FROW News #136: Alexa Chung Meets Reformation, Pat McGrath Makes Jewellery & Facebook Faces The Social Reckoning 👀✨
Leopard print is heading for the dance studio, while Pat McGrath has found a new home for a statement lip. Some familiar fragrance favourites have turned up the intensity too, and a taste of the French Riviera offers a reason to linger in London’s West End. As for Facebook, the place we go for birthday reminders, family updates and the occasional overshare is getting a rather different kind of attention on the big screen. There’s plenty to catch up on, so let’s get into it ⬇️.
Alexa Chung’s Reformation Wardrobe Has Plans After Dark 🌙
A pink velvet jacket to layer over a white slip skirt. Dalmatian-print slippers to wear with straight-leg jeans. Alexa Chung’s first Reformation collection makes a good case for letting one unexpected piece do the work, rather than saving everything interesting for a special occasion.
The 30-piece collaboration draws on her own wardrobe and vintage references, mixing tailored coats and knitwear with silk dresses, velvet separates and patent boots. There are quieter pieces among the dressed-up ones, including a “ME AGAIN” T-shirt and high-rise jeans, so the whole thing doesn’t depend on having somewhere glamorous to go. The Pepo velvet jacket is £348, the white Slip Skirt £198 and the Pony Slippers £298.
Pat McGrath Takes Her Make-up Artistry Into Jewellery 💋
We know Pat McGrath for her make-up, from runway looks to the products in our own make-up bags. Now she’s bringing that eye for colour and shine to a new jewellery collection with Pandora. “To me, makeup and jewellery have always been the same art,” she says, and the connection runs through all 17 designs, from glossy lips to miniature lipstick charms.
Red and purple enamel give the lip-shaped rings and charms their colour, while crystals bring sparkle to the tiny beauty tubes. The sterling-silver Lips of Love Ring, £79, has “Kisses” engraved inside the band; the £35 Lips of Love Mini Charm carries the same pout on a smaller scale. Across sterling-silver and gold-plated pieces, prices range from £35 to £190, with the collection available online and in selected stores.
Michelle Keegan’s Second Autumn Drop Turns Up the Collar 🧥
Michelle Keegan’s second autumn drop for Very brings matching separates and coats into the same wardrobe. Her aim, she says, was to “take the work out of layering”, with pieces that work together through the day.
The khaki and black colour-block track jacket, £45, can be paired with the collection’s £30 side-stripe track Pant for a complete outfit, or worn with jeans. The jacket comes in S–L and has a drawcord hem, letting you adjust how it sits at the waist. For a more dressed-up layer, the brown Suede Funnel Neck Belted Jacket (£185) has a high collar and a tie belt to cinch it over a fine knit. It comes in UK sizes 6-20, while the grey double-breasted maxi coat is £110. www.very.co.uk
Nobody’s Child and Elizabeth Scarlett Take Their Embroidery Into Winter 🌞
Nobody’s Child and Elizabeth Scarlett’s first autumn/winter collection brings hand-drawn roses, stars and suns to knitwear, outerwear and velvet. It’s the pair’s third collaboration, named Collected Treasures, with Elizabeth’s illustrations translated into embroidery. On the £85 cream celestial jumper, the motif sits between red and blue striped trims; the khaki barn jacket has rose detailing and a contrasting cord collar.
Embroidered dresses and velvet party separates take the collection into evenings out, while the accessories include pouches, an eye mask, a hot water bottle and an embroidered triangle scarf. There are smaller gift options here as well as clothing, which comes in UK sizes 4-18, depending on the style.
H&M MOVE Adds a Warmer Layer to the Morning Walk 🧣
H&M MOVE’s new collection is here, and the layers aren’t just for the workout. There are fleece tops for a chilly morning walk, roomier pieces to pull on over them and outerwear for when the weather has other ideas.
The Fleece SoftMove zip-neck top, £27.99, has fleece inside, a stand collar and thumbholes to keep the sleeves in place. ThermoMove pieces add warmth, while StormMove outerwear is designed to protect against the elements. Knitted and padded accessories round out the collection, which is available online and in selected stores.
Boden’s Prints Meet Stripe & Stare’s Everyday Underwear 🌸
Boden has opened its print archive to Stripe & Stare for their first underwear collaboration. A wildflower motif joins stripes and hearts across the nine-piece collection, pairing Boden’s familiar colour with Stripe & Stare’s soft, breathable TENCEL Modal fabric.
There are original and high-rise knickers, thongs, triangle and plunge bras, plus a lace-trimmed camisole, so you can choose the shape you usually wear. The Stripe & Stare x Boden collection comes in XS-4X, equivalent to UK sizes 6-22, with single knickers at £18, four-packs at £50, bras at £35 and the cami at £30. It launches on Sunday 11th October.
GANNI & lululemon Have Found Their Rhythm 🐆
GANNI and lululemon have teamed up for a new collection inspired by 1980s dance films. Across 22 pieces of womenswear, footwear and accessories, leopard print and frills bring GANNI’s familiar signatures into clothes designed for movement.
