‘Ghost in the Shell’ premiere with Danusia Samal

Today sees the launch of the long awaited and massively hyped blockbuster ‘Ghost in the Shell’ starring Scarlett Johansson and Juliette Binoche. Check out the trailer here:

Appearing alongside these superb actresses is up-and-coming, uber-talented hottie Danusia Samal. Who just happens to also be my cousin! With a background in theatre, the voice of a soulful angel, and a training at Brit school and Central School of Speech and Drama, this is Danusia’s first (of no doubt many) film role. And what a movie to land!

Danusia Samal attending the Paris premiere of Ghost in the Shell 21.03.2017. All images: Getty Images

Over numerous traditional Polish family gatherings, Danus and I have always discussed that if she were to do red-carpet and needed a stylist I was her gal. And this month we finally got to work together for the first time, as I styled her for the Paris and New York premiere of her film. It was the most fun ever and I think you will all agree that Danusia looked absolutely stunning. Below are pics of her on the red carpet (apologies for the watermarks, these belong to the photographers named and I must give credit to them for their work). She looked like an superstar and worked the red-carpet like a pro, despite being incredibly nervous.

Danusia Samal wears metallic green jumpsuit, Edeline Lee. Gold bangles and rings, Laura Gravestock. Black suede courts, Darmaki.

Black suede courts with metal heel, Darmaki. Sparkly clutch, Bimba y Lola.

As Danusia’s stylist, I wanted to reference the sci-fi genre of the film and also accessorise with lots of angular bangles for a futuristic warrior feel (another nod to her role in the film). I think this outfit had exactly the desired effect whilst showing off Danusia’s astounding figure. Special thanks to the gorgeous London Fashion Week designer Edeline Lee, creator of this fab metallic jumpsuit (named by Edeline as ‘money-green’), who allowed us to visit her showroom and play dress up in all her designs. And also the adorable Laura Gravestock who provided numerous bangles and rings for us to stack up and Darmaki for these fabulous avant-garde heels. The unique long fish earrings are from Danusia’s personal collection.

Here are some behind-the-scenes details from our fitting day:

Now onto premiere number two in New York, which was only just this week. Our original plan for this was to go for a long sequinned gown, but a last minute re-fit last weekend resulted in this cute embroidered lace dress from Ong Oaj Pairam, paired with silver accessories. Again, Danusia worked it like a star on the red-carpet and even managed to pull off the jaunty socks and sandals look.

Danusia attends the New York Premiere of Ghost in the Shell  on29.03.2017. Wearing dress, Ong Oaj Pairam. Large earrings and rings, both Pilgrim Jewellery. Small lightning bolt studs, Laura Gravestock. Sandals, New Look. Socks, stylist’s own. Photos: Getty Images.

And here are a couple more pics from the after party just coz I love these shots:

Photos: Getty Images

And finally a few detail shots of the Pilgrim Jewellery earrings and rings at our fitting day:

All of the above clothing and accessories are from the current Spring/Summer collections and are available to buy now. Please go to the following websites to find out more. I hope you like the styling and enjoyed the pics. Comments welcome and happy shopping!

https://edelinelee.com/ http://lauragravestock.com/ https://www.darmaki.com/ http://www.bimbaylola.com/cms/?lang=en http://www.ong-oajpairam.com/ https://www.pilgrim.net/shop www.newlook.com

Stars, sleeves and copious amounts of colour at London Fashion Week AW17

First of all Happy Friday everyone. Only a few more hours until you can break free from the shackles of the office and let loose for two whole days. If, like me, you find yourself a little distracted on a Friday afternoon, perhaps I can interest you in a little melange of fashion to carry you through until home time.

If you caught my post on Wednesday you will know that this season I am actually planning three blogs about London Fashion Week. I have already covered all the selfies with my last ‘What I wore’ piece. Today I will show you what I saw on the AW17 catwalks and tell you a little about the labels that I loved this season.

FASHION SCOUT – ONES TO WATCH

Ones to Watch is always a great way to start Fashion Week as it highlights some of the newest talents breaking through. By far my favourite of the quartet of designers showing was the gorgeous Krasimira Stoyneva, whose fringed statement jackets and star motif prints were a colourful crowd pleaser. Her signature use of synthetic hair is supported by her hashtag: #WearHairNotFur. Do not be scared this is not real hair or real fur!

