Make It Your Own with LPA x Monica Vinader

Just in case you missed the first instalment of my extremely exciting collaboration with Monica Vinader, here’s a quick re-cap. On May 16th I will be hosting an evening of champagne and shopping at Monica’s fabulous South Molton street boutique. Besides drinking and mingling, all guests (that’s YOU) will be able to get a 20% discount on the night and have complimentary engraving on whatever goodies they fancy by quoting “La Petite MV”… Oh and as part of our Make It Your Own competition we’ll also be giving one lucky reader a “Create Your Own” necklace worth up to £250 AND an engravable silver Ava bracelet (click here for more info on how to enter).

The “Make It Your Own” concept is one of the things I particularly adore about Monica Vinader. I’m no doubt starting to sound like a broken record but the idea of having something made especially for you – or a loved one if, you know, you’re not a completely selfish shopper – really appeals to me. With just days to go until our event next week, I spent a blissful afternoon in the boutique trying out the “Make It Your Own” service for myself.

After getting over my initial “ohmigod shiny things everywhere” excitement which took longer than I care to admit, the charms came out and I set about trying make my pick. This also took rather a while thanks to the fact I wanted (and tried) to use them all. Eventually I managed to narrow down the selection to create my ultimate Monica Vinader charm necklace. Naturally I opted for the green gem – my favourite colour – and teamed it with a gold pendant and a diamond charm from Monica’s latest Diamond Metallica collection. When I think of diamonds it usually conjures up images of mega watt, evening bling but these subtle sparklers are totally daytime friendly… Hello bank balance disaster.

I also got stuck in to styling Monica’s signature Figi bracelets. You all know how partial I am to eye-popping colour, so obviously I bedecked myself in the brightest summer shades Monica Vinader had to offer. On the whole I don’t usually wear that many bracelets but having had far too much fun playing with arm candy last week my bare wrists definitely a thing of the past. I’m currently hankering after the Ava friendship bracelet in mint (yep, I’m predictable). I’d then probably be equally predictable by having my name engraved on it, I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t win the Make It Your Own competition but there’s just something about personalisation I can’t resist!

I hope you’re enjoyed this sneak peek at what will be going down at the Monica Vinader store on May 16th. I really hope to meet lots of you there and don’t forget there’s still time to enter the competition. All you have to do is “like” the Monica Vinader Facebook Page (here) and the La Petite Anglaise Facebook page (here) then post to our either of our walls what you would have engraved on your Ava bracelet and why. Best of luck, we’re loving your entries so far!

Love Ella. X

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Fashion 6 Comments

Monica Vinader

How Much is Too Much?

Firstly I apologise for the misleading title of this post. You’d be forgiven for thinking that I’m about discuss how one should be prepared to pay for a handbag. The answer to that is of course entirely budget (or credit card interest rate) dependant but Birkins and Proenza Schouler PS1 satchels aside, for once it’s not handbags I’m talking about. In this month’s Elle Magazine, various journalists were asked to write their own obituaries. Sounds morbid I know but as any of you who’ve read the piece will know, the vast majority were witty and life affirming. Cat Marnell’s was decidedly neither but like everything she writes and the car crash life she leads, it was undeniably compelling.

I won’t bore you by retelling Cat’s life story (but do Google her, there’s a LOT there) so to quote her Vice Magazine profile, Marnell “is a 29-year-old Condé Nast drop-out and former beauty editor at “Lucky” and xoJane.com who has also worked exclusively in beauty at “Teen Vogue,” “Glamour,” “Nylon,” and lots of other vaguely zzZZzz women’s mags. She quits every job she has to party and lives hard in downtown NYC.” Oh yeah, and she’s also a drug addict who caused major waves last year when she quit her job at xoJane.com (after her bosses demanded she go to rehab, again) by writing an open letter to the New York Post stating that she “couldn’t spend another summer meeting deadlines behind a computer at night when I could be on the rooftop of Le Bain looking for shooting stars and smoking angel dust with my friends.” Having begun documenting her drug use on xoJane.com Cat was, perhaps predictably, snapped up by the consciously controversial youth culture magazine Vice where she continued to share her pill popping past times in a column entitled “Amphetamine Logic”.

