by Sarah-Hayley Owen: Chanel

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

the ICON 4 - Chanel's Perfume Bottle Evening Bag

Friday, February 14, 2014

London Fashion Week Handbag Essentials

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Paris - Chanel SS14 Couture

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Chanel Couture SS13 - A Gothic Fairytale

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Something for the 'Snow Covered' Weekend - A Fashion Word Search

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Golden Globes 2013: Best Dressed on the Red Carpet

Monday, August 27, 2012

Chanel Haute Couture AW12/13 by Trevor Undi

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Celebrating the life of Coco Chanel 129 years since her birth.

On this day in 1883, the legendary fashion designer, Coco Chanel was born in Saumur, France. Celebrated for her timeless designs, tweed suits, pearls and little black dresses. Gabrielle Chanel's story was littered with heartbreak. Raised in an orphanage and taught to sew, Chanel was named Coco during a brief career as a singer. Chanel opened her shop on Paris’s Rue Cambon in 1910, selling hats. Her success as a designer began when she formed a dress out of jersey fabric, because she was cold. She repeated the design many times over for her clients and followed the success with the now legendary Chanel suit with a collarless jacket and fitted skirt.

Chanel's designs were revolutionary, inspired by elements of menswear and prioritising comfort over the constraints of corsets.

I began my love of all things Chanel when I was in my teens. I was given my Grandmothers Chanel 'Cambon' bag and started a personal investigation into The world of Chanel during my art and textiles lessons at school. I was instantly taken with the simple yet sophisticated outfits. The clothes were uncomplicated and paired with eye catching accessories, for example a multi-stranded pearl necklace, another love of mine.

In the 1920s, she launched her first perfume, simply known as Chanel No 5. It was also the first perfume to feature a designer’s name. Chanel once explained, Perfume “is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion...that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure".

Another revolutionary design of the 1920s was Chanel’s little black dress, for which we will be forever grateful. She took a colour associated with mourning and death and demonstrated how chic and sophisticated it could be.

Coco Chanel died on 10 January, 1971, at her apartment in the Ritz Hotel. Crowds gathered at the Church of the Madeleine in tribute to the fashion icon, many wearing the classic Chanel suits in her honour.

A little more than a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took over at the helm of The House of Chanel, continuing the legacy of this celebrated Designer.

Listen to the short film below outlining Justine Picardie's biography on Coco Chanel, with illustrations by Karl Lagerfeld himself.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

(Video) Chanel Cruise 2012-13 Fashion Show, Versailles.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Jewellery Notes - Designer Earrings at ASOS

Friday, February 17, 2012

Sarah-Hayley's London Fashion Week Favourites

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Up Up and Away with Chanel Couture SS12

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Sarah-Hayley's Top Ten Style Moments of 2011 - A year in review.

On the eve of a New Year we reflect on the last, 2011 was full of defining fashion moments and here you will find my top ten.

1 The Duchess of Cambridge marries in McQueen

The wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton was one of my favourite events of 2011 not only because of Kate's stunning McQueen moment, but also because I played a part in dressing a couple of my Personal Styling clients who were in attendance. It was an honour to dress them and the day began effortlessly when Sarah Burton was annouced as the wedding dress designer. My first choice all along, Kate's dress was perfect, it contained everything that I expected and more. Even though we all found out that Pippa Middleton does own a bottom..shocking I know, it was Kate, now The Duchess who shone in the limelight!

2 McQueen Savage Beauty at The Met Museum

In 2011 we saw the late British designer Alexander McQueen remembered and celebrated through an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, entitled "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty." Including over 100 exhibits from McQueen's archives, the exhibition drew 661,509 visitors making it the eighth biggest show on record at the Met. The exhibition is yet to come home to London.

3 A Chanel world at Harrods, London

The Chanel takeover of Harrods was a unique and fantastical project that ran for three weeks in September. For the first time in the shopping mecca’s history, Harrods permitted Chanel to dress each of their 23 street-facing windows. With a schedule of events taking place in the store. A ‘pop-up’ fashion boutique and beauty boutique were set up on the ground floor, while an installation ‘Une Promendade’, also known as ‘Coco in Wonderland’, unveiled a magical journey on the Fifth Floor. My heaven? Without a doubt, yes!

