OSCAR DE LA RENTA'S FABULOUS PRE-FALL12 COLLECTION

Whilst we've all been agonizing about what to wear to this year's office Christmas party, some of fashion's leading designers have been busy deciding what we will be wearing to next year's soirees in their pre-fall collections (that's pre autumn/winter 12- yikes!). Pre-fall collections are launched inbetween the spring/summer and autumn/winter seasons and hit stores in May time to satisfy fashion-hungry consumers unable to wait for the new season collections to get their style fix!

And for fashion press and fashion bloggers like myself, Style.com's coverage of the pre-fall collections is a welcome source of fresh inspiration inbetween seasons. I've spent my afternoon drooling over some beautiful looks on Style.com, with the Burberry, Calvin Klein and Jason Wu collections proving to be my favourites. But it was Oscar De la Renta's pre-fall offering that really caught me eye. The 59 look collection comprised of a beautiful selection of sequin-embellished, luxurious silk and pretty print party dresses in a varied colour palette of rich purple, maroon red, classic black and pale gold.

The frothy, delicate pale-peach dress cinched at the waist (below, centre) was my standout dress of the collection, I could see a young starlet like Halee Steinfeld rocking this on the red carpet.

And for lovers of the LBD, Oscar de la Renta's came in all shapes and guises with lace, embellishment and feather details- no-one could accuse these LBD's of being boring.

All images courtesy of style.com.

What do you make of Oscar de la Renta's pre-fall collection? And which was your favourite?

THE FUTURE'S BRIGHT, THE FUTURE'S NEON!

The S/S12 collections are filtering through to net-a-porter.com, and the good news is, the future looks very bright. Acid bright neon reigns supreme, rainbow coloured jewels twinkle and Christopher Kane's ultra-bright t-shirts capture the mood of the season perfectly.

If I had £215 to spare, I would invest in Tom Binns' 'Passive Attack' (amazing name!) rhodium and pearl earrings (no 5.), a unique design that will add a stylish pop of neon to casual and formal outfits. In fact if I had any pennies to spare, I'd be splashing my cash on these...

1. Oversized tweed jacket, Diane Von Furstenberg, £545. 2. Neon lucite and diamante crystal earrings, Erickson Beamon, £345. 3. Cashmere cardigan, J. Crew, £200. 4. Razor wool-blend pants, Preen, £655. 5. Passive Attack rhodium and pearl earrings, Tom Binns, £215. 6. Printed silk-georgette dress, Giambattista Valli, £2,105. 7. Floral print modal t-shirt, Christopher Kane, £180. 8. Leitmotiv Miami brass crystal necklace, Shourouk, £105.

MY OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY OUTFIT

Those of you that read my recent post about office Christmas party fashion may be interested to see the look I decided on for my office do held last Friday. To help us prepare, we had a mobile hairdresser in the office all day which I absolutely loved because I'm hopeless at styling my own locks. I showed my hair stylist this photo of Adele for inspiration because in my opinion she has the most beautiful, goddess-like mane of hair in showbiz. The result as you can see was big, bouffant 60s-inspired hair that I loved- when it comes to hair the bigger the better!

Outfit-wise I decided to be economical and recycled my favourite sequin-embellished party top; probably my best charity shop find of all time costing me just £5! The trousers are Zara, the shoes are Office and my suave companion is our Visual Merchandising Manager, Paris.  A smart trouser + glitzy statement top combination makes an economical outfit choice for the festive season because you can mix and match the pieces seperately to create different looks for all your social engagements. If you don't have a charity shop sequinned number to hand, here are some great glitzy top alternatives available online now:

1. Sequinned tulle and jersey top, Lanvin at net-a-porter.com, £1,575. 2. Sequin front shirt, Warehouse, £40.00. 3.  Embellished shell top, Next, £48.

FESTIVE FASHION

Poor old Colin Firth. I wonder if he realised when accepting the role of Mr. Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary that he was destined to become the poster boy for the novelty Christmas jumper? I've noticed that the film still of Firth in the infamous, hideous reindeer-motif knit is dug out each December to illustrate newspaper and magazine features on the pitfalls of festive fashion.

Unlike Mr. Darcy, it is possible to add a festive feel to your wardrobe without sacrificing your style credentials. The key to the look is opulent fabrics; tactile velvet, rich brocade and shimmering metallics all have the celebratory air that Christmas demands. I've put together some outfits below that I think would be perfect for the upcoming festive period, and not a reindeer jumper in sight...

