Wish list

1.) Lilac Louis Vuitton leopard print scarf: oh god I want this scarf so much, but at £420.00 I think it's just a tad beyond my reach. Trinny Woodall chose to showcase hers when testing out elderley scouters in Leeds, as part of itv's 'Seven days on the breadline', perhaps not an instance in which this scarf would be fully appreciated Trin love?
2.) 'The Sartorialist' by Scott Schuman: this is definitely on my Xmas list, I love receiving style tomes as presents, will certainly provide a bit of much needed style-spiration (see what I did there!) I apologise, I have been revising public affairs all day and talk of these wonderful items is proving a little too much for me.
3.) Lilac Barry m nail varnish: to add to my ever-growing collection- brilliant stocking filler.
4.) Vogue's The Fashion Night Out t-shirt: three words. I. Love. It. Sadly I think as they were limited edition they are nowhere to be found. Sob.
5.) The yet to be released Alexa bag by Mulberry. So slouchy, so understated, so Mulberry.

November...

So it's seems to be November already, how did that happen?
Vogue dropped into my postbox almost two weeks ago and I have only managed to read approximately two articles, gosh I must have been busy, that. never. happens. My wardrobe is also suffering. I just haven't been shopping. Again very unusual. Instead I have been delving into my wardrobe to make do (god I hate that phrase) with what I already have.
So the gems of my wardrobe include: my cream fur coat which I got from Topshop last winter. It made it's first appearance of the year on bonfire night and attracted a fair few compliments. Thanks to our balmy October it just hasn't been cold enough to wear until now, but now I am once again enjoying its cosiness.
My fringed leather jacket also purchased from...yes that's right Topshop, which I have worn non-stop since I bought it last year. It is just so useful, throw it over leggings, a vest and a natty scarf and job done, or rather outfit done. It also does a great job of toughening up a floral tea dress.
So that's jackets/coats dealt with. Now what to wear underneath? This is where I've been having problems. I really only wear one pair of jeans at the moment, a faded green pair from Zara, which I still love but have more of a spring vibe. I only own about five pairs of jeans all of which either don't fit or I hate with a passion. It is time to admit defeat and go jeans shopping, not a pleasant experience I think you will all agree. Unless that is you are built like a 16 year-old beanpole, in which case I am justified in despising you. My hips seem to have come from another person entirely as they bear no relation to my upper body, which as you can imagine makes jeans-hunting something of a military exercise. So when will I be brave enough to tackle it? Oh maybe next week, it's simply too painful....In the meantime I'll stick to my fail safe looks, a favourite being my floral tea dress, black leggings, biker boots, copious amounts of gold jewelry and of course the fringed leather jacket.

Looking every inch the boho princess Sienna is crowned the 'girl of the year' 2004.

The new stylist magazine is the sister magazine to the men's title shortlist. Stylist is now given out free at main stations in London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

I was keen to see what was inside after reading about the predicted launch in the Guardian over the summer. Stylist is edited by the former editor of more! Lisa Smosarski, and as I have done work experience at more! I was doubly curious as to the outcome of such a bold career move. The Verdict? I was impressed, the graphics easily compete with any mainstream women's glossy.

A few of my favourite frivolous little things at the moment:

1.) Barry M mint green nailpolish- a definate contender for the soon to be released Chanel version - although I may just be saying this as there is absolutely no chance of getting my hands on the Chanel version due to the ridiculous waiting lists.
2.) Pret-a-Manger skinny mocha's replacing my long-held obsession with chai latte's.
4.) Heart print tights- Topshop
5.) My last-season fringed leather jacket, ditto Topshop
6.) Red liquorice- Holland and Barrett

Topshop stateside

The Hills Lauren Conrad, a contender for my style crush top ten pictured stepping out of the New York Topshop, showing she loves it as much as we do. A reliable source has informed me that the New York team trained in the Manchester Topshop. Wow. Maybe I could request a transfer?

My love affair with Vogue covers

Georgia May Jagger showcases her bardot-esque pout on the latest cover of the fashion bible- shot by Mario Testino. The 17-year old is the fifth "Jagger woman" to make the cover.

This cover is in complete contrast to the October cover featuring Sienna Miller, also shot by Testino. It is bold, the background carefully co-ordinated with the punchy red used to daub Jagger's lips. The look is high-maintenance gloss, leant a punky edge by the noir nails and quirkily star-shaped sunglasses. The cover certainly jumps out at you from the news-stand.

The Sienna cover however has a more natural, carefree feel to it, Miller's smattering of freckles left to shine through. A studded Religion leather jacket is draped casually over her shoulders, unusually seen months before on the fash pack's favourite Pixie Geldof. Pixie has been slinging (quite literally) the label's jacket over her wild outfits all summer.

Some might say as it's a British issue the predominance of pink is not in keeping with the theme, however, the classic union jack colours have been so over-used that this marked departure seems a fresh way of tackling the theme.

I personally love the cover, but as a self-confessed Sienna fan I can't help but like it. Try as I might I find I can't move on from Sienna, she remains one of my main style-crushes. Put simply she is the girl everyone wants to be. Despite the very public affair, the tabloid mis-demeanours and her inherent ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, she is still so damm cool.

Sienna is seen as the archetypal guy's girl and this inevitably goes against her in the press, but she continues to please her style devotees, me being one of them.

Topshop student nights

I work at Topshop in Manchester and worked the student nights on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was absolute madness, we had over 2, 500 people in 3 hours on Tuesday night and took £104, 000 which was amazing.

