MARNI AT H&M LOOKBOOK

The 8th of March can't come quick enough!
H&M continue to build the anticipation for the release of the Marni at H&M collection with these look book images.

The collection looks stunning, classic, contemporary and extremely wearable!

PACKING FOR A HAND LUGGAGE HOLIDAY

It's fair to say that low cost air travel isn't always as low cost as it may seem. Whilst the cost for your seat might be reasonable, some of the additional charges and taxes aren't.

I love to travel abroad and I'm always lured in by the adverts of return flights to exciting European cities for under £20. Yet by the time I get to the payment screen the price has doubled, if not tripled. And the one charge I always begrudgingly pay is for check-in baggage. Not that I don't want the extra kilos (believe me I do), its just that the cost attached for the privilege is extortionate.

A friend of mine tweeted at me a couple of weeks ago with the only solution to to avoiding check-in baggage costs, hand luggage.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, I started thinking about what I would pack for a seven night stay in Spain using hand luggage. I excluded toiletries and sun lotion as I'd buy them at the destination to allow maximum room for clothes!

My top tips for packing for a hand luggage holiday are:
1. Plan your outfits. I always lay out my tops and match my trousers or shorts to ensure I have outfit options. There's no point packing your favourite shirt, if you have nothing to wear with it. Also, try and wear the bulkiest items on the journey.
2. Pack versatile pieces. It's important to have a good mix of basics and patterns to ensure you can mix and match the things that you pack.
3. Contingencies. Although your space is tight, try and make sure you have packed more tops than you have the number of days you are staying. This is to cover any unplanned activities or accidents.

Whenever I go on a summer holiday I always pack too many footwear options! I always kid myself that I will be able to comfortably wear gladiator sandals around the city but the truth is, I usually wear them on the first day, burn my feet and can't wear them again because the straps rub against the sunburn. So what I have now learnt is that I spend the majority of my summer holidays wearing flip flops. Comfortable, great for the beach and the city and you can wear them with anything. I also always take a pair of shoes for the flight and for going out at night. There's nothing worse than getting off the plane on your journey home to wet weather when you're wearing flip flops. Trust me, those aircraft steps are a hazard in the rain.

For a seven night, hand luggage holiday I would take three pairs of shorts. I love mixing prints through tops and shorts so I would pack one plain pair that I could wear with print tops and one patterned pair I could wear with plain tops. When I'm on holiday I prefer to explore the place I'm visiting rather than stay by the beach everyday so one pair of swim shorts would be enough for me. I love these bright orange ones inspired by the S/S collection from DSquared2.

If you're going somewhere like Spain then you are almost guaranteed sunshine and warm weather so unless you are incredibly unlucky, you should be spending most of your time in shorts. Personally, I never like to fly in shorts as I always get cold. So these chinos are a great travel and evening wear option.

I can not go on holiday to a hot climate country without a selection of vests. I think that slub vests are the most comfortable thing to wear during the day and look cool on the beach or when you're off exploring. The loose fit means that they keep you cool and if you haven't had time to hit the gym, they won't show you up. I always try and pack a selection of different prints from a selection of trends to try and create a different look each day.

With t-shirts I always try to include a few basics to wear with the patterned shorts and also as layering pieces for your shirts.

I never usually pack many shirts as I find them too restrictive to wear when the weather is hot. It's good to have a little selection though for daytime and evening wear.

This hoodie is perfect for travelling. It's lightweight and it will keep you warm during the flight. Plus it's always good to have jacket incase the weather takes a turn for the worse or the nights get cold.

Sunglasses and a straw trilby are a must have for a summer holiday, they're both essential for sun protection. I always carry or wear my hat on board as packing it usually ruins it and I hang my sunglasses from my t-shirt.

Here's a few snapshots from my travels.

GRAMMY AWARDS

The biggest music award ceremony in the world took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles over the weekend. The 54th Annual Grammy Awards is a huge event covering 78 awards categories. Although the ceremony was a more somber affair than usual due to the death of Whitney Houston the day before, music stars still gathered to celebrate their achievements and pay tribute to the late singer.

There were some interesting outfits on show from the men. Some went for classic suits, whilst others chose to wear colour! Check them out below.

Jennifer Hudson sang "I Will Always Love You", an emotional tribute to the late Whitney Houston, who sadly died on the eve of the Grammy Awards.

MARNI AT H&M

H&M have announced that their next designer collaboration is with fashion label Marni. In promotion of the exclusive collection Sofia Coppola has directed the T.V. advert which you can see below.

Here is the official press release from H&M:

“I enjoyed doing this film for the Marni at H&M collaboration, I think it's great how they make fashion accessible and I wanted to show the fantasy fashion can bring, says Sofia Coppola.

Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Sofia Coppola is an acclaimed director and screenwriter who has made some of the most influential films in modern cinema. Her films - The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette and Somewhere - create their own world, where characters discover truths about themselves often in unfamiliar locations. Sofia Coppolai won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Lost In Translation, which also won Best Picture at the Golden Globes.

Marni’s collection for H&M is full of print and pattern for Spring capturing the essence of Marni. Taking reference from Bauhaus and African portraiture as well as signature Marni styles and shapes, its founder and creative director Consuelo Castiglioni presents a collection featuring both clothing and accessories for both men and women. With bold colour blocks alongside vivid all-over prints, the collection is made to be worn and juxtaposed together, creating a look for H&M that is the essence of Marni.

Here are some of the looks from Marni's recent A/W12 show.