Mademoiselle Robot: 01/03/12

MRLA - Madonna / Feminine & Masculine/ Pulp Nite / La Mi-Ja

Monday was officially MDNA Monday all over the world to debut her 12th studio album. Yes, she's back. And looking smashing! Her latest video "Girl Gone Wild" is very nostalgic of early 90s aesthetics and ethics. What's old is new again and in full force for 2012! Here's to 50 years more to the one and only (and a fellow Leo) Queen of Pop!

Monsieur Robot - Oscar Jacobson #MBSFW

One of my highlights in Stockholm this season was a designer I'll shamefully admit I had never heard of before. Oscar Jacobson happens to be one of the oldest men's clothing brands in Scandinavia.

Style Icon - Brenda Walsh

In an attempt to distract myself from the book prison, I started watching Beverly Hills 90210 all over again, from the very first episode of the very first season. It conjured up fond memories of being a teenager, coming home from school and plopping myself down in front of the TV every evening around 5pm, one eye on my homework and one eye on the screen, eager to find out more about the adventures of the Walsh family. I even made a zine about it back in the days, that's how obsessed I was. Later on, when my best friend and I created "Les Echos de la SPBG (Société Protectrice des Beaux Gosses)" - translates as The Babes Gazette, essentially the ancestor of Babe Time - we proudly put Brandon Walsh as a cover star. When I first started using the internet, circa 1994, I used to spend hours reading spoilers for 90210. The show truly was my teenage companion.

Swedish Hasbeens Pop-up Store In Selfridges

I woke up this morning and thought "I haven't gushed about Swedish Hasbeens for a while" so I feel like I need to fix this - not so coincidentally, yesterday saw the launch of their pop-up store in Selfridges Shoe Galleries. I didn't attend because of a lethal combination of illness, tiredness and mega deadline, but when it comes to clogs, I am most definitely all seeing and all knowing.

Saint Pancras Renaissance

What seems to be a lifetime ago, I was invited to spend the night at the Saint Pancras Renaissance Hotel, above the eponymous station in the heart of London - and opposite my old house, which is always nice. Before moving to sunny-yet-slightly-odd Notting Hill, I was a happy resident of the north side of Bloomsbury, just a few minutes walk from Saint Pancras station, so over the 5 years I spent in the area, I saw a lot of changes. I saw the Eurostar move in, I saw the Renaissance Hotel evolve until it was finally complete earlier in 2011.

#LFW Illustrated Highlights - Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane's AW12 show was to me a bit like a dark extension to his SS12 one. More floral motifs, more beading and embellishments, moiré instead of brocade and a palette going from blood red to bruised lips purple to black.

Monsieur Robot - Topman Design AW12/13

It's no secret how much I loved the last Topman Design show - Gordon Richardson has an amazing skill for pushing the boundaries without ever going too far. This year it was a star studded event, Dolce & Gabanna's muse David Gandy took a front row seat, as did Ronnie Wood.

Good Shoes

Earlier this month, I was invited to the launch of the Zalando Collection pop-up shop in Berlin. I unfortunately couldn't attend as I was busy eating my way through California, but I am sure you already read about the opening on Shini's and Carrie's blogs. Basically, the German giant decided that selling loads and loads of brands just wasn't enough, so they went and designed their very own collection, divided into three trends: New Retro, Sci Tec and Modern Tribal. The prices range from £30 to £150 and it seems to me a lot of thought has gone into putting together the collection.

The Week On Instagram

As you know, or may have guessed, I started the week in Paris so most of the photos in this post are somehow related to the mothership... I only stayed there 48h but I managed to pack quite a few things in aside from work: I caught up on French fashion mags on the train, I had a delicious café crême rue Saint Honoré while watching people walk by, I then had a cocktail at the Mandarin Oriental with my mum, more drinks with friends, lunch with my dad and little sisters, a walk in Le Marais (with a whirl through Sandro) and boom! It was time to get back on the train!

Just The Collar, Not The Shirt?

Howdy dudettes! Today I am going to tell you a tale of greed, willpower and pretty pastel
clothes. Right now I am in Paris, I arrived yesterday as I had a long afternoon meeting here.

MRLA - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu / Aaron Brown

ゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ aka Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a model, Japanese singer and Harajuku's electro-pop cutie sensation. "Candy Candy" is the second new single from the ep "Pamyu Revolution". This amazing and colourful techno-pop music video is true 90s Shibuya-kei form!

Monsieur Robot - JW Anderson AW12/13

JW Anderson is my homeboy. I don’t know him or anything but he’s Irish and therefore I can pretend to know him at dinner parties and such, to people who have no idea how big or small Ireland is. He’s been tearing up the world of menswear for only a little while but he’s already provided a truly unique aesthetic, a breath of fresh air if you will. With a sell out Topman collaboration under his belt he’s pretty much the hottest menswear designer we have. I was unbelievably excited to see what his AW12/13 collection would look like, in his own words it was inspired by “Aristocracy, youth culture and individualism” which left me baffled, but let's let the clothes do the talking.

