Markus Lupfer

Markus Lupfer is German-born, London-based designer who launched his first collection in 1998. Shortly after the successful launch of his collection, in 2001 he was awarded with the New Generation Award. In addition to presenting his collections at London Fashion Week, Lupfer was Creative Director of Spanish fashion house Armand Basi.

His designs are unique and quirky but still represent a sophisticated edge of simplicity. Earlier this year, the label launched at the renowned department store Selfridges as the brand continues to grown internationally and attract worldwide press. Markus Lupfer is stocked at exclusive boutiques including Net-a-Porter.com, Colette in Paris and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

Markus Lupfer has gained recognition for his innovative use of prints, embroidery and graphic embellishments in his knitwear pieces. His innovative approach to fashion has put him on the list of several fashion houses and has lead to acclaimed consultancy projects with Mulberry, Cacharel, and Armand Basi.

The Markus Lupfer fan base includes women of all ages and celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Lindsay Lohan, Diasy Lowe,Roisin Murphy and Lily Allen.

www.markuslupfer.com

Beautiful Soul

You probably don't know this but I'm a huge fan of eco-friendly fashion, so of course when I heard of the label 'Beautiful Soul' I had to find out more about them.

Beautiful Soul is a British luxury womenswear label based in the heart of Notting Hill. The eco-friendly label has been featured in acclaimed publications Vogue, Tatler, The Sunday Times Style and VOGUE.COM to name a few; and have participated in exhibitions at London Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.

With all their designs produced here in the UK, the label strictly abides by its policy of 'zero waste', while still producing immaculately designed pieces. Beautiful Soul is fast growing label gaining recognition for their creativity and "open-minded approach to fashion". They offer two collections, their Ready-to-Wear collection called 'Beautiful Soul London' and a bespoke 'Kimono Collection' which is available to buy all year round.

Their designs have already been seen on a number of celebrities and models including Kate Nash, Lily Cole and Laura Bailey, among many others. I definitely need one of the Beautiful Soul Kimono's in my closet, it's not super cheap but well worth the money. Keep an eye out for the label as I'm sure they are bound to explode any time soon.

For more information visit www.beautiful-soul.co.uk to view more of their designs

Ryder & Rowe @ 123

I was able to attend the Ryder & Rowe launch I posted, at 123 Bethnal Green.

Ryder & Rowe is a new lingerie label by trio Naomi Ryder, Alison McCann and Dennis Nothdruft. The designers are all individually talented and presented beautiful pieces from their latest collection and I have a few pictures to share.

The launch was elegant and simple and allowed the true uniqueness of their designs to shine through. With their new collection, they have also added scarves and dresses. I loved the dresses because they are made with really delicate material and the prints are lovely as well. I would describe the collection as romantic and feminine; Ryder & Rowe is a label to be on the lookout for.

The event was held at 123 Bethnal Green, a store based in London's east end. If you haven't heard about 123 you should head down there now. The store based in London's east end. The store has 4 floors and the basement is dedicated to the Bunker Cafe, which is open during the weekends. They also had vinyl cut outs of some Ryder & Rowe's illustrations in front of the store.

Marios Schwab

Marios Schwab is a young talented designer who first gathered media attention in 2006 when he won the Best New Designer at the British Fashion Awards in 2006. In 2007, he also won the Swiss Textile Awards; these two awards made him one of the most anticipated young designers in the fashion industry. He is also a graduate of Esmod fashion school in Berlin and completed his Masters in Womenswear Fashion at the prestigious Central Saint Martins.

With only a few years in the fashion industry, Schwab has already become known for his trademark style of figure-flattering silhouettes and mixing classic style with modern sexy designs. In addition to owning his own label, Marios Schwab has also designed for Halston and his designs have been worn by celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Kate Moss.

His clothes are stocked in a range of shops all around the world; from luxury boutiques like Harvey Nichols, Browns and Barneys in New York to Dover Street Market. Marios Schwab is rapidly establishing his name in the fashion industry and I'm sure in a few years we will all be talking about him.

Preparations for Autumn/Winter

The best time to buy pieces for Autumn/Winter is during the summer. You should already be aware that there are huge SALES during this season and the best bargains are usually last season collections but be on the look for versatile and classic pieces.

If you do not enjoy navigating the crowd on Oxford Street in the summer, try high street shops online like Topshop, Zara, Miss Selfridge, and Urban Outfitters but sale items tend to sell out quickly with the more popular high street brands.

Leather Boots £20 at Zara

Waterfall Jacket £17 at Miss Selfridge

Some of my favorite online destinations are online boutiques such as Net-a-Porter, Matches, My Wardrobe, and The Outnet. Although, they typically specialize in designers brands their sales have great bargains with pieces from past seasons and you can always find something simple that can translate through the seasons.

J Crew Wool Jacket  £93 at Net-a-Porter

Shearling Gilet £92 at TheOutnet