There’s a  new ambition for fashionistas everywhere, and it’s called a Balmain jacket. Forget rumours that Christophe Decarnin, the young lad who’s re-energising this venerable old house, can only do the Eighties. He is indeed the one who started the whole current shameful revival, but he can do lots more. His decorative little jackets for spring are already going down a storm but he is smart enough to realise that in hard times we want stuff that will last. So his autumn idea is a fab little tux - black, whipped into your shape with seams that caress every curve, with those amazing sharp shoulderpads that somehow manage to flatter - all totally fab. And never mind if it’s shown over a Swarovski crystal micro-dress or sequinned harem pants. The  jacket itself it elegant, drop-dead gorgeous - and here to stay.

You might want to snazz it up with some of the jewellery that Jade Jagger has popped into her new range, Jezebel, launched at a suitably steamy club party last night. Inspired by her Ibiza lifestyle, it’s big, bold and well-made in silver or gold- plate. Themes include the infamous Jagger lips, charm necklaces and some dangerous looking Goth studs. There are also some great slouchy T-shirts and jersey dresses which could go under THAT jacket at less than Balmain prices.

As for trends, it’s all about the shoulder - not just hang ‘em wide Eighties style, though there was plenty of that at the young end from TopShop Unique to Armand Basi One and Fashion East -  but also high-rise puffs and curves at Giles,

Roksanda Ilincic

Roksanda Ilincic and Erdem. Modern graphic lines and geometry are everywhere too, in strong black outlines at Christopher Kane or played out in sheer and opaque corsetry styles at Richard Nicoll and Jasper Conran. Knitwear gets a big billing, in body-conscious laddered and textured style at new name Mark Fast, in Robocop meets space warrior kit at Louise Goldin. There are clothes for real life too - smart but sexy gilt-buttoned and satin-bowed dresses and suits in Designer of the Year Luella’s feminine and witty take on Chanel style, and in the simply graphic, modern cuts and draped jerseys from Osman Yousefzada and young Australian Josh Goot.

New stars - Erdem Moralioglu has been around for a year or two but this collection really put  him on the map - fabulous, feminine dresses either with a full skirt or slimline with soft, full sleeves, in a mix of his own, deceptively sweet but slightly eerie, floral prints and heavy silk, some with delicately appliqued lace and embroidery.

Exquisite, couture-quality work and great cutting - some of the  best occasion pieces in town, but won’t be cheap. Kinder Aggugini is a new name with a great  pedigree - Galliano, Versace etc - and his own very distinctive look of brilliant tailoring mixed with the softest, lightest dresses with his own prints layering florals, spots and inky dip-dye. Try a gorgeous chiffon evening dress under a  beautifully-cut jacket with delicate stitching detail and a hint of jet-beaded lace at the hem. Of the first-timers, Mary Katrantzou’s amazing prints based on the sensuous lines of scent bottles, plus assured cutting and great, graphic jewels, and Holly Fulton’s astonishing bright dresses with Art Deco embellishment of vivid enamel or Swarovski crystal are the ones to watch.

Old stars - Aquascutum dresses women, not waifs, and showed on a procession  of 40-plus models to prove it. Led out by the perennially elegant Stella Tennant (who isn’t quite 40),

Stella Tennant - Aquascutum

they  included Yasmin Le Bon, Susie Bick, Cecilia Chancellor and Jenny Howarth, all looking fab in dashing full-skirted trenchcoats and cosy fur sweaters and with far more personality than today’s identikit faded blondes.

New openings - Fashion Week is the perfect time to make a splash with a new shop in these tricky times. First up was Browns Shoes in Brook Street as the boutique turned over its former bridal ship to all the shoe brands we know and love from the main shop and the website, with special emphasis on ultra-talented young Brit Nicholas Kirkwood and his signature raked-back platforms and elegantly carved heels. Then Joseph opened the first of its radical redesigns on Westbourne Grove - all white space and grey limed wood and, in addition to its upgraded casual chic own-label range, there’s a mind-blowing collection of hip designers - Balmain, Maison Martin Margiela, Zac Posen, Marni (no prints!), David Szeto, Zero Maria Cornejo, Charles Anastase etc. And find high-octane glamour at Azzaro on Mount Street - one of France’s best-known evening wear labels now designed by the talented Vanessa Seward, who has worked a design project with Jemima Khan, one girl who knows how to dress the glamour lifestyle.

