As I sat waiting for the new Grazia to land on my doorstep and reveal the “real” Liberty London Girl, I was left contemplating the concept of identity. I spent today sat in my flannelette pyjamas, with an old ski hoodie and M&S f-UGG slippers. Is this who the readers of my blog perceive me to be? I remember chatting to the lovely Catherine Kallon, the creator of Red Carpet Fashion Awards. At the time GMTV had asked Catherine to follow her around for a day, watching the creative process as she blogs. Catherine told me, “I don’t want them to see me get up at the crack of dawn, lumber over to my desk with a coffee and blog in my PJs all day!” I remember thinking how refreshing it was to hear that her reality of blogging was very similar to mine; despite the fact that GMTV believed it to be very different. The irony now is that Catherine now has an office from which she blogs full time and an extremely hectic but enviable lifestyle.

Anonymity in the blogosphere is quite commonplace as it allows the freedom of speech that open magazine journalism often curtails; not through desire but necessity. The last thing a magazine wishes to do is anger their advertisers. The revenue they bring in is essential to the existence of any magazine. I’ve been forced to ask myself of late if the thin veil of anonymity makes me immune to any influences and totally free to speak my mind. The answer, truthfully, is no, not really 100%. If a brand invites me to a lovely meet-up, which I subsequently write about disparagingly, do you think they’d ever invite me in my blogger guise again? If I want to remain in the loop, at times my opinions must be censored. I haven’t yet been forced into that situation as I have chosen instead to remain positive and only write about the experiences I have enjoyed.

How does knowing Liberty London Girl’s true identity change her blog for you, or does it change it at all? For me there is no difference as I do not know Sasha personally (yet.) For those who work or have worked with her, without knowing her nom-de-plume and her online persona, today will have come as a shock. I don’t think that simply because of what she has written, but because they weren’t privy to this important part of who she is. Very few people with whom I work or am acquainted know about my blog and I feel that this would be the element of shock for them. My Mum used to think a blog was a part of an online gaming community. When I sat her down and showed her the blog last week, she said, “Who does the pictures for you? Who publishes the articles? What magazine do you work for?” I think her shock lay in the fact that I could be so independently productive!

I too today was forced to verify my own identity. As a “semi-anonymous” blogger most of my work is annotated as Random Fashion Coolness. I spent a glorious 6 hours (not in a row; emails back and for) trying to prove that my real name was associated with my blog. Eventually I managed to demonstrate that I was…well, myself!

Therein lies what I love about the bloggersphere. It’s not who you are but the contribution you make that is judged. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a magazine editor, a housewife, a full-time blogger or a business professional. Your blog is your persona and your opinion and work is what is scrutinised and respected, not your salary or perceived standing within the industry.

This is an excerpt from BBC2′s Style Season of programmes that first aired in 2009. I loved the series British Fashion Genius, especially this episode – Breaking The Rules, Fashion Rebel Look. Well respected industry greats commented on the work of the “fashion rebels;” from Vivienne Westwood, to Galliano, finally reaching McQueen. McQueen himself discusses his inspirations, his rebelliousness and collections; my personal favourite, the mirrorbox (raved about below) is also featured. The only reason I am posting a BBC video is that is is no longer available on iPlayer. My intention here is not to anger anyone at the Beeb but maybe to coax them to show this phenomenal series again. Please watch and Re-Tweet it, comment, pass it on, as I feel it is a perfect homage to the work of an artist in the industry.

I need to get this post down before I give in to the lure of Twitter. Usually when EVERYONE blogs about something, it’s the last thing that appeals to me. But the death of Alexander McQueen however, is something I feel I MUST write about.

I was reminded of the artistry of McQueen a few months back in the superb BBC 2 series, British Style Genius (See McQueen’s Rebel profile here.) One episode blew me away and reminded me of everything I love about fashion – the flamboyance, the drama and specifically the ART of the designers. It was entitled, “Breaking the Rules: Fashion Rebel Look” and delved back into the archives of Galliano and McQueen to chart the beginnings of their fashion rebellion. The first thing that hit me was the fact that McQueen’s work remained equally pioneering, exciting and innovative, even 10 years on. My eyes hadn’t become accustomed to his showmanship as the decades had progressed; quite the opposite, I still looked upon his work with the wonderment of a small child.

