Long Time Coming: Burberry's Eyewear Campaign

I'm so excited to finally be able to share this video with you all! Today marks the release of Burberry's first instalment of their latest eyewear campaign featuring my lovely and talented friends, One Night Only and their exclusive music video for new single, 'Long Time Coming'.

The Christopher Bailey-curated video is quintessential Burberry; classic, stylish, achingly cool, and of course featuring British talent. Christopher Bailey's championing of young British creatives, and in particular musicians, really shines through in this latest campaign which will see four bands release an exclusive new video each week this month. One Night Only's 'Long Time Coming' is the first video of the series, other participating acts include up-and-comers Daydream Club, Life in Film and Marika Hackman. All tracks will be available to buy on iTunes.

The sunglasses themselves are a new, Burberry [read: check arms] take on the classic aviator and will cost you around £180 to pick up.

The Yorkshire lads have a long history of working with the luxury heritage brand, frontman George Craig first became the face of Burberry at the tender age of 18 and as brand ambassadors the band continue to play live shows for Burberry, including at their most recent summer Serpentine ball. I caught up with George Craig earlier for his thoughts on fronting his fourth major campaign for the brand..

The Sculpted Heel - Christopher Bailey has always been a huge supporter of you, what does it mean to you and the band to be working with Burberry again?

George Craig - "It's such a massive privilege to still be associated with the brand after so many years. It means a lot to the band as it really gives us such huge exposure to [Burberry's] 12 million-plus digital fan base."

TSH - Tell me about your new album, is this the first track?

GC - "This isn't the lead track, it's just a single that we are so proud of. It's for the fans really, they deserve something as good as this. Long Time Coming is just the first step in a long process, we just want to keep releasing quality stuff and moving forward."

TSH - That's very exciting, when can we expect the track to be released?

GC - "The release date is May 4th worldwide."

TSH - I know you've DJed for Burberry all over the world as a brand ambassador, will you be performing any live gigs for them for this campaign? Do you know where you'll be jetting off to?

GC - "I don't know where I'm DJing next but it's always such a good night. I think we are doing a show in Paris on the day of the release. "

If you can't make it to 'gay Paree' fear not, the ONO boys will also be touring the UK later this month so for your chance to catch them live in action check out dates and tickets here.

Follow me on twitter for by-the-minute updates.

Lana Del Rey Goes Gangsta's Moll

Lana Del Rey has joined forces with rapper A$AP Rocky to feature on a track for producer duo The KickDrums' to promote their new mixtape which is released this week. While it seems release has been delayed due to A$AP greedily wanting the track all for himself, The KickDrums cunningly released a teaser clip to get you all excited about the collab (and their mixtape), have a listen below..

The combination of two hyped-up music stars, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and the defiant, rose-tinted, drug haze of a video ensure 'Ridin' will be a hit across the board - when it's eventually released that is..

More soon.

Bill Cunningham New York

I had the good fortune of catching a screening of Bill Cunningham New York at the quaint Curzon Mayfair cinema this week. The documentary film tells the story of the life of legendary fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham who pioneered what we now know as street style photography and continues to contribute greatly to the world of fashion well into his eighth decade.

If you loved industry insider documentaries 'The Met Ball' or 'The September Issue' then this is definitely not one to miss; the tale of a true fashion legend, 'Bill Cunningham New York' offers insight into the lonely and closed-off world of this bicycyle-riding maverick, New York Times photographer and cultural anthropologist.

Getting his start as a milliner in Manhattan, Cunningham was soon drafted into the army and upon his return made his living as a columnist for WWD. It was not until the 1960's when he was given his first camera that he began to take photographs of stylish people he saw on the streets of New York. Bill admits that he is not a skilled photographer and views himself as more of a documentarian - he simply takes pictures of what he sees on the front lines of fashion.

What comes across most clearly about Cunningham is how incredibly pure and selfless he is in his pursuit of style, refusing to accept money or "even a glass of water" for his work for fear of losing objectivity, he is objective to the point of being removed completely. It is perhaps this outdated romanticism that makes him so utterly charming to the viewer. A remarkably sweet man whose unrelenting sunny disposition clearly touched the lives of all who have worked with him, interviews from fashion notables and New York legends such as Iris Apfel and Anna Wintour as well as downtown drag queens, round out this fascinating film. Everything you need to know about Cunningham's influence on fashion is perhaps best summed up by Wintour's famous quote, "we all get dressed for Bill."

The most heartwarming parts in this otherwise sad film are when the self-deprecating Cunningham receives well-deserved recognition for his contribution to fashion. For instance the octogenarian is shown waiting outside a fashion show brandishing his photographer's pass yet the young girl on the door takes no notice, when suddenly her superior pushes past her and grabs his arm to show him through scolding her with, "Please, he is the most important person on Earth." Not to mention his incredibly moving acceptance speech as he received the Legion D'Honneur from France in 2008 - I'm not scared to admit a few joyful tears rolled down my hardy cheeks.

An unbelievably dedicated individual, Cunningham spends his days riding his Schwinn bicycle around the streets of New York and his nights covering society parties for the New York Times - resolute in his convictions, the photographer maintains he only takes pictures of great style and never intentionally of a celebrity. Some prying on the part of the filmmaker towards the end of the film alludes to Cunningham's loneliness as he reflects on having dedicated his whole life to his pure pursuit and documentation of style in lieu of ever having had a romantic relationship with another person. It seems as though he was a product of his era, his devout Christian upbringing superseded his homosexuality and he channelled his passion obsessively into fashion - his tiny studio apartment in Carnegie hall is heart-wrenchingly piled high with nothing but filing cabinets which house every photograph he has ever taken, surely a candidate for the subject of an upcoming Met retrospective if ever I saw one?

