Melissa's London Fashion Week Round Up!

London Fashion Week! Our favourite week of the year in our home city came to a close last night, so as we did for NYFW, here is Melissa and the Odabash girls’ round up of our LFW magical moments, shows, celeb spots and oufits!

Technicolour Trench's at Burberry SS13

Always a fashion week highlight and one of Melissa’s all time much-loved go-to brands, the Burberry SS13 Collection Led by Christopher Bailey did not disappoint this season. The much anticipated show included an array of perspex capes, and a rainbow of metallic trenchcoats in bright hues of pink, blue and orange. Of course Burberry’s signature style, classic British heritagewas included, with a range of neutral and military coloured, but overtly textural garments and structural shapes, perfect for those rainy English summer days!

Our favourites from Mulberry SS13 - How cute is that Poodle?!

Backstage at Mulberry SS13

Mulberry this season showed a beautiful feminine medley of flora and fauna with a muted but fresh colour palette and tropical blossom inspired prints, combining a laid-back mishmash of on trend mints and lavenders and pastels. Creative Director Emma Hill mixed up this exotic inspiration with our rural English craft heritage perfectly. With Kate Moss and Alexa Chung sat front row it was the ultimate British affair. We at Odabash are lusting after one of those pooches too!!

Julien Macdonald's SS13 Presentation

While Welsh Fashion legend and Melissa’s personal style advisor and pal Julien Macdonald didn’t put on a show this season, we were just as impressed with his beautifully ornate and decadent collection of embellished evening wear. The Odabash team are borderline obsessed with the styling from his presentation also, juxtaposing masculine harsh hair and gothic make up with the most breathtakingly feminine gowns. We thought it bought a whole new edge to couture and dressing up for the ball, very Rooney Mara! Check out our three favourite pieces from the collection here.

Tribal Extravagance at Matthew Williamson SS13

A vision of tribal

Melissa’s fail safe go-to designer for summer fashion (apart from her own line of course!)has to be Matthew Williamson, and he did us Brits proud with his trademark Technicolor explosion, this time Indian Holi Festival inspired, collection. The intricate mirrored embellishments, blue lagoon and shocking pink colours infused with tribal embroidery and tassels played against geometric patterns and the most lustrous of fabric. It made us want to book a holiday immediately to Goa to join in the raucous street party and fling vibrant paints and powders at each other!

Kim Seyers and Andy Murray converse with Anna Wintour on the FROW at Burberry



The Odabash award for ‘Most Star Studded FROW’ of the season has to go to that of Burberry. A whole host of ‘of the moment’ celebs mingled with each other, sporting hero Andy Murray and girlfriend Kim Seyers sat next to Anna Wintour, while Harry Styles from One Direction cozied up to Dita Von Teese (every teenage boys dream?!) and Slumdog Millionaire’s Dev Patel. On the other side the Fash Pack were out in force, Suki Waterhouse, Pixie Geldof and Alexa Chung mixed with New York Upper Eastsider and style icon Olivia Palermo, we could not stop oogling her outfits over the last few days! Check out our pick below.

Olivia Palermo never fails to dress to impress!

Some of our fave Street Style looks from around London this past week. Love Anna Dello Russo!

Here are a few more images of our favourite street style from this SS13 London Fashion Week from around our home city. The spectrum of creativity and style in London is unparalleled with any other city and we are proud that we are working and living in such an inspiring city! Another London Fashion Week is over…at least now we can dream about what we will be wearing next summer! Someone press fast forward please?

Kate Middleton Holiday Wardrobe!

Like most of the British (and infact global!) population right now we have been taking some serious style notes from Miss Middleton. Especially, as recently she has been off on her travels for the Jubilee Tour. Ladies, take note of her travel wardrobe staples as Kate is ticking everybox! Here are our favourite outfits from the past week, from Kuala Lumpar in Temperly to channeling Jackie O with that cute pillbox hat in Johnathon Saunders turquoise. We love how Kate has branched out into brights working traditional island florals and that gorgeous yellow number! 

Around The World On A Wall

How fun are these wall maps? Working around bikini's and beach wear all day its hard not to dream of holidays and travel all day long! We love looking at maps and planning our next vacations, its so easy to get lost in thinking about what is actually there! They make a great alternative to art or picture frames and can act as a statement piece which will get your friends talking about holidays and travel over dinner. You can find old maps at vintage fairs and markets, the ones in Paris are to die for! We at Odabash especially love the image below of the map covering the bathroom walls - where would you put yours?

Here are some cool, quirky ideas for your maps, although the vintage ones can look super chic, we love the idea of playing around with colour and art.

Images: Tumblr & A Pair & A Spare

Melissa's NYFW Round Up

As the Spring Summer 2013 show time kicked off with New York Fashion Week last week, we have had our eyes placed firmly on the catwalks in the fashion capital across the pond! Here's our round up and an exclusive look at Melissa's favourite shows from New York SS13.

A host of white and nude tailoring was the order of the day at Victoria Beckham's 3rd runway show which didn't fail to impress amongst the fash pack. Here are a few of Melissa's favourite pieces, including a sport-luxe nude pencil dress, very VB!

As one of Melissa's go-to brands in her personal wardrobe, Melissa was particularly impressed with the plethora of stripes and optical oppulence at Micheal Kors. Stripes are a wardrobe staple and an absolute classic that will never go out of style. Channel the look with our California Top or Jamie Dress which are now on sale!

A show which won major praise from fashion press globally this season was that from design house Marchesa. The Odabash girls loved the decadent embroidery and regal beading on the couture pieces. We also spotted British 'It' Girl and model of the moment, Cara Delevigne, strutting her stuff down the catwalk!

