On The Market [London]: Boohoo AW13 Collection

London contributor Kaila Baptiste checks out London's very own Boohoo (now available in the US at Boohoo.com) for a sneak peek at their Autumn/Winter 2013 collection. Check out her recap:

The Boohoo Urban English collection is a combination of grunge meets Highland fling with the tartan pieces, leather, acid wash jeans, fur and relaxed silhouettes.

These tartan trousers are my favourite in the Urban English collection. Print is a must for AW13 and I love that these trousers can be worn casually and dressed up for a late night rendezvous. 

The tartan continues in the Rebel collection! Punk meets grunge with the biker jackets, khaki parka and camouflage. The freedom to wear what you want is evident in the name of this collection along with the appearance of tartan which almost seems juxtaposed…punk meets grunge with tartan thrown in. Strangely enough, it works! The tartan shorts suit made my day..not sure if I’m brave enough to pull it off  but it still screams amazingness. 

The Rebel night time pieces were a medley of textures and prints with leopard, zebra, houndstooth and tartan print.

Boutique is a collection for the girl who has been with Boohoo from the beginning (2006) and is ready for the more sophisticated look. It's definitely for the refined yet glamorous chick who is still prepared to have fun with fashion. The floral skirt and bomber jacket are my fave.

Sports Luxe wins the race! This collection is everything - the block colours, panelling on the midi skirts, prints, flattering silhouettes and fabrics.

The influx of cocoon shapes and neoprene felt like a sea of flattering fashion. If I could have taken the whole collection with me I would have!

There are only two words for the AW13 accessories- statement pieces. Chunky, embellished jewellery, statement footwear and colourful clutches.

We were given a sneak peek of Boohoo’s new Festival collection inspired by Coachella, along with the new Geo-traveller collection. There was an abundance of tassels and denim, aztec print and patchwork hot pants. The collection is actually available on their website now so be sure to check it out.

The pieces for SS13 made me think of candy floss (cotton candy) and all things sweet. Summer is the time to dress cute ladies - embrace the fun colours and flirty separates.

To end the fabulous evening Boohoo made the bloggers feel extra special with a nail station to get their nails spruced up and the opportunity to have their own mini photo shoot with one of the AW13 themes as the backdrop and a box of Boohoo accessories to choose from. Once the chosen shot was printed the picture was tied to the Boohoo fence for display.

I got my ANTM on (in my case BNTM) and had my mini photo-shoot rocking a floral headband (which I fell in love with and must have) and round pearl encrusted sunglasses that are available on the Boohoo website. 

I don’t know about you but I’ve got my festival looks in mind and my winter wardrobe will definitely include pieces from Boohoo’s Sports Luxe collection.

Will you be sporting Boohoo’s Sports Luxe collection or did another collection grab your attention?

- Kaila Baptiste, London Contributor

Check out some of our current favorites from Boohoo: 

On the Market: ASOS Curve Spring/Summer 2013

Last week I had the pleasure of enjoying afternoon tea with the folks over at ASOS Curve. You guys know how obsessed I am with ASOS. I've been shopping the site since college. Back then, shipping from the UK to the US took nearly 3 weeks and my college roommates and I used to group our orders together to alleviate shipping costs. We used to wait for our ASOS shipments with bated breathe. Ahh, the good ole days.

Anyway, I'm beyond amazed at how much the ASOS site has grown. Back then, ASOS Curve didn't even exist so it makes me so happy to see that a growing trendy site like ASOS really cares about providing great fashion to us curvy girls. And when I say great, I mean GREAT. I mean not just some flimsy A-line black dresses but trends you've seen on the runway...in YOUR size. Check out my afternoon tea visit to the showroom:

My favorite curvy bloggers were in attendance, everyone from Gabi of Gabifresh, Nicolette Mason, Sarah of StyleIT and Alissa of Stylish Curves.

So many different sizes and body types represented at the table - such a beautiful thing!

After stuffing my face with Victoria sponge cake and champagne, I shimmied over to the racks for a closer look at the collection, which blew me away.

My mouth dropped when I saw the selection of clothes. There are cutoff jeans for curvy girls, statement  t-shirt dresses in fun prints, formal dresses, leather skirts. You name it! I was gagging. I died and came back to life.

The dress in the middle stole my heart (only $66.50 on site now!). Like, I wanted one of everything. It was that serious. Luckily, most of the pieces are actually available on site now. Below find a few of my faves:

Do you guys love ASOS as much as I do? What do you love most about it?

On The Market: Pour La Victoire Handbags

Last month, I posted about Pour La Victoire's amazing lineup of shoes for Spring and Fall 2010. What I didn't tell you about, because it was on the hush-hush until their press release, was Pour La Victoire's plans to launch a new and exciting line of handbags! As I first walked into their amazing showroom, the bags were on display and I fell in love with every last one...

 The handbags are beautifully crafted with studding embellishment and rich distressed leather giving them a sturdy, grungy feel with a hint of sophistication...

The one on the left up above was one of my faves. It's such a great classic studded bag, perfect for every day...

What do you think of the collection? It launches in July 2010 and I actually can't wait for it to hit stores. I've found that fgreat shoe designers do just as amazing work with handbags, so I'm definitely looking forward to it.

For more information on Pour La Victoire, check their website - PourLaVictoire.com

On The Market: Pour La Victoire

LBS is on the hunt this season getting you guys exclusive insider info on the latest and hottest brands on the fashion market. This past week I had the opportunity to visit Pour La Victoire's awesome NYC showroom and preview their Fall 2010 Collection.

For those of you not familiar with Pour La Victoire, they're an amazing French-style shoe brand headed up by designers David Giordano and Jay Adoni. A young brand, launched in 2007, Pour La Victoires lineup consists of detailed edgy designs with an old-school European flair. Following are a few of my faves from their Fall 2010 Collection:

Flats

Now I've never been much of an oxford girl, but Pour La Victoire offers some amazing designs of its type. Oxfords are back with a  vengeance. There were hints of them last season and many for this upcoming spring. The oxford it slowly taking over as the flat shoe of choice...

 

But who could forget the beloved ballet flat. These cutesy pairs from Pour La Victoire come in soft pastels and neutrals. The oversized patent bow seals the deal on these, no?

Boots

The lace-up boot still prevails this Fall 2010 as seen on the runways and in shoe collections this season. At the top right is an edgy new design incorporating the hardware of a wrap around shoe with the color and texture of a sock. I thought this was really daring...

 Cece's Fave

 This will undoubtedly be my staple shoe come Fall 2010. The wedge heel is back in full effect for these upcoming seasons. I always choose a neutral like black and the detailing on this is exquisite. I will literally live in these shoes - claiming it!

 If you're not into wedges, stick with the classic stiletto silhouette; an added platform give a pinch of trend and a whole lotta comfort.

Wildcard

 I was pleasantly surprised to see these wonderfully colorful suede sandals presented as part of the Fall 2010 collection. I don't really wear sandals in the fall (for obvious reasons given I'm in NY), but I might reconsider with a pair as fly as these...

Stay tuned for more updates and exclusive coverage of Pour La Victoire's Fall lineup.