The British Fashion Council (BFC) has just named Alexa Chung their newest young style ambassador. In all fairness, this post could also be titled “5 Reasons Why the BFC Does Not Need Official Style Ambassadors” but anyway, here are my 5 reasons why Alexa Chung Should Not Be a Style Ambassador.

Alexa Chung with Christopher Kane.

1. Alexa Chung doesn’t do anything. Or, she doesn’t do anything well. Apparently she is a TV presenter, a model, and a contributing editor, but I’d say she is a waste of space. She hasn’t hosted a decent TV show in eons, she doesn’t model much anymore (and, let’s face it, she is no Lara Stone) and an editor? That must have pissed off a lot of people at Vogue who actually worked to get to their positions. (Actually, I guess there aren’t many people at Vogue who actually worked to get to their position, but that’s another topic for another day.)

2. Her most successful foray into fashion was with an American brand. But that’s all I can say about her collection with Madewell because I ignore most celebrity collaborations.

Alexa Chung's Madewell collection, Fall 2010.

3. The British designers don’t need someone to “officially” wear their clothes. I am pretty sure Alexa Chung already supports British designers (in fact, I know this) so why does she need a title to do this? Shouldn’t she do this because she wants to support them on her own?

4. The BFC should spend their money somewhere else. I doubt Alexa Chung comes cheap. And I can’t imagine the people in the British fashion industry want their governing body spending money making sure some silly celebrity is wearing London designers. They should spend their resources helping the newly established brands grow, and drawing more media/buyers attention to London Fashion Week, which is still the least “important” of the four main fashion weeks (because buyers don’t come. They all buy in Paris. So get the buyers there, BFC.)

5. Alexa Chung is OLD NEWS. In fact, that should be reason 1.

Remember when she made that stupid comments about bloggers? Let’s never let her forget that!

Images from here and here.

Ever since I saw Holly Fulton‘s FW11 collection in Somerset House during last February’s London Fashion Week, I have been slightly obsessed with her work. I love that she uses bold, graphics prints, but rarely overdoes them. I love her heavy, chunky embellishment. And I love her use of fur. While I was slightly disappointed at the fact that there was less fur than I had hoped in this collection (you can never have too much fur), this show didn’t disappoint. Fulton’s work does in many ways resemble her print contemporaries (Katrantzou, Erdem, etc…), but I find her designs stand out because they are modern, young, and fairly commercial. Maybe you won’t wear the 60′s graphic print shiny shift, but the sweater is any easy piece in any wardrobe.

I love…

a fantastic graphic print, that hasn't invaded the entire outfit.

a feather neckline.

a modern tropical print.

a simple, printed shift.

All images from Vogue.com.

Mary Katrantzou does beautiful things with print and shape, but she is like a colourful version of Gareth Pugh: a fashion artist, but not a fashion business. Ok, perhaps that is harsh, she does sell a bit, but I wonder how she manages to stay afloat? Her collections are incredible to look at, but who really wears this? This is the problem with London brands, so many of them create collection after collection of incredible clothes, but not enough commercial pieces to be a secure business. I’ve seen her things in a showroom, and it is not like there are a bunch of commercial pieces, like printed tops that normal poeple can easily wear. You don’t see this in New York, Milan, and Paris, and that is probably why they are more important fashion weeks. Their designers actually sell a lot of clothes. And fashion is a business, above all else.

I love…

the shapes of the sleeves and skirt "pieces" on this dress. But I feel like we've seen this print before...

a Mary Katrantzou dress that is actually wearable. By a normal person.

the skirt on this dress. This is a great silhouette.

I loathe…

too much print. Can't she stick a solid colour in here and there?

All images from Vogue.com.

Before the spring summer 2012 collection, I was ready to give up on Burberry. It was as if Christopher Bailey had given up caring about design, and all he was doing was repeating tired ideas over and over again. But he has obviously gotten excited about design again. Or he hired some new designers, who are kicking butt. Aside from the stupid flat caps we see in almost every Burberry collection, and those super unflattering pockets that sit just below the waist, this show was a winner. Absolutely gorgeous.

I love…

the front drapes on this coat, and the way the sleeves are pushed up and are creased above the elbow. That makes for a nice effect.

this whole look: the ruffled skirt, the pouffy bomber, the little gloves, the bow belt, and the ankle boot. Hot.

a great velvet-y outfit.

when Burberry does print. It almost always looks great.

the striped t-shirts in this show. Very cute.