New tights - bored with black opaques? Give them some spin with the gold seam and spider’s web (her logo) design by hit high shoes designer Charlotte Olympia, or a scattering of open gilt eyelets with tiny rings attached, as spotted at Bora Aksu’s show of tough-romantic little dresses.

Best parties - two go head to head - the opening of Stephen Jones’s hat exhibition at the V&A where everyone wore a hat in honor of one of the world’s most imaginative milliners and curators, and the Design Museum dinner to celebrate Puma’s sponsorship of students at Central St.Martin’s college, hosted by Puma’s creative consultant and fashion genius Hussein Chalayan. Guests chatted round chic, spacious long tables and then had the chance of  a post-prandial wander through the Museum’s excellent current exploration of Chalayan’s work.

London Fashion Week billed itself as “celebrating 25 years of of British fashion”, which came as a bit  of a surprise to those who reckon our fashion heritage goes back just a little  further. Remember Mary Quant in the Sixties? Not to mention Ossie Clark and Zandra Rhodes in the Seventies plus a small-scale version of the London fashion exhibition which started in 1974. More properly, it celebrated London Fashion Week in its present form, and seeing the way it is now -  with over fifty shows and a major exhibition - compared with how it started, that’s something to bang the drum about. Being squeezed by New York running later into one day less than usual only did it good, with extra vitality and even more going on than usual making for a really buzzy atmosphere. The British Fashion Council went on the offensive and flew in journalists from sceptical places like the States and France, who appeared to like what they saw and got invited to more parties in four days than in a week back home. Plus there is more back-up than ever, from the industry and private initiatives, to help our talented young designers establish proper businesses. So, even with a slightly smaller exhibition and some designers opting for static presentations rather than shows, this season the attitude is upbeat and, as ever with our designers, economic necessity is the mother of creative invention.

A little birdy told me recently of a fabulous guilt free, jewellery website called made. All their products are designed by influential designers, then sourced and created within disadvantaged communities across East Africa. They train local artisans in new skills and provide fair wages and support. The powerful concept is the brainchild of Cristina Cisilino, an ex Fashion buyer. Her job took her to Africa and coupled with her belief in fair trade, led her to join forces with partner Gerson Barnett. They now have a successful business that is as their strap lines says, made by the people for the people. Already picked up by Topshop you can now shop to your hearts content knowing that you’re doing your bit.

The Skinny Flare is simply the most flattering for most bodies. It balances your hips out nicely and clings to the skinny part of your leg. The simple rules still apply of course,  you must get the leg length right.  All too often I see a wonderful pair of jeans flapping around in nomansland on or near the ankle, the flare stands out like a starched sail which draws the eye down and you lose the length of leg you’re trying to achieve. Go long and wear as high a heel as you can bear - your legs then look endless and suddenly you too have Giselle type pins,… who’d a thought?!

J Brand still continue to top my list but I can honestly say I’ve road tested the new skinny flare at GAP and they do a very good job at No2. If you’re not willing to splash out £180+ for Love Story’s then my advise is to hot foot it down to GAP now and bag yourself a pair at a fraction of the cost  a mere £39.50.  Another little tip, go high waist and lose the muffin top - you won’t regret it.

Artistic jewels

Diamonds are a girls best friend. They are something you cherish and keep forever. And as for jewellery itself, the kind you wear most certainly says a thing or two about your personality and lifestyle.

Jessica McCormacks jewellery however is inspired by her surroundings, simulating the objects and landmarks that intrigue her. To her, jewellery design is more of an art, about “creating miniature sculptures”. She has created jewel encrusted pieces which substitute the real world from her own power of invention with a whimsical vision to make precious objects accessible and wearable. Her diamonds simulate landmarks like the skyscaper’s rooftops of the city skyline (New York Night necklace), The London Eye earrings or The Cog braclet which looks like the driving mechanism of a watch’s movement.