#LFW Illustrated Highlights - Mulberry

Mulberry is one of the shows I look forward to the most, season after season. Not only are the clothes ravishing (do I even need to mention the bags?) but the show venue is always decked out in the most amusing way.

Wish List - Felice SS12

Today, I thought I'd introduce you to Felice Art Couture, a brand new fashion & loungewear brand hailing from Munich. Since I am going to spend the next month on house arrest working on a book, loungewear is definitely on my mind. And when I say loungewear, I don't mean leggings and a novelty tee-shirt. I mean serious loungewear. Stuff that wet dreams are made of. Silky stuff. Stuff you can leave your house in, dare I say. I don't guarantee you won't come home with 55 drooling men running after you though, so pack your "Perve Be Gone" cream just in case. I accept no responsibility.

Felice's SS12 is just a collection of solid, classic pieces all made out of the finest materials (including silk that's as soft as the softest cat you can think of) and I dare you not to love the David Hamilton inspired lookbook. I was originally going to suggest some of the pieces would make great gifts for Mother's Day, but really I think you should keep them to yourselves... unless you want to give gifts to the best mum you know, which is erm... me.

Ghost Town, USA

Some rather windy photographs from California, more specifically Calico Ghost Town, located in the desert near Barstow, between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. It is a real abandoned mining town from the Gold Rush era, now turned into a curiosity in the desert, where coaches come vomit hoards of tourists, all looking for great photo ops and the thrill of the West. Kinda like us really.

Observe as I wear 7 different layers of clothing - it is cold up there in the mountains - and try to maintain my dignity while the wind plays hairdresser.

I am wearing: UO jacket and blouse, COS jumper, F21 jeans (they only leave me to get washed at the moment), bimba & lola shoes, MCM Grace bag, vintage sunnies.

The Nina Diary - New York, New York

Hi Darlings,

Sorry for my long absence! New York was super crazy but good, I just got back on European soil and slept for 13 hours. I always take photos of planes at airports. I am a nerd that way!

I landed in NY for the last leg of fashion week. People asked what I was "doing" for fashion week. Well I was holed up in my studio putting the finishing touches on the fw12 collection and the look book! I also rediscovered the perfect combination of coffee and muffins.

I had a lovely studio visit by Rebecca of The Clothes Horse and Erin of Calivintage. We do it every season.

MRLA - Grimes / Barbie / Madera / Rhonda Retrospective

Pixie-like Canadian cutie Claire Bouche best known as Grimes comes to us with "Oblivion" the new single from her album "Visions" out now. A musical and visual sound project evoking Enya, TLC and Aphex Twin, drawing from genres like New Jack Swing , IDM, New Age, K-pop, Industrial and glitch. Yes, another addition to the 2012 soundtrack!

Monsieur Robot - Christopher Shannon, Catwalk to Kidda!

Christopher Shannon is one of LFW menswear day's big hitters. It's a curiously British aesthetic, feeding off urban street styles and projecting a tough edgy image. It's one of those looks that are impossible to fake - tracksuit bottoms, while ubiquitous on streets don't often make it onto the catwalk, which is pure fashion snobbery. In the hands of Christopher Shannon, sportswear becomes couture and street style becomes high fashion.

The other thing I love about Christopher Shannon are his prints. I don't much care for subtle - brash logos and loud patterns are my bag, why blend in when you can STAND OUT? Street wear has no time for the understated or muted and neither do I. Check out the AW12/13 logotastic looks.

Exclusive - Spring Jinks With Jigsaw

Girls with beehives and babes with moustaches wearing cute clothes (including the opening Peter Pan collar dress that just made it to the top of my wish list), set to one of my favourite songs makes for a pretty good collection video from Jigsaw. It makes me long for warm Spring nights shenanigans.

Lola&grace x Mademoiselle Robot

If you are free tomorrow I would love to invite you to join me at the new lola&grace store in Westfield Stratford for an afternoon of fun times with jewellery. I will be there from 2 to 5pm to give styling tips and help you pick the best items from the vast lola&grace collection.

But that's not all - The event starts at 10am and the first 50 people to get to the store will be able to exchange their old jewellery for £50 lola&grace voucher (which will get you quite a few sparkly bits).

Throughout the day, you will get to sample cakes from Lola's Kitchen and while you wait to get styled by me, you will also be able to get a nice manicure from Nail Illustrated Inc, complete with Swarovski crystals embellishments... And if you fancy staying until 9pm, Holly Chavez will be djing and there will be free drinks and snacks for everyone as well as 20% discount on all the products.

In case you can't make it, I will be tweeting about the event tomorrow afternoon (@MelleRobot) and you can also follow lola&grace on Facebook.

Los Angeles In Pictures

I am back in rainy London and when I opened my blinds this morning, I desperately looked for a glimpse of the Hollywood sign or the Observatory that both greeted me every morning for the past two weeks. As I was on holiday (a real one for once), I took the liberty of neglecting the hell out of this blog and I must say it felt great not to be tied up to the internet for a change. But I am here now and it is time to get back on the legendary interweb horse... but before, here are a few more holiday snaps!