http://katiechutzpah.blogspot.com/

In this sprawling metropolis, it’s becoming more and more difficult to establish real finds…you know, the type of place you just know all your friends will love but you’re a bit selfish to tell everyone about it as it’s your special place? This can range from the best (undiscovered) vintage stores, designer exchanges, new louche cocktail bars and, in my case, the lingerie boudoir.

 I only discovered this particular ‘find’ at the end of last year when invited to drink fabulous Hendricks cocktails at a pre Christmas shopping event. Well, it would have been plain rude not to! As the website itself says, “Apartment C is about hanging out in your knickers, drinking gin out of a teacup, and reading the Last Tango in Paris out loud.” And, if you change the last one to Vogue, then tick all three.

 Set in a black and gold backdrop of Art Deco and 1960s furniture, from the moment you enter you discover a devilish selection of extremely sumptuous and sexy silk, chiffon and lace lingerie, silk loungewear, costume jewellery, niche perfumery, hand picked vintage novels and glam, fashion books. However, the interior of the store is as exciting as the stock. Details not to be missed are the taxidermy light fittings which use pigeons as pendant Lamps by award-winning designer Jericho Hands – and collectible furniture including 1960s Egg Chairs & a vintage Chaise longue.

Owner and creative director, Kenya Cretegny says: “The primary focus of Apartment C is to offer our customers access to a beautifully edited mix of the world’s most creative, fashion-focused, lingerie designers. It’s my personal mission in life to bring the girls the coolest stuff I can find! So the collections range from delicate, romantic themes, to directional fashion statements utilising technical fabrics or thoughtful detailing.”

The wide range of whimsical lingerie is the type you long for and dream about your boyfriend buying you, but that only happens if you drag them there. While we’re on that subject, there is seating next to the changing area and the original 1930’s cocktail cabinet for males to sit, scoff G&T’s and wile away the time while they try not to blush, look awkward, sneak glances at women’s bras and get turned on by the sexy assistants or the tasteful clients who know exactly what they want from their lingerie; To tantalise, to tease but most of all, to have exquisite taste.

Apartment C stocks designers ranging from Damaris, Bordelle, Mimi Holiday, Marlies Dekkers, Stella McCartney, The Lake and Stars, Princess Tam Tam and the wonderfully named and daring, Lascivious. Beautiful vintage style silk, velvet and chiffon robes from Kiki are paired next to diaphanous chemises from Damaris, Claire Tough and Elise au Couturier and fluid, silk pyjamas from Kirsty Doyle. Distinctive show stopping jewellery is available from Mawi, Fiona Paxton and Rings Eclectic. At the moment, Apartment C even has a 1st Birthday sale, so go on, indulge yourself. www.apartment-c.com

One our of favourite blogs, Top Stylista Com was set up by personal stylist Chantelle Znideric in 2007 and now gets 150k unique visitors a months.  We got in touch with editor, Jamie Louise Nicholson, for a quick interview 

1.What are you working on at the moment?

Spring/Summer Trends and Luxury gadgets.

2.Best way for PRs to pitch by phone or email?

Email – gives me a chance to read through the information carefully and is also nice to have a picture to refer to.

3.How many emails do you get a day?

Around 20.

4. What % do you roughly manage to read?

95% – 100%

5. Any tips on what PR’s should avoid doing?

Being too forward.

4.Best invite you have ever received?

Romina Karamanea Autumn/Winter 10-11 show.

5. Best press day you have been to?

Fiorelli

6. What is your wish list accessory for this season?

Tribal necklace.

7. Best PR freebie gift

 A Modalu London bag.

8. Top press trip

Not yet been to one.

9. Top tips how to make a story catch your eye

Short and to the point information and well presented imagery.  Too much information can sometimes be overwhelming and time consuming.

A quick review on the week, sharing the highs and the lows:-

Highs   – The fabulous Wilbur & Gussie new cuff bracelets featured in Daily Mail on Monday.