McCormack speaks of her jewellery as ‘the end result of her desire to turn what she perceives to be beautiful into a tiny piece of art.’ Her jewellery is not only elegant and stylish but versatile making it very easily adaptable into any wardrobe and can be worn with jeans or that favourite little black number. Her pieces are as enduring and as timeless as the symbols they represent - never overpowering proving diamonds really are forever!

To find out more about the ‘Lucky strike’ earrings or any other Jessica McCormack products, you can e-mail enquiries@jessicamccormack.com/visit her website or simply visit the ‘Iconic shop’ - Liv

In times of hardship like these, most retailers and designers would expect sales would slow down due to the recession but I guess obviously not if you’re Stella McCartney. Her work is currently at its peak with two magnificent recent collections for Autumn/Winter 08-09 and Spring/Summer 09 to hold her on the ground if things ever got shakey. It has been a good year for the designer and after opening her first flagship store in Tokyo this past November and previously in London and New York, she will soon be celebrating the launch of yet another recently opened store  - her first flagship in Paris.

The store is located in heart of the city at the ‘Jardin du Palais Royal’ an unusual location for luxury compared to how Avenue Montaigne or Rue Saint Honore are more for the high-end fashion consumer. However, Stella has obviously come up with her own prediction if her brand survives the credit crunch and says that she thinks the Palais Royal has “just the right balance” as it will not only draw in those who already know her brand but the tourists as-well. She boasts her company’s eco-friendliness as an added quality that should hopefully give customers another reason to choose her brand in these times of economic instability.

If you’re soon to be taking a trip to Paris, The Stella McCartney store is located near the end of the Palais Royal gallaries at No.114-121 Galerie de Valois or visit www.stellamccartney.com - Liv

Luxury fashion is about sending a message of confidence, ease, tastefulness and pride and a recent collaboration between the very well known bespoke ‘House of Boucheron’ and luxury mobile phone company ‘Vertu’ proves just that bringing about the result of a collection of seven magnificent mobile phones. This creative co-existence also marks and celebrates Boucheron’s 150th anniversary and in the maisons own words ” combines its luxury savoir-faire with Vertu’s modern technology”.

The collection consists of a set of unique mobile phone designs in accordance with the aesthetics of both Boucheron and Vertu, adorned with gold, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones with elaborate, complicated designs. Each individually named Audacious, Voluptuous, Curious, Gourmand, Magic, Dangerous and Mysterious the designs of these seven signature phones are inspired by the “Seven Muses” of the Enchanting Boucheron collection. And should you find the adornments a bit too much for a certain occasion, Boucheron has had the insight to make the pieces of jewellery that adorn the phones detachable and thus able to be worn separately as a pendant.

Elegant, sleek and stylish, this mobile phone collection is one of a kind. And with the design and luxury of the mobile phone fast becoming a must for the devoted and in some cases “very rich fashionista”, you wouldn’t want to pass up an opportunity to get one of these crazy beautiful phones. Above all, a mobile phone is one of the most important accessories you take around so don’t let your fashion fall short where it’s most important. Bearing all of that in mind, it’s safe to say these aren’t going cheap, unless your earnings fall into the disposable category of course. Visit www.boucheron.com - Liv

The season of giving is thankfully also the season for parties! Tired of the same-old, same-old? Update your festive wardrobe with Iconic Chic’s handy party style tips and even if you don’t have a celebrity make-up artist on hand you too can achieve a fab look with their expert make-up tips at Elle UK’s marvellous beauty site with words of wisdom contributed by the likes of Bobbi Brown, Ruby Hammer and Pat McGrath. Click on the images below to discover Iconic Chic’s tips on party accessories, and Elle Beauty’s experts’ advice on how to wear your make-up. Party on!

Shining Look

Heel Thyself

Winter Colour

Winter Colour

Chipped Polish

Smoky Eye Tips