1. J Crew Leopard-jacquard capri pants, Net-a-porter.com, £250. 

2. Gold lurex knit top, COS, €45. 

3.Cube cluster earrings, Whistles, £20.00.

4. ASOS Leo velvet slippers.

1. NW3 Madeley metallic cardigan, Hobbs, £82.50. 
2. Metallic lace skater dress (worn under cardigan), Oasis, £60.00.
3. Velvet jaquared cross body bag, Topshop, £28.00.

H&M'S NEXT DESIGNER COLLABORATION WILL BE MARNI!

Start saving your pennies now because H&M's next designer collaboration has today been revealed as Marni. And the important date for your diary? The 8th March is when the Italian brand's collaboration is due to hit 260 H&M stores nationwide. As an uber-fan of the brand I'm already giddy with excitement, I have long lusted after a Marni statement necklace with that coveted black ribbon printed with the iconic white lettering. H&M designer collaborations have produced some amazing high street fashion hits in the past (although the Versace collaboration was definitely not my cup of tea); when the high street label collaborated with Lanvin last year I went as far as to book the day off work to get my hands the embellished t-shirt from the range..! The said t-shirt now proudly hangs in my wardrobe but rarely gets worn because it's far too beautiful for every day wear, god forbid I may spill red wine or tomato sauce down it (which I most likely would do).

Anyway, just for fun I've picked my favourite pieces from Marni's recent collections that I hope H&M can bring to the high street at purse friendly prices prices.

From L-R: 1. Cotton blend dress, £666, theoutnet.com. 2. Acetate and vinyl floral necklace, £175, net-a-porter.com. 3. Embellished platform sandals, £575, net-a-porter.com. 4. Mint print dress, £769.00, Farfetch.com.

RED CARPET REVIEW: THE BRITISH FASHION AWARDS 2011

The British Fashion Awards attracted some of fashion industry's biggest and most glamourous players to London yesterday. From Marc Jacobs to Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham to Stella McCartney, all the biggest names in fashion were in attendance. This also meant the red carpet fashion was parade of looks hot off the catwalk, here's Lafashionfolie's red carpet review:

I think Olivia Palermo pulled this Matthew Williamson feather detail mini dress off with aplomb. I especially love how she accessorised her designer outfit with Topshop heels, Olivia is a big supporter of high street fashion (she's frequently photographed wearing Topshop) and isn't afraid to mix high and low end brands to create unique outfits.

Alexa Chung scored yet another fashion hit in this embellished 1960s style Christopher Kane shift. She teamed the dress with a quirky pair of Charlotte Olympia heels, adding an 'unexpected twist' to look in true Alexa style!

Wow I just love this structured graphic print Peter Pilotto dress on Amber Le Bon! I like the way she's kept her accessories simple to let the incredible dress and her super model good looks do the talking.

This dazzling metallic pleated maxi dress by Mulberry looked amazing on Tali Lennox. My only criticism would be that the 60s inspired hair do looked a bit formal, I think soft, relaxed waves would have looked cooler and younger with such a glamourous dress.

I'm sorry Abbey but I wasn't a fan of this suede Giles maxi dress with rivet detail. With the heavy make-up and bright blonde highlights the overall effect was too 'WAG' for me. Abbey is such a gorgeous girl she could make a binliner look sexy, but I'd like to see in something more fashion-forward, like the Matthew Williamson dress Olivia Palermo was pictured in above.


What do you think of their outfits?

Head over to the Daily Mail website for the full story and all the night's winners and gossip.

BOUTIQUE BY JAEGER SALE PICKS!

After an insider tip off from one of my best friends,who works at Jaeger head office, I hotfooted it to the Regent Street flagship store on Saturday for the start of the Boutique sale. The Boutique collection is full of covetable, 1960s style pieces with Peter Pan collars and polka dot details aplenty. It's a little out of my price range usually, but with up to 50% off on some styles there are some real bargains to be had at the moment. I snapped up the black version of the red jersey dress I've featured below because I think it will be a very versatile addition to my wardrobe that I can easily dress up or down. Here are my top picks of the sale, all available online now. Yippee!

1. Shearling Collar Coat,  now £225.00 reduced from £450.00.2.Sequin Collar Blouse, £75.00 reduced from  £130.00. 3. Angora Spot Jumper,  £80.00 reduced from £160.00. 4. Jersey Prom Dress,  £65.00 reduced from  £115.00.