After seeing her piece in this month’s Elle, I then spent the rest of my Friday night reading every single one of Cat’s posts for Vice (no doubt a far cry from what she herself was up to) and subsequently most of the articles written about Miss Marnell. This got me thinking, how much is too much to share on the internet? Is Cat’s work brave, up front and self reflective journalism or is she merely airing her dirty laundry in public to turn a profit? Love her or loather her, you can’t deny that Cat Marnell has a remarkable way with words and in a suger coated, PR approved media landscape, you can almost buy Vice’s arguement that her writing is refreshingly honest… If indeed it is honesty and not all a perverse, self promoting ploy. The critics have lampooned Cat for glamourising drug addiction and the magazines who publish her work – not to mention the publisher’s who recently shelled out a £500,000 advance for her memoir – for enabling a drug addict. Personally, I’m torn. While I certainly don’t think Cat’s accounts of crying alone in her darkened apartment and doping herself to sleep make the life of a trust funded junkie sound like fun, the fact she’s managed to make a career (and a lot of cash) out of doing so is something else entirely.

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by The Daily Telegraph and they asked me whether I felt that I “ever shared too much of (my) personal life on (my) blog?” Unsurprisingly my answer was no given than most of my posts revolve around clothes, clothes and more clothes but the question did get me thinking. How much of our warts-and-all selves should we put out there for anyone with an Internet connection to see? Striking the balance between letting your readers into your world and oversharing online isn’t always clear cut but broadly speaking I reckon that sex lives, bowel movements and drug use are three things best kept well away from the blogosphere. Ultimately what you choose to make public is entirely down to you and I’m not for one second arguing for Cat Marnell to be censored. Nor do I think she should, or could, be forced to recover but the fact that Cat is effectively being paid to remain an addict and rewarded with celebrity? That doesn’t sit quite right with me. And this is where the whole thing gets even more complicated. What unites Cat’s harshest critics is the fact they’ve read every word she’s written. How can we criticise Cat for documenting her sordid exploits and Vice for publishing them when we continue to lap up every sentence she utters? While I may not condone Cat’s lifestyle and the way she publicises it or the publishers than enable her to do so, should she ever manage to write that memoir you can be damn sure I’ll buy it.

As you’ve probably gathered, this post isn’t going to have a conclusive ending. I find the Cat Marnell saga repellant, fascinating and confusing in equal measure and it brings up a lot of interesting questions about how much one can, or should, share in the name of journalism… What’s your opinion?

Love Ella. X

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Fashion 4 Comments

Miss Vogue

During the madness of fashion month it’s tempting to ignore your emails in order concentrate all your energies on surviving and dressing stylishly. Luckily this is one of the few temptations I don’t give into so when a certain extremely exciting proposal popped up in my inbox I could reply “YES” within seconds. Said email was from my good friend – brand consultant, Founder of Nephew London and all round expert on all things cool and fashionable – Nik Thakkar asking if I might be interested in teaming up with ESPRIT to shoot a feature for the inaugural issue of British Vogue’s “Miss Vogue” supplement. Once I had determined that this wasn’t a joke, I practically fainted with delight. So a couple of days after the end of London Fashion Week I found myself in snowy Dalston being primped and preened by the best in the business before striking a pose for photographer, Jackie Dixon. Despite sub zero temperatures (how Summery it looks in the snaps is a true testament to Jackie’s sill) I had an absolutely amazing time on this shoot but even after doing the interview to go with it, I didn’t quite believe I’d actually see myself in Miss Vogue… Until last week.

While still not quite able to believe it’s for real, I am completely, utterly, over-the-moon thrilled with the Miss Vogue piece. A huge thank you to Nik, British Vogue, ESPRIT, Jackie, and the rest of the team…. But most of all thank YOU lovely lot! Between this and being shortlisted alongside Susie Lau for Fashion Blogger of the Year in the Fashion Monitor Journalism Awards, the past few months have been almost a dream and it’s largely down to you. If you didn’t read my blog, this would never have happened so I’m incredibly grateful to you all for sticking with me.

Love Ella. X

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Fashion 6 Comments

Vogue Festival 2013: Day 2

Vogue Festival day 2 dawned sunny and bright. Feeling distinctly smug for having left the AMAZING opening party at an uncharacteristically sensible hour the previous night, I donned one of my favourite Spring-in-the-city ensembles and trotted down to the South Bank, via Starbucks of course. It was perhaps not quite sunny enough for shorts. Naturally I wore them anyway and my knees were blue by the time I arrived but I’d be damned if I was going to put tights on. First up was British Vogue Editor, Alexandra Shulman in conversation with Victoria Beckham, easily one of the most hotly anticipated sessions of the weekend.

The sheer excitement surrounding Victoria’s appearance was a true testament both to the marketing genius that is brand Beckham and the unequivocal success of her eponymous fashion label. Cast your mind back a decade or so, could you imagine a WAG taking center stage at such an event? Then again, no one expected her designs to be so brilliant. I can imagine that this was a thought going through many minds in that auditorium. As Alexandra Shulman introduced Victoria as “a phenomena” you could practically feel a ripple of agreement pass through the audience.

