When, singer, Florence Welch hit the scene in the early 2010’s with her band, The Machine, the fashion world collectively breathed a collective sigh of relief.

There had been almost a starvation for a band with a beautiful, yet fashion forward front woman reminiscent of the days of No Doubt and Blondie. Practically overnight, the fiery red head, who hails from Camberwell, London, England, was scooped up by almost every major fashion house, having performed at the Chanel runway show in 2012 as well as having Gucci design the wardrobe for her 2011 summer tour.  This would subsequently result in a long relationship with the house of Gucci as she has become a muse for Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele.

Despite all of the fashion press, Florence Welch + The Machine were still relatively unknown. Welch had had somewhat of a turbulent childhood, having had the traumatic experience of watching her grandmother commit suicide. By age fourteen she picked up a drinking habit and was known to frequent wild parties. Fortunately, Welch was able to kick the habit, and despite being diagnosed with dyslexia, was able to do well in school.  She would later drop out of the Camberwell College of Arts to focus on her music career. In 2009, Florence and her band, The Machine released their debut album, Lungs, which debuted at number seventeen on the UK charts.  By 2011, they were already creating a buzz in the music world, having had two successful albums.   The latter of which debuted at number one on the UK albums chart.  A song from this album would eventually be used in the soundtrack for Snow White and the Huntsman.  After releasing the single Sweet Nothing with Calvin Harris, Welch would receive her first Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording.

In recent years, Welch has had much success apart from her band.  She’s collaborated with Lady Gaga on a song for Gaga’s latest album, and also put her vocals to use on the Wonder Woman soundtrack. You can still find her beasting every red carpet event she attends and as the brand ambassador for Gucci, you can be assured she’ll most likely be the best dressed.

Written By: Dominique Bedell

Never has there been more of a spotlight on fashion house Versace than right now.

After a successful spring collection, which was a tribute to the late Gianni Versace, as well as the hit FX TV show The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the Italian house is bigger than ever. The world has become obsessed with the Versace motif of the 90’s that once graced the backs of Biggie Smalls and P. Diddy. Thankfully, Donatella Versace decided to keep the train going with her resort 2019 collection.

Many of Versace’s signatures such as the Medusa, greek prints and gold hardware were present.  Another signature could be the broad shoulders that was seen on long top coats and leather jackets. This little accent could be a nod to the 80’s when Versace was just beginning to become a fashion heavy weight.  Broad shoulder jackets were complimented with t-shirts that bare the house’s logo, which will no doubt be a wonderful addition to anyone’s wardrobe. The t-shirts, which were shown in either black or white, was worn under dresses or tube tops ( Yes there are tube tops). Along with the t-shirts, the Verace logo was also seen on totes, fannypacks and on the sleeves of jackets and sweaters.

Bold prints are not uncommon when considering the Versace girl.  One would easily stand out in a crowd with any of the looks which featured that special Versace print. Many of the looks were printed head to toe.  It would take a certain level of confidence to rock one, however, that wouldn’t be a problem judging by their demographic.

Fringe was a major factor in this collection, having been seen on dresses, skirts, the shoulder of a beautiful jacket and the bottom of shoulder bags. The references to their work from the 90’s was a delightful mix of nostalgia and innovation. It’s truly a talent to be able to refer to the past all while giving the customer something new, albeit something that the customer didn’t even know they wanted or were missing.

Written By: Dominique Bedell

There is nothing good about suicide. The loss of life, even when self-inflicted should be mourned and at the very least make us all pause to think of the well being of others for a change. Kate Spade’s suicide earlier this week shocked millions worldwide. The fashionista and designer was loved and adored by many, but was clearly battling some demons of her own. That is exactly what her husband, Andy Spade, had to say in an official statement released after her demise.

via New York Times

Kate Spade with her husband Andy, and daughter, Bea

Kate was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the kindest person I’ve ever known and my best friend for 35 years. My daughter and I are devastated by her loss, and can’t even begin to fathom life without her. We are deeply heartbroken and miss her already.

Kate suffered from depression and anxiety for many years. She was actively seeking help and working closely with her doctors to treat her disease, one that takes far too many lives. We were in touch with her the night before and she sounded happy. There was no indication and no warning that she would do this. It was a complete shock. And it clearly wasn’t her. There were personal demons she was battling.

For the past 10 months we had been living separately, but within a few blocks of each other. Bea was living with both of us and we saw each other or spoke every day. We ate many meals together as a family and continued to vacation together as a family. Our daughter was our priority. We were not legally separated, and never even discussed divorce. We were best friends trying to work through our problems in the best way we knew how. We were together for 35 years. We loved each other very much and simply needed a break.

This is the truth. Anything else that is out there right now is false. She was actively seeking help for depression and anxiety over the last 5 years, seeing a doctor on a regular basis and taking medication for both depression and anxiety. There was no substance or alcohol abuse. There were no business problems. We loved creating our businesses together. We were co-parenting our beautiful daughter. I have yet to see any note left behind and am appalled that a private message to my daughter has been so heartlessly shared with the media.

My main concern is Bea and protecting her privacy as she deals with the unimaginable grief of losing her mother. Kate loved Bea so very much.

Our heart goes out to Kate Spade’s family in their time of grief. We would like to reiterate that there is help for anyone feeling suicidal. If you or anyone you know is feeling this way please notify someone immediately and contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Be blessed.