The production of his 2001 Spring/Summer collection stands foremost in my mind. Nick Knight describes it best in an interview with Grazia and I wouldn’t even attempt to describe it better myself,

“My favourite, simply because it was so clever, was the mirror box show. He put all the models inside a huge mirrored cube. Before the show all the lights were on in the auditorium and the cube was a huge mirror reflecting the audience. The shows are always about 45 minutes late to start, and I remember I was on the front row between Alexandra Shulman and Gwyneth Paltrow, so if you looked up you stared at your own reflection, if you looked sideways you stared at your neighbour, so after a short time you ended up staring at your feet. Lee had managed by the use of this simple trick to have the whole of the front row, some of the most important people in fashion all sitting, heads bowed, humbled. Once the show started, the house lights went down, and the audience were released from this. And then it was the models inside the mirrored box who could see only their own reflections. Voyeurism was swapped to vanity.” (See Nick’s full interview here)

I would have LOVED to have been there or even to find a video of the whole show. I have found a snippet here by Iconiamag on Youtube (at 41 secs)

I hope the BBC repeats this episode of British Style Genius, simply to honour the passing of a genius that had contributed so much to the industry. It is sorrowful that the future of fashion will be deprived of Alexander McQueen.

Once again, idle chit-chat on Twitter has inspired a post. Marian Kihogo and Susie Erskine were discussing their mutual admiration (and Marian’s worrying obsession) with candles. I butted in, as over the last few years the importance of smell has become more apparent to me. I’m not going to quote scientific statistics proving how smells can make you feel a sense of comfort, anxiety etc but just how smells affect me.

Of late bad smells have infiltrated my existence. There are two VERY ripe camemberts in the fridge that kindly remind me of their presence ever time the fridge door opens. Their smell is not abhorrent to me but I have found it strange how they like to make themselves known. Our home (a.k.a. the building site!) has a plethora of strange, unfamiliar smells lurking around each corner. Cement, plaster, paint all tickle my nose hairs each morning.

Perfumes evoke a huge sense of nostalgia in most people. I’m not necessarily referring to fragrances alone – natural, floral scents have the same impact. The Hotel du Petit Moulin in Paris is one of the most phenomenal hotels I have had the pleasure of staying in. The hotel is a design masterpiece and I have extolled its virtues many a time on this blog. It is a hotel that holds many happy memories and I can be transported back there in an instant thanks to a smell. The first time I stayed there it was my perfume of choice, it was also their room spray of choice. No, I did not douse myself in Glade!…Jean Paul Gaultier 2 was sprayed throughout their halls and more ingeniously the lift. In the confined space there was no escape from it; the smell permeated every little corner and (I know this sounds SUPER ostentatious) and a little bit of my soul too. Please delete that last comment from your brain, especially if it made you throw up a little in your mouth!!

Smells are important, thank you for reminding me of that fact Marian and Susie. I now feel the sudden urge to go out and buy a Diptyque candle and I hold you both personally responsible!

Indicative of the meteoric rise of Lara Stone has to be her standing in Google. This year she has surpassed Lara Croft on the search scale! LOVE magazine has forced me to choose between 8 naked icons of the industry and without hesitation I will choose Lara Stone. I had to ask myself why I was so decisive on this issue. Is it her voluptuous, every woman curves? Is it her quirky, toothy gap? (I share that gappy grin) Is it her striking resemblance to Brigitte Bardot? In short I felt her freshness, in an industry that has championed a definitive waif-like look for over a decade, was the key. Plus sized models have been offered a moment in the spotlight of late but unfortunately, once any marketing opportunities subside, I don’t believe the trend for plus sizes on the runway will endure. A look like Lara’s however, will. She is healthy and more importantly, overtly sexy, without venturing too close to the line of smut. This advert for Versus by Versace sums up her appeal for me. She is loved by men and women alike. She oozes confidence and sexuality from every pore, yet still manages to maintain an editorial feel. Jak & Jil blog and W Magazine have captured some of my favourite images of Miss. Stone, featured above. My hope now is to watch her walk at Fashion Week and see for myself if the charisma translates live on the catwalk.

Bloggers seem to have put a fly in the proverbial ointment of late. We have “allegedly” disgruntled magazine editors with our appearances at shows (specifically the young Tavi at Couture Fashion Week) Questions are being asked on how our heads may be turned by free products that impede our true judgement of brands. The Cut Blog cited this quote, written by Robert Johnson at GQ,

“Bloggers are so attractive to the big design houses because they are so wide-eyed and obsessed, but they don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good and what’s not. As soon as they’ve been invited to the shows, they can no longer criticise because then they won’t be invited back.”

Magazine editors have had to curb their true opinions to suit their advertising accounts for years. Do they have free reign to criticise a top fashion house’s show if that brand has a 4 page spread in the front of their magazine? The blanket statement, “they don’t have the critical faculties to know what’s good and what’s not,” is so sweeping and disparaging of a whole emerging industry that it is truly insulting. Here I do not refer to myself but to fellow bloggers that are also well respected journalists. Does that mean to say that what they write in print is worthy but the stuff on which they blog is not? I’m sure print journalists receive their fair share of free “gifts” from designers – do they have to declare this whenever mentioning their products in their writing?

Integrity and intelligence is the key. I was recently asked to take a look at some hosiery for a website. Everything was arranged the tights were on their way. I then received an email telling me which blog they’d like me to write my review on and how. I may have misinterpreted their email but I then felt I was being dictated to, so I declined their offer.