I definitely recommend seeing the documentary as soon as possible, it really is the most utterly charming and refreshing film in the face of today's largely ugly, celebrity-oriented, money-driven industry. If you're looking for something to inspire and awaken true creativity then you can buy the DVD, which was released this week, here.

★★★★★

More soon.

Follow me on twitter for by-the-minute updates.

Team Stella

Since she introduced her first collaboration with Adidas in 2004, yogalates-obsessed fashionistas the world over have been thanking their lucky stars that Stella finally answered the dreaded question, 'why can't you look chic when you sweat?' And now that her success with Adidas has reached dizzying heights and her designs for team GB's kit for the upcoming Olympic games have been revealed, McCartney's reign as designer sportswear queen is not set to fade any time soon.

The designer took centre stage - wearing a look from her own Spring/Summer 2012 collection, naturally - in a ceremony at the iconic Tower Bridge last week to unveil the sleek new uniforms on the Olympic hopefuls themselves.

While you may be forgiven for thinking the uniforms aren't particularly fashion forward, Stella told the audience that many factors such as strict Olympic regulations, shapes which enhance athletic performance, suggestions from the athletes themselves, and of course a quintessential 'British' feel all contributed to the lengthy design process. When asked about the kit McCartney noted that she enjoyed bringing a "feminine touch"; this is the first time female athletes have their own specially-designed tracksuit where previously they simply wore the men's tracksuit in a smaller size. Regardless of what happens this July, it looks like Great Britain has already won gold in the fashion stakes.

More soon.

Royal seal of approval - Lulu Kennedy's fashion MBE

Congratulations are in order for Fashion East founder Lulu Kennedy who was awarded an MBE for her services to British fashion yesterday at Buckingham Palace. A champion of emerging design talent, Kennedy's Fashion East seeks to give young designers a platform to show their work and has seen the likes of Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders and Richard Nicoll skyrocket to international acclaim through her guidance. 'Fashion's fairy godmother' also produces an achingly cool capsule collection each season in collaboration with each of her designers under the name Lulu & Co.

Fittingly Kennedy chose to represent her own designers when receiving the accolade from the Queen wearing a Roksanda Ilincic jacket and a skirt and top by Michael van der Ham, complete with his Louboutin-collaborated shoes. She said of the recognition, "Today was such an honour for me and something I will never forget. I only wish I had been able to take each and every one of my designers with me. I can't wait to celebrate with them this evening."

True to her word Kennedy celebrated with a Madhatter's Tea Party at The Sanderson with designer pals and Fashion East alumni including Louise Gray, Marios Schwab, Henry Holland and Nicholas Kirkwood. Fashion credentials firmly in place of course an outfit change was in order; for the evening's festivities Kennedy donned yet more of her protégées' creations in the form of a Meadham Kirchhoff cardigan.

More soon.

SHOWstudio's Fashion Fetish

Lucky for us fashion voyeurs, SHOWstudio will be releasing a series of short films interpreting the term 'fashion fetish' using recognisable faces from within the industry such as Lady Amanda Harlech, Lily Donaldson and Daphne Guinness to name a few. The first of these visual delights comes in the form of model-of-the-moment and my current favourite girl crush, Karlie Kloss who seduces the viewer in an array of underwear and wigs for this provocative Ruth Hogben-directed piece delicately entitled 'Fuck Me'.

Having stalked runways and dominated advertising campaigns the world over since she was 14 - by all accounts a genuine and unassuming young girl from St.Louis, Missouri - doors previously closed by legalities and social stigma have now been flung open for Kloss since her coming of age and the fashion industry are queuing up to have the 6-foot-1 model appear in more mature projects. Indeed since turning 18 Kloss has appeared in a controversial nude Vogue Italia spread and become one of Victoria's Secret's famous 'Angels', walking in their most recent lingerie show.

Victoria's Secret show 2011

Any opportunity to stare at this inimitable beauty, Kloss also recently appeared in another SHOWstudio project this time under the direction of Nick Knight for a film focusing on Topshop's NewGen initiative and its landmark tenth birthday. In the film Karlie showcases the young British design talent from the scheme's successful last ten years including Mary Katrantzou, David Koma and Christopher Kane.

More soon.

Follow me on twitter for by-the-minute updates.

Oh Boy, Chanel

While you may be forgiven for thinking that Alice Dellal and Chanel seem like an incongruous pairing - Dellal being best known for her punk sensibilities and undercut hairstyle - the 24-year-old model who was handpicked by Karl Lagerfeld to front his latest 'Boy Chanel' handbag campaign is veritable fashion royalty. Goddaughter of Mario Testino, daughter of Brazilian supermodel Andrea and sister of genius shoe designer Charlotte, it was only a matter of time before major labels snapped her up.

Dellal has been out of the spotlight for the last few years, having modelled for the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Agent Provocateur in the past, but is enjoying somewhat of a comeback this season also fronting a major campaign for Marc by Marc Jacobs.

See the gorgeous Karl Lagerfeld-shot Boy Chanel campaign below:

I love the compromise met between Alice's own personal style that she has become known for and the classic ladylike Chanel look. The French fashion house commented on Lagerfeld's casting of the half-British half-Brazilian model to WWD saying, "Alice Dellal represents the perfect incarnation of all that is unique about the Boy Chanel handbag collection, which strives to be far from conformist notions of femininity."

The line itself is completely covetable and something a bit more off-beat than your average 2.55, taking a cue from their name these bags are harder and more masculine but still a solid contender for 'classic' style status. I'm really into the pared-down chic manifested in simplified geometric shapes and a variety of colours.

More soon.