Isabel Marant Pour H&M: The Follow-Up

Well, fashionistas, it happened. Isabel Marant’s collection with H&M launched on Thursday, November 14th, and it was wonderful (while it lasted!). The renowned Parisian fashion designer is the go-to for effortlessly cool clothing and a favorite among off-duty models and style icons such as Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Gwyneth Paltrow. The nonchalance of her style makes her pieces easy to incorporate into everyday life. So, it’s no surprise that the popularity of her collaboration with the high street brand was through the roof, especially when the pieces were significantly cheaper than what they normally go for.

The collection went on sale in select stores at 8 AM. To handle the crowds, the first 420 people waiting in line were given colored bracelets that would determine when it was their time to shop the collection. Once inside, they were only given 15 minutes to shop, and could not buy more than four of the same product. It only took a few hours before most of the pieces, especially favorites like the beaded jacket, wool-blend cardigan, and fringe boots, were all bought up from the stores and being sold for triple the price on eBay. Still, the raised prices on eBay remain cheaper than what a detailed Isabel Marant jacket would typically cost, so it’s almost justifiable to buy from the site. 

Meanwhile in cyberspace, the Isabel Marant collection didn’t launch on H&M’s website until noon that day. Unable to handle the high traffic on the website, H&M put online shoppers into a virtual queue. Unfortunately, by the time many refreshed their browsers, many of the pieces in the collection had already sold out online too.

 For those who were able to brave the chaos and get their hands on pieces from the chic collection, consider yourselves lucky! While you may still be able to find a piece or two from the collection lying around in H&M, the majority of it is all sold out. Isabel Marant’s style is quickly taking the place of the stripey t-shirt and beret as the new uniform of Paris, so you’ll certainly be bringing a bit of fashion-forward Paris to the streets of the USA!

I was thrilled to have snatched a very warm monochrome wool scarf from the collection, perfect for the winter, in addition to a not-so-warm but extremely chic printed silk scarf. As much as I love London, it's always nice to have a little Paris in your wardrobe! My wool scarf can be seen below. 

Kate Moss for Topshop

Supermodel and fashion legend, Kate Moss, is set to design yet another collection for British High Street brand, Topshop. Her Spring/Summer 2014 designs will be released sometime in April of next year, and we can’t wait! Though it’s been three years since she designed for the brand, it’s safe to predict that the line will be just as amazing as the last. Moss designed for the High Street store between May of 2007 and November of 2010. Like her previous Topshop collaboration designs, Kate Moss will draw inspiration from her own personal wardrobe. Her effortlessly chic and rock star cool street style leaves no doubts in our minds that this line will be anything but fabulous.

The line will contain 40 pieces, with everything from womenswear, to footwear and accessories. Moss’s first line with the store was hugely successful, and featured favorites such as a floral tea dress and denim cut offs, which the supermodel made popular at Glastonbury Music Festival. The supermodel is the ultimate style icon, and her designing for a High Street brand means the clothes are accessible and affordable, so we can all have a bit of Kate Moss in our wardrobes! That is, of course, if we can get our hands on the much coveted line before it sells out!

Terminal 5

While the past six months have been a whirlwind of non-stop excitement and activity, I'm ashamed to say that I've left The Royal American in the dark and have failed to blog since July! However, I'm thrilled to begin blogging about everything London-related again, and will start with a few posts on my lovely trip to London this past November. First up, the journey there and back!

It's safe to say that my relationship with Virgin Atlantic has grown serious over the years. Having been the only airline I've ever flown to London on, it holds a special place in my heart. From the friendly flight attendants uniformed in red to the little amenity kits found on each seat, a flight with Virgin Atlantic is always something to look forward to. Even the decor of some of the planes I find to be thrilling, and who doesn't feel at least a little cool stepping onto the plane knowing that Sir Richard Branson is the man behind the whole operation? It makes me feel better about having to turn right when I board the plane. I will definitely fly with Virgin Atlantic in the future, and if one day I should ever decide to fly upper class, Virgin Atlantic is the airline who will have the honor of fluffing my pillows and serving me champagne. I do love this airline, and that's why I feel like I am cheating on it a bit, as my last flight to London was with British Airways, their one true nemesis.

Why British Airways this time around then? Heathrow's Terminal 5.

My Uncle Denis will now only fly British Airways for this very reason. "Then again," he said, "any airline is nice once you've flown Air India." I'll take your word for that one Uncle Denis.

Opened in 2008, Heathrow's Terminal 5 was originally and exclusively used by British Airways. However, in March of 2012 it became the home of International Airlines Group. Having not been impressed at all by the last terminal I was in via Virgin Atlantic, the opportunity to try out a new one was more than welcome. What really sold me, though, was what Heathrow's Terminal 5 contains, particularly for those leaving the country rather than arriving. Aside from the amazing shopping opportunies it offers, Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food is a restaurant you won't want to miss, especially if you are not a fan of the overly-salted, often unappetizing meals served on flights.

Not only can you enjoy a relaxing and delicious meal before hopping on the plane, but for about 12 pounds, Ramsay's Plane Food restaurant offers a lunch box stuffed to the tippy top with a gourmet three course meal that will have you wishing you could turn the aircraft around to buy another one by course two. I think it's a genius idea, and it certainly lived up to the high expectations I had of eating in my first Gordon Ramsay restaurant. As did the tasty pancakes I ordered for breakfast upon arriving to Heathrow   far too many hours before my flight. I believe my mum was quite pleased with her fruit and toast as well, so good going Gordon!