I have the upmost respect for Victoria Beckham, both as a designer and master of self-reinvention. I’ve also heard from countless sources that despite what her pap shots might indicate, Victoria is actually charming, funny and really rather lovely. While we did get the (no doubt accurate) impression that every word uttered, picture taken and question posed had been very carefully scrutinised, Victoria’s self deprecating sense of humour and total passion for her work was plain to see. I’ll admit, it wasn’t my favourite talk of the weekend but Mrs Beckham still delivered a few pearls of wisdom, not to mention witty one liners.

“Ultimately I’m designing clothes that I want to wear myself”

“There were a lot of raised eyebrows… Those that could raise their eyebrows that is” – on her critics

“I’m very aware of how much the fabrics cost, how much the details cost… Yes I like to be creative BUT I am running a business and I’d like to be here in 20 years time” – on creativity Vs commerce

“When I’m in bed I visualise what I’m going to wear the next day… I had this conversation with David and he said he does the same with football…” – on wardrobe planning

“I want to make women feel empowered and confident and beautiful… A lot of attention goes into every detail that makes women feel good”

“Be prepared to start at the bottom up, put in a lot of hours… But you’ve got to be passionate about it” – on cracking the fashion industry

After leaving the auditorium we all filed out and made our way straight to talk number two, “Building a British Brand”. This was another session I was particularly looking forward to, not least because of the incredible panelists: Alexander McQueen CEO Jonathan Akeroyd, accessories Queen, Anya Hindmarch, Jimmy Choo Co-Founder Tamara Mellon and designer-of-the-moment Christopher Kane.

As Alexandra Shulman explained once we had taken our, “despite having innovative design talent, Britain historically hasn’t been one to build big brands.” However all that has started to change in recent years thanks, in part, to these four sartorial pioneers. I’ve probably said this five or six times by now so apologies for the repetition but this was yet another talk that reinforced the fact that these days, creativity is nothing without business sense. Not since the heady days of the nineties has cool Brittania been so, well, cool and it’s not surprising that homegrown brands are embracing their heritage as an integral part of their identity and marketing strategy. But is there even such thing as a truly “British brand”? What makes said brands special? And how did Jonathan, Anya, Tamara and Christopher grow their businesses from low-key London start-up to global fashion player? These were just a few of the questions that cropped up during a fascinating forty five minutes…

On being a British brand:

“Being British as a brand has a real DNA and people recognise that” – Anya Hindmarch

“The talent from the art schools is really great here” – Christopher Kane

“If we tried to stick to having everything made here we wouldn’t grow as businesses. We need the different skills… But that doesn’t stop (our brands) being British” – Jonathan Akeroyd

On balancing creativity and commerce:

“Creativity without business doesn’t really work and vice versa… They’re equally important” – Anya Hindmarch

“We’ve always seen its a business and that you have to have desirable product… We want it to be profitable… It’s half and half” – Christopher Kane

“Whenever I go with data over my gut it’s been a bad thing… There is a battle between the suits and the creatives” – Tamara Mellon

“For me it’s all about the product, if you’ve got the best designers and the best team… It’s your job to support that” – Jonathan Akeroyd

“Everyone has to commercialise their business at some point but it’s all about keeping the integrity” – Tamara Mellon

On embracing the internet:

“At the very beginning I was nervous… Now I think that (the internet) is incredibly important simply because its extra distribution and extra communication… it’s immediate contact with the customer” – Anya Hindmarch

“The website’s on hold… They cost a lot of money but in the meantime we want to do the best collections we can afford to…” – Christopher Kane

On launching your own brand:

“Keep strong… Be flexible… Get some good experience in brands… To do it on your own these days is very difficult… It’s all about experience and sticking with it” – Jonathan Akeroyd

“It’s a bit like juggling with one leg blindfolded… But excitement and fear as a state of normal is addictive” – Anya Hindmarch

I left the auditorium feeling inspired and, I’ll admit, ever-so-slightly patriotic. By this point my stomach was rumbling pretty aggressively so I decided a trip to itsu was in order. One “Health and Happiness” sushi box later (crab, tuna, salmon numerous other assorted treats, I’d definitely recommend it) I made my way back to the Southbank Centre for what I’m sad to say would be my last session of the Vogue Festival. While it was evident from the lack of mile-long queue outside that “Too Fat, Too Thin… Will We Ever Be Content?” wasn’t quite such a hot ticket as some of the other talks, personally I was very intrigued to see how Vogue’s chosen speakers would broach this inherently sensitive subject. With supermodels David Gandy and Daisy Lowe on the panel, it would be tempting to dismiss whatever opinions they voiced due to their own physical perfection. Then again, we all know deep down that a flat stomach wont really bring you eternal happiness and any girl, no matter how gorgeous, who claims to have no body hang-ups whatsoever is either uncommonly lucky or a bloody liar.

