London Fashion Week September 2012

As per every second week in February/September, the London streets are abuzz with the excitement of Fashion Week. What will we be wearing next spring (or for the die-hard followers of fashion, in January)? Which designers will have the stand out collections? And who are the new names to watch over the next few seasons.

Melissa herself has lots going on - with a few top-secret (and very exciting projects) taking off at the moment, and her own 2012 collection recently launched, however she did make it down to Portland Road to watch good friend & recent collaborator Julian Macdonald's RTW show where she was sat next to none other than GMTV's own lovely Lorraine Kelly (who has become something of a front row regular!), Mark Hayes and the gorgeous Eliza Doolittle (see pictures). Julian's collection was a huge success - with him making the front page of The Independent on Sunday - but saw him taking a slightly different direction than usual, with deconstructed tailoring, futuristic knits in plastic yarns & super-fierce models treading the catwalk. He then ended with some amazingly intricate beaded evening gowns that he does SO well...definitely on the wishlist, and as Melissa said, should be in a museum the beading was so incredible! Following the show, Melissa headed backstage to congratulate Julian, where the champagne was flowing and everyone from Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson to celebrity stylist and good friend Grace Woodward were there to do the same. She also had a chance to catch up with Bianca Jagger, whose style she loves, it being that she wears beautiful kaftans day and night. Rounding off with an interview for Fashion TV, she then headed off to something a  little quieter in the form of brunch with her family.

Saturday night saw the opening night of the new Roberto Cavalli store on Sloane Street, hosted by Roberto and wife Eva, who were very excited to say the least. Another who's who evening, Eva Herzigova, Holly Valance & Rosario Dawson were all there, as were girl-group The Saturdays, and everyone was, of course, decked out in Cavalli pieces...although Melissa went against the grain and wore a fabulous dress from her own collection! the party then moved on to Battersea Power station where none other than the amazing Kelis took to the stage and Melissa partied with Mr. Hudson & Charlie Speed, while The Box provided the entertainment in the form of Cirque du Soleil style acrobatics by immacualtely turned out performers.

Sunday was the event most people in the fashion industry have pencilled into their diary - The Harpers Bazaar Party, at The Saville Row Club. Henry Holland took to the decks and again, Melissa wore one of her own pieces, which got lots of compliments (keep an eye out for her next RTW collection, you will not be disappointed!) throughout the evening, although like Cinderella, she had to be home before heading off to a Paris trade show on Monday morning at a ridiculous hour (although she did manage to squeeze in a bit of Downton Abbey before bed!).

Sneak Peek at 2012.

We here at Melissa Odabash feel it is high time you all got to have a sneaky peek at some of the amazing new pieces from the Odabash 2012 collection. The new range boasts many gorgeous new prints, from 'Lotus' to 'Africa', bold new colourways and some new textures too - including THE softest terry towelling jumpsuits, perfect for snuggling up in after a dip in the ocean.

Of course, Melissa is best known for her luxurious animal prints and this year is no different, with the introduction of a new take on her iconic cheetah print, as well as a muted crocodile print and bold snakeskin (very on trend!). All will be available online at http://www.melissaodabash.com/ or in our boutiques, located in Notting Hill & Chelsea.

Elsewhere, Melissa has been hard at work putting the final touches to her collection with Julian Macdonald, researching some top-secret upcoming projects (keep your eyes peeled!) and taking a well earned rest in Italy.

Odabash Macdonald Collaboration takes Miami by storm

When the designer of 'the Ferrari of the swimwear world' and London's resident King of Bling collaborate on a collection, you KNOW it is going to be something that will set the fashion world alight - so when Melissa Odabash and Julien Macdonald confirmed they would once again be teaming up for an exclusive cruise line, breath was baited in anticipation - and the collection did not disappoint!

Making its debut at the prestigious Miami Fashion Week this weekend, the collection was the perfect balance between Melissa's glamorous chic, expert cuts and luxurious fabrics & Julien's high octane glitz in the shape of intricate beading, embellishment and of course, his famous knits. The setting for the incredible runway show was W Miami, with the catwalk itself set on the top of the pool, and also gave Melissa a chance to show off a few never-seen-before pieces from her upcoming 2012 collection.

