What's happening in the fashion world

Celebrity coiffeur James Brown, aka Kate Moss's best mate, has added another string to his bow by finally opening his first salon on Wigmore Street. The stunningly kitted out space is the latest business venture for the Croydon-born hairdresser who launched his own range of hair care products in 2007. While an appointment with one of the salon's stylists will cost you a surprisingly low £55, the privilege of having your barnet chopped by James himself will set you back at least £500. A tad on the pricey side but surely worth it for all the goss on Kate's recent adventures. Let's just hope he's the kind of hairdresser to cut and tell. James Brown London, 82 Wigmore Street, W1, 020 7486 6087, www.jamesbrownlondon.com.

It cost how much?
How much would you expect to pay for a pair of shoes by Marc Jacobs? £300? How about £88? That's right: the gods of fashion are throwing us a favour courtesy of a secret online sale offering up to 70 per cent off Jacobs's Marc by Marc line. So what if you have to faff about signing up to the designer sale site and then spend a week glued to the computer to ensure you don't miss out on any of the best buys: it's Marc, darling, and at this price it's certainly worth it. Sale on now at www.brandalley.co.uk.

Dad jeans
You're familiar with the "boyfriend" jean: now it's time to meet the parents. The "dad jean" is the latest style from denim brand du jour Current/Elliot. Though father and son clearly have a lot in common in terms of shape and fit, the dad style tapers in more at the ankles and hugs the waist and thigh area slightly more than his low-slung, loose-fitting offspring. £210 (www.question-air.com).

Juicy new numbers
Remember when everyone used to wear those pink velour lounge suits? Blame Juicy Couture. These days, the brand is at pains to emphasise that there's much more to Juicy than that and has set out to prove it by opening a brand new store at 27 Bruton Street, W1, the designer boulevard that is already home to Stella McCartney and Matthew Williamson. Owners Gela Nash Taylor (wife of Duran Duran's John) and Pamela Skaist Levy certainly know how to cut a mean pair of jeans: just don't wear them with a pink velour hoodie. Vest £130, Tee £81, Jacket £167, Boots from £199, Jeans from £178

This week we're loving
Beetle necklace by Philippa Holland
We were already big fans of London jeweller Philippa Holland when we came across this little fellow. Now we're completely smitten. Available in blue, yellow and grey as well as in this vibrant red, this hand-crafted beetle necklace forms part of her Nature's Tricks collection which also includes a bumble-bee ring, a butterfly brooch and whole lot of slightly creepy looking spiders. Arachnophobics need not apply.
£1,296 (www.doverstreetmarket.com).

Why everyone's raising their hair
Some people change their hair with the seasons: others screw their barnet to the sticking place and never fail. Suzy Menkes falls into the latter category. Since the beginning of time (or for as long as anyone can remember), la grande fromage of fashion journalism has worn her hair in a perky pompadour that is as much a trademark as her prolific penmanship. Not for Menkes the vagaries of various fickle hair trends: while her peers may primp their hair into the latest bob / Pob / Rachel, Menkes rises above it all — literally — with an immaculately coiffed roll that adds inches to her height.

Quite what she makes of being so widely copied this summer is anyone's guess, but the Madame Suzi (as we like to call it) is shaping up to be the sleeper hair hit of the season. As well as the tributes that were spotted on the catwalk at Max Mara, Luella Bartley and Basso & Brooke, the Suzi has also cropped up, variously, on Kylie Minogue, Elly "La Roux" Jackson and, ahem, Jordan.

Of course, since these three ladies tend to change their image as often as they change their underwear, Ms Menkes is in no real danger of having her trademark infringed. Or is she? Step forward, VV Brown, the honey-voiced singer who is never knowingly photographed without her pompadour. Unlike Menkes's, which, to the best of our knowledge (and believe me, we've spent many a fashion show sat behind her, peering), is only held in place by a few kirby grips and a quick squirt of Elnett, VV's is made of sterner stuff. However frantic her stage antics, VV's roll remains obstinately perfect, as though cast in concrete. How does she do that? Close inspection reveals the shocking truth: a Carmen roller hidden underneath, round which the hair is curled. Is that cheating? Over to you, Suzy.

Whistles' drape dress
Just as endless sale-rails crammed with tired-out tat had us thinking we were destined never to shop again, up popped Whistles with this little ray of sunshine. Part of the store's transitional collection, this beautifully cut, pocket-detail dress is the perfect piece to take you from summer to winter with a spring in your step. Hurrah for Jane Shepherdson! £135, Whistles (www.whistles.co.uk)