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https://krasimirastoyneva.com/

MARK FAST

The Canadian knitwear designer Mark Fast showed a bold and beautiful collection featuring a colourful clash of purple, fuchsia and orange fringed dresses, balanced by delicate, pastel feathered and beaded frocks. Renowned for his use of plus size models at previous fashion weeks, it was interesting to see the designer revert to the industry norm, allowing the clothes to be the talking point this season.

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http://markfast.net/

PAUL COSTELLOE

Held at the prestigious Waldorf Hotel, the delightful Paul Costelloe show featured all his signature show stoppers – exquisite cashmere coats, metallic silk jacquard baby-doll dresses and a stunning sheer-print leather finale gown. A nod to the Tudor period came in the form of exaggerated bell sleeves and multi-layered ruffled collars and hems. Beautiful!

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http://www.paulcostelloe.com/

EDELINE LEE

Eschewing the traditional catwalk and opting instead for a presentation, Edeline Lee showed her AW17 collection against a backdrop of raw brick walls and abstract hand-painted panels at the Oxo Tower Barge House. Inspired by the collage artist of the Dada movement Hannah Hoch, Lee’s strong play on proportion, cheeky feminist references and exquisite use of colour (think saffron yellow, muted aqua and brick red) made this one of my favourite shows of LFW.

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https://edelinelee.com/

ASHLEY ISHAM

Always one of my favourites on the LFW Fashion Scout schedule, Ashley Isham didn’t fail to disappoint with a jaw-dropping medley of prints, statement ruffles, hand-beaded embellishment and oversized looping headpieces (is it a hairband or is it an earring?). I was particularly in love with all the bold clashing prints and the fab gold star jumpsuit.

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http://ashleyisham.co.uk/

MALAN BRETON

By the time Malan Breton showed his gorgeous collection, my phone battery had died and my back-up rechargeable battery had also run dry. Fashion fail! However, the eye-catching metallic brocade suits, leather frilled dresses, velvet tux jackets and clever play on sharp masculine tailoring for women was definitely worth a mention.

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http://www.malanbreton.com/

ASPINAL OF LONDON

A strong presentation of all the styles that we have come to expect and adore from Aspinal of London. Next season’s new additions include a kooky Breakfast at Tiffany illustrative print and, channelling fashion’s obsession with customising and monogramming, their fabulous Mini Trunk can now be emblazoned with your favourite phrase or initials. Magic!

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https://www.aspinaloflondon.com/

CLIO PEPPIATT

A favourite of Kylie Jenner, Lady Gaga and Lena Dunham, the presentation by 24 year old South London based Clio Peppiatt was a far cry from the usual catwalk parade. Here models perched, chatted and danced around a cavernous space beneath The Strand in a youthful clash of faux fur, sheer embellished dresses, cheeky prints and Converse high tops. Kitsch, sassy and above all fun, this is definitely one for the cool kids. Oh and it featured my current colour combo obsession – bubblegum pink and red!

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http://cliopeppiatt.co.uk/

ALEXANDRA MOURA

Portugese designer Alexandra Moura showed her collection at the glorious Banking Hall in the heart of the City. The grand location provided a fine backdrop for her oversized romantic ruffles and deconstructed tailoring. Half-worn, half shoulder-robed jackets featured underlying cross-body straps, which doubled up as rucksacks. These were juxtaposed by gorgeous gold lame jacquard prints, inspired by traditional Indonesian fabrics. The earthy brown, mustard, russet and cornflower blue colourway was stunning as were the gorgeous exaggerated sleeves (I smell an AW17 trend coming). A well-executed, beautifully romantic collection balanced by strong, masculine tailoring. I truly loved this show!

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http://www.alexandramoura.com/1617/?lang=en

J. JS LEE

On the final day of London Fashion Week, I had the privilege of sitting FROW at the beautiful J. JS Lee show (another personal favourite of mine). Held at the main LFW venue – with it’s super-sized catwalk – the show was inspired by the childhood urge to dress up in adult clothing. This play on scale took the form of oversized tailoring, dropped shoulder lines, elongated lapels and cute knot detailing. All in a delicate colour palette of charcoal, pistachio, camel, rose and white. A delightful collection from a wonderful designer.

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http://www.jsleelondon.com/

And that concludes today’s post about London Fashion Week. Please do let me know your thoughts and comments. And keep an eye out for this weekend’s post where I will give you the low down on the designer stands, with close up details of all the fabulous accessories. Enjoy your weekend!

With special thanks to Pop PR, Dust PR, Trace and Wolves London for my LFW tickets.

http://londonfashionweek.co.uk/ http://fashionscout.co.uk/