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The fabulous Miss Blackwell descends upon Stockholm Fashion Week. Will it be Amazing Grace or Ugly Betty?
Oh the joy of Fashion Week. The glamour, the prestige, the excitement. And the joy of being woken up at 8am by builders drilling something that sounded very big and important into our adjoining wall. It brought me back to earth with a bang. But at least it got me up and out of bed. For the last few days, The Ed has become a Feeder, ie, he's packing my face with high-fat, low fibre food and now my tummy is going outwards so I resolved, "no more Cheesy Doodles, ever." (Cheesy Doodles are the same as Cheesy Wotsits in the UK) But this lasted for about 2 minutes as I saw last night's bag still open and offering itself to me. How could I resist. I dived in. When I get back to the UK, I promised to have my jaws wired. Camilla Norback This was the first show of the and apparently her last show was not all that so when I saw what was coming down the runway, I  was more than pleasantly surprised by this offering. There was the usual: all skirts are short, black, black and some more black with grey thrown in, jumper dresses, cotton T dresses. Here are the key points: Velvet! Yes, this woman made velvet look good! She had a lovely black velvet tulip skirt which ticked all the boxes. Burnt orange was thrown out there a bit. Leg warmers which were folded over (not crumpled down) made their appearance, quilted ankle boots and lovely clutch bags. As for the goody bag, today's was an apple (so healthy, especially after a gut full of Cheesy Doodles) and a glass of red wine (they're speaking my language!) I think it is also worth mentioning that Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister was there. This really is an incredible compliment for Norback but also gives Stockholm Fashion Week some real clout. Lets hope they use it accordingly. Lars Wallin OHMIGOD ..... I arrive, I ask one of the "seaters" where will I be sitting (it's best to assume you do have a seat) and suddenly I'm whisked off to The Front Row. This is where the heavy weight press, light weight beauties and personalities sit. I nearly asked, "are you sure?" but he'd gone. I looked at my chair and sure enough, there was my name nestling up to a goody bag. I sat down and tried not to smile like a village was missing me. And of course, I texted The Ed immediately. The room fills up and I'm suddenly aware of the difference of people on this legendary Front Row. They really are beautiful. They really are immaculate. They really do exude an exclusive international smoothness. I truly am in awe. And then possibly the Most Beautiful Woman I have ever clapped eyes on with her Perfect Boyfriend just stroll over and sit next to me. The Ed texts me to let me know that she is one of Sweden's most successful models and I must chat with her and that is an order. And then he stares at me as I feel desperately uncomfortable wondering how on earth I can butt into the Most Beautiful Woman's lighthearted chat with her Perfect Boyfriend. Luckily the lights fell and the show started. I was saved. Wallin's is generally know for his women's haute couture. However, today he was showing a collection of men's suits and they really were amazing. I nearly wished I was a chap. The blokes strode down the runway (all looking utterly gorgeous) in miraculously tailored suits with beautiful attention to details. The suits were in a lightweight wool in either mid or dark grey. They had double vents at the back and were either single or double breasted. They hugged the body beautifully so it's a shame so many straight men add on the pounds as they get older - these suits really are one good reason to lose it. Two of my favourite jackets which were a bit "out there" was a snake skin DJ and a heavily embroidered DJ with beautiful yellow birds on it. The snakeskin was very rock and roll and I can appreciate that on most guys it's going to just look sleazy. But if you are a rock star or wannabe, this will look fantastic on you! And now down to details: shoes included black patent brogues, jodphur boots with just the tip in patent leather. There was a dicky bow and the most gorgeous frog diamante cuff links. Hats included flat caps, knitted flat caps, a regular knitted hat and a Busby (I don't think we're meant to take that seriously). A beautiful overcoat had a fur trim collar. Jumpers were generally a chunky knit and longer so they covered the bum (my dad is finally back in fashion). I really loved this show. At the end, they had the march through and the three female models who had been looking like James Bond's latest arm piece (and smiling!) joined it and added to what is probably the most glamorous show I've seen this season. And then the lights went up and I summoned my courage and spoke to the Most Beautiful Woman and it turns out that she was really nice! And it was even better to tell The Ed that I'd done it. As for the goody bag? Who cares? I've done front row! Ida Sjostedt Heard the one about the woman who would throw all her toys out? Well, I think Ida Sjostedt is the woman who threw all her mother's dressing-up box around the room and then put it all on. This collection, though I loved a lot of it, is just bonkers. If you imagine a little girl designing her best collection ever, this would be it. It has fur, diamante, leather, silks, lace (lots of lace), glittery material, all the frills and a bit of plaid. I guess she kept that in just to keep it real. 
I kid you not, this really was an extravaganza of pretty much every textile you could imagine. Sadly, this didn't really bring much cohesiveness so the overall feel was patchy and a bit "ooooh, lets put lace/feathers/chains on it!". However, what she did produce was fun and definitely "out there". My love of the show was a small indoor jacket with diamante trim around the cuffs, the neck and hem, plus feathers. Very Barbara Cartland. Nakkna A warm and dark room. I felt safe. I fell asleep. Sorry. Björn Borg Your dad would have loved this! It was a nice safe show, nothing weird or bizarre and actually, if you dad did wear any of this, you would be proud of him! The colours were dark blues, burnt red, olive, browns a smattering of black and "lion" (their description, not mine, and if you saw it, you'd know what they mean). The collection included bomber jackets in cord, cravats, a safari jacket, sheepskin coats, trousers were straight (not skinny) and some had tailored turn-ups. My favourite iteam was a quilted blue leather bomber jacket. Very cute! The Local Firm There was a buzz about this show before it started. Journalists, who were looking to leave early, stayed on just to see this show. And that means something so I grabbed my seat and waited with baited breath. At the top of the runway was some sort of construction that looked like a set from Les Miserables. Then the lights go down, the music goes up and out come the skinny people. But the clothes weren't all that. There was a bit of a school uniform thing going on which also featured denim. Key things I loved included those sew on patches on jeans and leg warmers. Fur also made the odd appearence and, though I'm aware it's not one bit PC, it did look gorgeous. There was a lovely fur stole and fur gilet. Just what you need to keep you warm on a chilly winter's night!
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