4 Designer Collaborations: Missoni for Target, Versace for H&M

Missoni's capsule collection for Target caused complete chaos! The 400 piece collection made its debut at the opening of a Missoni for Target pop-up shop in New York, but the store shut down almost immediately because it sold out in entirety.

In a similar instance Versace's collection for high street chain H&M sold out in 30 minutes as eager shoppers gathered 24 hours to queue. Wonder who will be next in 2012..!

5 British Fashion Awards 2011

The best of British Fashion flocked to the Savoy in honour of the British Fashion Awards 2011, all the right people won and another McQueen moment occurred when Sarah Burton was rightly crowned Designer of the Year. My personal favourite was The Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Curator, awarded to the impressive Sam Gainsbury who curated Savage Beauty at the Met and produces some of the most renowned Fashion Shows and events around the world under her shared company Gainsbury and Whiting. When I was a teenager, I had the pleasure of working for this company at London Fashion Week.

6 Burberry stream AW11 show in Piccadilly Circus

London Fashion Week action was brought to the attention of shoppers, tourists and fashion lovers when Burberry streamed its AW11 show in Piccadilly Circus across one of the iconic 32 metre-long screens.

One of the most sought after shows on the schedule, Burberry continue to impress with their technological advances and ideas.

7 The world remembers Dame Elizabeth Taylor

One of the last screen legends Elizabeth Taylor, passed away on March 23, at the age of 79. Known for her AIDS campaigns and her glittering collection of jewellery and a number of husbands, her collection of jewels and fashion pieces went up for auction, in November, at Christies.

8 Fashion Rumour Mill

2011 was the year for Fashion Musical Chairs and Rumour Mill Overdrive! Here are a few of my favourites!

Apart from many suspicions over The Duchess of Cambridge's Wedding dress, rumours were swirling whether the new Duchess is now carrying a future King/Queen. The saga continues..!

Galliano exited stage left and the drama over who would replace him at the helm of Dior entered centre stage.

First it was Marc Jacobs then Stefano Pilati, then a dozen other names were thrown into the ring, with the latest being Raf Simons.

Beyonce is pregnant, questions arrise on twitter after suspicious TV footage, Celebrity friends confirm Beyonce is Pregnant and now questions arrise once more, as reports suggest she is has given birth earlier than her due date!

Everyone was wondering what Carine Roitfeld would do post French Vogue, edit another magazine, write a book, become a stylist, design a collection...well she wrote a book, entitled Irreverent and became a guest editor/stylist for Barneys.

The last two rumours centre around H&M, firsly Tom Ford for H&M, secondly Galliano for H&M...really?? I lean towards the No for these two!

9 Designers have babies and then brands make children's collections.

Rachel Zoe and her husband Roger Berman announce the birth of their son Skyler. Victoria Beckham becomes pregnant, at last with a girl, the doting parents name her Harper Seven. Designer Rebecca Minkoff and her husband Gavin Belfour welcomed son Luca Shai and Lily Cooper and her husband Sam announced the birth of their first baby girl.

News then reached that designer brands have a penchant for creating collections for children. Stella McCartney paved the way for Alber Elbaz' Petite Lanvin and even Roger Vivier is getting involved in the action.

10 Lady Gaga and her Egg

Talk about making an entrance, Lady Gaga arrives at the Grammys encased in a giant egg, carried by people dressed in gold. Not so much Fashion statement but a statement none the less!

11 From Sarah-Hayley with love was born

My first year of this site began in November, we have come along way from where we first started, but watch out for more exciting changes in 2012!!

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Shop the Sale - Florence Welch opens the one and only Harrods Sale in Chanel.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Handbag Crush: Alice Dellal is announced as the face of the Boy Chanel Handbag line

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Chanel Spring-Summer 2012 Ready-to-wear Preview

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Discover The World of Chanel at Harrods

As a die-hard Chanel devotee the unveiling of a Chanel wonderland at Harrods, one of my favourite department stores, is a dream come true.

The Chanel takeover of Harrods is a unique and fantastical project that will run for three weeks from September 5th.

