TONIC Clothing Event

TONIC Clothing in Chelsea, London  teamed up with Street Hub last week and held a party to celebrate summer.

With a DJ on the decks, the drinks were flowing with a choice of Van Bulck beer and/or Blue Nun Sparkling Gold Wine (containing  actual 22 carat gold leaf flecks). Nail wraps were offered by iZ Beauty and all guests were given 20% discount on the clothing during the event.

Founded in 2013 TONIC Clothing is a multi-brand Fashion Shop with over ten different European brands coming from Italy, France and Denmark.

Address is

309 Fulham Road

London

SW10 9QH

Tel: 020 7351 7182

New TKMaxx Flagship Store at Charing Cross Road, London

TKMaxx's new flagship store has opened at 120 Charing Cross Road, London.

The VIP preview night saw the staff dancing away on small podiums whilst modelling the clothes. Some near the windows had the passer bys looking bewildered or amused as they watched the dancing from the outside.

Champagne flowed as we were allowed to roam around and try the new stock. The first floor was the womenswear (handy for the champagne and canopies)
New fashion department Mod Box took a third of the space with their hot trend of the month “Varsity”.

Gold Label (expensive designer gear even with the TKMaxx discount) took a double rail. Saw a fantastic Jill Sander black jacket, but alas had to put it back when I saw the bargain price of £299.


The first floor was dedicated to shoes, handbags, lingerie, beauty products and kiddies wear. To get over the shock of picking up a £450 Mui Mui handbag (why am I attracted to the most expensive??), I sat down whilst the pamper girls gave me a mini manicure and make-up.

Feeling refreshed and with a new glass of champagne I climbed up to the top floor to find the men's section ranging from shoes, accessories,sports tees to smart suits.


Finally surfacing from all the rummaging around, I spied a few celebrities - Julie Peasgood (a regular on the Alan Titchmarsh show) in the beauty section and Zandra Rhodes queueing at the till point.

Written by Karen Grace, personal shopper for www.frumpytofunky.com

PROPHETIK AUTUMN/WINTER 2010 COLLECTION

Tennessee based Prophetik kicked off the London Fashion Week catwalk shows at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, Freemason’s Hall, Covent Garden. And what a kick off!!!

At the beginning we are lulled in to thinking of a carefree southern country theme when violinist Anna Cwad starts playing toe tapping music, with ex-Paramore Jason Bynum joining her on guitar. Then the band Man Raze shatters this illusion with their fusion of punk and pop rock. Not surprising as their drummer is ex-Sex Pistols Paul Cook and their vocals/lead guitar is ex-Def Leppard Phil Collen. And let’s not forget their bass guitarist Simon Laffy from Brit glam rock act band Girl.

With Man Raze raising the tempo, the show began for ethical designer Jeff Garner’s A/W10 collection titled “Southern Shores”. His inspiration came from the American Civil War and sees hope and romance alongside strife and uncertainty.

Main colour palette in true Civil War colours were blues, greys with a touch of red.

The menswear saw layering and serious looking ¾ length coats, waistcoats, vintage buttons, riding boots and peace silk neckties.

For the women, the designs ranged from jodhpurs, ripped leggings, military jackets and capes to full on Little House on the Prairie style dresses. In-between were mini dresses and long flowing dresses both teamed with flat heeled riding boots.

At the end of the show, the music mellowed as Jeff Garner appeared looking the part of the Southern gent taking a stroll with his Southern belle in her striking long red velvet bustier dress.

Garner’s collection is proof that no fashion look has to be harmed in the making of ethical clothing.

Prophetik is a sustainable men’s and womenswear label using environmentally friendly materials such as organic cottons, hemp, flax, Greenspun (recycled bottles) and organic pigment dyes. One of their signature dresses “the Elle” is made from silk and organic cotton that elephants have painted in collaboration with the AEACP (Asian Elephant Art Conservation Project), which helps to raise funds for an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.”

Photos taken by Tony from Griffin Technology on his iPhone

Hand-Crafted Menswear by Brian Clarke

Brian Clarke admits fashion is in his blood. As a teenager he loved to interpret street fashion and create his own style. The next obvious step was to take this creativity and learn how to make his own designs. So Brian registered at the London College of Fashion to study how to design light clothing and pattern cutting. After completing his studies, Brian worked at Berman’s & Nathan’s theatrical costumiers, honing his bespoke tailoring skills. Here he worked on costumes for Colditz, Superman and all the BBC series, but promises his own collections will not include wearing underpants over tights! However, it was when he worked as assistant designer/pattern cutter for Katherine Hamnett that a passion for fashion really got to him.
After several years of hands-on experience, Brian eventually decided to go it alone. His first independent forays found him styling and designing clothes for pop videos for numerous bands- Jackie Graham, David Grant, Imagination and Spandau ballet to name a few. He also set up a pattern cutting, sample making and small production service for emerging designer labels which included Stephen Linard, Duffer of St. George, John Giuliano, Joe Casely Hayford and Nigel Hall. But an eye for a strong commercial presence was to reveal bigger ambitions. Brian soon had his own flourishing line, stocking many of the capital’s trendier boutiques. It was then he decided to open his eponymous store in London’s Soho stocking his own name label.
The store was more than just a shop; it rapidly became a social institution for slick dressers from the worlds of film, music, art and the city of all whom were looking for the inimitable BC style. It was an instant winner and encouraged others to tap into Brian’s design talents. Deals from Japan notably Dep International - soon followed. This is when Brian had to make an agonising choice of keeping his store open or go to Japan and accept the deal to work for one of the leading young fashion companies there. Brian decided to take the offer in Japan where he could accrue more experience in fashion design. But he never gave up the idea of continuing with a London store and now he’s back after five years ready to open his new store in the West End early in the New Year. In some ways he’s come full circle, employing the artistry of the bespoke skills he learnt at the beginning in his stylish and subtle tailoring. It’s what he does best, and his return to fashion is not a moment too soon
For his spring/summer 2010 collection, Brian has used mainly crisp cotton and linen in cool blues, stone and white. For his dark dinner suit he has used a blend of wool and silk, and for the guys who don’t do plain – a broqueted jacket in black.
Brian has applied to show his new collection at next year’s London Fashion Week in February, so don’t forget to visit him there. Until his store opens, you can buy by contacting Brian via his website: www.brianclarkeclothing.com