Platform News By Bekki Stephenson

From disco-inspired, glittering soles to five-inch wooden heels, platform shoes are destined to get you noticed. It is no surprise then that they were all over the catwalk this season. From post-war inspired cork soles to seventies inspired disco-classics, the runway was flooded with platform shoes this season. After so many seasons of flowing, dainty designs a shift towards a style less prim and proper could be the answer to satisfy the fun factor women have been dying to get back into their wardrobes.

In the seventies, the drug-fuelled, disco-warped youth exhausted all their spare time decorating their feet. Platform shoes provided designers with a canvas to be as extravagant as they pleased, every possible decorative variation of material and trim was experimented with in order to explore all avenues of bad taste and vulgarity. Queen of pop, Madonna is certainly taking influence from the fun-filled, disco-era. Her latest video has all the aspects of a seventies inspired disco hall and even has an Abba melody underneath the song.

Nowhere is the influence of the seventies more evident this season than on the feet.

At Miu Miu, the distraction of what may end up being the most influential show, was glittering, disco-inspired, break-your-neck platforms. The Fiorucci-esque designs balanced out the starburst dresses, brightly coloured orange and pink gloves and Jackie O style sunglasses. Miuccia Prada created a revival that looked as ever, modern. Looking slightly further back in time, Diane Von Furstenberg reminisced the styles of the late sixties at her show entitled La Dolce Diva. The creator of the wrap dress focused on bright, graphic prints accessorised with peep-toe platforms in Mediterranean colours.

In a less obvious tribute to the footwear of the seventies, Dior showed of platform shoes in a more minimalist way. Just when you think you know what you are getting with him, John Galliano does the total opposite. His signature of vibrant colours and over the top detailing was replaced with nude simplicity; the shoes perhaps the only place he exercised his hallmark. Shoes were created from chunky cutout straps of leather on wooden and cork soles, taking inspiration from the forties when the lack of leather caused shoes to be made from alternative materials.

There was a clumsy cowgirl feel to the undeniably sophisticated designs that had the overall look screaming with sex appeal.

Platform shoes for many of us conjure up moments of hysteria. I, like so many others spent many nights out looking like a four-year-old girl in her mother's peep-toe stilettos. Let's face it; five-inch soles were never meant to promote elegance. The shift away from the boho feminine towards a more masculine, tomboy silhouette seen on last season's catwalks demonstrates women's desire for a more unisex fashion and platform shoes certainly meet the criteria for a universal vogue. The platform shoe lacks gender rules; it was, and probably still is the only shoe you could have borrowed from your boyfriend.

In a season that is appearing so dull in its palette and silhouette, platform shoes are going to be a welcome staple to any fashionista's wardrobe. Like the catwalk, there are no rules when it comes to co-ordinating them with the rest of your outfit. However, it is worth remembering that it does take a certain amount of grace to master these statuesque shoes, a talent only held by a few. But what didn't stop people first time round is hardly likely to stop them again.

Fashion - Fur Goodness Sake By Bekki Stephenson
	Supermodel Elle McPherson has backed out of a £1 million contract with luxury fur company Blackglama over fears that she will be targeted by anti-fur extremists. But should we really ban fur? Or are we being manipulated by anti-fur movements? I like fur. I don't wear it very often, partly due to the unforgiving looks of those from the I'd rather go naked Read more...

Fashion - Sharon's Fashion Page
	Yeah it's Sharon here, Sharon Saxby in fact, though with my special interest in jewellery I suppose I should be called Sharon Stone. That was a joke. Anyway. Here I am with my new exciting fashion page, featuring all the latest trends from our estate. I can guarantee you'll find something here that you wouldn't Read more...

Fashion - Revolver: When Mod meets Modification By Daniel Laney
	The new vintage clothing shop set to make a big impact in Hull city centre. Trinity Market, Hull (Opposite Trinity Church. Mon - Sat 9am-5pm) When the terms Retro or Vintage are linked with clothes, thoughts of over priced charity shop fabrics and the smell of musty damp cupboards rapidly come to mind. However, with Read more...

Fashion - Looking Good for a Makeover at Les Ciseaux
	by Cilla Les Ciseaux Salon is jointly owned and run by sisters Karen Grant and Cheryl Boulton, aided by Jeannie. Karen is a stylist with 19 years experience in the business and it was her job to make my hair look gorgeous! Cheryl, the salons resident beauty therapist was going to do her best with my face! Read more...