David and Daisy were joined on stage by actress and current face of Weight Watchers, Patsy Kensit and Vogue Contributing Editor, Christa D’Souza. While some of the panelist’s contributions were very interesting (especially Christa’s) what really struck with me most was the impassioned reaction of the audience. It was very clear to see that this was a topic everyone could directly relate to in a way they couldn’t to Natalie Massenet or Victoria Beckham’s life story. Ultimately the session didn’t bring any sort of conclusion as to whether any of us can ever hope to be “content” but I thought it addressed some complicated issues and, at the very least, confirmed that we all feel horrid sometimes. So, without further ado here are a few of the highlights…

“I’ve been sent home from a show in Milan for being too big… I was 16… It’s hard being young and having that on you” – Daisy Lowe

“I’ve never been told that I was fat but certainly that I was heavy by my father. It’s sort of been an issue ever since. Now I’m in my 50s I’ve found a modicum of peace and serenity… But I’m still working on it” – Christa D’Souza

“Eating something and feeling awful about it is a form of self hatred” – Daisy Lowe

“60 miles out of london it’s a completely different mindset, a different body… We put way too much pressure on ourselves” – Patsy Kensit

“I think to a certain extent I have broken eyes… Some of us are hard wired to be neurotic about weight” - Christa D’Souza

“There aren’t many high end designers who cater for a curvier woman. If a beautiful size 16 woman wants to go to a ball she can’t go to the high end designers… That doesn’t seem fair to me” – Daisy Lowe

“I think we live in a culture of dissatisfaction… Self love should be part of the curriculum at school” – Christa D’Souza

“I work with the most beautiful women in the world but there’s so much more than that…. Someone could be the most beautiful woman im the world and if I don’t have a laugh with her we don’t connect, I don’t see the beauty” – David Gandy

“When there is so much food around what’s fashionable can be choosing the path of most resistance… It becomes a moral issue” – Christa D’Souza

Much as I adore my university course, it does occasionally prevent me from going to things I really, really want to attend. My tutor probably wouldn’t agree with me on this and to be honest, he’d probably have a point. But on this occasion I had to skip out on the final two sessions (Alber Elbaz and Donatella Versace… Boo!) in order to finish some left-to-the-last-minute work for the following morning. All in all, I thought the Vogue Festival 2013 was a fantastic, fascinating, fun way to spend a weekend. I definitely hope to go again next year and strongly recommend booking yourself a ticket.

Love Ella. X

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Fashion 6 Comments

LPA x Monica Vinader Invite You

If there are two things in life I really, really enjoy they are champagne and shopping. I think it’s probably fair to assume I’m not alone in this, so it’s my very great pleasure to invite YOU dear readers to an evening of the aforementioned indulgences that I’m going to be hosting in collaboration with Monica Vinader. Given my magpie like attraction to all things pretty and shiny it’s not surprising that I adore Monica’s jewellery. Equally unsurprising is the fact that everyone from Cara Delevigne and Rita Ora to Olivia Palermo and Elle Macpherson are fans too. Monica Vinader is one of those designers who manages to deliver a vast array of goodies that appeal to an extremely wide range of women while always retaining a very distinctive style. Her kaleidoscopic gems are the ultimate in contemporary luxury and perhaps loveliest of all, they can be personalised to your hearts content thanks to endless engraving and customising options. When Monica approached me to do this event I didn’t have to think twice before signing up.

To cut a long story short, on May 16th I’m going to be installing myself in Monica Vinader’s South Molton street boutique armed with champagne, macaroons and music and would love for anyone who fancies it to join me. Anyone who treats themselves (or someone else) to a little something on the night will get 20% off and the option of complimentary engraving, all you have to do is quote “LaPetiteMV” on the door. But that’s not all… In celebration of our fabulous event, Monica Vinader and I will also be offering you lovely lot the chance to win a “Make Your Own” necklace worth £250 AND an engravable Ava friendship bracelet. Sounds bon, non? I thought so. In order to enter just follow these simple steps three…

1) “Like” Monica Vinader on Facebook here

2) “Like” La Petite Anglaise on Facebook here

3) Answer the following question by commenting on either the Monica Vinader or La Petite Anglaise Facebook page…

“What would you have engraved on your Ava bracelet and why?”

The winner will be chosen by me (mwahaha) and announced on the night. Good luck and I very much hope to see you on May 16th! In the meantime, join the conversation on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram #LaPetiteMV

Love Ella. X

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Ella Catliff in Fashion 1 Comment

Monica Vinader

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