It was quite fitting for Claudia Schiffer to place the Elle fashion star award into Karl Lagerfeld’s begloved hands this weekend at the Berlin Fashion Week. After all she owes a great deal of her success to his initial selection 20 years ago when he was looking for models for Chanel. And along with come-back bands and fashions, Claudia Schiffer made a reappearance as the face of Chanel’s SS 08 collection.

But it was what I discovered about Karl Lagerfeld himself, after a bit of nosey rooting, that really got me rubbing my hands together somewhat evilly I suppose. Some would be shocked to hear that Lagerfeld is turning 75 this year - no more than Lagerfeld himself, in fact, who is defiant that he was born 5 years after his teachers and school mates can prove. Act your age Karl.

He also claims his father, who made a packet by introducing condensed milk to Germany, was Swedish. When in fact he was confirmed to be German.

The final oddity shrouding the life of Karl Lagerfeld is his name. It used to end with a ‘t’ - as in Lagerfeldt, but he officially dropped the last letter as he felt ‘Lagerfeld’ was more commercial. Or maybe a little less German?

Anyway, who are we mere mortals to nitpick at how the a 70 *cough 5* - year old man wants to cradle his livelihood? He is, after all, single-handedly responsible for bringing us fashion classic after fashion classic. And the rest is fashion history, with a little white lie here and there.

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It’s that time of the year again. Summer is in full swing and the garters are out in force. Of course by this, I mean it is wedding season.

With some recent high profile Italian weddings; Mr & Mrs Rooney, Coleen opting for a £50,000, celeb fave, Marchesa number (as you do) and Mr & Mrs Briatore (The VERY wealthy MD of the Renault F1 team and bonified ‘cad’ (he already has a child by superyummy-mummy Heidi Klum)), with the new Mrs. B being a 28 year old Wonderbra model (skeptical? Never - both pictured below), to name but a few. I think it’s fair to say ladies, the precedent has well and truly been set.

Whether it’s your big day or you’re just going along for the do, the question of what to wear can be a nightmare – do you go for a long hem and risk falling hard on your face or worse, upstaging the bride. Gasp! Or do you go short and risk looking tacky? Choices choices.

Well this is where we can help with recent trends suggesting:

• Elegant tailoring - Think Amanda Wakeley and you will define sophistication and style.
• Clinched waists – Still a big trend, inspired from the Chanel s/s 08 catwalks. This look will emphasise your curves and single you out in the style stakes.
• Accessorise – Remember if it’s not your wedding day then you are there to celebrate the day, not stress that the flowers don’t match the table cloths. Simply choose your outfit (a pretty dress or skirt suit for example) and accessorise with beautiful romantic pieces and stunning arm candy. Think Les Nereides designer jewellery, a delicate brand that adds a touch of class to any look.
• Sunglasses – Take notes from the celebs darrrrhhling and whack on some sunnies for the big day. You will look like you’ve just stepped off the plane from Monaco – but remember to take them off inside, no one likes a show off!

Oh and FYI in this month alone, Timbaland (Hip producer extraordinaire), model and ‘rock fodder‘ Leah Wood, Prince Charles Philippe d’Orleans all got married this month, whilst ex-popstarlet Rachel Stevens and supermodel Adriana Lima got engaged. There must be something in the air…

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Who would have thought little Emma Watson aka wizard boff Hermione Granger could cast her spell so spectacularly upon fashion powerhouse Chanel.

If current rumours are true, Miss Watson is set to enchant a two year contract, worth £3 million, out of Chanel. Good work! A lucrative move that will see Emma not only replace a naked Keira Knightley as the face of Coco Mademoiselle perfume, but ensure her seamless transition from child ‘Potter’ stardom to fully grown glam puss. Both quite impressive feats if I do say so myself.

It seems that Chanel have had their eye on the young actress for some time, having dressed her for numerous red carpet events around the world, prepping both the actress and the public for the collaboration.

And from what we can see, Emma Watson is proving time after time to shine in the labels designs. We look forward to seeing the new campaign, when Miss Knightley’s comes to an end this year, the question is will Emma pose with the bowler hat too?

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We’re happy to welcome Gemma from Catwalk Queen as a guest author in support of National Authenticity Week.

With more cash to splash than your average shopper, it probably comes as a surprise that some celebrities still fall for fakes. When Courtney Love stepped out in an unmarked dress supposedly sent to her publicist, she set alarm bells ringing at Chanel. The dress was a dead ringer for a catwalk sample that had never left Paris, and Karl Lagerfeld was less than pleased at the rip-off!

Even label hound Victoria Beckham hasn’t escaped unscathed. She once accessorised her designer outfit with a Louis Vuitton monogram belt, which surprised folks at LV, who’d never seen the design before. Louis Vuitton also sued Britney Spears’ record company for featuring faked monogram fabric in her ‘Do Something’ music video. As far as we know, they’ve never covered a Hummer dashboard in pink cherry blossom leather!

On the other end of the scale, Tyra Banks declared war on fakes with a segment on how to spot a counterfeit on her talk show. For this she teamed up with the amazing blog Counterfeit Chic, which is full of great info on how to spot fakes, and why we should be avoiding them.

Finally, P Diddy has gone to great lengths to protect the reputation of his Sean John label, by creating the ‘Don’t Buy A Lie’ website for Canadian customers. The site shows the difference between the real deal and cheap fakes – from uneven stitching to missing linings – and really shows why buying a fake may (sometimes) save you money, but also means a great compromise in quality.

- written by Gemma from Catwalk Queen.

Are you on Facebook? Show your support of National Authenticity Week by joining our Facebook group called Authentic Fashion Only. And watch this space - tomorrow you can challenge your friends on our great viral game called Spot the Fake.

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It appears, that just when you think you know what’s going on with the weather / style trends of the season / London’s mayoral election… life throws you some curve balls.

The curve ball of the day / rather confusing trend, appears to be pretty starlets of stage and screen dousing themselves in swathes of black, which is fine yes, but for spring?

The likes of Lauren Conrad, Rhianna, tattooed temptress Kat Von D and Anna Ferris have all been spotted in black creations despite it being May and officially summer. Maybe these chicks just aren’t that enthralled about the floral or star inspired catwalks of Stella McCartney and Chanel?

Well you can’t please everyone!

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If the purpose of the Oscars, more importantly, the Oscar dresses were to make us squeal with delight until we pass out - then mission accomplished, here are some of the best bits…

Over the weekend, the 80th Academy Awards were held in Hollywood and of course the A-list were out in force. Flowing dresses were standard with red being the colour ‘de jour’, as Anne Hathaway in Marchesa, Helen Mirren in Georges Chakra (avec £1 million of diamonds - nice, very nice) and Heidi Klum in John Galliano, displayed beautifully.

Pregnant and purple was the mantra for chic Cate Blanchett in Dries Von Noten and a stylish Jessica Alba, also in Marchesa - proving that pregnant certainly doesn’t mean dowdy. Cameron Diaz looked pretty (as always) in pink with a stunning folding John Galliano, whilst no one does Chanel couture quite like Penelope Cruz, in a ruffled, feathered, black number.

One for the boys, a Mr Daniel Day Lewis has to be congratulated on two accounts, of course for his well deserved Oscar for Best Actor but more importantly his superb choice of impeccably tailored, Paul Smith attire - Well done Sir.

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