Highs-   About to start work with the gorgeous dress label Chica – & studio about to be swomped with ‘to-die-for’ frocks www.chicaboutiqueonline.co.uk

Highs    Spring time early morning walks with Piper, the puppy

Lows    Voicemail - and the press not picking up the phone

Lows    Stuck on Hammersmith Broadway in rush-hour traffic jam in between meetings!

Lows   Budget gloom & fear foreconomic future

Apartment C, Vogue’s favourite lingerie boutique (see current issue) is one year’s old on Friday – so come on down and celebrate … drinks, sweets and 15% off all day!

Apartment C, 70 Marylebone High Street, London W1 – tel 0207 935 1854 www.apartment-c.com

We think that Zara Phillips looks very chic in a complete top-to-toe outfit by the clever designer s u w h a . 

Suwha Hong is based in London, and first launched in 2008 with a distinctive range of jackets and coats.  The fashion press caught on quickly with news stories in Harpers, The Times and  Sunday Times Style … celebrity fans followed with Elle Macpherson & Jodie Kidd.  Her spring/summer range is now available from www.suwha.com

Kenya Cretegny, the creative brain behind lingerie concept store Apartment C, was invited by Simon Fuller’s Fashion Air team to be the Style Council expert this month – they visited her fabulous boutique on Marylebone High Street, to go through the latest looks & best ways to confidently wear this season’s lingerie as outerwear trend.

Check it out!

Emma Jacobs, is a features writer and commissioning editor for the FT – see this link on her article on moth prevention & the lovely Julia Dee from www.totalwardrobecare.co.uk  

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/02bc3cce-dedc-11dd-9464-000077b07658.html

1.What are you working on at the moment?

A mix of things. But a couple of pieces on rich and poor migrants to Britain is occupying me.

2.Best way for PRs to pitch by phone or email?

Email and perhaps a follow-up phone call.

 3.How many emails do you get a day?

Over 100

 4. What % do you roughly manage to read?

 About 40 per cent.

5. Any tips on what PR’s should avoid doing?

Yes. Make sure the product/service/person you are promoting is actually a fit with the journalist – so research their interests. In fact, make sure you have read the paper or magazine they write for before making contact. I am constantly amazed at how many people have no idea what the publication they are trying to pitch at is about. Don’t just send bland press releases, try to tease out a couple of potential angles that might be a fit with the writer. Keep press releases short.

4.Best invite you have ever received?

They’re good for different reasons – you never know what conversations you’ll end up having.

5. Best press day you have been to?

I try to avoid them.

6. What is your wish list accessory for this season?

No idea.

7. Best PR freebie gift . 

Flowers as I don’t have to hand them in to the FT Christmas raffle.

8. Top press trip.

I don’t take them.

9. Top tips how to make a story catch your eye

Short and snappy.

If like me you treasure your clothes to the point where you don’t want to throw any items away, but would rather store them, then Total Wardrobe Care have a selection of genius ways to keep pesky moths at bay and away from your precious knitwear and have some great storage solutions too!

 As we slowly begin to say goodbye to our winter knits and cashmeres we can’t help but worry about what condition they’ll be in next time round.  March is a key time to start moth prevention and luxurious clothing storage and care company Total Wardrobe Care specialise in everything from organic and sweet smelling moth repellents, clothing storage solutions to a bespoke wardrobe detox service.

Organic moth repellents incorporate key ingredients such as lavender, laurel, rosemary and Yay-Chang to create an aroma which to our noses is heaven but moths hate.  Cotton cashmere storage bags and garment bags, space maximising coat-hangers and new shoe boxes are also available.  ‘The Wardrobe’ Storage Space is light, airy, temperature controlled, lavender fragranced, bug free, damp free and fully alarmed.  A fashionistas heaven, your clothes would be safely stored in mothproof breathable, washable garment bags until you need them again leaving more room in your own wardrobe.  An itemised list is made of your garments so there’s no need to worry about losing or misplacing anything.

