Victoria Beckham has been nominated for Designer Brand of the year by the British Fashion Awards.  This is an impressive achievement for the relatively new designer.  She began her designing career with dvb, her denim collection.  Then she worked her way to a high-end dress line called Victoria Beckham Collection.  She is in excellent company for this nomination, Burberry, Mulberry and Pringle of Scotland are also in contention.

Designer Brand

• Burberry
• Mulberry
• Pringle of Scotland
• Victoria Beckham

Shorts by Milly
Sandals by Miss L Fire

The 4th of July is a celebration of our nation’s independence, but that does not mean we have to abandon our sense of style.  Here are three looks that varies in price and style personality.

We’ll start from left to right.  First we have the mid-priced outfit.  It is a striped silk-blend camisole from Armand Basi, and is paired with a white skirt with navy blue embellishments and double stripes by ModCloth.  Christian Louboutin white leather wedge sandals, and a red Diesel bag accessorize this look.  

The second look is the lower-priced outfit, and it can be easily replicated.  You might already have similar pieces in your wardrobe.  It starts with a pair of Burberry oversized sunglasses, a Heritage 1981 strapless denim romper and a Wild Diva wedge sandal.  The romper is the must have piece this season, and denim is right on trend.

Finally we have the third outfit, and the pricier of the three looks.  Here we have an Emilio Pucci print top, and it’s accompanied by a pair of Milly sailor shorts and Miss L- Fire sailor wedge heels with stripe print designs.   It has a detachable nautical corsage that is removable.  The print in the blouse is perfectly contrasted with the stripes in the heel of the shoes.  Stripes are also big this summer.

Hopefully you will get inspired by these style ideas.  Happy 4th of July Weekend!!!

Burberry has a new 96-piece beauty collection ready to debut in July.  Though legendary for its trench coats, this is the fashion house’s first foray into makeup.  Chief creative officer Christopher Bailey compares the new line to Burberry’s trench coats.   If that’s the case, we should expect timeless and enduring beauty from this collection.  Models Rosie Huntington, Lily Donaldson and Nina Porter look absolutely stunning in the makeup.  If only we could all look as good in Burberry’s beauty line?  You can pick up your best shade of lipstick or foundation at Nordstrom or Burberry.com.

Burberry Launches A Beauty Line Inspired By The Classic Trench [Refinery 29]

Burberry’s Fall 2010 ad stars model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  Whiteley is also the new female lead in the Transformers franchise, she replaced Megan Fox.   The campaign was shot by fashion photographer Mario Testino whose job was to capture the “energy of [the models] jumping out of the page,” says Burberry’s chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey.  Viewers now have the ability to control how they view the campaign images, they can now zoom in on specific areas.   Bailey explains that they want people to have an experience when viewing these 3-D images.  “I want anyone who sees the campaign not just to see images, but to feel a part of what we have created; connecting people through technology, music, the collections, the attitude, and the emotion captured.”

Emma Watson is starring in Burberry’s spring 2010 ad campaign and she is joined by her brother Alex.  Emma is all grown up, and is a long way from Harry Potter.  Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey was going for a ‘cool’ vibe in this campaign, and I would say, ‘mission accomplished’! 

Ms. Watson is a combination of brains and beauty, the 19 year old attends Brown University when she is away from her day jobs.  Famed fashion photographer Mario Testino was called upon to bring Bailey’s vision to fruition.  Burberry continues to be relevant in the 21st century because of it’s willingness to adapt with the changing the times.  The actress is an astute choice in keeping on that path to the future; she is fast becoming a young style icon in her own right.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer attended the British Fashion Awards in a Peter Pilotto design.  She speaks glowingly about new British designers, and their wealth of talent.  When asked about her rumored fashion line, the model explained she was not ready to announce anything at this time.  She did, however, say that any fashion line would have her fashion sensibilities; striking the right balance between overdone and underdone before leaving the house.  Her personal style was on display in her vintage jewelry selection for the evening.  The big winner of the night was the creative head at Burberry, Christopher Bailey, who won designer of the year.  The British Fashion Awards is a good start for Ms. Schiffer to socialize with her soon-to-be colleagues.

Burberry wants to do for shoes and bags what it’s done for the trench.  That is a good thing for the company’s bottom-line as well as its customers in terms of variety.  During these challenging financial times, leather goods have been the savior of many fashion houses.  “There is a huge momentum in this sector (of leather goods),” says Bailey.  Their new emphasis is especially important now that Burberry has reported a profit loss of over $90 million dollars during the first half of the year.  Accessories currently make up a third of the company’s revenues; shoes, bags and belts will be taking on a much larger role.  The shift is among other changes that were recently announced, namely the promotion of Christopher Bailey from creative director to chief creative officer.  It looks like Burberry is making all the right moves to maintain the 153 year old house’s relevance in the 21st century. 

Burberry to expand in shoes and handbags [Reuters]

Burberry Profits Slide 24 Percent [WWD]