Located on the ground floor and accessible from Brompton Road and Hans Road, Karl Lagerfeld’s AW11 RTW collection has transformed not only the Brompton Road façade by redesigning the shop windows, but in addition created transient boutiques for both fashion and beauty, including an installation of iconic Chanel codes.

For the first time in the shopping mecca’s history, Harrods have permitted a single brand to dress each of their 23 street-facing windows. Featuring an enchanted forest with wolves dressed in Chanel outfits, unicorns, deer and owls; the windows are devoted to Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld’s vision for his latest ready to wear collection.

The ‘pop-up’ fashion boutique, on the ground floor, is encased in a white and black exterior with walls embossed with lion’s heads. The interior, divided into three coloured rooms; red, green and blue, is the opulent setting for accessories, creating a magical paradise. Mannequins dressed in the autumn/winter 11 collection form the final stroke of genius by Karl Lagerfeld, adding a colourful parade in his “misty garden”.

The ‘pop-up’ beauty boutique, also on the ground floor, showcases the limited edition ‘Knightsbridge Collection’ exclusive to Harrods.

Lastly the installation ‘Une Promendade’, also known as ‘Coco in Wonderland’, unveils a magical journey which takes place behind a curtain of pearl beads. Once inside the miniature version of the Versailles garden set from the S/S11show there is a 2.55 exhibition presenting the work that goes into making the legendary quilted handbags, including a walk-in Chanel 2.55 handbag. As if this wasn’t enough, the haute couture room is a replica of Coco’s apartment, complete with the renowned mirrored walls.

The Chanel World at Harrods needs to be seen to be believed, do not miss your date with my ultimate dreamland!

Monday, September 05, 2011

Chanel Beauty AW11 - Illusion d'Ombres de Chanel

One of my favourite aw11 collections, The Illusions d’Ombres de Chanel present the enchanted world of precious materials brought to life at your finger tips.

Inspired by the sparkling facets of cut stones and vintage make-up, Illusion d’Ombres de Chanel is a beautiful and exceptional collection, with iridescence, intensity of colour and reflections.

The collection encompasses glimmers of gold, bronze and platinum, glowing in a palette of enigmatic luminous colours with a vintage luster. The more delicate shades of pink, coral and white recall the freshness of flowing tulle.

The Illusion d’Ombre eyeshadow interprets the richness of the precious metals and delivers a sensory experience from first contact. The long-lasting silky cream texture has a powdery appearance, thanks to the translucent silicone-based formula, which accentuates the pure pigments and pearly particles, pearls always inseparable from Mademoiselle Chanel’s story.

The eyeshadow is available in a series of stunning colours, custom applied to create not only the desired intensity but also an adjustable makeup result. Fantasme is an iridescent white, Mirifique every nuance of black, Émerveillé, a tender peach, Ébloui a brown smouldering with red, Illusoire: a grey-tinged taupe and Épatanta a grey-shadowed khaki. The applicator brush included has tapered bristles to allow for precise make up at the corner of the eye and can be used for eyeliner with the darker shades.

Further eyeshadows can be found in Les 4 Ombres. Prélude offers a base of essential, chic and classic tones. The four understated shadows in timeless colours – grey brown, grey beige, luminous beige and deep taupe brown, provide a matte or satiny makeup result.

The impulsive lipstick, Rouge Coco, by Chanel provides a rich femininity to the smile with two beautiful shades. Plumetis, an innocent peach tone and the luminous Etole, a coppery rosewood that matches the lip pencil.

One of my favourite items is the Joues Contraste, feminine and fresh blush. Against a pure, translucent complexion, Rose Écrin spruces up cheekbones with a tender healthy glowing effect.

Last but by no means least are the incredible Le Vernis nail polishes. Similar to the eyeshadows, Le Vernis is inspired by the effects of materials and adorn nails in the most fabulous of metallic and shimmering reflections. Péridot is a gold and green which intertwine and immerse themselves in the glow of a moiré effect. Graphite is the fusing of a silver, gold and platinum while Quartz is a bronze which becomes smitten with pink for a sophisticated result.

Illusion d’Ombres de Chanel is available at Chanel counters nationwide and Selfridges online.