Total Wardrobe Care also have a luxury Moth Removal service on offer where a team of moth busters will come into your wardrobes to de-moth the place so your clothes and furniture will once again be safe!  Prices start at £400 per day excluding dry-cleaning costs and products, which yes it is rather pricey but worth it in the long run!

The Natural Anti-Moth Hanging Sachet and Drawer Sachet both come with essential oils and smell absolutely divine!  My clothes smell like fresh lavender without being too overpowering.  The Laundry Liquid has the same effect – my clothes smell gorgeous! It is a non-biological liquid and contains organic aloe vera and rosemary oil making it delicate enough for your knitwear.  To help keep your woollen clothing, including cashmere, free from annoying fuzz then the Knitwear Comb is the perfect solution.  It comes in a small pretty organza bag and is gentle but thorough when it comes to de-fuzzing your garments.  With all these products being affordable too, they are well worth investing in ladies!

Check out www.totalwardrobecare.co.uk

Our resident fashion blogger afficienado Katie Chutzpah (as featured in last sunday’s Sunday Times Style) illuminates on the changing media landscape & teenage young blood, from the fashion ranks.

“You may probably be aware of the current hot debate in the fashion world that can be deconstructed as follows: bloggers versus fashion establishment. The power is shifting and thus unstabilising a great many as unbridled enthusiasm and quite often, hype, is traded and preferred to fashion editors with informed opinions but botoxed inexpressive faces of scorn. The new fashion vigilantes are here.

It appears that the new addition to the fashion hierarchy has caused an outbreak of ‘pass the smelling salts’ as overstretched PRs are ill informed (many don’t read blogs and don’t know good ones from bad), mainstream fashion hacks have their shackles up (sometimes quite rightly) as newbies crowd their territory and well, *sotto vocce* often the blogger dresses as a working spectacle and wannabe fashion personality rather than a fashion reviewer – you only have to look at pics of Tavi, Bryan Boy and Diane Pernet to see that. But mostly, it all boils down to youth, or more rightly, enthusiasm versus old guard, the power shift to new media and the hunger for new thoughts and opinions. ie. the new radicals. Even the feted CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) has, for the first time, awarded voting stature to two famous bloggers (Bryan Boy and Tavi) which has caused consternation in the ranks.

It seems now even the legion of designers is already being mauled by youth. I recently attended the launch of the A/W ‘10 collection of LUBLU by Kira Plastinina. Plastinina is 17 and has been designing since she was 14. SEVENTEEN! Yes, that’s right, she’s already a seasoned pro, selling to Harrods for the second season and is well known and sold in her native Russia, Eastern Europe and in L.A. My first question is how can one have garnered knowledge of design, technique and form a unique interpretation of fashion when so young? It takes years and unbridled talent, surely? However, Kira is up there with the best of them and importantly, her collection is selling. My second question is re finance. But, dear readers, I’m still none the wiser. It’s a sad fact that many incredibly talented British designers go bust as they concentrate on design and obtaining a unique style rather than number crunching and sales. It was St Anna of Wintour, after all, who stopped the genius of Galliano from going down le toilet, by encouraging hedge funders to back his collection. And the rest is history.
Miss Plastinina is surely saved from the realities of the rough and tough of a start up business by a wealthy backer but this doesn’t detract from her enthusiasm and determination. The collection itself is distinctly ‘All Saints’ by way of the Blitz club circa 1982, all shades of black, grey and muted cream textures with an outbreak of frills, beading and one shouldered dresses. Crucifix necklaces are added for further dark goth vibes but the whole air is of glam but wannabe edgy Muscovite meets Hoxton. A Russian Twenty8twelve if it pleases you.

Kira Plastinina may not be setting the fashion world alight with her collection but she’s sure to please a host of teenagers and women who dig Russian style and who (long to) hang out in Boujis, Vendome and China White. And that, is the power of youth.”

Quick, quick - check out this week’s copy of Hello Magazine to win a collection of Alison van der Lande’s bags & a fabulous weekend in London!