Central St Martins BA Fashion Runway show 2012 - Suzy Menkes and Stephen Jones front row

Like the green and red together - great styling

Guests /VIPs waiting to see the St Martins Ba Hons Fashion show

More green, love her shoes - note all the bikes lined up for the students behind in this shot

There was one at 3pm earlier in the day too - preparation for the VIP show, all the great and the good of fashion were on the guest list.

Checking the seating plan

Guests take their seats

The show began at 7pm - I was teaching in a room next to the library and had prime viewing of the show with my Art Direction students

Suzy Menkes in the Purple here in the front row - talent spotting, OBE (born 24 December 1943) has been head fashion reporter and Editor for the International Herald Tribune since 1988. 

Liked this collection, see Stephen Jones the famous hat designer in the grey hat opposite this model.

Interesting concept!

After the show, crowds of fashionista spilled out onto the Granary Road concourse buzzing with enthusiasm.

Copy and photos - Schelay McCarter pls credit

Perfekcija - The Perfect White Shirt Company - Dolce and Gabbana influence

wear this stylish Perfekcija shirt with a skirt or trousers...

Style up for that special occasion. The necklace is a Michele Harty design 

beautiful crisp white cotton

Perfect style, Perfect feel, Perfect fit  

Attention to detail and quality is the moto of Perfekcija - the perfect white shirt company

If you are looking for the perfect white shirt then look no further than Perfekcija which in Serbian means Perfect. 

These shirts are so stylish and made of the best quality cotton with 3% elastain to give the comfort and fit one would expect of a luxury high end product.
Visionary Creative Director of Perfekcija Michele Harty was inspired by a beautiful Dolce and Gabbana shirt she bought in 2002. Working in the City of London in a high profile marketing role she wanted a good quality white shirt that had just the right style and fit that would flatter as well as be easy to wear and dress up or down for work as well as leisure, there was nothing around that fitted the bill apart from one Dolce and Gabbana shirt at the time, which she confided was worn to death! 
Michele then spent two years designing her collection and sourcing top quality manufacturers in Europe and settled on Serbia, which has a long reknown reputation for producing the finest shirts following in the tradition and experience of generations of shirt makers. Perfekcija is supplied world wide by mail order via the website and stocked in the UK, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands in high end independent shops. Perfekcija is enjoying a steady and loyal customer following. The quality style and fit and excellent customer service ensures this.


I am taking three different Perfekcija white shirt designs to New York with me on Wednesday because I know they will be stylish and comfortable to wear and go with the rest of my wardrobe effortlessly.


Michele's stylish shop stocking Perfekcija and wholesale base is in fashionable Hadley Green in North London in the UK. For quick and efficient orders the web site is 

http://www.perfekcija.co.uk/white-shirt.html

Copy and Photos - Schelay McCarter

Mobile Phone Commerce set to grow in use for retail sales...

Multi purpose use - the mobile phone is set to rule our shopping habits - 

mobile phone use is the future for on the go shopping. 

Chinese invasion

Many chinese attended London Fashion Week in February 

15% of Selfridges web site sales traffic comes from mobile phones.
Online shopping in China the worlds fastest growing consumer of Luxury goods is as yet untapped. It only accounts for 13% of sales currently. There are 1 billion mobile phone users in China. There are 513 million Chinese internet users accounting for only 38% of the population. The figures are staggering, Weibo is China's version of twitter having 250 million users !
The Chinese love 'brand UK' - Mulberry and  Burberry are enjoying buoyant sales and brand presence out there at the moment.
Instagram a social media app ( a fast image sharing format upload facility) is worth investigating and has been integrated into Jimmy Choo's recent marketing campaign...In April facebook bought it for 629m.


Copy and Photographs by SchelayMcCarter 2012 London Fashion Week Please credit 

Twiggy's first ever photo shoot -1967 Vogue

These photographs of twiggy ( aka Leslie Hornby from Neasden London ) look like they were only photographed recently - they still look fresh and modern and as relevant today as they were then....

As you can see the bicycle has never been out of fashion! I absolutely love this fashion shoot called 'Young Ideas'  in 1967  British Vogue. This was Twiggy's first ever fashion shoot. The photographer is Ron Traeger a South African who truly captures her magnetic energy and individual style. She has no idea here that this shoot would change her life and that a new London style would be born and copied world wide.

Prada and Schiaparelli Exhibition New York Met

I am really looking forward to seeing the Prada and Schiaparelli exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum when I am in New York early June.

The exhibition focuses on the striking similarities in the two women’s vision, design, and individual approach. Watch this space for feedback.

The top fashion insider news is that Diego Della Valle plans to revive the Schiaparelli fashion house introducing a new generation to Elsa Schiaparelli s designs.

Chanel S/S 12 voted best fashion Brand campaign by St Martins students

Looking at this image you could be forgiven for wondering what it is advertising! Obviously Pearls! No you are wrong I'm afraid, it is the Spring Summer 2012 Fashion brand campaign for Chanel. Photographed by the great man himself Creative Director extraordinaire Karl Lagerfeld! who has the uncanny knack of being canny! Here we have an image of a woman in a snorkling mask mimicking a burka - where do you think a large number of couture clients reside - ? Chanel is the epitome of Luxury - yet unless you are in China or India it is not deriguer to show your wealth at the mo with the current pathological hatred of bonus culture.
Here we have an image in black and white - seemingly ordinary until you see the booty she has scooped up from the deep. There is a reference here to the iconic 1956 film 'And God Created Woman' directed by Roger Vadim premiering and staring Brigit Bardot. It was filmed in Saint Tropez on a beach that Karl Lagerfeld knows well as he has had his holiday home there for many years. The shot was probably taken in a studio and then digitally enhanced being placed infront of a sea image. This photograph stood out from all the other high end luxury brand advertising we reviewed in Week 2 of my 'Art Direction for Fashion' class in February. My class of 17 students is made up of an international demographic, The UK, USA, Spain, South America, Japan, China, Germany, Australia, South Africa, France, Ireland, Russia, Ukraine, India, Middle East, and Italy so the view point is worth noting. 
The Chanel woman looking confidently straight into camera with a glamourous simplicity makes  this image a winner for most markets.
Chanel is an independent label as yet not swallowed up by LVMH or PPR and long may it remain so. Karl Lagerfeld is not to be underestimated.

The Highs and Lows of Shoes - summer trends in Verona

This image was taken on the swanky shopping street of Via Borsari and sums up shoes trends at the moment. The choice is agony or ecstasy depending on your view point.

Do you like high ?or is low for you ? I know which looks the most alluring!

Sweet 1980s homage from parochial italian brand Elisa Franchi

Glitter a hot trend for the summer 

il Laccio brand - Bardo- esque gingham

More bows - 

Let is flow - 1970s styling - wear with wide leg trousers and floppy hat!

Glam rock - in the pink!

classic Italian 1960s styling

1940s wedge

My favourite Prada - not politically correct, as a result cool!