Lululemon’s Define Jacket gets a new interpretation, with Nulu and Softstreme fabrics used across the collection for comfort and freedom of movement. Boleros, headbands and leg warmers make the dance-film influence easy to spot. The collection launches on Thursday 15th October online at lululemon and GANNI, and in selected stores.
Useful Bras, With Support for CoppaFeel! 🎀
Boux Avenue and Bravissimo are supporting CoppaFeel! through selected lingerie sales this Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Boux Avenue’s Jessica lace mastectomy bra, £36, is non-wired, with lightweight spacer-foam cups and internal pockets for an optional prosthesis. It comes in sizes 30C-38G, and the Mollie Bra in Rose Pink is included in the fundraising.
Bravissimo’s included styles are everyday support bras rather than specialist post-surgery designs. The Lillie, £38, is a non-wired, seamfree plunge, while the Shoulder Ease (£41) has a racerback designed to help with slipping straps and shoulder pressure. Both brands are donating 10% of sales from their participating designs during October.
Rochelle Humes’ Eulah Starts With the Everyday Essentials 🫧
Rochelle Humes has been taking her followers behind the scenes as she builds Eulah, sharing the product development behind her new skincare brand. Now the range is here, so anyone who’s been following along can see how those updates translate into your bathroom.
The 12-piece debut covers face and body care, with prices between £8 and £12. There are three different cleansers rather than one formula for everyone, alongside lip care, eye products and facial mists. Face Blanket, £10 for 75ml, is a moisturising cream with niacinamide, shea butter and cica. Cryo eye gel costs £8, while the £12 Body Boost uses a multi-ball applicator for massage. The range is vegan and cruelty-free, and available through Eulah, Boots and Tesco.
Sol de Janeiro Turns Up the Intensity ☀️
Sol de Janeiro’s fans asked for their favourite mists to last longer, and the brand’s answer is its new Intense Perfume Mist collection. A higher fragrance concentration and reworked scent notes give familiar Cheirosa favourites a richer interpretation, with the brand reporting up to 10 hours of scent. There’s a new fragrance in the mix too, rather than just stronger versions of ones we already know.
Cheirosa 74 Intense brings ripe pineapple and orange flower together with a warm amber base. For an existing favourite, 62 combines roasted pistachio and vanilla absolute, while 59 pairs white orchid with creamy sandalwood. The three mists are £34 each for 90ml, available at Boots and Space NK.
Dior Backstage Gives Skin Tint the Three-in-One Treatment ✨
A little coverage, some skincare and SPF in the same bottle. Dior Backstage's new Glow-Up Skin Tint (£49) is the house’s first three-in-one tinted moisturiser, bringing those elements together with a soft glow finish. Coverage builds from light to medium, so you can keep it sheer or add a little more where you want it, without going straight to a fuller foundation.
The 40ml formula contains fragmented collagen, with Dior reporting 24-hour hydration and wear, plus waterproof and crease-proof performance. It also includes broad-spectrum SPF 20. There are 24 shades across cool rosy, neutral and warm undertones, and it’s exclusive to Dior’s website.
OLAPLEX Fans, There’s a New Stop for Your Haircare Top-up 🪮
For those who already have an OLAPLEX bottle on the bathroom shelf, we’ve got good news for you. The bond-building haircare brand has just landed at Boots, so your next replacement could be picked up alongside the other things you went in for. It’s online now and rolling out to selected stores.
The range includes the No.3 Plus Ultimate Repair Treatment, £32 for 100ml, used on wet hair for three minutes before shampooing. There’s also the No.7 Bonding Oil, £30 for 30ml, designed to add shine, control frizz and provide heat protection. Both are eligible for Advantage Card points. Happy days!
e.l.f.’s First POP Stop Comes With Cake 🍊
e.l.f. is making room for fragrance and body care with its new POP collection, and the first stop is Tromsø in Norway. The limited-edition debut centres on Spicy Bundt Nice, a scent built around spiced cake and orange zest, with cardamom, buttercream, cedarwood and musk. The inspiration may be an Arctic escape, but the fragrance notes are heading straight for the cake tin.
The Body Fragrance Mist is £12, while the matching Silky Body Cream, £13, lets you bring the same scent into your body care. Both are available on e.l.f.’s website, along with the £11 Taste of Tromsø Kit, which pairs miniature versions of the two.
Kay Beauty Gives Lip Tint a Glossy Colour Boost 💄
Kay Beauty’s new Hydra Luscious Lip Tint brings rich colour and a high-gloss finish to its UK offering, exclusive to Space NK. Katrina Kaif’s brand is rooted in South Asian beauty, with particular attention to shades that complement olive and brown complexions across its make-up range. That consideration sits alongside a wider commitment to creating make-up for different skin tones. The brand is also celebrating its first year at Space NK.