Take a little look at these exclusive shots of some of the collection...

Jessica Lowndes talks snogging in London wearing Odabash!

After celebrating her place as 79th sexiest woman, Jessica Lowndes takes a break from her party filled London social scene to shoot for FHM and be interviewed by Stuart Hood. Jess was looking radiant in the classic 2 piece St Barts snake print bikini from Melissa Odabash's high summer collection, exclusively available at net-a-porter.com
Jess had a lot to say about being single in London and being bombarded with chat up lines, but after this photo-shoot is released it would be hard to believe the numbers won’t multiply!

No Carbs Before Marbs!

Well well well, someone has clearly been taking style notes from our previous blog posts, as here is none other than The Only Way Is Essex's resident style icon Lydia Bright wearing none other than a Melissa Odabash bandeau - Ecuador in a muchos-tan enhancing shade of jade green.

The lovely Essex girl popped into our showroom earlier this week to pick out some last minute pieces before jetting off to Marbella (where everyone who is anyone appears to be at the moment, Melissa herself and her army of models, assistants, photographers and make up artists are currently out there shooting our 2012 lookbook too, keep any eye out for the new collection dropping soon - it is incredible!) to film a summer special of the hit (understatement!) iTV2 show. Clearly the 'No Carbs before Marbs' mantra the TOWIE gang were living by has paid off too - Lydia looked amazing while taking a dip in the sea to cool off.

Also on the trip was Lola member and recent Odabash devotee Jessica Wright, who hasn't been snapped wearing our pieces just yet, but will be any minute now.

You can get all the behind the scenes news as it happens out in Marbella by following Melissa on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/#!/melissaodabash

It has been a busy few weeks here at Odabash - with Melissa and the design team hard at work putting the final touches onto the 2012 collection before our glamorous look book shoot, the PR team casting model after gorgeous model for the shoot and generally just lots going on a Odabash HQ - it is going to be a busy summer!

Aside from this, Melissa managed to find a few minutes to allow Hello! Magazine into her home to photograph and interview her on the events of the last few months - and talks about everything from her day to day life, to her BBC3 TV show, to her stint as Royal correspondent throughout the Royal Wedding! If you haven't rushed out and bought yourself a copy yet, what are you waiting for?

The Bandeau is Back!

Alexandra Burke is doing it...

Kelly Bensimon is doing it....

Even Denise van Outen is doing it!

The bandeau bikini is well and truly having a moment and here at Melissa Odabash, we've one to suit any figure and style.

Whether you love Denise's cute 'Martinique' style in a skin flattering coral with bohemian paisley print (which comes, like many of our bikini's, with a set of straps to give support to girls with bigger busts and protect your modesty when going for a dip!) or like Alex you want a sleeker, more graphic style (seen wearing 'Luxor) to exude chic beach cool.

Finally make like Kelly Bensimon in our 'Janeiro' - the perfect piece (those all important straps again!) for a spot of volleyball on the beach - that is if you can tear yourself away from the sunlounger.

Log on to http://www.odabash.com/ for all of the above and many more styles!

Royal Fever: Highly Contagious!

This Friday, the 29th April 2011, the world's eyes will be on one young couple - Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton - who, after nine years together are making history and becoming the highest profile Royals to marry since William's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana...and it seems the whole world has gone mad for it, including us here in the Melissa Odabash Head Office! What will WE wear?)? Will the weather be good!? Just how early will we have to get up to get a good spot in Hyde Park? And exactly who is bringing the all-important Pimms!?

Whether you've planned a street party, are going to watch it on the television from the comfort of your sofa far from the madding crowd...or are just going to be avoiding it altogether by having a lie in (thanks for the extra days holiday Wills!), there is no denying most girls will only have one thing on their minds...just who is Kate going to be wearing?! With Alice Temperley, Bruce Oldfield and Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen the hot contenders (unless Kate has a further secret up her sleeve), there is no doubt Miss Middleton has really come into her own style-wise, choosing classic pieces befitting of a Princess-to-Be, having paricularly excellent taste in swimwear we might add, spotted in Melissa Odabash pieces on more than one occasion!

