Lily Allen launched her new vintage fashion boutique Lucy in Disguise at Selfridges (above), with co-partner and sister Sarah. The shop will initially be a pop-up shop in Selfridges, but will move to the womenswear floor during London Fashion Week. She is also opening a Lucy in Disguise vintage store in Covent Garden during LFW as well. The shop will offer vintage designer pieces to rent and buy.

Fashionbite then headed to John Lewis for a Cosmopolitan cocktail (or two!), to celebrate the launch its new womenswear floor, which I have to say looks amazing! Complete with autumnal trees as centre pieces, the floor is sexy, modern and fresh. Model turned accessories designer Laura Bailey was mingling around, along with other designers and lots of John Lewis management who were extremely excited about the new opening. Walking down Oxford Street, music pumped out of every store and the atmosphere was brilliant. Debenhams rolled out the red carpet, complete with mock paparazzi who took your picture as you entered the shop and Zara had live models standing on podiums in the entrance. Gwyneth Paltrow also made a guest appearance at friend Stella McCartney’s store on Bruton Street and none other than Giorgio Armani hosted a fabulous cocktail party with British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.

Fashionbite also caught up with Daisy Lowe at the re-launch of Biba at House of Fraser. She looked gorgeous (and very tall in real life!). The store was packed, with a DJ playing house music- it felt like the VIP area of a club. Customers also seemed to be loving the new collection as there appeared to be lots of purchasing!

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After famously closing in the mid ’70′s, the Biba brand resurfaced in 2006 and after re-jigging its design team was eventually bought out by House of Fraser last year.

Biba was the cutting-edge fashion brand of its day and its new creative team have turned to the archives for inspiration, with a modern twist.

Retro Styling

I loved the collection, fabulous standout pieces and perfect for all those Christmas parties! It had a 1920′s style feel to it with fur, feathers, sequins and a v.on-trend leopard print coat. I loved the graphic painterly prints on maxi dresses as well. Key silouettes looked to next season with the cape and shift dress.

Model Daisy Lowe has been unveiled as the new face of the brand. Sources tell me it is a match made in heaven as Daisy is a massive Biba fan and knows almost more about the brand than its new creative team.

The collection, which includes handbags and chunky costume jewellery, launches in selected House of Fraser stores September on 9.

It’s definitely worth a look!

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I headed to the launch party of Levi’s new Curve ID jeans last night at Studio Valbonne in Soho. It was a brilliant night- far too much vodka and a lot of dancing!

The night was like a who’s who of cool celebs- attended by the likes of Liam Gallagher, Florence Welch, Alexa Chung and Henry Holland.

Pixie Geldof, who models in the new campaign (alongside DJ Miss Nine and indie musician Lykke Li) also gave her first ever performance with band Violet. I have to say, she was absolutely brilliant. She has an incredible voice- strong and earthy- and the songs were all written by her too. I want to hear more…definitely one to watch!

The party was celebrating the launch of Levi’s new Curve ID jeans. After researching over 60,000 different female bodyshapes worldwide, Levi’s has come up with 3 distinct body shapes which it has named Slight, Demi and Bold Curve.

The strapline of the new campaign is all about shape, rather than size. The idea is that you can have leg length, waist size and now a third dimension shape. The jeans should all look the same, no matter what your size, but you will be fitted with one of the 3 distinct body shapes. A Levi’s shop assistant will measure you in store to get the perfect fit.

The day before the launch party, I popped down to the Levi’s store on Regent Street for a fitting. I ended up with a fab pair of skinnies that fit perfectly- 26″ waist, 32″ leg length and a Demi.

It makes sense, similar to the Duo fitting I attended the other night. We seem to be looking more and more for that bespoke fit from our fashion brands and the new Curve ID jeans do just that.

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It already has over 4.5 million facebook friends online, which I’m sure it’s hoping to translate into online sales!

The site (www.zara.com) looks great- is simple, easy to navigate and shows the product on models as well as mannequins with the ability zoom in.

Delivery charges are £3.95 but customers can order online and pick-up in store if preferred.

Inditex, Zara’s parent group and the world’s biggest clothing company by sales, has also launched online stores for Zara in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy and Germany. Forecasters believe the online stores could boost sales by 10% for Zara in a year.

Zara is not the only retailer to take the leap online in recent weeks.

Gap and Banana Republic recently launched online stores and H&M plans to debut online in the next few weeks.

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If you’re looking for the perfect leather boot…look no further!

Duo, if you’re not familiar with the brand, offers classic leather boots and shoes in over 36 sizes per style- boots range from 2-10 with 21 different calf widths!

Until my fitting, I had no idea they could vary so much in size and it’s amazing what a difference the perfect fit can make. Women’s individual calf widths can vary so much but you’re offered one standard size on the high street…so it kind of makes sense.

Duo stocks mainly own label and has four stores in the UK; London, Bath, Edinburgh and Manchester- along with a transactional website at www.duoboots.com.

The boots aren’t directional high fashion, but classic/contemporary with a nod to the season’s trends and work perfectly for next season’s countryside/heritage look- style with a camel cape to bring them bang up to date.

The boots are all real leather and extremely well made and it’s the kind of store that once you’ve discovered, you’ll never go back to the high street.

Duo kindly let me pick out a pair for myself, so I chose these gorgeous chocolate leather/suede boots with military style buckle (below)- drawing together a number of trends for next season with a classic twist.

They will look fab with black tights or tucked in jeans and a chunky cream cardigan when the night’s start drawing in…

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Fashion designer Jade Jagger will be appearing with DJ partner Dan Williams and the Jezebel Sound System at the Gallo Rosé & Beach Blanket Babylon at The Notting Hill Carnival this Sunday.

