Rent-A-Bag 

How many times have you seen a bag that would go perfectly  with one of your little ensembles – only it doesn’t go so well with your bank balance? Good quality bags don’t come cheap, which is why Lloyd Lapidus has set up the American website www.bagborroworsteal.com For a monthly fee of between £12 to £70, depending on your membership status, you can hire the very latest bags from the likes of Prada, Gucci and Hermes. The site currently offers the choice of over 700 bags and as long as your monthly membership is paid up you can hire as many bags for as long as you like. The reaction over the pond has been staggering and with plenty of queries from the UK - bagborroworsteal is looking to set up a UK branch as soon as possible.

A Brand New Talent Initiative From Eye2Eye

Eye2Eye - the biannual footwear and accessories trade show has just launched an initiative that will see young creative talents showcase their collections alongside established designer names. Due to take place on the 23rd & 24th September at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, Eye2Eye is offering new talent a reduced rate for a stand at the exhibition. All new labels are welcome to apply, just visit the Eye2Eye website www.eye2eye-london.com click on New Talent and fill in your details. A selected group of fashion professionals will then review your application and get back to you a.s.a.p. Director of Eye2Eye, Terrance Wong commented, "we have successfully built up Eye2Eye over the last 18 months to a state where we have 160+ of the best collections around on board with us and committed to the show, we now want to give something back by supporting new and exciting talent. Exhibiting at shows is the one of the few ways for these young creatives to get noticed, but for small designers, it may be just too expensive - so we're offering them a chance to join us at Eye2Eye in September at a very subsidized rate."

The House of Jazz Say Farewell

Design duo – the House of Jazz have just announced that their Autumn/Winter 2004/05 collection is in fact their last. For the past year, the pair has kept extremely busy with endless projects and collaborations. Pablo has been developing an old clothing factory and recently opened his restaurant and bar – Bistrotheque, while Hazel has been multi-tasking with styling sessions and fashion lectures, both are also in demand by night as DJs. Pablo commented, “It definitely feels like it’s time to put the House Of Jazz project in a box on top of the wardrobe and to think back on what a fantastic time we’ve had.” And Hazel added, “Pablo and I have worked on this brand intensively for the last 4 years, and both feel the need for a change. I have enjoyed the fashion rollercoaster immensely, and will still pursue my career in this arena.” No doubt the pair will be missed on the London Fashion Week schedule with their unique take on elegance and modernity. Fans of the label include – Claudia Schiffer, Erin O’Connor, Kate Moss and Drew Barrymore. Laura Craik, Fashion Editor of the Evening Standard said, "House of Jazz is a vibrant label with a true London feel, borne as much from pub culture as art school.  It's a sad loss for London Fashion Week, but I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of Pablo and Hazel."

Portraits by Piers Atkinson @ The Always&Forever ChenPascual & Oki-Ni Soiree

In celebration of the forthcoming collaboration between Always&Forever ChenPascual and Oki-Ni, the fashion and art worlds are set to meet for a soiree amongst the work of Piers Atkinson. Touching on Victorian and Art Deco styles Atkinson presents portraits of artists and musicians, including the likes of – Zandra Rhodes and Maria Pascual. Director of the Royal Academy, Norman Rozenthal, has described Atkinson’s work as, “reminiscent of Tamara de Lempicka’s paintings and Irina Ionesco’s compositional sets.” The Private View is to take place tonight at the Ground Floor Gallery & Courtyard, Kingly Court, off Carnaby Street, W1 – The exhibition will run until the 6th August.

Ziad Ghanem & His Louis Vuitton Wall

Following his exclusive one-off pieces especially designed for ‘Celux,’ (a prestigious boutique housed in the Louis Vuitton building, Tokyo) Ziad Ghanem has now made his mark on the interior of the store. Entitled ‘The Wall’ the entrance hall of the Louis Vuitton building is now adorned with Ziad’s world: Take-out menus, song lyrics, swallow prints, fabric swatches, sketches, rock stars and personal photographs create a fascinating insight into the designers psyche. Ziad explained that the installation “says everything about who he is.” Previous installers include the likes of - Marc Jacobs, John Galliano and Pucci. Ziad Ghanem is the very first London based designer that has been invited to participate in this unique project. To see Ziad Ghanem’s latest designs visit his website – www.ziadghanem.com

Sounding Off…Trend-Trotters

Have you noticed the new walking trend on the international catwalks of late? Watch fashion TV and you’ll see a bevy of fresh faces do the ‘trot’ rather than the glide. At first I thought it was a particular nuance belonging to a handful of models new to the scene, but no, loads of them are at it, from the grand presentations of Alexander McQueen to the runways of Chanel. It was the autumn/winter 2003 Preen show in London that really brought this ‘trot’ lark to my attention. Being a big Preen fan my eyes were busy running over those reconstructed threads and rather fabulous thigh-high boots. I vaguely recall some sort of funny stomp going on in the foot department, but sub-consciously put it down to all those cunningly deceptive wedge heels. At first I thought it was me, focusing in too much on the whole ‘leg raised a tad too high’ deal. No-one else seemed to be commenting on this new way to ‘work the catwalk.’ But at long last, someone else has spoken up. Novelist – Marian Keyes has written up an amusing account of her London Fashion Week experience, which now features in the latest issue of Marie Claire. She says of the Paul Smith show; “beautiful clothes – but the models are doing a most ridiculous walk, lifting their knees high like dressage ponies.” She later discovers that the ‘walk’ is so that ‘their legs will look thin for the photographers.’ Don’t know about you but I ain’t buyin’ it! Bring back sauntering a la Naomi, Erin and Linda – that’s what I say!

Jo Iles