Doors opened at 7:00 and the students started queuing from 6:00. Now that is dedication for you. The queues snaked all the way round the Arndale centre. Students got 20% off, rather than the usual 10% all year round, so it was definately worth going to nab those crucial new season Topshop pieces. There were dj's for the night, and bottles of prettily hued vitamin water being given out. Loved the candy colours of the goody bags, mint green, coral (my lifelong obsession will never end for this sunshine shade) and yellow cloth bags, very handy for carting heavy files and books around i.e. my journalism law and public affairs textbooks, which resemble bricks.

I recently bought the Topshop floral 'skater' dress that Peaches Geldof was pictured wearing, and ditto the heart print tights. Although I'm not sure i'll be laddering them with as much gusto as Peaches.

And I'm already planning my next purchase- the leopard print faux-fur coat, which I have been giving backward glances to on the shop floor for a number of weeks, as I bend down to rescue a wayward skinny jean or lace camisole. But can I wait until my uniform is due?

The look at the moment amongst the scarily on-trend Topshop staff seems to be a uniform of black hotpants, with tights, patterned or otherwise and a ballet pump, or stacked platform heels for those more willing to suffer after an 8 hour shift. Bright pink lips also seem obligatory, in fact I might whip out my MAC St. Germain for my sunday shift.

Here's Beyonce making me jealous in a Matthew Williamson spring 2009 cream floral dress, cleverly paired with blue suede shoes and a bright pink Alexander McQueen bag. Her relaxed tousled hair, and bold lipstick add to the look. This dress is so summery, only serving to remind me that I am currently sat in a freezing cold office, with a heater next to me failing to make any impact. My legs, haven't seen the light of day since the beginning of september, apart from when encased in thick black tights, and are not likely to make an appearance soon for fear that they may well blind someone with their milky whiteness. Not. A. Good. Look.
Beyonce has only recently registered on my fashion radar, having considerably stepped up her game, and here is yet another great look. New stylist perhaps? No longer her mum, whose gaudy, designs she had a habit of wearing to awards ceromonies.

A sequinned Lily Allen opening the Chanel show in the Grand Palais, Paris today...

Although perhaps intially Lily seemed like an unlikely ambassador for Chanel, she adds edge and modernity to the classic label.

Her looks are not Cheryl Cole glossy yet she has developed a look all of her own.

The perfect choice. A perfect modern style icon.

She's just a girl having fun and I admire her for that.

Her penchant for wigs- she pulled off the pink to great effect- are reflective of this "don't care attitude". Put it this way can you picture Cheryl in a pink wig?

The answer is no.

Also... what an incredible jumpsuit-worn at Glastonbury.

Lily Allen's transformation to fully fledged fashionista is complete. Here she is as the new face of A/W Chanel in a campaign shot by Karl Lagerfield.
Those who doubted her style credentials will surely be silenced by her involvement in this prestigious campaign.
She manages to look edgy yet classic in the shots, her hair swept into a beehive chanelling the much copied Audrey Hepburn-esque look. The campaign has successfully reinvented the look, making it relevant for 2009.

Wow , I absolutely love Pixie Lotts rainbow hued nails. Barry M do an amazing array of colours which would re-create this look.

Whitney Port steps out in her new clothing line 'Whitney Eve' on the streets of New York.
The range currently only available in the U.S. reflects Whitney's relaxed and quirky style. It's a look I would describe as artfully dishellved luxe, and 'The city' star pulls it off to great effect.

The size debate continued...

What to make of the furore created by the plus-size models used on the catwalk during London Fashion Week?
The knitwear designer Mark Fast used three size 12 and 14 models in his catwalk show.

His stylist then supposedly walked out after refusing to work with the models.

However the stylist, Erika Kurihara disputes this claim in Grazia, saying that she didn't feel that the three girls were experienced enough on the catwalk

"If we were going to make a statement by using girls who are larger than people are used to seeing on the catwalk it needed to be well-executed."
Having only 2 weeks before the show to coach the girls, Erika just felt they were not up to the expected standard.

I have to say I agree with her, these girls would have had minimal catwalk experience as there is not a demand for larger models on the catwalk.
Therefore it seems as if the whole issue has been misconstrued, yet it has inevitably become a hot topic of debate, threatening to eclipse not only Fast's show but the whole of London Fashion Week.

Some would say that the use of these girls has served to highlight further the growing gap between "real women" and models.

I am however struggling to understand what is meant by the term "real women". Are models not "real women"? What does this term which is constantly bandied about in the press actually mean?

I think it is absolutely ridiculous to claim that you have to look a certain way to qualify as a "real woman".

Fast's brave use of these girls perhaps will not change the industry as a whole but it did make people sit up take notice, challenging their perceptions of what to expect on the catwalk.

In my opinion the size issue still raging in the media is becoming increasingly boring topic.

I think there may room for larger models in magazines and advertising campaigns yet although this may be controverisal I' m not sure they have a place on the catwalk.

One of the plus-size models used in Fast's show was the proud owner of 34DD breasts, surely no-one could keep their eyes of these untethered assets as she strode down the catwalk in Fast's artfully constructed minimal knitwear?

Let's face it thinner girls create a more fluid line on the catwalk showing off the clothes and not the body beneath.

RECENT UPDATE: Mark Fast said "I didn't think it would get so much attention. I just thought, 'They're beautiful. Let's do it. Let's have fun,'" the Canadian designer tells this weekend's Style magazine of his decision to include size 12 models in his show.

"The way I work is organic and on the body. With the curvier girls, I was able to make the clothes specifically for them. Seeing them walking up and down the corridor was such a moment. It was exciting to see their characters in my pieces," Fast, who graduated from Central Saint Martins three years a go, adds. "The show has opened up his customer base," says Browns Focus buyer (where Fast is stocked exclusively) Jemma Dyas. "After the show, we had a host of customers from size six to 16 coming in."