I loathe…

that Burberry always has these stupid flat caps in their collections. And by the way, those unflattering pockets and the yellow belt are not cool.

All images from Vogue.com.

I loved Christopher Kane’s early work, the neon body conscious dresses that felt fresh, new, and exciting. But then his signature seemed to get blurry, and to be honest, I don’t know what this guy is supposed to be about anymore. Ever since I saw those hideous FW11 swirly plastic envelope bags at The Room for $900, I thought, this guy has lost his touch. Thankfully, this collection saved him, a bit. There are still tons of the weird, cheap looking experimental fabrics he liked to use in dresses, but there are also some edgy pieces that are both wearable and slick. Which leaves me even more confused as to what this guy is about, and why he is getting so much hype.

I love…

that Kane has gone a bit rock'n'roll for this season.

the geometrics of this dress.

a lovely floral dress. But are we suddenly at Erdem's show?

a sexy, slick red number.

I loathe…

that Kane's fabrics often look a bit cheap and tacky.

a swirly, shiny suit.

ugly knitwear and an evening uglier skirt fabric.

All images from Vogue.com.

It could be the time of day I wrote this (late afternoon, which should be nap time not catwalk review time) or it could just be that I am getting a bit bored of Erdem, but I wasn’t looking forward to reviewing this show. Though I quickly changed my mind. When this show opened with his signature prints on ladylike, fitted dresses, I thought it was going to be difficult to stomach forty of the same-y floral dress. But then, something happened. Tailoring! Voluminous dresses! Coats! And Erdem surprised me, this was definitely a beautiful collection.

I love…

Erdem's beautiful prints. But I feel like I've seen this before.

how the belt is partially hidden on this skirt.

a coat with a lovely neckline and collar.

that Erdem can do an oversized silhouette just as beautifully as a fitted one.

the merging of print and lace.

All images from Vogue.com.

This film still from the Edun SS12 video also features butterflies being forced to do things they probably don't want to.

I applaud what Edun is doing, and I think their efforts to support trade in Africa are amazing. But it strikes me as bizarre that a brand, who is all about improving the lives of people, is quite willing to cage a bunch of butterflies for a party. And you should know that most of the butterflies escaped and were flying onto the party guests and into their drinks. That doesn’t seem ethical to me at all. In fact, it seems quite stupid.

Although I am usually slightly sickened by the overload of cool blatantly present in every Acne show, there is no denying they make some really nice clothing. But they can also take things a bit far, for example, with the pants in this collection, and the very outdated wide belts. I felt this collection was too formal, I’d rather see less of the tailored jackets, and more easy streetwear. After all, that IS what Acne does best.

I love…

this amazing puffy pale pink jacket.

a leather cocktail dress. I'd die to see this on the red carpet.

cocoon-shaped coats.

I loathe…

wide, waist-cinching belts. Just because you are Acne, doesn't mean you can get away with showing items that went out of style two years ago.

ridiculous trousers. Come on, who would wear this? Even Hanneli couldn't make these look good!

baggy jeans worn low on the hips. I don't think we are ready for this again. Yet.

All images from Vogue.com.

J. W. Anderson‘s last collection featured a lot more ideas and innovation than this recent show. In fact, this show resembled the so-so attempts of a London designer to do Belgian or Japanese. I like his clean aesthetic, but I didn’t like the vinyl outfits and the deliberately unflattering coats.

I love…

a very sombre, serious plaid ensemble worn with good bad shoes.

a modern take on the full skirt.

I loathe…

PVC. And clothes made out of it.

an unflattering coat.

All images from Vogue.com.

I’m not a fan of Matthew Williamson, as I just don’t relate to his collections, which appeal to Sloany type girls who go to Ibiza for holidays, and wear lots of flowy print dresses. Although this season, he seems to be trying to attract a new customer, one who is slightly more chic and elegant than his previous muse. Did it work? Sort of. But I think he should stick to bright colours and flowing dresses and fun.

I love…

a beaded sheer t-shirt dress over a simple black shift.

the gorgeous print on this dress.

when Williamson does what he does best: flowy, glamorous, and colourful.

I loathe…

a really ugly combination of colours.

a look that is totally out of place at a Matthew Williamson show.

this blouse and skirt combo, which simply isn't working.

All images from Vogue.com.