For this latest launch, the colour comes with a formula designed to feel lightweight and non-sticky, with minimal transfer or bleeding. Chamomile oil and vitamin C are included, so there’s lip care behind the shine too. The seven shades span everyday neutrals and richer statement colours, at £16 each, giving gloss lovers a more pigmented option for their make-up bag.
Karen Swan’s The Winter Guest Has a Stranger at the Door 📖
Dulcie is sitting beside her grandmother’s bed in a villa on Lake Geneva when a visitor arrives with something urgent to tell the older woman. What he knows threatens to change everything Dulcie believes about the person she loves.
Karen Swan’s new novel The Winter Guest moves between that present-day encounter and Paris in 1961, where a young ambassador’s wife is caught up in an affair. The snowy setting surrounds a story of love, scandal and family secrets, with time running out to get answers. It’s out in paperback for £9.49.
Step Into the French Riviera Without Leaving London 🎨
You can now step inside a little of the French Riviera at Piccadilly Circus. Art of London’s new free outdoor experience, Step Into the French Riviera, brings paintings into the streets through larger-than-life installations created with the Royal Academy of Arts.
The first is inspired by André Derain’s View of Collioure, with sound and scent adding to the scene. Two further installations drawing on Yves Klein’s blue and Raoul Dufy’s Golfe Juan are planned across the West End. Clara Amfo has also put together a French Riviera-inspired playlist, accessible through QR codes at the installations. The experience runs until Sunday 25th October, with visitor details online. It is separate from the Royal Academy’s Painting the French Riviera exhibition, so the free street installations don’t require an exhibition ticket.
Jimmy Choo Brings Its Anniversary Celebrations to the Champagne Bar 🍸
Jimmy Choo is celebrating 30 years, and the occasion extends beyond the shoe wardrobe. At the San Carlo Champagne Bar in Selfridges Manchester Trafford, a limited-time takeover brings a little of the label’s world to a drinks stop. The space takes its colour cues from Winter Bloom, the shade used for Jimmy Choo’s signature packaging, with specially created cocktails and branded chocolates carrying the celebration onto the table.
On the drinks menu, the Black Raspberry Martini (£17) mixes vodka with Chambord, while the £18 Spicy Margarita adds yuzu and chilli. There’s an alcohol-free option too: the JC Spritz, £10, combines cherry and vanilla with rhubarb, raspberry and lemon. If you’re making an afternoon of it, the bar also serves afternoon tea and Italian-inspired sharing plates. The takeover runs until Sunday 25th October in the lower-level Accessories Hall at the Trafford Centre, with walk-ins welcome and no booking required.
Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita Follows a Life Shaped by Music 🎹
For readers who came to Barbara Kingsolver through Demon Copperhead, her new novel Partita introduces a gifted pianist with a route away from the family farm. For Livia Bohusz, a scholarship also means entering a world whose rules and expectations are very different from the ones she grew up with.
Her childhood is marked by her brother’s death by suicide, and the story follows the ambitions, relationships and setbacks that shape her life. Music, class and belonging run through that journey. It’s out in hardback at £20.
Marisha Wallace Looks Beyond the Performance in Her New Single 🎶
Marisha Wallace and Toby Gad’s new single, ‘Don’t Let This Be You’, introduces a project with Etta James at its heart. The track comes from Wallace’s forthcoming album James Etta, which combines original songs inspired by Etta’s life with classics from her catalogue.
The starting point was an image Wallace couldn’t shake while reading Etta’s biography. Even as her life was falling apart, the singer was expected to walk onstage and give the performance of a lifetime. Wallace connects that pressure with her own experience as a Black woman in the arts, exploring what it costs to appear powerful while struggling privately. The West End and Broadway performer is working with the songwriter behind John Legend’s ‘All of Me’ and Beyoncé’s ‘If I Were a Boy’. We're looking forward to hearing the full album.
The Social Reckoning Takes Facebook’s Secrets to the Cinema 🎬
We give Facebook our holiday photos, our opinions and, occasionally, rather more of our evening than we intended. What do we know about what happens on the other side of that feed? The Social Reckoning, now in UK cinemas, follows Facebook engineer Frances Haugen as she teams up with Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz to expose the company’s closely guarded secrets. It brings the stakes of whistleblowing into a world many of us visit without giving it much thought.
Aaron Sorkin writes and directs this companion to The Social Network, drawing on real events behind the newspaper’s Facebook Files investigation. Mikey Madison plays Haugen, Jeremy Allen White is Horwitz, and Jeremy Strong takes on Mark Zuckerberg. For anyone who remembers the earlier film’s account of Facebook’s beginnings, this moves the story forward to the people prepared to challenge what it became. We’re looking forward to watching this one.
Before we go, we also want to acknowledge Baby Loss Awareness Week, which runs from 9th-15th October. To anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss, we’re thinking of you and the babies being remembered. If you wish to take part, the Wave of Light takes place at 7pm on Thursday 15th October, when people around the world light a candle for an hour. There is no pressure to participate, and support is available through Sands whether your loss was recent or long ago. Take care of yourselves and each other.
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