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Style & Design

Originally published on Tuesday, 14th September 2010

Retail Spy: September LFW Special

Live vicariously through the UJ dime as we scope out the hottest labels, latest products, news and gossip on everything from design and technology to catwalk creations and in-store sensations. This month we’re making it a London Fashion Week spectacular...

1.Shop News
Selfridges Shoe Galleries

retail spy

It’s bigger than the ground floor of the Tate Modern and chock-full of fancy footwear; so you’ll need some extra-hot heels to stomp across the boards at Selfridges new Shoe Galleries. The eleven separate salons interspersed with the brand rooms come with names like ‘Prada Suite’, ‘Gucci Apartamento’ and erm ‘Ugg Chalet’, with design ranging from black marble and alabaster plinths to glass shelving and parquet flooring. Price points are covered from Topshop and Kurt Geiger to Louboutin and Lanvin, the big open skylights let in enough natural light to make sure you’re picking the right pair, and Aubaine are even opening an eatery to keep your energy up.

Open from 16th September, Selfridges 100 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB.

2. UJ Loves
Tim Walker: The Lost Explorer

retail spy

We’d love to live in fashion photographer Tim Walker’s surreal, balloon and pastel kitten-filled world. Whilst his work has latterly lived on the glossy pages of Vogue, this Fashion Week sees him switch genres to produce his first short film, featuring 300 canaries and a little girl called Evelyn who discovers a malaria-riddled Victoria explorer in a tent at the bottom of her garden. It’s being screened by Mulberry before hitting the International Film Festival circuit. Magical.

3. Spotted!
Ashish at Topshop

retail spy

Didn’t receive your Paris Fashion Week invites or just can’t afford the Eurostar fare? Take a rather shorter trip down to Topshop for Ashish’s cheeky new collection of slogan sweatshirts and jersey tees emblazoned with GCSE-friendly phrases from ‘Parlez Vous Anglais?’ to ‘Bisous Bisous’, breton stripes and ‘Bonjour’ fronts with ‘Au Revoir’ backs. Très bien.

In store from 18th September.

4. Eat it
Fashion Cake Pops

retail spy

If you liked Rubbish’s Fashion Fingerpuppets but fancy something with an expiry date and a hefty dose of calories, check out these iced industry icons, from Anna Wintour to André Leon Talley. Available to order from Molly Bakes, they make a nice change from the usual catwalk of cupcakes that seem to proliferate at the shows. Plus it’s probably the only chance someone will ever get to bite off the Vogue Editor’s head.

£3, www.mollybakes.co.uk

5. Front Row Fave
Barbie Cam

retail spy

Barbie’s had all kinds of jobs, from spacewoman to secretary. But when it comes to the cut-throat fashion industry, even our favourite Mattel mannequin needs to start at the bottom. So she’s got herself an intern position at SHOWstudio, assisting the team during the hectic Fashion Week schedule from brainstorming at meetings and doing the Starbucks run to taking notes from the front row. Follow her videos on the Showstudio blog and see design from a doll’s eye view.

by MaM

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Urban Junkies is a free newsletter delivering the very latest London launches, trends and events.

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