Get her style with classic shaped bikinis in chic elegant whites and blues available at http://www.odabash.com & remember, Harry is still available!

What a Week!

Well girls, the clocks have gone forward, the sun has come out and minds are wandering to potential summer-holiday destinations, making this the perfect time to start planning those getaway wardrobes and most importantly, the perfect bikini. And where can you find those I hear you cry...well, thats easy - Melissa Odabash of course! One girl who knows this is the lovely Coleen Rooney, snapped here soaking up the sun in Barbados in none other than our Evita bikini in cheetah print.

Whether Coleen's animal print floats your boat or you want to work the colour blocking trend, the fifties retro style or a ladylike neutral look, we have a piece for you - and keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming high summer collection - a range of new styles, colourways and prints that will be available online very soon. Then of course, once the bikini is dealt with comes the accessories - we've seen lots of gorgeous celebrities snapped in our hats recently, from Cameron Diaz to Alexandra Burke to Odabash-devotee Elle Macpherson...which will be your summer style?

Denise Does Dubai

Check out West End Star and yummy mummy Denise van Outen taking time out of her hectic schedule for a realxing break in Dubai earlier this week. Wearing one of our favourites, the Martiniquestyle bikini in multi paisley print, Denise showed off her fabulous figure just a year after baby Betsy was born. She didn't get much time to relax, jetting back to the UK after four days to begin rehearsals of Legally Blonde: The Musical with none other than her husband Lee Mead, who is joining the cast in the summer.

Get Denise's look! Our Martinique is available online at http://www.odabash.com/ or at our Notting Hill boutique.

Odabash Street Style

While its always exciting to open up one of the glossies and find one of our pieces used in a shoot on some ultra glamorous model in a super exotic location, or catch wind of one of our favourite celebrities spotted enjoying some down time at the beach wearing Odabash (and trust us, we get VERY excited!), recently we have been seeing Melissa Odabash pieces styled in a way we would never have thought of in a million years...

Street style blogs have taken off in a huge way this past couple of years, with Scott Schulman (aka The Sartorialist), Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil photographing people with great style (be they in the fashion industry or not) and sites like chictopia.com and of course, lookbook.nu showcasing pretty young things unique looks, much like an online diary of 'what I wore today'.

Above is our favourite of the day - Yu'An from London, wearing a Melissa Odabash swimsuit in Notting Hill. We love the way she has put this look together, with some cool layering, quirky accessories and plenty of confidence. Its also a great way to show off your Odabash piece, as lets face it, here in the UK we don't get too much of a chance to don our swimwear now do we!

If you have an interesting way of styling up one of our garments, we would LOVE to hear from you, or better still send us a picture to avalonglobal2@odabash.com

Hello New Website!

Our new website launched last week making it much, much easier for you lovely ladies to buy the perfect Odabash swimsuit, beach cover-up or sun hat - with a fresher, slicker feel and simpler ordering process, buying your holiday wardrobe will be a breeze!

Coming soon is our new high summer collection - some of our best-selling shapes in bold new prints and hot new colours - keep your eyes peeled in the coming months for these, as they are sure to be a hit and you wouldn't want to miss out now would you!?

Log on at www.odabash.com and see if you can resist getting out that credit card and treating yourself to something from our 2011 collection! Good luck!

Odabash x.

As Will Smith once said...

...we're going to Miami!

Or rather, Odabash favourite Alexandra Burke is, seen here soaking up the sun on holiday after completing her first headline tour of the UK. Alexandra seemed relaxed and in the mood for fun, having played in the sand with friends...before they buried her in it...and chatted to Vanessa of girl-group The Saturdays, also living it up on the east coast.

Alexandra looked great while wearing a whole range of Melissa Odabash spring/summer 2011 pieces, from the bejewelled Capri cut out swimsuit, to our uber-cool natural stetson - she obviously knows a thing or two about staying safe in the sun!

Gwyneth gets Gooped!