A brand that seems to have got it right is Stolen Thunder. Here in lies the irony and possible contradiction of this post. They asked for my address, they sent me one of their beautiful necklaces. There was no pressure, no demand, no compulsion to blog about them. For that very reason, they’ve made it on to my blog. Are they running the slickest marketing campaign out there? Their kindness, coupled with a lack of intimidation offers the most persuasive argument to post about their products. I love their jewellery, admire their marketing strategy and have chosen to blog about them. Does that mean I lack “critical faculties” or am I promoting a product the same way that the industry always has? A sample is received, it’s looked at, reviewed and if liked, written about. Just because I blog and am able to express my opinion more freely, does that mean my view is clouded? I would say not yet…but if I feel the fog descending, I’ll try and let you know.

My thoughts have been distracted from fashion over the last few days. We are currently renovating our house while living in situ. This means my thoughts revolve around renovations and refurbishments of my home rather than any self-decoration! My evenings, post dust-busting, are spent flicking through sites searching for inspiration and trying to remember where and when I might have seen that elusive something I thought that was cool. My gorgeous street in Paris, Rue du Poitou, offered me two delights when I first stumbled upon it a few years ago. One was the little gem, L’Hôtel du Petit Moulin, the other was The Collection, a gorgeous little boutique showcasing the home design pieces of a select group of creatives. I was directed there as I fell completely in love with the wallpapers in the aforementioned hotel. They were stocked in The Collection and were by Deborah Bowness; I’ve coveted them ever since. Now, as we recreate our home, some surfaces worthy of Deborah’s designs have started to emerge. I’ve seen her bookcase designs in several places, every time feeling envious and desperate to rip a little piece off (I of course wouldn’t!) Now we’re left with the dilemma of which pieces to chose and where to put them. Take a look at Deborah’s website for yourself and let me know which one’s you’d choose and why. I shall keep you up to speed on our project. So far there are no walls on the upper floor…and we may keep it that way!

A short but hopefully sweet post to begin. Natalia Vodianova’s editorial in February’s British Vogue blows me away. Not least because I had the good fortune to be able to watch Nick Knight’s shoot live at the Fashion Revolution exhibition at Somerset House but simply because it’s visually quite overwhelming (in a good way!) The SHOWStudio blog documented every inch of Nick’s progress at the live shoots but you can see some of my own photos on my Flickr account too.

Today I was forced to ask myself the question, is anything actually original anymore? Trends, seasons, styles, transcend the decades and eventually come full circle with a contemporary spin. The reason I was forced to face this myself – A genuinely lovely fellow human being that I met & showed my blog has created something extremely “similar” herself. At first I thought the comparisons were all in my mind, me being prissy & egotistical over my work. Then, others started to email me having noticed the similarities. Should I be outraged? Should I be offended…or should I just feel flattered that this person was inspired by me? It’s a tough one. I do not own the copywrite to my collages, I cannot stop anyone rewriting what I have already written but is there a metaphorical ethical line that shouldn’t be crossed? Somewhere along the line, someone else’s work must have influenced me to take the creative path I have taken.

ASOS & Topshop have both come under fire on Twitter this week for being very “inspired” by other’s work. Both were guilty of producing accessory pieces that were extremely similar, boardering on identitical, to the original designer’s pieces. I then had to ask myself where the line is drawn on similarities to catwalk pieces. In an industry where the turn around from catwalk to high street is becoming ever rapider, do the designers take umbridge? Did the creative team at Balmain bombard Zara with emails of complaint at the production of their sequined shouldered blazers?

I think therein may lie the difference. The large fashion houses work on a basis of exclusivity; not everyone can afford their original pieces. The Zara, Topshop and High Street pieces are sufficiently different enough not to upset them & function in the role of an homage to the designer. It also offers a surge of welcome publicity as magazines, blogs & the like, highlight the similarities offering features such as “skinted or minted” etc. the affordable vs the designer. Another difference I hope, lies in the quality of the designer pieces. Colin McDowell has mused on the importance of tailoring & fit this week. The High Street pieces are made to be seasonal, throw away almost; following & embracing the trend momentarily.

I finish the post asking where is the line drawn? When does influence turn into copying, inspiration into a complete rip-off? Who knows? All I know is my initial irritation has subsided. There is nothing I can do to stop others imitating my work. All I can do is try to maintain my integrity and keep blogging in my own erratic style!

So today this little here blog celebrates turning 3! I wouldn’t have thought it would still be here, especially looking back at my very humble first post. Who knows what the future will hold. I just hope to keep posting and keep you entertained. I’m not good at birthday posts; I promised on Twitter it would be sufficiently naff! So all that remains to say is, bon anniversaire à Random Fashion Coolness!