Fashion - Love From Holly by Cilla
	Some of Hulls local young talent showed what they were made of last Monday (4th August) in a bright and vibrant summertime bonanza at the Welly club, Beverley Road. The late-night fashion show was organised by young designer Holly Cryan, who also featured an original collection made under her own label, 'love from holly'. Also supporting the event were designer Emma Lou and with 2 of his current collections in the show, Phil from Rockerfellas Boutique in the Hepworth Arcade in Hull. Read more...

Art - Kingswood High School Hosts an Art Exhibition Primary Colours for Fair Trade from school children in Hull by Mo.
	Last Thursday saw the launch of a 10 day exhibition called Primary Colours at Kingswood High School, Bransholme. Featured was artwork from a number of local primary schools - The Dales and Coleford - both under threat of closure - and Cleeve, Bude and other primary schools Read more...

Art - The History of LSD Blotter Art Compiled by Rich Mills
	Blotter Art is a term that refers to the artwork that liquid LSD is dropped onto. The artwork is printed onto blotter paper and then perforated into tiny squares or hits, which can be torn apart into easy to manage quantities. In 1938 LSD-25 (or diethylamide Read more...

Art Gallery - By Local Artist Patrick Henry
	I became a self-taught painter at the age of 36 when living in a mediaeval village in the French Dordogne. Post-Impressionism had been my favourite kind of art for long before that. I think it has a basic relevance that will never be exhausted. Renaissance paintings are also very Read more...

Art Gallery - By Hull Artist Darren Rogers.
	This is a series of photographs we'd like to present by Darren Rogers, an artist from Hull, East Yorkshire, England. Darren has not only proven himself to be an incredible photographer - providing the most brilliant galleries of live band performances Read more...

Articles - Memories of Hull By Frank Storey

I was most interested to read the article by John Firth regarding the fish shop owned by his grandmother in Redbourne Street. I worked at Gordon Street Police Station in the ranks of Constable, Sergeant and Inspector during the period 1947 to 1966, I well remember the Beatles visit - they used my office to get changed! I had a great leg pull with a young girl who was an avid Beatles fan, - we gave her a cigarette end Read more...

Articles - The Thames Whale By Michelle Dee

Sometime on Friday 20th January a bottle nosed whale was spotted in the Thames River. This unusual event caused quite a stir in the capital later that day the 18ft whale tried to beach itself in the shallow waters by Westminster Bridge. Volunteers and specialists alike tried to encourage the whale back the way it came into the deeper parts of the river. On the Saturday it was thought to have gone back towards the mouth Read more...

Articles - Partners In Parallel At Law Firm By Julian Woodford

	The truth really is stranger than fiction. Who'd have believed that the lives and careers of two young women lawyers could have followed such remarkably similar and parallel paths - and without them knowing it. Claire Ramsden and Jane Longhorn, who have just been made new partners at the Hull firm, Williamsons Solicitors, both started their education at the same Read more...

Articles - More Famous Than Christmas By Jim Higo

	You can guarantee that some things never change. Sickening over-indulgence, excessive eating and drunken abuse of your work colleagues, followed by obnoxious obscenities, mindless violence and the inability to string together a coherent sentence. Yes, that's John Prescott for you. This Christmas I have managed to stay as close as possible to the true and original meaning of Read more...

Articles - Consolation Prize By Lydia Rivlin

I came to Hull at the beginning of the year, to run as the Conservative Candidate for Hull North. I am a Leeds girl and would have loved to have got back to Yorkshire (yeah, I know Hull is supposed to be a separate entity, but as I said, I'm a Leeds girl). Well, I didn't make it. Labour got the seat and what I got was the consolation prize. Although we are all familiar with the expression Read more...

Articles - I'm Dreaming Of A Weird Christmas By Maurice Fairfield

I spent roughly half my life in Hull and the North of England and I could count the number of White Christmases on one hand. Cold, yes. Wet, yes. Bitterly cold, yes, but rarely white. Yet most of the cards featured gabled houses with icicles dangling from the eaves. Horses pulling sleighs, and always masses of that frigid white stuff. Most of the yuletide snow I have seen is artificial Read more...

Articles - Made In Hull: Stories 1969 - 2005 Part 4 By Rich Mills

	Through the large glass double doors I could see a number of other residents. All were transfixed by the pretty flashing lights emanating from the box in the corner, but I knew they were all fully aware of Laura and I approaching. We stood for a moment watching the specimens through the glass, briefly examining their static behaviour as they gave nothing away except a sense of loss. Read more...