Another shot of a lucky celebrity frolicking on the beach while we wait patiently (or not so!) for the summer - this time the gorgeous Gwyneth Paltrow, seen above taking a walk along a Caribbean shore where she holidayed with her family, wearing - you guessed it - a Melissa Odabash bikini!

Taking a welll earned rest after finishing her guest appearances in Glee, Gwynth showed off her amazing new Goop-honed figure.



And while we're not too keen on the sound of vegan, gluten-free, soy-free doughnuts, if it means we end up with a body like this, we might just be tempted to put down the chocolate cake!

SPOTTED...Elle Macpherson sports Melissa Odabash Down Under

While we here at Odabash have had day after day of dreary weather to contend with, the stunning Elle Macpherson was spotted Down Under, enjoying the sunshine aboard a yacht in Sydney Harbour. And her chosen swimwear? None other than Melissa Odabash.

Sporting a white bikini, white maxi dress and a straw stetson, Elle looked relaxed and happy, enjoying the odd glass of champagne or two, after a day of modelling in her home town.

But it isn't just Elle who is a fan of Odabash swimwear - her eight year old son Cy was also seen rocking the stetson, and a dog on board the luxury yacht was keen to have a look at her ensemble.

Elle's swimwear and accesories are available online at www.odabash .com, or in our Notting Hill shop, so start planning your holiday wardrobe now - summer isn't far off, we promise!

MELISSA ODABASH GETS THE ROYAL SEAL OF APPROVEMENT!

We are all dying to know which designer Kate Middleton will be walking down the aisle in come April and apparently the bride-to-be has whittled a list of designers down to her top five as she tries to decide who will design her wedding dress – but at least she knows who to ask to make her bikinis should she and William head off on a tropical honeymoon! Kate is a big fan of Odabash swimsuits and Melissa will be gifting her a selection of swimwear from her latest collection…Spoilt like a princess!

MELISSA ODABASH SUPPORTS WWF IN SAVING THE TIGER

This February WWF is a hosting a ‘money can’t buy auction’ in aid of saving the world's Tigers. The campaign was launched in February 2010 at the start of Chinese New Year aimed at changing policies, raising funds, increasing overall awareness of the tiger’s plight and pushing world leaders to make tiger conservation a top priority. WWF’s goal is to double the number of wild tigers by 2022 the next Year of the Tiger. Melissa Odabash was asked if she would consider producing a ‘one off’ item with a tiger theme which can be auctioned on the night and she delivered in glowing fashion as ever. Check out Melissa's designs below and for more information on this worthy cause visit http://www.wwf.org.uk/...

Alexandra Burke shows Belfast how Odabash does it on stage!!

Alexandra Burke wowed the crowds last night as she performed the Belfast leg of her "All Night Long" tour.

She dazzled the crowds in custom Melissa Odabash, embellished ensembles:

She brought the dancers to attention with our gladiator-inspired white and gold dress:

Whilst the all-white, feathered dress, along-side her incredible voice that has made her our UK darling, brought the house down in the finale:

She has come a long way since the X Factor and we can't wait to see what she will get up to next!If you haven't already- try and book a ticket for one of her gigs- we are sure that you will have a fabulous time!

JESSICA ALBA RELAXES IN MELISSA ODABASH...

Jessica Alba chose a Melissa Odabash bandeau bikini to relax in over the festive period in Mexico. Jessica looked gorgeous in this black suit and you too can get this look at -
http://www.melissaodabash.com/

MELISSA ODABASH HITS THE BIG SCREEN

'Just Go with It' is Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler new Hollywood blockbuster that comes out in the UK in Febuary. The film revolves around a man (Sandler) that enlists the help of a friend (Aniston) and her children to land the woman of his dreams (Decker). Watch out for star Brooklyn Decker sporting a yellow Melissa Odabash bikini in one of her beach scences....Get booking your tickets now!

SUPER MODEL LEGEND CINDY CRAWFORD ROCKS MELISSA ODABASH IN MEXICO- 29/12/10

Cindy Crawford looked every inch the super model whilst she caught some sun in Mexico with her family last week. Cindy accessorized her Odabash kaftan, panama hat and beach bag together to create effortless beach chic….The perfect example of how to cover up on the beach but still look super stylish!