FashionBite caught up with Jade before the big day to talk about her top tips for London’s largest street festival, along with her favourite travel hotpots and the inspiration behind her fashion designs…

How would you describe your style?
I love to dress up differently every day. I would describe my style as playful.

Who are your favourite designers?
I make a lot of clothes for myself in India, but I also love all the classics- YSL, Lanvin, Chanel and of course a bit of Topshop and Zara.

When did you last have a shopping splurge?
I was in Paris during couture week and bought myself a gorgeous new Lanvin bag and some new shoes – I just can’t help myself in there.

Where do you get your inspiration for your jewellery and fashion designs?
I have a long standing love affair with India. We have a beach house in the north of Goa, which is where I am at my happiest. I work there around two months of the year on my jewellery designs and some of my clothes are embellished and embroidered in India

What’s your next holiday?
I spend my summers in Ibiza and I’m here now.

What is your favourite place to visit?
I love to go to the small beaches up near where I live in San Joan [Ibiza] – I like private coves to go snorkeling.

What’s your idea of the perfect weekend?
There is nothing better to do at the weekend than sleep, cook and watch TV with the family. We are often working on Friday nights doing parties, so saturday and sunday I like to get my PJs on.

What exciting things do Jezebel have planned for the rest of the summer?
We are doing the Gallo Rosé & Beach Blanket Babylon Notting Hill Party on the Sunday of bank holiday weekend. We’ll then be back hosting nights in Ibiza.

What tunes will D.R.W [Dan Williams] be dropping at the Gallo Rosé and Beach Blanket Babylon beach party?
The great thing about Dan’s sets is that they are always unpredictable. He definitely has a couple of signature tracks that he likes to drop but he likes to read the crowd and not play the same stuff each time so your guess is as good as mine.

What’s your favourite Carnival watering hole?
The Pelican on All Saints road will be rocking this year I’m sure. Its right next to my Jade Jagger shop so I can run between the two throughout the day, probably stealing ice from the pub to take to the shop.

Do you have any insider Carnival tips?
Always handy to know people putting parties on in the pubs! Get your wristbands on before carnival finishes at 7 or you’re gonna be queueing!

Jade Jagger and DJ D.R.W will be appearing with their Jezebel Sound System at the Gallo Rosé & Beach Blanket Babylon Notting Hill Party on Sunday 29th August. Info: www.gallorose.co.uk

The bold 7-piece collection mixes ’80′s excess with a hint of Art Deco in sculptural cuffs, large link necklaces and faceted oversized gems.

Prices range from £35 to £135. I love the chunky large link necklace (above top), perfect for jazzing up any LBD…

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Almost 200 people entered this fab competition-see WIN: Luxury manicure/massage for FashionBite readers but unfortunately (as always!) there’s only one winner…

..but keep an eye out for future competitions EXCLUSIVE to FashionBite readers.

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On|Off is packed full of fantastic designers with 14 catwalk shows, 3 presentations and 22 exhibitions.

The On|Off catwalk schedule features 5 On-Schedule and 9 Off-schedule designers including Roksanda Ilincic, Pam Hogg, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Charlie le Mindu and Julian J Smith.

It will also host the first independent catwalk for Louise Gray. Louise is considered one of the brightest new designers emerging from the UK and her show promises to be both distinctive and original…can’t wait!

This September also sees the return of the On|Off Visionary Award – won this season by designer Louise Amstrup.

On|Off creative director Lee Lapthorne says: “What makes this season so unique is On|Off’s blend of established talents like Roksanda Ilicic and exciting new labels like Julian J Smith. We have become known as a springboard of new discovered talent which are then picked up by the establishment moving onto NewGen and beyond.”

Alongside the catwalk schedule, On|Off will showcase presentations from up and coming designers including Ada Zanditon, Simon Ekrelius and Jayne Pierson whilst the exhibition includes collections from Brooke Roberts, Marc Philippe Coudeyre and new knitwear designer Angela Cassidy.

Fashionbite will bring you all the highlights from the four day event during London Fashion Week…so watch this space!

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Here are my top 5…

MILITARY

I’ve got my eye on a military-style jacket for autumn/winter.

Keep the look strong with statement fastenings/buttons and a slim fit.

Whistles has this fab cotton jacket- a perfect transitional piece at £125.

You can buy it online at Whistles or Asos.

GOTH GLAMOUR

Goth glamour has inspired the autumn/winter ranges at Oasis and New Look, see Fashionbite’s earlier post Oasis and New Look’s gothic story for autumn ’10.

Autumn will bring you a barrage of lace, from pretty day dresses to sexy transparent gowns and blouses. Tap into this trend with a hint of lace to reveal the dark romantic in you.

COUNTRYSIDE BELLE

Tweed, camel and English heritage are strong influences for autumn/winter.

Chunky coatigans, corduroy and mohair will all bring you bang up to date- why not give a nod to the trend with this tweed chunky knit/wool baker boy cap from Marks & Spencer, just £15.

CAPE CRUSADER

The cape is a key silouette for next season, pick up this bargain cable knit cape cardigan from George at Asda for just £12.

RETRO CHIC

Ok, so designers are always looking to the past for inspiration- but it seems they are doing so now more than ever.

Archives and heritage collections are providing the blueprint for many current collections.

Next season, we’re seeing a celebration of the female form with tiny waists, full hips and ample bosoms. Inspired by the 1950′s or the ‘Mad Men effect’, you can buy into this trend with a modern take on the style or by opting for the original if you’re a vintage lover.

Check out online vintage store Devoted2Vintage for some fabulous pieces.

I’m off to St.Tropez for a week today..can’t wait! I’ll be keeping an eye out for key fashion looks on the French Riveria..and hopefully catching some sun!!

fashionbite xx