Zach Posen's Spring Summer 13 presentation caught the eye of the Odabash team and Melissa herself not only because of the ultra femenine prints and shapes, but because Super Model Extrodinaire, Naomi Campbell starred in the line up! Leading the way for Alex Wek and a whole host of fresh faced models, Naomi glided down the runway like a pro!

Not only do we love watching the live streams and reading all the runway reports, but one of our favourite parts about the Fashion Weeks is the Street Style spotting! New York has its own unique style where a mix of polished Upper East side styling meets a more relaxed, edgy Downtown New York look. This season we noticed that hats were popular among the Big Apples' fashionistas. Perfect for both holidays and at home on those Autumnal sunny days, get the look with our Jemima Hat or the ever popular Cameron Panama, a favourite with celebs like Eva Longoria and Kate Moss!

Here are a few more of Melissa's favourite street style looks from the streets of New York. 

Of course no Fashion Week would be complete without a star studded FROW! We loved seeing Kim Kardashian and Kanye West cosying up to each other and the beautiful Tyra Banks at Marchesa. Another favourite was at Vera Wang, where the front row was adorned with A-listers including Beyonce and sister Solange looking vibrant in pink! They were joined by beauty Diane Kruger working heavy flowing blonde locks and autumnal mustard. 

So after a whirlwind of American fashion we are now enjoying the special buzz of London Fashion Week in our city. We can't wait to see what our creative and world leading designers will produce for SS13! Stay tuned also for an exclusive Sneak Peak of the Odabash SS13 Collection! 

Cocktail Hour

This fresh and thirst quenching cocktail is perfect for entertaining your holiday guests or as a lazy afternoon tipple for poolside fun! Really easy to make and seriously delicious! For a fun and stylish twist, serve in a clean used jam jar!

Mint Syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

12 mint leaves

Start by combining the ingredients in a sauce pan, bringing it to a small boil over medium heat. Make sure u stir the mixture all the while. Once the mixture boils, turn down the heat to low for an minute or two more. Then remove from heat and let it cool for about 20 minutes or until the mixture is at room temperature and has a syrupy texture!

Blueberry Mojito:

7 mint leaves

11 fresh blueberries

1.5 ounce simple syrup

1-1.5 ounce rum (more if your a lush)

Juice of 1 lime

Ice

Soda Water

more blueberries for garnish

Add the blueberries, mint, and simple syrup to the jar. Mesh the mint leaves and blueberries until the berries have burst and are mixing well with the mint. Add the rum, lime juice, and some ice. Drop in some blueberries for garnish and add the soda water to fill up the jar. Stir the cocktail and add a sprig of fresh mint for garnish! Perfect!

Beach Beauty Tips: Spotlight on Fishtail Braids

This summer season, the girls at Odabash and Melissa herself have been loving the fishtail braid trend on our beach holidays. Super simple to do with maximum wow factor! Also great for keeping your hair off your face on the beach and protecting it from the suns rays. The other great thing about fishtail plaits is that you can style them however you want, whether it be a simple low neck braid, to a side plait or swept up do. We recommend working the fishtail braid on your holiday with our cute India Bikini or team it with our Francessca Dress which are on sale now! Here are some of our favourite fish tail looks!

Models across catwalks from Milan to New York were working the fishtail braids for SS12. We love the messy, relaxed, beachy style, no need to be neat on this one! We particularly loved the fish tail theme at Tory Burch Spring Summer 2013 catwalk show check it out here.

The fishtail braid can be seen on many a red carpet and at various high profile events too, so you can work it for evening cocktails by the pool or out for dinner after a relaxing day on the beach. Its a favourite with recently wed Blake Lively, the beautiful Diane Kruger and style icon Mary-Kate Olsen. Talk about Day to Night versatility!

This DIY video from The Beauty Department featuring the gorgeous Lauren Conrad is our favourite tutorial so you can learn how to get the look yourself! Happy Braiding!

Maison Objets Paris Weekend

Last weekend Melissa travelled to Paris with friend and fellow fashionista Julien Macdonald, to wander the halls of 'Maison Objet', the largest interior design exhibition in Europe! With a flare and passion for her home Melissa captured some of her favourite pieces to share with you to get you inspired about your abode, whether it be at home, or away.

Lighting at Kelly Hoppen - love the Art Deco gold piece!

First up to visit was Kelly Hoppen's booth, interior stylist and designer to stars such as Sienna Miller, The Beckham's and Elton John, and of course a close friend of Melissa's. With such incredible taste it was just so hard to choose one standout piece from her range! The lights especially were amazing. As you can imagine Melissa was very excited to get Kelly back into to her house in London to finish off more rooms! Click here to check out her website!

More lighting and fox fur rug - super cosy!

 Walking around the show there was so much to see, this fox bed cover caught Melissa's eye at an eyewatering £15,000 (trade price!!)! It was incredibly soft but Melissa is strongly against real fur so set out only to look for a faux one, let a lone a more purse friendly option! Perfect for cosying up on the sofa or in bed on those cold winters eves that we will be sure to experience soon!

Amazing garden furniture perfect for making your holiday home a serious destination!

On a more 'Summery' note, the garden furniture and outdoor pieces were really inspiring and really got Melissa dreaming about her holiday home in Miami. She loved this hanging 'cave' that can either go on the ground or be hung in a tree, imagine what an amazing 'tree-fort' it would be, slightly different then the ones we all made as kids! This springwater jacussi was also popular, the exhibition halls can get really warm so Melissa was definitely tempted to throw on her Odabash bikini and have a dip!

Maison Objects takes place in Paris Click here to check out there website for more information.