm severely tempted. I always used to love really powerful metallic shades but found that they were often a let-down when you tried them on your nails. However I'm more confident with this grey based purpley-green Ascension colour and, at just £14, it'd make a great Christmas present too. Also available in a pale nude (Inert) and a blue-green metallic (Hyper).

Here's another comprehensive glance at the collection. Other products include beauty powder, mascara (a bargain at £9) and two shades of Technakohl eyeliner. I would have liked to see liquid eyeliner (perhaps in ghostly white?) and maybe some kind of cream shadow in a glossy black, but otherwise I'm really pleased with this collaborative effort. Gareth Pugh is one of my favourite home-grown designers and it's brilliant that MAC has made him more accessible without curtailing his creative freedom - the packaging and names fit beautifully and everything feels as if it's got Pugh stamped all over it. If anyone was worthy of a second MAC project, it's got to be him.