I Love Designer is your ultimate destination for Eastern & Western luxury accessories designers!

Call us biased but for many reasons, London Fashion Week has to be our favourite event of all.  We love the city’s vibe, great sense of style and the avant-garde audience who inspire us as much as the shenanigans on the catwalk.

For those of us in the industry, it also gives the chance to get a glimpse into the future and help us decide what trends people will be talking about later on in the year.

With that in mind, we set off for our first ‘work’ task.  Being the accessories queens that we are, we headed straight to the exclusive exhibition at Somerset House to check out the next hot thing in arm and neck candy.  After all we want to make sure our customers will be the first to get their hands on the most sought-after pieces by up and coming designers.

Let’s just say it wasn’t a surprise to see some trends continuing from the Spring/Summer season including some which we’ve forecasted before and are already on our site.

So if you’re looking to invest in accessories this season then go for something which has one of the following trends which won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

1-      Art-deco inspiration:

Geometric forms were everywhere to be seen this season.  The art-deco shapes of the 30s and 40s are back in force.  Elegant designs featuring squares, pyramid and cubes mostly in a strong gold hue and monochrome stones.  We love the touch of green in some of the designs as well.

And just to prove our point, we have already picked some gorgeous pieces on our site which have art deco influence like these Ishraya piece which are bang on trend!  We didn’t need a crystal ball to foresee that, it’s just our job

2-      The Statement cuff:

We love a bit of bold arm candy and the statement cuff trend seems to be sticking for another season.  Good news for us!

Whether gold plated with intricate designs or featuring an array of crystals and semi-precious stones there seems to be a cuff for everyone.

If you can’t wait for next season, check out our already-in-stock statement cuffs like Sally Skoufis exotic skin beauties or Isharaya’s divine and intricate piece. We’ll be wearing them from today!

3-      Indian influence:

When His Fashion Highness Karl Lagerfield decides that Indian decadence is the theme for the latest Chanel collection, the rest has to follow.  Part of us love the fact that the beauty of the East is being appreciated in the West, but again the other part already knew that and is dying to say ‘told you so’.

Some of the most stunning pieces we saw at LFW were inspired by Rajasthani techniques of inlays and enamel and given a modern edge.  Reminds us of the Manish Arora for Amrapali special collection which we’ve just launched this week!  If you were eyeing one of these stunning pieces, this is another excuse to get it now!  Even in a year’s time it’ll still be as trendy as is now.

4-      The IT clutch

Gone are the days were a clutch had to carry the ‘F’ monogram to be hot.  In fact, this season’s must have clutch is quirky, colourful and not afraid to say ‘look at me!’

We were inspired by the arm candy we saw at the LFW exhibition and fell in love with the unique details and fun characteristics a lot of them had.

For the summer, we have already picked some exotic clutches which will see you to the next season with style.  Check out our Katja Tamara colourful python skin clutches or Namu’s stingray Berlin clutch which you cannot go wrong with.

5-      Day to night earrings

We love a bit of bling in every outfit and to our delight, Autumn/Winter 2013 will see this trend stay and evolve.  Gone are the days when we saved those statement earrings for a night out and now it’s the time to invest in something which will see you from a day at work to the cocktail hour and dinner date.

Whether featuring semi-precious stones or crystals, earrings like this are all you need to leave a stylish impression.  Check out our Isharya green peridot earrings in this season’s hottest shade of green or the impossibly stunning blue lapis and amethyst pair to be ahead of the fashion pack.

Other trends which caught our eye include neons, rose gold and chunky necklaces.  And as we work hard (honestly this is work) and don’t miss a trick, you will see items with these elements appearing on our site very soon.

While you’re waiting for that, check out some photos of things we saw at LFW that inspired us.  And trust us, it was a very inspiring week indeed.

The Water snake is upon us!

For those of you currently scratching your heads and racking your brains, think a little more closely about the DNA of “I Love Designer” – a site which specializes in the bringing together of east and west.

That’s right – the slithery reference heralds the start of a new lunar (Chinese) new year – kissing goodbye to the fabled dragon year and introducing the snake.

And to ensure double happiness and prosperity, our humble site is being re-launched with a new concept and look.

As everything we do is by design, we’ve co-ordinated our re-launch with this momentous Eastern occasion.  It’s partially to do with mysticism and partially to do with our desire to share some snake-inspired accessories.

We all know the snake has played a big part in ancient mythology, religion, popular culture and literature around the world.  And in the Chinese zodiac, the snake is known not only for its cunning, passion and mystery but also for its charm, seduction abilities and (ahem) materialistic indulgences and luxurious taste. Something which fits right up our alley!

So, like us, you’re excused if you feel a little tempted to indulge yourself in some guilty pleasures this year.  And we’re here to help, bringing you something just enough exotic and suited for the year ahead.

In all forms of jewellery, there is no situation where the snake feels more at home than coiled around a finger in the form of ring.

But apart from being THE lucky charm this year, the snake ring has never been a fad that will just fade away once the zodiacal calendar moves on.  It truly is timeless. In fact if there is one piece of jewellery which is as mysterious, loaded with meanings throughout the centuries and eras – it has to be the snake ring.

From ancient Greece where it symbolized the god of healing; to Rome where people have been wearing snake rings for its ‘eternal’ qualities and of course China where they are worn to bring wealth.

Back in the UK they first came to prominence through an unusual source, in the shape of Queen Victoria’s coiled snake engagement ring from Prince Albert which set the women of the Victorian era in frenzy and gave the snake ring popularity like never before.

Queen Victoria’s ring was meant to bring good luck and so are our Sally Skoufis Jordi rings who echo the style featuring a coiled snake – although more refined, modern and chic to better go with our lifestyle and taste.

Hailing from Australia and residing in Singapore, it’s no surprise how Skoufis manages to combine the elegance of the west with an unexpected touch of eastern mystique – as clearly demonstrated in this gorgeous ring.

We fell for the beautiful pattern, luxurious feel and a toned down ‘snake’ design which ditches the head details to avoid being too literal and naïve, and focuses more on the snake skin pattern and flattering proportions for a perfect fit.

Made from blackened rhodium and silver and available in ruby and orange stones (do you know what kind of stone?), the ring makes for a great conversational piece which can be worn during the day to add some oomph to an ordinary ensemble or with a classic LBD for that exotic touch on a night out in town.

But if you’re more of a bag person, we also happen to have just the thing for you.  Snake good luck charms in form of the to-die-for Katja Tamara python clutches.  This Bali-based label which specializes in exotic skin bags, brings you some chic designs which are hand-dyed and hand-crafted to perfection by Balinese artisans.

The design may be simple but the colour combinations and quality of buttery python leather make it both a bold statement piece and a winner in the luxury and style stakes.

As it is the year of water snake – all shades of blue and green are said to be lucky so our recommendation would be the sea foam blue, aqua and shamrock green clutches if you’re for something suited for a night out.  But if you’re more of an everyday person and love a roomy bag, then the green tote is just the perfect choice for you!

Whether you wear it for wealth, health, or simply for luck, snake-inspired items like the Sally Skoufis snake ring and Katja Tamara python skin bags are surely to become some of your favourite staple pieces which once you get, we promise you won’t leave the house without.  Not just in the year of snake, but for many years to come!

You can shop Sally Skoufis snake ring and Katja Tamara clutches here and here.